GIFT OF 
 Mr. Frank Marcham 
 
tft 
 
HISTORICAL NOTICES 
 
 MISSIONS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND 
 
 IN THE 
 
 Jlort!) American olonug, 
 
 PREVIOUS TO THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE UNITED STATES: 
 
 CHIEFLY FROM THE MS. DOCUMENTS OF THE 
 
 SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL 
 IN FOREIGN PARTS. 
 
 ERNEST HAWKINS, B.D. 
 
 FELLOW OF EXETER COLLEGE, 
 
 PREBENDARY OF ST. PAUL S, AND SECRETARY TO THE SOCIETY FOR THE 
 PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 " She stretched out her branches unto the sea, and her boughs unto 
 the river." Ps. LXXX. II. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 B. FELLOWES, LUDGATE STREET. 
 1845. 
 
/} 
 
 h. CLAX, PCll^TER, BFEib 
 
TO THE 
 
 BISHOPS, PRIESTS, AND DEACONS 
 
 OF THAT APOSTOLIC CHURCH 
 IN THE 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 
 
 WHICH HAS SO GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGED HERSELF 
 TO BE "INDEBTED, UNDER GOD," TO THE 
 
 CHURCH OF ENGLAND 
 
 FOll HER FIRST FOUNDATION, AND A LONG CONTINUANCE OF 
 NURSING CARE AND PROTECTION," 
 
 C^EBP historical Notices 
 
 ARE RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED, 
 
 IN THE EARNEST DESIRE 
 
 THAT THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER CHURCHES 
 MAY EVER REMAIN INSEPARABLY KNIT TOGETHER 
 
 IN ONE COMMUNION AND FELLOWSHIP, 
 TO THE INCREASE OF BROTHERLY LOVE, 
 AND THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. 
 
 M90974 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IF it must be admitted that the Church of England 
 is not rich in Missionary annals, there can be no 
 difficulty in accounting for the deficiency. 
 
 For more than a century after the Reformation, our 
 Church was so much engaged in maintaining its 
 position against the pretensions and intrigues of 
 Rome, as to have little opportunity for making aggres 
 sions on Heathenism. Then came the Civil War, in 
 which the National Church itself was put under an 
 interdict; and when this tyranny was overpast, a 
 flood of licentiousness came in with the Restoration ; 
 and the shock which was thus given to religion by 
 a reaction from the austerity of one period to the 
 excesses of another, may serve to account for that 
 spirit of indifference so general in this country at the 
 period of the Revolution, a spirit which continued to 
 prevail, more or less, till the commencement of the 
 present century. These were serious obstacles in the 
 way of Missionary enterprise. Nevertheless, the 
 Church was not unmindful of her duty in this parti- 
 
 b 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 cular. At the very commencement of the eighteenth 
 century, a Society was organised for the purpose of 
 providing the ministrations of religion for our country 
 men in the Colonies, and of bringing the surrounding 
 Heathen to a knowledge of the truth. Through this 
 Society, incorporated by Royal Charter, and directed 
 by the whole body of Bishops, the Church, for nearly 
 one hundred and fifty years, has conducted one main 
 part of its Missionary operations. The principal field 
 of those operations during the last century were the 
 North American Colonies (with the exception of 
 Virginia and Maryland, where the Church w^as en 
 dowed) ; and the design of the present Volume is to 
 give a general outline of the rise and progress of the 
 Church in those parts. It has no pretension to the 
 character of a complete history : that is reserved for 
 an abler hand ; and those who are anxious for further 
 information than is to be found in the vigorous and 
 animated sketch of the Bishop of Oxford, 1 may be 
 confidently referred to the larger work which has been 
 promised the world, by one whose name will secure it 
 attention, and whose qualifications for the undertaking 
 are evidenced by the extensive and accurate research 
 which mark the Volume already published. 2 
 
 Still the details here supplied may not be without 
 
 1 History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America, by Samuel 
 Wilberforce. 
 
 2 History of the Church of England in the Colonies and Foreign Depen 
 dencies of the British Empire, by the Rev. James S. M. Anderson, M.A. 
 London, 1845r 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 their use or interest ; for they supply lessons both of 
 warning and instruction. They warn us of the guilt 
 and danger of allowing new Settlements to be planted 
 without any adequate provision for their spiritual 
 wants ; and they teach us that the fellowship of the 
 Church is the strongest tie between the Mother 
 Country and her Colonies. At all events, they will not 
 have been collected in vain, if they direct the attention 
 of any to the exceeding importance of laying well the 
 foundation of future empires, by basing it on the 
 unchanging principles of Christian faith and holiness. 
 
 Such principles, deeply impressed upon the minds 
 of the first Colonists in a new country, will be trans 
 mitted to successive generations ; and it is only neces 
 sary to remember how rapidly population increases in 
 a young Settlement, to give to this consideration all 
 the weight that it deserves. 
 
 At the time when the Church established its first- 
 Mission on the shores of New England in 1702, the 
 total population of the North American Colonies may be 
 computed at 250, 00 O 1 at the Declaration of Inde 
 pendence it was about 3,000,000 it amounts now to 
 17,000,000; and should the same ratio of increase 
 continue (of which there seems no reason to doubt) 
 it will, in one more century, be between two and three 
 hundred millions, who will all, more or less, bear the 
 impression which has been stamped upon them by 
 their fathers, the founders of the several Colonies. 
 
 1 See page 23. 
 
 6 2 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 Whatever be cast into the soil of a new country, 
 be it good seed or tares, will take root, and spring up 
 with an abundant harvest ; and this is a truth which 
 no country was ever so bound to understand and act 
 upon as England. Our Colonies in every part of the 
 world are fast growing into great nations ; and upon 
 ourselves the Church and realm of England it 
 depends to mould their institutions, and fix their 
 principles. Happily the members of our Church are 
 daily becoming more alive to this great responsibility. 
 They see, in the diffusion of our language, the exten 
 sion of our commerce, the vastness of our Colonial 
 empire, and the wonderful facilities for reaching the 
 most distant parts of it, a Providential call to avail 
 themselves of such unexampled opportunities for the 
 furtherance of the Gospel. The more thoughtful, 
 surely, must see in the fact that all this power and 
 influence have been given to England, rather than to 
 Italy, or France, or Spain, an indication of God s 
 gracious purpose to make the Church of this country a 
 chosen instrument for bringing Heathen nations within 
 the fold of His blessed Son. May He who hath so 
 freely bestowed these talents, give to our Church and 
 nation the grace to use them as a wise and faithful 
 steward ! 
 
 The following " Notices " will show that the Church 
 of England was not barren of good works during the 
 last century. In many a lone settlement on the Con 
 tinent and in the Islands of America, she had the 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 privilege of being the first to plant the Cross of Christ ; 
 nor has she any cause to be ashamed of the roll of 
 her Missionary names. Not to mention HUNT and 
 WHITAKER, of whom little is known but their high 
 purpose and devoted zeal, the memory of THOMAS 
 BRAY must ever be had in honour. He freely 
 devoted himself and his fortune to the promotion of 
 God s glory, and seldom has any one been privileged 
 to perform services more extensive or more lasting. 
 The name of BERKELEY is second to none in the 
 honoured list of Missionaries. In natural endow 
 ments, and in the accomplishments of science and 
 literature, he stands pre-eminent, an few have ever 
 given up so much to follow their Heavenly Master. 
 Though all must lament that his noble designs 
 were frustrated, none will be disposed to ask, "For 
 what purpose was this waste ?" save those who are 
 incapable of appreciating the high moral importance 
 of such an example as that of Bishop Berkeley. 
 
 The Church that can boast many such must have a 
 well-filled quiver ; but the reader will not fail to recog 
 nise in KEITH, and TALBOT, and JOHNSON, in CLEMENT 
 HALL and JOHN BEACH, in Bishops SEABURY and 
 INGLIS, many of the same qualifications which have dis 
 tinguished the devoted servants of God in every age 
 of the Gospel. The early Missionaries in North 
 America laboured single-handed amid manifold diffi 
 culties, and did all that men so situated could accom 
 plish. In later times, the Church in the Colonies has 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 obtained a more perfect organization, while the resources 
 of the mother country have been largely increased. 
 As, therefore, more has been given, more will be re 
 quired than in times past. In every direction there 
 is a cry for help. Not only are thousands of our 
 poorest countrymen in the Colonies destitute of the 
 means of grace, and entire Provinces without the 
 blessing of Episcopal government, but multitudes of 
 the Heathen in our vast Indian empire are, by manifest 
 tokens, showing a readiness to learn the way of God 
 more perfectly. 
 
 Here, then, is a work of surpassing importance 
 committed to the hands of our Church ; and, may we 
 not reverently conjecture, committed to her as being 
 the most faithful depository of revealed truth ? It is 
 surely no undiscerning partiality to regard our own 
 mother Church of England as occupying a position of 
 advantage, both for the defence and for the propagation 
 of the Gospel. In the old world it may probably, ere 
 long, become an ark of safety for those who can find 
 no sure footing amid the developments of a subtle 
 theology and the pretensions of unauthorized human 
 systems. Assuredly, too, the same Church is specially 
 called to impart the gifts she has received her pure 
 doctrine and her Apostolic ordinances to Heathen 
 lands and newly-settled Colonies. To this call she 
 is becoming daily more awake; and the following 
 " Notices " have been compiled, not without the hope 
 that the record of what was done in one department 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 of Missionary labour by our forefathers, may help to 
 arouse us to more zealous and combined efforts. 
 
 It is right to say, that a large portion of the present 
 Volume has already appeared in the pages of the "British 
 Magazine/ from which it was regularly adopted into 
 two, if not more, of the ablest and most influential Jour 
 nals of North America. 1 Much, however, has been since 
 added, and the whole has been arranged in more 
 convenient order. Without making any idle apologies 
 for the faults and imperfections which may be found 
 either in the plan or in the execution of the work, the 
 author desires simply to state in explanation, that his 
 book was written not to supersede any other work 
 on the subject, but because no other existed. The 
 "Historical Account of the Society for the Propa 
 gation of the Gospel," by Dr. Humphreys, contains 
 indeed a useful summary of the operations of the 
 Missionaries in the North American Colonies during 
 the early part of the last century ; but there the his 
 tory ends. A valuable compilation of a different kind, 
 consisting principally of extracts from the Anniversary 
 Sermons preached before the same Society, and ar 
 ranged under appropriate heads, was published in 
 1819, under the title of "Propaganda," and contri 
 buted to make the past and then present condition 
 of the Church in the Colonies better known. This 
 Work is the more deserving of honourable mention as 
 
 1 " The Church " newspaper, Cobourg, Canada West ; and the " Banner 
 of the Cross/ New York. 
 
Xll PREFACE. 
 
 it was compiled by the late Rev. Josiah Pratt, at a time 
 when, as holding a prominent official position in another 
 Society, his whole attention might have been sup 
 posed to be engrossed in the furtherance of its special 
 designs. The " Propaganda," however, is not a regular 
 or continuous history. Something, therefore, in the 
 way of a more connected narrative seemed to be re 
 quired. The position of the Author gave him access 
 to a large mass of original letters from the Missionaries 
 in America ; and he thought that an examination of 
 them, with a view to the publication of the more 
 material parts, might be not altogether an unprofitable 
 employment for his leisure. In this manner he gleaned 
 the facts which are now submitted to the Reader ; and 
 he will be abundantly compensated for the labour 
 which the Volume has cost him, if, by diffusing more 
 accurate information on the subject of our earlier Mis 
 sions, it shall tend, in any degree, to awaken a livelier 
 sense of our obligation, as a Church and nation, not 
 only to maintain the ordinances of religion among our 
 distant brethren in the Colonies, but to fulfil the com 
 mandment of our Blessed Lord, as far as it may be 
 permitted to us, by making known His Gospel in all 
 lands. 
 
 79, PALL MALL, 
 November I5th y 1845. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Duty of the Mother Country to its Colonies Gift of Sir Walter 
 Raleigh Hariot Hakluyt Virginia Company, 1606 Robert 
 Hunt Mr. Bucke Alexander Whitaker Nicholas Ferrar King s 
 Letter for a General Collection Provision for Virginian Clergy 
 Church Laws College New Plymouth Settlement^Cromwetl s 
 Ordinance Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New 
 England Robert Boyle John Eliot Translation of the Bible 
 into the Indian Language Ministrations to the Indians Sir 
 Leolyne Jenkyns Endowment of two Fellowships at Jesus Col 
 lege, Oxford Maryland Pennsylvania The Church and the Sects 
 in America First Church built at Boston Allowance of King 
 Charles II. to Missionaries Division of Maryland into Parishes 
 Dr. Bray Commissary Charter granted to the Society for the 
 Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Object of the Society two-fold : 1. Spiritual Provision for British 
 Settlers. 2. Propagation of the Gospel among the surrounding 
 Heathen First Meeting Election of Treasurers and Secretary 
 Colonel Morris s Memorial Colonel Dudley s Account of Religion 
 in the Plantations in North America George Keith Letter about 
 the state of Quakerism in North America Rev. Patrick Gordon 
 Rev. John Talbot Their Voyage to Boston Mr. Gordon s Death 
 
XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 and Character Missionary Tour of Keith and Talbot Talbot s 
 Letter to Mr. Richard Gillingham His Report of the Church and 
 of the various Sects Mr. Keith s Narrative Applications to the 
 Society for Missionaries Public Notice given by the Society 
 Qualifications of Candidates Character of Missionaries .... 18 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 SOUTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Original Settlement Charter Code of Laws First Church Rev. 
 A. Williamson Rev. S. Marshall Rev. S. Thomas Dr. Le Jau 
 Witchcraft Slaves Small-pox Rev. Mr. Merry Rev. Mr. Lud- 
 lam Rev. Robert Maule Mr. Maule s Death and Character 
 Rev. Gideon Johnstone, Commissary His Death Indian War 
 Liberality of the Society Rev. Alexander Garden Rev. Thomas 
 Hasell Rev. Lewis Jones Rev. William Guy Rev. Charles 
 Martyn Rev. Robert Baron Rev. James Harrison Mr. Garden s 
 Resignation and Character Ecclesiastical Discipline Whitfield 
 Services of the Society in the North American Colonies .... 47 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 General Account of the Province Commissary Blair Classification 
 of the People Mr. Henderson Walker Rev. John Urmston 
 Governor Eden Rev. Giles Rainsford Rev. W. Gordon and Rev. 
 J. Adams Rev. Thos. Newnam Rev. John Boyd Rev. James 
 Moir Rev. Clement Hall His great Labours and Success Rev. 
 Alex. Stewart Want of a Bishop Rev. N. Christian 64 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 GEORGIA. 
 
 Foundation of the Colony The Saltzburg Emigrants Rev. John 
 Wesley His strict Observances Catechising Expenses for one 
 Year Appeal to the Commissary South Carolina Clergy Per 
 forms Service in French, Italian, and German His Sunday s 
 Occupation Reason for leaving Georgia Embarks for England 
 
CONTENTS. XV 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Passes Whitfield in the Downs Whitfield s Preaching in America 
 His Orphan House Kev. W. Morris Rev. Mr. Zouberbugler 
 Rev. Jonathan Copp Province divided into Parishes Rev. Samuel 
 Frink Rev. Edward Ellington Takes charge of the Orphan House 
 Want of Churches Gross Ignorance of the Settlers Want of a 
 Bishop Ecclesiastical Returns of Savannah 90 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 First Settlement Rev. Mr. Clayton Rev. Evan Evans His Report 
 of the State of the Church Rev. John Clubb Memorial for a 
 Bishop Rev. Robert Weyman Rev. Thomas Crawford Rev. 
 George Ross Rev. William Beckett Rev. Hugh Neill Loss of 
 Messrs. Wilson and Giles at sea Rev. Dr. Smith Rev. Thomas 
 Barton Mission of Huntingdon Scheme for the Conversion of 
 the Indians Yariety of Sects Proposed Conformity of Lutherans 
 and Calvinists Progress of Fanaticism Marlborough Outbreak 
 of the Indians Mr. Barton refuses the Oath of Allegiance 
 Retires from his Mission 106 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 NEW JERSEY. 
 
 First Settlement Origin of Name Rev. John Talbot Governor 
 Nicholson Lillingston recommended as Bishop Talbot s exer 
 tions to obtain a Bishop His Second Visit to England Accused 
 of Jacobitism His Retirement Goes back to America Charge 
 of Disaffection Consecrated by Non-juring Bishops His Death 
 and Character Rev. John Brooke Rev. Edward Yaughan Rev. 
 Colin Campbell Rev. Thos. Thompson Rev. M. Houdin Rev. T. 
 B. Chandler Commencement of the Civil Troubles Chandler s 
 Publications Embarrassments of the Missionaries Chandler 
 withdraws to England Rev. Isaac Browne Rev. John Mackean . 141 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 NEW ENGLAND. 
 
 RHODE ISLAND AND CONNECTICUT. 
 
 Rev. James Honyman Difficulties under which the early Missionaries 
 laboured Rev. George Pigot Dean Berkeley His project of a 
 College at Bermuda His return, and disposal of the Fund raised 
 
XVI CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 for the College Yale College Cutler, Browne, and Johnson 
 Their conforming to the Church Go to England for Ordination 
 
 I Are admitted to Degrees at Oxford and Cambridge Death of 
 Mr. Browne Return of Dr. Cutler and Mr. Johnson Dr. Cutler 
 takes charge of the Mission of Boston Disorders produced by 
 Whitfield s Preaching Testimony to Dr. Cutler s Literary and 
 Scientific Attainments His Death Rev. Samuel Johnson 
 Account of the Mission of Stratford Candidates recommended for 
 Orders Want of Church Education Mr. Johnson receives the 
 Honorary Degree of D.D. from Oxford Elected President of King s 
 College, New York Returns to Stratford His Death and 
 Character . . . 165 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 CONNECTICUT. 
 
 Average number of New England Missionaries Rev. John Beach 
 Mission of Newtown and Reading Steady increase of his Congre 
 gations Controversy with the Independent Ministers Mr. Sande- 
 man propagates Antinomian views "Want of Clergy And of a 
 Bishop to ordain Extension of the Church by Emigration to 
 other Settlements Mr. Beach s long service His Death and 
 Character . . 200 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 NEW ENGLAND. 
 
 CONNECTICUT KHODE ISLAND MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 Rev. Roger Price Enumeration of Churches in New England 
 Number of Bishops and Clergy in 1844 Mission of Hebron 
 Loss of Missionaries Rev. Peter Bours Rev. Edward Bass Mis 
 sion of Salem Rev. C. Brockwell Whitfield and his Followers 
 Rev. J. Macsparran Rev. S. Palmer Rev. Mr. Macclenaghan 
 Rev. John Graves Rev. W. Macgilchrist Rev. E. Thompson 
 Allotment of Glebes Endowments Rev. Jacob Bailey Rev. E. 
 Punderson Opposition of Dissenters Rev. E. Winslow Convoca 
 tion at Boston Rev. Richard Mansfield Vast extent of his Mis 
 sion Rev. Alexander Murray Neglect of the Sacraments Rev. 
 John Tyler Rev, Samuel Peters Missionary Tour- Rev. E. Dib- 
 blee Rev. Bela Hubbard Political Troubles Rev. M. Browne 
 
CONTENTS. XVII 
 
 Dispersion of the Clergy Rev. Dr. Caner Rev. J. W. Weeks 
 Rev. Mather Byles Death and Character of Mr. Thompson 
 Letter of Colonel Peters State of New England Churches Rev. 
 R. Cossit 216 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 EARLY MISSIONS TO THE INDIANS AND NEGROES. 
 
 State of Religion among the Indians in New England Memorials 
 of the Earl of Bellamont and Mr. Livingstone Appointment of 
 the Rev. Thoroughgood Moor Mission unsuccessful Embassy of 
 four Sachems to England Rev. William Andrews Habits of 
 the Indians Instruction of the Negroes Mr. Elias Neau Rev. 
 R. Charlton Rev. S. Auchmuty 259 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 First Discovery by Hudson And Settlement by the Dutch Captured 
 by the English in 1664 Area Present Population and number of 
 Clergy First Church and Clergyman Rev. W. Yesey Rev. John 
 Bartow M. Bondet M. Stoupe Rev. H. Barclay Rev. G. Muir- 
 son Rev. John Miln Mr. Barclay, Jun. Rev. John Ogilvie The 
 Mohawks Mr. St. George Talbot Convention at Ripton, Con 
 necticutSir W. Johnson , 274 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 Rev. Samuel Seabury, Father and Son Rev. S. Seabury, Jun. Report 
 of Flushing Of Jamaica Effects of Quakerism Loss of two Mis 
 sionaries at Sea Promotion of Mr. Seabury to West Chester 
 Political Troubles Escape to Long Island Persecution and Suf 
 ferings of the Missionaries Rev. L. Babcock Rev. Dr. Auchmuty 
 Rev. Leonard Cutting Rev. P. Reading Rev. John Sayre Rev. 
 Dr. Smith Rev. S. Tingley Rev. J. Learning Rev. John Stuart . 294 
 
xviii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Rev. Charles Inglis appointed to Dover Mission Becomes Assistant 
 to Dr. Auchmuty at New York Urges the appointment of Bishops 
 Plan for Conversion of the Indians Letter recounting the Pro 
 gress of the Civil War and the Sufferings of the Clergy Death 
 of Dr. Auchmuty Election of Mr. Inglis as Rector of Trinity 
 Treaty of 1783 Confiscation of Mr. Inglis s Property He retires 
 to Nova Scotia Bishop of Oxford s Testimony to the conduct of 
 the Missionaries Address of the Clerical and Lay Deputies of 
 the American Church 323 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 NEWFOUNDLAND. 
 
 
 Discovery Name Area Its Fishery Lord Bacon s Patent Lord 
 Baltimore s Settlement Finally ceded to England First Report 
 Rev. Mr. Jackson Rev. Jacob Rice Rev. R. Kill patrick Rev. 
 Henry Jones Rev. Mr. Peaseley Rev. Edward Langman Rev. 
 Lawrence Coughlan Rev. James Balfour Gift of William the 
 Fourth 346 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 NOVA SCOTIA. 
 
 Ceded to Great Britain Settlers sent out by Board of Trade Grants 
 to Clergymen and Schoolmasters Rev. W. Tutty Rev. M. Moreau 
 Rev. Mr. Burger Rev. P. Bryzelius Rev. R. Vincent Rev. P. 
 Delaroche Scarcity and Distress Rev. T. Wood Visit to Indian 
 Tribes Rev. J. Bennet, Coast Missionary Rev. W. Ellis Rev. J. 
 Eagleson Difference of Language and of Forms of Worship A 
 public Seminary at Windsor recommended Rev. John Breynton 
 Statistics of Halifax Influx of Refugees from the States Ejected 
 Missionaries appointed to Nova Scotia Bishop of Oxford s allusion 
 to them . , 354 
 
CONTENTS. XIX 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Design of Archbishop Laud Of Clarendon Appeals of Rev. John 
 Talbot Subject for Convocation Efforts of the Society Petition 
 from the Colonies Gift and Legacies for Endowment of Bishopricks 
 Rev. S. Johnson and New England Clergy Rev. Mr. Colebatch 
 designed for Consecration Exertions of Bishop Seeker, Sherlock, 
 Terrick Drs. Johnson and Learning Rev. G. Craig Bishops Ewer 
 and Lowth Exertions of Granville Sharp Of Dr. George Berkeley 
 Dr. Seabury His Consecration Renewed efforts to obtain the 
 Succession through the English Branch of the Church American 
 Prayer-Book Election and Consecration of Bishops White and 
 Provoost Of Bishop Inglis Growth and Expansion of the Church 375^ 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 A. Copy of the Charter of S. P. G 415 
 
 B. Extract from the Roll of Subscribers, 1701 1709 422 
 
 C. Instructions to Lord Cornbury, 1703 423 
 
 D. Instructions to Missionaries 424 
 
 E. Grant of Land to the first Missionaries in Nova Scotia, 1749 . . 425 
 
 F. Table of American and Colonial Dioceses and Bishops .... 427 
 
 Concluding Notices 429 
 
 INDEX , 435 
 
HISTORICAL NOTICES, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Duty of the Mother Country to its Colonies Gift of Sir Walter Raleigh 
 Hariot Hadkluyt Virginia Company, 1606 Robert Hunt Mr. Bucke 
 Alexander Whitaker Nicholas Ferrar King s Letter for a General Col 
 lectionProvision for Yirginian Clergy Church Laws College New 
 Plymouth Settlement Cromwell s Ordinance Society for the Propa 
 gation of the Gospel in New England Robert Boyle John Eliot 
 Translation of the Bible into the Indian Language Ministrations to the 
 Indians Sir Leolyne Jenkyns Endowment of two Fellowships at Jesus 
 College, Oxford Maryland Pennsylvania The Church and the Sects 
 in America First Church built at Boston Allowance of King Charles II. 
 to Missionaries Division of Maryland into Parishes Dr. Bray Com 
 missary Charter granted to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel 
 in Foreign Parts. 
 
 IT is satisfactory to know, that from the first formation of 
 the British settlements in America, there has been, on the 
 part of the mother country, a recognition, at least, of her 
 twofold duty ; first, to maintain the true faith among her 
 own children, and, secondly, to propagate it among the 
 surrounding heathen. 
 
 It would be inconsistent with the design of the present 
 
 / 5 work to recount in detail the various efforts which were 
 
 made, whether by corporations or by individuals, previous 
 
2 RALEIGH HARIOT. [CH. 
 
 to the commencement of the eighteenth century, for the 
 introduction of Christianity into our colonies. Some few 
 instances, however, may be given. 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh, the father of English colonization, 
 after the failure of his enterprise in Virginia, on assigning 
 over his patent, in 1589, to a company of merchants, gave 
 the sum of 100/. " in especial regard and zeal of planting 
 the Christian religion in those barbarous countries, and 
 ;for4he aelv&iaoejrient and preferment of the same, and the 
 conimori utility and profit of the inhabitants." 1 His 
 >kthcJmavicvi5. pre^e.ptof, Hariot, who at the instance of his 
 patron accompanied the expedition of 1585, has some claim 
 to be called the first English Missionary to the new world. 
 
 " Many times," says he ; " and in euery towne where I came, 
 according as I was able, I made declaration of the contents of the 
 Bible, that therein was set foorth the true and onely God, and 
 his mightie workes, that therein was conteined the true doctrine 
 of Saluation through Christ, with many particularities of miracles 
 and cliiefe points of Religion, as I was able then to vtter, and 
 thought fit for the time. And although I told them the booke 
 materially and of itselfe was not of any such vertue, as I thought 
 they did conceiue, but onely the doctrine therein conteined : yet 
 would many be glad to touch it, to embrace it, to kisse it, to hold 
 it to their breastes and beads, and stroke ouer all their body with 
 it, to show their hungry desire of that knowledge which was 
 spoken of." 2 
 
 Hakluyt, 3 who has preserved the simple narrative of 
 Hariot, together with so many other valuable records of 
 maritime discovery and adventure, contributed materially 
 by his writings to excite and sustain the spirit of enterprise 
 
 1 Southey s Lives of the Admirals, vol. iv. p. 238. 
 
 2 Hakluyt, vol. iii. p.- 337. 
 
 3 Richard Hakluyt was Prebendary of Bristol and Westminster, and 
 Rector of Wetheringsett, in Suffolk. Born 1553, died 1616. Biographia 
 Britannica. 
 
I.] ROBERT HUNT. 3 
 
 and colonization which distinguished the reigns of Elizabeth 
 and James I. His name occurs in both the charters which 
 were granted by the latter monarch, in the years 1606 and 
 1609, to a Company for the improvement of trade and 
 plantations in Virginia, A royal ordinance, which accom 
 panied the charter of 1606, proves satisfactorily that the 
 views of the King were not restricted to the mere com 
 mercial advantage of his subjects ; for a special provision 
 was made " that the true word and service of God be 
 preached, planted, and used, not only in the colonies, but 
 also, as much as might be, among the savages bordering 
 upon them, and this according to the rites and doctrines 
 of the Church of England." 1 
 
 Among those who signed the petition for this charter 
 was one little known, but deserving of all honour, 
 Robert Hunt, an English clergyman, whose Christian 
 meekness, cheerfulness, and perseverance, under the severest 
 trials, were a signal blessing to the colony. He seems to 
 have joined the expedition with the single purpose of 
 devoting himself to the religious interests of the new settle 
 ment ; and, having put his hand to the plough, no difficul 
 ties or discouragements could tempt him to look back. 
 " On the 19th December, 1606," says one of his companions, 
 " wee set saile, but by vnprosperous winds were kept six 
 weekes in the sight of England ; all which time Mr. Hunt, 
 our Preacher, was so weake and sicke that few expected 
 his recouerie ; yet, although hee were but ten or twelve 
 miles from his habitation, (the time wee were in the 
 Downes) and notwithstanding the stormy weather, nor the 
 scandalous imputation (of some few little better than athe 
 ists, of the greatest ranke amongst us) suggested against 
 him, all this could neuer force from him so much as a 
 1 Hawks Virginia, p. 19. 
 B 2 
 
4 MR. BUCKE. [CH. 
 
 seeming desire to leaue the businesse, but preferred the 
 seruice of God, in so good a voyage, before any affection, 
 to contest with his godlesse foes, whose disastrous designes 
 (could they haue prevailed) had euen then ouerthrowne 
 the businesse, so many discontents did then arise, had he 
 not, with the water of patience and his godly exhortations 
 (but briefly by his true denoted example) quenched those 
 flames of enuy and dissension." l His first object was the 
 erection of a church ; which was no sooner built, than, 
 together with the town, it was destroyed by an accidental 
 fire. The worthy pastor, however, whose own library had 
 perished in. the flames, never lost heart, but at once zeal 
 ously set about the work of restoration, and ere long had 
 the happiness of seeing the church restored, and James- 
 Town rebuilt. 
 
 The next clergyman of whom we read in the early 
 annals of Virginia, Mr. Bucke, went out as chaplain to a 
 party of colonists who embarked, in 1609, under the com 
 mand of Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers. The 
 ship in which he and the commanders sailed, was separated 
 by a storm from the rest of the squadron, and wrecked on 
 the Bermudas ; but during their forced residence on those 
 islands, Mr. Bucke was enabled to maintain the ministra 
 tions of religion, not only by the full services on the Sun 
 day, but by daily morning and evening prayer, at which 
 the names of the whole company were called over, and a 
 penalty inflicted upon those who were absent. 2 After a 
 stay of several months in Bermuda, having erected a cross 
 to the honour of God, and in memory of their deliverance 
 from the storm, the party again put to sea in two vessels, 
 which had been constructed in part out of the beams and 
 planks of the " Sea Venture." This time they crossed the 
 
 1 Purchas Pilgrims, vol. iv. p. 1705. 2 \\)\^ 
 
I.] LORD DELAWARE. 5 
 
 ocean without any disaster ; but were saddened by a melan 
 choly prospect on their arrival in Virginia. The scene of 
 their landing seems to be brought before our eyes by the 
 following graphic description of an eye-witness: "Wee 
 plyed it sadly up the river, and the three-and-twentieth of 
 May we cast anchor before James Towne, where we landed : 
 and ovr much grieved Governour, first visiting the church, 
 caused the bell to be rung, at which all such as were able 
 to come forth of their houses repayred to church, where 
 our minister, Master Bucke, made a zealous and sorrow full 
 prayer, finding all things so contrary to our expectations, 
 so full of misery and misgovernment." l This was during 
 that terrible crisis of suffering called " the starving time." 
 Nothing, indeed, could exceed the distress of the colonists. 
 Their number had been reduced in six months, by famine 
 and pestilence, from five hundred to sixty ; and so utterly 
 unprovided were they with the common necessaries of life, 
 that the Lieutenant-governor, Sir Thomas Gates, deter 
 mined to abandon the settlement. All accordingly em 
 barked, and on the 7th June, 1610, floated down the river 
 with the tide, " none dropping a tear, because none had 
 enjoyed one day v of happiness." On the following morning 
 they descried, to their great joy, Lord Delawarr s squadron 
 just arrived from England ; " on which," says the narrator, 
 " our Governor bore up the helme, and that night, (the 
 winde so favourable,) relanded all his men at the Fort 
 again." 2 
 
 Lord Delawarr signalized his first landing by a public 
 act of devotion : having " caused his company in armes to 
 stand in order, and make a guard, he fell upon his knees, 
 and before vs all, made a long and silent prayer to himself, 
 and after marched up into the Towne and passed on into 
 i Purchas, vol. iv. p. 1748. 2 Ibid. p. 1752. 
 
6 W Hi TAKER. [CH. 
 
 the chappell, where he heard a sermon by Master Bucke, 
 our Governour s Preacher." 1 
 
 The second church in Virginia was built at Henrico, in 
 1611, and became the charge of the Rev. Alexander 
 Whitaker, who enclosed a hundred acres of land, and built 
 a parsonage. The following testimony to his high and 
 self-denying character is from the pen of the Rev. "W. 
 Crashawe, a cotemporary, and Preacher at the Temple. 
 " I hereby let all men know that a scholler, a graduate, a 
 preacher, well borne and friended in England ; not in debt 
 nor disgrace, but competently provided for, and liked and 
 beloved where he lived ; not in want, but (for a scholler, 
 and as these days be) rich in possession, and more in pos- 
 sibilitie; of himself, without any persuasion (but God s and 
 his own heart) did voluntarily leave his warme nest, and to 
 the wonder of his kindred and amazement of them that 
 knew him, undertooke this hard, but, in my judgment, 
 heroicall resolution to go to Virginia, and helpe to beare 
 the name of God unto the Gentiles." 2 
 
 This devoted servant of Christ, who well deserves the 
 place which has been assigned to him among " the Apostles 
 of Virginia," 3 was son of Dr. William Whitaker, Master 
 of St. John s College, Cambridge, and went out, in 1611, 
 with the expedition of Sir Thomas Dale. His letters 
 breathe a noble spirit of self-devotion. In one of them, 
 remarking upon the spiritual harvest to be reaped among 
 the native Americans, and the apathy of his brethren at 
 home, he thus speaks out of the fulness of his heart : 
 " I muse that so few of our English ministers that were so 
 hot against the surplis and subscription come hither, where 
 
 1 Purchas, vol. iv. p. 1754. 2 Hawks Virginia, p. 28. 
 
 3 Crashawe s Epistle Dedicatorie, quoted in Anderson s History of the 
 Church in the Colonies, p. 203. 
 
I.] NICHOLAS FERRAR. 7 
 
 neither [are] spoken of. Doe they not either wilfully hide 
 their tallents, or keep themselues at home, for feare of losing 
 a few pleasures ? Be there not any amongst them of Moses 
 his minde, and of the Apostles, that forsooke all to follow 
 Christ ? But I referre them to the Judge of all hearts, 
 and to the King, that shall reward every one according to 
 the gaine of his tallent. But you, my cosen, hold fast that 
 which you have, and I, though my promise of three yeeres 
 service to my country be expired, will abide in my voca 
 tion here, untill I be lawfully called from hence. And so, 
 betaking vs all unto the mercies of God in Jesus Christ, 
 rest for euer." 1 
 
 It is pleasing also to remember, in connexion with this 
 colony, that the saint-like Nicholas Ferrar was for several 
 years, either as counsel or deputy-governor, the principal 
 manager of the company ; and the instructions which were 
 sent out by him, from time to time, are said to have been 
 equally remarkable for sound policy and high religious 
 principle. On the dissolution of the company he paid over 
 the sum of 300/., which his father had bequeathed for the 
 erection of a college in Virginia, to the governor and com 
 pany of the Somers Islands (the Bermudas), binding them 
 to have always under education three native Virginia 
 children in those islands ; and to put them out, when of fit 
 age, to some proper business, or else to send them back 
 to Virginia to convert their brethren. 2 
 
 The king had already issued a letter to the Bishops, 
 requiring a collection to be made for a like purpose in all 
 parish churches, and contributions amounting to 4,000/. 
 were raised. These facts serve to show that those who 
 were first concerned in what Lord Bacon calls " the heroical 
 
 1 Purchas, vol. iv. p. 1771. 
 
 2 Life of Ferrar, in Wordsworth s Eccles. Biography, vol. v. p. 151. 
 
8 VIRGINIA. [CH. 
 
 work of plantations," had due regard to the promotion of 
 God s honour in the sight both of their own people and of 
 the Heathen. 
 
 As the first colonists of Virginia were exclusively mem 
 bers of the Church of England, the legislature of the 
 colony decreed a provision for the clergy, at the rate of 
 1,500 pounds of tobacco and 16 barrels of flour annually 
 for each clergyman. As each new borough was formed, it 
 was ordered that a portion of glebe land should be set apart 
 for the use of the incumbent. Tithes were afterwards 
 instituted. Discipline was enforced by laws which, it must 
 be admitted, were unjustifiably severe ; and a peremptory 
 enactment was passed, that none but ministers episcopally 
 ordained should be allowed to officiate in the colony. 1 
 
 During the troubles which accompanied and followed 
 the civil war, many of the cavaliers sought a refuge in 
 Virginia ; and this new emigration naturally tended to sus 
 tain the prevalent feeling of attachment to the church and 
 the monarchy. At a period long subsequent, King William 
 and Queen Mary formed the noble design of erecting and 
 endowing a college in Virginia. A charter was given, with 
 ample immunities and privileges, a public fund was allotted 
 for the endowment, a president appointed, and the building 
 commenced, but unfortunately it was destroyed by fire, and 
 was never afterwards restored. About the same time the 
 Rev. James Blair was sent out as ecclesiastical commissary 
 of the province, and on this occasion Queen Mary gave a 
 bounty of 200/. a-year for the support of missionaries. 2 
 
 The history of the New Plymouth settlement, Massa- 
 chussets Bay, is well known. It was first formed by a 
 small party of Puritans, in the winter of 1620, and con- 
 
 <v 
 
 1 Hawks Virginia, p. 25. 
 
 2 Humphreys Hist. Account of the S. P. G. pp. 9 11. 
 
I.] NEW ENGLAND. 9 
 
 siderably increased in 1629 by an influx of their brethren, 
 who were discontented with the state of things at home. 
 Indeed, the civil troubles in England were at that time 
 the means of furnishing frequent supplies of new settlers 
 to the Colonies ; and it is said that among those who, in 
 1638, were on the point of abandoning their country for 
 the enjoyment of unrestricted liberty in a new world, 
 were Hampden, Haslerig, and Oliver Cromwell ; but they 
 were prevented from embarking by an order from the 
 court. 
 
 But though Cromwell was reserved to play a more 
 important part at home, it was natural that he should feel 
 a deep interest in the country of the " Pilgrim Fathers/ 
 And we find that during his Protectorate, in the year 
 1649, an ordinance was passed for te the promoting and 
 propagating of the gospel of Jesus Christ in New England 
 by the erection of a corporation, 1 to be called by the name 
 of the President and Society for the Propagation of the 
 Gospel in New England, to receive and dispose of moneys 
 for that purpose ;" and a general collection was ordered to 
 be made in all the parishes of England and Wales. With 
 the proceeds of this collection the Society purchased an 
 estate in land ; and some progress is said to have been 
 made in the conversion of natives, both on the Continent 
 and in the West Indian Islands. 
 
 On the restoration of the monarchy the charter was 
 renewed, through the influence of Mr. Ashurst and Richard 
 Baxter with the Lord Chancellor Hyde, and the powers 
 under it were enlarged ; for now the corporation was 
 styled, " The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel 
 in New England and the Parts adjacent in America." 2 
 Its object was defined to be, "not only to seek the 
 1 deal s Hist, of New England, vol. i. p. 260. 2 Ibid. p. 261. 
 
10 BOYLE ELIOT. [CH. 
 
 outward welfare and prosperity of those colonies, but more 
 especially to endeavour the good and salvation of their 
 immortal souls, and the publishing the most glorious 
 gospel of Christ among them." 
 
 Clarendon is the first name on the list of the corporation, 
 of which the Hon. Robert Boyle was appointed governor. 
 It does not appear that any regular journal was kept of 
 its proceedings ; and it is therefore impossible to form an 
 accurate estimate of the results which followed its esta 
 blishment. The Missionaries seem for the most part to 
 have been deprived clergymen of the Church of England ; 
 and, indeed, Neal names seventy who, being disturbed by 
 the ecclesiastical courts for the cause of nonconformity, 
 transported themselves to New England for the free exer 
 cise of their ministry before the year 1641. Among those 
 mentioned are the celebrated John Eliot, and a very dif 
 ferent person, Hugh Peters. The whole revenue of the 
 corporation never exceeded 600/. a-year ; and with this, 
 according to the same authority, they maintained from 
 twelve to sixteen missionaries English and Indian on 
 salaries of from Wl. to 30/. ; erected schools, and supplied 
 them with books. 
 
 We learn, however, from some letters 1 addressed by 
 Eliot, who has been surnamed " the Apostle of the 
 Indians," to Mr. Boyle, that the governor sent over to him 
 considerable sums of money, 400/. at one time, and 460/. 
 at another, to enable him to complete his translation of the 
 Bible into the Indian language. This work was finished, 
 and many hundred copies of it circulated, in the year 1686. 
 Mr. Boyle s own tract, " The Practice of Piety," was also 
 translated for the use of the natives. 
 
 Printed in the Appendix to the Life of the Hon. Robert Boyle, prefixed 
 to the 4th edit, of his works. 
 
I.] SIR LEOLYNE JENKYNS. 11 
 
 By Eliot s indefatigable exertions many companies of 
 Indians in Massachussets, Plymouth, Martha s Vineyard, 
 and Nantucket, had been so far instructed in the faith as 
 to assemble themselves regularly every Sunday for common 
 prayer and thanksgiving, and to be able " to practise and 
 manage the whole instituted public worship of God 
 among themselves, without the presence or inspection 
 of any English among them." 1 It is impossible not to 
 feel regret that the Church at home took no effectual 
 measures to bring these promising converts within her 
 fold, and to retain them for her own after their zealous 
 pastor was called away. 
 
 Boyle, who had during his life-time devoted so much 
 of his attention and of his wealth to the spiritual improve 
 ment of the native Americans, bequeathed at his death the 
 sum of 100/. to the Society of which he had been governor, 
 to be set aside and employed as stock for the relief of poor 
 Indian converts. And, moreover, after settling an annual 
 " salary for some learned divine to preach eight sermons 
 every year for proving the Christian religion against 
 notorious infidels ; he requires that the said preacher shall 
 be assisting to all companies, and encouraging them in 
 any undertaking, for propagating the Christian religion in 
 foreign parts." 2 
 
 Another eminent instance of zeal for the Colonial Church 
 shall be added. Sir Leolyne Jenkyns, in his last will, 
 proved the 9th of Nov. 1685, provided that two additional 
 fellowships be founded and endowed at his cost and charges 
 in Jesus College, Oxford, on condition that the said two 
 fellows respectively, and their respective successors for 
 
 1 Letter to the Hon. Eobert Boyle. 1684. 
 
 2 Account of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. 1706, p. 9. 
 
12 TWO FELLOWSHIPS. [CH. 
 
 ever, may be under an indispensable obligation to take 
 upon them holy orders of priesthood, and afterward that 
 they go out to sea in any of His Majesty s fleets, when 
 they, or any of them, are thereto summoned by the Lord 
 High Admiral of England ; and in case there be no use of 
 their service at sea, to be called by the Lord Bishop of 
 London to go out into any of His Majesty s foreign planta 
 tions, there to take upon them the cure of souls, and exer 
 cise their ministerial functions, reserving to them their full 
 salaries, with the further encouragement of 201. a-year 
 a-piece while they are actually in either of the services 
 aforesaid." * 
 
 It is much to be lamented that the colonies have hitherto 
 derived little, if any, benefit from this noble endowment. 
 The election, indeed, of one Fellow, namely, the Rev. Henry 
 Nichols, B.A., in 1703, was formally notified by the 
 Principal and Fellows of Jesus College, to the Society for 
 the Propagation of the Gospel ; and it appears that he was 
 sent as a Missionary to Chester, in Pennsylvania. Since 
 then, successive " scholars of King Charles II. and King 
 James II." have been allowed, (by whose neglect it were 
 useless to inquire,) to escape the responsibility attached to 
 their foundation. It is, however, gratifying to be able to 
 state that, within the last year, the Bishop of London, 
 whose exertions in behalf of the Church in the Colonies 
 equal at least those of the most active of his prede 
 cessors, having first ascertained that the Board of Admi 
 ralty had at present no intention of preferring their claim, 
 has given notice to the College, that he feels himself called 
 upon to exercise the privilege accorded to him in the will 
 of Sir L. Jenkins, of sending out the two Fellows elected 
 
 1 The cause in Sir Leolyne s will, as far as it relates to these two fellow 
 ships, is quoted at length in the " Appendix to Journal," 84. 
 
I.] MARYLAND PENNSYLVANIA. 13 
 
 on his foundation, to some one or other of the foreign 
 plantations. 
 
 As the manner in which the American States were first 
 settled serves in a great degree to account for the com 
 paratively slight hold which the Church has retained on 
 them, it may be as well briefly to refer to the origin of 
 two other plantations. 
 
 MARYLAND, so called in honour of Henrietta Maria, 
 consort of King Charles I., was first colonized by Lord 
 Baltimore, a Roman Catholic, who, anxious to escape from 
 the popular odium which attached to his communion, ob 
 tained from the king a grant of land on the two sides of 
 Chesapeak Bay ; and, accompanied by about 200 persons, 
 mostly of good families, formed there a new settlement. 
 An act of their assembly gave free and unlimited tole 
 ration for all who professed the Christian religion, and, in 
 consequence, the colony, which was at first wholly Romanist, 
 soon lost its exclusive character. Mr. Burke, speaking of 
 the Church of England in Maryland, says, " Here the 
 clergy are provided for in a much more liberal manner 
 [than in Virginia], and they are the most decent and the 
 best of the clergy in North America." 1 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA, originally colonized by the Dutch and 
 the Swedes, was granted by charter to William Penn, in 
 1680, and became the new home of a sect which arose in 
 the early part of the seventeenth century, commonly known 
 by the name of " Friends," or Quakers. This body, follow 
 ing the doctrine of their founder, George Fox, would admit 
 neither of civil rank nor spiritual function. Their simple 
 appeal was to the " inward light." They had no regard 
 for Authority, whether civil or ecclesiastical. Proclaiming 
 
 1 It is assumed that Mr. Burke was the author of an " Account of the 
 European Settlements in America." 
 
14 NONCONFORMIST SETTLERS. [cH. 
 
 a universal toleration and the equality of all men, they 
 attracted to their settlement persons of the most different 
 and incompatible creeds, as well from Germany as from 
 England. 
 
 Thus, then, of four important and extensive provinces 
 peopled from our shores during the seventeenth century, 
 three were settled by colonists hostile to the Church of 
 England; Massachussets by Independents, Maryland by 
 Romanists, and Pennsylvania by Quakers. No wonder, 
 therefore, that America exhibits such a fearful preponderance 
 of sectarianism. The fruit which has ripened is the natural 
 produce of the seed which was sown. And while new 
 societies were forming themselves on the other side of the 
 Atlantic, what was the condition of our own communion 
 in those countries? Not a single church existed in the 
 whole of the New England settlements till the year 1679, 
 when, upon an address from several of the inhabitants of 
 Boston, the Lord Bishop of London (Dr. Compton) pre 
 vailed upon King Charles II. to give orders for the 
 erection of one in that town, and King William III. was 
 afterwards pleased to settle an annual bounty of 100/. for 
 the endowment of it. 
 
 The same Bishop, finding by inquiry that there were 
 not at that time more than four Episcopal clergymen in 
 the whole continent of America, made proposals to the 
 several colonies to furnish them with chaplains; and re 
 ceiving from them encouragement, induced King Charles 
 to allow to each clergyman or schoolmaster that should go 
 over, the sum of 201. for his passage. He procured also 
 from his Majesty the gift of a Bible, a Prayer-book, a copy 
 of Homilies, and of the Canons, for each parish, to the 
 value, in all, of 1,2001. Soon after the erection of a church 
 at Boston, another was built by the people at Rhode 
 
I.] MARYLAND. 15 
 
 Island, and " Colonel Fletcher, the Governor of New York, 
 induced the Assembly to set out six churches, with allow 
 ances from forty to sixty pounds a-year for the maintenance 
 of ministers." l 
 
 In the years 1691 and 1692, the Governor and Assembly 
 of Maryland divided the province into parishes, established 
 a legal maintenance for the respective ministers, and me 
 morialized the Bishop of London to send them over some 
 experienced clergyman as ecclesiastical commissary. The 
 person selected for this honourable office was Dr. Bray, a 
 man highly to be honoured, and to be had in lasting 
 remembrance for his zealous and self-denying exertions 
 in behalf of the Church, both at home and abroad. 
 The appointment was made in 1696, and Dr. Bray 
 at once set about the duties of his office, and directed 
 his first attention to two important objects the selection 
 of well-qualified Missionaries, and the means of supplying 
 them with theological libraries. A bill having been 
 brought into Parliament, in 1697, to alienate lands given 
 for superstitious uses, and vest them in Greenwich Hospital, 
 he exerted himself very zealously to get a share of them 
 vested in a body politic, to be erected for the propagation 
 of the true Religion in the plantations. In this design, 
 however, he was unsuccessful, as well as in an attempt at 
 obtaining for the same use some arrears of taxes due to the 
 Crown. In abandoning, therefore, all hope of success in 
 obtaining any public grant, he applied himself to the 
 arrangement of a plan for the establishment of a protestant 
 congregation, pro fide propaganda, by charter from the 
 King ; and though the time had not yet come for obtaining 
 a deed of incorporation, he had influence enough to set on 
 foot, in 1698, a voluntary association to carry on the 
 i Account of the S. P. G. 1706. 
 
16 DR. BRAY. [CH. 
 
 service already commenced in the colonies, and to promote 
 Christian knowledge both at home and abroad. 
 
 Among other Missionaries employed at this time, Dr. 
 Bray " procured and sent two men, as pious and happy 
 in their conduct as could have been found ; one, Mr. Clay 
 ton, sent to Philadelphia ; the other, Mr. Marshall, sent to 
 Charles Town. Neither found at his entrance above fifty 
 of our communion to make up a congregation ; and yet 
 within two years the congregation at Philadelphia, the 
 metropolis of the Quakers, was increased to 700, and that 
 at Charles Town to near as many." A church, too, was 
 built in each place. Both of these excellent missionaries 
 died about two years after their arrival, of diseases caught 
 in visiting the sick. 1 
 
 So disinterested was Dr. Bray in the acceptance of the 
 office of Commissary, that he was actually compelled to 
 sell his effects, and raise money on credit, to pay the ex 
 pense of his voyage to America. He sailed in December, 
 1699, and reached Maryland in the following March; thus 
 taking three months for a voyage which is now accom 
 plished in little more than a fortnight. While there, he 
 promoted in various ways the interests of the Church ; and 
 was ultimately induced to return home in order to gain the 
 royal assent to a bill for its orderly constitution, an object 
 in which, by his perseverance and address, he happily 
 succeeded. On his arrival in England, in 1700-1, he had the 
 gratification of finding that the Association which he had 
 been the chief instrument in founding, was very powerfully 
 supported; and from the number of subscribers, and the 
 amount of their benefactions, a different constitution and 
 more extensive powers appeared necessary for the success 
 of the undertaking. 
 
 1 Public Spirit Illustrated in the Life and Designs of Dr. Bray. Lond. 1808. 
 
1.] THE CHARTER. 17 
 
 A petition therefore was presented by Dr. Bray to King 
 William III. for his Royal charter, and being supported by 
 all the weight and influence of Archbishop Tenison and 
 Bishop Compton, was graciously received by his Majesty. 
 Letters patent under the great seal of England were 
 granted for creating a corporation by the name of " The 
 Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign 
 Parts." The charter, a copy of which will be found in the 
 Appendix, 1 bears date June 16, 1701. 
 
 1 See Appendix A. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Object of the Society two-fold : 1. Spiritual provision for British Settlers. 
 2. Propagation of the Gospel among the surrounding Heathen First Meet 
 ing Election of Treasurers and Secretary Colonel Morris s Memorial 
 Colonel Dudley s Account of Religion in the Plantations in North America 
 George Keith Letter about the state of Quakerism in North America 
 Rev. Patrick Gordon Rev. John Talbot Their Yoyage to Boston Mr. 
 Gordon s Death and Character Missionary Tour of Keith and Talbot 
 Talbot s Letter to Mr. Richard Gillingham His Report of the Church 
 and of the various Sects Mr. Keith s Narrative Applications to the 
 Society for Missionaries Public Notice given by the Society Qualifi 
 cations of Candidates Character of Missionaries. 
 
 THUS a great step in the progress of the Church of Eng 
 land was taken. She now commenced an organized system 
 for the maintenance of religion among her own emigrant 
 children, and for the propagation of the Gospel among the 
 surrounding heathen. The preamble of the Charter recites 
 the twofold object for which it was granted, viz. first, to 
 provide a maintenance for an orthodox clergy in the plan 
 tations, colonies, and factories of Great Britain beyond tha 
 seas, for the instruction of the King s loving subjects in 
 the Christian religion; and, secondly, to make such other 
 provision as was necessary for the propagation of the 
 Gospel in those parts. 
 
 There can be no doubt, that the main object contem 
 plated by the charter was the spiritual care and super 
 intendence of our own emigrant settlers. They obviously, 
 as being our countrymen, and " of the household of faith," 
 
CH. II.] TWO-FOLD OBJECT OF THE SOCIETY, 19 
 
 had the strongest claim ; but the comprehensive charity of 
 such men as Archbishop Tenison, Bishop Compton, and 
 Dr. Bray, looked out of this narrow circle to the world 
 beyond it, and gladly seized the opportunity of sending the 
 Gospel to the heathen, through the medium of our own 
 people who had gone to dwell among them. This inter 
 pretation of the words of the charter is confirmed by the 
 expressed cotemporary opinions of the most distinguished 
 members of the Society. The Dean of Lincoln, (Dr. 
 Willis,) who was selected to preach the first anniversary 
 sermon, February 20, 1702, thus briefly explained the ob 
 jects of the Society : " The design is, in the first place, to 
 settle the state of religion, as well as may be, among our 
 own people there, which, by all accounts we have, very much 
 wants their pious care ; and then to proceed, in the best 
 methods they can, toward the conversion of the natives." 
 And among the demands on the Society s funds, he men 
 tions the expense of " the breeding up of persons to under 
 stand the great variety of languages of those countries, in 
 order to be able to converse with the natives, and preach the 
 Gospel to them." Further on he adds : " Especially this may 
 be a great charity to the souls of many of those poor natives, 
 who may by this be converted from that state of barbarism 
 and idolatry in which they now live, and be brought into 
 the sheepfold of our blessed Saviour." 1 
 
 Bishop Burnet, who preached the following year, 1703, 
 lays it down as the natural order of proceeding, that " our 
 designs upon aliens and infidels must begin in the instructing 
 and reforming our own people" 2 
 
 But the early acts of the Society are a still better proof 
 of the interpretation which it put upon the charter. The 
 
 1 Dean Willis s Sermon before theS.P.G. pp. 17, 18. 2 Sermon, p. 20. 
 
 c2 
 
20 FIRST PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. [CH. 
 
 following are extracts from the very first report, 1 drawn up 
 in the year 1704: 
 
 " 1. That they might answer the main end of their Incorpora 
 tion, they have actually commissioned two Missionaries at a very 
 great expense, and are soliciting maintenance from the Crown for 
 four more, who are at least wanting, for the conversion of the 
 Praying Indians of Canada, whose souls we must be accountable 
 for, if we neglect longer to instruct them in the faith of our 
 blessed Redeemer, when God has so wonderfully opened their eyes, 
 their hearts, and their very tongues, so as to call to us, as those 
 of Macedonia did to the Apostle of the Gentiles, Come over and 
 help us. 
 
 "2. Nor has the Society turned their thoughts only on the 
 Indians in the northern parts of the English dominions, but has 
 sent also one Missionary for the service of the Yeomansee Indians 
 to the south of Carolina, who having been lately engaged in a war 
 with the Spaniards, and every day in danger of an invasion from 
 them, were not in a condition to receive instruction, nor was it 
 thought fit by the Governours to trust him yet amongst them, but 
 as soon as tis practicable to treat with them, there are assurances 
 he shall leave the neighbourhood, where he is instructing many 
 souls as much neglected as the former, the Negroes of Gooscreek. 
 
 " 3. They have made suitable provision also for some of the 
 [West Indian] islands, those too much neglected parts of Her 
 Majesty s territories, by a supply of two Ministers, without any 
 charge to the people, and have otherwise supported eight more in 
 the islands and on the continent, in such manner as has been 
 requested." 
 
 No sooner was the charter obtained, than the Society 
 entered upon its duties. The first meeting was held on 
 Friday, June 27, 1701, in the library of Archbishop Teni- 
 son, the President ; and in the list of those who attended we 
 find the names of the Bishop of London, (Compton,) the 
 Bishop of Bangor, (Evans,) Chichester, (Williams,) and 
 Gloucester, (Fowler;) Dr. White Kennett, (afterwards 
 1 A fac-simile of this Report lias been lately reprinted. 
 
II.] FIRST PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 21 
 
 Bishop of Peterborough,) Dr. Stanhope, Dr. Bray, Sir John 
 Chardin, Sir Richard Blackmore, Sir George Wheeler, 1 
 and Sergeant Hook. 
 
 Mr. Melmoth, author of the well-known tract entitled 
 "The Great Importance of a Religious Life," and Mr. 
 Hodges, were appointed Treasurers, and Mr. John Chamber 
 lain, Secretary. A common seal was ordered, and a com 
 mittee named to draw up the necessary standing orders and 
 bye-laws. The next meeting was held on the 8th of July, 
 at the Cock-Pit, Westminster, to receive the report on the 
 standing orders, the first of which related to the prayers to 
 be used by the Society before entering upon business ; and 
 the second, to the anniversary sermon. Other preliminary 
 business was transacted at ensuing meetings. The mem 
 bers entered their names on a subscription roll, 2 specially 
 prepared, copies of which, with a formal " authority or 
 deputation," 3 were given to several persons of "figure and 
 interest " in their respective counties, to collect subscrip 
 tions in aid of the Society s objects ; arid particular appli 
 cation was directed to be made to the " eminent bankers of 
 the city of London specially to such of them as traded in 
 the plantations." 
 
 Many excellent and distinguished men were almost every 
 month elected into the corporation, which, on the 21st 
 November, had the high honour of adding to its list the 
 names of Francis Nicholson, governor of Virginia, and 
 Robert Nelson, author of the " Fasts and Festivals." 
 
 The first matter of importance, bearing immediately upon 
 its missionary character, which the Society took in hand, 
 was an inquiry into the state of religion in the North 
 
 1 The founder of a chapel in Spitalfields, which for a long time bore his 
 name, but which is properly styled St. Mary, Norton Folgate. 
 
 2 See Appendix B. 3 Appendix to Journal 
 
22 GOVEIINOR MORRIS S REPORT. [CH. 
 
 American Settlements ; and painful as were the allegations 
 of the absence of all public worship, nay, even the aban 
 donment of the people to " infidelity and atheism," recited 
 in the preamble of the charter, they were fully supported 
 by official reports from the colonies. At a meeting of the 
 Society, on the 19th September, 1701, a memorial was 
 read from Colonel Morris, 1 in which he speaks of the seve 
 ral townships of East Jersey as distracted by almost every 
 variety of dissent, but with little appearance of real religion 
 among them. The Dutch settlers of Bergen, indeed, he 
 describes as about equally divided between Lutheran and 
 Calvinist, and "a sober people, with one pretty little 
 church ;" but Piscataway was called the " Anabaptist 
 Town," from " about twenty that agree in that persuasion, 
 the rest of the people being of all or of no religion." 
 
 Freehold consisted partly of Scotch Presbyterians, " a 
 sober people ;" partly of settlers from New England and 
 New York, who were, "generally speaking, of no reli 
 gion." Middleton was settled from New York and New 
 England : " it is," says Colonel Morris, " a large township ; 
 there is no such thing as church or religion amongst them ; 
 they are, perhaps, the most ignorant and wicked people in 
 the world ; their meeting on Sundays is at the public-house, 
 where they get their fill of rum, and go to fighting and 
 running of races, which are practices much in use that day 
 all the province over." 
 
 At Shrewsbury there were about thirty Quakers, who had 
 a meeting-house ; " the rest of the people are generally of 
 no religion. The youth of the whole province are very 
 debauched, and very ignorant, and the Sabbath-day seems 
 there to be sot apart for rioting and drunkenness/ 1 An 
 attempt to settle "a maintenance for ministers," was 
 1 Appendix to Journal. 
 
ii.] GOVERNOR DUDLEY S REPORT. 23 
 
 defeated by one Richard Harshorne, a Quaker, and Andrew 
 Browne, an Anabaptist. 
 
 The Colonel describes the settlers of West Jersey in the 
 same general terms as " a hotch-potch of all religions, 1 * 
 and the youth as being " very debauched and very igno 
 rant ;" he, however, excepts the Quakers from this censure, 
 styling them " the men of the best rank and estates" in the 
 Province, but much reduced in number " since Mr. Keith 
 left them." 
 
 He gives nearly the same account of Pennsylvania, and 
 then proceeds to suggest measures to remedy this grievous 
 state of irreligion and division. Among others, that no 
 man be sent as a Governor to any of the plantations but a 
 firm churchman, and if possible, that none but churchmen 
 be in his council and in the magistracy. That no clergy 
 man be admitted to any considerable benefice in England, 
 before he has preached ( three years gratis in America. " 
 
 At the same meeting of the Society, an account of the 
 state of religion in the English plantations of North 
 America, by Colonel Dudley, Governor of New England, 
 was presented and read. 
 
 This document, relating to the early condition of States 
 which have, during the last century and a half, so wonder 
 fully increased, both in numbers and wealth, will be read 
 with interest. It is therefore subjoined in full. 
 
 " An Account of the State of Religion in the English Plantations 
 in North America, by Colonel Dudley } Governor of New 
 England. 
 
 " The plantations on the shore of America, as they lie from 
 south to north, may be thus accounted : 
 
 " South Carolina contains seven thousand souls, will admit and 
 support three ministers. 
 
24 GOVERNOR DUDLEY S REPORT. [CH. 
 
 " North Carolina, five thousand souls. Alike, three ministers, 
 and both stand in need of schools. 
 
 " Virginia forty thousand souls was, by the Lord Culpepper, 
 divided into about forty parishes, with an established maintenance 
 by act of assembly, but is not fully supplied, and the mainte 
 nance hurt by disuse ; but will be always encouraged by Colonel 
 Nicholson, the present governor. 
 
 " Maryland, twenty-five thousand souls, in twenty-six parishes. 
 I suppose well supplied by the care of Dr. Bray. 
 
 " Pennsylvania, and the lower countries annexed, fifteen thousand 
 souls, will well support four ministers ; one in Philadelphia, and 
 one in each county, with dependent schools upon each. 
 
 " West Jersey two thousand souls, most Quakers may yet 
 have one minister at present supported from England. 
 
 " East Jersey six thousand souls, in about seven towns and 
 parishes may at present support two ministers the rest being 
 dissenters. 
 
 " New York, twenty-five thousand souls, in twenty-five towns ; 
 about ten of them Dutch, the rest English may have about five 
 ministers ; the rest Dutch Presbyterians and English Dissenters. 
 
 " Connecticut, thirty thousand souls, about thirty-three towns, 
 all dissenters, supplied with ministers and schools of their own 
 persuasion. 
 
 " Naraganset, or King s Province, three thousand souls, without 
 any ministry, or public form of religion may have two ministers, 
 and might well support them. 
 
 " Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, five thousand souls 
 in seven towns, at present under a Quaker government, but might 
 have two ministers and schoolmasters, at first subsisted from home, 
 at least one of them. 
 
 " Massachussets, or New England, seventy thousand souls in 
 seventy towns, all dissenters, that have ministers and schools of 
 their own persuasions, except one congregation of the Church of 
 England at Boston, where there are two ministers. 
 
 " New Hampshire, three thousand souls in six towns, all dis 
 senters that have ministers and schools of their own persuasion. 
 
 " Province of Maine, two thousand souls in six towns, (the rest 
 of that great province being in ten years past wasted and driven 
 
II.] REV. GEORGE KEITH. 25 
 
 off by the Indians,) are all dissenters, and have ministers and 
 schools of their own. 
 
 " In the last three colonies and Connecticut, by an early law pro 
 viding for ministers and schoolmasters, I am of opinion there are 
 no children to be found of ten years old who do not read well, 
 nor men of twenty that do not write tolerably. 
 
 " The ministers to be sent from England to any of the above- 
 said colonies must be men of good learning, sound morals, and 
 should not be very young ; and where there is not the view of a 
 good support from their hearers, must be supplied from home, 
 that they be not in contempt, but may be well provided for in 
 those parts where the governments are immediately dependent 
 upon the crown or government of England." 
 
 On the same occasion was read a letter from the Rev. Geo. 
 Keith, of whom, as being the first Missionary maintained 
 by the Society, it is right to say a few words. Keith was 
 born at Aberdeen in 1638, and was a fellow-student in that 
 university with Bishop Burnet. After taking his degree of 
 M. A., he quitted the Kirk of Scotland, joined the Quaker 
 body, and went to Pennsylvania, where it appears that he 
 created some disturbance among the members of that sect, 
 by pushing their peculiar doctrines to an extreme. Thus 
 he maintained, that no consistent Quaker could act either 
 as lawgiver or magistrate. If this were admitted, the 
 inference would necessarily follow, that their laws must 
 be made and administered either by Churchmen, or by 
 some of the numerous Protestant sects. Keith was 
 brought to trial for the publication of these opinions, and 
 convicted, though the fine which was imposed was after 
 wards remitted. Soon after this he joined the communion 
 of the Church of England. 1 
 
 The following is the letter referred to : 2 
 
 1 Bancroft s Hist. vol. viii. p. 36. 
 
 2 Appendix to Journal, No. 3 ; no date is given. 
 
26 KEITH S REPORT OF [CH. 
 
 " From Mr. George Keith to the Secretary, about the state of 
 Quakerism in North America. 
 
 " Worthy Sir, According to your desire, I send you this short 
 memorial of the state of religion in such parts of Northern 
 America where I have travelled, and which I can give of my own 
 knowledge, especially in relation to Quakerism, and some other 
 things, by letters from my friends there. 
 
 " In Pennsylvania, when I came to live there, which was in the 
 year 1689, by the number of men and women that used to come 
 to the yearly meetings from the several parts of that province, 
 and from the West and East Jerseys, we did commonly reckon 
 there might be at least fifteen hundred Quakers, two hundred of 
 which might perhaps belong to the West and East Jerseys. 
 
 "After the breach that began in the year 1691, betwixt a party 
 of Quakers that j oined with me in opposing some of their errors, 
 (especially their notion of the sufficiency of the light within every 
 man to salvation, without anything else,) and another party that 
 joined with Thomas Lloyd, then deputy-governor of Pennsylvania, 
 and a great preacher among the Quakers, all the meetings in these 
 provinces above-mentioned were broken, and they set up separate 
 meetings, one from another, on the account of different principles of 
 religion, (especially in relation to the notion aforesaid, of the suf 
 ficiency of the light within, without anything else, which I and 
 my friends judged a plain opposition to Christianity, and an esta 
 blishing of Deism in its place,) so that when I came from Pennsyl 
 vania to England, which was in the year 1694, I left behind me 
 fourteen or fifteen meetings in Pennsylvania, West and East Jerseys, 
 that met apart from the other Quakers (on the account of their 
 opposition to their errors), to the number of about five hundred 
 persons. 
 
 " Since there hath been a Church of England congregation set 
 up at Philadelphia, the chief town in Pennsylvania, a considerable 
 number of those that did come off with me on the account of the 
 Quakers errors are joined with the Church of England, both men 
 and women of good account, and others of them keep up their 
 separate meetings, particularly one at Philadelphia, and some 
 
II.] THE STATE OF QUAKERISM. 27 
 
 of them have joined themselves with the Anabaptists in those 
 parts, as I have had particular information by letters from my 
 friends there, year after year. 
 
 " It would be of great service, as I judge, if one or two more 
 Church of England ministers were sent to Pennsylvania ; it is not 
 to be doubted but they would not only get hearers, but such as 
 would join with them to make up congregations, one whereof 
 might be at Newcastle, which is forty miles below Philadelphia, 
 by the river Delawarr, and the other at the Falls, by the same 
 river, about thirty miles above it. 
 
 " In West Jersey, that lies on the east side of Delawarr river, 
 I have several friends that joined with me in the separation from 
 the Quakers, especially about Cros wicks, which is about fifteen or 
 sixteen miles from Burlington, (the chief town in West Jersey, 
 lying by Delawarr river,) if a Church of England minister were 
 sent thither, it is not to be doubted but he would be received and 
 joined with, both by some of my friends, and some other sober 
 persons. The most proper place to set up a church would be at 
 Burlington, and another at Croswicks, above mentioned. 
 
 " In East Jersey I have several friends that came off with me 
 in the separation from the Quakers, and so continue, and, as 
 I have been informed by a worthy gentleman, Colonel Morris, 
 formerly my scholar, who has a family and a good estate in that 
 province, and is now in London, being lately come from East 
 Jersey, who knows my friends there, they are well prepared to 
 receive a Church of England minister among them ; and it is not 
 to be doubted but he would have several other persons to join 
 with him to set up a church congregation. The fittest places to 
 set up a church congregation are Amboy, and the Falls in Shrews 
 bury, near where Colonel Morris has his house and estate ; for 
 though Amboy have few inhabitants, yet people would come to it 
 from Woodbridge, and other places thereabouts 
 
 " There is not one Church of England as yet in either West or 
 East Jersey the more is the pity and except in two or three 
 towns, there is no face of any public worship of any sort, but 
 people live very mean, like Indians. 
 
 " In New York there are but few Quakers, and some that were, 
 are come off, and joined with the Church there. One Mrs. Whenf, 
 
28 STATE OF QUAKERISM. [CH. 
 
 a friend of mine, is lately deceased, but before her death was bap 
 tized, and had the Lord s Supper administered to her, and got her 
 children baptized ; whereof I had a late account in a letter from 
 one of my friends there, now a zealous churchman. 
 
 " In Long Island there are not many Quakers. It is a great 
 place, and has many inhabitants, both English and Dutch. The 
 Dutch are Calvinists, and have some Calvinistical congregations. 
 The English, some of them Independents, but many of them of 
 no religion, but like wild Indians. I think there is no Church 
 of England in all Long Island, nor in all that great continent of 
 New York province, except at New York town. 
 
 " The places where the Quakers have the greatest meetings in 
 Long Island are Gushing and Oyster Bay, in both which places I 
 have been several times at their meetings. In Rhode Island, 
 where I have been several times, there are many Quakers and 
 Anabaptists, but never had a Church of England till of late. 
 
 " In all the continent of New England there is no Church of 
 England, I think, but at Boston. I have travelled through much 
 of it, but never heard of any but that one. Few Quakers also are 
 at Boston. There are some at Sandwich, some at Piscataway, and 
 other scattered places, but very few. 
 
 " It seems a good expedient to me that such ministers as go 
 over into those parts that I have named, should not constantly 
 reside in one place at present, but preach at several places through 
 the whole province, which they may safely now travel through 
 from one end to another, with little charge or difficulty. 
 
 " And that a considerable number of little books, such as the 
 Pastoral Letter, and those against swearing, drunkenness, and 
 sabbath-breaking, were sent to be spread among them ; and if a 
 little book were printed by some able man, to shew the sin of 
 schism, to persuade to the communion of the Church of England, 
 and sent among them, it would be of good service. 
 
 " I remain, worthy Sir, your humble servant, 
 
 " GEORGE KEITH." 
 
 In a postscript he describes the qualifications which a 
 North American Missionary should possess, and which are 
 
II.] MISSION OF INQUIRY. 29 
 
 as requisite at this day as in the first year of the Society s 
 existence : 
 
 " Such as go over into those parts for the propagation of the 
 Gospel, should he men of solidity and good experience, as well as 
 otherwise qualified with good learning, and good natural parts, 
 and especially exemplary in piety, and of a discreet zeal, humble 
 and meek, able to endure the toil and fatigue they must expect 
 to go through, both in mind and body, not raw young men, nor 
 yet very old, whose godly zeal to propagate true Christianity in 
 life and practice should be their great motive ; for people gene 
 rally of those parts are very sharp and observant, to notice both 
 what is good or bad in those who converse among them." 
 
 The Society might be considered fortunate in meeting 
 with a person so well qualified by his experience, talent, 
 and energy, for the work in which he was to be engaged ; 
 and it was, therefore, wisely determined to employ Mr. 
 Keith in a preliminary mission of inquiry. He was directed 
 to travel through the several provinces of North America, 
 preaching as he went, at every fair opportunity, and endea 
 vouring to awaken the people to a sense of religion. 
 
 This was the object of the first mission. 
 
 The Rev. George Keith, and another missionary, the 
 Rev. Patrick Gordon, set sail in the Centurion, on the 
 24th of April, 1702, and were fortunate enough to have 
 for their shipmates, Colonel Dudley, Governor of New 
 England, and Colonel Morris, Governor of New Jersey. 
 The Rev. John Talbot was chaplain on board the ship, and 
 was so much struck with Mr. Keith s noble undertaking, 
 that he oifered himself to be the companion of his travels 
 and labours. 
 
 The day after his arrival at Boston, which took place on 
 the llth June, 1702, Mr. Keith wrote to Mr. Chamber 
 lain, the secretary, to announce the safe termination of his 
 
30 ACCOUNT OF THE VOYAGE. [CH. 
 
 voyage. He says, " Colonel Dudley was so very civil and 
 kind to Mr. Gordon and me, that he caused us both eat at 
 his table all the voyage, and his conversation was both 
 pleasant and instructive, insomuch that the great cabin of 
 the ship was like a college for good discourse, both in 
 matters theological and philosophical, and very cordially he 
 joined daily with us in divine worship, and I well under 
 stand he purposeth to give all possible encouragement to 
 the congregation of the Church of England in this place. 
 Also, Colonel Morris was very civil and kind to us, and so 
 was the captain of the ship called the Centurion, and all 
 the inferior officers, and all the mariners generally, and 
 good order was kept in the ship ; so that if any of the sea 
 men were complained upon to the captain for profane 
 swearing, he caused to punish them according to the usual 
 custom, by causing them to carry a heavy wooden collar 
 about their neck for an hour, that was both painful and 
 shameful ; and to my observation and knowledge, the sea 
 men, as well as the officers, joined devoutly with us in our 
 daily prayers according to the Church of England, and so 
 did the other gentlemen that were passengers with us." 1 
 
 He then goes on to request, that " the chaplain of the 
 Centurion, whose name is Mr. John Talbot, known to 
 several worthy persons to be of good ability and fame," be 
 appointed his " associate and assistant" in " the service of 
 the Gospel in America," and that he be allowed " some 
 honest competency to bear his charges." Mr. Gordon 
 wrote home, at the same time, in like favourable terms of 
 Mr. Talbot, whom he characterized " as a person of very 
 good parts, and no worse morals;" 2 and Mr. Talbot was 
 accordingly appointed, 18th September, 1702. 
 
 In recommending a brother missionary, Mr. Gordon was 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. i. 9. 2 Ibid. 
 
II.] REV. PATRICK GORDON. 31 
 
 unwittingly providing a successor to himself. His own 
 career of usefulness was closed almost as soon as it began. 
 Governor Morris, in a letter to Archdeacon (afterwards 
 Bishop) Beveridge, gives the following account of his last 
 days, and of the favourable impression which he had 
 created : " Mr. Gordon s abilities, sobriety, and prudence, 
 which gained him the good opinion of everybody acquainted 
 with him, both of the Church and among the dissenters, 
 gave me great hopes I should be able to transmit your 
 Reverence an account of the great progress he had made in 
 his mission ; but God, who disposes all things wisely and 
 best, was pleased to take him away just as he was entering 
 upon his charge. He went from New York with design 
 to preach in his parish (at the invitation of some of the 
 best men in it,) took sick the day before he designed to 
 preach, and so continued till his death, which was in about 
 eight days after." l 
 
 Mr. Keith was induced by Colonel Morris to remain at 
 Boston, before setting forth on his missionary journey, 
 until " the Commencement," at which, he says, " the good 
 man was met with very little University breeding, and 
 with less learning, but he was most distressed by the 
 theses which were there maintained of predestination and 
 immutable decrees, to which he drew up a long answer in 
 Latin." After this, he commenced his travels westward, 
 in company with his chosen companion, Talbot. They 
 visited the Quakers meetings wherever they had an oppor 
 tunity, but were met with the bitterest opposition and 
 abuse. Keith especially was subjected to their most 
 violent attacks, and was at once hated for what they termed 
 his apostasy, and feared for his acuteness and controversial 
 ability. The whole Quaker theology of this period, in 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. i. 45. 
 
32 FIRST MISSIONARY TOUR. [cH. 
 
 America, consisted in the dogma, that " the light within 
 every man was, of itself, without anything else, sufficient 
 to his salvation/ Nevertheless, the two friends found, in 
 various parts of New England, many well affected to the 
 Church, " not only the people, but several presbyterian 
 ministers, who received us as brothers. And were there 
 a Bishop in America," he says, " we doubt not but several 
 would receive ordination from him." 
 
 They next proceeded to Long Island, and preached at 
 Hampstead, in a large house which was thronged, and 
 many stood without doors, both morning and afternoon. 
 Here also, as well as in New York, the Jerseys, and Penn 
 sylvania, were found many well disposed to the Church. 
 In Philadelphia they preached in church, on a Sunday, to 
 a congregation of one thousand persons, including " many 
 Presbyterians, Anabaptists, and Quakers." 
 
 At New York there was " a brave congregation of people 
 belonging to the Church, as well as a very fine fabric; 
 and," continues Mr. Keith, " the Rev. Mr. Vesey was very 
 much esteemed and loved, both for his ministry and good 
 life, and the like I can say of all the other ministers of the 
 Church where I have travelled, as at Boston, Rhode Island, 
 and Philadelphia^ 
 
 He concludes his account of this missionary tour with a 
 high testimony to the character of his travelling com 
 panion, Mr. Talbot, (( who," he says, " has been a very loving 
 and comfortable assistant to me in all respects. He is both 
 a pious man and a good scholar." l 
 
 It may be as well to insert here Mr. Talbot s account of 
 
 their joint labours, which, as it is contained in a letter 
 
 addressed to a friend, is written in a free and familiar style, 
 
 but touches upon some points of the highest importance, 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. i. 50. 
 
ii.] TALBOT S LETTER. 33 
 
 among others the want that was even then felt of a resi 
 dent Bishop. 
 
 " Mr. John Talbot to Mr. Richard Gillingham. 1 
 
 " New York, 24th Nov. 1702. 
 
 " My dear Friend, I take all opportunities to let you know 
 that I live, and shall be glad to hear as much of you. Friend 
 Keith and I have been above 500 miles together, visiting the 
 churches in these parts of America, namely, New England, New 
 Hampshire, New Bristol, New London, New York, and the New 
 Jerseys, as far as Philadelphia. We preached in all churches 
 where we came, and in several dissenters meetings, such as owned 
 the Church of England to be their mother Church, and were 
 willing to communicate with her, and to submit to her bishops, if 
 they had opportunity. I have baptized several persons whom 
 Mr. Keith has brought over from Quakerism ; and, indeed, in all 
 places where we come, we find a great ripeness and inclination 
 amongst all sorts of people to embrace the Gospel ; even the 
 Indians themselves have promised obedience to the faith, as ap 
 pears by a conference that my Lord Cornbury, the Governor here, 
 has had with them at Albany. Five of their Sachems, or kings, 
 told him they were glad to hear that the sun shiiied in England 
 again since King William s death. They did admire at first what 
 was come to us, that we should have a squaw sachem namely, a 
 woman king ; but they hoped she would be a good mother, and 
 send them some to teach them religion, and establish traffic 
 amongst them, that they might be able to purchase a coat, and 
 not go to church in bear skins ; and so they send our Queen a 
 present, ten beaver skins to make her fine, and one fur muff to 
 keep her warm. After a many presents and compliments, they 
 signed the treaty, and made the covenant so sure, that they said 
 thunder and lightning should not break it on their part, if we did 
 not do as the Lord Bellamont did, throw it into the sea. 
 
 " The papists have been very zealous and diligent to send 
 priests and Jesuits to convert these Indians to their superstitions. 
 Tis wonderfully acted, ventured, and suffered upon that design ; 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. i. 56. 
 D 
 
34 REV. GEORGE KEITH. [CH. 
 
 they have indeed become all things, and even turned Indians, as 
 it were, to gain them, which I hope will provoke some of us to do 
 our part for our holy faith, and mother, the Church of England. 
 One of their priests lived half a year in their wigwams (that is, 
 houses) without a shirt ; and when he petitioned my Lord Bella- 
 mont for a couple, he was not only denied, but banished ; whereas 
 one of ours in discourse with my Lord of London, said, who did 
 his lordship think would come hither that had a dozen shirts ? 
 If I had their language, or wherewith to maintain an interpreter, 
 it should be the first thing I should do to go amongst the thickest 
 of them. Mr. Keith says, if he were younger, he would learn their 
 language, and then I am sure he might convert them sooner than 
 the heathen called Quakers. Indeed, he is the fittest man that 
 ever came over for this province. He is a well-studied divine, a 
 good philosopher and preacher, but, above all, an excellent dis 
 putant, especially against the Quakers, who used to challenge all 
 mankind formerly ; now all the Friends (or enemies rather) arc 
 not able to answer one George Keith ; he knows the depth of 
 Satan within them, and all the dwellings and windings of the 
 snake in the grass. In short, he has become the best champion 
 against all dissenters that the Church ever had \ and has set up 
 such a light in these dark places, that, by God s blessing, will not 
 be put out. The clergy here have had a sort of convocation at 
 the instance and charge of his Excellency Colonel Nicholson, 
 governor of Virginia. We were but seven in all ; and a week 
 together we sat considering of ways and means to propagate the 
 Gospel, and to that end we have drawn up a scheme of the present 
 state of the Church in these provinces, which you shall see when 
 I have time to transcribe it ; and I shall desire you to send it 
 afterwards to my good brother Kemble. We have great need of 
 a Bishop here, to visit all the churches, to ordain some, to confirm 
 others, and bless all. 
 
 " We pray for my good Lord of London ; we cannot have better 
 than he whilst he lives ; therefore, in the meantime, we shall be 
 very well content with a suffragan. Mr. Keith s mission will be 
 out about a year hence ; by that time I hope to get some tokens 
 for my good friends and benefactors. But, as for myself, I am so 
 well satisfied with a prospect of doing good, that I have no 
 
IT ] ERECTION OF CHURCHES. 35 
 
 inclination to return for England ; however, be so kind as to let 
 me know how you do, which will be a comfort to me in the wil 
 derness. You know all my friends ; pray let them, especially my 
 mother and sister Hannah know that I am well, God be praised, 
 and shall be glad to hear so much of them. I cannot write many 
 letters, much less one two or three times over, as when I had 
 nothing else to do. I pray God bless you and all my friends ! 
 I desire the benefit of their prayers, though I can t have that of 
 their good company. I know you will take all in good part that 
 comes from Your old friend, " JOHN TALBOT." 
 
 The following extracts from a letter by the same 
 writer to the Secretary, 1 contain a graphic account of the 
 state both of the Church and of the various contending sects 
 in the countries which he visited, while they show, at the 
 same time, the effect produced by the preaching and exer 
 tions of Mr. Keith : 
 
 "Philadelphia, 1st Sept. 1703. 
 
 " Sir, We have been the grand circuit from New England to 
 North Carolina, and are now returned to the centre of our busi 
 ness 
 
 " Mr. Keith and I have preached the Gospel to all sorts and 
 conditions of men; we have baptized several scores of men, women, 
 and children, chiefly those of his old friends (and the rest are 
 hardened, just like the Jews, who please not God, and are contrary 
 to all men). We have gathered several hundreds together for the 
 Church of England, and, what is more, to build houses for her 
 service. There are four or five going forward now in this pro 
 vince and the next. That at Burlington is almost finished. Mr. 
 Keith preached the first sermon in it before my Lord Cornbury, 
 whom the Queen has made governor of Jersey, to the satisfaction 
 of all Christian people. Churches are going up amain, where 
 there were never any before. They are going to build three at 
 North Carolina, to keep the people together, lest they should fall 
 into heathenism, Quakerism, &c. ; and three more in these lower 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. i. 125. 
 D 2 
 
36 MR. KEITH S SERVICES. [CH. 
 
 counties about Newcastle, besides those I hope at Chester, Bur 
 lington, and Amboy. 
 
 " And I must be so just to a member of yours, his Excellency 
 Francis Nicholson, governor of Virginia, as to acknowledge him 
 to be the prime benefactor and founder-in-chief of them all. So 
 generous has he been to the Church, so just to the State, so far 
 from taking of bribes, that he will not receive a present from any, 
 great or small. Therefore we have hopes that it will please God 
 and the Queen to give him time to perfect the good works that 
 he has begun, that he may see the Church prosper and prevail 
 against all her enemies, which I dare say is all that he desires. 
 
 " Being zealous for the honour of the Church of England, which 
 is the mother of us all, upon her account it was that I was will 
 ing to travel with Mr. Keith. Indeed, I was loth he should go 
 alone, now he was for us, who, I am sure, would have had followers 
 enough, had he come against us. Besides, I had another end in 
 it, that, by his free conversation and learned disputes, both with 
 his friends and enemies, I have learned better in a year to deal 
 with the Quakers, than I could by several years study in the 
 schools. We want more of his " Narratives," which would be of 
 good use here, where we often meet with the Quakers and their 
 books ; more of his " Answers to Robert Barclay," would come 
 well to the clergy of Maryland and Virginia, &c. Barclay s Book 
 has done most mischief; therefore Mr. Keith s answer is more 
 requisite and necessary. Mr. Keith has done great service to the 
 Church, wherever he has been, by preaching and disputing pub 
 licly, and from house to house ; he has confuted many (especially 
 the Anabaptists) by labour and travel night and day ; by writing 
 and printing of books, mostly at his own charge and cost, and 
 giving them out freely, which has been very expensive to him. 
 By these means people are much awakened, and their eyes opened 
 to see the good old way, and they are very well pleased to find 
 the Church at last take such care of her children. For it is a 
 sad thing to consider the years that are past ; how some that were 
 born of the English never heard of the name of Christ how many 
 others were baptized in his name, and have fallen away to hea 
 thenism, Quakerism, and atheism, for want of Confirmation. 
 
 " It seems the strangest thing in the world, and it is thought 
 
II.] WANT OF A BISHOP. 37 
 
 - 
 
 history can t parallel it, that any place has received the word of 
 God so many years, so many hundred churches built, so many 
 thousand proselytes made, and still remain altogether in the wil 
 derness, as sheep without a shepherd. The poor Church of Ame 
 rica is worse on t in this respect, than any of her adversaries. 
 
 " The Presbyterians here come a great way to lay hands one on 
 another, but, after all, I think they had as good stay at home for 
 the good they do. The Independents are called by their sovereign 
 lord the people ; the Anabaptists and Quakers pretend to the 
 Spirit; but the poor Church has nobody upon the spot to com 
 fort or confirm her children ; nobody to ordain several that are 
 willing to serve, were they authorized, for the work of the 
 ministry. Therefore they fall back again into the herd of the 
 dissenters, rather than they will be at the hazard and charge to 
 go as far as England for orders ; so that we have seen several 
 counties, islands, and provinces, which have hardly an orthodox 
 minister amongst them, which might have been supplied, had we 
 been so happy as to see a Bishop or Suffragan apud Americanos. . . . 
 
 " We count ourselves happy, and indeed so we are, under the 
 protection and fatherly care of the Right Reverend Father in 
 God, Henry, Lord Bishop of London ; and we are all satisfied that 
 we cannot have a greater friend and patron than himself." .... 
 
 He then alludes to the ocean which separated them, and 
 after asking whether a Suffragan might not be sent, he 
 thus concludes : 
 
 " I believe, and am sure, there are a great many learned and 
 good men in England ; and I believe also, did our gracious Queen 
 Anne but know the necessities of her many good subjects in these 
 parts of the world, she would allow 1,000. per annum, rather 
 than so many souls should suffer ; and then it would be a hard 
 case if there should not be found one amongst so many pastors 
 and doctors (de tot millibus unus qui transiens adjuvet nos). 
 Meanwhile, I don t doubt but some learned and good man would 
 go further, and do the Church more service with 100Z. per annum, 
 than with a coach and six one hundred years hence. 
 
 " Sir, your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 " JOHN TALBOT." 
 
38 MR. KEITH S DISPUTATIONS. [en. 
 
 In 1704, Mr. Keith drew up a detailed " Narrative" of 
 the journeys he travelled, and the labours and troubles he 
 underwent, to preach the Gospel in the several American 
 colonies. A Missionary he may be called in the truest 
 sense of the word, being ready everywhere, and at all 
 times in season and out of season, to proclaim the truth 
 to both bond and free; but, as already mentioned, he 
 seems to have considered himself specially called upon to 
 confute the errors of the Quakers, from whom he had 
 separated himself; and we therefore frequently find him 
 inviting discussions on their peculiar views in their own 
 meeting-houses. Wherever an opportunity was oifered, he 
 attended ; and being, of course, well acquainted with their 
 several publications, especially those of Fox, Penn, Bar 
 clay, and Burroughs, he came prepared, to use his own 
 expression, " to detect the Quakers errors out of their 
 printed books." But, instead of argument, he was answered 
 by clamour and invective. The best way of putting the 
 reader in possession of his proceedings in this mission, will 
 be to give a few specimens of the " Narrative" itself, 
 which is of considerable length, and written in a very 
 quaint and primitive style. It commences with the words 
 " Praised be God, the Author and Finisher of every good 
 work ;" and the writer, after an account of his voyage from 
 London, thus proceeds : 
 
 " 15th Sept. 1704. 
 
 " We went together from Boston to Lin, and next morning we 
 went to a Quaker s house of my former acquaintance, and from 
 that to the Quakers meeting, 9th July, where, after I had kept 
 silence until divers of their preachers had spoken, I offered to 
 speak, but was rudely interrupted and threatened by them, and 
 accused for transgressing the Act of Toleration ; I told them 
 I had not broke it, for I did not interrupt any of their preachers. 
 After this I remained again silent, and quietly sat down till they 
 
ii.] MR. KEITH S NARRATIVE. 39 
 
 had all done, and then I rose up to speak, and offered to show 
 them, in a friendly manner, how their speakers had perverted 
 the Scriptures, and asserted many things of false doctrine. But 
 most of them went hastily away, though some staid, with many 
 that came to the meeting who were not Quakers, to whom I spoke 
 many things with little interruption, until I took Edward Bur 
 roughs folio book, which I brought with me from Boston, and 
 began to read many antichristian passages out of it, which yet the 
 Quakers did generally justify ; and particularly Sam. Collins, and 
 other Quakers, did boldly and earnestly defend that assertion, 
 that the light within them, and in every man, was sufficient to sal 
 vation, without anything else ; the falsehood and hurt of which 
 assertion, and how contrary it was and prejudicial to the Christian 
 religion, I laboured to convince them of, but did nothing prevail. 
 Mr. Shepherd, the Independent minister of Lin parish, did civilly 
 accompany us to the Quakers meeting, but they treated him 
 very rudely and abusively, as they did us, with abusive and ill 
 language, as their constant manner is. 
 
 " At the said Commencement at Cambridge, in New England, 
 distant from Boston about six miles, I had occasion to see many 
 of the New England Independent ministers there, and divers of 
 them spoke very kindly to us, and invited us to their houses in 
 our travels, particularly Mr. Shepherd, minister of Lin, and Mr. 
 John Cotton, Minister of Hampton ; fifty miles north-eastward 
 distant from Boston this Hampton is. 
 
 Wth July. We arrived at Hampton, and lodged at Mr. John 
 Cotton s house, the minister of Hampton, where we were kindly 
 entertained by himjseveral days, and had much free discourse with 
 him about religious matters, and the Church of England, to which 
 we found him very favourable, as also we found divers other 
 ministers of New England. At Mr. Cotton s request, both I and 
 Mr. 6 Talbot preached in his pulpit to his parishioners in their 
 meeting-house (which they do not commonly call a church), the 
 one of us in the forenoon and the other in the afternoon. I again, 
 at Mr. Cotton s request, preached the Wednesday s lecture there ; 
 my text both days was Acts xxvi. 1 8 ; where was a great auditory 
 both days. 
 
 " IStk, Sunday, I preached at Salisbury meeting-house, in 
 
40 MR. KEITH S NARRATIVE. [CH. 
 
 the pulpit of Mr. Cushin, minister of that parish, at his request ; 
 my text was Philip, i. 12, 13 ; and so did Mr. Talbot, the one of us 
 in the forenoon, the other in the afternoon, where also we had a 
 great auditory, many coming to both places from neighbouring 
 parishes purposely to hear us, and who were civil, and showed 
 great satisfaction, and so did the minister, who kindly treated us, 
 and with whom we lodged that night, and whom we found in dis 
 course very favourable to the Church of England. 
 
 "16^ July, 1702. We went to the Quakers meeting at 
 Hampton, accompanied with Mr. John Cotton, and where Mr. 
 Cushin came to us, and very many civil people of both parishes 
 came, who were not Quakers, hoping to have heard some fair dis 
 pute between the Quakers and me ; and there, at the Quakers 
 meeting at the house of Abraham Green, a Quaker, we heard two 
 Quaker preachers ; the first was one Edward Wanton, a ship car 
 penter at Scituate, who spake about half an hour or more, but 
 very ignorantly, and most grossly perverting several texts of 
 Scripture, particularly John xvii. 3, and Rom. i. 19, which he 
 brought to prove that the ignorant people there (to whom he 
 addressed his discourse, and not to the Quakers), as he accounted 
 them, had a little babe within them lying in a manger under the 
 earth, to which if they would hearken, that little babe within 
 them (meaning the light within) would give them the knowledge 
 of God, which was life eternal : he confessed he could not read the 
 Scriptures, and told them he hoped they would excuse him if he 
 did not so exactly quote the words. After him another Quaker 
 preacher, a planter, at Shrewsbury, in East Jersey, continued 
 speaking very long, above two hours, and did mightily heat him 
 self (as the sweat that ran down his waistcoat in great abundance 
 did show) ; he also most ignorantly spoke many things, and 
 grossly perverted and misapplied many texts of Scripture to prove 
 the sufficiency of the light within to salvation, without anything 
 else; and, as the Quakers ordinary way is in their preaching 
 everywhere, they have a set of texts of Scripture, which they 
 commonly quote to prove the sufficiency of the light within to 
 salvation without anything else, but which they miserably per 
 vert and misapply; such as John i. 9 ; Rom. i. 19 ; John iii. 19, 20; 
 John xii. 36 ; John xvi. 711 ; Rom. x. G 8 ; Tit. ii. 11 : all 
 
ii.] MR. KEITH S NARRATIVE. 41 
 
 which, and many more, Mr. Barclay, in his Apology, has produced 
 in favour of the Quakers, and to all which I have fully replied 
 in my Answer to his said book ; and many of these, and the like 
 texts of Scripture, this Jedediah Allen did grossly pervert and 
 misapply to prove his false doctrines. And the like perversions of 
 Scripture he used against Baptism and the Supper in the common 
 road of other Quakers, as extant in their printed books. After he 
 had done, having mightily tired and wearied all his hearers who were 
 not Quakers, I offered to speak, but their preachers went away in 
 all haste, and so did many of the Quaker hearers ; but a great 
 many who were not Quakers, with the two New England mini 
 sters, staid, and so did many Quakers ; and the house being very 
 hot, all the people who were desirous to hear me, and several 
 Quakers, with the ministers above-mentioned, went out into a 
 yard or orchard, being about the fourth hour in the afternoon, 
 where they heard me about an hour refute the false doctrines and 
 perversions of Scriptures which the two Quaker preachers had 
 made." 1 
 
 The following extract from Mr. Keith s " Summary 
 Account of his Travels, Services, and Successes in North 
 America, from June 11, 1702, to June 8, 1704," may be 
 added: 
 
 " London, \3th NOIL 1704. I travelled and preached in all 
 the dominions and governments belonging to the Crown of Eng 
 land betwixt North Carolina and Piscataway River, in New Eng 
 land, inclusively, of extent in length about 800 English miles, 
 being in number ten district governments j viz. 1. Piscataway. 
 2. Boston Colony, called Massachussets Bay. 3. Rhode Island 
 Colony, that contains not only the island but Naraganset and 
 other adjacent parts on the continent. 4. Connecticut Colony. 
 5. New York Province, that contains Long Island and Staten 
 Island, beside the large country on the continent, along Hudson s 
 River. 6. The New Jerseys, East and West, that were formerly 
 two governments, but are of late made one under my Lord Corn- 
 bury. 7. Pennsylvania. 8. Maryland. 9. Virginia. 10. North 
 
 Carolina 
 
 1 Appendix to Journal, 50. 
 
42 MR. KEITH S SUMMARY. [CH. 
 
 " It further appeared by my Journal that I travelled twice over 
 most of those governments and colonies above mentioned, and 
 preached oft again and again in many of them, particularly in 
 Pennsylvania, West and East Jersey, New York, and on Long- 
 Island as far as Oyster Bay. 
 
 " The success I had in general over all the parts where I 
 preached was, that I found the people generally were well affected 
 to the doctrines of the Gospel, that both I and my associate, the 
 Rev. Mr. Talbot, preached unto them, and seemed to hear the 
 word with great reverence, humility, and zeal, and did generally 
 join with us devoutly in the Liturgy and Public Prayers, and 
 Administration of the Holy Sacraments after the Church of Eng 
 land, and where ministers were wanting (as there are wanting in 
 many places, and as hereafter are to be mentioned) they greatly 
 desired us to present their requests for ministers to the Honour 
 able Society. 
 
 " Beside the general success we had (praised be God for it all !) 
 in our preaching, and much and frequent conferences with people 
 thereaway, we had very good success, most especially in several 
 places in Pennsylvania, the two Jerseys, and Oyster Bay, on Long- 
 Island, and at New York, where we most laboured and continued 
 the longest time with them. There were at this time three 
 churches in Pennsylvania, all provided with clergymen one at 
 Philadelphia, with an average congregation of 500 one at Chester, 
 with a congregation of about 200 and one at Franckfort, with a 
 congregation of 150." 
 
 The next passage is very interesting, as showing the bias 
 towards the Church of England which existed among many 
 of the New England ministers, and affected even the 
 Puritan College of Boston. Already that spirit of inquiry 
 was awakened which, a few years later, led several of the 
 more distinguished professors and students of that institu 
 tion, as Cutler, Johnson, and Brown, to abandon the system 
 in which they had been educated, and profess their conviction 
 of the scriptural and Apostolic foundation of our Church. 
 
 " In divers parts of New England we found not only many 
 
II.] CAMBRIDGE COLLEGE. 43 
 
 people well affected to the Church, who have no Church of Eng 
 land ministers, and in some places none of any sort ; but also we 
 found several New England ministers very well affected to the 
 Church, some of whom both hospitably entertained us in their 
 houses and requested us to preach in their congregations, which 
 accordingly we did, and received great thanks, both from the 
 ministers and people ; and in Cambridge College, in New England, 
 we were civilly treated by some of the Fellows there, who have a 
 very great favour to the Church of England, and were it not for 
 the poisonous doctrines that have been infused into the scholars 
 and youths there, and deep prejudices against the Church of Eng 
 land by Mr. Increase Mather, formerly President of the College 
 there, and Mr. Samuel Millard, now President there, the scholars 
 and students there would soon be brought over to the Church. But 
 it would mightily contribute, not only to bring over the students 
 to the Church, but the generality of the people there, if they had 
 an able Church of England man to be President of the College 
 there, and one or two Fellows of the Church of England to be 
 tutors to the students there. But the hurt is great, that not only 
 the people of New England are poisoned with principles and pre 
 judices against the Church of England, but over all the English 
 American parts there come frequently men that pretend to be 
 ministers out of that College of Cambridge, in New England, who 
 are [not only] infected with New England principles and prejudices 
 against the Church, but infect all others who receive them, and of 
 such there are not a few in several parts of North America, as in 
 Long Island, East Jersey, Maryland, Virginia ; and one of Phila 
 delphia, who pretends to be a Presbyterian, and has a congre 
 gation to whom he preaches there." l 
 
 Almost immediately after the incorporation of the 
 Society, applications and memorials were forwarded to it 
 from the several plantations of America, representing their 
 pressing want of ministers. In the course of his travels, 
 Mr. Keith had frequent opportunities of witnessing this 
 great deficiency, and the anxiety of the people to supply it. 
 
 1 Appendix to Journal, 50. 
 
44 INQUIRY FOR MISSIONARIES. [CH. 
 
 " At Amboy, in East Jersey," he says, " they have con 
 tributed about 200/. towards building a church, and greatly 
 desire a minister. A subscription of like amount, and for 
 the same purpose, was raised at Burlington." l Mr. Keith 
 adds, " There is a mighty cry and desire, almost in all 
 places where we have travelled, to have ministers of the 
 Church of England sent to them in these northern parts 
 of America ; so that it may be said, the harvest is great, 
 but the labourers few. ... If they come not timely, the 
 whole country will be overrun with Presbyterians, Ana 
 baptists, and Quakers." 
 
 He, again and again, in subsequent letters, 2 urges this 
 point, both upon the Bishop of London and the Society. 
 
 With a view to meet such pressing demands, and to 
 provide a sufficient number of duly qualified clergy, the 
 Society, at a general meeting, held January 15, 1702, re 
 solved, " That all the Bishops of the realm, who are mem 
 bers of the Society, should be earnestly desired to recommend 
 it to their Archdeacons and their officials, that public notice 
 may be given in their next archidiaconal visitations, that 
 such clergymen as have a mind to be employed in this 
 Apostolical work, and can bring sufficient testimonials that 
 they are duly qualified for it, may give in their names to 
 their respective Bishops, to be communicated by them to 
 the Society, in order to sending them to such places as 
 have most need, and where they may, therefore, by God s 
 blessing and assistance, do most good. And if any shall 
 be sent to places where there is not a sufficient maintenance 
 already settled, the Society will take care, that they may 
 have not only a competent subsistence, but all the encou 
 ragement that is due to those who devote themselves to the 
 service of Almighty God and our Saviour, by propagating 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. i. 87. 2 Ibid. 98 and 103. 
 
II.] FORM OF TESTIMONIAL. 45 
 
 and promoting his Gospel in the truth and purity of it, 
 according to the doctrine, discipline, and worship esta 
 blished in the Church of England." } The Society, at the 
 same time, took the utmost care to select for missionary 
 duty such clergymen only as were found to possess the 
 various qualifications for its due discharge. With a view, 
 therefore, to guard itself as much as possible against being 
 imposed upon by unworthy candidates, the following paper 
 was drawn up and circulated : 
 
 " The Society erected by royal charter for the Propagation of 
 the Gospel in Foreign Parts, taking into serious consideration the 
 absolute necessity there is, that those clergymen who shall be 
 sent abroad should be duly qualified for the work to which they 
 are appointed, desire that all persons who shall recommend any to 
 that purpose, will testify their knowledge as to the following par 
 ticulars, viz. 
 
 "1. The age of the person. 2. His condition of life, whether 
 single or married. 3. His temper. 4. His prudence. 5. His 
 learning. G. His sober and pious conversation. 7. His zeal for 
 the Christian religion, and diligence in his holy calling. 8. His 
 affection to the present government ; and 9. His conformity to the 
 doctrine and discipline of the Church of England. 
 
 " And the said Society do request and earnestly beseech all 
 persons concerned, that they recommend no man out of favour or 
 affection, or any other worldly consideration ; but with a sincere 
 regard to the honour of Almighty God and our blessed Saviour, 
 as they tender the interest of the Christian religion, and the 
 good of men s souls." 2 
 
 Very full instructions also were given to the Mission 
 aries for their guidance, both during their voyage, and after 
 their arrival in the colony ; and so well, for the most part, 
 do they seem to have been selected, that Lord Cornbury, 3 
 
 1 An Account of the Society, p. 30. 2 Ibid. 1706, p. 21. 
 
 3 See the Royal Instructions to Lord Cornbury, Appendix C. 
 
46 CHARACTER OF MISSIONARIES. [cil. II. 
 
 governor of New York, and a great upholder of the 
 Church within his jurisdiction, said, in a letter dated 
 Nov. 22, 1705, " For those places where Ministers are 
 settled, as New York, Jamaica, 1 Hampstead, West Chester, 
 and Rye, I must do the gentlemen who are settled there 
 the justice to say, that they have behaved themselves with 
 great zeal, exemplary piety, and unwearied diligence in 
 discharge of their duty in their several parishes, in which, 
 I hope, the Church will, by their diligence, be increased 
 more and more every day." 2 In like manner, Colonel 
 Heathcote, writing to the Secretary of the Society from 
 the same colony, on the 9th November, 1705, says, 
 " I must do all the gentlemen that justice, whom you have 
 sent to this province, as to declare that a better clergy 
 were never in any place, there being not one amongst 
 them that has the least stain or blemish as to his life or 
 conversation." 3 
 
 1 A town so called in Long Island. 
 
 2 MS. Letters, vol. ii. 181. 3 Ibid. 117. 
 
CHAPTEK III. 
 
 SOUTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Original Settlement Charter Code of Laws First Church Rev. A. Wil 
 liamson Rev. S. Marshall Rev. S. Thomas Dr. Le Jau Witchcraft 
 Slaves Small-pox Rev. Mr. Merry Rev. Mr. Ludlam Rev. Robert 
 Maule Mr. Maule s Death and Character Rev. Gideon Johnstone, Com 
 missary His Death Indian War Liberality of the Society Rev. 
 Alexander Garden Rev. Thomas Hasell Rev. Lewis Jones Rev. 
 William Guy Rev. Charles Martyn Rev. Robert Baron Rev. James 
 Harrison Mr. Garden s Resignation and Character Ecclesiastical Disci 
 pline Whitfield Services of the Society in the North American 
 Colonies. 
 
 THE Provinces of South and North Carolina, originally 
 united in one colony, were granted by Charles II., in 1662, to 
 certain noblemen, who professed themselves to be impelled 
 by a desire to enlarge his Majesty s dominions, and by " zeal 
 for the propagation of the Christian faith in a country not 
 yet cultivated or planted, and only inhabited by some bar 
 barous people, who had no knowledge of God." A charter 
 was accordingly given to the petitioners, among whom the 
 most distinguished were the Duke of Albemarle and the 
 Earl of Clarendon. A code of laws for the government of 
 the Colony, under the title of "the Fundamental Consti 
 tutions of South Carolina," was drawn up by the celebrated 
 John Locke, but it was never adopted by the colonists, 
 who, becoming dissatisfied with the proprietary govern 
 ment, placed themselves, in 1719, under the protection of 
 the King. The first settlement at Charleston, so called in 
 
48 SOUTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 honour of King Charles II., was formed 1 672 and the first 
 church, a wooden one, was built there about 1682. Already 
 a clergyman, the Rev. Atkin Williamson, had arrived in 
 the colony, where he continued his ministry up to an 
 advanced age. He was succeeded, in 1696, by the Rev. 
 Samuel Marshall, an amiable and learned man, who had 
 been induced to go to Carolina by Burkitt, the com 
 mentator on the New Testament. So satisfied were the 
 people with the conduct and zealous exertions of Mr. Mar 
 shall, that they settled upon him a salary of 150/. He 
 was, however, carried off by a malignant fever, in 1699, 
 three years after his arrival. 1 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Thomas was sent as Missionary to 
 South Carolina, on the then usual allowance of 50/. a-year, 
 and arrived at Charleston on Christmas-day, 1702. 2 
 During his passage, he " read prayers twice every day, and 
 preached and catechised twice every Lord s day." He was 
 prevented prosecuting his mission to the Yammonsee 
 Indians, by a war in which they were then engaged with 
 the Spaniards ; but describes the settlers at Gooscreek, 
 which was the centre of his district, as ready to profit by 
 his ministry, and well affected to the Church of England. 
 Though the number of his communicants was at first but 
 five, they soon increased to thirty -two ; and he took great 
 pains to instruct the negroes. 
 
 Mr. Thomas seems, during his short life, to have acquired 
 the esteem of all classes in the province ; for, in announcing 
 his death, which occurred in December, 1706, the governor 
 and council spoke of it as a " very great loss to the pro 
 vince, he being a person of great piety and virtue, and by 
 
 1 Dalcho s Historical Account of the Church in South Carolina, p. 32. 
 
 2 MS. Letters, vol. i. 86. 
 
III.] INDIANS AND NEGROES. 49 
 
 his exemplary life, and diligent preaching, and obliging 
 carriage, had the good-will of all men." l 
 
 Dr. Le Jau succeeded to this mission. After a residence 
 of six months, he thus wrote to the Society : " The Indians 
 I have conversed with do make us ashamed by their life, 
 conversation, and sense of religion, quite different from 
 ours. Ours consists in words and appearance ; their s 
 in reality. I hope they will soon worship Christ. The 
 negroes are generally very bad men, chiefly those that are 
 scholars ; I will baptize none but such as lead a Christian 
 life, and of w r hom I have a good testimony. My parish 
 reaches above thirty miles in length, and near as many in 
 breadth. A vast number of children were not baptized, 
 because the parents had no money. I have taken care 
 to let them know that our Church does not teach us to 
 sell sacraments. 
 
 " The number of our communicants is about thirty. In 
 the parish of St. Thomas, where Mr. Hasell lives, we had 
 forty. In the parish of St. Denis, a French settlement, 
 fifty." 
 
 It is well known that a belief in witchcraft prevailed 
 very generally at this time in the American settlements. 
 Dr. Le Jau says, 15th April, 1707, "A notorious male 
 factor, evidently guilty of witchcraft, and who has killed 
 several persons by the devil s help, was lately returned 
 ignoramus by the grand jury. This makes me stand 
 amazed, that the spirit of the devil should be so much re 
 spected as to make men call open witchcraft imagination, 
 
 He seems to have been a single-hearted, laborious Mis 
 sionary, devoting all his time to the discharge of his sacred 
 duties, especially to the instruction of the negroes and 
 1 Appendix to Journal, 95. 2 MS. Letters, vol. iii. p. 141. 
 
 E 
 
50 SOUTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 Indians, and the children of all. He appointed one day in 
 the week for catechising publicly in the church, seeing " the 
 indispensable necessity of that duty." This care for their 
 spiritual good was fully appreciated by his parishioners, 
 who, when the church was found too small for his increas 
 ing congregation, erected a " beautiful brick fabric," and 
 contributed handsomely to the repairs of the parsonage. 1 
 " I converse," he says, " as often as my business can per 
 mit, with our free Indians a good sort of people, and that 
 would be better if they were not spoiled by our bad exam 
 ples." 2 The following passages give a painful view of the 
 light in which slaves were regarded by their masters : 
 " Several sensible and sober slaves have asked me also to 
 be baptized and married according to the form of our holy 
 Church. I could not comply with their desire without the 
 consent of their masters ; but I have exhorted them to 
 perseverance and patience. I also humbly desire to be 
 directed therein : the masters are unwilling, most of them. 
 Many masters can t be persuaded that negroes and Indians 
 are otherwise than beasts, and use them like such." 2 
 
 In respect to his dealing with dissenters, he says in a 
 really Christian spirit, "I labour to undeceive our sepa 
 rated brethren that are of a good-will, and of an honest 
 heart : some hearken and consider. God is my witness, 
 I only aim to bring them to Jesus Christ, which is the end 
 of my mission." 
 
 In a letter written at the commencement of 1712, in 
 which he gives an account of the dreadful mortality in 
 South Carolina, which had been occasioned by small-pox 
 and fever, he says, " The surgeons are of opinion that the 
 air has been infected these fourteen years. I look upon a 
 more immediate cause that is, the irreligion and lewdness 
 1 Humphreys, p. 85. 2 MS. Letters, vol. iv. 1. 142. 
 
III.] REV. ROBERT MAULE. 51 
 
 of too many persons, but chiefly the barbarous usage of 
 the poor slaves ;" and he then gives instances of the fright 
 ful cruelties practised upon them. Again, he says, " It is 
 evident that our traders have promoted bloody wars this 
 last year to get slaves ; and one of them bought lately one 
 hundred of those poor souls." l 
 
 The number of communicants continued to increase till, 
 in 1714, they were seventy English and eight negroes. 
 
 Dr. Le Jau died in 1717, very generally lamented. 
 
 An interval of three years occurred before the vacancy 
 was supplied by Mr. Merry, who remained but a short 
 time, and then returned to England ; and it was not till 
 1724, seven years after the death of Dr. Le Jau, during 
 which the spiritual interests of the mission must have 
 greatly suffered, that the Rev. Mr. Ludlam arrived to take 
 charge of it. Of his labours but scanty records exist. It 
 appears, however, from them, that he devoted much time 
 and care to the education of the negroes ; and, at his death, 
 in 1728, he left to the Society, in trust, the whole of his 
 property, amounting to 2,000/. Carolina money, " for 
 erecting and maintaining a school for the instruction of 
 poor children of that parish." 
 
 It would be unfair, even in so general an account as the 
 present, to leave unmentioned the name of the Rev. Robert 
 Maule, who went, in 1707, to St. John s parish, on the 
 Western branch of Cooper River. He appears to have 
 been a very faithful and laborious Missionary, riding great 
 distances " up and down among the plantations," to visit 
 his "widely -scattered flock." The result was a visible im 
 provement in the moral character of his people, and a more 
 frequent attendance upon the ordinances of religion. In 
 his, as well as in other missions, much good was effected 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. vii. p. 396. 
 E 2 
 
52 SOUTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 by the Books of Common Prayer, which the Society sup 
 plied for distribution. He records in his correspondence 
 some interesting traits of the Indian character. " They 
 are, for the most part, great lovers of justice and equity in 
 their dealings, and can t endure either to cheat or be 
 cheated; they have some customs among them that look 
 as if they had been derived by tradition from the Jews; 
 they all of them shew great joy and thankfulness at the 
 gatherings of their first-fruits, which they express by their 
 feastings, dancings, and other indications of rejoicings. 
 The heads of their families have great deference and re 
 spect paid them by their children and relations, who dare 
 scarce so much as speak in their presence without their 
 particular leave and approbation. They are extremely 
 fond of a numerous issue, and reckon it a great virtue 
 among them to have killed and destroyed many of their 
 enemies. Some nations of them do this day circumcise 
 their children, and have still remaining amongst them some 
 imperfect notions of a deluge. I have, in my conversation 
 with some of their old men, clearly discovered their belief 
 of a God, and of future rewards and punishments." l 
 
 Mr. Maule s course of useful labour was grievously in 
 terrupted by the Indian war, which broke out in 1715, and 
 by which his parishioners were driven as fugitives from 
 their plantations. In these trying circumstances, the pastor 
 showed that he was no hireling. He retired into the gar 
 rison, to which most of his congregation had fled for safety ; 
 and there, he says, " I continued above four months, con 
 stantly exercising the duties of my ministerial function. 
 I baptized their children, visited their sick and wounded, 
 buried their dead, preached every Lord s day, and read 
 prayers twice every day in the week. The duty, I must 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. vii. p. 363. 
 
III.] REV. ROBERT MAULE. 53 
 
 confess, was almost above my strength, being performed 
 in a numerous crowd, that were penned up in a small com 
 pass, and in the very extremity of the hot weather, but I 
 underwent it with all the cheerfulness I could. I consi 
 dered that, having hitherto resided amongst them in their 
 prosperity, I could not in conscience desert them in times 
 of danger and distress, that so I might learn them by my 
 example, as well as doctrine, to submit with cheerfulness 
 to the will of God. When things began to be better settled, 
 I returned to my own house, where I was not long before 
 I felt the effects of the summer s fatigue. 
 
 " When I came into this country first, I thought nothing 
 could hurt me ; but I find by experience that the climate 
 can break even the strongest constitution. However, I do 
 not repine ; if I be but serviceable in my generation, and 
 answer the great ends of my mission here, I am satisfied 
 not only to sacrifice my health, but (if that could be of 
 any use) my very life, too, for the propagation of the 
 Gospel of Jesus Christ." l This letter is dated February 
 18, 1716. He died on the 23d September in the same 
 year, being the fourth Missionary who was carried off 
 within eighteen months. Dr. Le Jau, in communicating 
 the sad event, says, " Indeed, this last loss cannot be suf 
 ficiently lamented by the whole province, which has been 
 witness of the excellent and Christian qualities that adorned 
 the life and conversation of our late deceased brother. His 
 piety, modesty, charity, and sweet temper, rendered him 
 the object of our love ; and the Clergy lost in him one of 
 their brightest ornaments." 2 He left all the property of 
 which he died possessed, equal to 600/., Carolina money, 
 to the Society. 
 
 The Rev. Gideon Johnstone was sent by the Bishop of 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xi. p. 127. 2 Ibid. vol. xil p. 68. 
 
54 SOUTH CAROLINA. [cH. 
 
 London, in the year 1707, as Commissary, to South Caro 
 lina. On his voyage out he was stranded on a sand-bank, 
 where he lay " twelve days and as many nights without 
 any manner of meat and drink, or shelter from the scorch 
 ing heat of the sun." " At last, on the 12th," he says, 
 " a canoe got to us, when we were at the last gasp, and 
 just on the point of expiring; the next morning we were 
 conveyed to the opposite part of the continent, where I lay 
 a fortnight before I could recover strength enough to reach 
 the town." l 
 
 On his arrival, he found the church pre-occupied by 
 Mr. Marsden, who had been chosen Incumbent; and the 
 annoyance to which he was thus exposed, added to the 
 sufferings of the sea-voyage and wreck, will account for 
 the tone of his first letter home, in which, writing to the 
 Bishop of Salisbury, (Burnet,) he says, " I never repented 
 so much of anything, my sins only excepted, as my coming 
 to this place." Under the influence of the same feelings, 
 doubtless, it was that he received his first impressions of 
 the settlers in South Carolina. " The people here, gene 
 rally speaking, are the vilest race of men upon the earth ; 
 they have neither honour, nor honesty, nor religion enough 
 to entitle them to any tolerable character, being a perfect 
 medley or hotch-potch of bankrupts, pirates, decayed liber 
 tines, sectaries, and enthusiasts of all sorts." The account 
 he gives of the dissenters is, " They have liberty and pro 
 perty to the full, and enjoy free and undisturbed exercise 
 of their religion in all respects; they are capable of all 
 posts in the civil and military lists, and have now actually 
 a majority both in council, parliament, or assembly, and 
 yet they are never to be satisfied till they can compass the 
 downfall of this infant Church." 2 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. iv. 1. 97. 2 Ibid. 
 
III.] JOHNSTONE COMMISSARY. 55 
 
 He seems to have laboured during the greater part of 
 his residence abroad under severe bodily ailments, which 
 prevented his active superintendence of the missions in the 
 province; and he frequently complains of the straits to 
 which he was reduced by an inadequate maintenance. He 
 has, however, the credit of having composed in some degree 
 the feuds and animosities which he found in the society of 
 Charleston at his first coming. 
 
 Mr. Johnstone went to England for the benefit of his 
 health, in 1712, and was absent eighteen months. He 
 returned with an addition to his salary of 501. from the 
 Society ; but he did not long enjoy it. 
 
 On the occasion of Governor Craven s embarking for 
 England, the Commissary, with thirty others, went on 
 board to take leave of him, and as they were returning, a 
 sudden squall upset the boat. Nearly all escaped; but 
 the Attorney-general, Mr. G. Evans, perished in his attempt 
 to save himself by swimming ; while Mr. Johnstone, who 
 was infirm and unable to exert himself, was drowned in 
 the hold of the vessel." l 
 
 The Church and indeed the entire British population 
 in South Carolina was well nigh destroyed at this time 
 by a furious and exterminating invasion of the Yammonsee 
 Indians ; in the course of which the plantations were laid 
 waste, and the colonists, without respect to age or sex, 
 murdered. The Missionaries were exposed to peril of 
 famine, as well as of the sword. As soon as intelligence 
 of this disaster was brought to England, the Society 
 although the whole of its income for that year (1715) 
 amounted to less than 1,600/. determined at once to send 
 them relief. Accordingly, a half-year s income was voted to 
 each of the Missionaries and Schoolmasters, and a gratuity 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xi. p. 153. 
 
56 SOUTH CAROLINA. [cH. 
 
 of 201. given to each of the other Clergymen officiating 
 in the province, though not in the service of the Society. 1 
 Two French Huguenot ministers, MM. La Pierre and 
 Richbourg, were also admitted to share the Society s 
 bounty; each of them being allowed a grant of 30/. on 
 account of the great losses they had sustained from the 
 Indians, and the extreme distress to which, in consequence, 
 they were reduced. 2 
 
 After the death of Mr. Johnstone, no other Commissary 
 was appointed till the year 1719, when the Rev. Alexander 
 Garden was sent by the Bishop of London, with the same 
 powers : he was immediately elected to the cure of the 
 vacant parish of St. Philip s. These duties he continued 
 to discharge for many years, during which he acquired both 
 the respect and affection of the people by his piety, learn 
 ing, and discretion. This character, it may be well to say, 
 he did not acquire by any undue compliance with the 
 prejudices of the people, or any relaxation of authority, 
 as will appear more fully in the sequel. 
 
 At this period, and for many subsequent years, the 
 Society assisted in the maintenance of ten Missionaries in 
 this province, and we cannot doubt that they were, under 
 God s blessing, the instruments of much and lasting good ; 
 but their lot, like that of most other ministers of Christ, 
 was cast in obscure places, and there are no very remark 
 able events to give variety to the record of their useful 
 labours. Year after year, indeed, they reported so many 
 more added to Christ s flock in baptism, including gene 
 rally a few negroes and Indians, and a growing number of 
 such as had been brought to make the more solemn dedi 
 cation of themselves at the table of the Lord. 
 
 1 Journal, vol. iii. p. 72. a Report for 1716, 
 
III.] HASELL JONES. 57 
 
 Among the Missionaries who laid the foundations of the 
 Church in this province, should be mentioned the Rev. 
 Thomas Hasell, who went out as deacon in 1705, and was 
 employed as catechist at Charleston, but, after his ordina 
 tion as priest, in 1709, was appointed Missionary in St. 
 Thomas s parish, where he remained in the discharge of his 
 duties for the long space of thirty-five years. " He was," 
 says Dalcho, " very successful in his mission, which he 
 ascribed, under God, to the distribution of the Book of 
 Common Prayer." 1 
 
 Another, the Rev. Lewis Jones, M.A., was the diligent 
 and exemplary Missionary of St. Helena s for a space of 
 twenty years, from 1725 to 1745. His parish was of 
 great extent, " and the many islands and necks of land 
 divided by rivers and creeks," rendered it impossible to 
 gather all the people together for divine service, though he 
 officiated in three several places. The consequence was, 
 that dissenters crept in where the Church could not reach. 
 Mr. Jones did not fail to represent to the Governor the evil 
 arising from the enormous extent of parishes, but was 
 answered, " that government thought it sufficient to afford 
 the maintenance already given to ministers." 
 
 The hardship, to the individual, of so heavy a charge 
 is touchingly alluded to in one of Mr. Jones s letters. 
 Writing August 11, 1743, he says 
 
 " Were this parish capable of being supplied in my absence, 
 I had made use of the Society s leave to go for England about 
 twelve years ago ; but the next neighbouring minister lives forty 
 miles distant, and I think it by no means proper, especially at 
 this time, that this parish should be left unsupplied. My inclina 
 tions, biassed by natural affection, would indulge me to go once 
 and see my dear friends and relations, and take my final leave of 
 
 1 Dalcho, p. 285. 
 
58 SOUTH CAROLINA. [cil. 
 
 them ; but duty calls me another way, and I must endeavour to 
 rest contented." 1 
 
 Mr. Jones, who had always lamented the want of schools, 
 bequeathed at his death, in 1745, a legacy of 100/. sterling, 
 to be placed at interest, for the support of a free-school at 
 Beaufort. This school was established in 1749. 
 
 The Rev. William Guy, who had preceded Mr. Jones in 
 the parish of St. Helena, was transferred to St. Andrew s 
 in 1719, and continued there till his death in 1751. 
 He is reported to have been diligent in the execution of 
 his office, not confining himself to his own immediate 
 people, but extending his ministrations to a considerable 
 distance. So successful were his exertions, that the pa 
 rishioners were induced to enlarge their church, while a 
 subscription was raised for building a new one in a different 
 part of the mission. 
 
 He was succeeded by the Rev. Charles Martyn, who 
 reported the good disposition of the people towards the 
 Church, exhibited by their liberality in effecting the neces 
 sary repairs, increasing the accommodation, and purchasing 
 an organ. Returning to England on private business, in 
 1761, he attended a general meeting of the Society, and 
 took occasion to resign the salary allowed to him as Mis 
 sionary, on the honourable ground that the provision made 
 for the minister of St. Andrew s by the parish was suf 
 ficient. He received in return the thanks of the Society, 
 both for the diligent and faithful discharge of the duties of 
 the mission, and for his noble conduct in foregoing the 
 salary attached to it. This instance of disinterested 
 generosity won, as it deserved, the approbation of Arch 
 bishop Seeker, who, writing to the Rev. Dr. Johnson, 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. iv. p. 225. 
 
III.] MARTYN BARON HARRISON. 59 
 
 President of King s College, New York, Dec. 10, 1761, 
 
 " Mr. Martyn, of St. Andrew s, in South Carolina, is 
 come over hither, and hath very honourably told the 
 Society that he thinks their salary of thirty pounds a-year 
 may be better employed by them. I wish we had more 
 such instances, where circumstances will allow them, and 
 I cannot help thinking that the laity of our Church abroad 
 are not so liberal to their ministers as they might be, and 
 as those of other denominations, but lean too hard upon 
 the Society." 1 
 
 Mr. Martyn returned to his cure after a short absence, 
 and finally resigned it in 1770. 2 
 
 Another name that should be mentioned is that of the 
 Rev. Robert Baron, Missionary at St. Bartholomew s, who 
 succeeded not only in winning the affections of his parish 
 ioners during the eleven years of his residence among them, 
 but was made the instrument of promoting their spiritual 
 Avelfare. At his death, in 1764, he left the mission in a 
 very prosperous condition, with seventy communicants. 3 
 
 The Rev. James Harrison, a graduate of Queen s Col 
 lege, Oxford, was appointed to the parish of St. James, 
 Gooscreek, in 1752, and continued to discharge the duties 
 of it, as well as a single Missionary in so large a district 
 could, for the space of twenty-three years, when he 
 was removed to St. Bartholomew s.* The parish, as it was 
 called, of Gooscreek, extended 180 miles in length, and 
 from ten to fourteen in breadth, and contained about two 
 hundred families. The congregation consisted of about 
 150 whites, and from fifty to sixty negroes ; while his com 
 municants were thirty-one of the former, and twenty-six 
 
 1 Chandler s Life of Kcv. Dr. Johnson, p. 187. 
 
 2 Dalcho, p. 342. 3 Ibid. p. 372. 4 Ibid. pp. 258 and 262. 
 
60 SOUTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 of the latter class. He speaks of some who brought their 
 children a distance of from eighty to two hundred miles, to 
 be baptized. 1 
 
 Occasional instances are recorded, especially by Mr. 
 Guy and Mr. Standish, of considerable sums being raised 
 by the parishioners for the erection of a church, or par 
 sonage-house, or the purchase of a glebe ; but, in 1759, 
 when the province had made great progress in wealth and 
 population, an Act of Assembly was passed, by which a 
 stipend of 1001. a-year was allowed to the officiating 
 Minister of every parish where no mission was settled. The 
 Society, in consequence, wisely determined not to fill up 
 vacant missions, but to reserve its aid for poorer settle 
 ments. There were at this time twenty parishes with 
 settled Clergymen. The total white population was 
 140,000; coloured, 108,000. 
 
 One department of the Society s labours should never be 
 forgotten. During the whole period of its connexion with 
 the American colonies, its attention was steadily directed 
 to the instruction and improvement of the poor Africans. 
 With this view, the Society gave special instructions to 
 the Missionaries to press upon the Planters their duty 
 towards the slaves whom they employed ; and, to make this 
 obligation more generally understood, printed and circulated, 
 both at home and in the plantations, many thousand copies 
 of Bishop Fleetwood s Sermon, 2 and Bishop Gibson s Pas 
 toral Letters, upon the subject. The effect of these pub 
 lications was to raise a fund for the instruction of the 
 slaves ; and the Society s Report for 1741 states, that 
 " some thousands of negroes had been taught, and per 
 suaded to embrace the truth as it is in Jesus Christ." 
 
 1 Report for 1758. 
 
 2 Preached on the Anniversary of the Society in 1711. 
 
III.] SCHOOL FOR SLAVES. 61 
 
 The principal school for their education in South Caro 
 lina was founded by Mr. Garden, at Charleston, in 1742; 
 and his plan was to prepare negro youths, by a careful 
 training, to be the instructors of their countrymen. 
 
 On occasion of his visit to England in 1746, besides 
 stating that " he left all things relating to the Church and 
 Clergy in South Carolina in good order," he reported that 
 the " negro school had sent out twenty-eight children 
 sufficiently instructed, according to the intention of that 
 school, and that it was increased to the number of seventy 
 viz. fifty-five children taught of days, and fifteen grown 
 slaves taught of evenings, when their day s work is over ;" 
 he added, moreover, " that he plainly perceived a very 
 general and earnest desire among negro parents of having 
 their children instructed, and also an emulation among 
 many of them that are capable of instruction." * On his 
 return to America, Mr. Garden informed the Society that 
 the "school was full of children ;" and again, in 1750, that 
 it was going on with " all desirable success, 1 having sent 
 forth during the year " twenty scholars duly instructed." 
 Thus, we may hope, some good was effected ; and, at the 
 least, the* Church gave its public testimony to this branch 
 of Christian duty, in the face of a government which, 
 with 50,000 slaves, had not a single civil institution for 
 their instruction or moral improvement. The Charleston 
 school was continued after Mr. Garden s death, first by the 
 Rev. Mr. Clark, and then by Mr., subsequently Bishop, 
 Smith, but was finally discontinued in 1764, in conse 
 quence of the death of one of the native teachers, and 
 the misconduct of the other. 8 * 
 
 In 1754, Mr. Garden was impelled by increasing infir 
 mities, and the natural desire of spending his last days in 
 1 Report for 1747. 2 Dalcho, p. 193. 
 
62 SOUTH CAROLINA. [cH. 
 
 his native country, to resign the rectory of St. Philip s ; 
 and the Vestry, on announcing his resignation to the 
 Bishop of London, concluded their letter with the follow 
 ing honourable testimony to his character: "We should 
 be greatly wanting in duty should we omit to say, that 
 Mr. Garden, during his residence of thirty years and 
 more among us, has behaved with becoming piety, zeal, 
 and candour, in his sacred character and function, which 
 he hath exercised with unwearied labour and diligence, 
 to the glory of God and the edification of souls ; and we 
 an with truth aver he hath been a good shepherd of 
 Christ s flock." 1 
 
 But it would seem like an omission to conclude without 
 some reference to his official conduct as Commissary. 
 
 The exercise of anything like discipline in the Colonial 
 Church was, unhappily, very rare ; yet Mr. Garden felt that 
 it was his duty to cite Mr. Whitfield before the Ecclesias 
 tical Court, for performing Divine Service without using 
 the forms prescribed by the Church. After an appeal 
 had been made, from the jurisdiction of the Court to the 
 Lords Commissioners, as no prohibition from further pro 
 ceedings was interposed, and Mr. Whitfield refused either 
 to appear or put in any answer, a decree was passed for 
 suspending him from the exercise of his functions. 
 
 Whatever be the right estimate of his zeal and earnest 
 ness as a preacher, it is plain that, as a Clergyman of the 
 Church of England, he was bound, by the most solemn 
 obligations, to conform to the Book of Common Prayer ; 
 and that no pretence of spiritual illumination could justify 
 him in the violation of an ordinary duty. Nevertheless, 
 he continued his eccentric course just as if no sentence 
 had been passed. 2 
 
 1 Dalcho, p. 166. 2 Spirit of Missions for October, New York, 1844. 
 
III.] DALCHO. 63 
 
 But Mr. Garden was not content with condemning him 
 in court. He was also ready to meet him in controversy, 
 and accordingly published able replies to two of his letters; 
 in the one of which Whitfield had attempted to vindicate 
 his assertion, that " Archbishop Tillotson knew no more 
 of Christianity than Mahomet ;" and in the other had 
 attacked what he considered the fundamental error of 
 " The Whole Duty of Man." 1 
 
 Those who are desirous of fuller information on the sub 
 ject of the rise and progress of the Church in this province, 
 will, of course, consult a work to which we have more than 
 once referred ; namely, Dalcho s Historical Account of the 
 Church in South Carolina. We may be permitted to 
 conclude our brief notices in the words of that historian, 
 referring to the labours of the Society in the North 
 American colonies generally. He says: "The exertions 
 of this Society in the service of religion, deserve the warm 
 est praise of every Christian, and the gratitude of every 
 churchman in America." 2 
 
 1 Spirit of Missions for October, 1844. 2 Dalcho, p. 194. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 General Account of the Province Commissary Blair Classification of the 
 People Mr. Henderson Walker Eev. John Urmston Governor Eden 
 Eev. Giles Kainsford Eev. W. Gordon and Eev. J. Adams Eev. Thos. 
 Newnam Eev. John Boyd Eev. James Moir Eev. Clement Hall His 
 great Labours and Success Eev. Alex. Stewart Want of a Bishop 
 Eev. N. Christian. 
 
 THIS Province, 430 miles in length, by about 118 of ave 
 rage width, and containing, therefore, an area equal to 
 that of all England, was but little explored, and but very 
 thinly peopled, at the beginning of the last century. In 
 deed, the population of European descent, in 1702, is said 
 not to have exceeded six thousand. They lived widely 
 apart, scattered over the face of a country intersected by 
 swamps and inlets of the sea. Roads, properly so called, 
 there were none ; and those who were compelled to pass 
 from one part of the country to another, made their way as 
 best they might, over rivers and through forests happy, if 
 at night they could find shelter in the rudest hut. Frequent 
 notices will be found in the subjoined reports of the vast 
 distances which the Missionaries were compelled to travel, 
 and the hardships and privations which they had to endure. 
 The Rev. John Blair, who was originally employed as an 
 itinerant Missionary by Lord Weymouth, and was after 
 wards appointed by the Bishop of London, Commissary for 
 North Carolina, with an allowance of 501. a-year from the 
 
CH. IV.] REV. JOHN BLAIR. 65 
 
 Society, gives the following account of his labours in that 
 Province : 
 
 " I was ordained in order to go to the Plantations, 12th April, 
 1703. I landed in Virginia, 14th January, 1704, and as soon as 
 I could conveniently travel, I waited upon the governor, and im 
 mediately after made the best of my way into the country where 
 I was bound. 
 
 " I arrived amongst the inhabitants, after a tedious and trouble 
 some journey, on the 24th ditto ; I was then obliged to buy a 
 couple of horses, which cost me fourteen pounds ; one of which 
 was for a guide, because there is no possibility for a stranger to 
 find his road in that country, for if he once goes astray (it being 
 such a desert country) it s a great hazard if ever he finds his road 
 again. Besides, there are mighty inconveniences in travelling 
 there ; for the roads are not only deep and difficult to be found, 
 but there are, likewise, seven great rivers in the country, over 
 which there is no passing with horses, except two of them ; one 
 of which the Quakers have settled a ferry over for their own con- 
 veniency, and nobody but themselves have the privilege of it, so 
 that at the passing over the rivers I was obliged either to borrow 
 or hire horses, which was both troublesome and chargeable, inso 
 much that, in little more than two months, I was obliged to dis 
 pose of the necessaries I carried over for my own use to satisfy 
 my creditors. 
 
 a I found in the country a great many children to be baptized, 
 where I baptized about 100, and there are a great many still to 
 be baptized whose parents would not condescend to have them 
 baptized with godfathers and godmothers. 
 
 " I married none in the country, for that was a perquisite be 
 longing to the magistrates which I was not desirous to deprive 
 them of. I preached twice every Sunday, and often on the week 
 days, when their vestries met, or could appoint them to bring 
 their children to be baptized. They have built in the country 
 three small churches and have three glebes. 
 
 " The country may be divided into four sorts of people : 1st. 
 The Quakers, who are the most powerful enemies to church 
 government, but a people very ignorant of what they profess ; a 
 
 F 
 
66 NORTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 second sort are a great many that have no religion, but would be 
 Quakers, if by that they were not obliged to lead a more moral 
 life than they are willing to comply to ; a third sort are some 
 thing like Presbyterians, which sort is upheld by some idle fellows 
 that have left their lawful employments, and preach and baptize 
 through the country, without any manner of orders from any sect 
 or pretended Church ; a fourth sort, who are really zealous for the 
 interest of the Church, are the fewest in number, but the better sort 
 of people, and would do very much for the settlement of the church 
 government there, if not opposed by these three precedent sects ; 
 and, although they be all three of different pretensions, yet they 
 all concur together in one common cause, to prevent anything 
 that will be chargeable to them, as they allege church government 
 will be, if once established by law. And another great discou 
 ragement these poor people have, is a Governor who does not in 
 the least countenance them in this business, but rather dis 
 courages them. 
 
 " Besides such a solitary, toilsome, and hard living, as I met 
 with, there were Tery sufficient discouragements. I was distant 
 from any minister 120 miles, so that if any case of difficulty or 
 doubt should happen, with whom should I consult 1 And, for 
 my travelling through the country, I rid, one day with another, 
 Sunday only excepted, above thirty miles per diem, in the worst 
 roads that ever I saw ; and have sometimes lain whole nights in 
 the woods. 
 
 " I will now endeavour to shew you how ineffectual a single 
 man s labours would be amongst so scattered a people. In the 
 first place, suppose him minister of one precinct, (whereas, there 
 are five in the country,) and this precinct, as they are all, bounded 
 with two rivers, and those rivers at least twenty miles distant, 
 without any inhabitants on the roads, for they plant only on the 
 rivers, and they are planted in length upon these rivers at least 
 twenty miles. 1 And to give all these inhabitants an opportunity 
 of hearing a sermon, and bringing their children to be baptized, 
 which must be on the sabbath, for they won t spare time of ano 
 ther day, and must be in every ten miles distance, for five miles 
 is the farthest that they will bring their children, or willingly 
 1 The original is followed verbatim. 
 
IV.] REV. JOHN URMSTON. 67 
 
 come themselves ; so that he must, to do his duty effectually, 
 be ten or twelve weeks in making his progress through one 
 precinct. 
 
 " You may also consider the distance that the new colony of 
 Pamplico is from the rest of the inhabitants of the country, for 
 any man that has tried it would sooner undertake a voyage from 
 this city to Holland than that ; for, besides a pond of five miles 
 broad, and nothing to carry one over but small foroughs, there 
 are above fifty miles desert to pass through, without any human 
 creature inhabiting in it." l 
 
 In 1703, Mr. Henderson Walker wrote to the Bishop of 
 London, that, to his own knowledge, the province of North 
 Carolina had been for twenty-one years " without priest or 
 altar." 2 The Quakers, who formed the most numerous 
 party, resolutely opposed, here as elsewhere, every pro 
 vision for the Church. In none of the States did the Mis 
 sionaries undergo greater hardships from the dearness of 
 provisions, the great extent of their cures, and the indif 
 ference or hostility of the people. 
 
 The Rev. John Urmston, writing to the Secretary, July 
 1711, says, "I am at last, together with my family, in 
 manifest danger of perishing for want of food ; we have 
 lived many a day only on a dry crust and a draught of 
 salt water out of the Sound, such regard have the people 
 for my labours so worthy of the favour the Society has 
 shewn them in providing Missionaries and sending books." 
 Speaking of the difficulty of visiting the different parts of 
 his Mission, he says, " In many places, there are great 
 rivers, from one, two, to six, twelve, and fifteen miles over, 
 no ferry, neither will they be at the trouble of setting me 
 over. He that will answer the end of his Mission, must 
 not only have a good horse, but a good boat, and a couple 
 of experienced watermen." Then, referring to the straits 
 1 Appendix to Journal, p. 48. 2 MS. Letters, vol.i. 129. 
 
 F 2 
 
68 NORTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 to which the Clergy were reduced in that country, he says, 
 " Missioners, as the world goes, must be planters too, if 
 they have families, or starve ; the salary alone will not do. 
 I am forced to work hard with axe, hoe, and spade. I 
 have not a stick to burn for any use, but what I cut down 
 with my own hands." Many other letters are filled with 
 complaints of the same sort. Indeed, a salary of 50/. from 
 the Society, with an uncertain allowance from the vestry, 1 
 paid, when paid at all, in bills which could only be dis 
 posed of at excessive discount, afforded but a sorry pro 
 vision for a Missionary with a wife and family. The 
 consequence was, that he was frequently involved in debt, 
 and much of his influence and usefulness thus neutralized. 
 Mr. Urmston gives the following account of his Mission 
 " I have hitherto supplied three precincts, Chowan, 
 Pequimans, and Pasquotank, which are very remote from 
 one another ; the most southerly place I preached at is 
 above seventy miles distant from the most northerly ; this 
 hath been my circuit for the year last past, without any 
 omission on my side ; if I ever failed of officiating on the 
 day appointed, it was for the want of a passage. So long 
 as I was on terra firma, neither the badness of the roads, 
 broken bridges over dangerous places, wet or cold weather 
 in winter, nor the excessive heat, even to stifling in the 
 woods for want of air, ever caused me to disappoint a con 
 gregation ; albeit, they have often failed to meet me." He 
 had baptized, at the date of his letter, 154 children in the 
 three precincts. The people were " mightily averse to 
 godfathers and godmothers. They ll not hearken to the 
 ordinances of man, but will have express Scripture for all 
 
 i Mr. Urmston says that he was promised a house with 1QOL a-year, but 
 that, in point of fact, he only received 30Z. in five years, and that in paper- 
 money. MS. Letters, xii. p. 137. 
 
IV.J GOVERNOR EDEN. 69 
 
 they are to do or observe : there is not a schism or 
 corruption broached in England, but here it hath its 
 defenders." 1 
 
 Lamentable as was this state of things in North Carolina, 
 it seems only the natural consequence of leaving it almost 
 entirely without the means of grace ; and, on this point, it 
 may be well to cite the impartial testimony of Governor 
 Eden, addressed to the Secretary of the Society. 
 
 " Most honoured, The lords proprietors of Carolina having 
 thought fit to honour me with the government of the north part 
 of their lordships province, I take leave (as I think it my duty) 
 to remonstrate to you the deplorable state of religion in this poor 
 province. 
 
 " It is now almost four months since I entered upon the govern 
 ment, where I found no clergyman upon the place except Mr. 
 Urmston, one of your Missionaries, who is really an honest pains 
 taking gentleman, and worthy of your care, but, poor man ! with 
 utmost endeavours, is not able to serve one-half of the county of 
 Albemarle, which adjoins to Virginia, whereas the county of Bath 
 is of a much larger extent, and wholly destitute of any assistance. 
 I cannot find but the people are well enough inclined to embrace 
 all opportunities of attending the service of God, and to contri 
 bute, to the utmost of their ability, towards the support of such 
 missionaries as you shall, in compassion to their circumstances, 
 think fit to send amongst them ; but our tedious Indian war has 
 reduced the county so low, that without your nursing care the 
 very footsteps of religion will, in a short time, be worn out, and 
 those who retain any remembrance of it will be wholly led away 
 by the Quakers ; whereas a few of the clergy, of a complaisant 
 temper and regular lives, would not only be the darlings of the 
 people, but would be a means in time to recover those already 
 seduced by Quakerism. 
 
 " This is what I thought myself under an indispensable obliga 
 tion to lay before you, for your serious considerations. 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. vii. pp. 36571. 
 
70 NORTH CAROLINA. [cH. 
 
 " There has been destroyed by the Indians, since the beginning 
 of the war, above fourscore unlbaptized infants, and there are a 
 great number in the county of Bath, even to seven years old now, 
 under that circumstance, for no other cause but want of oppor 
 tunity, and, as yet, there are no Quakers in that county. The 
 growth of their sect in it, I hope, the charitable care of your most 
 honourable Society will effectually prevent. I wish I could be 
 any ways instrumental in serving anything sent by you in these 
 parts, whenever an opportunity offers ; with great readiness I 
 shall be glad to shew how much I am, most honourable gentle 
 men, your obedient and most humble servant. 1 
 
 Oct. 8, 1717, CHARLES EDEN." 
 
 He further informed the Society that, notwithstanding 
 their Missionary s utmost exertions, hundreds of children 
 and others were unbaptized, and must so remain, unless 
 more clergymen were sent amongst them. 2 
 
 From time to time Mr. Urmston undertook a missionary 
 visitation of his district. Thus, in 1716, he reports, that 
 he had "visited all the corners of the colony, however 
 obscure or inaccessible. I travelled," he says, " as soon as 
 the heat of the summer was over, quite through the govern 
 ment from end to end, 100 miles southward beyond Neuse 
 river, 60 westward of Virginia, and as far north-east. I 
 baptized, in the last half-year, 279, whereof eleven adult, 
 through the parents neglect. I found the people of a 
 temper, throughout the government, very indifferent as to 
 religion." 3 
 
 He continued in his Mission, struggling with his em 
 barrassments, and vainly demanding of the vestry the 
 payment of his dues, till the year 1721, when he returned 
 to England. 
 
 The history of the Rev. Giles Rainsford is in many 
 respects similar. He went out in 1 7 1 2 ; and was stationed at 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol.x. p. 72. 3 Ibid. xii. p. 118, 3 Ibid, xii. p. 140. 
 
IV.] REV. GILES RAINSFORD. 71 
 
 Chowan to take charge of the western shore. At his first 
 service, many persons were present, "perfect strangers to the 
 method of the worship of our Church." At an old Indian 
 town on the north shore, great crowds attended, but ex 
 pressed little devotion, and he baptized seventeen children 
 of various ages. The following week he preached at one 
 Mr. Garrat s, the upper end of Chowan, but had such 
 numbers, that he was obliged to go under a great mulberry 
 tree, where most of the people seemed very devout, ready 
 in their responses, as well as in their method of singing 
 praise to God. 1 " By much importunity," he says, " I pre 
 vailed on Mr. Martin to let me baptize three of his negroes. 
 All the arguments I could make use of, would scarce effect 
 it, till Bishop Fleetwood s sermon, preached before the 
 Society, turned the scale." 
 
 Mr. Rainsford had several conferences with " one 
 Thomas Hoyler, King of the Chowan Indians, who seemed 
 very inclinable to embrace Christianity." He had some 
 notions of Noah s flood, and thus spoke of the tradition: 
 " My father told me, I tell my son." 2 Mr. Rainsford 
 states, that in one year he baptized no fewer than forty 
 negroes. 
 
 Like his fellow-labourer Urmston, he complains bitterly 
 of the vestry for the non-payment of his stipend, as well as 
 of the many privations to which he was subjected in so 
 wild and inhospitable a country as Carolina then was. 
 For instance, he says, " My lodging, for the best of my 
 time, in this government was in an old tobacco-house, and 
 exposed, even in my bed, to the injuries and violence of 
 bad weather, with infinite other inconveniences, only to 
 settle myself where I thought I had an opportunity of 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. vii. p. 417. 
 
 2 Ibid. vii. p. 418. 
 
72 NORTH CAROLINA. [cff. 
 
 doing most good." In 1714, he abandoned his Mission, in 
 consequence of being unable longer to undergo the fatigues 
 of an itinerant mission. l 
 
 The Rev. William Gordon and the Rev. James Adams 
 went out together as itinerant Missionaries to North Caro 
 lina, in 1707. From the former, we have a few charac 
 teristic features of this colony. Chowan was the largest 
 and most thinly peopled district. Of the inhabitants, " few 
 could read, and fewer write, even of the justices of the 
 peace and vestrymen, yet they seemed serious and well- 
 disposed to receive instruction." He baptized in the year 
 of his residence, 100 children, and found the means of 
 overcoming the very prevalent objection to the use of 
 sponsors. In Paquimans the Quakers were (i very nume 
 rous, extremely ignorant, insufferably proud, ambitious, 
 and consequently ungovernable." They redoubled their 
 exertions on his arrival, and violently opposed all his 
 measures. In both precincts, the manner of living was 
 similar. The water was brackish and muddy ; their ordi 
 nary food "was salt pork, but sometimes beef; their bread, 
 of Indian corn, which they were forced for want of mills to 
 beat, and in this they were so careless and uncleanly, that 
 there was but little difference between the corn in the horse- 
 manger, and the bread on their tables. In this, as in all 
 other parts of the province, there was no money ; every one 
 buying and paying with his own commodities, of which corn, 
 pork, pitch, and tar, were the chief." 2 Mr. Gordon did not 
 remain in the country more than a year, being forced to 
 return, as he says, against both his " design and inclina 
 tions, by the distractions of the people, and the other 
 inconveniences in that colony." 
 
 Mr. Adams writes, Oct. 4, 1709, that on his first arrival in 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. ix. p. 273. 2 MS. Letters, vol. iv. 1. 105. 
 
IV. 3 REV. JAMES ADAMS. 73 
 
 Pasquotank, he " found the government in the hands of such 
 persons as were promoters of God s service and good order ;" 
 but that the Quakers soon stirred up all the ignorant and 
 irreligious against them, and that encouragement and civi 
 lity were succeeded by reproaches and ill-usage. He adds, 
 "The abuses and contumelies I meet with in my own person, 
 are but small troubles to me in respect of that great grief 
 of hearing the most sacred parts of religion impiously pro 
 faned and ridiculed. We had a Communion lately, and the 
 looser sort at their drunken revellings and cabals spare not 
 to give about their bread and drink in the words of admi 
 nistration, to bring in contempt that most holy Sacrament, 
 and in derision of those few good persons who then received 
 it." 1 On the other hand, the support he received from his 
 congregation was miserably insufficient, not so much as to 
 pay for " his diet and lodging," while his duties were very 
 heavy. " I have," he says, " a very laborious Mission ; the 
 places I preach at being, some of them, sixty, others above 
 seventy miles distant. I bless the Lord, I have had my 
 health well ; and I pray God to give me his grace so to 
 direct my ways in this troublesome and unsettled country, 
 as not only to acquit myself with applause to those good 
 men who sent me, but that I may be likewise able to give 
 a comfortable account of my stewardship at that dreadful 
 tribunal, where the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed." 
 He had baptized, since his arrival, 213 children and two 
 adults ; but though, out of a population of 1332, there were 
 211 negroes, some few of whom were instructed in the 
 principles of the Christian religion, it is humiliating to 
 read, " that their masters would by no means permit them 
 to be baptized, having a false notion that a christened slave 
 is by law free." 2 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. v. 1. 102. 2 Ibid. v. 1. 102. 
 
74 NORTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 Six months afterwards, March 27, 1710, he still speaks 
 of the deplorable condition of the country morally, and 
 goes on to say, " Nothing but my true concern for so many 
 poor souls, scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd, 
 and my duty to those good men who reposed this trust in 
 me, could have prevailed upon me to stay in so barbarous 
 and disorderly place as this now is, where I have under 
 gone a world of trouble and misery both in body and mind. 1 
 I have struggled these two years with a lawless and bar 
 barous people, in general, and endure more, I believe, than 
 any of the Society s Missionaries ever has done before rne. 
 I am not able, as the country now is, to endure much 
 longer, but intend, God willing, next summer or fall, to 
 set out for Europe." 
 
 His labour, however, was not in vain. As soon as his 
 intention of resigning his Mission became known, the vestry 
 of Carotuck and Colonel Glover wrote thus to the So 
 ciety : 
 
 " Mr. Adams, during his abode among us, hath behaved 
 himself, in all respects, worthy the character of a minister, 
 exemplary in his life, and blameless in his conversation ; 
 and now being bound for England, we, with sorrowful 
 hearts, and true love and affection, take our leave of him. 
 We shall ever bless that providence that placed him among 
 us, and should be very unjust to his character if we did 
 not give him the testimony of a pious and painful pastor, 
 whose sweetness of temper, diligence in his calling, and 
 soundness of doctrine, hath so much conduced to promote 
 the great end of his mission, that we hope the good 
 seed God hath enabled him to sow, will bear fruit up 
 wards." Similar testimony was given by the vestry of 
 Pasquotank, who concluded by saying, " As for the diffi- 
 * MS. Letters, vol. v. 137, 138. 
 
IV.] REV. THOMAS NEWNAM. 75 
 
 culties he met with, he hath waded through them all, under 
 the vigilant eyes of the malicious enemy, without com 
 mitting anything unbecoming a minister of Christ." But 
 Mr. Adams was not permitted to return to his native 
 land; before he could embark, he fell sick, and died in 
 Carolina. 1 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Newnam was sent as a Missionary to 
 this province, towards the close of the year 1721. The 
 subjoined letter 2 gives a full account of the laborious 
 nature of his duties, in consequence of the great distances 
 which he had to travel. 
 
 "North Carolina, June 29, 1722, 
 " To the Secretary. 
 
 " Sir, After a long and fatiguing voyage of above four months, 
 from December the 1st to April 10th, myself and little family 
 (blessed be God) are safe arrived at Carolina. The late Governor 
 Eden being dead, I thought it my duty then to wait upon the 
 President, (who is a very worthy gentleman,) and communicate 
 my affairs to him ; he read my credentials, declared himself well 
 satisfied, and received us with all imaginable respect. He has 
 settled me where I hope to be able to do abundance of good ; as 
 for labour, I shall spare none, (God granting me health,) as is 
 evident from the journeys the vestrymen have already laid out 
 for me. The first Sunday I preach, going by water and land 
 some few miles, at Esquire Duckenfield s house, large enough to 
 hold a great congregation till we have built a church, which is 
 hereafter to be called Society Church, and, in order to it, we are 
 now making a collection through the whole parish. The second 
 Sunday, I take a journey up to a place called Maherin, about 
 forty miles off, where there are abundance of inhabitants, who also 
 are making a collection to build a chapel forthwith. Third Sun 
 day, I perform divine service again at Esquire Duckenfield s. 
 Fourth Sunday, I go up to a place called Wicacon, about thirty 
 
 1 Humphreys Historical Account, p. 136. 
 3 MS. Letters, vol. xvi. p. 92. 
 
76 NORTH CAROLINA. [cH. 
 
 miles journey. Fifth Sunday, I cross the Sound to go to Eden 
 Town, where the vestry there have also purposed to have a church 
 built out of hand. Sixth Sunday, I go to the chapel on the south 
 shore, about twelve miles by water ; and so the seventh Sunday 
 begin ut supra, except once every quarter I go up to a place called 
 Ronoke, about eighty miles journey, and the five last Sundays of 
 the year the vestries do give me that I may go my rounds, and 
 visit the remote parts of the country, where the inhabitants live 
 some 150 miles off, people who will scarce ever have the oppor 
 tunity of hearing me or having their children baptized, unless I 
 go to and amongst them. The people in general are well pleased 
 with my coming, and are not willing to lose any opportunity of 
 being instructed, for all our congregations are very full and 
 numerous ; they are, indeed, (I mean the inferior sort,) very igno 
 rant, and, by consequence, liable to any impression made upon 
 them ; but, at present, we are not apprehensive of any danger of 
 their being seduced or brought over to any sect, because we have 
 very few Dissenters of any sort amongst us. There are some scat 
 tering Quakers about us, but I hope there will never be such a 
 number of them as able to do the least mischief. As for Roman 
 Catholics, we have not, I believe, of that persuasion, twelve in the 
 government. So that, with care and pains, I am now in great 
 hopes we shall ever have the Liturgy of the Church of England 
 perfectly established amongst us, without interruption from any 
 quarters by sectaries of any kind whatsoever. The Indians at 
 present are not very numerous, not exceeding 300 fighting men. 
 They live in two towns by themselves, very quiet and peaceable ; 
 but as to the converting them to the Christian faith, it is a thing 
 that I almost despair of ever seeing effected whilst amongst them. 
 The number I have baptized are 193, five of which were adult 
 persons, at least twenty years of age, and two of which were mar 
 ried women. As to marriages, I have but little business in this 
 affair, by reason people live at a great distance from me, and 
 cannot afford time, as well as expense, to wait upon me, so that 
 they go to the justices of the peace in their neighbourhoods, who 
 are, by an act of Assembly, privileged to perform that office. As 
 to burials, we have but very few, and those I cannot always con 
 veniently attend, being sometimes sixty, eighty, or a hundred 
 
IV.] REV. JOHN BO YD. 77 
 
 miles off. This is all the account that can at present be given of 
 our ecclesiastical constitution here, by, 
 
 " Sir, your most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 " THOMAS NEWNAM. 
 " My humble duty to the Society." l 
 
 The following year, 9th of May, 1723, he informs the 
 Society that he and his family had been suffering severely 
 from the fever of the country ; that he had, however, re 
 sumed his journeys, and had baptized 269 persons; and 
 that he proposed immediately to set out for Bath county, 
 where 300 children were waiting for baptism. But his 
 labours and exposure in all weathers brought on severe 
 illness, under which he sunk, in 1723, much to the grief 
 of his people. 
 
 In 1732, Mr. John Boyd, who had lived some years in 
 this province, came to England, and applied to the Society 
 for a Missionary appointment. He was ordained by the 
 Bishop of London, and, " having read prayers, and preached 
 to the satisfaction of the persons desired by his lordship to 
 hear him," was formally appointed to his mission in North 
 Carolina. 2 In one of his communications to the Society, 
 he states that the parish in which he resided, north-west 
 parish, Albemarle county, was one hundred miles in length, 
 and fifty in breadth ; that he had to preach in seven dif 
 ferent places, which compelled him to ride 260 miles every 
 month. This will convey some idea of the painful desti 
 tution of the means of grace in which great part of the 
 settlers must have lived. The duty of many clergymen 
 was laid upon one, who was of course unable to meet the 
 requirements of so extensive a district. Even one, how 
 ever, could do something, and was at least a witness to the 
 colonists that they were not altogether forgotten by the 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xvi. p. 92. 2 Journal, vol. vi. p. 42. 
 
78 NORTH CAROLINA, [CH. 
 
 mother Church. In 1735, he had baptized 1000 children, 
 and thirty adults. 1 He seems, also, to have been the means 
 of bringing back a number of " misled anabaptists " to the 
 communion of the Church, which he says he effected " by 
 sending for their teachers, and convincing them," so that, 
 " through God s blessing, a great many who professed that 
 sect had left their meetings and become his constant 
 hearers." 3 Mr. Boyd died in 1738. 
 
 The Rev. James Moir, on the recommendation of the 
 Commissary and Clergy of South Carolina, among whom 
 he had lived six years, was ordained Missionary for the 
 northern province, in 1739. His Mission, which was on 
 the north-west of the Neuse, extended along 150 miles of 
 coast, and the inhabitants were so scattered that it was 
 impossible for one person to meet, in any adequate degree, 
 their religious wants. The most that he could do was to 
 visit them periodically, preach the Word, and administer 
 the rites and sacraments of the Church. The number of 
 children baptized in every such missionary journey was 
 very considerable. Mr. Moir reports that he could not 
 always make an exact computation, but that sometimes it 
 was not fewer than one hundred in a day ; and Mr. Garzia, 
 another Missionary, states, that within the period from 
 1733 to 1738, during which he had served the parish of 
 St. Thomas, at an annual stipend promised, but not paid 
 of 201, he had baptized 2,278 persons. Both these Mis 
 sionaries complain, with obvious justice, of the ungenerous 
 treatment which they experienced at the hands of the ves 
 tries. The Society s allowance of 50/. a-year was designed 
 to aid in the support of a Clergyman, and was properly 
 enough called an " encouragement." His main dependence 
 was to be upon his congregation ; yet not only was a very 
 1 Journal, vol. vi. p. 285. 2 Ibid. vii. p. 256. 
 
IV.] REV. CLEMENT HALL. 79 
 
 insufficient stipend for the most part awarded while bur 
 dens greater than his strength were laid upon him but 
 payment was irregularly made, and then frequently in rice, 
 or a depreciated paper currency, and he was subject to the 
 humiliation of a yearly renewal of covenant ; while hiring 
 was the word applied by the vestry to the act by which 
 they secured for themselves the services of an ordained 
 minister. 
 
 " It is now near four years," says Mr. Moir, " since I 
 came to settle in this province ; and though I have under 
 gone many hardships in travelling upon account of my 
 office, yet they don t discover the least inclination to find 
 a convenient house for me, nor pasture for my horses, 
 which are a very uncertain possession here, as being apt to 
 stray, when not stolen. The badness of the climate, to 
 gether with my often wandering by land and water, have 
 very much impaired my health, and, I m afraid, quite 
 ruined my constitution." 1 
 
 He continued, however, for many years in the discharge 
 of his Missionary duties, frequently, and, it would appear, 
 not unjustly complaining of the scanty maintenance af 
 forded to him by the vestry ; but not without subjecting 
 himself to the charge of being influenced by a covetous 
 and secular spirit. 
 
 Rather more than one hundred years ago, CLEMENT 
 HALL was appointed itinerant Missionary in North Caro 
 lina. He had been in the commission of the peace for that 
 province, .and for several years, in the absence of a duly 
 ordained clergyman, had officiated, by appointment of the 
 vestry, as public reader. In 1743, he came to England, 
 and laid before the Society letters signed by the Attorney- 
 general, Sheriffs, and Clergy of the province, all testifying 
 1 Original Letters, vol. iv. p. 201. 
 
80 NORTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 to his "very good repute, life, and conversation." Mr. 
 Hall, having expressed an anxious desire to enter the 
 ministry of the Church, with a view to the more effectual 
 furtherance of the Gospel in North Carolina, was recom 
 mended by the Society to the Lord Bishop of London, 
 and, being approved, was admitted to holy orders. The 
 stipend allowed was 30/. a-year, and a small library of 
 theological books was entrusted to him for the use of the 
 Mission. Immediately after his ordination, he returned to 
 the colony, where, after a tedious passage of fourteen weeks, 
 during which he regularly performed divine service on board 
 the vessel, he arrived on the 29th November, 1744. 
 
 In his first letter, dated February 27, 1745, he states 
 that there was neither church nor glebe in that part of the 
 country ; that he had agreed with the vestry to settle in 
 Chowan county, near Edenton; to officiate in the court 
 house (till the church was built) two Sundays, and on the 
 third at a station between thirty and forty miles distant. 
 In that county there were few dissenters, but many in 
 Paquimans and Pasquotank, especially Quakers, " who 
 were guilty of railing, even in public, against the Church 
 and ministers." There were, however, " several religious 
 churchmen to be found, and the common people were natu 
 rally teachable and ingenious." 1 
 
 Six months later, but still before the completion of his 
 first year in the Mission, he writes : " In May last I rode 
 throughout my Mission, and dispersed the small tracts, for 
 which the people return the Society hearty thanks. I went 
 farther, and in more places, than any Missionary had done 
 before ; I preached sixteen times, baptized above four hun 
 dred children and twenty adults, within the four counties, 
 in three weeks time. The congregations were very 
 i Original Letters, vol. vi. p. 672. 
 
IV.] REV. CLEMENT HALL. 81 
 
 numerous, and the people behaved exceedingly well ; and 
 it moves me with great compassion towards them to see 
 the harvest so great and the labourers so few, there being 
 none (as I know of) but Mr. Moir and myself in this vast 
 and now populous country that are settled. . . Since my 
 arrival, I have baptized, in all, 780, and thirty-six adult 
 persons, one of which was brought up in Quakerism, and 
 ten out of the number were negro slaves." 1 
 
 Mr. Hall was in the habit of undertaking a journey 
 through both the northern and southern divisions of his 
 mission at regular intervals. Each visitation, the one in 
 the spring and the other in the " fall," commonly occupied 
 him from three weeks to a month. In 1748, he says: 
 " The congregations were more numerous in Carotuck 
 than heretofore. We were obliged, three several times, to 
 perform divine service under the shady trees ; the chapels 
 or court-house being not large enough to contain one-half 
 of the people." 2 
 
 The next year a report reaches him, " that a Bishop 
 (who is much wanted, and by all good men earnestly 
 desired) is about to be sent over and settled in Virginia," 
 and he anxiously asks to be informed whether the report 
 were true. 
 
 To show at once the great want of clergymen in the 
 province, and the untiring exertions of Mr. Hall to supply 
 this lack of service, it may be mentioned that, in 1749, he 
 speaks of having been " at a very remote place, toward the 
 sea-side," where he baptized ninety- seven in one day, 
 several of whom, however, he adds, " were grown-up, not 
 having opportunity before." 3 
 
 It may be worth while to quote at some length his letter 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol.vi. p. 668. 2 Ibid, vol.ix. p. 124, 
 
 3 Ibid. vol. x. p. 165. 
 
 G 
 
82 NORTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 of May 21, 1750, as giving a fair account of his labours 
 and success in the southern part of the Mission. 
 It is as follows : 
 
 "In Easter-week I set off, and journeyed about 427 miles 
 through my south Mission, and in about thirty days preached 
 nineteen sermons, baptized about 425 white, and forty-seven 
 black children, three white and eleven black adults, whom, upon 
 examination, I found worthy, and administered the holy sacra 
 ment of the Lord s Supper to about 235 communicants. The 
 congregations were numerous, notwithstanding that many came 
 very far, and some of the days there were continual rains. The 
 people generally behaved very devout and orderly \ and, through 
 God s blessing upon my diligent though weak endeavours, I have 
 the pleasure to find and learn, that there is a visible appearance of 
 their great and earnest desires to seek after and to serve God, and 
 good affection to our gracious Sovereign and the national Church ; 
 though I must, with grief and regret, own that the established 
 religion is much obstructed and discredited by some sectaries, by 
 our present unhappy divisions between the northern and southern 
 parts, and much more by the notorious evil lives of irreligious and 
 profane professors, from whom I often meet with great trouble and 
 disquiet, wrongs and abuses, which, with my continual labours 
 and journeyings, &c., have several times reduced me to a low state 
 of health and strength. . . Colonel Lovick, a gentleman that 
 dwells in the southern parts, tells me that they have not had a 
 Missionary among them, to baptize their children, for several 
 years, and that the ignorant people fall away to the Quakers 
 lately settled there. I think there are now about eighteen large 
 counties in this extensive province, some of which are divided 
 into two parishes, and but about five episcopal ministers in the 
 whole." 1 
 
 In many of his letters, Mr. Hall speaks of his bad state 
 of health, and of a disorder which rendered travelling both 
 painful and inconvenient. This, combined with the rude 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xi. p. 1C9. 
 
IV.] REV. CLEMENT HALL. 83 
 
 and uncultivated state of the country, the want of all 
 decent accommodation, the unhealthiness of the climate, 
 and " many difficulties and discouragements from irre 
 ligious, gainsaying people," 1 must have rendered the 
 duty of a Missionary in Carolina a hundred years ago as 
 arduous as any that could be undertaken for Christ s sake. 
 And when it is ^considered, that those who were thus 
 spending their strength in the wilderness, with so much to 
 do and to endure, were supported by no temporal consola 
 tions no sympathy of friends no companionship of 
 brethren and were, moreover, often condemned to struggle 
 with poverty and want we can hardly sufficiently admire 
 the constancy which they exhibited, and the patience and 
 perseverance which characterized their obscure but most 
 important labours, 
 
 Mr. Hall writes, October 16, 1751 :-- 
 
 " By God s gracious assistance, 1 have been journeying about 
 557 miles in my Mission in thirty-six days ; preached twenty-five 
 sermons to as many very large congregations ; churched about 
 146 well-disposed women; administered the holy sacrament of 
 the Lord s Supper to about 248 communicants ; and baptized 
 about 536 white, and eighteen black children, and two black 
 adults, after proper examination ; and performed several other 
 ministerial duties, to the great satisfaction of the people in 
 general." 2 
 
 In 1752, he gives the following summary of his 
 labours : 
 
 " I have now, through God s gracious assistance and blessing, 
 in about seven or eight years, though frequently visited with 
 sickness, been enabled to perform (for aught I know) as great 
 ministerial duties as any Clergyman in North America : viz. to 
 journey about 14,000 miles, preach about 675 sermons, baptize 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xii. p. 125. 2 Ibid. p. 128. 
 
 G 2 
 
84 NORTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 about 5,783 white children, 243 black children, 57 white adults, 
 and about 112 black adults, in all, 6,195 persons; sometimes 
 administer the holy sacrament of the Lord s Supper to two or 
 three hundred communicants, in one journey, besides churching 
 of women, visiting the sick," &c. 
 
 These unremitting exertions were gradually wearing 
 him out, and he adds, at the close of this letter : 
 
 " I have reason to believe that my health and constitution are 
 much impaired and broken, by reason of my continual labours in 
 my office, and also from the injurious treatment I have often 
 received from the adversaries of our Church and Constitution ; 
 for which I do, and pray God to, forgive them, and turn their 
 hearts." l 
 
 He continued, however, to discharge the duties of his 
 itinerant Mission for four years more, travelling, on the 
 average, 2,200 miles a-year, when sickness and increasing 
 age compelled him to look for a less extensive sphere of 
 labour, and he accordingly applied, in 1755, for the 
 appointment to a settled Mission in St. Paul s parish. 
 This was readily granted by the Society, and was 
 accepted as a welcome relief, though the Mission still 
 comprised one large county. Before, however, intelligence 
 of it could reach him, he was sorely tried by a loss alto 
 gether unexpected. His house, with the greater part of 
 his property, including books, sermons, and clothes, was 
 destroyed by fire. The Society, on hearing of this 
 calamity, voted him a grant of 30/., and a new library for 
 the use of the Mission. But Mr. Hall s labours and 
 troubles were now drawing to a close. His health had 
 for some years been declining, when death released him 
 from further suffering, in 1759. 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xiii. p. 133. 
 
IV.] WANT OF SCHOOLS. 85 
 
 Seldom, probably, has there been a more devoted or 
 laborious Missionary than Clement Hall. He was, for 
 twelve years, the only authorized Minister of God s word 
 and sacraments through several hundred miles of country ; 
 and it may serve as a measure of the services performed by 
 him, to mention the fact that he baptized 10,000 persons. 
 Many a Missionary to the heathen has acquired a greater 
 reputation at much less cost. 
 
 The letters of the Missionaries from this, as from every 
 other colony, are principally occupied with details relative 
 to the state and progress of religion in their several 
 parishes. By a rule of the Society 1 they were required 
 to send home, every six months, a " notitia parochialis," 
 which was drawn up so as to show the ecclesiastical census 
 of the people, and the half-yearly return of baptisms, 
 marriages, and burials. It would be unnecessarily tedious 
 to enter into these minute particulars in a work like the 
 present. It may suffice to remark, that almost every state 
 ment of persons baptized comprises some negroes, and 
 occasionally a few Indians. 
 
 There seems to have been but little attention paid to 
 education in any part of the province, and seldom, there 
 fore, is mention made of schools. Books, indeed, and 
 tracts were sent over by the Society to every Mission, and 
 distributed in places where they were most wanted ; and 
 great pains were taken to instruct adults, both white and 
 coloured, previous to baptism and admission to the holy 
 Communion. Visits, too, were from time to time made to 
 the Indian settlements. 
 
 Thus the Rev. Alexander Stewart reports a journey 
 which he made to Aramuskeet, part of Hyde county, 
 and 120 miles distant from his Mission at Bath-Town. 
 
 1 See Appendix D. 
 
86 NORTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 That part of the county is a peninsula, or rather island, 
 for three parts of the year, and can be entered by foot- 
 passengers only in the height of summer. It contained 
 twelve families of Indians, who lived interspersed among 
 the white people, and had adopted their customs, but still 
 had their own king. With these people, in all about 
 200, Mr. Stewart remained a week, praying, preaching, 
 and administering the rites of the Church. During his 
 stay he baptized fifteen white and fifteen negro children, 
 as well as three Indian mulatto youths, who repeated to 
 him the Creed, the Lord s Prayer, and the Ten Command 
 ments. He also administered the sacrament of the Lord s 
 Supper to thirty persons, of whom three were free negroes. 
 Mr. Stewart estimated the number of inhabitants within 
 his Mission at 2,000, of whom 1,700 were members of the 
 Church, and 235 actual communicants. He was in the 
 habit of officiating in thirteen different chapels. At the 
 period now referred to (1762), Arthur Dobbs, Esq. was 
 governor of North Carolina, and took a warm interest in 
 the affairs of the Church. He joined his voice to that 
 of many whose names have been cited, to demand the 
 appointment of a Bishop, for everywhere he saw the rites 
 of the Church in abeyance : the chapels unconsecrated 
 the catechumens unconfirmed all wholesome discipline 
 abandoned and the Clergy left to the mercy of vulgar 
 and tyrannical vestries. Nor must it be concealed 
 that cases occurred of Clergymen dishonouring their holy 
 calling by immorality, or neglect of their cures ; and so, 
 on every ground, whether of duties to be performed, or of 
 disorders to be repressed, the presence of a Bishop seems 
 to have been urgently needed. 
 
 Writing on the 29th March, 1764, the governor 
 reported that there were at that time only six Clergymen 
 
IV.] WANT OF A BISHOP. 87 
 
 to do duty in twenty-nine counties, or parishes ; and that 
 such was likely to be the case where they had " no Bishops 
 to visit the Clergy, and to confirm, and confer orders." 
 
 He calculates the entire population, including 10,000 
 negroes, at upwards of 100,000; but complains that there 
 are few or no schools for the education of youth, and adds 
 " When this is considered, and the increasing British em 
 pire on this continent, I am convinced that his Lordship of 
 London will willingly part with so great a part of his 
 diocese, and join in soliciting to procure Bishops to ordain 
 and visit the Clergy. ^ 1 
 
 One of the Society s Missionaries, the Rev. Charles 
 Cupples, writes in the same strain from Bute county: 
 
 " We have a few dissenters here, of such as are generally called 
 ranting Anabaptists, but they have of late mightily decreased, and 
 generally attend the public worship in the Church ; and I am 
 fully persuaded that, if -we could have a Bishop here in America 
 to inspect the Clergy, and carry on the discipline of the Church 
 towards offenders, dissension would soon, by the blessing of God, 
 be at an end." 2 
 
 Another Missionary, the Rev. John Barnett, gives a 
 practical instance of the same want : 
 
 " On Whit-Tuesday (he says) I dedicated St. Philip s Church. 
 . . . Being wholly unacquainted with a proper form or mode of 
 dedication, I wrote to several Clergymen for their advice, but not 
 one could give me the least information. I then drew up a form, 
 which was approved by his Excellency and the Council, and, 
 indexed, gave an universal satisfaction." 3 
 
 Enough, perhaps, has already been said to show the 
 vast extent of district over which the Missionaries were 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xiv. 1. 185. 2 Ibid. 1. 34. 
 
 3 Ibid. 1. 38. 
 
88 NORTH CAROLINA. [CH. 
 
 called upon to travel ; but the following simple statement 
 of the Eev. T. S. Drage (Feb. 1771) may be added : 
 
 " The place where I reside is named Salisbury, in the county of 
 Rowan, 300 miles distant from the seat of government, and near 
 400 from the sea, fine air, temperate climate, and a fertile 
 country. . . I found the people of the Church of England dis 
 heartened, and dispersed like sheep, but have collected them into 
 about forty congregations, or have as many preaching places 
 where I meet them, consisting, on a moderate calculation, of 
 7,000 souls, men, women ; and children, or 900 families, inhabit 
 ing a country 180 miles in length, and 120 in breadth." 1 
 
 In the course of two years he had baptized 802 persons, 
 of ages varying from infancy to sixty years. The neglect 
 of baptism, owing, doubtless, in the first instance, to the 
 want of Clergy, and afterwards to that indifference which 
 was the consequence, was fearfully general throughout 
 America, It was, however, remedied to some extent 
 wherever the Clergy got a footing. A Missionary, 
 Mr. Reed, had the satisfaction of baptizing the chief 
 justice of the province. 
 
 One only instance more shall be adduced of the labo 
 rious nature of a Missionary s duty, arising not only from 
 the immense tract of country assigned to him, but also 
 from the difficulty of traversing it. 
 
 The Rev. N. Christian attended to perform divine ser 
 vice at five places two of them nearly thirty miles distant 
 from the town of Brunswick, where he resided, and the 
 three others more than forty miles " the roads exceeding 
 bad, especially to Waccamaw, there being upwards of 
 twelve swamps to cross, some of which are so deep that 
 horses are frequently up to the saddle in crossing them." 2 
 
 The time had now arrived when, in addition to all the 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xiv. 1. 21. 2 Ibid. 1. 211. 
 
IV.] CIVIL DISSENSIONS. 89 
 
 hardships inseparable from their position, they were to be 
 subjected to persecution in consequence of the war of 
 parties. 
 
 Writing on the 30th August, 1775, Mr. Earl says : 
 
 " The situation of the Clergy in this part of the world is truly 
 critical. . . Some of them have heen suspended, deprived of their 
 salaries, and, in the American manner, proscribed hy the com 
 mittees, and thereby rendered incapable of getting a settlement in 
 any part of the united colonies ; and all this on account of charges 
 against them of opposing the general cause of America. How 
 far they are to blame I am not able to determine, but verily 
 believe that, if the most learned and eloquent divine in England 
 was to endeavour to dissuade the Americans from their present 
 resolutions, he would make no impression upon them, but, con 
 trariwise, rather inflame them, so tenacious are they of the mea 
 sures adopted." ] 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xiv. 1. 128. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 GEORGIA. 
 
 Foundation of the Colony The Saltzburg Emigrants Rev. John Wesley 
 His strict Observances Catechising Expenses for one Year Appeal to 
 the Commissary South Carolina Clergy Performs Service in French, 
 Italian, and German His Sunday s Occupation Reason for leaving 
 Georgia Embarks for England Passes Whitfield in the Downs Whit- 
 field s Preaching in America His Orphan House Rev. W. Morris 
 Rev. Mr. Zouberbugler Rev. Jonathan Copp Province divided into 
 Parishes Rev. Samuel Frink Rev. Edward Ellington Takes charge of 
 the Orphan House Want of Churches Gross Ignorance of the Settlers 
 Want of a Bishop Ecclesiastical Returns of Savannah. 
 
 THE colony of Georgia, projected with much political 
 wisdom as a barrier for the southern states against the 
 encroachments of the Spaniards, was established in the 
 year 1733. It was the last colony founded by Great 
 Britain in America. The administration of it was com 
 mitted, for a limited time, to a corporation of trustees; 
 one of whom, General Oglethorpe, an active and enter 
 prising man, went out with the first body of colonists, 
 and, immediately after his arrival, proceeded to lay the 
 foundation of the city of Savannah. 1 Two years after- 
 
 i The device upon the public seal was, " the Genius of the colony seated 
 between the two rivers which were its boundaries, with the cap of liberty on 
 his head, a spear in one hand and the cornucopia in the other on the 
 reverse were some silk-worms at their work, with the words, Non sibi sed 
 crliis, for their motto ;" a motto which must be heartily adopted by every 
 true Missionary. Southey s Life of Wesley, vol. i. p. 88. 
 
CH. V.] THE SALTZBURG EMIGRANTS. 91 
 
 wards a large and important addition was made to the 
 settlement, by the immigration of a body of German Pro 
 testants, who were expelled from the province of Saltzburg, 
 on account of religion. About two hundred of these 
 exiles (who altogether amounted to 25,000, or a tenth of 
 the whole population) embarked for Georgia, in four trans 
 ports, which they were enabled to equip by the liberality 
 of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, a 
 society which continued to supply them with funds for the 
 support of their schools till the separation of the American 
 Colonies from Great Britain. 
 
 The Saltzburghers "colonists," says Southey, 1 <f of the 
 best description" named their settlement, Ebenezer. 2 
 
 The Trustees of the new colony rightly considered it a 
 part of their duty to provide for the pastoral superinten 
 dence of their settlers, as well as for the instruction and 
 conversion of the natives ; and, in looking out for clergy 
 men duly qualified for the discharge of this important duty, 
 their attention was naturally directed to the Rev. John 
 Wesley and his companions at Oxford. These men had 
 acquired celebrity, without seeking it, by their self-denial, 
 the regularity of their lives, and their charity to the suf 
 fering and afflicted. Dr. Burton, at that time President of 
 Corpus Christi College, was one of the trustees, and, being 
 
 1 Life of Wesley, vol. i. p. 87. 
 
 2 " In the evening we came to New-Ebenezer, where the poor Saltz 
 burghers are settled. The industry of this people is quite surprising. Their 
 sixty huts are neatly and regularly built, and all the little spots of ground 
 between them improved to the best advantage. On one side of the town is 
 a field of Indian corn ; on the other are plantations of several private per 
 sons ; all which, together, one would scarce think it possible for a handful of 
 people to have done in one year." Wesley s Journal, July 27, 1737. 
 
 AVhitfield gives an equally favourable account of their settlement, and 
 adds, " They are blest with two such pious ministers as I have not often 
 seen." Life of Wesley, vol. i. p. 87. 
 
92 GEORGIA. [CH. 
 
 well acquainted with Mr. Wesley, introduced him to 
 General Oglethorpe, who at once proposed to him the 
 mission to Georgia. Wesley at first declined the offer, 
 partly on the ground that his acceptance of it would be a 
 sore grief to his mother ; but when, on the question being 
 referred to her, that noble-minded woman answered, " Had 
 I twenty sons, I should rejoice that they were all so em 
 ployed, though I should never see them more," his objec 
 tions were overcome, and he consented to go. None of his 
 biographers mention the circumstance of his having been 
 formally proposed to the Society for the Propagation of the 
 Gospel, and approved by that Society, as Missionary to 
 Georgia. Yet such was undoubtedly the case, as appears 
 by the following entry in its journal of Jan. 16, 1736: 
 
 " A memorial of the trustees for establishing the colony of 
 Georgia in America was read, setting forth that the Rev. Mr. 
 Samuel Quincy, to whom the Society had been pleased, upon their 
 recommendation, to allow a salary of fifty pounds per annum, has 
 by letter certified to the said trustees, that lie is desirous of 
 leaving the colony of Georgia, and returning home to England in 
 tlie month of March next, to which they have agreed ; and the 
 said trustees recommend the Rev. Mr. John Wesley to the Society? 
 that they would allow to him the said fifty pounds per annum, 
 from the time Mr. Quincy shall leave the said colony, in the same 
 manner Mr. Quincy had it. Agreed, that the Society do approve 
 of Mr. Wesley as a proper person to be a missionary at Georgia, 
 and that fifty pounds per annum be allowed to Mr. Wesley from 
 the time Mr. Quincy s salary shall cease." l 
 
 Unlike many, who, though at heart really devoted to 
 their Great Master s service, have yet felt the full sacrifice 
 they were making in leaving home and kindred, to preach 
 the Gospel in strange lands, Wesley regarded the mission 
 
 1 Journal, vol. vi. p. 305. 
 
V.] BEV. JOHN WESLEY. 93 
 
 to America as a favourable opportunity for withdrawing 
 from the temptations of the world, and reducing his ascetic 
 principles to practice. His reply to a scoffer, who taunted 
 him with the Quixotism of his project, and the madness of 
 leaving a good provision for life and the prospect of pre 
 ferment, for the purpose of converting savages in America, 
 deserves a place in every history of Missions. " Sir," he 
 said, " if the Bible be not true, I am as very a fool and 
 madman as you can conceive ; but if it be of God, I am 
 sober-minded. For He has declared, ( There is no man 
 that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or 
 children, for the kingdom of God s sake, who shall not 
 receive manifold more in this present time, and in the 
 world to come life everlasting. " l His principal motive in 
 undertaking the mission was, as he himself stated in 
 writing to a friend, October 10, 1735, "the hope of saving 
 his own soul." He hoped to learn the true sense of the 
 Gospel of Christ by preaching it to the heathen. " They 
 have no comments," said he, " to construe away the text." 
 Even his short experience, however, in America, sufficed 
 to convince him of his error in supposing that he should 
 find the Indians predisposed and ready to receive the 
 truth. With his friends Delamotte and Ingham, he em 
 barked at Gravesend on the 14th of October, 1735. They 
 submitted themselves to a singularly severe rule of life 
 during the voyage, allotting each hour to its appropriate 
 duty of public and private prayer, study, and the instruction 
 and exhortation of the crew. After nearly four months so 
 spent, they anchored in the Savannah River on the 5th of 
 February, 1736. " On the following morning they landed 
 on a small uninhabited island, where Mr. Oglethorpe led 
 them to a rising ground, and they all knelt and returned 
 1 St. Luke xviii. 29, 30. 
 
94 GEORGIA. [CH. 
 
 thanks to God for having arrived in safety." 1 No sooner 
 had Wesley entered upon his Missionary work, than he 
 found that the bad examples of his countrymen were a 
 serious obstacle to the conversion of the natives. The 
 fraud, violence, and drunkenness of professed Christians, 
 were, as the poor heathen would judge, the fruits of 
 Christianity, and it is no wonder, therefore, that they were 
 prejudiced against it. With his European congregation, 
 Wesley insisted on an exact compliance with the rubric. 2 
 He baptized children by immersion, allowed none but 
 communicants to be sponsors, catechised the children after 
 the second lesson in the afternoon, refused the sacrament 
 of the Lord s Supper to Dissenters, unless previously 
 admitted into the Church, and would not read the funeral 
 service over any who had not been duly baptized. 
 
 Together with this strict discipline of the Church, how 
 ever, Wesley introduced certain other supplementary prac 
 tices, which seem rather to belong to the system which 
 he afterwards established. He formed the more serious 
 members of his flock into a little society, who agreed to 
 meet once or twice during the week, for the purposes of 
 mutual edification, and from these, again, he selected a 
 smaller number for closer spiritual communion. 
 
 In all this, it will be seen, he was acting as the Minister 
 of an English congregation ; and although he made several 
 attempts to leave Savannah, with a view of preaching the 
 Gospel to the Indians, his design was always frustrated. 
 
 1 Southey s Life of Wesley, vol. i. p. 89. 
 
 2 "Sunday, March 14, 1736. Having before given notice of my design 
 to do so, every Sunday and holiday, according to the rules of our Church, I 
 administered the Holy Communion to eighteen persons." Wesley s Journal. 
 
 " Saturday, Feb. 21, 1736. Mary Welch, aged eleven days, was baptized 
 according to the custom of the first Church, and the rule of the Church of 
 England, by immersion." Ibid. 
 
V.] REV. JOHN WESLEY. 95 
 
 As Savannah was one of the places to which a Paro 
 chial Library had been sent by Dr. Bray s Associates, 
 Mr. Wesley wrote home in January, 1737, to report the 
 progress that had been made in catechising and instructing 
 the young. A daily school was taught by a Catechist, 
 who, in the evening, instructed the older children, and on 
 Saturday afternoon, as well as on Sunday, before evening 
 service, Mr. Wesley catechised them all. " And," he adds, 
 " in the church, immediately after the second lesson, a 
 select number of them having repeated the Catechism, 
 and been examined in some part of it, I endeavour to 
 explain at large, and to enforce that part both on them 
 and the congregation/ 1 
 
 The next entry in his Journal well deserves a place in 
 a history of American Missions: "Friday, March 4. 
 I writ the Trustees for Georgia an account of our year s 
 expense, from March 1, 1736, to March 1, 1737, which, 
 deducting extraordinary expenses, such as repairing the 
 parsonage-house, and journeys to Frederica, amounted, for 
 Mr. Delamotte and me, to 44/. 4s. 4<7." 3 
 
 His zeal for the maintenance of ecclesiastical order and 
 authority was shown, about this time, by his taking a 
 voyage to Charleston, to present a formal complaint to 
 Mr. Garden, the Commissary, of some one who had mar 
 ried several of his parishioners without either banns or 
 licence. As soon as he heard the case, Mr. Garden 
 assured him " he would take care that no such irregularity 
 should be committed for the future." The Journal then 
 proceeds: " Sunday, 17th. Mr. Garden (to whom I must 
 ever acknowledge myself indebted for many kind and 
 generous offices) desiring me to preach, I did so, on the 
 words of the epistle for the day, ( Whatsoever is born of 
 1 Wesley s Journal. 2 Ibid. 
 
96 GEORGIA. [CH. 
 
 God overcometh the world. To that plain account of the 
 Christian state which these words naturally led me to give, 
 a man of education and character seriously objected (what 
 is indeed a great truth), < Why, if this be Christianity, a 
 Christian must have more courage than Alexander the 
 Great. " 
 
 Mr. Wesley having attained his object, set sail on his 
 return to Savannah, but was met with stormy and con 
 trary winds ; and, after losing the anchor, and beating 
 about at sea all night, got back with difficulty on Thurs 
 day, 21st April, into Charleston harbour. 
 
 This delay afforded him the opportunity of seeing and 
 recording his impression of the Missionaries in that pro 
 vince. The following is the entry in his Journal : 
 
 " Friday, 22. It being the time of their annual visitation, 
 I had the pleasure of meeting with the Clergy of South Carolina ; 
 among whom, in the afternoon, there was such a conversation, for 
 several hours, on Christ our Righteousness, as I had not heard 
 at any Visitation in England, or hardly on any other occasion." 
 
 It is impossible not to admire the ardour and assiduity 
 with which Mr. Wesley devoted himself to the spiritual 
 welfare of the settlers. Thus finding a settlement of 
 French families at the village of Highgate, near Savannah, 
 and one of Germans at Hampstead, he readily undertook 
 to perform divine service every Saturday at both places, in 
 the language of the respective settlers. This led to a 
 further demand upon his time, as will appear from the 
 following entry in his Journal, giving an account of his 
 Sunday s occupation : 
 
 " Saturday, Oct. 29, 1737. Some of the French of Savannah 
 were present at the prayers at Highgate. The next day I received 
 a message from them all, That, as I read prayers to the French of 
 Highgate, who were but few, they hoped I would do the same to 
 
V.] WESLEY LEAVES GEORGIA. 97 
 
 those of Savannah, where there was a large number who did not 
 understand English. Sunday, 30th. I began to do so, and now 
 I had full employment for that holy clay. The first English prayers 
 lasted from 5 till half-past 6. The Italian, which I read to a few 
 Vaudois, began at 9. The second service for the English (includ 
 ing the Sermon and the Holy Communion) continued from half 
 an hour past ten to half an hour past twelve. The French ser 
 vice began at one. At two I catechised the children. About 
 three I began the English service. After this was ended, I had 
 the happiness of joining with as many as my largest room would 
 hold in reading, prayer, and singing praise ; and about six the 
 service of the Moravians, so called, began, at which I was glad to 
 be present, not as a teacher, but a learner." 
 
 Circumstances, which it is no part of our task to inves 
 tigate, by exciting the jealousy of the chief magistrate of 
 Savannah, and making the conduct of Mr. Wesley a sub 
 ject of public comment, and even of judicial proceedings, 
 led him, after taking counsel with his friends, to decide 
 upon leaving a country where his power of being useful 
 seemed likely to be diminished. " Being now," he says, 
 " only a prisoner at large, in a place where I knew, by 
 experience, every day would give fresh opportunity to pro 
 cure evidence of words I never said, and actions I never 
 did, I saw clearly the hour was come for leaving this 
 place ; and as soon as evening prayers were over, about 
 eight o clock, the tide then serving, I shook off the dust of 
 my feet and left Georgia, after having preached the 
 Gospel there (not as I ought, but as I was able), one 
 year and nearly nine months." 1 After encountering many 
 difficulties and dangers he arrived at Charleston, and em 
 barked (December 22, 1737) on his return to his own 
 country, in which he was destined to play a more con 
 spicuous and successful part. During his stay, he had 
 
 1 Wesley s Journal. 
 H 
 
98 GEORGIA. [CH. 
 
 certainly exhibited many essential qualities of a Mis 
 sionary remarkable self-denial, a readiness to endure 
 hardness, (" for he frequently slept on the ground, some 
 times waded through swamps, or swam over rivers, and 
 then travelled till his clothes were dry,") l and a rare dis 
 interestedness. It appears, from the records of the Society, 
 that his first design " was to receive nothing of any man 
 but food to eat and raiment to put on, and those in kind 
 only, that he might avoid, as far as in him lay, worldly 
 desires and worldly cares ; but being afterwards convinced 
 by his friends that he ought to consider the necessities of 
 his flock as well as his own, he thankfully accepted that 
 bounty of the Society which he needed not for his own 
 personal subsistence." 2 
 
 It is a singular fact, that the ship which brought Wesley 
 into the Downs passed one outward-bound, which had on 
 board another remarkable man, just commencing his voyage 
 for the very Mission which Wesley had abandoned. The 
 latter, as soon as he knew that Whitfield was aboard the 
 vessel which had just set sail, and " doubting whether his 
 friend would be so usefully employed in America as in 
 England," found means to send after him the following 
 note : " When I saw God by the wind which was carry 
 ing you out brought me in, I asked counsel of God, [by 
 which is to be understood, that he referred the question to 
 chance, and drew lots ;] His answer you have inclosed." 
 It was on a slip of paper, in these words: "Let him 
 return to London." But Whitfield was not a man to be 
 diverted from his settled purpose by a mere fanciful super 
 stition, and therefore proceeded on his voyage. As he 
 was in no way connected with the Society, (though 
 
 1 Moore s Life of Wesley, vol. i. p. 307. 
 
 2 Journal of S. P. G. vol. vii. p. 261. 
 
V.] REV. GEORGE WHITFIELD. 99 
 
 frequently mentioned in the correspondence of its Mis 
 sionaries,) a very brief reference to his visits to America 
 is all that can be expected in these Notices. On the first 
 occasion his stay was limited to a few months; for he 
 arrived in May, 1738, and was back in London again 
 before the end of the year. For the short time he re 
 mained, however, it appears that he was indefatigable in 
 the discharge of his professional duties, saying prayers 
 and preaching twice every week-day, and four times on 
 Sunday. 
 
 He returned to Georgia in 1739, after a tour of preach 
 ing in the northern states, in which he created the most 
 powerful sensation. Whitfield s great work in America 
 was the foundation of an orphan house. A plot of ground 
 containing 500 acres, at the distance of ten miles from 
 Savannah, had been selected for the purpose, of which 
 Whitfield took formal possession on the 24th January, 
 1740, and immediately commenced the building of his 
 institution, to which he gave the name of Bethesda. 
 The necessary funds he collected after sermons which he 
 preached, in all parts of the States, to immense congrega 
 tions. 1 The Reports of the Society make mention of the 
 " wild doings of enthusiasm ;" they state that, in conse 
 quence of the preaching of Whitfield, many illiterate 
 persons pretended a call to exercise publicly their gifts of 
 praying and preaching, insomuch that tailors, shoemakers, 
 and not only women, but boys and girls, had become (as 
 their term was) " exhorters." 2 And although, undoubtedly, 
 much distraction must have arisen from the prevailing 
 fanaticism, it is reported to have had the eifect of direct 
 ing the attention of the more serious to the Liturgy of the 
 
 1 Philip s Life of Whitfield. 2 Report for 1742. 
 
 H 2 
 
100 GEORGIA. [CH. 
 
 Church, and bringing many considerable families, espe 
 cially at Stratford, within its pale. 
 
 On the petition of the trustees, the Rev. W. Morris was 
 appointed Missionary to Savannah, in 1740, and the Rev. 
 Mr. Bosomworth to Frederica, in 1743. The latter states 
 that the people had been too long as sheep without a shep 
 herd, and driven to and fro with every wind of doctrine, 
 and that he was using his best efforts to lay the foundations 
 of the true faith by catechising the children. To encou 
 rage him in this course, the Society sent out to him a 
 parcel of necessary books. He did not, however, remain 
 long in the Mission, but was succeeded in 1 745 by the 
 Rev. Mr. Zouberbugler, who, two years after his arrival, 
 reported the number of inhabitants in Savannah at 602, 
 and of communicants at fifty-seven. A schoolmaster, by 
 name Ottolenghi, " a very serious and devout convert from 
 Judaism," was added to the Mission in 1750 ; and the Rev. 
 Jonathan Copp was sent out as Missionary to Augusta. 
 
 Mr. Copp found on his arrival a congregation of from 
 eighty to a hundred persons, but only eight communi 
 cants; and there was no other settled clergyman within 
 130 miles of him. His own situation appears to have 
 been sufficiently trying ; for neither house nor glebe had 
 been prepared, and there seemed but little chance of his 
 receiving even the small allowance of 201. a-year, which 
 had been promised to him by the vestry. But indepen 
 dently of all this, himself and his family were living in 
 constant apprehension of an incursion and attack by the 
 Indians, who had already " murdered and scalped sundry 
 of the English." ! He contrived, however, to maintain his 
 ground in this Mission for a period of five years ; and in 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xii. 1. 150. 
 
V.] REV. SAMUEL FRINK. 101 
 
 1756 removed to a parish in South Carolina, on the invi 
 tation of the inhabitants. 1 * ; -* : * \ ; J 
 
 In 1758, the Assembly passed an act " fdr* dividing the 
 province into eight parishes, recognising tr^e oc^trine%affd 
 discipline of the Church of England, and granting a salary 
 of 251. sterling to every Clergyman employed in the pro 
 vince. 
 
 The Mission of Augusta remained for some time vacant ; 
 but, in 1764, was again filled by the appointment of the 
 Rev. Samuel Frink, who had been educated at a dissenting 
 College in New England, but had, on conviction, conformed 
 to the Church of England. Mr. Frink proceeded from 
 Boston to Charleston by sea, and was no less than thirty- 
 seven days on the voyage. After waiting there six days 
 for an opportunity, " I proceeded," he says, " on my 
 journey, which was not a little tedious : besides the dis 
 tance of the way, which is great, there are very few houses 
 on the way, and no accommodation for travellers, being 
 obliged to carry our own provisions, and dine upon the 
 ground ; and, at night, to rest the wearied limbs upon a 
 bear-skin in some low and sometimes deserted cottage or 
 hut, and sometimes lodge in the woods, having the canopy 
 of heaven for a covering." On the fifth day he arrived at 
 Augusta. The population at the time of his first report 
 consisted of 540 whites, 501 negro slaves, and about 90 
 Chickesaw Indians. 2 In 1765, he reports that the lower 
 sort of people in Augusta had but little religion, and that 
 public worship was kept up principally by a few gentlemen 
 and their families; in 1767, he was removed to Savannah. 
 The Eev. Edward Ellington, who succeeded him at Au 
 gusta, informed the Society, June 30, 1768, that there 
 was not one place of worship of any denomination within 
 1 Journal, vol. xiii. p. 187. 2 Ibid. vol. xvi. p. 425. 
 
102 GEORGIA. [CH. 
 
 a hundred miles of him any way. "Round about my 
 duelling," he B0-y&, " there is a famine, not a famine of 
 bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of 
 $ie Lord." J ForT may, with the father of the faithful, lift 
 up my eyes and look from the place where I am, ( north 
 ward, and southward, and eastward, and westward, and 
 there is no church or place of worship any where to be 
 seen." Mr. Ellington did what he could to remedy this 
 evil, generally setting out on the Monday, and travelling 
 thirty or forty miles, performing divine service at three 
 different places, ten miles wide of each other, on the three 
 following days, and returning home on the Friday. Within 
 a short time after his arrival at his Mission, he had baptized 
 178 children and two adults. 1 
 
 The following extract from a letter dated Feb. 8, 1770, 
 will serve to convey some idea of the severe tests to which 
 the zeal of a Missionary in a rude country, and amid so 
 widely scattered a population, was put. He says 
 
 " I am in a few weeks to go to a place near an hundred miles 
 from my habitation, where I have never yet been, upon applica 
 tion from the people. Although it is the hottest time of the year, 
 and travelling excessively disagreeable and in some measure dan 
 gerous, yet I could not refuse, being determined by God s assist 
 ance to spend and be spent in His service, and to spare no pains 
 and shun no labour that I might meet with in spreading the 
 knowledge of Christ, and propagating His Gospel among man 
 kind." 
 
 Although Whitfield played a distinguished part in the 
 early religious history of Georgia, yet it would be going 
 beyond the limits of the present work to enter, with any 
 detail, into the history of his proceedings in that colony. 
 They will therefore be noticed only so far as they bear 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xviii. p. 54. 
 
V.] REV. GEORGE WHITFIELD. 103 
 
 upon the Society s operations. Widely different views 
 have been taken of his character, and of the effect of his 
 conduct. Mr. Frink did not scruple to say of him, " He has 
 done more mischief in England and America, more parti 
 cularly in Georgia, than he himself could undo, if we sup 
 pose him as zealous against promoting enthusiasm, disorder, 
 and confusion as he has been for encouraging them : it is 
 more, I say, than he could undo in three centuries. He 
 has been a destroyer of order and peace, and of the Church 
 of England, wherever he came; an encourager of every 
 sectary; a public condemner of the Church of England 
 Clergy, persuading the people in every preachment that 
 nine-tenths of the Clergy of the Church of England are 
 absolutely perjured, &c. However, I pity the man, whilst 
 
 I condemn his rashness and censorious humour His 
 
 Orphan House has always been a nest for the enemies of 
 the Church." 1 
 
 At the same time it is only just to say, that Mr. Elling 
 ton, who took a more favourable view of his proceedings, 
 was willing to co-operate with him in such parts of his 
 plan as were consistent with the duty he owed to the 
 Church. Accordingly, when Whitfield expressed his in 
 tention to have the religious services of the Orphan House 
 in strict conformity with the Liturgy of the Church of 
 England, but found a difficulty in meeting with a Clergy 
 man to take charge of the institution, Mr. Ellington ac 
 cepted his proposal to undertake that duty, and announced 
 to the Society his intention of removing thither at Mid 
 summer, 1770. 2 
 
 During his residence at Augusta he had travelled in the 
 discharge of duty 3,000 miles ; had baptized 428 persons ; 
 
 1 MS. Letter, Aug. 4, 1768. 
 
 2 Ibid. Feb. 18. 1770. 
 
104 GEORGIA. [CH. 
 
 and raised the number of communicants from seven to 
 nearly forty. 1 
 
 Although the Church of England was established by 
 law in Georgia, the province divided into parishes, and 
 commissioners appointed to see to the erection of a church 
 and the setting off a glebe in every parish, yet all these 
 provisions were nugatory, as no one seemed to consider 
 himself responsible for carrying them into practical opera 
 tion. 
 
 In 1769, there were but two churches in the whole of 
 Georgia, and these were 150 miles apart. The condition 
 of the people may easily be imagined. " Without using 
 any rhetorical figures," says Mr. Frink, " they seem in 
 general to have but very little more knowledge of a 
 Saviour than the aboriginal natives. Many hundreds of 
 poor people, both parents and children, in the interior and 
 extreme parts of the province, have no opportunity of 
 being instructed in the principles of Christianity, or even 
 in the being of a God, any further than nature dictates." 
 These evils he considered could never be remedied without 
 the controlling presence and authority of a Bishop; and 
 he proceeds to show, irresistibly, both the duty and the 
 policy of no longer delaying the establishment of the 
 Episcopate in that country. As things then were, the 
 dissenters of every denomination had a manifest advantage 
 over Churchmen ; and, contrary to their avowed principles, 
 they opposed, by every means in their power, the full con 
 stitution of the Church in the colonies. But Mr. Frink 
 with reason asks, " Why should these schismatics frighten a 
 whole nation with their blustering ? Surely they cannot 
 deny us liberty of conscience, which they are so fond of. 
 Are not Churchmen entitled to as many privileges as dis- 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xviii, p. 479. 
 
V.] RETURNS OF SAVANNAH. 105 
 
 senters in America ? I hope, to more : though they have 
 not as yet experienced it. Why all this clamour and noise 
 with regard to sending a Bishop to America ? Nothing, 
 surely, less than consummate impudence, and a desire to 
 be in the saddle, that they may ride over us, as they have 
 always endeavoured to do, both in Church and State. God 
 preserve us from such masters !" 
 
 On the 8th July, 1771, just three months before his 
 death, Mr. Frink sent to the Society the following eccle 
 siastical returns of Savannah: 
 
 Church of England . . . 1,185 
 
 Lutherans 193 
 
 Presbyterians and Independents . 499 
 
 Jews 49 
 
 Negroes ..... 40 
 
 Infidels 30 
 
 1,996 
 
 In the preceding half-year he had baptized eighty-three 
 infants, and added ten to the number of the communicants. 1 
 
 Such is a very brief record of the planting and first 
 increase of the Church in Georgia ; and if the names of 
 but few among the Missionaries in this or the other 
 American colonies are mentioned, it must be remembered 
 that the many, who remain unnoticed, were in like manner 
 daily ministering God s holy Word and Sacraments, and 
 sowing, under much discouragement, that seed of the 
 Church which has since sprung up and borne fruit abund 
 antly. 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xix. p. 123. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 First Settlement Rev. Mr. Clayton Rev. Evan Evans His Report of the 
 State of the Church Rev. John Clubb Memorial for a Bishop Rev. 
 Robert Weyman Rev. Thomas Crawford Rev. George Ross Rev. Wil 
 liam Beckett Rev. Hugh Neill Loss of Messrs. Wilson and Giles at 
 sea Rev. Dr. Smith Rev. Thomas Barton Mission of Huntingdon 
 Scheme for the Conversion of the Indians Variety of Sects Proposed 
 Conformity of Lutherans and Calvinists Progress of Fanaticism Marl- 
 borough Outbreak of the Indians Mr. Barton refuses the Oath of 
 Allegiance Retires from his Mission. 
 
 IN tracing the patient and persevering efforts which were 
 made by the Society to plant the Church in the young 
 colonies of America, we must not expect to find any of 
 those great and stirring events which belong to the eccle 
 siastical annals of Europe. Here is neither Pope nor 
 Council no learned controversialists no colleges or 
 religious houses no store of books. All that we can do, 
 therefore, is to watch the progress of a few scattered 
 Missionaries each labouring in his particular sphere, 
 without support or direction to keep up a knowledge of 
 God and of His law among a population for the most 
 part alienated from the Church of their fathers. To go 
 into the details of every individual s Mission would be 
 both tedious and unprofitable ; and, as the circumstances 
 were in many respects similar, the cases which I shall cite 
 may suffice to convey a general notion of the whole. 
 
 A colony of Swedes, who formed the first settlement on 
 
CH. VI.] REV. EVAN EVANS. 107 
 
 the Delawarr, in 1636, brought with them their own 
 Clergy and Governor Printz built a church in 1646. 
 
 The settlers who accompanied Penn did not arrive till 
 1680; and we hear of no English clergymen in the pro 
 vince till 1695, when the Rev. Mr. Clayton was appointed 
 to the charge of Christ Church, Philadelphia, which had 
 been built in that year under his directions. 1 
 
 The Rev. Evan Evans was sent by the Bishop of London 
 as Missionary to Philadelphia, in 1700; and within two 
 years after his arrival more than 500 Foxian Quakers 
 joined themselves to the communion of the Church of 
 England. On the petition of his congregation, he was 
 allowed a stipend of 501. from King William. Nor was 
 his influence confined to the capital ; for many who came to 
 Philadelphia from various parts of the surrounding country, 
 and had thus an opportunity of attending public worship 
 at Christ Church, were so impressed with the truth, as 
 taught by Mr. Evans, that they formed themselves into 
 congregations in their several neighbourhoods. The con 
 sequence was, that Mr. Evans was invited and readily 
 undertook to minister to them, at several stations, varying 
 in distance from fifteen to sixty miles from Philadelphia. 
 But his own memorial, submitted to the Society in 1707, 
 while he was in England on private business, is so much 
 more interesting than any mere abstract of it would be, 
 that it is thought best to place the principal part of it 
 before the reader, in the persuasion that the most attractive 
 form of history is that which is conveyed in the words of 
 the actors themselves, and consequently that this docu 
 ment, giving a sketch of one of the most important states 
 of America, while yet a comparative wilderness, will not, 
 though long, be considered tedious. The unanswerable 
 1 Dorr s History of Christ Church, Philadelphia, p. 24. 
 
108 PENNSYLVANIA. [CH. 
 
 reasons which Mr. Evans gives for the establishment of a 
 Bishopric in a new settlement, will be read with interest 
 at a time when the Church at home is making a great 
 effort for completing her organization in all the depen 
 dencies of the British Crown : 
 
 " The state of the Church in Pennsylvania, most humbly offered to 
 the venerable Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 
 Foreign Parts. 
 
 " I was sent over Missionary in the year 1700, by the Right 
 Hon. and Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of London, to Phila 
 delphia, in the province of Pennsylvania, where I preached the 
 Gospel and administered the ordinances of Christ, with equal 
 comfort to myself as well as advantage to others. And God was 
 in a little time pleased to prosper my labours to that degree, as 
 that I had, in less than three years after my arrival, a very 
 numerous congregation, consisting for the most part of persons 
 brought over from the Quakers, and other sectaries, to the Church 
 of England ; and the true religion (by the frequent resort of 
 persons from remote parts to Philadelphia) did so spread, and 
 the numbers of converts did increase so fast, that T was obliged 
 to divide myself among them as often and as equally as I could, 
 till they were formed into proper districts, and had Ministers sent 
 over to them by the Venerable Society. 
 
 " For this reason I went frequently to Chichester, which is 
 twenty-five ; Chester, or Upland, twenty ; Maidenhead, forty 
 (where I baptized nineteen children at one time) ; Concord, 
 twenty ; Evesham, in West Jersey, fifteen ; Montgomery, twenty ; 
 and Radnor, fifteen miles from Philadelphia. All which, though 
 equally fatiguing and expensive, I frequently went to, and 
 preached in, being by all means determined to lose none of those 
 whom I had gained, but rather add to them, till the Society 
 otherwise provide for them. 
 
 " But Montgomery and Radnor, next to my own beloved Phila 
 delphia, had the most considerable share in my labours, where 
 J preached in Welsh once a fortnight for four years, till the 
 arrival of Mr. Nichols, Minister of Chester, in 1704. About 
 
VI.] REV. EVAN EVANS. 109 
 
 which time also the Reverend Mr. John Thomas, my late 
 assistant, came from England. 
 
 " By this gentleman s departure, the service of the Church in 
 Philadelphia entirely devolved upon myself in all its parts, so 
 that I was obliged to an uncommon application and labour in 
 the supply of my cure in all its branches. 
 
 " While Mr. Thomas continued in Philadelphia, we had an 
 evening lecture twice every month, one preparatory to the holy 
 Sacrament the last Sunday of the month ; the other to a society 
 of young men, that met together every Lord s day, after evening 
 prayer, to read the Scripture and sing psalms ; and I, being always 
 present at those meetings unless hindered by the public service, 
 or by visiting persons in violent sickness or calamitous circum 
 stances, read some select prayers out of the public liturgy of the 
 Church, always beginning with this collect, Prevent us, Lord, 
 in all our doings, &c., and, concluding with the benediction, car 
 ried them with me to the church, where Mr. Thomas read, and 
 I preached upon subjects suitable to the occasion. Particularly 
 I insisted upon those texts, Rejoice, young man, &c., Where 
 withal shall a young man, &c. And we discovered a visible 
 benefit by our evening lectures ; for those Quakers that durst not 
 appear in the day at the public service of the Church, for fear of 
 disobliging their parents or masters, would stand under the church 
 windows at night, till many of them plucked up so much courage 
 as to come to the church itself, and at last, by the blessing of God 
 upon the Word preached, submitted to the holy ordinance of 
 baptism, and continue stedfast in the Church of England. . . . 
 
 " As for the number of adult persons and children that I bap 
 tized during my Mission, I state them, by a modest computation, 
 to amount to 750, or rather 800, in Philadelphia, and in all the 
 forenamed parts. 
 
 " The Welsh at Radnor and Merioneth, in the province of 
 Pennsylvania, have addressed my Lord of London (having a 
 hundred hands to their petition), for a Minister to be settled 
 amongst them, that understands the British language, there being- 
 many ancient people among those inhabitants that do not under 
 stand the English ; and could a sober and discreet person be 
 procured to undertake that Mission, he might be capable, by the 
 
110 PENNSYLVANIA. [CH. 
 
 blessing of God, to bring in a plentiful harvest of Welsh Quakers, 
 that were originally bred in the Church of England, but were 
 unhappily perverted before any Minister in holy orders, that 
 could preach to them in their own language, was sent into Penn 
 sylvania. But I believe they are not irrecoverable, had they an 
 itinerant Missionary who would use application and diligence to 
 reduce them to the communion of the Church. 
 
 " There is another Welsh settlement, called Montgomery, in the 
 county of Philadelphia, twenty miles distant from the city, where 
 there are considerable numbers of Welsh people, formerly, in their 
 native country, of the communion of the Church of England : but 
 about the year 1698, two years before my arrival in that country, 
 most of them joined with the Quakers. But, by God s blessing, 
 some of them were reduced, and I have baptized their children, 
 and preached often to them, especially while iny late assistant, 
 Mr. Thomas, continued with me. 
 
 " I visited them since, and prevailed upon them to meet every 
 Lord s day, about forty in number, where one that can understand 
 the language well, and is a sober discreet man, reads the prayers 
 of the Church every Lord s day, the proper psalms and lessons, 
 omitting only the absolution, and what properly belongs to the 
 priest s office, and then reads some portion in a book of devotion 
 to the people. I met with several good books, translated into the 
 Welsh language, among my countrypeople, particularly the 
 1 Whole Duty of Man, in Welsh, and the Practice of Piety. As 
 for the l Christian Monitor, ( Dorrington s Familiar Guide to the 
 Lord s Supper, The Advice of a Minister to his Parishioners, all 
 in Welsh, what I received were faithfully dispersed, but were so 
 few, that a greater number is still wanting. . . 
 
 " There is a large and fair structure built for divine worship at 
 Newcastle, forty miles from Philadelphia, finished within and 
 without, where I preached, the beginning of December last, and 
 found a considerable congregation, considering the generality of 
 the people were gained over from other persuasions. Their 
 minister, the Rev. Mr. George Ross, is esteemed a person that is 
 ingenious and well learned, as well as sober and prudent, and I 
 doubt not but, by the blessing of God upon his good endeavours, 
 the church of Newcastle will continue to increase. 
 
VI.] WANT OF A BISHOP. Ill 
 
 " In Chester, twenty miles from Philadelphia, upon Delawarr 
 River, they have a good church, built with brick, finished, where 
 Mr. Henry Nichols is minister. I preached the middle of De 
 cember last in that church, to a congregation consisting of about 
 150; but when I preached there, the summer before, I found a 
 more numerous congregation. Our winter, being very severe in 
 those parts, detains many from church whose plantations lie at a 
 distance, and for that reason Mr. Nichols preaches sometimes at 
 Concord in the week days. 
 
 " Trinity Church, in Oxford township, lies in the county of 
 Philadelphia, nine miles from the city, where, for the four first 
 years after my arrival in Philadelphia, I frequently preached, and 
 administered both the Sacraments, and had, when I preached last 
 in it, about 140 people, most of the people brought over to the 
 Church of England from Quakers, Anabaptists, and other per 
 suasions. 
 
 " I should now put an end to my memorial, were it not that 
 the want of a Bishop amongst us cannot be passed over in silence. 
 Tis a dismal thing to consider how much the want of one has 
 retarded the progress of the true religion in America. 
 
 " The Spaniards were, in the beginning of their settlements in 
 these Indies, sensible of this disadvantage, and therefore they 
 wisely remedied any inconveniences that might happen on this 
 score, by erecting several bishoprics in their dominions in that 
 part of the world ; and why we should not copy after them, 
 especially in so useful and necessary a point, I do not understand, 
 since what is good for them in this respect cannot be bad for us. 
 Fas est et ab hoste doceri. 
 
 " It can be no shame for us to imitate their prudence and 
 conduct on this occasion ; and though we had no such instance 
 or example to direct or influence in an affair of this kind, yet 
 the evident necessity of the thing itself loudly calls for supply 
 and relief. 
 
 " I will only mention a few things which point at this defect, 
 and then the Venerable Society will judge whether the English 
 Americans have not reason to press for, and demand the constant 
 residence of a Bishop among them. 
 
 " I take it for granted that the ends of the Mission can never 
 
112 PENNSYLVANIA. [CH. 
 
 be rightly answered without establishing the discipline as well as 
 the doctrine of the Church of England in those parts ; for the one 
 is a fortress and bulwark of defence to the other, and when once 
 the outworks of religion come to be slighted and dismantled, it is 
 easy to foresee, without the spirit of prophecy, what the conse 
 quence will be. 
 
 " 1st. As to a ready and constant supply of Ministers or Mis 
 sionaries, (which is of the last consequence to the well-being of 
 the American churches,) this can never be hoped for without a 
 resident Bishop among them, to whom, upon the death, or noto 
 rious and scandalous immorality of any clergyman, application 
 may in a little time be made, and the wants of each cure may be 
 supplied by his ordaining such persons as shall be found capable 
 of labouring in God s vineyard. Such, I presume, a resident 
 Bishop would seldom or never want there. For to establish a 
 bishopric would be in effect the establishing a college in those 
 parts, or at least it would draw many of our young students 
 thither from Great Britain and Ireland, in hopes both of ordina 
 tion and preferment ; whereas, by sending to Great Britain, a vast 
 deal of time is lost, nor can the true state of ecclesiastical things, 
 or persons, be ever so well known as by a Bishop who lives upon 
 the spot, and who consequently can best see into all the several 
 causes and springs of things. 
 
 " 2dly. A Bishop is absolutely necessary to preside over the 
 American clergy, and to oblige them to do their duty, and to live 
 in peace and unity one with the other. The Missionaries of 
 America are like other men, and they may sometimes fall out and 
 differ among themselves, and give great offence, through their 
 unnecessary heats and animosities, to the people. The contention 
 between Paul and Barnabas was so sharp, and grew so high, that 
 they fell out and parted upon it ; and can we think that the 
 American Missionaries are better armed, or less exposed to acci 
 dents of this kind than those two great and holy men were ? 
 
 " And if this should be the case of the English Missionaries, as 
 it has sometimes been, how fatal must the consequences of such 
 an unhappy strife and contention be, where there is no superior 
 to control them, or to take a cognizance of any affair of this kind 
 into his hands ; religion in this case must bleed and fall a victim 
 
IV.] WANT OF A BISHOP. 113 
 
 to the factious and unruly humours of a few turbulent and indis 
 creet persons. Nor, indeed, humanly speaking, is it possible it 
 should be otherwise. When there was no king in Israel, the 
 children of Israel did that which was right in their own eyes ; 
 and can it be expected that it will be otherwise with the clergy 
 of America, where there is no Bishop to put a stop to their 
 career, or to keep them within those bounds of decency, respect, 
 and mutual forbearance, which they so much owe one to another 1 
 Wheresoever presbytery is established, there they have the face 
 and appearance of an ecclesiastical jurisdiction and authority, 
 after their way, to resort to upon all occasions. But our clergy 
 in America are left naked and destitute of any advantage of this 
 kind, and exposed to the mercy and conduct of their own very 
 often unreasonable passions and appetites, which are by many 
 degrees the worst masters they can truckle under. 
 
 " I will only, in the third place, mention the disadvantages 
 the laity lie under for want of a Bishop, and put an end to this 
 memorial. 
 
 " The minister s subsistence and livelihood being, in all places 
 in America, more or less depending upon the bounty of the 
 people, by contributions and acts of assembly, it is a difficult 
 matter for them, without the countenance and authority of a 
 Bishop, to put a stop to the profaneness and immorality of their 
 several parishioners ; for to touch the more topping and con 
 siderable men of them, either in public or private, is to draw the 
 fury of the whole congregation upon the Missionary, and to 
 deprive himself of that salary and maintenance which he has from 
 them. 
 
 " It were to be wished that the clergy s salaries and maintenance 
 in America were settled and adjusted by Act of Parliament in 
 Great Britain, and then they would be more bold and resolute in 
 doing their duty ; but as bad as things are in this respect, yet a 
 Bishop would, to a great degree, remedy all inconveniences of this 
 kind ; for if the Missionary either could not, or durst not, do his 
 duty, then the Bishop would ; and the laity would be, in a little 
 time, brought to pay a greater regard to their spiritual guides, 
 and then they would by degrees submit to Church discipline 
 and censures, without which, though a Church may be planted 
 
 I 
 
114 PENNSYLVANIA. [CH. 
 
 and gathered, yet it can never be of any long growth or 
 continuance. 
 
 " Add to this, that the want of a Bishop to confirm in those 
 parts is a great trouble to the American Clergy, for they are bound 
 by the rubric not to administer the sacrament of the Lord s 
 Supper but to such as are confirmed ; which prohibition, notwith 
 standing, they are forced to break through, in this case of necessity. 
 Many other reasons may be assigned for the erecting a bishopric 
 in the English America. 
 
 " But I am afraid I have trespassed already too much on the 
 Venerable Society s patience, nor should I have presumed to have 
 mentioned anything of this kind, but that the necessities of the 
 Church in foreign parts are so pressing, that it was not possible 
 for me to avoid giving this short hint (which I do with the most 
 profound humility and submission) without incurring the sin of 
 concealing that which I know to be necessary to the good of the 
 Church, and so agreeable to the desires of all the poor Clergymen 
 and Protestants of America, as easily appears by the several 
 addresses which have been made on this account. But as for 
 the way or method of erecting a bishopric in those parts, the 
 Venerable Society is the best judge of that, to whose most pious 
 and prudent care and conduct I humbly submit and leave it, and 
 do most earnestly beseech God to bless and preserve the Venerable 
 Society in all its religious and charitable undertakings. 
 
 " I have been concerned in this Mission above seven years, and 
 do mean, by God s grace, to spend more of my time and pains in 
 the propagation of the Gospel in those parts. 1 
 
 " EVAN EVANS. 
 
 "London, 18th September, 1707." 
 
 On his return to America, in 1709, Mr. Evans carried 
 out, as a present from Queen Anne, the communion-plate 
 which is still used for the administration of the Lord s 
 Supper at Christ Church, Philadelphia. 2 
 
 1 Appendix to Journal, 109. 
 
 2 Dorr s Historical Account of Christ Church, Philadelphia, p. 37. 
 
VI.] REV, JOHN CLTJBB. 115 
 
 His Missionary visits to Oxford had encouraged the 
 settlers of that township to build a church, and they then 
 addressed a memorial to the Society, praying that a Mis 
 sionary might be sent to live among them. A similar 
 application was made by the people of Radnor ; and the 
 Rev. John Clubb was accordingly appointed to the spiritual 
 charge of those two settlements, distant from each other 
 about twenty miles. He arrived in his Mission in 1714, 
 and was received with the greatest cordiality ; the con 
 gregation at Radnor, especially, were so thankful to the 
 Society for considering their wants, that they at once 
 commenced the erection of a handsome stone church. " Mr. 
 Clubb," says Humphreys, " was very earnest in all parts of 
 his ministerial office, and very successful in his labours, 
 and happy in engaging the love and esteem of all his 
 people." But the labour of such a Mission to a conscien 
 tious Clergyman was excessive, and the bodily fatigue, 
 with the extreme alternations of heat and cold, proved 
 fatal to the health of Mr. Clubb. After a faithful discharge 
 of his duties for one year, he sunk under the burden which 
 was laid upon him ; and the churchwardens announced his 
 death, which occurred in 1715, in the following terms to 
 the Society : " Mr. Clubb, our late minister, was the first 
 that undertook the cure of Oxford and Radnor, and he 
 paid dear for it ; for the great fatigue of riding between 
 the two churches, in such dismal ways and weather as we 
 generally have for four months in the winter, soon put a 
 period to his life." 1 
 
 Mr. Evans paid a second visit to England, in 1716, 
 about the time that this sad intelligence was received ; and 
 he was induced to undertake the vacant Mission of Oxford 
 and Radnor, where he laboured diligently for two years, 
 
 1 Humphreys, p. 157. 
 
116 PENNSYLVANIA. [CH. 
 
 and then accepted a living which was offered to him by 
 the governor of Maryland. He soon afterwards died, with 
 this testimony to his character: "That he had behaved 
 himself as a faithful Missionary, and had proved a great 
 instrument towards settling religion and the Church of 
 England in those wild parts." 1 
 
 Nothing can better illustrate the evil of leaving a Church 
 without episcopal superintendence, than the occurrences 
 which ensued on the retirement of Mr. Evans from his 
 Mission in Philadelphia. Several of his brethren offered 
 their services to the Governor to supply the vacancy ; but 
 no appointment could take place till the Atlantic had been 
 twice crossed, to seek and bring back the Bishop of 
 London s decision. The consequence was, that the Mission 
 remained vacant from February 15th, 1718, to September 
 4th, 1719. But advantage was taken of the interval to 
 prepare two several addresses to the Archbishops and 
 Bishops of the Church of England, setting forth the press 
 ing need of a resident Bishop, for the want of whom their 
 churches remained unconsecrated, and their children could 
 not be confirmed. The memorial then proceeds, " The 
 vacancies which daily happen in our ministry cannot be 
 supplied for a long time from England, whereby many 
 congregations are not only become desolate, and the light 
 of the Gospel therein extinguished, but great encourage 
 ment is thereby given to sectaries of all sorts, which abound 
 and increase among us ; and, some of them pretending to 
 what they call the power of ordination, the country is 
 filled with fanatical teachers, debauching the good inclina 
 tion of many souls, who are left destitute of any instruction 
 or ministry." 2 
 
 The Rev. Robert Weyman was the successor of Mr. 
 1 Humphreys, p. 151. 2 Dorr s Hist. Account, p. 46. 
 
VI.] REV. ROBERT WEYMAN. 117 
 
 Evans in the Mission of Oxford and Radnor ; and the best 
 proof that can be cited of the estimation in which he was 
 held is the fact, that " the inhabitants of Oxford purchased 
 a house, orchard, and sixty-three acres of land, for the use 
 of the minister." 1 On week-days he visited various desti 
 tute settlements, one of them, Conestego, forty miles 
 distant from Radnor. 
 
 Several accounts concur in representing him as very 
 diligent and laborious in the discharge of his duties ; and 
 the consequence was a continual accession of members to 
 the Church. At Whitemarsh, one of the stations which 
 he visited periodically, the people erected " a goodly stone 
 building," and expressed their anxiety to have a resident 
 Missionary. Mr. Weyman removed, in 1729, to Bur 
 lington, in New Jersey, where for a period of eight years 
 he continued to give proof of a like zealous devotion to the 
 duties of his calling. He concludes a letter written in 
 1737, by speaking of himself as "in all probability going 
 out of life through an atrophy, consumption, and dropsy, 
 and he therefore begged leave to take his last farewell of 
 the Venerable Society, with his sincere thanks for all their 
 favours and good offices, and with his most hearty prayers 
 to God Almighty to pour His blessings upon them, and to 
 recompense all their works of mercy and charity at the 
 resurrection of the just." This letter was inclosed in one 
 from Mr. Vaughan of Elizabethtown, dated Nov. 29, 1737, 
 in which he informed the Society, " that Mr. Weyman had 
 exchanged this life for a better, the day before, and had 
 left a wife and six children in very low circumstances, 
 through the poor pittance of his fortunes. That he had 
 left the world with an universal good character, and was 
 a true and faithful labourer in God s vineyard." 
 1 Humphreys, p. 158. 
 
118 PENNSYLVANIA. [CH. 
 
 The Society, out of especial regard to Mr. Weyman s 
 long and faithful services, voted a gratuity of 60/. to his 
 widow and children. 1 
 
 We now revert to an early period in the history of the 
 Pennsylvanian Church, in order to notice the labours of 
 two or three other Missionaries. 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Crawford was appointed Missionary 
 at Dover, in the year 1704. Writing home, in 1706, he 
 says, " On my first arrival I found the people all stuffed 
 with various opinions, but not one in the place that was so 
 much of a churchman as to stand godfather to a child; 
 but now I have baptized a great number. They bring 
 their children with sureties very orderly to the church, and 
 also people at age a great many, the greater part whereof 
 were Quakers and Quaker children. . . I have baptized 
 families of them together, so I have daily additions to the 
 congregation." 2 The great ignorance of the people in the 
 country districts, and their utter alienation from the Church, 
 may be gathered from his statement in a subsequent letter, 
 that, at his " entry, there was not one man in Kent county 
 that understood the Prayer-Book; no, not so far as to 
 answer the Psalms, or other parts of the service." 3 In 
 about two years he baptized above 230 persons, of various 
 ages, within his own Mission, besides many others in the 
 county of Sussex. 
 
 Another rising town of Pennsylvania which the Society 
 determined to furnish with a Clergyman, was Newcastle, 
 originally built by the Dutch, and containing a popula 
 tion of 2,500. The Rev. George Ross was accordingly 
 sent there in the year 1705. There, as elsewhere, the 
 
 1 Report for 1738-9. 3 MS. Letters, vol. ii. 1. 150. 
 
 3 Ibid. vol. iv. 1. 71. 
 
VI.] REV. GEORGE ROSS. 119 
 
 proportion of Churchmen was inconsiderable ; " the Presby 
 terians having a meeting in the town, and the Anabaptists 
 another in the country." 1 His congregation was princi 
 pally made up of those who came from a considerable 
 distance to church ; some above twelve miles, and " seldom 
 missing zealous men, and of substantial piety." A church 
 was built by the contributions of several gentlemen in the 
 place ; " a fair and stately building, and one of the largest 
 in this government." 2 . After he had been about three 
 years in his Mission, whether in consequence of the un- 
 healthiness of the situation, or of the little "encourage 
 ment" he received, with both of which he was dissatisfied, 
 Mr. Ross left Newcastle, and went to Chester, from 
 which place the Rev. H. Mcholls had withdrawn. This 
 liberty of changing their stations, which these and others 
 of the early Missionaries assumed, is here mentioned as 
 furnishing a practical proof of the detriment which the 
 infant Church in the colonies suffered for want of a pre 
 siding head. The only step which the Society could take 
 was to suspend the payment of their stipends. Mr. Ross 
 then went home to vindicate his conduct before the So 
 ciety ; and, after a full inquiry into all the circumstances 
 of the case, was restored to his charge. 3 
 
 On his voyage back to America, he was taken prisoner 
 by a French man-of-war, 9th February, 1711, and carried 
 into Brest, where, he says, " I, as well as others, was 
 stripped of all my clothes, from the crown of my head to 
 the sole of my foot ; in a word, I was left as naked as 
 I was born, and that by means of the greedy priest that 
 was chaplain of the ship: he perceived that my clothes 
 were better than his own, and therefore he never ceased 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. ii. 1. 168. 2 Ibid. vol. iv. 1. 44. 
 
 3 Journal, vol. i. p. 316. 
 
120 PENNSYLVANIA. [cH. 
 
 to importune his captain till he got leave to change, 
 forsooth, with me ; so that I am now clothed in rags, in 
 testimony of my bondage." l He was ultimately released, 
 and returned to Chester, in which settlement he reports 
 that there were, " by a modest computation, twenty 
 Quakers, besides other dissenters, for one true Church 
 man." 
 
 In 1717, Mr. Ross was invited by Col. Keith, Governor 
 of Pennsylvania, to accompany him in a tour through the 
 counties of Kent and Sussex. The first entry in his 
 journal after their arrival at Lewis Town, is as follows: 
 " Tuesday 6th [August]. I attended the Governor to the 
 court-house of the said county, where I read divine service, 
 the justice of the county, with many others, being present." 
 Again, on the following day, " Wednesday, 7th. Service 
 being read in the said court, I preached." It appears from 
 these and subsequent entries, that it was the Governor s 
 " commendable practice to introduce the doing of public 
 business with solemn prayers." 2 
 
 Nothing can show more glaringly the want of a settled 
 Clergy than the fact that Mr. Ross, during a week s stay 
 in these counties, baptized 102 persons. Indeed, he seems 
 to have been so impressed with the duty of attempting, at 
 least, to supply their wants, that he returned, in April of 
 the following year, to Sussex county, preached in different 
 places every day during his week s visit, and baptized more 
 than one hundred persons, amongst whom were seven in 
 advanced life. 
 
 In transmitting a copy of this journal to the Society, 
 Col. Keith, after commending " the great pains and dili 
 gent care" of the Clergy generally, and speaking in high 
 terms of Mr. Ross s " capacity, exemplary life, and great 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. vi. 1. 40. 2 Ibid. vol. xii. p. 221. 
 
VI.] REV. WILLIAM BECKETT. 121 
 
 industry," goes on to observe ; " The duty here daily in 
 creases at such a rate, and the labourers are so few, that, 
 without your pious and immediate care to relieve and 
 supply this languishing, but valuable, little branch of the 
 Church, all our endeavours will be to no purpose in a 
 place so much overrun with sectaries of all kinds, that it 
 certainly requires a much greater proportion, both of men 
 and parts, than any other place in America, to support the 
 communion we have, and to make the best use of the 
 opportunities given to enlarge the same." 1 
 
 The Rev. William Beckett went out, in 1721, as Mis 
 sionary to Lewes, a large and handsome town on the bank 
 of the river Delaware, and the centre of a Mission which 
 comprised the whole county of Sussex, fifty miles in length 
 by twenty in breadth. In the discharge of his duty he 
 was compelled to travel seventy or eighty miles every 
 week ; but " grudged no labour while he was serving God 
 and his generation." The effect of his ministrations soon 
 became visible in the moral improvement of the people, 
 especially as regarded the vices of " swearing and drunk 
 enness, which for some years had been epidemical there." 
 And so remarkable was this reformation, that the magis 
 trates and gentlemen of the county presented their thanks 
 to Mr. Beckett for his great exertions. A subscription for 
 the erection of a church at Lewes was at once commenced, 
 and two others were built in different parts of the county. 
 Mr. Beckett, after having been two whole years in the 
 Mission, thus speaks of what had been done: "May 19, 
 1724. We have now three churches in this county, yet 
 none of them will contain the hearers that constantly 
 attend the Church service. People at this season of the 
 year make no account of riding twenty miles to church 
 
 1 Vol. xii. p. 203. 
 
122 PENNSYLVANIA. [CH. 
 
 a thing very common in this part of America ; which is 
 sufficient to shew that our people have a great value for 
 the favour of the Society, and that our labour in this 
 distant part of the world is not in vain." 1 
 
 As the government of the province was in the hands of 
 the Quakers, no public grants were voted for the erection 
 of churches, or the stipends of Clergymen. Yet at this 
 time fifteen " very decent" churches had been built, and 
 many valuable bequests left for the use of the Church 
 and her ministers. But besides this, parsonage-houses had 
 also been provided; and in many places liberal contribu 
 tions were made for the maintenance of the Clergyman. 
 At the same date the Society had distributed among the 
 poorer classes of the province above two thousand volumes 
 of bound books, and about 300^. worth of small tracts. 2 
 
 It would be superfluous to trace the useful labours of this 
 conscientious Missionary from year to yeaiv In 1729 he 
 reported that the Church in Sussex county was generally 
 in " a growing state ; and that a fourth church had been 
 built by the inhabitants in the middle of the forest." 
 
 In 1740 Lewes was visited, for the second time, by the 
 " popular enthusiast," Mr. Whitfield, who preached four 
 or five times from a balcony to a multitude of about 1,500 
 of all sorts. But the next year the enthusiasm which had 
 for a season been so violent abated, and Mr. Whitfield s 
 proselytes recanted their errors, " the most considerable, in 
 print." " The truth is," says Mr. Beckett, in writing to 
 the Society, " your Missionaries have conquered and con 
 vinced them, not so much by opposition as by patience; and 
 by studying to be quiet and to mind their own business." 
 
 In this, which is one of his last letters, and is dated 
 September 26th, 1742, he was enabled to assure the 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xviii. p. 142. 2 Humphreys, p. 179. 
 
VI.] REV. HUGH NETLL. 123 
 
 Society that his four churches were filled on Sundays 
 and holydays ; and that in summer time, as they were 
 unable to hold the congregations, he was " often obliged 
 to preach under the green trees for room, for shade, and 
 for fresh air." He had now been more than twenty years 
 in his Mission, and was still compelled to travel very 
 considerable distances to visit unprovided churches, as 
 there was no Clergyman resident within fifty or sixty 
 miles. He adds, " You will please to observe, sir, that 
 there is a great distinction between ecclesia constituta, 
 and e ecclesia constituenda. " 1 
 
 In the year 1749, the Rev. Hugh Neill, who had for 
 many years been Minister to a congregation of Presby 
 terians in New Jersey, having, after careful examination, 
 convinced himself of the duty of conforming to the Church 
 of England, came over to this country, with satisfactory 
 testimonials ; and having been ordained by the Bishop of 
 London, was nominated by the Society to the Mission of 
 Dover. 2 
 
 In a letter written soon after his arrival, he speaks of 
 many signs of improvement among the people of his parish ; 
 and, what is most worthy of record, he mentions having 
 baptized 109 adult negroes, after having fully grounded 
 them in the doctrines of Revelation. To this unfortunate 
 race he paid special attention, and was in the habit of 
 catechizing a class of one hundred every Sunday evening. 
 In 1758 he was removed to Oxford, the inhabitants of 
 which he thus classified: about 150 professed members 
 of the Church in the congregation at Oxford ; and 
 about the same number of attendants at Whitemarsh 
 church, of whom, however, not more than thirty were 
 Church members, while the rest were either dissenters, or 
 
 1 Original Letters, i. 1. 126. 2 Journal, xi. p. 205. 
 
124 PENNSYLVANIA. [cH. 
 
 young Dutch people, who had acquired a knowledge of 
 the English. " As to the number of dissenters," he says, 
 " they are almost innumerable ; Quakers, Presbyterians, 
 Old and New Lights, Baptists, both Seventh-day and 
 First-day, Moravians, Menonists, Dumplers, and Pietists, 
 with many other sorts ; but these have all stated places of 
 worship, besides the Dutch Calvinists, and Lutherans." 
 Amid so many and such various adversaries, it is some 
 consolation to learn, that " the utmost love, union, and 
 harmony subsisted" between him and his congregations; 
 and that " the majority of his people endeavoured to excel 
 the Dissenters as much by the piety of their lives as by 
 the purity of their doctrine." l 
 
 The next year, however, he expressed great fears lest 
 this unanimity should be disturbed, as Mr. Whitfield had 
 again come to the province, and instead of being opposed 
 by the clergy of Philadelphia, as in former years, was now 
 followed by them, he says, "from the church to the 
 meeting-house, and thence to the church again, with a 
 greater degree of veneration (I really believe) than if His 
 Grace of Canterbury was to condescend to pay them a 
 visit." 2 
 
 Many causes combined to make Mr. Neill a warm 
 advocate for a resident American Episcopate. His own 
 education among the Presbyterians must have shown him 
 the practical defects of their form of church government ; 
 the numerous sects and denominations of Christians in both 
 the Missions which he had served, must have convinced 
 him how greatly a visible centre of unity was needed; 
 while the irregularities of the Clergy themselves as, for 
 instance, in encouraging the schismatical teaching of Whit- 
 field, demanded the exercise of some superior authority. 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xv. 1. 118. 2 Ibid. 1. 119. 
 
VI.] WRONGS OF THE CHURCH. 125 
 
 But another circumstance, occurring about this time, added 
 irresistible weight to his argument. His nephew, Mr. 
 Wilson, whom he had educated at his own charge, for the 
 ministry of the Church, and sent to England for ordination, 
 was, on his return, with his companion, the Rev. Mr. Giles, 
 shipwrecked, and drowned within sight of shore. This sad 
 disaster occurred on the 5th April, 1766, and the following 
 are the reflections which he makes upon it : 
 
 " Such, alas ! are the misfortunes, and, I may say, persecutions, 
 that attend the poor distressed Church of England in America, 
 that, whilst the Dissenters can send out an innumerable tribe of 
 teachers of all sorts without any inquiries, we must send three 
 thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean, at the expense of all we 
 are worth, sometimes, and as much more as we have credit for, as 
 well as the risk of our lives, before we can have an ordination. 
 This is a difficulty that has, and always will, prevent the growth 
 of the Church in America. Few Englishmen that can live at 
 home will undertake the Mission : the great expenses and dangers 
 of the seas that the Americans must encounter with before they 
 can obtain an ordination, damp their spirits, and force many of 
 them (who have strong inclinations to the Church) to join the 
 Dissenters and become teachers among them. Thus, when a 
 vacancy happens among them., it can be filled in an instant ; when 
 a vacancy among us, it is some considerable time before we can 
 have a minister. All this time the Dissenters are making such 
 havoc among the Church people, that when a Missionary comes to 
 one of these destitute places, he has all the work to begin again, 
 and many years [must elapse] before he can collect his scattered 
 sheep. 
 
 " The Dissenters very well know, that the sending a Bishop to 
 America would contribute more to the encouragement of the 
 Church here, than all the money that has been raised by the 
 honourable Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Alas ! we 
 see and feel the power of our enemies, and weakness of our friends, 
 and can only mourn in secret and pray for better times. 
 
 " The Rev. Dr. Allison, vice-provost of the college of Phila- 
 
126 PENNSYLVANIA. [cil. 
 
 delphia, and who is at the head of the Presbyterians in this 
 province, assured me the other day, in a conversation upon this 
 subject, that they had no objection to what he called primitive 
 Episcopacy, that is, Episcopacy without any civil power annexed 
 to it, as he explained himself ; and that he would be well 
 contented if there was a Bishop of this sort in every province 
 in America. 
 
 " I hope the Venerable Society will excuse my freedom in thus 
 writing about sending a Bishop here, and only remember that, 
 had a Bishop been in America, my nephew would not have come 
 to such an unhappy end, nor I have been so distressed upon this 
 melancholy occasion." 
 
 Mr. Neill did not long survive his nephew ; he died in 
 the following October : and from that time the Rev. Dr. 
 Smith, Provost of the College in Philadelphia, undertook 
 to supply the Mission at Oxford twice in three weeks, to 
 prevent its decay. He was accordingly nominated by the 
 vestry, and at his own request placed on the list of the 
 Society s Missionaries. 1 Ten years prior to this, in the 
 year 1756, Dr. Smith had been in communication with 
 the Society on the subject of a plan for the support and 
 Christian education of a certain number of Indian children 
 under his superintendence. The Society agreed to allow 
 an annual sum of "[001. for this purpose, but there is no 
 record of this plan having been carried into operation. 2 
 Dr. Smith appears to have acted on many occasions, during 
 a period of twenty years, as the referee and adviser of the 
 Society on questions affecting the interest of the Church 
 in Pennsylvania. In a letter dated May 3, 1771, he 
 reports, that " all the Swedish families in the neighbour 
 hood, who were formerly a separate congregation under the 
 Swedish Missionaries, have joined Oxford church, and 
 
 i Journal, vol. xvii. p. 394. 2 Ibid. xiv. pp. 52, 161. 
 
VI.] REV. THOMAS BARTON. 127 
 
 many are communicants." 1 In 1772 he states, " there 
 now is the highest happiness in the Oxford Mission ;" 
 and reports that he had " built a church, and gathered a 
 numerous and respectable congregation, where the Metho 
 dists were attempting to build." 2 
 
 In January, 1755, Mr. Thomas Barton, who had been 
 for two years engaged as an assistant tutor in the Academy 
 of Pennsylvania, came to England with letters testimonial 
 from the professors of the College and the Clergy of the 
 province, and with an earnest petition from the inhabitants 
 of Huntingdon, that he might be appointed their Missionary. 
 After the necessary inquiries and examinations had been 
 completed, Mr. Barton was ordained, and went back to 
 America as itinerant Missionary for the counties of York 
 and Cumberland. 
 
 The following extracts from his first letter to the 
 Society, dated Huntingdon, November 8th, 1756, will 
 convey some notion of the extent of his Mission, and the 
 laborious nature of his duties: 
 
 " After a short and very agreeable passage, I arrived at Phila 
 delphia about the 16th of April, 1755, and immediately wrote to 
 the people of Huntingdon, who came generously with their wagons, 
 and brought away my effects. As soon as I had settled my affairs 
 and visited my friends, I set out for this place about the latter 
 end of May, where I was received with a hearty welcome, and 
 was much pleased to find the poor people filled with gratitude 
 under a due sense of the weighty obligations they were under to 
 the honourable Society for the favours conferred upon them. 
 And what pleased me still more, was to hear that they had 
 struggled hard to keep alive some sense of religion among their 
 children, by meeting every Sunday, and getting one of the mem 
 bers to read prayers for them. 
 
 " My first business was to visit and make myself acquainted 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xix. p. 83. 2 Ibid. p. 320. 
 
128 PENNSYLVANIA. [cH. 
 
 with the state and numbers of the three congregations at York, 
 Huntingdon, and Carlisle ; and having settled wardens and 
 vestrymen in each, they all met, and, according to their numbers, 
 agreed mutually that I should officiate three Sundays in six at 
 Huntingdon, two at Carlisle, and one at York. Upon hearing 
 that within the limits of my Mission there were large numbers 
 of the communion of the Church of England, in the settlements 
 of Canogoehieg, Shippensburg, Sheerman s- Valley, West-Penn s- 
 Borough, and Marsh-Creek, I determined to visit each of these 
 places four times a year, to prepare them for the sacrament of the 
 Lord s Supper, and to baptize their children. 
 
 " I had the pleasure to see my hearers increase daily, which 
 amounted to such a number in a few weeks at Huntingdon, that 
 I have been sometimes obliged to preach to them under the cover 
 of the trees. And when it was my turn at Carlisle, I am told that 
 people came forty, fifty, and some sixty miles. The Dissenters 
 also (who are very numerous in these parts) attended constantly, 
 and seemed well-disposed, always behaving themselves decently 
 and devoutly. The more rational part of them appear well 
 reconciled with our Church, and some of the principal of them 
 offered generously to subscribe to me. 
 
 " I now began to consider myself (as the Rev. Mr. Provost 
 Smith expresses it in a letter to me) as one who had advanced to 
 the very frontiers of the Messiah s ^kingdom, and among the first 
 who had unfolded His everlasting banners in the remotest parts 
 of the West. 
 
 " From the advantage of my situation, bordering upon nations 
 of savages, I entertained strong hopes that it might please the 
 Lord to make me a happy instrument to subject some of these 
 poor ignorant creatures to the kingdom of God and of Jesus 
 Christ ; and hearing that a number of them had come down from, 
 the Ohio to Carlisle, to dispose of their fur and deer skins, I made 
 it my business to go among them, and endeavour as much as 
 possible to ingratiate myself into their good opinion. Next 
 morning I invited them to church, and such of them as 
 understood any English came, and seemed very attentive the 
 whole time. When I came to visit them in the afternoon, those 
 that had been at church brought all their brethren to shake 
 
VI.] REV. THOMAS BARTON. 129 
 
 hands with me, and pointing often upwards, discoursed with one 
 another some time in their own language. I imagine they were 
 telling them M r hat they had heard, and indeed, I observed them 
 to be pleased with the relation. 
 
 " This gave me reason to think that the Indians were willing 
 to be instructed, and were susceptible of good impressions ; and 
 if they found Missionaries divested of sinister and selfish motives, 
 they could easily be prevailed upon to exchange their savage 
 barbarity for the pure and peaceable religion of Jesus. Just 
 when I was big with the hopes of being able to do service among 
 these tawny people, we received the melancholy news, that our 
 forces, under the command of General Braddock, were defeated on 
 the 9th of July, as they were marching to take Duquesne, a 
 French fort upon the Ohio. This was soon succeeded by an 
 alienation of the Indians in our interest ; and from that day to 
 this, poor Pennsylvania has felt incessantly the sad effects of 
 popish tyranny and savage cruelty. A great part of five of her 
 counties has been depopulated and laid waste, and some hundreds 
 of her steadiest sons either murdered or carried into barbarous 
 captivity. 
 
 " At a time of such public calamity and distress, you may 
 easily conceive what must be my situation, whose fortune it was 
 to have my residence in a place where these grievances were felt 
 most. . . It is but a little time since these counties were erected. 
 They were chiefly settled by poor people, who, not being able to 
 purchase lands in the interior parts of the country, came back 
 where they were cheap. Many of them were so low at first, that 
 two families were generally obliged to join in fitting out one plough, 
 and before they could raise a subsistence, were necessitated to run 
 in debt for stock, and for what maintained them in the interim. 
 As soon as they became industrious, the fertile soil gave them an 
 hundredfold, and in a little time raised them to affluence and 
 plenty : when they were just beginning to feel the comforts and 
 taste the fruits of their industry, a barbarous and cruel enemy 
 came and ruined them. 
 
 " The county of Cumberland has suffered particularly, and 
 the condition of its remaining shattered inhabitants is truly 
 deplorable ! many of them are reduced to real poverty and 
 
 K 
 
130 PENNSYLVANIA. [CH. 
 
 distress, groaning under a burden of calamities ; some having 
 lost their husbands, some their wives, some their children, and all 
 the labour of many years. In this condition (my heart bleeds in 
 relating what I am an eye-witness to) they now wander about 
 without bread of their own to eat, or a house to shelter themselves 
 in from the inclemency of the approaching winter. They have 
 left many thousand bushels of wheat and other grain behind them 
 in their barns and storehouses, which must become a spoil to the 
 enemy, while the just owners of it must either beg or starve. 
 Since I sat down to write this letter, I have received accounts 
 that a poor family had fled for refuge into this county about six 
 months ago, where they have remained ever since ; but finding 
 they could not subsist, chose, a few days ago, to run the risk of 
 returning home to enjoy the fruits of their labour, where they 
 had not time to unlade their cart, before they were seized by 
 Indians and murdered. 
 
 " Carlisle is the only remains of that once populous county : 
 they have a garrison of about 100 men, but how long they will be 
 able to defend themselves is very uncertain, as the enemy have 
 threatened that place in particular. They still have their share 
 of my ministrations, and seem extremely thankful to the honour 
 able Society upon whose bounty I am chiefly supported. . . This 
 Mission, in a few years, would have vied with the ablest in this 
 province, as it was in a flourishing state, and could not contain 
 less than 2,000 persons, members of the Church of England. 
 But so melancholy is the transition, that it cannot afford to 
 build one church ; so that I officiate sometimes in a barn, some 
 times in a waste house, or wherever else convenience offers. 
 
 " I have baptized since my arrival one hundred and sixty 
 infants, ten adults, and an Indian girl, who has been brought up 
 in a Christian family since her infancy, after due examination 
 and instruction. The number of my communicants is fifty-eight, 
 which I have but little expectation of increasing till this storm is 
 blown over." 
 
 He then proceeds to give his views as to the most likely 
 means for the civilization and conversion of the native 
 North American tribes. 
 
VI.] CIVIL WAR. 131 
 
 " Indeed, (in my humble opinion,) nothing can promise fairer 
 to produce these happy effects than the scheme proposed by the 
 honourable Society. In the conversion of Indians, many diffi 
 culties and impediments will occur, which European Missionaries 
 will never be able to remove. Their customs and manner of 
 living are so opposite to the genius and constitution of our people, 
 that they could never become familiar to them. Few of the 
 Indians have any settled place of habitation, but wander about 
 where they can meet with most success in hunting, and whatever 
 beasts or reptiles they chance to take are food to them. Bears, 
 foxes, wolves, racoons, pole-cats, and even snakes, they can eat 
 with as much cheerfulness as Englishmen do their best beef and 
 mutton. But such hardships are easily surmounted, such an 
 austere life made agreeable by such as from their infancy have 
 been accustomed to them. So that Indian boys, educated at the 
 Academy, under the care of able masters, where they can be visited 
 by their relations, and taught everything necessary for them to 
 learn at an easier expense than in any of the universities in 
 Europe, will be the fittest to be employed in this grand and 
 glorious work, and the most likely to succeed in it." 
 
 In the difficult position in which he found himself, in a 
 district exposed to the incursions of the French and the 
 Indians, Mr. Barton was compelled . to organize his own 
 people for defence against their enemies. And so much 
 did he distinguish himself by his zeal and activity in the 
 cause of his country, that his conduct was thus spoken of 
 in a letter from Philadelphia to Mr. Penn the proprietary : 
 " Mr. Barton deserves the commendations of all lovers of 
 their country ; for he has put himself at the head of his 
 congregations, and marched either by night or by day on 
 every alarm. Had others imitated his example, Cumber 
 land would not have wanted men enough to defend it; 
 nor has he done anything in the military way but what 
 hath increased his character for piety, and that of a 
 sincerely religious man and zealous minister. In short, 
 
 K2 
 
132 PENNSYLVANIA. j_ CH " 
 
 he is a most worthy, active, and serviceable pastor and 
 Missionary, and as such please to mention him to the 
 Society." 
 
 So attached was his congregation to him, that, in 1758, 
 the young men within his Mission offered to take up 
 arms in defence of their country, and join themselves to 
 General Forbes army, if Mr. Barton would go with them 
 as their minister. On this he proposed himself to the 
 general as chaplain of the troops, and his services were 
 thankfully accepted. His absence from his ordinary 
 duties was but a short one ; and, after an interval of 
 five years, he sends the following account of his Mission 
 and himself: 
 
 " It is a great satisfaction to me to observe that the churches in 
 this Mission make now as decent an appearance as any churches 
 in the province, those of Philadelphia excepted. But much more 
 is the pleasure I feel in observing them crowded every Sunday 
 during the summer season with people of almost every deno 
 mination, who come, many of them, thirty and forty miles. I hope 
 I may, without confidence, be allowed to assure you that it has 
 pleased my Blessed Master, through my weak labours, to add 
 some to the Church ; and that, amidst all the mad zeal and dis 
 tractions of the Religionists that surround me, I have never been 
 deserted by any of those whom I had received in charge. I don t 
 expect I shall be able many years to perform the duties of this 
 Mission. The fatigue of riding twenty miles to one church and 
 eighteen to another, in the cold of our winters and excessive heat 
 of our summers, has already much impaired my constitution, 
 which I had reason to value as an excellent one. But I do not 
 mean to complain. Whilst I have any prospect of being service 
 able to religion, or the least beneficial to my fellow-creatures, 
 I shall cheerfully resign to this cause my health, and the best 
 part of my life. I can propose no advantages to myself here, but 
 what must result from a consciousness of having done my duty. 
 I am indeed happy in being favoured with the venerable Society s 
 approbation of my conduct. And they will be so just to me as 
 
VI,] LOYALTY OF CHURCHMEN. 133 
 
 to believe, that, independent of any connexion with them, they 
 have my esteem, affection, and best wishes." 1 
 
 A much fuller account, which may not be without its 
 historical interest, is contained in his report of the follow 
 ing year, (1764.) It will serve also to impress upon the 
 mind of the reader the excessive toils which were borne 
 by the early Missionaries in America. 
 
 " This Mission takes in the whole of Lancaster county, (eighty 
 miles in length, and twenty-six in breadth,) part of Chester 
 county, and part of Berks ; so that the circumference of my stated 
 Mission only is 200 miles. The county of Lancaster contains 
 upwards of 40,000 souls : of this number, not more than 500 can 
 be reckoned as belonging to the Church of England ; the rest are 
 German Lutherans, Calvinists, Menonists, Moravians, New Born, 
 Dunkers, Presbyterians, Seceders, New Lights, Covenanters, Moun 
 tain Men, Brownists, Independents, Papists, Quakers, Jews, &c. 
 Amidst such a swarm of sectaries, all indulged and favoured by 
 the Government, it is no wonder that the national Church should 
 be borne down. At the last election for the county to choose 
 assembly-men, sheriffs, coroner, commissioners, assessors, &c., 5000 
 freeholders voted, and yet not a single member of the Church was 
 elected into any of these offices. Notwithstanding these and the 
 like discouragements, I have the satisfaction to assure the honour 
 able Society, that my people have continued to give proofs of that 
 submission and obedience to civil authority which it is the glory 
 of the Church of England to inculcate : and, whilst faction and 
 party strife have been rending the province to pieces, they be 
 haved themselves as became peaceable and dutiful subjects, never 
 intermeddling in the least. Suffer me to add, sir, that in the 
 murder of the Indians in this place, and the different insurrec 
 tions occasioned by this inhuman act, not one of them was ever 
 concerned. Justice demands this testimony from me in their 
 favour, as their conduct upon this occasion has gained them much 
 credit and honour. Upon the whole, the Church of England 
 visibly gains ground throughout the province. The mildness and 
 
 1 MS. Letter, June 28, 1763. 
 
1 34 PENNSYLVANIA. [CH. 
 
 excellency of her constitution, her moderation and charity even 
 to her enemies, and (I hope I may be indulged to say) the inde 
 fatigable labours of her Missionaries, must at length recommend 
 her to all, except those who have an hereditary prejudice and 
 aversion to her. 
 
 " The German Lutherans have frequently in their Ccetus s pro 
 posed a union with the Church of England, and several of their 
 Clergy, with whom I have conversed, are desirous of addressing 
 his Grace my Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, and my Lord Bishop 
 of London upon the subject. 
 
 " A large and respectable congregation of Dutch Calvinists in 
 Philadelphia have already drawn up constitutions, by which they 
 oblige themselves to conform to the canons and constitutions of 
 the national Church, and to use her liturgy and forms, and none 
 else, provided they be approved of and received at home, and that 
 my Lord Bishop will grant ordination to such gentlemen as they 
 shall present to him. . . The Presbyterians are in much disrepute 
 with all the other sects, and seem to be at a stand. They gain 
 no accession except from the importations of their own Society 
 from the North of Ireland. . . The establishment of Episcopacy 
 in America has been long talked of, and long expected, and 
 I humbly beg the honourable Society s pardon if I should take 
 the liberty to observe, that this could never> in any former time, 
 be introduced with more success than at present. . . The town 
 of Lancaster contains about 600 houses, and is a very respectable 
 and wealthy place. It has a large and elegant German Lutheran 
 church, a Calvinist church, a Moravian church, a Quaker meeting, 
 a Presbyterian meeting, a Popish chapel, constantly supplied by 
 Jesuitical missionaries, besides the Church under my care, which 
 is a stone building with a handsome steeple, and neatly finished 
 within. . . The church of Carnarvon is 20 miles E.N.E. of Lan 
 caster, on the verge of Berks county. This is a large edifice, and 
 has a good appearance, the front being built of hewn stone. . . 
 The families belonging to this church are between fifty and sixty, 
 all of Welsh extraction. . . The church of Pequea is in Chester 
 county, eighteen miles E. by S. of Lancaster. This is likewise 
 a stone building, finished with neat pews, pulpit, and desk. A 
 stone wall encloses the grave yard, but is not yet covered. The 
 
VI.] PREVALENCE OF FANATICISM. 135 
 
 congregation here consists of about fifty families, besides numbers 
 of Dissenters who constantly attend. The communicants are 
 thirty. A glebe of 100 acres of land belongs to this church, 
 which rents for 10Z. currency. 
 
 " At these churches I officiate Sunday about alternately, and 
 have never to my knowledge been absent once even in the severest 
 weather, except detained by sickness, to which I was always happy 
 enough to be a stranger till of late. I have baptized within this 
 twelvemonth one hundred and fifteen infants, twelve white adults 
 and two black ones. Four or five of these were converts from 
 Quakerism, the rest were such whose parents had belonged to the 
 Church, but dying early, they neglected this sacrament till roused 
 to consider the great necessity of it. They all came to the font 
 well prepared, and were able to give a good account of their 
 faith. 
 
 " The catechetical instructions to my young people are never 
 omitted. . . . Besides these stated duties, I am often called ten, 
 fifteen, or twenty miles to assist the sick, bury the dead, &c., which 
 greatly adds to my fatigue. My itinerancy also bears heavy upon 
 me in my present state of health. The churches of New London 
 and Whiteclay Creek demand a share of my labours. I wish 
 I could attend them oftener than I do. The former is thirty-five 
 miles from me, and has about twenty families belonging to it j the 
 latter upwards of fifty miles, and has (I think) sixty families." l 
 
 His letter of December 17, 1770, supplies full and 
 painful evidence of the growth and prevalence of the 
 wildest and most ignorant fanaticism, which, for want of 
 an educated and duly authorized ministry, led many into 
 trie most dangerous errors. The following extracts will be 
 read with interest : 
 
 " With regard to the churches under my care, I am happy 
 enough to assure the Society that they have suffered no diminu 
 tion from the ill-natured opposition they have lately met with, 
 but have stood firm amidst the wild though popular systems of 
 religion, which extravagant enthusiasts have propagated around 
 
 1 MS. Letter, Nov. 16, 1764. 
 
136 PENNSYLVANIA. [cH. 
 
 them. The progress of fanaticism, however, in some parts of this 
 province, is become very considerable. A broken officer, an 
 English baker, a Dutch shoemaker, and a crazy planter, besides a 
 number of strolling Methodists, have all in their turns been 
 followed and admired, whilst rational religion and common-sense 
 have been rejected and forsaken. Nay, some of those fanatics 
 have had influence enough to get large meeting-houses erected 
 for them. The new dispensation set up by these people contra 
 dicts some of the most comfortable doctrines of the Gospel. It 
 discourages its proselytes from the pursuit of virtuous and moral 
 actions. It teaches them that the baptism administered to them 
 by those called clergy, was no baptism in consequence of which 
 numbers have suffered themselves to be rebaptized. Instead of 
 instructing the people to serve the Lord with gladness, and to 
 have joy in the Holy Ghost, these miserable teachers advance a 
 gloomy and dreadful religion, which has thrown its followers into 
 dereliction and despair, and has made many of them fitter objects 
 for a hospital than a church. They have set up nocturnal 
 societies, consisting of persons of both sexes and of all ages. These 
 societies travelled from house to house. Their meetings have 
 often continued till midnight, and it is said some extravagancies 
 have been acted in these meetings, equal to any that we read of 
 among the ancient Bacchanalians. Boys of ten and twelve years 
 old have been sent about the country to pray and exhort publicly. 
 In short, the raving notions and ridiculous freaks that are every 
 day spread and acted among us, under the name of religion, are 
 beyond the power of description. The extreme absurdity, how 
 ever, of those dispensations, is the only security we have from 
 their becoming dangerous. Such madness and folly cannot 
 possibly last long. And though they may, and undoubtedly will, 
 unhinge the rational principles of the people for the present, yet 
 when they return to their senses, as I trust they will soon do, 
 they will be more cautious of being led into future delusions by 
 false prophets and pretended saints. . . At Marlborough, near 
 forty miles from hence, I preached last summer once in six weeks, 
 on a week-day, and have promised the people there a share of my 
 labours, until the venerable Society shall be pleased to provide 
 better for them. This place was once a chief branch of a fine 
 
VI.] MARLBOROUGH. 137 
 
 Mission, under the care of one Mr. Gordon, who, it is said, behaved 
 ill, and went away in disgrace. The congregation was afterwards 
 occasionally visited by some of the Swedish Missionaries, but 
 being at length neglected, by whose means I know not, they 
 mostly went over to the Quakers. Their church went to decay, 
 and everything like the religion they once professed was lost and 
 forgot. In this state I found this place upon my first visit to it. 
 But upon promising to come to them once in six weeks, the winter 
 excepted, and to recommend them to the notice of the Society, the 
 poor people returned to the church, repaired it in a very decent 
 manner, purchased a Bible and Prayer-Book for the desk, and 
 have ever since attended regularly and devoutly. Members of 
 other societies, led no doubt by the novelty of the Church service 
 in those parts, come to church, and seem well pleased. This place 
 is fifteen miles from Newport, where the Whiteclay Creek congre 
 gation are erecting a large and elegant brick church, and about 
 eight miles from New London, where there was likewise once an 
 Episcopal church and congregation, and where there are still 
 several members remaining. Marlborough and New London, 
 therefore, may be conveniently connected with Newport, and all 
 three with Newcastle, whenever this last place becomes vacant. 
 Until then an itinerant Missionary, such as I have often taken 
 the liberty to recommend, might be very usefully employed 
 in these places, as well as in many others, which at present 
 are out of the reach of established Missionaries, and by that 
 means lose sight of the religion in which they had been 
 educated, grow indifferent, and are in danger of being lost to 
 the Church. 
 
 " I have the pleasure of informing you that my churches are 
 well filled both in summer and winter, though several of my 
 hearers have ten miles to ride. My congregations, particularly 
 those in the country, are truly serious and religious, and firmly 
 attached to the excellent doctrines and constitution of the Church 
 of England. I have baptized within this year one hundred and 
 eight infants and fourteen adults, if under that title I may be 
 allowed to include some persons of fourteen and sixteen years of 
 age. The number of communicants in my three stated churches 
 is ninety viz. at Lancaster twenty-five, at Pequea thirty-five, 
 
138 PENNSYLVANIA. [cH. 
 
 and at Carnarvon thirty. The duties of so very extensive a 
 Mission bear hard upon me, and have greatly impaired my health. 
 But as long as my remaining constitution will permit, and I have 
 any prospects of serving the interests of religion and the Church, 
 I will cheerfully continue in the discharge of these duties. I find 
 in my congregation in Lancaster several poor people, who are 
 unable to send their children to school, or to afford them any 
 education. They have often requested me to petition the vene 
 rable Society in their behalf, for an allowance of 10. per annum 
 towards this charitable use, in the same manner in which the 
 Society have supported schools at other places. . . It requires not 
 the sagacity of a politician, if he is but acquainted with the 
 temper and disposition of people here, to foresee that the more the 
 Church of England in the colonies is neglected, the less hold will 
 the parent kingdom have of them. God grant that those at the 
 helm may see these things in their proper light." 
 
 Mr. Barton mentions with warm commendation the 
 name of one of his congregation, Mr. Nathan Evans, who, 
 though he had acquired his estate by hard labour, had, 
 " with a generosity unequalled in that part of the world," 
 given a sum of 100/. towards the completion of the church, 
 and purchased a glebe of forty acres for the use of the 
 minister, besides other liberal subscriptions. Had the 
 Church possessed many such generous and hearty sup 
 porters, its growth would have been more rapid, and its 
 present condition on the continent of America very different 
 from what it is. 
 
 Mr. Barton had always felt a most anxious desire to 
 promote a knowledge of the true faith among the Indians, 
 and was planning an excursion of a few months among 
 their tribes, when his hopes were all dissipated by the 
 breaking out of the Indian war, the effects of which he 
 describes in a few sentences. " The barbarians have 
 renewed their hostilities, and the country bleeds again 
 under the savage knife. The dreadful news of murdering, 
 
VI. J PERSECUTION OF MISSIONARIES 139 
 
 burning, and scalping, is daily conveyed to our ears. Out 
 traders, with goods to the amount of near 200,000/., are 
 taken ; our garrisons have been invested* and some of them 
 forced to surrender. About fifty miles of the finest 
 country in America are already deserted, and the poor 
 people, having left their crops on the ground, almost ready 
 for the sickle, are reduced to the most consummate 
 distress." l 
 
 At this period the correspondence of the Missionaries 
 became very uncertain and irregular, owing to the occu 
 pation of a great part of the country by the insurgents. 
 The calamities of the war fell perhaps more heavily upon 
 the Missionaries than upon any other class. Though con 
 fining themselves to the simplest and most unostentatious 
 performance of their duty, they could hardly escape 
 persecution. 
 
 The very observance of their ordination vows exposed 
 them to the enmity of the people ; and the treatment to 
 which they were subjected is described in a letter of Mr. 
 Barton s, dated November 25, 1776 : 
 
 " I have been obliged," he says, " to shut up my churches, to 
 avoid the fury of the populace, who would not suffer the liturgy 
 to be used, unless the collects and prayers for the King and royal 
 family were omitted, which neither my conscience nor the decla 
 ration I made and subscribed when ordained would allow me 
 to comply with ; and although I used every prudent step to give 
 no offence even to those who usurped authority and rule, and 
 exercised the severest tyranny over us, yet my life and property 
 have been threatened, upon mere suspicion of being unfriendly to 
 what is called the American cause. Indeed, every clergyman 
 of the Church of England who dared to act upon proper prin 
 ciples, was marked out for infamy and insult, in consequence of 
 which the Missionaries, in particular, have suffered greatly. Some 
 
 1 Printed Report, 1764. 
 
140 PENNSYLVANIA. [CH. VI. 
 
 "of them have been dragged from their horses, assaulted with stones 
 and dirt, ducked in water, obliged to flee for their lives, driven 
 from their habitations and families, laid under arrests and im 
 prisoned. I believe they were all (or at least most of them) 
 reduced to the same necessity with me, of shutting up their 
 churches. It is, however, a great pleasure to me to assure the 
 venerable Society that though I have been deprived of the satis 
 faction of discharging my public duties to my congregations, I 
 have endeavoured (I trust not unsuccessfully) to be beneficial to 
 them in another way. 
 
 " I have visited them from house to house regularly, instructed 
 their families, baptized and catechized their children, attended 
 their sick, and performed such other duties in private, as atoned 
 for my suspension from public preaching." 
 
 In 1778, having declined to take the oath of allegiance 
 to the Commonwealth, Mr. Barton was permitted to sell 
 his property, retire out of the state, and pass within the 
 British lines. 
 
 Dr. Dorr, whose authority has been more than once 
 cited, concludes his sketch of the " Early History of the 
 Church in Pennsylvania," with the following reference to 
 the work of the Society in that and the neighbouring 
 provinces : 
 
 " Thus did this little plant, in process of time, become a mighty 
 tree, whose leaves have been for the healing of the nations. It 
 has sent out its boughs into all lands. The prayer of the first 
 founders of this Venerable Society has been most signally answered, 
 that God would prosper their work, and make it appear to be 
 the work of His hands. Of its extraordinary efficacy, it has been 
 justly said, Some approach to a correct opinion may be formed 
 from the fact, that when it began its operations, it found but five 
 churches ; and when compelled, by the war of the Revolution, to 
 close them, it left us with two hundred and fifty. " 
 
 1 Dorr s Historical Account, p. 429. 
 
CHAPTER VIL 
 
 NEW JERSEY. 
 
 First Settlement Origin of Name Rev. John Talbot Governor Nicholson 
 Lillingston recommended as Bishop Talbot s exertions to obtain a 
 Bishop His Second Visit to England Accused of Jacobitism His 
 Retirement Goes back to America Charge of Disaffection Consecrated 
 by Non-juring Bishops His Death and Character Rev. John Brooke- 
 Rev. Edward Yaughan Rev. Colin Campbell Rev. Thos. Thompson 
 Rev. M. Houdin Rev. T. B. Chandler Commencement of the Civil 
 Troubles Chandler s Publications Embarrassments of the Missionaries 
 Chandler withdraws" to England Rev. Isaac Browne Rev. John Mackean. 
 
 THE first European settlers in this province were a body 
 of Danes, who went over in the year 1624. Other colo 
 nists from Sweden and Holland followed soon afterwards ; 
 but in 1664 the territory was taken by the English, and 
 granted by King Charles II. to the Duke of York, who 
 assigned it to Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. 
 The name which it still bears was given to the country in 
 honour of Carteret, who had been Governor of the Isle of 
 Jersey, and held it for the King. The earliest English 
 settlers were Quakers and Anabaptists. The colony, 
 which at first was divided into the governments of East 
 and West Jersey, was surrendered by the proprietaries to 
 Queen Anne in 1702. 
 
 Some general notice of the state of religion in New 
 Jersey at this period has already been given in the second 
 chapter. 
 
142 NEW JERSEY. [CH. 
 
 When Mr. Keith returned to England, in August, 1704, 
 his friend and fellow-labourer, Talbot, determined to 
 remain in America and devote himself to the propagation 
 of the Gospel in that country. He continued to travel 
 and preach in various places, and sought, in particular, 
 every opportunity to refute the errors of the Quakers. He 
 says, in a letter to Mr. Keith, Oct. 20, 1704, " Mr. Sharpe 
 and I have gone the rounds several times from Burlington 
 to Amboy, to Hopewell, to Elizabethtown, to Staten 
 Island, in our turns, with good success, God be blessed, in 
 all places." 
 
 The next year, on the petition of the people of Burling 
 ton, the Society, with the sanction of the Bishop of 
 London, consented to his settling at that town, which 
 was the capital of West Jersey, and contained about 
 two hundred families. Mr. Talbot speaks in terms of 
 commendation of the Missionaries in general, and says 
 they all felt the want of " a Suffragan." For a lay patron 
 and supporter they could not have been more fortunate 
 than in having Colonel Nicholson for Governor. " He 
 is," says Mr. Talbot, "a man of as much prudence, tem 
 perance, justice, and fortitude, as any governor in America, 
 without disparagement to any, and of much more zeal for 
 the house and service of God. . . The example of his 
 piety in the Church is as rare as his bounty towards it. 
 No wonder, then, that all who love the Church of England 
 are fond of Governor Nicholson, who is a true son, or 
 rather a nursing father, of her in America." He was a 
 liberal contributor towards the erection of churches, the 
 support of Clergymen, and other benevolent objects, in all 
 parts of America. " We have made it appear," writes 
 Mr. Talbot, " that he has exhibited to the churches in 
 these provinces about 1,000/., besides what he has given 
 
VII.] A BISHOP RECOMMENDED. 143 
 
 to particular persons and the poor." No zeal, however, on 
 the part of a civil Governor could make up for the want 
 of a spiritual head ; and Mr. Talbot closes his letter with 
 the following practical recommendation on the subject: 
 " Mr. John Lillingston designs, it seems, to go for England 
 next year ; he seems to be the fittest person that America 
 aifords for the office of a Suffragan ; and several persons, 
 both of the laity and the Clergy, have wished he were 
 the man; and if my Lord of London thought fit to 
 authorize him, several of the Clergy, both of this province 
 and of Maryland, have said they would pay their tenths 
 unto him, as my Lord of London s vicegerent; whereby 
 the Bishop of America might have as honourable provision 
 as some in Europe." 1 So eager was Mr. Talbot for the 
 attainment of this object, that he undertook to be the 
 bearer to England of a memorial to the Queen for a 
 Suffragan Bishop. While at home he addressed a letter 
 to the Society, in which he says, " God has so blest my 
 labours and travels abroad, that I am fully resolved, by 
 His grace, to return, the sooner the better, having done 
 my business that I came about. Meanwhile my living in 
 Gloucestershire is given away, but I have no reason to 
 doubt of any encouragement from this famous Society, 
 who have done more in four years for America than ever 
 was done before." 2 
 
 On his way back to Burlington he preached at Marble - 
 head, where "the people offered to subscribe some hun 
 dreds of pounds to build a church at Stratford, where was 
 a numerous auditory, and Mr. Muirson had forty commu 
 nicants the first time ever the holy sacrament was rightly 
 administered. And upon the islands, Rhode Island, Long 
 Island, and Staten Island, I preached till the winter broke 
 MS. Letters, vol. ii. 1. 23. 2 Ibid. 1. 142. 
 
144 NEW JERSEY. [cil. 
 
 up, and then I got to Amboy and Elizabethtown, where 
 had been nobody since Mr. Brooke left them, who was an 
 able and diligent Missioner as ever came over. I got home 
 about our Lady-day [1708], where I was very welcome to 
 all Christian people, but alas ! I could not stay. I am 
 forced to turn itinerant again, for the care of all the 
 churches from East to West Jersey is upon rne ; what 
 is the worst, I can t confirm any, nor have not a Deacon 
 to help me." l 
 
 His letters to the Society are filled with repeated and 
 urgent entreaties for the appointment of a Bishop, for 
 want of whom the efficiency of the Church was crippled, 
 and the Missionaries left to the arbitrary rule of the 
 magistrate. "I am very glad," he writes, June 30, 1709, 
 to find by the President s letter, that the members of the 
 Honourable Society are convinced that a head is necessary 
 to the body, but if he don t make haste, he will come too 
 late. . . Is it not strange," he adds, " that so many islands 
 should be inhabited with Protestants, so many provinces 
 planted by them, so many hundred thousand souls born 
 and bred up here in America ; but of all the kings, 
 princes, and governors, all the bishops and archbishops 
 that have been since the Reformation, they never sent 
 anybody here to propagate the Gospel, I say to propa 
 gate it by imparting some spiritual gift by ordination or 
 confirmation ? " 2 
 
 In 1714 Mr. Talbot, disheartened at the want of 
 support, and enfeebled by sickness, requested permission 
 of the Society to come home. " For all this province of 
 West Jersey," he says, Oct. 28, 1714, "there never was 
 any Minister of Christ s Church settled but myself. I have 
 built three churches since I came here, but have nobody 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. iv. 1. 52. 2 Ibid, vol. v. 1. 19. 
 
VII.] REV. JOHN TALBOT. 145 
 
 to help them nor myself neither. We have had a very 
 [sickly] time this year; I have buried more than in ten 
 before, and many Christian people died that had nobody to 
 visit them when sick, nor bury them when dead. Let 
 them that have the watch, look out ; tis they must give 
 account ; I am clear of the blood of all men abroad and at 
 home, and so I hope to keep myself. The Society were 
 once upon a good resolution to send Deacons to be school 
 masters ; if they had done so to Burlington, to Bristol, to 
 Hope well, they might have kept the church doors open : 
 they could read the prayers and homilies, baptize and 
 catechise, they could visit the sick, and bury the dead, but 
 now they must bury one another." l 
 
 His repeated and energetic appeals for the full and 
 complete establishment of the Church in America, exposed 
 him to the suspicion of being disaffected to the Govern 
 ment; and Governor Hunter, in 1715, wrote to inform the 
 Lords Commissioners of trade and plantations, that " Mr. 
 Talbot had incorporated the Jacobites in the Jerseys 
 under the name of a church, in order to sanctify his 
 sedition and insolence to the Government." 2 This charge 
 was indignantly denounced by the churchwardens and 
 vestry of Burlington as false and calumnious, and em 
 phatically denied by Mr. Talbot himself. " I call God to 
 witness," he says, Oct. 1, 1715, "I know no soul in the 
 Church of Burlington, nor in any other Church that 
 I have planted, but is well affected to the Protestant 
 Church of England and present government in the house 
 of Hanover." 3 
 
 He still continued labouring in his own Mission, and 
 occasionally extending his care to the distant Churches, 
 
 1 MS. Letters, voUx. p. 167. 2 ibid, vol.x. p. 178. 
 
 3 Ibid. vol. xi. p. 328. 
 
 L 
 
146 NEW JERSEY. [cH. 
 
 under such discouragement as tempted many of his 
 brethren to seek a less painful position. Thus, in May, 
 1718, he writes to the secretary of the Society, "All your 
 Missioners hereabouts are going to Maryland for the sake 
 of themselves, their wives, and their children. For my 
 part, I cannot desert the poor flock that I have gathered, 
 nor will I, if I have neither money, credit, nor tobacco. 
 But if I had known as much as I do now, that the Society 
 were not able for their parts to send neither Bishop, 
 Priest, nor Deacon, Lecturer nor Catechist, I would 
 never have put the people in these parts to the charge 
 and trouble of building churches ; nay, now they must be 
 stalls or stables for Quakers horses when they come to 
 market or meeting." l 
 
 Mr. Talbot came to England in 1720, and, for a short 
 time, received the interest on Archbishop Tenison s be 
 quest of 1,000/., which was payable to some retired 
 Missionary until a Bishop were appointed for America. 
 Soon after his return, credible reports were received by 
 the Society of his refusal to take the oaths to the king, or 
 to pray for him by name in the Liturgy ; and a resolution 
 was passed to inform him that the payment of his salary 
 would be suspended till he could clear himself of the 
 charge. 2 There seems no reason to doubt that, during his 
 visit to England, he, with Dr. Welton, had been conse 
 crated by the non-juring Bishops. Such a step admits of 
 no justification, but we may well suppose that he was led 
 to take it by no personal ambition, but by that strong and 
 earnest conviction of the absolute necessity of an episcopate 
 for the welfare of the Church in America, of which his 
 letters afford such abundant testimony. It appears that 
 he occasionally assumed the episcopal dress, and that he 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xiii. p. 374. 2 Journal, vol. v. p, 9. 
 
VII.] REV. JOHN BROOKE. 147 
 
 administered the ordinance of confirmation. Whatever 
 confusion or schism might have arisen by the irregular 
 exercise of the episcopal office, was prevented by an order 
 from the Privy Council for Welton s return to England, 
 and by the death of Mr. Talbot, which occurred in 1727. 
 
 Dr. Hawks, in his " Contributions to the Ecclesiastical 
 History of the United States," concludes a short notice of 
 his life and labours with the following emphatic testi 
 mony : " The Society never had, at least in our view, 
 a more honest, fearless, and laborious Missionary." 1 
 
 The Rev. John Brooke, to whom allusion is made in the 
 correspondence of Mr. Talbot, went out as a Missionary of 
 the Society in 1705, and was placed by the governor, Lord 
 Cornbury, at Elizabethtown, for the service of that and 
 some neighbouring settlements. The number of church 
 men in this Mission was at first very inconsiderable, the 
 great bulk being Independents under the instruction of 
 five preachers of their own sect. 
 
 Mr. Brooke s practice was to preach at seven different 
 stations, one of them fifty miles distant ; and he was, 
 " pilgrim-like, scarce ever three days in a place." Shortly 
 after his arrival he laid the foundation of a church at 
 Elizabethtown, and reported that churches had been 
 commenced both at Amboy and Freehold ; while at Pis- 
 cataway they had repaired a dissenters meeting-house as 
 a temporary arrangement. To each of these Mr. Brooke 
 contributed the sum of ten pounds from his own salary. 
 His exertions were suddenly terminated by death, in 
 1707 ; and several years afterwards he was still remem 
 bered with honour by his parishioners, who spoke of 
 him as " our worthy and never-to-be-forgotten pastor, 
 Mr. Brooke, whose labours aiforded universal satisfaction 
 
 1 Hawks, vol. ii. p. 182. 
 L 2 
 
148 NEW JERSEY. [cH. 
 
 to us." 1 He was succeeded by the Rev. Edward Vaughan, 
 who reported his arrival in 1709, after a tedious voyage, 
 in which he suffered much from sickness, " occasioned by 
 the preposterous motion of the ship." He found himself 
 " in the midst of a vast number of Deists, Sabbatarians, 
 and Eutychians, as also of Independents, Anabaptists, and 
 Quakers, from which absurdities Mr. Brooke brought a 
 considerable number of them to embrace our most pure 
 and holy religion ;" and he adds, " I hope my labours also 
 will be attended with no less success." 2 
 
 He officiated alternately at Elizabethtown and Wood- 
 side a settlement about ten miles off; and his half-yearly 
 reports evidence the success of his labours. Thus his com 
 municants, at the principal station, were, in 1712, thirty; 
 in 1734, seventy ; and in 1740, eighty-four. And not only 
 did his flock in the more settled towns increase, but he had 
 also a numerous congregation " in the mountains," where 
 he sometimes went to preach and administer the holy com 
 munion. His report, in 1731, states, that in the several 
 stations which he visited, he had, within the compass of 
 two years, baptized 556 children and 64 adults. 3 In this 
 useful course Mr. Vaughan continued for the space of 
 thirty-eight years, and died in 1747. By his will he left 
 his glebe, consisting of nine acres, with his house, to the 
 " pious and venerable Society, for the use of the Church of 
 England Minister at Elizabethtown, and his successors, 
 for ever." 4 
 
 The Rev. Colin Campbell filled the office of Missionary, 
 at Burlington, from 1737 to 1766. Besides his principal 
 station, he had a very promising Mission at " Mount 
 Holly," about eight miles off, where the congregation gave 
 
 1 Humphreys, p. 190. 2 Original Letters, vol. v. 1. 77. 
 
 3 Eeport for 1731, p. 51. 4 Journal, vol. xi. p. 24. 
 
VII.] REV. THOMAS THOMPSON. 149 
 
 evident proof that the labour spent upon them had not 
 been in vain, by building a handsome church, and convey 
 ing it to the Society, with three other trustees, of which 
 the Missionary at Burlington was always to be one. He 
 relates another gratifying instance of attachment to the 
 Church. Mr. Paul Watkinson, who had been clerk of 
 St. Mary s, Burlington, for forty-five years, left by will, 
 after the death of his widow, his house, with a lot of land, 
 worth 100^, for the repairs of that church for ever. 1 
 
 The name of the Rev. Thomas Thompson should also 
 be recorded. He resigned his fellowship at Christ s Col 
 lege, Cambridge, " out of pure zeal to become a Missionary 
 in the cause of Christ." For five years he did faithful 
 service in Monmouth county, and had the happiness of 
 witnessing a great improvement in the moral condition of 
 the people ; but having come to a resolution to devote him 
 self to the instruction of the negroes on the coast of Guinea, 
 he announced this intention to the Society in 1750. He 
 stated that he had deliberately made up his mind, expecting 
 to fare hardly, and not sanguine of great success. Indeed, 
 he saw that in the ordinary way one labourer could do but 
 little ; yet that God, who made the largest tree to spring 
 from one poor grain of seed, might bless the labours of the 
 meanest of his servants. He argued, that if ever the 
 Church of Christ is to be founded amongst the negroes, 
 somebody must lay the first stone ; and in this spirit of 
 self-devotion he requested of the Society to name him 
 their Missionary for this purpose, and appropriate such a 
 salary for his support as they might deem suitable. The 
 Society accordingly appointed him to this Mission at a salary 
 of 70/., "in a firm reliance on the good providence of God, 
 
 1 Report for 1753, p. 50, 
 
150 NEW JERSEY. [CH. 
 
 whose grace is abundantly sufficient to perfect strength in 
 weakness, by His blessing on our poor endeavours." l 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Houdin, formerly superior of a convent in 
 Canada, having been received into communion with the 
 Church of England in 1749, and being well testified of by 
 various Clergymen, was appointed Missionary of Trenton, 
 in 1753. He had the agreeable duty of announcing to the 
 Society the conformity to the Church, of two hundred 
 Presbyterians, and some families of Anabaptists, in the 
 town of Amwell; and many of them, he says, <e observing 
 the peace and charity among our congregations, and the 
 troubles and dissensions among others, contributed towards 
 the erection of the church." 2 
 
 There is hardly any name in the annals of the American 
 Church which is better known than that of Dr. Chandler. 
 In whatever character he be regarded, as a Missionary, 
 theologian, controversialist, biographer, or champion of the 
 American episcopate in every way he seems to demand a 
 distinct notice. On the death of Mr. Vaughan, a memorial 
 was addressed to the Society by the churchwardens and 
 vestry of Elizabeth town, praying that Mr. Chandler 
 might be appointed as his successor ; and, like many of the 
 best Missionaries in America, he had the advantage of 
 being recommended by Dr. Johnson, who thus introduces 
 him : 
 
 " January 12, 1747. 
 
 " I write a few lines at the desire of the good people of Elizabeth 
 Town, and of Mr. Thomas Bradbury Chandler, who they desire 
 earnestly may succeed Mr. Vaughan, as they are entirely well 
 satisfied in him, and he in them ; and he, on that account, may 
 be very likely to do much good there. And concerning him I- can 
 truly give this testimonial, that as he was bred at this college) 3 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xi. p. 309. 2 Keport for 1754, p. 66. 
 
 3 Yale College, Connecticut. 
 
VII.] REV. DR. CHANDLER. 151 
 
 and I have known him three years at least, he appears to me a 
 truly valuable person, of good parts, and competent learning, for 
 his time and our circumstances, being bachelor of arts of nigh 
 two years and half standing, and of good morals and virtuous 
 behaviour j and on all these accounts is of good estimation of all 
 that know him. And I make no doubt that he will do every 
 good service in answering the pious ends of the Society, if they 
 shall think proper to employ him as catechist for the present, and 
 in orders when he shall be of age, about a year and half hence." l 
 
 He was further commended by the Rev. Samuel Seabury , 
 who had been personally acquainted with him at Yale Col 
 lege, as a person " of good character, descended from a 
 family of honour and reputation in this country," and as 
 one who, " from his furniture in learning, prudence, 
 gravity, sincere piety, and good temper, as well as agree 
 able voice," was likely to prove " very useful in the 
 designs of the Society." 2 It is interesting to know that 
 Mr. Chandler, as well as both Johnson and Seabury, had 
 been educated in principles of dissent, but, on conviction, 
 conformed to the Church. He had first been designed for 
 the office of Catechist at the station of Bedford and North- 
 castle, New York ; but, in consequence of the foregoing 
 recommendations, he was, in May, 1748, appointed by the 
 Society, Catechist at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, on a 
 stipend of 10/. a-year. Soon after his arrival, he reported 
 that he was diligently discharging the duties entrusted to 
 him, by reading prayers and a sermon to " a full, steady 
 congregation," on Sundays and many holidays ; catechizing 
 between services, and visiting the people of every con 
 dition. 3 
 
 In 1751 he was ordained Missionary of the same station, 
 
 r Original Letters, vol. viii. p. 38. 2 Ibid. vol. ix. p. 40. 
 
 3 Ibid, vol.x. p. 123. 
 
152 NEW JERSEY. [CH. 
 
 including Woodbridge, on a salary now raised to 30/. 
 a-year. 
 
 From the date of his first going as a Catechist, the 
 congregation, and, what is a better test, the communicants, 
 began to increase. He says, "December 10, 1754: 
 When I first came to this place, seven years ago, the 
 number of communicants was something above forty; 
 three years after, when I went to England, they were 
 nigh sixty ; and at present they amount to almost ninety. 
 But the pains I have taken in order to this are consider 
 able, both in visiting and preaching lectures in the distant 
 parts of my Mission. By means of a monthly lecture at 
 Woodbridge, ten miles distant, which I voluntarily under 
 took (and a regular attendance upon which, through all 
 the seasons, has cost me much fatigue and many hard 
 ships), there are now twenty families professors of the 
 Church of England, and several communicants, where, 
 three years past, there was but one family." 
 
 These were, in point of fact, recovered from dissent, 
 into which they had fallen from want of the ministrations 
 of a Clergyman ; and soon after Mr. Chandler commenced 
 his visits, they built for themselves a small church. 1 
 
 There can be little doubt that in America, as in England, 
 the prevalence of dissent is to be attributed to a deficiency 
 in the ministrations of the Church. " As to Roman 
 Catholics," says Mr. Chandler, July 5th, 1762, "we have 
 none in this province. The chief enemies of the Church 
 are the English dissenters of different denominations, who 
 are thrice as numerous as its professors, and more active 
 against us than our friends are for us." 
 
 In 1764 he incurred the displeasure of his congregation 
 by refusing to allow Whitfield to preach in his pulpit, 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvi. 1. 80. 
 
VII.] REV. DR. CHANDLER. 153 
 
 a privilege which had been freely accorded to him by 
 the Clergy of Philadelphia. But Chandler, believing 
 that one, who had set all the laws and authorities of 
 the Church at defiance, could not properly be admitted 
 into the place of the teacher, remained firm, and all ill- 
 feeling on the subject soon abated. He is led, however, 
 to remark that, " If the Clergy say a word, even to their 
 own people, concerning the unity of Christ s body, the 
 nature of schism, or the necessity of authority derived 
 from Christ in the ministers of His religion, the alarm is 
 immediately sounded ; we are stigmatized as factious, and 
 not only so, but the venerable Society is abused on our 
 account. If we are altogether silent on these heads, our 
 own people grow indifferent, and in time may think it 
 immaterial whether they are in communion with the 
 Church, or join with a conventicle." l And then, after 
 alluding to some other embarrassing questions, occasioned 
 by the intrusion of itinerant preachers into his parish, he 
 continues, " Extremely happy should I think myself in 
 this case, as well as in many other difficulties which fre 
 quently arise, was there a Bishop in these parts, to whom 
 I could apply for advice and direction. But if this is still 
 judged to be too great a happiness for the Church in 
 America, so long persecuted by its enemies, and deserted 
 by many of its pretended friends, we must submit. I hope 
 the Clergy will continue in the regular discharge of their 
 duty with as much prudence and patience as possible, and 
 leave the event to Providence." 
 
 Allusions now become frequent in Chandler s cor 
 respondence to the questions which at this time excited 
 so much animosity between the colonies and the mother 
 country. " It is no secret at home," he says, July 5th, 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvi. 1. 84. 
 
154 NEW JERSEY. [ctf. 
 
 1765, "that the people in this country are greatly dis 
 satisfied with some late proceedings of the British par 
 liament. How such a general discontent may operate is 
 impossible to foresee. However, I do not apprehend any 
 considerable effects from it in this province ; but, should 
 the worst happen, I think I can answer for my brethren, 
 at least I can promise for myself, that I will exert myself 
 to the utmost to allay the ferment and to promote a peace 
 able submission to the higher powers, not only for wrath, 
 but for conscience 1 sake." 
 
 In the following year, however, the aspect of affairs 
 appeared more threatening. The spirit of resistance had 
 become as determined as it was universal. Like many of 
 the wisest men in this country, Dr. Chandler was desirous 
 to see a conciliatory policy adopted, and, though resolutely 
 opposed to the proceedings of the popular party, he main 
 tained that much allowance was to be made for them, 
 inasmuch as the home government had taken no pains to 
 diffuse sounder principles among the colonists. From 
 the date of the first settlements, successive ministries 
 had shewn the same blind disregard of the interests of 
 the Church which Sir Robert Walpole avowed in reference 
 to Bishop Berkeley s noble project ; and notwithstanding 
 the stern lesson which the country has been taught by 
 the successful rebellion of her transatlantic provinces, she 
 seems still disposed to acquiesce in a continuance of the 
 same short-sighted policy. 
 
 The following letter deserves to be recorded as a docu 
 ment full of warning and instruction on this subject: 
 
 " Elizabethtown, January 15th, 1766. 
 
 " The duty of a Missionary in this country is now become more 
 difficult than ever. It is hard to dissemble any truths or precepts 
 of the Gospel, and some of them, relating to civil society, it is 
 
VII.] GROWING DISCONTENT. 155 
 
 now become dangerous to declare. Such, an universal spirit of 
 clamour and discontent, little short of madness, and such an 
 opinion of oppression, prevail throughout the colonies, as, I 
 believe, were scarcely ever seen on any occasion in any country 
 on earth. And it seems to be the determined, inflexible reso 
 lution of most people, from Halifax to Georgia, never to submit 
 to what they esteem so great an infringement of their essential 
 rights as some of the late acts of the British Parliament. 
 
 " Every friend, therefore, to the happiness of the colonies, or 
 even of Great Britain, who is acquainted with the case as it 
 really is, must wish that the Parliament would relax of its 
 severity ; which yet, it must be confessed, will be no easy thing 
 after such provocations as have been lately offered on the part of 
 the colonies. But good policy, I humbly conceive, will rather 
 put up with almost anything than drive matters to a dangerous 
 extremity. Most probably the Parliament are able (although 
 most people here pretend not to believe that they are) to enforce 
 the Stamp Act ; yet, should they resolve to do it, a disaffection 
 of the colonies, of which there have been no visible symptoms 
 before, will be undoubtedly established. The Government must 
 be put to a great expense, and the commerce of the colonies, so 
 beneficial to England heretofore, will sink comparatively to a 
 mere trifle; for none will dare import anything but the bare 
 necessaries of life ; and, upon the examination that has been 
 made, it is found that almost every real want can be supplied 
 from ourselves. England has always been benefited nearly in 
 proportion to the wealth and commerce of her colonies. Whether, 
 therefore, any measures that directly tend to lessen that wealth 
 and commerce, can finally be of service to Great Britain, is a 
 question which may not be unworthy the attention even of 
 those who are the guardians of her interests. The Parliament 
 has, undoubtedly, been misinformed; for that the colonies in 
 general abound in wealth, and are able to pay any considerable 
 tax to the Government, will, upon proper inquiry, be found to be 
 as true (and indeed the assertion is founded on the same tes 
 timony) as that an American episcopate would be utterly dis 
 agreeable to more than nineteen-twentieths of all the people in 
 America. However, we thank Mr. H k that he did not insist 
 
156 NEW JERSEY. [cH. 
 
 on twenty-nineteenths, which he might have done with equal 
 veracity. 
 
 " I do not mean by what I have said to excuse the conduct of 
 my countrymen, for I really detest it, and do endeavour to traverse 
 and counteract it to the utmost of my ability. And yet this 
 apology they are entitled to, that the Government has not taken 
 much pains to instruct them better. If the interests of the 
 Church of England in America had been made a national concern 
 from the beginning, by this time a general submission in the 
 colonies to the mother country, in everything not sinful, might 
 have been expected, not only for wrath, but for conscience sake. 
 And who can be certain that the present rebellious disposition of 
 the colonies is not intended by Providence as a punishment for 
 that neglect 1 Indeed, many wise and good persons at home have 
 had the cause of religion and the Church here sincerely at heart ; 
 and the nation, whether sensible of it or not, is under great 
 obligation to that very worthy Society, who, by their indefatigable 
 endeavour to propagate the Gospel and assist the Church, have, at 
 the same time, and thereby, secured to the state, as far as their 
 influence could be extended, the loyalty and fidelity of her 
 American children j for, notwithstanding the general character, 
 there are many persons amongst us governed by those principles 
 which, so far as my observation can reach, are owing chiefly, if 
 not altogether, to the instructions afforded by this venerable 
 Society. That the Government may become more sensible of 
 their services, and at length co-operate with them, as it appears 
 to be the most probable means of restoring the happiness of 
 Great Britain and her colonies, is the daily prayer of your 
 very obedient and humble servant, 
 
 T. B. C." 
 
 It will be convenient to introduce in this place, as 
 having reference to the same subject, an extract from one 
 of his letters of a later date. He writes, in 1771 : 
 
 " Enough has been said to convince unprejudiced persons that 
 it would have been true and sound policy, with regard to America 
 at least, if the nation had paid greater attention to the interests 
 of religion and of the Church of England in the colonies than it 
 
VII.] CONTROVERSY ABOUT A BISHOP. 157 
 
 has hitherto done ; and perhaps proofs still more strong and con 
 vincing may in time be seen. The dissenters in this country in 
 general, to say nothing of their principles, have evidently too 
 much of a republican spirit, which is always infectious ; and in 
 proportion as this prevails, loyalty, as a matter of duty, must and 
 will fail. The present dangerous rebellion in North Carolina 
 would never have happened but in a part of the country where 
 the principles of the Church of England were but little known, 
 and never properly taught." 
 
 In the year 1767, Dr. Chandler published "An Appeal 
 to the Public in behalf of the Church of England in 
 America," the main purpose of which was to re-assert the 
 undeniable claim of that branch of the Church to a resident 
 episcopate. This simple demand of justice for the mem 
 bers of his own communion, excited a violent onslaught 
 upon the Church from various quarters; for, while the 
 appeal was answered in an elaborate pamphlet by Dr. 
 Chauncy of Boston, the "American Whig," of New York, 
 commenced its weekly attack on the Church, the Bishops, 
 and the Clergy, while the " Sentinel" undertook the same 
 office in Philadelphia, under the auspices of Dr. Alliston. 
 Thus Dr. Chandler was, in a manner, forced into con 
 troversy, and by various subsequent publications proved 
 himself a most efficient champion of the Church. In 
 reply to a newspaper attack upon the Society, and the 
 Bishops who preached the anniversary sermons, for et per 
 petually ringing changes on the necessity of a Bishop in 
 the colonies," he said, " I will tell him for his comfort that 
 these changes will continue to be rung, and that this object 
 will be perpetually aimed at, until the desired episcopate 
 shall be granted, which we hope and doubt not to obtain, 
 in a short time, at farthest." 
 
 He did not, however, allow either the political struggle 
 which was going on before his eyes, or the part he was 
 
158 NEW JERSEY. [CH. 
 
 compelled to take in defence of his order, to divert him 
 from the routine of his ordinary duties. In January, 
 1770, he thus reports: u Besides a regular attendance 
 upon the public service of the Church, and all parochial 
 duties here, I have frequently gone back into the country 
 and preached lectures on week-days in the summer and 
 autumn past, and more than once I have preached four 
 days successively at different places, chiefly within the 
 bounds of my Mission." And in July of the same year, 
 " My congregation is as regular and respectable as it ever 
 was, consisting of about 100 families, in which there are 
 between seventy and eighty communicants: and the dis 
 senters of late have become, in appearance, more friendly 
 than ever. Some years ago few of them were to be seen 
 in church upon any occasion; but now they sometimes 
 crowd thither in such numbers as to be more numerous 
 than our own people that are present. This is an indica 
 tion that their prejudices against the Church abate in this 
 place, as I believe they do throughout the country in 
 general, notwithstanding all the arts that are used to keep 
 them up and increase them." 
 
 And while, on the one hand, he was cheered with the 
 hope that those who had separated themselves were 
 becoming reconciled to the Church, he recorded his sin 
 cere gratification at the zealous efforts and sacrifices for 
 the " settlement of the Church," which he had witnessed 
 in the district of Amboy, where he had been making a 
 missionary tour, and preaching every day in different 
 places. "One subscription," he says, "had been made 
 for erecting a parsonage-house, and another, amounting to 
 301. sterling, for the yearly support of a Clergyman. I can 
 hardly conceive that the poor people are able to pay such 
 a subscription ; yet they assure me they can and will, and 
 
VII.] CONVERSION OF THE INDIANS. 159 
 
 some of the ablest of them offer to be sponsors for the 
 rest. In short, I never saw any people more warmly 
 engaged in such a cause, or that were, in my opinion, so 
 proper objects of the Society s charity." 
 
 But Dr. Chandler did not limit himself to the religious 
 instruction of his countrymen. His own convictions, 
 and the express directions of the Society, led him to the 
 consideration of the best means to be adopted for the con 
 version of the Indians. He says, " The necessity of some 
 more general attempts for this purpose becomes every day 
 more evident, whether the case be viewed in a religious or 
 political light. Dr. Cooper and Mr. Inglis lately took a 
 journey to Sir W. Johnson s, in order to have an oppor 
 tunity of a full and free conversation with him on the 
 subject, the result of which they have transmitted to the 
 Society. It will, undoubtedly, be difficult at first to find 
 proper persons to engage in such a service; but the 
 greatest difficulty of all, I apprehend, will be to support 
 them. If the nation will not contribute to so good a 
 work, I beg leave humbly to suggest whether it might not 
 be proper for the Society to erect a separate fund for this 
 use ; whether a brief might not be obtained for a general 
 collection throughout the kingdom, the income of which, 
 when put out upon interest, shall be appropriated to the 
 use of converting the American heathens ; and whether it 
 is not probable that this, with such benefactions as might 
 be annually expected, would be sufficient to support as 
 many Missionaries, Catechists, and Schoolmasters, as the 
 Society now maintains in Nova Scotia. 1 If such a number 
 could be employed, much success might be expected; at 
 least a fair trial would be made of what can be done, and 
 
 1 In the year 1770 there were six Missionaries and seven Schoolmasters 
 in Nova Scotia. 
 
160 NEW JERSEY, [cH. 
 
 a very great national reproach would in some measure be 
 removed." 
 
 Dr. Chandler was now an old and experienced Mis 
 sionary, well acquainted with the condition of the Church 
 and the character of the Clergy in New Jersey, and the 
 following is the testimony which he gives to both in the 
 year 1774 : - 
 
 " The Church in this province makes a more respectable 
 appearance than it ever did till very lately, thanks to the 
 venerable Society, without whose charitable interposition there 
 would not have been one episcopal congregation among us. They 
 have now no less than eleven Missionaries in this district, none of 
 whom are blanieable in their conduct, and some of them are 
 eminently useful. Instead of the small buildings out of repair 
 in which our congregation used to assemble twenty years ago, we 
 have now several that make a handsome appearance, both for size 
 and decent ornament, particularly at Burlington, Shrewsbury, 
 New Brunswick, and Newark, and all the rest are in good repair ; 
 and the congregations in general appear to be as much improved 
 as the churches they assemble in." 
 
 The year 1774 was a disastrous season for the Mis 
 sionaries. Dr. Chandler s controversial antagonist, Mr. 
 Livingston, author of the violent letter to the Bishop of 
 Llandaff, in 1768, and a principal writer of the " American 
 Whig," was sent to Congress as one of the delegates from 
 New Jersey ; and the interest which returned him was, 
 it is needless to say, adverse to the Church. The doctor 
 afterwards published the ef Friendly Address," to point out 
 the dangerous consequences of resisting the Parliament, 
 and another pamphlet under the title of "What think ye 
 of the Congress now?" But these efforts in favour of 
 the Government were prejudicial to his own interests as 
 Minister of Elizabethtown. The " Friendly Address" 
 had the effect of diminishing the contributions of his 
 
VII.] MISERIES OF CIVIL WAR. 161 
 
 parishioners, some of the wealthiest of whom withdrew 
 for a season from the Church. Partly, therefore, starved 
 into a surrender, and partly under the apprehension of 
 some violent proceeding against him, Dr. Chandler, in 
 1775, withdrew from the scene of trouble, and sought 
 refuge in England. 
 
 The struggle for independence in America was almost 
 fatal to the Church. During that unhappy war the voice 
 of religion was drowned in the clamours of party ; and 
 the Clergy, naturally attached to the ecclesiastical and 
 civil institutions of their own country, were the special 
 objects of hatred to the " sons of liberty." But, inde 
 pendently of their unpopularity with the partizans of 
 independence, they were exposed to all the manifold evil 
 and oppression which are inseparable from civil war. And 
 herein they had to dread almost equally the approach of 
 friend and foe. For a while, Amboy was made a gar 
 rison town by the rebels, and the Missionary, Mr. Preston, 
 was obliged to withdraw. On his return he found if the 
 parsonage-house so demolished that it was not habitable, 
 the windows broken to pieces, the partitions torn down, 
 the outhouses and fences all burnt and destroyed." 1 On 
 the other hand, the royal army, which was besieging the 
 place, laid waste all the surrounding country, to prevent 
 the garrison obtaining subsistence from it ; while, alter 
 nately by one party or the other, the churches were 
 converted into barracks or hospitals, 2 
 
 In an account, however summary, of the Church in New 
 Jersey, it seems impossible to leave entirely unrecorded 
 the name of Isaac Browne, a name which appeared in the 
 Society s Missionary List for a full half-century. He was 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvi. 1. 284. 2 Ibid. 1. 285. 
 
 M 
 
162 NEW JERSEY. [CH. 
 
 first appointed in 1733 to the Mission of Brookhaven, in 
 Long Island, and after eleven years service was transferred 
 to Newark, in New Jersey, where he continued to labour till 
 the year 1777, when the troubles of the times compelled 
 him to leave his Mission, " and become a wanderer in a 
 neighbouring province." 1 His parochial returns had shown 
 periodically the beneficial effect produced by his long and 
 consistent ministrations. A church had been built at 
 Second River, where the congregation increased in the 
 proportion of three to one within a year, and a grammar- 
 school was founded at Newark. Mr. Browne, like many 
 of his brethren, had reason to complain of his people for 
 withholding that temporal provision to which he was 
 equitably entitled, and was grieved by the prevalent fac 
 tiousness and party spirit. When writing to the Society 
 on these matters, on the 6th of April, 1767, he had said, 
 " I humbly beg leave to offer my poor opinion that these 
 difficulties, and many more I could name, never will be 
 removed, nor the churches in this part of the world ever 
 flourish, without an American episcopate." 2 But he had 
 worse things to endure than any arising from the selfish 
 and perverse disposition of his own people. 
 
 In the year 1777, as already mentioned, he was forced, 
 by the outbreak of the civil war, to seek refuge in New 
 York, leaving his wife, servants, and all the property of 
 which he was possessed, in the hands of the enemy. 
 Writing two years later, in the year 1779, he says, " The 
 condition of the Church of England in America, both 
 Clergy and laity, is justly to be pitied. . . The judgments 
 of God fall very heavily on the inhabitants of this land in 
 general, and seem to be yet increasing daily, . . and no 
 prospect of redress, that I can see, either from Heaven or 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvi. 1. 56. 2 Ibid. 1. 35. 
 
VII.] REV. JOHN MACKEAN. 163 
 
 men, for the inhabitants have not yet learned righteous 
 ness, and consequently remain very proper instruments to 
 execute the Divine vengeance on one another." 1 
 
 In the last letter which he wrote to the Society, Oct. 4, 
 1782, he describes " the loyalists as daily suffering for the 
 truth s sake, and to preserve a good conscience toward 
 God ; driven from their homes, their property seized, 
 plundered, and sold, and themselves consequently reduced 
 to the most extreme poverty." He grieves to feel that he 
 is " a dead weight to the Society in consequence of age 
 and infirmity." 
 
 But the Society was bound, by every consideration of 
 justice and gratitude, to continue its support to those who 
 had been not only faithful labourers in their Master s 
 vineyard, but, in a manner, also, confessors of the Church ; 
 and Mr. Browne, therefore, with many others, who had 
 been driven from their Missions by the disorders of the 
 times, continued to receive his salary. In 1784 he went 
 over to Annapolis, in Nova Scotia, where he survived, 
 though in much affliction and poverty, till the year 1787 ; 2 
 a year in which the colonial Church, having been brought 
 down to the lowest depth of depression, again renewed its 
 strength, and rose up with eagle wings, through the new 
 spirit infused into it by the erection of the first bishopric 
 for the colonies. 
 
 One other Clergyman only remains to be noticed in 
 connexion with this colony. The Rev. John Mackean 
 was ordained to the Mission of New Brunswick, includ 
 ing Piscataway and Spotswood, in 1757, and soon after 
 wards the churchwardens and vestry, in writing to thank 
 the Society for sending so excellent a successor to their 
 " late worthy Missionary, Mr. Seabury," went on to say 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvi. 1. 58. 2 Journal, vol.xxiv. p. 417. 
 
 M 2 
 
164 NEW JERSEY. [cH. VII. 
 
 that they saw, " with great pleasure the Church of England, 
 by the benevolence of the Society, and the prudent choice 
 they make of discreet men, raising its head in an infant 
 country, where, at its first settlement, different sects, as 
 well as popery, had taken footing." 1 Mr. Mackean devoted 
 himself to the conscientious discharge of his duties, as far 
 as a somewhat delicate constitution would permit, in the 
 various parts of his Mission, and made occasional visits to 
 Reading s Town, twenty-five miles distant. 
 
 The result of his labours was a gradual increase in the 
 number of his congregations till his removal to Amboy, 
 in 1763, where his services were equally appreciated. In 
 a letter dated October 12, 1767, Dr. Chandler informed the 
 Society that, " wasted away with a tedious disorder, the 
 worthy, the eminently useful and amiable Mr. Mackean is 
 judged by his physicians to be at the point of death. 
 Probably," he adds, "a better man was never in the 
 Society s service." 2 
 
 1 Report for 1759. 2 Original Letters, vol.xvi. 1. 91. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 NEW ENGLAND. 
 
 RHODE ISLAND AND CONNECTICUT, 
 
 Rev. James Honyman Difficulties under which the early Missionaries 
 laboured Rev. George Pigot Dean Berkeley His project of a College 
 at Bermuda His return, and disposal of the Fund raised for the College 
 Yale College Cutler, Browne, and Johnson Their conforming to the 
 Church Go to England for Ordination Are admitted to Degrees at 
 Oxford and Cambridge Death of Mr. Browne Return of Dr. Cutler and 
 Mr. Johnson Dr. Cutler takes charge of the Mission of Boston Disorders 
 produced by Whitfield s Preaching Testimony to Dr. Cutler s Literary 
 and Scientific Attainments His Death Rev. Samuel Johnson Account 
 of the Mission of Stratford Candidates recommended for Orders Want 
 of Church Education Mr. Johnson receives the Honorary Degree of 
 D.D. from Oxford Elected President of King s College, New York- 
 Returns to Stratford His Death and Character. 
 
 SOME reference has already been made to the first settle 
 ments in New England, under which general title are 
 included the colonies of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Mas- 
 sachussetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. We 
 shall commence with Rhode Island, since, though the 
 smallest in territorial extent, it was the first of the pro 
 vinces above-named to which a Missionary was sent by the 
 Society. The Rev. James Honyman took up his residence 
 at Newport, in 1704, and there continued to adminis 
 ter the ordinances of religion for the long period of 
 five-and-forty years. Besides the care of his own par 
 ticular district, he made frequent visits to the neighbouring 
 towns on the continent, until another minister was assigned 
 to them. Very early in his career he felt the great disad 
 vantage under which the Church was labouring for want 
 
166 RHODE ISLAND. [OH. 
 
 of a superintending head. "Writing to the Secretary of 
 the Society in 1709, he says, "You can neither well 
 believe, nor I express, what excellent services for the 
 cause of religion a Bishop would do in these parts ;" and 
 he expresses a conviction that, if one were sent, "these 
 infant settlements would become beautiful nurseries, which 
 now seem to languish for want of a father to oversee and 
 bless them." 1 In 1714 he presented a memorial to Governor 
 Nicholson on the religious condition of Rhode Island. 2 
 The people, he says, were divided among Quakers, Ana 
 baptists, Independents, Grortonians, and infidels, with a 
 remnant of true Churchmen. He then proceeds to suggest 
 a remedy in the settlement of a competent number of 
 Clergy in the several townships under the jurisdiction of 
 a Bishop, the establishment of schools, and a proper 
 encouragement from the civil government. A new and 
 most painful duty was imposed upon him in 1723, in 
 attending daily, for nearly two months, a great number of 
 pirates, who were brought into Rhode Island, tried, con 
 victed, and executed. 
 
 There is probably not a single Mission at the present 
 time in the whole of our North American colonies so beset 
 with difficulties and discouragements, and so entirely 
 dependent upon the zeal and judgment of the individual 
 Clergymen in charge, as were most of the parishes in the 
 now independent states at the commencement of the last 
 century. No better instance can be given than this of 
 Rhode Island, where a single Clergyman was set to labour 
 in the midst of a population hostile for the most part to 
 the Church, and without the smallest support from secular 
 authority. 
 
 In 1728 Mr. Honyman, and another clergyman, the Rev. 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. v. p. 154. 2 Ibid. vol. ix. p. 387. 
 
VIII.] REV. GEORGE PIGOT. 167 
 
 J. Macsparran, who, since 1719, had occupied the Mission of 
 Narraganset, sent home a joint memorial, in which, after 
 complaining of the " frowns and discouragements" to which 
 they were subjected by the Government, they stated that 
 there was only " one baptized Christian in their whole 
 legislature." l 
 
 In a subsequent letter Mr. Honyman introduces to the 
 Society Mr. Samuel Seabury, 2 who had been a dissenting 
 preacher, but had become, on principle, a convert to the 
 Church ; and announces the arrival at Providence of Mr. 
 Browne, recently ordained in England. 
 
 The only further extract that need be given from Mr. 
 Honyman s correspondence, is dated September, 1732, and 
 occurs in connexion with an application to the Society for 
 a small increase to his stipend to enable him to provide for 
 his family. " Between New York and Boston, the distance 
 of 300 miles, and wherein are many Missions, there is not 
 a congregation in the way of the Church of England that 
 can pretend to compare with mine, or equal it in any 
 respect ; nor does my Church consist of members that 
 were of it when I came here, for I have buried them all ; 
 nor is there any one person now alive that did then belong 
 to it, so that our present appearing is entirely owing to 
 the blessing of God upon my endeavours to serve Him." 3 
 
 In consequence of his urgent representations of the want 
 of a Missionary at Providence, a place about thirty miles 
 distant from Newport, and where he had preached to such 
 numbers that no house could hold them, and his hearers 
 were obliged to adjourn to the open fields, the Society sent 
 there, in 1742, the Rev. George Pigot. The people had 
 already, by great exertions, erected a wooden church, and 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xxi. p. 417. 
 
 2 Father of the first Bishop of Connecticut. 3 MS. Letters, vol. xxiv. p. 137. 
 
168 RHODE ISLAND. [cH. 
 
 the congregation rapidly increased after Mr. Pigot s arrival. 
 Before, however, entering upon this Mission, he was sta 
 tioned for a time at Stratford, where he says, " Our cause 
 flourishes mightily in this country; indeed, so much so, 
 that our neighbours look on with astonishment. The 
 Mathers are diligent in sending circular letters to all 
 places, exhorting them to trace the pious steps of their 
 forefathers." l It was to Mr. Pigot that Mr. Johnson and 
 his friends first communicated their leaning to the Church 
 of England, and on their invitation he attended the 
 conference at New -Haven College, which ultimately ended, 
 as has been stated already, in their conforming to the 
 Church. 
 
 We cannot pass by this period of American Church 
 history without referring to one of the noblest instances 
 of self-devotion that is to be found in the annals of Chris 
 tianity. In 1725, Dr. Berkeley, then recently promoted to 
 the valuable deanery of Derry, published a " Proposal for 
 the better supplying of Churches in our Foreign Planta 
 tions, and for converting the savage Americans to Chris 
 tianity." His plan was to erect a college in Bermuda, for 
 the education of the children of the planters and of the 
 native Americans, with a view to prepare them as Mis 
 sionaries. But he did not publish this project as the 
 speculation of a benevolent philosopher, for more practical 
 men to take up and act upon if they thought good. 
 Although at the height of fame and fortune, the most 
 distinguished in a society of distinguished men, he offered 
 to resign his rich and honourable preferment, and devote 
 the remainder of his life to the education of the children 
 of the wild natives of America, on a maintenance of 100. 
 a-year. And such was the effect of this noble enthusiasm, 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xvii. p. 346. 
 
VIII.] DEAN BERKELEY. 169 
 
 that three fellows of Trinity College, Dublin men whose 
 names are deserving of lasting honour, William Thompson, 
 Jonathan Rogers, and James King Clergymen and Masters 
 of Arts, offered themselves as his companions, and freely 
 consented to exchange the dignified position and secure 
 prospects of a Dublin fellowship for the laborious and 
 irksome duty of teaching savage children in an obscure 
 island of the Atlantic, on a provision of 401. a-year. 
 
 Dean Swift, who gave Berkeley a letter of introduction 
 to Lord Carteret, describes the whole project with his 
 characteristic humour. He says, September 3, 1724, 
 66 There is a gentleman of this kingdom first gone for 
 England ; it is Dr. George Berkeley, Dean of Derry, the 
 best preferment among us, being worth about 1,1 00. 
 a-year. . . He is an absolute philosopher with regard to 
 money, titles, and power ; and for three years past has 
 been struck with a notion of founding a university at 
 Bermuda. He hath seduced several of the hopefullest 
 young Clergymen and others here, many of them well 
 provided for, and all of them in the fairest way of prefer 
 ment. . . He showed me a little tract, which he designs 
 to publish, and there your Excellency will see his whole 
 scheme of a life academico-philosophical of a college 
 founded for Indian scholars and Missionaries, where he 
 most exorbitantly proposeth a whole hundred pounds 
 a-year for himself, forty pounds for a fellow, and ten for 
 a student. His heart will break if his deanery be not 
 taken from him, and left to your Excellency s disposal. 
 I discourage him by the coldness of courts and ministers, 
 who will interpret all this as impossible and a vision ; but 
 nothing will do. And therefore I do humbly entreat your 
 Excellency, either to use such persuasions as will keep one 
 of the first men in this kingdom for learning and virtue 
 
170 RHODE ISLAND. [CH. 
 
 quite at home, or assist him by your credit to compass his 
 romantic design, which, however, is very noble and gener 
 ous, and directly proper for a great person of your excel 
 lent education to encourage." l 
 
 The plan having been recommended to the King s 
 favourable attention, His Majesty was pleased to grant a 
 charter for the proposed institution, under the name of 
 St. Paul s College, Bermuda, to consist of a President and 
 nine Fellows, who were bound to maintain and educate 
 Indian scholars at an annual cost of IOL Dr. Berkeley 
 was named the first President, and his three companions 
 above-mentioned Fellows. In reply to an address from 
 the House of Commons, the sum of 20,000/. out of lands 
 in St. Christopher s was promised by the Minister; and 
 several private subscriptions were raised for promoting 
 what the King in his answer to the address had deno 
 minated so te pious an undertaking." 
 
 The Dean set sail in September, 1728, for Rhode Island, 
 with the intention of purchasing lands on the American 
 continent for the endowment of his college. 
 
 But he was leaning on a broken reed in trusting to such 
 a Minister as Walpole. The greater part of the fund out 
 of which the purchase-money of estates for the sustenance 
 of the college was to be paid, had already been bestowed 
 as a marriage portion on the Princess Royal ; and when 
 the Bishop of London (Gibson) applied to Sir Robert Wal 
 pole to redeem his pledge, after many previous excuses, the 
 Bishop at length received this very characteristic answer : 
 " If you put this question to me as a Minister, I must and 
 can assure you that the money shall most undoubtedly be 
 paid as soon as suits with public convenience ; but if you 
 ask me as a friend, whether Dean Berkeley should continue 
 
 1 Life of Bishop Berkeley, prefixed to his Works, p. 7, note. 
 
VIII.] BISHOP BERKELEY. 171 
 
 in America, expecting the payment of 20,000/., I advise 
 him by all means to return home to Europe, and to give 
 up his present expectations." Thus, to the same Minister 
 attaches the shame of having defeated the two noblest 
 projects that were ever formed for the benefit of the 
 American Church the one for the erection of four 
 Bishoprics, in 1715, and the other for the establishment of 
 a Missionary College, at Bermuda, in 1729. 
 
 On receiving this answer, the Dean had no alternative 
 but to bear his disappointment as he best might, and 
 abandon " a scheme whereon he had expended much of 
 his private fortune, and more than seven years of the 
 prime of his life." 1 Having distributed the books which 
 he carried over with him, he returned to London, and soon 
 afterwards, in February, 1731-32, preached the anni 
 versary sermon before the Society for the Propagation of 
 the Gospel. As he had himself resided for two years in 
 Rhode Island, and had thus had the best opportunities of 
 learning the character which the Clergy bore in that and 
 the neighbouring colonies, it is an act of simple justice to 
 record his deliberate testimony in their favour. " I speak 
 it knowingly," he says, " that the Ministers of the Gospel 
 in those provinces which go by the name of New England, 
 sent and supported at the expense of this Society, have, by 
 their sobriety of manners, discreet behaviour, and a com 
 petent degree of useful knowledge, shown themselves 
 worthy of the choice of those who sent them." 2 
 
 This subject cannot better be concluded than by citing the 
 following noble testimony of Sir James Mackintosh to the 
 genius, learning, and, above all, the Christian devotedness, 
 of Bishop Berkeley : 
 
 1 Life of Bishop Berkeley, p. 11 
 
 2 Sermon, p. 21. 
 
172 RHODE ISLAND. [CH. 
 
 " Ancient learning, exact science, polished society, modern 
 literature, and the fine arts, contributed to adorn and enrich 
 the mind of this accomplished man. All his contemporaries 
 agreed with the satirist in ascribing 
 
 1 To Berkeley every virtue under heaven. 
 
 Adverse, factious, and hostile wits concurred only in loving, 
 admiring, and contributing to advance him. The severe sense 
 of Swift endured his visions ; the modest Addison endeavoured 
 to reconcile Clarke to his ambitious speculations. His character 
 converted the satire of Pope into fervid praise. Even the dis^- 
 cerning, fastidious, and turbulent Atterbury said, after an inter 
 view with him, So much understanding, so much knowledge, 
 so much innocence, and such humility, I did not think had 
 been the portion of any but angels until I saw this gentle 
 man. 
 
 " Lord Bathurst told me that, the members of the Scriblerus 
 Club being met at his house at dinner, they agreed to rally 
 Berkeley, who was also his guest, on his scheme at Bermudas. 
 Berkeley, having listened to the many lively things they had to 
 say, begged to be heard in his turn, and displayed his plan with 
 such an astonishing and animating force of eloquence and enthu 
 siasm, that they were struck dumb ; and after some pause, rose 
 all up together with earnestness, exclaiming, Let us set out with 
 him immediately. It was when thus beloved and celebrated that 
 he conceived, at the age of forty-five, the design of devoting his 
 life to reclaim and convert the natives of North America ; and he 
 employed as much influence and solicitation as common men do 
 for their most prized objects, in obtaining leave to resign his 
 dignities and revenues, to quit his accomplished and affectionate 
 friends, and to bury himself in what must have seemed an intel 
 lectual desert. After four years residence at Newport, in Rhode 
 Island, he was compelled, by the refusal of Government to furnish 
 him with funds for his college, to forego this work of heroic, or 
 rather godlike, benevolence ; though not without some consoling 
 forethought of the fortune of the country where he had 
 sojourned. 
 
VIII.] BISHOP BERKELEY. 173 
 
 " Westward the course of empire takes its way : 
 
 The first four acts already past ; 
 A fifth shall close the drama with the day 
 Time s noblest offspring is its last. " a 
 
 Before quitting this subject, it may be proper to men 
 tion, that many years after his return, Berkeley, then 
 Bishop of Cloyne, directed the balance of the sum which 
 was originally contributed for the erection and endowment 
 of a college at Bermuda, and which had never been re 
 claimed by the subscribers, to be paid to the Society, for 
 the furtherance of its designs in the Colonies. The offer 
 was made in the following letter, addressed to Dr. Bearcroft, 
 the Secretary. It bears no date, but is indorsed 1747 : 
 
 " REV. SIR, Two hundred pounds of the money contributed 
 towards the college intended at Bermuda I have left many years 
 lodged in the bank of Messrs. Hoare and Arnold in Fleet-street, 
 designing to return it (as I had already done by other sums) to 
 the donors when known. But, as these continue still unknown, 
 and there is no likelihood of my ever knowing them, I think the 
 properest use that can be made of that sum is, to place it in the 
 hands of your Society for Propagating the Gospel, to be employed 
 by them in the furtherance of their good work, in such manner 
 as to them shall seem most useful. If the Society thinks fit, 
 I believe fifty pounds of it might be usefully employed in pur 
 chasing the most approved writings of the divines of the Church 
 of England, to which I would have added the Earl of Clarendon s 
 History of the Civil Wars, and the whole sent as a benefaction to 
 Harvard College, 2 at Cambridge, near Boston, New England, as a 
 proper means to inform their judgment and dispose them to 
 think better of our Church. 
 
 " I am, Rev. Sir, 
 
 " Your faithful humble Servant, 
 
 " G. CLOYNE." 3 
 
 1 Dissertation on the Progress of Ethical Philosophy, pp. 209, 210. 
 
 2 So named after John Harvard, who, in 1638, bequeathed one half of his 
 estate, and all his library, to the College. Bancroft, vol. i. p. 459. 
 
 3 Original Letters, vol. viii. 1. 192. 
 
174 CONNECTICUT. [cH. 
 
 As it may be interesting to many readers to know what 
 were the books recommended by so distinguished a man, 
 we subjoin the postscript of a second letter, dated April 18, 
 1747. 
 
 " As you intimated a desire that I should name some more 
 books, I have ventured to set down the following, with due sub 
 mission, nevertheless, to the judgment of the Venerable Society : 
 Hooker, Chillingworth, the Sermons of Barrow, Tillotson, Sharp, 
 and Clarke, Scott s Christian Life, Pearson on the Creed, Burnet 
 on the Thirty-nine Articles, Burnet s History of the Reformation, 
 Abp. Spotswood s History of the Church of Scotland, Clarendon s 
 History, Prideaux s Connection, Cave s Historia Literaria Ecclesise, 
 Hammond s Annotations, Pole s Synopsis Critic., the Patres Apc- 
 stolici published by Le Clerc, with the Dissertations of Pearson, 
 &c., on the Epistles of Saint Ignatius. These, I guess, will amount 
 to about thirty pounds ; if approved of, the Society will be pleased 
 to add as many more as will make up the fifty pounds, or other 
 wise they will be pleased to name them all." 
 
 How valuable such books were likely to be may be con 
 jectured from a memorable event which had occurred a 
 few years previously I mean the ordination, under very 
 peculiar circumstances, of four graduates of Yale 1 College, 
 all of whom had been born and nurtured in the Presbyte 
 rian persuasion, while two of them were actually preachers. 
 
 On the 18th January, 1722-3, letters were read at a 
 general meeting of the Society, strongly recommending to 
 its regard and good offices Mr. Timothy Cutler, late Pre 
 sident of Yale College ; Mr. Daniel Brown, late tutor of 
 the same ; and Mr. Samuel Johnson, late pastor at West- 
 haven. 
 
 The history of their conformity is remarkable. They 
 
 1 This College derives its name from one of its principal benefactors, 
 Elihu Yale, who was born at Newhaven, in 1648. Holmes s American 
 Annals, vol. ii. p. 104. To this College Berkeley gave his estate, which is 
 known to this day as " the Dean s Farm." Dr. Jarvis, 
 
VIII.] STUDENTS OF YALE COLLEGE. 175 
 
 were intimate friends, of literary character, and an inquir 
 ing disposition. At the commencement of the eighteenth 
 century, learning was at a very low ebb in New Eng 
 land, and those who had been educated in traditional 
 hostility to the Church of England had but little chance 
 of acquiring more correct notions on the subject of church 
 government by the study of ecclesiastical history. But, 
 about the year 1714, a library containing, besides many 
 valuable works of science, several of the best writers of 
 theology, as Barrow, Patrick, Lowth, Sharp, Scott, 
 Whitby, and Sherlock, was sent over to the College, 
 which was then at Saybrook. This importation was as 
 springs of water to the thirsty land. 
 
 The young friends entered upon the course of study 
 thus opened before them with avidity. The doctrines and 
 practices of the primitive Church came under examination ; 
 and they could trace but little resemblance to the apostolic 
 model in either the discipline or the worship established 
 among themselves. This naturally occasioned them great 
 uneasiness and misgiving. They determined candidly to 
 re-examine the whole subject, and to read the best works 
 on both sides of the controversy. The consequence was, 
 that their doubts of the validity of congregational ordina 
 tion were changed into a serious conviction that it was 
 altogether without authority. The frequent meetings and 
 conferences of the friends, two of them occupying chief 
 places in Yale College, could not fail to excite atten 
 tion. The trustees became alarmed at the reports which 
 were circulated on the subject ; and, accordingly, the day 
 after the Commencement, they requested an interview 
 with them in the college library. Messrs. Cutler, Brown, 
 Johnson, Wetmore, Hart, Eliot, and Whittelsey, attended, 
 and were desired, from the youngest to the eldest, to state 
 
176 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 their views on the matters in dispute. Thus challenged, 
 some of them confessed their doubts of the validity of 
 Presbyterian orders, while others plainly declared that 
 they considered them invalid. This was in September 
 1722. They were entreated to reconsider their opinions, 
 and a formal disputation was subsequently held ; but the 
 ultimate result was, that three of them, Messrs. Cutler, 
 Brown, and Johnson, determined upon resigning their 
 respective stations, and seeking holy orders from the 
 Bishops of the English Church. 1 Mr, Wetmore adopted 
 the same course a few months later. Messrs. Hart, Eliot, 
 and Whittelsey, although apparently preferring the epi 
 scopal regimen, yet not deeming Presbyterianism unlawful, 
 remained in their old position ; honourably abstaining, 
 however, from taking any part in opposition to the 
 Church. 
 
 The three friends who had so deliberately, and at such a 
 sacrifice, resolved upon seeking admission into the Church, 
 sailed from Boston on the 5th of November, and, after 
 a stormy passage, landed at Ramsgate on the 15th of 
 December. They immediately proceeded to Canterbury, 
 but were obliged to wait three days for the stage-coach. 
 Thus an opportunity was afforded them of witnessing a 
 most striking contrast to all that they had left behind 
 them. The beauty, the order, the solemnity of the service 
 must have proved an indescribable comfort to men who 
 had just emerged from the bare and modern system of the 
 Presbyterians ; while the magnificence of the cathedral, 
 and the music of its choir, must have been strangely dif 
 ferent from all that they had been accustomed to in the 
 wilderness of New England. During their stay in Canter- 
 
 1 The change in their views is said to have been effected mainly by 
 " Scott s Christian Life." 
 
VIII.] CUTLER, JOHNSON, AND BROWNE. 177 
 
 bury, they received every attention from the excellent 
 Dean Stanhope and the prebendaries ; and, on their arrival 
 in town, they were cordially welcomed by the Bishop of 
 London (Dr. Robinson) and the principal members of the 
 Society. The following testimony to their, high character 
 and disinterested motives is given in a letter from the 
 churchwardens and vestry of Rhode Island, which was 
 read at a general meeting of the Society. " It is plain 
 these gentlemen have, in this important affair, acted 
 like Christians and men of virtue and honour, without 
 any sordid private views of interest or advancement ; for 
 as they were not dismissed their posts and offices for any 
 vice or immorality, they being universally acknowledged, 
 and even by our Church s greatest enemies, to be persons 
 of unspotted characters and the nicest virtue, so neither 
 were they compelled to a conformity by any other neces 
 sity than that of pursuing the dictates of a good con 
 science ; and for the sake of that indeed they have forsaken 
 their dearest interest and valuable settlements." 1 There 
 was also read, on the same occasion, a letter from the Rev. 
 James Orem, who said, " I can scarce express the hard 
 ships they have undergone, and the indignities that have 
 been put upon them by the worst sort of dissenters, who 
 bear sway here : and several honest gentlemen, who 
 declared for the Church with them, but, by reason of the 
 unhappy circumstances of their families, can t go for Eng 
 land, lie now under all the hardships and pressure that the 
 malice and rage of the implacable enemies of our excellent 
 Church and constitution can subject them to ; but I hope 
 their suffering condition will be taken into consideration 
 at home." 
 
 After the usual examination, the three candidates 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xvi. 311. 
 
 N 
 
178 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 were admitted into holy orders, first as deacons, and then 
 as priests, in St. Martin s church, by Dr. Green, Bishop of 
 Norwich, and vicar of the parish, who officiated for the 
 Bishop of London, then at the point of death. It was 
 afterwards determined that Mr. Cutler should be sent to 
 Boston, Mr. Browne to Bristol (New England), and Mr. 
 Johnson to Stratford. 1 
 
 Such was the plan for supplying some of the more im 
 portant stations in the Colony ; but it pleased God to call 
 away one of those who had just been separated to His 
 more especial service, before he could enter upon his 
 ministry. Mr. Browne was seized with the small-pox 
 within a week after his ordination, and rapidly sank under 
 the disease. 
 
 His surviving friends, during their short stay in Eng 
 land, visited the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, 
 where they were received with every mark of distinction, 
 and admitted to honorary degrees. They took every 
 opportunity, both there and in London, of entering fully 
 into the condition of the Colonial Church, and of showing 
 the injury it was suffering for want of an episcopate. 
 They who had crossed the ocean to obtain lawful ordi 
 nation, and were even then mourning over the death of a 
 companion who had fallen a victim to the disease of the 
 country, had good right to speak warmly on this subject ; 
 and in Bishop Gibson, who had now succeeded to the see 
 of London, they found not merely an attentive listener, but 
 one who proved himself most anxious to redress the evils 
 of which they complained. 
 
 Dr. Cutler and Mr. Johnson returned, in the summer of 
 1724, to their own country, and immediately proceeded to 
 
 1 Chandler s Life of Johnson, p. 35. 
 
VIII.] REV. DR. CUTLER. 179 
 
 take charge of the Missions which had been assigned to 
 them. 
 
 That of Dr. Cutler, it has already been stated, was in the 
 important town of Boston, and it is worthy of remark that 
 his first letter to the Society, dated January 4, 1724, 
 contains a strongly expressed opinion that new life would 
 be given to the American Church by the appointment of 
 a Bishop to preside over it. Immediately upon his 
 arrival he set himself to complete the Church in which 
 he was to minister. Three years afterwards he reports, 
 that the congregation had grown from 400 persons to 700 
 or 800. At this time, the population, which was rapidly 
 on the increase, amounted to upwards of 20,000 ; of which 
 the members of the Church constituted about a sixth or 
 a seventh part. The remainder consisted of Presbyterians, 
 Independents, Anabaptists, and Quakers. 2 
 
 From time to time Dr. Cutler sent accounts to the 
 Society of the numbers he had baptized, including gene 
 rally a few adult persons, and frequently some negroes. 
 Additions, too, were very often made to his congregation 
 by the admission of dissenters. In 1728 he recounts the 
 case of Samuel Freeman, who had been born and brought 
 up a dissenter, but had, notwithstanding, " on sober con 
 viction, without any temporal views, and in a most inof 
 fensive manner, come into our communion, still retaining 
 an excellent reputation among all that knew him." He 
 died young, and left by his will 1,000/. of New England 
 money, one-half for the Church, the other for the educa 
 tion of episcopal scholars at Harvard College. 3 Many from 
 that institution were in the habit of joining Dr. Cutler s 
 congregation, expressing " great affection to the Church of 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xix. p. 466. 2 Ibid. vol. xx. p, 260. 
 
 3 Ibid, vol.xxi. p. 416. 
 
 N2 
 
180 BOSTON. [CH. 
 
 England, and wanting nothing but a resident Bishop to 
 invite them into it." 1 
 
 But the mass of the people were still " without," and 
 the anxious Pastor was frequently subjected to the pain 
 of seeing his own quiet flock disturbed by the wild doc 
 trines of intruding teachers. The excesses to which the 
 people were led by their fanatical guides, may be gathered 
 from the following extracts. In thanking the Society for 
 some books which he had received, Dr. Cutler says, 
 June 17th, 1742, " Those against enthusiasm are very 
 seasonable, and have had very good effects ; but they 
 oppose a mighty torrent, whereby, in many places, all 
 sense, and reason, and Scripture, and counsel, and order, 
 have been borne down. We have had in our conventicles 
 and streets everything wild and inconsistent ; in our towns, 
 families, and neighbourhoods, discord and distraction, 
 which has ended the lives of some, and the usefulness of 
 others, and stagnated trade and industry. Connecticut 
 government has groaned much under this burden, made 
 laws against it, and sent out of their government one 
 Davenport, a very troublesome person in this kind. He 
 is come into this government, and the 28th instant entered 
 this great town, and, with considerable company, sang 
 hymns in a procession to his lodgings, and, in the like 
 manner, went the next day, the space of near half a mile, 
 into our common, and held forth to many thousands ; and 
 after promising them the like service this day, he returned 
 as he went ; all which is like to continue and increase the 
 lamentable disorders and confusions now among us. But 
 through Divine goodness our churches, though not free 
 from trouble, are comparatively in a good degree of quiet, 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xxi. p. 465. 
 
VIII.] REV. DR. CUTLER. 181 
 
 and many dissenters have observed our happiness in it, and 
 we hope will see reason to come to us." 
 
 He gives the following returns of his Mission : " There 
 are ordinarily about seventy at our communion, and the 
 parishioners are somewhat more than six hundred. We 
 have in this town ten independent congregations ; the 
 number being increased by the division of one society, 
 upon differences that arose about one of their teachers, 
 who now hath a new conventicle erected for him. And 
 there are three smaller congregations of French, Anabap 
 tists, and Quakers : Papists, I believe, we have many, but 
 they are so dispersed, disguised, and concealed, that it is 
 next to impossible to enumerate them." l 
 
 We learn from what follows that Whitfield had been at 
 Boston and had left behind him, as at other places, a legacy 
 of discord and confusion. 
 
 " There is peace, and, I hope, edification, too, in my Church. 
 The greatest interruption to it at present, here and elsewhere, is 
 the enthusiasm Mr. Whitfield hath sowed among us, and which 
 now, in his absence, puts itself forth in dismal fruits throughout 
 the country. There are enough to cherish the ill work begun by 
 him ; among others, many illiterate tradesmen are helping it 
 forward, pretending a call to the public exercise of their gifts of 
 praying and preaching, and are now vying with, and probably 
 will jostle out, sundry of their teachers in one place or another. 
 The teachers, disaffected to our present commotions, are afraid of 
 stemming the popular fury, observing in some of their brethren 
 the ill consequence of it. Connecticut is reported to be a scene 
 of the most dreadful disorders at this time." 2 
 
 The next extract will show that the dissenters were the 
 principal sufferers from that spirit of dangerous excite 
 ment which they were the first to encourage. 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. L 1. 14. 2 Ibid, vol.i. 1. 18. 
 
182 BOSTON. [CH. 
 
 " The dissenting interest now suffers greatly from that animosity 
 and confusion which enthusiasm has spread all over this town and 
 country; and a prevailing cry among them is for sounder doctrine, 
 and regenerate and converted ministers. This multiplies separa 
 tions, and many have forsaken their stated places of worship, and 
 their former teachers, and heaped up others, gifted men and 
 women, whom they attend on the Sundays in private houses ; 
 besides that several new congregations are formed by it. And it 
 is probable that, by such private meetings in this town, we may 
 have a new Anabaptist conventicle set up, if not some others. . . 
 However, there is reason sufficient for us all to be weary of these 
 things j the inconveniences are general, and may reach many 
 succeeding generations. Order, peace, justice, and relative duties, 
 become very low prized. Religion is corrupted in theory and 
 practice, and we fear many will be tempted to lay all aside. 
 Books of this unhappy tendency, books Calvinistic, enthusiastical, 
 and Antinomian, do abound. 1 
 
 A few more passages may be quoted, illustrative of the 
 effects of appealing to the feelings of an ignorant popu 
 lace, without any attempt to inform their reason, or to 
 enlighten their conscience. 
 
 " June llth, 1741. The ill effects of Mr. Whitfield s visit to 
 us might in some measure have been worn off could we have 
 been preserved from his writings, and those of his converts and 
 followers, now spread all over our country, with no sufficient 
 number of the excellent and various antidotes that England is 
 furnished with ; and from those who, with his spirit, have since 
 carried on his designs with too great success, I need mention only 
 one, Gilbert Tennent, a teacher living to the southward, who 
 visited us the last winter, and afflicted us more than the most intense 
 cold and snow that ever was known among us, and kept even the 
 most tender people travelling night and day to hear the most 
 vulgar, crude, and boisterous things from him, to the ruin of the 
 health of many, and the poisoning of more with unsound divinity ; 
 so that charity is much extinguished, order violated, visionaries, 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. i. 1. 15. 
 
VIII.] REV. DR. CUTLER. 183 
 
 young and old, abound and think themselves obliged to exhibit 
 their gifts of praying and expounding to all that will attend 
 them. 
 
 " I believe the Episcopal Clergy are generally guarding against 
 these inconveniences and dangers, and hope not to fail on my 
 part, as I would not (by the grace of God) in any other point of 
 duty." 1 
 
 " September 25th, 1741. The Society do much oblige their 
 Missionaries by the good books they send them, especially those 
 occasioned by the disorders and confusions Mr. Whitfield and his 
 disciples have wrought among us. It would be happier still had 
 we greater numbers to disperse, to allay the dismal ferment now 
 raised. For, though at present the operations of reason are stifled 
 in thousands, and many families and places are perfect bedlams, 
 yet there are some whom good books and arguments are welcome 
 to, and are ready to benefit others at lucid intervals. I am able 
 to pronounce upon the good effects of sundry books sent to us ; 
 but one we have not had before, namely, " The trial of Mr. Whit- 
 field s Spirit," and there being but two sets, it cannot be much 
 communicated. My opinion is, that it would highly serve us 
 were it spread abroad j but modesty will not allow me to deliver 
 it to the Society without facts to strengthen it." 2 
 
 " June 30th, 1743. I know not whether our visionary feuds 
 are at the height, or when they will end ; but, thank God, they 
 are much kept in the bounds of those who began them. This the 
 soberest people see, lamenting their unhappiness compared with 
 ours ; and many are perfectly bewildered, and in anxious uncer 
 tainty, when they see their teachers with their " Testimonies " and 
 " Counter Testimonies," (a copy of such I now trouble the honour 
 able Society with,) disputing and contending with, accusing and 
 excusing one another in pulpit, print, and conversation, and those 
 of either side in several places scarce able to keep their congrega 
 tions ; and when, to an impartial view, notwithstanding all that 
 is pretended, morality and peace are sensibly decaying and depart 
 ing from us ; and as to our country towns, many of them are 
 every now and then rioting in their enthusiasms." 3 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. iii. 1. 5. 2 Ibid. 1. 53. 
 
 3 Ibid. vol. iv. 1. 30. 
 
184 BOSTON. [CH. 
 
 In a letter dated December, 1744, Dr. Cutler gives an 
 account of the effects of Mr. Whitfield s return to the 
 country : " Enthusiasm might have subsided sooner if he 
 had not renewed his visit. He has brought town and 
 country into trouble. Multitudes flock after him, but 
 without that fervency and fury as heretofore. For some 
 are ashamed of what is past ; others, both of teachers and 
 people, make loud opposition, being sadly hurt by the 
 animosities, divisions, and separations, that have ensued 
 upon it, and the sad intermissions of labour and business : 
 and observing libertine principles and practice advancing 
 on it, and the Church little ruffled by such disorders, but 
 growing in numbers and reputation. Mr. Whitfield keeps 
 distant from the episcopal clergy, and they from him, 
 labouring all the while to keep their flocks from the devious 
 paths he would entice them into, and, I hope, with good 
 success." 1 
 
 After a time the violence of religious phrensy appears 
 to have abated; and it is instructive to observe that it 
 tended, in no slight degree, to the strengthening of that 
 Church against which it was directed. 
 
 " 1746. The tempest of enthusiasm is over, though the being 
 of it is not. The itinerants that come to us in Mr. Whitfield s 
 spirit find not the encouragement in this town they were wont to 
 do. Should Mr. Whitfield visit us from the southward, his opera 
 tions would, I believe, be weaker than heretofore. The Church, 
 to be sure, apprehends the less disturbance from him the offcener 
 he visits us. The dissenters who cherished him are now the suf 
 ferers, and his particular friends the most; their teachers not 
 contenting many of their own people, who separate from them 
 because unregenerate and unconverted. Many dissenters are 
 awakened by these disorders, inclined or repairing to the Church 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. v. 1. 55. 
 
VIII.] REV. DR. CUTLER. 185 
 
 as their only refuge. Others can t conceal the tokens of their 
 sorrow, but are not very free to confess their errors." l 
 
 In December of the same year he says, that on Christ 
 mas-day the dissenters attended the holy communion in 
 great numbers, "who generally think the better of our 
 Church under Mr. Whitfield s invectives against it ; and 
 many of them take it as a refuge from those corrupt prin 
 ciples and those disorders he has spread among them." 2 
 
 Almost every letter written about this period contains 
 some reference to the wild phrensy of enthusiasm which 
 had been excited by Whitfield, and kept up by his still 
 more violent followers. But worse consequences ensued. 
 " We must lament," says Dr. Cutler, June 26th, 1749, 
 " the remarkable growth of principles very unfriendly to 
 revelation, and the main articles of it. I hope the Mis 
 sionaries are not wanting, in some degree, to an opposition 
 to these things ; but even many sober dissenters do think 
 a resident Bishop would be a blessing in this respect ; and 
 not a few seem to rejoice at the news encouraging a hope 
 of it, though others, and the much bigger number, are 
 ready, according to their power, to defeat it. And if they 
 should make a representation to that purpose, I doubt not 
 but every honest Churchman in the plantations is ready, to 
 his utmost, to clear off what objections may be thrown in 
 the way, as well as to give a Bishop a very reverend and 
 hearty welcome." 3 
 
 Six months afterwards he again alludes to the presence 
 of a Bishop as the remedy for many of the disorders under 
 which they were suffering. " Might we but welcome a 
 resident Bishop, (as we apprehend multitudes, many more 
 than are generally known, are ready to do,) the Church 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. vii. 1. 16. 2 Ibid. 
 
 3 Ibid. vol. x. 1. 63; 
 
186 BOSTON. [CH. 
 
 might be a retreat from these miseries and disorders, and 
 effectually invite all but the incurable." 1 
 
 And again, May 17th, 1751 : " There is no true Church 
 man here but mourns under the obstructions there are to 
 the settlement of Bishops with us ; but this does not lessen 
 our obligations to those great and good men that have been 
 zealous in our favour." 2 
 
 It is edifying to see a man of Dr. Cutler s intellectual 
 powers devoting himself, through a long life, to the humble 
 duties of a Missionary. That he had acquired a consider 
 able reputation for science and learning, is plain from the 
 testimony of Dr. Miller, in his <c Retrospect of the Eigh 
 teenth Century." He says, " In Connecticut, at this time, 
 literature and science were, on the whole, gaining ground. 
 The appointment of the Rev. Dr. Cutler as President of 
 Yale College, was an auspicious event to that institution. 
 He was a man of profound and general learning in the 
 various branches of knowledge cultivated in his day, par 
 ticularly in oriental literature, and presided over the 
 seminary he was called to superintend with dignity, use 
 fulness, and general approbation." In a note we are 
 furnished with the following additional particulars: 
 
 " The Rev. Dr. Timothy Cutler received his education 
 at Harvard College, where he graduated in 1701. 
 
 "In 1710 he was ordained and installed Minister of a 
 Church in Stratford, according to the constitution of the 
 Churches in Connecticut. In 1719 he was chosen Presi 
 dent of Yale College, and entered on the duties of the 
 office the same year. In 1722 he relinquished the congre 
 gational communion, and soon afterwards went to England, 
 and received orders in the Episcopal Church. He received 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xi. 1. 10. 
 
 2 Ibid. vol. xii. 1. 18. 
 
VIII.] REV. SAMUEL JOHNSON. 187 
 
 the degree of doctor in divinity from both the universities 
 of Oxford and Cambridge. He became Rector of Christ 
 Church, in Boston, in the year 1723, where he died in 
 1765. He is represented to have been a man of strong 
 natural powers, and of extensive learning. He was well 
 acquainted with classic literature, and was one of the best 
 oriental scholars ever educated in America. The Rev. 
 Dr. Stiles says, f he had more knowledge of the Arabic 
 than any man in New England before him, except Presi 
 dent Chauncey, and his disciple, the first Mr. Thatcher. 
 Dr. Cutler was also well skilled in logic, metaphysics, 
 moral philosophy, theology, and ecclesiastical history." 1 
 
 The course of Mr. Johnson at Stratford, was, in many 
 respects, similar to that of his friend, Dr. Cutler, at 
 ^Boston. Stratford itself contained, at the time of his taking 
 charge of the Mission, about thirty episcopal families ; and 
 the neighbouring towns of Fairneld, Newton, Ripton, 
 about forty more. Mr. Johnson was, at that time, the 
 only Clergyman in the province ; and, as doubtless he 
 had anticipated, was, on his first return there, regarded 
 as an apostate. He makes no complaint, however, of 
 the treatment which he received, but only laments the 
 persecution, even to imprisonment, of men and women, 
 which certain members of his congregation suffered for 
 refusing to pay taxes to dissenting preachers. In spite, 
 however, of these discouragements, the Church gradually 
 increased, and would have done so more rapidly, but for 
 the want of Clergymen. There was no lack of young 
 men willing to enter into the sacred ministry, but they were 
 deterred from their purpose by the hazard and expense of 
 a long voyage, so that the members of every sect were for 
 ever taunting the churchmen with their helpless condition, 
 1 Chandler s Life of Johnson, p. 154. 
 
188 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 and telling them that, if the Church of England were a 
 true Church, and that Bishops were necessary to its 
 government, one would have been sent long ago. 1 
 In 1727 he writes as follows to the Secretary : 
 
 " I am just come from Fairfield, where I have been to visit a 
 considerable number of my people, in prison for their rates to the 
 dissenting minister, to comfort and encourage them under their 
 sufferings ; but verily, unless we can have relief, and be deli 
 vered from this unreasonable treatment, I fear I must give up the 
 cause, and our Church must sink and come to nothing. There 
 are thirty-five families in Fairfield who all of them expect what 
 these have suffered ; and though I have endeavoured to gain the 
 compassion and favour of the Government, yet I can avail 
 nothing ; and both 1 and my people grow weary of our lives 
 under our poverty and affliction." l 
 
 The course of his duties, though laborious, was of too 
 uniform a character to offer any very striking incidents. 
 In every letter, however, he notices some accessions to the 
 Church from the native heathen, the negroes, or the lapsed 
 Christians. Another satisfactory circumstance, which he 
 reports in 1730, was the growing disposition of the 
 students at the college to inquire into the true principles 
 and claims of the Church, and a consequent dissatisfaction 
 with the system of dissent. Two of these, who had 
 received their education at Yale College, New-Haven 
 namely, John Pierson, and Isaac Browne, (brother of the 
 very promising candidate who had been carried off by 
 small-pox, in England, soon after his ordination,) were sent 
 home with the highest commendation, and returned to 
 exercise their ministry in the Church to which they had 
 conscientiously conformed. 
 
 In answer to a number of queries addressed by the 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xix. p. 226. 
 
VIII.] REV. SAMUEL JOHNSON. 189 
 
 Society to the Missionaries, Mr. Johnson gave, in 1727, 
 the following account of his Mission at Stratford : " The 
 first beginning of the Church of England in this town 
 was about ten or fifteen families, most of them tradesmen, 
 some husbandmen, who were born and bred up in England, 
 and came and settled here, and some of them were born 
 here, and by means of the rest reconciled to the Church. 
 It is nigh twenty years since they first endeavoured to 
 have the worship of God in the method of the Church 
 among them, but were disappointed till about five years 
 ago, ever since which, the numbers have been consider 
 ably increasing, so that now there are about fifty fami 
 lies, within the compass of ten miles square, who pretty 
 steadily frequent the Church." 1 
 
 Others attended occasionally from the surrounding 
 country, within a circuit of thirty miles ; for so ill-pro 
 vided was the settlement, that to the eastward there was 
 only one church within 100 miles, and none at all to the 
 north. The next year Mr. Johnson records the conversion 
 of two native Indians, and the reconciliation to the Church 
 of seven families who had left its communion. 2 Sub 
 sequently he informed the Society of " two or three likely 
 young gentlemen," who, having been, for some years, dis 
 senting preachers, had, by their course of reading and 
 conversation, been led to entertain doubts of the lawful 
 ness of their ministrations, and would, in all probability, 
 together with their congregations, conform to the Church. 3 
 One of these, Jonathan Arnold, was, on the recommenda 
 tion of Dr. Johnson, and at the earnest solicitation of the 
 members of the Church in Connecticut, ordained as 
 itinerant Missionary for that colony. As the Society 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xx. p. 253. 2 Ibid. vol. xxi. p. 435. 
 
 3 Ibid. vol. xxiv. p. 433. 
 
190 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 was at this time pledged to the full amount of its income, 
 and Mr. Arnold was possessed of some means of his own, 
 he expressed his readiness to serve without any stipend 
 from the Society, receiving only the very trifling allow 
 ance which could be afforded by the people. 
 
 It appears by a letter from Mr. Johnson, in 1741, that 
 the country was infested by " a variety of travelling, enthu- 
 siastical, and antinomian teachers, who so affrighted the 
 people with their dismal outcries, that their bodies were 
 frequently affected with surprising convulsions, and in 
 voluntary agitations, and cramps, but that the Church had 
 rather gained than suffered by these commotions, for that 
 three or four families had come over to it in consequence." l 
 Indeed, so considerable was the increase of the congrega 
 tion at Stratford, that it was found necessary to build a 
 new church there, while several were in the course of 
 building in different parts of the country, in the hope of 
 being provided with the services of a Missionary by the 
 Society. 2 
 
 In 1743 Mr. Johnson expresses his thanks to the Society 
 for the " excellent scheme they have concerted for provid 
 ing for such young men as offer themselves candidates 
 from hence, of whom the number is still increasing, as 
 well as that of places where they might be advantageously 
 situated." 
 
 The following interesting paragraph is taken from the 
 same letter : " I lately opened a new church at Kipton. 
 On the Sunday following, a dissenting teacher, one Mills, 
 being a great admirer of Mr. Whitfield, reviled and 
 declaimed against my sermon, which was upon the subject 
 of relative holiness, and the reverence due to the house of 
 God. -He insisted that there is no more holiness in a 
 
 1 Report for 1741. 2 Ibid. 1743, p. 44. 
 
VIII.] REV. SAMUEL JOHNSON. 191 
 
 church than under an oak-tree, &c., and soon after some 
 of his followers put his doctrine in practice, by defiling the 
 Church with ordure in several places. This zealous man 
 gave out, when Whitfield first appeared, that their employ 
 ing and encouraging that great reformer would utterly 
 destroy the Church root and branch ; but now, finding the 
 event to be the entire reverse of his predictions, he is 
 grown out of all patience with us. In the meantime, 
 while they are daily spitting out their impotent venom 
 against us, I thank God we have a blessed spirit of peace 
 and charity, and of zeal and unanimity, with every other 
 Christian virtue happily prevailing among my people, who 
 are carrying on our new Church with great dispatch, and 
 we have had several new families added, and more seem 
 likely to follow them." 1 
 
 In various subsequent letters he speaks of the demand 
 for more Clergymen, and mentions no fewer than eight 
 candidates who were anxious to proceed to England for 
 ordination. He says, February 12, 1745, "As there is 
 such a growing disposition in the people in many places to 
 forsake the tenets of enthusiasm and confusion, so there is 
 the like disposition increasing in the college, where there 
 are already ten children of the Church, and several sons of 
 dissenting parents that are much inclined to conform. 
 I was there last week, and was much pleased with their 
 exercises. . . Thus the harvest is large, and the labourers 
 not a few, who would gladly be employed, and be content 
 with as moderate wages as can be thought tolerable, when 
 ever the Society shall be in a disposition to employ them, 
 or any of them." 2 
 
 This zeal in behalf of the Church of their fathers, and 
 the desire to be employed in its ministry, which was felt 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. iv. 1. 36. 2 Ibid. vol. v. 1. 82. 
 
192 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 and expressed by so many, is the more remarkable, as the 
 sectarian government of New England continued to re 
 press every such feeling by the most wanton and harassing 
 persecution. " Though the madness " (says Mr. Johnson, 
 March 30, 1745,) " of the late enthusiasm has somewhat 
 abated, the venom of it still continues, and, I fear, rather 
 increases, and operates in a virulent manner, in many 
 places, against the Church, so that no sooner does any 
 person in authority appear for the Church, but he is soon 
 displaced, and some bitter creature set up by the Govern 
 ment in his room ; and in some places, notwithstanding 
 the law they had made in our favour, they have, of late, 
 taxed the lands of the Church people, in common with the 
 dissenters, towards the support of their ministers. I have 
 myself lately had no less than ten pounds of our money 
 forced from me toward maintaining three of the worst 
 creatures in the Government, being taxes raised upon 
 some lands I had in the places where they were teachers. 
 But what I would mention as the greatest grievance of 
 this kind, is the case of the Church people at Derby, who 
 are forced to pay such a land-tax in their own town to 
 a dissenting teacher and meeting-house in one of their 
 villages, (where they have a church of their own to finish, 
 and a Minister to provide for,) the amount of which in the 
 whole will be very considerable." 1 
 
 And not only did those who were favourably inclined to 
 the Church expose themselves to the ill-will of their pro 
 vincial government, but they were also subject to discourage 
 ments of another kind. There was no episcopal school or 
 college for the education of their children, and, in many dis 
 tricts, no service according to the usage of the Church of 
 England, insomuch that Mr. Johnson, resolute and uncom- 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. v. 1. 83. 
 
VIII.] REV. SAMUEL JOHNSON. 193 
 
 promising churchman as he was, found himself under the 
 necessity of entering into the following explanation, in 
 answer to some ill-natured rumour: "As to my son, it 
 is indeed a great mortification to me and him, that I am 
 obliged to send him to a dissenting college, or deny him 
 any public education at all ; and rather than deny him a 
 collegiate education, I confess I do not deny him going to 
 meeting when he can t help it, to which he is himself so 
 averse that nothing but necessity would put him upon it. 
 He comes home to church once in three weeks, or a 
 month, at least to the communion if possible, being four 
 teen miles ; and as often as there is church there, he goes 
 to Westhaven, which is four miles." 1 Another, and the 
 principal difficulty of all, which has been frequently before 
 alluded to, was the necessity under which every candidate 
 for the ministry was laid of going to England for ordina 
 tion. The office of Missionary, arduous, responsible, and 
 ill-requited as it was, could not be obtained, without a 
 dangerous, in several instances it proved a fatal, voyage 
 of 6,000 miles. Yet were there not found wanting persons 
 ready and willing to give themselves to the work. 
 
 In 1743, Mr. Johnson says, " Here is an ingenious gen 
 tleman, one Mr. Prince, of very considerable learning, 
 having been for fifteen years a fellow of Harvard College, 
 in Cambridge, who has conformed, and desires to serve the 
 Church in holy orders, and would willingly go home in the 
 spring; and here is an honest neighbouring dissenting 
 teacher, who will very soon appear for the Church, and 
 probably bring the greatest part of his congregation with 
 him." 2 
 
 In 1746, he writes : " A love to the Church is still gain 
 ing in the college ; and four more, whose names are Allen, 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. iv. 1. 38. 2 Ibid. vol. iv. 1. 49. 
 
 o 
 
194 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 Lloyd, Sturgeon, and Chandler, 1 have declared themselves 
 candidates for holy orders, and there seems a very growing 
 disposition towards the Church in JSTewhaven, as well as 
 the college, so that I hope there will be, ere long, a 
 flourishing Church there." I have heretofore desired leave 
 for Messrs. Dibblee and Learning to go for orders, and am 
 now desired to ask the same for Messrs. Mansfield and 
 Allen, as soon as the Society can be in a disposition to 
 receive them." 
 
 In 1747, he sends to the Bishop of London information 
 of " a number of vacancies, four of which are in this 
 colony, so that (he says) I am now alone here on the sea- 
 coast, without one person in orders besides myself for more 
 than a hundred miles, in which compass there is business 
 enough for six or seven Ministers, and those northward 
 have their hands full; so that my burden is at present 
 insupportable ; nor have we yet leave for any to go home, 
 though there are five or six valuable candidates. Unless, 
 therefore, the Society can provide, or your lordship can 
 think proper to ordain, on such titles as can be made here, 
 (which in some places, though not without much hardship, 
 may, I believe, be made equal to 30/. sterling per annum,) 
 the Church must soon decay apace. Meantime, it is really 
 affecting to hear the cries and importunities of people from 
 several quarters, and not have it in one s power to help 
 them." 2 
 
 While the wants of the Church were so urgent on the 
 one hand, and on the other so many promising young men, 
 whether originally born in her communion, or converts from 
 dissent, were ready and anxious to enroll themselves in her 
 service, it is impossible to repress a feeling of regret that 
 
 1 The biographer of Dr. Johnson. 
 
 2 Original Letters, vol. viii. 1. 51. 
 
VIII.] CONVERTS TO THE CHURCH. 195 
 
 the means did not exist for rendering their talents imme 
 diately available. Had a theological college been founded, 
 and a Bishop sent forth to ordain elders in every city, and 
 to care for the interests of the Church, many, doubtless, 
 would have ranged themselves on her side who were led by 
 the circumstances of their position to take part against her. 
 Possibly an orthodox Church might now be flourishing in 
 a country where the unsystematic theology, and the anti- 
 episcopal discipline of the Puritans have found their 
 natural development in the general prevalency of Soci- 
 nianism. As it was, and in spite of manifold discourage 
 ment, the Church grew apace. Shortly after Mr. Johnson s 
 settlement at Stratford, Mr. Caner, who had, on his recom 
 mendation, gone to England for ordination, was appointed 
 to the neighbouring Mission of Fairfield, while Mr. Beach 
 and Mr. Seabury, forsaking the communion of dissenters, 
 were ordained to the cures of Newtown and New London, 
 In 1736, it was found that there were, in the whole colony, 
 not fewer than 700 families in communion with the Church 
 of England. 1 
 
 This increase is attributed by Dr. Chandler, not exclu 
 sively to the labours of the Clergy, but in no small part to 
 the extravagant lengths to which Whitfield and his fol 
 lowers proceeded : and there can be no difficulty in believ 
 ing that the unmeasured denunciations of the enemies of 
 the Church might have led some to a calm consideration 
 of her doctrines, while the religious anarchy produced 
 throughout the country by the preaching of uneducated 
 fanatics, would dispose the more sober-minded Christians 
 to seek for shelter and repose in the bosom of the Church. 
 The prevalency of many erroneous views as to the autho 
 rity and ordinances of the Church, induced Mr. Johnson 
 
 1 Chandler s Life of Johnson, p. 64. 
 o 2 
 
196 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 to publish several treatises in her defence ; and he appears 
 to have been no less successful as a controversialist than 
 he was useful and efficient as a Missionary. Indeed his 
 publications in vindication of the Church attracted the 
 attention of the university of Oxford; and, in 1743, the 
 degree of D.D. was conferred upon him by diploma. This, 
 it will be remembered, was the second time that he had 
 been honourably noticed by that university. His M.A. 
 degree was given in hope ; " Sperantes nempe, illius 
 ministerio, aliam et eandem, olim, nascituram Ecclesiam 
 Anglicanam." The present diploma referred to this ex 
 pectation as in part realized. The Church had, however, 
 still need of such champions. 
 
 In 1748 he says, " Scarce ever was there a people in a 
 more bewildered and confounded condition, occasioned by 
 the sad effects of Methodism, still in many places strangely 
 rampant, and crumbling them into endless separations; 
 which occasions the most sensible of them to be every 
 where looking to the Church as their only refuge." A 
 year later he speaks in the same tone, and describes the 
 " disposition among the sectaries to the Church as still 
 increasing," especially at Brantford, where, within two or 
 three years, twenty-five families had conformed. 1 
 
 It seems that the Missionaries of this period were by 
 no means exempt from the cavils or misrepresentations of 
 slanderous tongues; and it may be worth while to men 
 tion the charge against them of making alterations in the 
 Liturgy, in order to record Dr. Johnson s indignant denial. 
 " This (he says) is very hard indeed, when we have given 
 so much proof of our inviolable attachment to it, and that 
 the established Episcopacy and Liturgy is dearer to us than 
 anything in the world besides ; so dear as to leave fathers, 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. x. 1. 52. 
 
VIII.] REV. DR. JOHNSON. 197 
 
 mothers, brethren, sisters, houses, and lands, and venture 
 our lives to the greatest hazard for it twenty-five having 
 gone a thousand leagues for episcopal orders, of whom no 
 less than five have lost their lives, and several others suf 
 fered the most dangerous sicknesses, and all at the expense 
 of more than we could well afford ; and all this when we 
 might have had the greatest applause of all our friends and 
 acquaintance (if we could have made our consciences easy 
 as we were), and the best preferments they could give." l 
 
 While congregations of European settlers were forming 
 in the villages round Stratford, at Norwalk, Hebron, Mid- 
 dleton, Wallingford, Guilford, and Brantford, neither the 
 native Americans nor the poor Africans were neglected. 
 " I have always (says Johnson) had a catechetical lecture 
 during the summer months, attended by many negroes, 
 and some Indians, about seventy or eighty in all, and, as 
 far as I can find, where the dissenters have baptized one 
 we have baptized two, if not three or four, negroes or 
 Indians, and I have four or five communicants." 1 
 
 Notwithstanding the laborious duties of his Mission, 
 Dr. Johnson found time to continue his favourite study of 
 Hebrew, and to pursue his investigations in moral and 
 metaphysical philosophy. Two treatises which he pub 
 lished about this time one on logic, the other on meta 
 physics, were printed together by the celebrated Dr. 
 Franklin, for the use of a college at Philadelphia which 
 he was then projecting. This college was soon afterwards 
 founded ; and it is sufficient proof of the high estimation 
 in which the Missionary of Stratford was held by Franklin, 
 that he consulted him about the plan of education, and 
 urged him to accept the presidency of the college. This 
 offer Johnson declined. Two years afterwards, however, 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol.xi. 1. 60. 3 Ibid. vol. xii. 1. 49. 
 
198 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 in 1754, when he was unanimously elected President of 
 King s College, New York, though loth to quit his 
 beloved Stratford, where he had now laboured faithfully 
 for the space of thirty years, he accepted the appointment. 
 Had he done otherwise, the project of founding such an 
 institution 1 would, for a time at least, have been relin 
 quished. Dr. Johnson, therefore, had no choice ; yet he 
 left his Mission with much pain, and to the regret of all 
 his people. Here, therefore, our notice of him, as con 
 nected with the Society, might be expected to terminate ; 
 but it so happened, that after nine years of active service as 
 head of the college, during which time he spared no exer 
 tion to place it on a secure and permanent footing, Dr. 
 Johnson resigned his charge and returned to Stratford. 
 In a letter dated from that place, May 10, 1763, he says: 
 " I am returned to reside here the little time that remains 
 to me, being near 67." 
 
 He had become weary of the " care and labour of the 
 College," and anxious for a more retired life ; and this feel 
 ing was increased by the death of his wife, who fell a 
 victim to the small-pox. Still he desired to be of what 
 service he could to the Church, by occasionally preaching 
 for Mr. Winslow, and by assisting young candidates who 
 were preparing themselves for Holy Orders. He mentions 
 three who were about to proceed to England for ordina 
 tion : Mr. Hubbard, of Guilford; Mr. Jarvis, 2 of Middle- 
 town ; and Mr. Cutting, who had been educated at Eton 
 and Cambridge ; a person of piety and virtue, and of much 
 learning and eloquence, who had been several years one of 
 the assistant tutors at King s College." 
 
 1 It should be mentioned that the Society contributed 500Z. towards the 
 expense of the building. 
 
 2 The successor of Dr. Seabury in the Bishopric of Connecticut. 
 
VIII.] REV. DR. JOHNSON. 199 
 
 The year following, the Mission becoming vacant, he ex 
 pressed to the Society his willingness to resume his duties 
 there, and the offer was of course thankfully accepted. 
 Notwithstanding his now advanced age, he still retained 
 the vigour and activity of youth. He continued, from 
 time to time, to recommend such candidates for holy orders 
 as he considered qualified to fill the vacant Missions ; but 
 justly complained of the hardship under which they 
 laboured, in consequence of there being no Bishop in 
 America, of being compelled to go to England for ordina 
 tion, at an expense of not less than 1001. 1 
 
 He also took an active part in the controversy, which 
 grew warm about this time, on the subject of introducing 
 Episcopacy into America : but he did not live to witness 
 the success of this long struggle. He was summoned to his 
 rest on the morning of the Epiphany, 1772, to the great 
 "loss of the Society, and of the American Church." 2 
 
 Intelligence of his death was conveyed to the Society in 
 a letter dated January 24, 1772, and signed by four of his 
 brethren, the Rev. Messrs. Lamson, Dibblee, Learning, 
 and Hubbard. They write as follows : 
 
 " The learned, pious, and most benevolent Doctor Johnson, of 
 Stratford, full of years, faith, and charity, fell asleep in the Lord 
 the sixth instant, with great respect to his memory was interred 
 on the 9th, and a funeral sermon preached to good acceptance by 
 the worthy Mr. Learning." 
 
 1 Eeport for 1768, p. 50. 2 Ibid. 1773, p. 21. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 CONNECTICUT. 
 
 Average number of New England Missionaries Eev. John Beach Mission 
 of Newtown and Eeading Steady increase of his Congregations Contro 
 versy with the Independent Ministers Mr. Sandeman propagates Anti- 
 nomian views Want of Clergy And of a Bishop to ordain Extension 
 of the Church by Emigration to other Settlements Mr. Beach s long 
 service His Death and Character. 
 
 THERE is not a little difficulty in conveying to the reader 
 a correct general view of the Missions of the Church in 
 New England during the middle period of the last century. 
 The history is one of details ; and there is danger, on the 
 one hand, of becoming tedious by too copious a citation of 
 minute facts, or of being considered vague and general if 
 they are passed by with only an occasional reference. 
 Nothing of a very striking or romantic character is 
 to be expected. The interest of the narrative is that 
 which belongs to its subject-matter; and these brief 
 notices, while they serve to show the good that was 
 effected by the Society with its very limited means, may 
 tend also to expose the short-sighted policy of the nation, 
 in allowing its colonies to grow up without any adequate 
 provision for the education and religious nurture of the 
 people. <At the period to which we are referring, and 
 down to the commencement of the American war, there 
 were, on the average, thirty Clergymen maintained by the 
 
CH. IX.] REV. JOHN BEACH. 201 
 
 Society in the New England States. Each was placed in 
 the centre of an extensive district, with instructions to 
 supply, as far as possible, the spiritual wants of the people 
 within his reach. Not only, therefore, was he called on 
 to minister to the people of his own town and its neigh- 
 bourhood, but to preach the word, and administer the 
 sacraments, to many distant settlements. Such duties, 
 arduous under any circumstances, must have been more 
 than ordinarily severe in a newly-occupied country, sub 
 ject to the extremities of heat and cold ; yet they appear, 
 upon the whole, to have been discharged with patient and 
 cheerful devotion. And it is therefore with a feeling of 
 the obligation which the Church of England owes to the 
 labourers who were first sent into this portion of the 
 Lord s vineyard, that we proceed to record the names 
 and services of a few of the more distinguished among 
 them. 
 
 The Rev. John Beach was educated at the dissenting 
 college of Newhaven, under the Rev. Dr. Johnson, by 
 whose testimony 1 it appears that he made uncommon pro 
 ficiency in learning. He was afterwards placed as a dis 
 senting teacher at Newtown, mainly with a view of 
 anticipating, and so thwarting, a scheme then on foot for 
 establishing a Church Mission there. After a time, how 
 ever, being " an ingenious and studious person," and 
 " having had the advantage of better books," he was 
 convinced of the obligation to conform to the Church, 
 and was sent to England with strong recommendations as 
 candidate for holy orders. 2 Among other testimonials 
 which he presented was one from Mr. Honyman to the 
 Bishop of London in the following terms : " Mr. Beach 
 
 1 Johnson s Letter to the Bishop of London, March 25, 1732. 
 
 2 MS. Letters, vol. xxiv. p. 121. 
 
202 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 is universally esteemed by all that know him in this 
 country, for the sake of his good morals and his learning ; 
 of this, indeed, your Lordship will be the best judge. He 
 has been for some years a teacher amongst the dissenters, 
 now joins our communion upon principle, and offers his 
 service to the Church ; and it is earnestly desired that he 
 may return again to the place where he has lived long and 
 is extremely beloved. It is evident to me that no money 
 in England is laid out to more advantage than what is 
 expended in propagating religion in this country, in the 
 way of our Church, and that even upon a civil as well as 
 a religious account." l Mr. Beach was accordingly ordained, 
 and appointed to the Mission of Newtown, where he arrived 
 in September, 1732. 
 
 In his first report, six months afterwards, he says, 
 " I have now forty-four communicants, and their number 
 increases every time I administer the communion." 2 What 
 follows will show practically how the jealousies of profess 
 ing Christians impede the extension of the Church among 
 the heathen. 
 
 " When first arrived here, I intended to visit the Indians who 
 live three miles from Newtown, and I had hopes that some good 
 might be wrought upon them ; but many of the English here that 
 are bitter enemies to the Church, antidoted them against the 
 Church, or any instructions they might have received from me, 
 by insinuating them with a jealousy, if they received me as their 
 Minister, I would in time get their land from them, and they 
 must be obliged to pay me a salary. This put them in a great 
 rage ; for these Indians are a very jealous people, and particularly 
 suspicious of being cheated out of their land by the English (the 
 English having got most of it from them already). These English 
 dissenters likewise railed at all the Churchmen in general, telling 
 
 1 Fulham, Papers, Letter April 26, 1732. 
 
 2 MS. Letters, vol. xxiv, p. 157. 
 
IX.] REV. JOHN BEACH. 203 
 
 them they were rogues, &c., and advised them, if I came among 
 them to instruct them, to whip me. In a word, they raised such 
 a ferment among these rude barbarians, that their sachem, or 
 chief, said, that if 1 came among them, he would shoot a bullet 
 through my heart ; these things several of the Indians have told 
 me since. However, I, not knowing the danger, went to visit 
 them ; but they looked very surlily upon me, and showed a great 
 uneasiness when I mentioned the name of God, so that I plainly 
 saw that they were resolved not to hear me, and I feared that if 
 I had persisted in my discourse of religion, they would have done 
 me a mischief." l 
 
 Of his own countrymen he says : 
 
 " The people here have a high esteem of the Church, and are 
 now greatly rejoiced that they have an opportunity of worship 
 ping God in that way, and have begun to build two small 
 churches, the one at Newtown, and the other at Reading." 2 
 
 From time to time he reported favourably of his Mission ; 
 in 1736 his communicants were 105, and, at the period of 
 Whitfield s visit, he writes : " Both my congregations are 
 in a flourishing condition, having lost nothing by the spirit 
 of enthusiasm which of late prevails exceedingly among 
 the Independents in these parts, but ten families from 
 among them have professed themselves of the Church of 
 England, and have joined with us." 
 
 A letter written in the year 1743 refers to the same 
 subject, and shows, moreover, the disadvantage under 
 which the Church was labouring for want of a chief 
 pastor. The subjoined extract deserves to be read with 
 attention : 
 
 " My people are not at all shaken, but rather confirmed in 
 their principles, by the spirit of enthusiasm that rages among the 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. i. 1. 32. 2 Ibid. 
 
204 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 Independents round about us. And many of the dissenters, 
 observing how stedfast our people are in their faith and prac 
 tice, while those of their own denomination are easily carried 
 away with every wind of doctrine, and are now sunk into the 
 utmost confusion and disorder, have conceived a much better 
 opinion of our Church than they formerly had ; and a considerable 
 number in this colony have lately conformed, and several churches 
 are now building where they have no minister. Indeed, there is 
 scarcely a town in which there is not a considerable number pro 
 fessing themselves of the Church of England, and very desirous 
 to have it settled among them ; but God only knows when and 
 how they can be provided for. Were there in this country but 
 one of the episcopal order to whom young men might apply for 
 ordination, without the expense and danger of a voyage to Eng 
 land, many of our towns might be supplied which now must 
 remain destitute. To express this wish to the venerable Society 
 (I am sensible) may be esteemed impertinent ; but I am moved to 
 it by hearing so frequently numbers of serious people of our Church 
 lamenting their unhappiness, that they can rarely enjoy that wor 
 ship which they hunger and thirst after, there being so small a 
 number of Clergymen in this country, when Presbyterians, Inde 
 pendents, and all sects are here perfect in their kind. But, 
 although we have not the utmost that we could wish for, yet 
 I bless God for the pious care and charity of the venerable 
 Society, to which it is owing that so many hundreds of souls are 
 provided for in this government ; and had it not been for that, we 
 have reason to think there would not have been at this day so 
 much as one congregation in this colony worshipping God accord 
 ing to the Church of England." l 
 
 In October of the same year he informs the Society that 
 his people were building a Church in the hope of having a 
 Minister settled amongst them. " But the Independents, 
 to suppress this design in its infancy, having the authority 
 in their hands, have lately prosecuted and fined them for 
 their meeting to worship God according to the Common 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. iv. 1. 45. 
 
IX.] REV. JOHN BEACH. 205 
 
 Prayer ; and the same punishment they are like to suffer 
 for every offence in this kind, although it is the common 
 approved practice of the same Independents to meet for 
 worship in their own way when they have no Minister. . . 
 The case of these people is very hard. If on the Lord s- 
 day they continue at home, they must be punished ; if they 
 meet to worship God according to the Church of England, 
 in the best manner they can, the mulct is still greater ; and 
 if they go to the Independent meeting in the town where 
 they live, they must endure the mortification of hearing 
 the doctrines and worship of the Church vilified, and the 
 important truths of Christianity obscured and enervated 
 by enthusiastic and antinomian dreams." l 
 
 He makes the following satisfactory report of the 
 Mission of Reading in 1749: 
 
 " I have about 400 constant hearers, all of whom, excepting a 
 very few, adorn their profession by a sober, righteous, and godly 
 life. Almost two-thirds of the inhabitants of this parish are Inde 
 pendents, who have two ministers of their own persuasion. I baptize 
 about sixty or seventy children commonly in one year, and some 
 few adults, and am now preparing two whole families for baptism 
 who were bred Independents. My parishioners are poor, and 
 have but few negro slaves ; but all they have, I have, after proper 
 instruction, baptized, and some of them are communicants. . . 
 As our Church here, like the house of David, waxes stronger and 
 stronger, so I hope, after some years, it will not need so much 
 assistance from the good and venerable Society as at present ; and 
 yet the seed they now sow will continue to grow and flourish to 
 many generations." 2 
 
 The next letter furnishes painful evidence of the danger 
 of leaving men without spiritual guidance, and the ordinary 
 means of grace. 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. iv. 1. 46. 2 Ibid. vol. x. 1. 54. 
 
206 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 " 9th April, 1750. 
 
 " As I take care of three small congregations professing the 
 Church of England at New Milford and New Fairfield, between 
 eighteen and twenty-five miles distant from my dwelling, so I last 
 week visited them, and found that many of their neighbours, from 
 Independents, are become a sort of extravagant enthusiasts, which 
 as yet want a name. For their minister they have an ignorant 
 mechanic, not able to give a tolerable account of the first prin 
 ciples of natural and revealed religion, as I have found by con 
 versing with him. His praying and preaching (as they call it) 
 is performed by screaming and hallooing to such a degree, as that 
 he may be heard at above a mile s distance. He administers the 
 Lord s Supper (as he says) to persons who profess to be unbap- 
 tized, and to small children ; and at the time when he presumes 
 to administer that holy sacrament (as credible spectators inform 
 me) there is such a hideous and horrible screaming and howling 
 among his communicants, that one would be tempted to suspect 
 that the devil was come visibly among them. I have taken some 
 pains with this presumptuous man and his hearers, but to little 
 purpose ; for they have renounced reason as carnal, and pretend to 
 inspiration. 
 
 " I have baptized this half-year fifty-eight, of whom five are 
 adult. Some few of them were Indian children. My congrega 
 tions are in a peaceable and growing condition, and, I think, do 
 increase in knowledge and virtue." l 
 
 The Mission of Heading, in which Mr. Beach was now 
 labouring, was twenty miles in length, and twelve in 
 breadth ; while, in default of any nearer Missionary, he 
 was not unfrequently invited to visit families at sixty 
 miles distance. These calls, however, he was prevented 
 from answering as he would fain have done, by bodily 
 indisposition. " I have been afflicted/ he says, " with a 
 colic for thirty years past, so as not to be free from pain 
 one day, which of late increases upon me, hastens old age, 
 and makes travelling burdensome." Surely Missionaries 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xi. 1. 26. 
 
IX.] REV. JOHN BEACH. 207 
 
 so situated, left alone amidst a widely-scattered flock, and 
 sensible that their strength is daily diminishing, while 
 their burdens become daily heavier, are, of all men, most 
 entitled to our effectual sympathy. After lamenting 
 his own insufficiency, Mr. Beach recurs with satisfaction 
 to the prospect of some help being sent. " Nothing," he 
 says, " caused so much rejoicing among our Church 
 people as a report, which has lately obtained here, of a 
 Bishop being appointed to visit this country." l 
 
 But he was doomed to disappointment, and compelled 
 for many ensuing years to labour single-handed, and with 
 no one to whom he could look up for guidance and sup 
 port. Yet he laboured on in faith, and as he planted and 
 watered, God vouchsafed to give an abundant increase. 
 In 1751, he writes, "My congregations, both at New- 
 town and Reading, do continually grow in the number 
 of hearers and communicants, there being, in good weather, 
 between 200 and 300 hearers, and 90 and 100 commu 
 nicants in each Church." The few negroes that were in 
 the service of Church families, had been all baptized. Mr. 
 Beach concludes his letter in these touching words: "If 
 I know my own heart, I desire, above all things, to pro 
 mote the eternal good of souls ; but all I can now do, is to 
 minister to these two congregations, of which I hope the 
 generality are very good and understanding Christians. 
 And as they can give a very good reason why they 
 adhere to the Church of England, so they adorn their 
 profession by a good life. I continue to perform Divine 
 service, and preach twice every Sunday, and some other 
 holy days ; although I labour under much bodily weakness 
 and pain, and am in continual expectation of my departure 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xii. 1. 37. 
 
208 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 out of this miserable life, which event will, I hope, be 
 very welcome when it shall please God to order it." 1 
 
 The next year, on the death of the Rev. James Hony- 
 man, who has already been noticed, Mr. Beach had the 
 offer of Newport, Rhode Island, which, though more valu 
 able than his own Mission, and in what was called the 
 "garden of New England," he felt bound to decline, in 
 order, he says, that the people might not complain " that a 
 worn-out man was imposed upon them." 
 
 In 1760, he was called upon to preach before the Clergy 
 at their convention at Newhaven, and his sermon, which 
 was a vindication of the fundamental articles of the faith, 
 was afterwards published, with a preface by Dr. Johnson, 
 recommending it as well calculated to correct the latitudi- 
 narian spirit of the times. The Missionaries also testified 
 their approval of it in writing, and recommended it to the 
 attentive perusal of their flocks. 
 
 His congregation had been continually increasing, till 
 he was enabled, in 1762, to report that it considerably ex 
 ceeded the whole number of dissenters ; and that whereas, 
 on his first arrival, there were not more than twenty com 
 municants, there were now three hundred out of a popu 
 lation of a thousand Church-people. 
 
 " Were it not," he says, "for the venerable Society s 
 charity, I know not what would become of many thousands 
 in these parts, who have so great a love and esteem of our 
 Church, and so great an aversion to the Independent 
 methods, that if they were deprived of that which they 
 admire, they never would join with the other. Nay, the 
 venerable Society s charity to us has proved no small 
 advantage to the Independents, for they who live near to 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xii. 1. 38. 
 
IX.] REV. JOHN BEACH. 209 
 
 the Church of England acquire juster notions of religion, 
 and become more regular in their worship." 1 
 
 It is plain from the whole tenor of his letters, that 
 Mr. Beach was of a temper eminently practical, and far 
 more disposed to labour diligently in the direct duties of 
 his ministry, than to engage in controversy with those 
 who opposed themselves ; yet, in the midst of his laborious 
 career, he was compelled, by the dangerous doctrines which 
 were publicly maintained at this time, to stand forward in 
 defence of the truth. He says, April 12, 1765, "I am 
 now engaged in a controversy with some of the inde 
 pendent ministers, about those absurd doctrines, the sum 
 of which is contained in a thesis published by Newhaven 
 College, last September, in these words, viz. " Obedientia 
 personalis non est necessaria ad Justificationem." They 
 expressly deny that there is any law of grace, which pro 
 mises eternal life upon condition of faith, repentance, and 
 sincere obedience, and assert justification only by the law 
 of innocence and sinless obedience. Though my health is 
 small, and my abilities less, and though I make it my rule 
 never to enter into any dispute with them, unless they 
 begin, yet now they have made the assault, and advance 
 such monstrous errors as do subvert the Gospel, I think 
 myself obliged, by my ordination vow, to guard my people 
 (as well as I can) against such strange doctrines, in which 
 work hitherto I hope I have had some success, for the 
 Church people here are very well fortified against both 
 antinomianism and enthusiasm, both which rage amongst 
 the independents ; neither are there any of my parishioners 
 infested in any degree with deism.* 
 
 About this time allusions begin to occur in the Society s 
 correspondence to those political troubles which, after a 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvii. 1. 30. 2 Ibid. 1. 35. 
 
 P 
 
210 CONNECTICUT. [cH. 
 
 long struggle, issued in the temporary overthrow of the 
 Church in America, and the final separation of the colonies 
 from the mother-country ; but Mr. Beach, writing Oct. 2, 
 1765, says that he " cannot discover in any of the Church 
 people the least inclination to sedition and rebellion against 
 their mother-country, on account of the stamp duty." 1 
 
 Though preserved, however, for the time from the 
 turbulence of political faction, neither he nor any of his 
 brethren were ever long free from the intrusion of religious 
 fanatics. The letter which follows contains an account of 
 the first appearance in New England of the head of a new 
 sect, which, although never very popular, still exists. 
 
 " October 6, 1766. 
 
 " The death of my nearest neighbour, Mr. Davies, is a very 
 great loss to the Church in Lichfield county, where, the short time 
 it pleased God to continue him, he gave uncommon satisfaction, 
 being very pious and prudent, zealous and laborious in the min 
 istry ; he was greatly beloved, and is now much lamented. Here 
 is one Mr. Sandeman, come from Scotland, who (as I fear) designs 
 to propagate infidelity, liberalism, or no religion, under the mask 
 of free-grace; for, as I have heard him preaching in the Inde 
 pendents meeting-house in this town, I find that the sum and 
 purport of his new doctrine is, l that Christ has done all and 
 everything for our salvation which God requires of us, and the 
 mere belief or assent to this report is saving faith ; and to have 
 the least solicitude about anything which we have to do, to obtain 
 salvation, is the damning sin of unbelief, in which all the Chris 
 tian world, excepting his sect, are involved. Where these mon 
 strous tenets are once received, there will remain no temptation 
 to wicked men to turn infidels, in order to get free from the 
 uneasy restraints which the strict laws of Christianity lay upon 
 men s lusts ; but they may maintain the character of staunch 
 believers, keep conscience quiet, and flatter themselves \vith the 
 hope of eternal happiness, while they indulge their appetites and 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xvii. p. 508. 
 
IX.] REV. JOHN BEACH. 211 
 
 passions as fully as any libertine or infidel can wish for. Many 
 of the Independents in these parts, both ministers and people, 
 appear to be strongly captivated with this new-fashioned Anti- 
 nomianism. But none of my people show the least inclination 
 towards it, but the greatest detestation of it. And, instead of 
 diminishing, it increases the number of my hearers, who, as they 
 continue in love, peace, and unity among themselves, so they 
 stedfastly adhere to the doctrine and worship of the Church of 
 England, while our Independent neighbours are in no small con 
 fusion, and crumbling into more parties." 1 
 
 Thus numbers were continually added to the Church ; yet 
 the body could hardly be said to increase, for it wanted 
 organization and the due development of its parts. This is 
 the constant subject of Mr. Beach s lamentations. Thus, 
 April 13, 1767, he says, (: The more the Church spreads in 
 this country, the more we feel and groan under the want of 
 a Bishop ; and I am full in the opinion that, if those great 
 men upon whose pleasure it depends to grant us such a 
 blessing, did but know, as we sensibly do, that the Church 
 people here are the only fast friends to our subjection to, 
 or even connexion with, England, as hath lately appeared, 
 they would, even upon political reasons, grant us the 
 favour we have so long wished and prayed for, and 
 would strengthen the cause, which, compared with the 
 dissenters of all denominations, is very weak. It is some 
 satisfaction to me to observe, that in this town, of late, 
 in our elections, the Church people make the major vote, 
 which is the first instance of the kind in this colony, if not 
 in all New England. I can assure the venerable Society, 
 it is the great pleasure of my life to promote true religion, 
 and to serve the eternal interest of souls, agreeable to their 
 pious intentions." 2 
 
 Again, in October of the same year, he alludes to the 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvii. 1. 38. 2 Ibid. 1. 39. 
 
 p2 
 
212 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 crying grievance of the Church in the colonies a grievance 
 which it is to the dishonour of this country not to have 
 redressed. After speaking of some services which he had 
 performed at a distance from his own Mission, he goes on 
 " Alas ! it is but little that so few of us can perform to what 
 is greatly wanted. It is really melancholy to observe how 
 many serious and very religious people of late, in these parts, 
 profess themselves of the Church of England, and earnestly 
 desire to worship God in that way, yet are as sheep with 
 out a shepherd. The harvest truly is plenteous, but the 
 labourers are few ; which might be greatly helped if holy 
 Orders could be obtained in this country. But I encourage 
 myself with the hope that the Lord, whose harvest it is, 
 will soon bestow on this land that so much and so long 
 wished-for blessing." 
 
 In truth, the British government seems to have been 
 visited with something like judicial blindness in regard to 
 its own nearest interests ; otherwise it could not so long 
 have resisted a measure which, while it was essential to 
 the well-being of the Church in America, would, at the 
 same time, have contributed most powerfully to the main 
 tenance of the connexion between England and her colonies. 
 The State as well as the Church had an obvious interest in 
 the establishment of Bishoprics. 
 
 " If I may presume to speak," says Mr. Beach, April 
 14th, 1768, " what falls under my observation, the Church 
 people in these parts are the best affected towards the 
 Government of Great Britain, and the more zealous Church 
 men they are, by so much the stronger affection they dis 
 cover for King and Parliament upon all occasions. But 
 dissenters here greatly exceed in number. It is very pro 
 bable that, if there were a Bishop among us to ordain and 
 confirm, it would greatly increase the number of the Clergy 
 
IX.] REV. JOHN BEACH. 213 
 
 and the Church people. And the fear and dread of the 
 growth of the Church, if I mistake not, is the real source 
 of the opposition which in these parts is made to it. If 
 any of us of the Clergy in America discover an aversion 
 to it, it must be an additional argument for its necessity." 1 
 
 The history of Mr. Beach s patient and consistent course 
 cannot better be concluded than in his own simple and 
 touching words. Writing from New Town, May 5, 1772, 
 he says 
 
 " As it is now forty years since I have had the advantage of 
 being the venerable Society s Missionary in this place, I suppose 
 it will not be improper to give a brief account how I have spent 
 my time, and improved their charity. Every Sunday I have 
 performed divine service, and preached twice, at Newtown and 
 Reading alternately. And in these forty years I have lost only 
 two Sundays through sickness ; although, in all that time, I have 
 been afflicted with a constant colic, which has not allowed me 
 one day s ease or freedom from pain. The distance between the 
 churches at Newtown and Reading is between eight and nine 
 miles, and no very good road, yet have I never failed one time to 
 attend each, place according to custom, through the badness of the 
 weather, but have rode it in the severest rains and snow-storms, 
 even when there has been no track, and my horse near mining 
 down in the snow banks, which has bad this good effect on my 
 parishioners, that they are ashamed to stay from church on account 
 of bad weather, so that they are remarkably forward to attend 
 the public worship. As to my labours without my parish, I have 
 formerly performed divine service in many towns where the 
 Common-prayer had never been heard, nor the Scriptures read in 
 public, and where now are flourishing congregations of the 
 Church of England, and in some places where there never had 
 been any public worship at all, nor any sermon preached by any 
 preacher of any denomination. 
 
 " In my travelling to preach the gospel, once was my life re 
 markably preserved in passing a deep and rapid river. The 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvii. 1. 47. 
 
214 CONNECTICUT. [cH. 
 
 retrospect on my fatigues, as lying on straw, &c., gives me plea 
 sure, while I flatter myself that my labour has not been quite in 
 vain ; for the Church-of-England people are increased much more 
 than twenty to one ; and what is infinitely more pleasing, many 
 of them are remarkable for piety and virtue ; and the Indepen 
 dents here are more knowing in matters of religion than they 
 who live at a great distance from our Church. We live in har 
 mony and peace with each other, and the rising generation of the 
 Independents seem to be entirely free from every pique and pre- 
 udice against the Church." 
 
 A short extract from a letter of the following year will 
 show how, by the emigration of families, the good prin 
 ciples which this active and excellent clergyman had first 
 planted at Newtown became gradually diffused over the 
 surrounding districts. 
 
 " Ever since the last peace, our people are continually removing 
 to settle in the back country, whither they carry with them a zeal 
 for that religion which they learned while here ; and where they 
 make a new settlement, they set up the worship of the Church of 
 England. 
 
 " They who set up the worship of God according to our Liturgy 
 at Lanesborough, at Nobletown and Arlington, proceeded chiefly 
 from my parishes. But, notwithstanding those frequent emigra 
 tions, my congregations increase." 
 
 A similar report of the increase and spread of his people, 
 and through them of the Church, is made by the Rev. 
 Roger Viets, of Simsbury, in 1773. 
 
 Again, several years after this, Mr. Beach, towards the 
 close of his long career, and in the midst of much trouble 
 and affliction, sends the following, which is his last letter 
 to the Society : 
 
 " Newtown, October 31, 1781. 
 
 " It is a long time since I have done my duty in writing to the 
 venerable Society, not owing to my carelessness, but to the impos 
 sibility of conveyance from here ; and now do it sparingly. A nar 
 rative of my troubles I dare not now give. My two congregations 
 
IX.] REV. JOHN BEACH. 215 
 
 are growing; that of Reading being commonly about 300, and at 
 Newtown about 600. I baptize about 130 children in one year, 
 and lately two adults. Newtown, and the Church of England 
 part of Reading, are (I believe) the only parts of New England 
 that have refused to comply with the doings of the Congress, and 
 for that reason have been the butt of general hatred j but God 
 has delivered us from entire destruction. 
 
 " I am now in the eighty-second year of my age, yet do con 
 stantly alternately perform service and preach at Newtown and 
 Reading. I have been sixty years a public preacher, and, after 
 conviction, in the Church of England fifty years ; but had I been 
 sensible of my insufficiency, I should not have undertaken it. 
 But now I rejoice in that I think I have done more good 
 towards men s eternal happiness than I should have done in any 
 other calling. I do most heartily thank the venerable Society 
 for their liberal support, and beg that they will accept of this, 
 which is, I believe, my last bill, which, according to former 
 custom, is due. 
 
 " At this age I cannot well hope for it, but I pray God I may 
 have an opportunity to explain myself with safety ; but must 
 conclude now with Job s expression Have pity upon me, have 
 pity upon me, ye my friends. " 
 
 Six months after this Mr. Beach died, fairly worn out. 
 He was a man of primitive faith, a true soldier of the 
 cross ; one who, through a long life, and in troublous 
 times, never forgot his obligation to the Divine law, which 
 directs to " Fear God and honour the King." His death 
 is thus spoken of by the Rev. Bela Hubbard, himself an 
 active and exemplary Clergyman : 
 
 "July 19, 1782. 
 
 " We have to lament the loss of the great and good Mr. John 
 Beach, who, for half a century, hath been a most worthy and 
 dutiful Missionary from the Society at Newtown and Reading, 
 where he deceased on the 19th March, 1782, in the 82d year of 
 his age." 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvii. 1. 50. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 NEW ENGLAND. 
 
 CONNECTICUT RHODE ISLAND MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 Eev. Koger Price Enumeration of Churches in New England Number of 
 Bishops and Clergy in 1844 Mission of Hebron Loss of Missionaries 
 Eev. Peter Bours Eev. Edward Bass Mission of Salem Eev. C. Brock - 
 well Whitfield and his Followers Eev. J. Macsparran Eev. S. Palmer 
 Eev. Mr. Macclenaghan Eev. John Graves Eev. W. Macgilchrist 
 Eev. E. Thompson Allotment of Glebes Endowments Eev. Jacob 
 Bailey Eev. E. Punderson Opposition of Dissenters Eev. E. "Winslow 
 Convocation at Boston. Eev. Eichard Mansfield Yast extent of his 
 Mission Eev. Alexander Murray Neglect of the Sacraments Eev. John 
 Tyler Eev. Samuel Peters Missionary Tour Eev. E. Dibblee Eev. 
 Bela Hubbard Political Troubles Eev. M. Browne Dispersion of the 
 Clergy Eev. Dr. Caner Eev. J. W. Weeks Eev. Mather Byles 
 Death and Character of Mr. Thompson Letter of Colonel Peters State of 
 New England Churches Eev. E. Cossit. 
 
 THE subject matter of the present work hardly admits 
 of being treated in a very regular or systematic way, and 
 this will account for the fragmentary and discontinuous 
 character of our history. With this apology, we proceed 
 to record a few brief notices of the other New England 
 Missions. And here it may be convenient to insert the 
 following enumeration of churches in New England, which 
 was sent home in 1748 by the Rev. Roger Price, who held 
 the office of Commissary to the Bishop of London for a 
 period of twenty years ; till increasing age, and an indis 
 position to public business, made him glad to accept the 
 Society s Mission of Hopkinton : 
 
CH. X.] 
 
 NEW ENGLAND CHURCHES. 
 
 217 
 
 MASSACHUSETTS : 
 Boston 
 
 . . 3 
 
 CONNECTICUT : 
 Stanford 
 
 . 1 
 
 Newbury . 
 
 2 
 
 Norwalk 
 
 1 
 
 Salem . . . 
 
 . l 
 
 Stratfield . . . . 
 
 1 
 
 
 . . 1 
 
 Ripton ... 
 
 . l 
 
 Braintree 
 
 . . 1 
 
 Derby . 
 
 . l 
 
 Bristol . 
 
 . . 1 
 
 Westhaven . ... 
 
 . l 
 
 Scituate . 
 
 1 
 
 Waterbury 
 
 . l 
 
 Hopkinton . 
 
 . . 1 
 
 Northbury 
 
 . l 
 
 Taunton . 
 
 . . 1 
 
 New Milford 
 
 . 1 
 
 
 
 Fairfield 
 
 . 1 
 
 RHODE ISLAND : 
 
 
 
 . 1 
 
 Newport 
 
 . . 1 
 
 
 t 
 
 Kingston Narraganset . 
 
 . . 1 
 
 Stratford . 
 
 1 
 
 Warwick 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Providence 
 
 . . 1 
 
 Reading and Newtown . 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 Westerly 
 
 . . 1 
 
 T? i r\ <rpfi pl c\ 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 . 1 
 
 NEW HAMPSHIKE : 
 Portsmouth. 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Hettery 
 
 . . 1 
 
 Total . 
 
 . 36* 
 
 Nearly one hundred years have elapsed since this return 
 was made ; and although we are unable to state what has 
 been the increase in the number of Churches within the 
 New-England States, there were, at the close of the year 
 1844, five Bishops, and two hundred and twenty Clergy 
 men. It is a cause of much thankfulness to every member 
 of our communion, and in an especial manner to the Society 
 for the Propagation of the Gospel, the nursing mother of 
 the Church in New England, to mark the increase of its 
 ministers and members ; and it is the sincere prayer of 
 their brethren in the old country, that the Lord their God 
 may " add unto " them, " how many soever they be, an 
 hundred-fold." 
 
 The members of the Church at Hebron built a church, 
 and gave a glebe in trust to the Society for the benefit of 
 a Clergyman, earnestly requesting that one might as soon 
 
 * Original Letters, vol. ix. 1. 39. 
 
218 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 as possible be sent ; but as the Society, owing to want of 
 means, was unable to comply with this request, they 
 promised to allow a stipend of 301. to Mr. Colton, if he 
 would undertake the voyage to England and should be 
 admitted to holy orders. 
 
 Mr. Colton had been Educated for the ministry, and had 
 for some years read the prayers of the Church and sermons 
 to the people. He readily accepted the offer; went to 
 England in 1752, and was ordained, together with Mr. 
 Camp, who had been rendering similar service to the 
 members of the Church in Middleton and Warwick, and 
 with a like happy result ; for his congregations also showed 
 their anxiety for the blessing of a duly authorized Clergy 
 man, by securing a glebe for his maintenance, and building 
 a church. 1 Mr. Colton, however, was not permitted to 
 exercise his ministry in New England. On his voyage 
 back he was seized with the small-pox, and died within 
 seven days after landing in his own country. Hebron 
 was singularly unfortunate in its attempts to procure 
 duly ordained Missionaries ; for, seven years prior to this, 
 Mr. Deane, another graduate of Yale College, who was 
 sent to England as a candidate for holy Orders, having been 
 admitted Deacon, was, in returning, lost at sea, together, 
 as is supposed, with all the passengers and crew, for the 
 vessel in which they embarked was never afterwards heard 
 of. 2 A third candidate, Mr. Usher, son of the Rev. James 
 Usher, the Missionary at Bristol, was taken prisoner by 
 the French in his passage home in the year 1757, and 
 confined in the Castle of Bayonne, where he died of the 
 small-pox. 
 
 It is gratifying to find that, in spite of various dis 
 couraging circumstances, so many of the New England 
 
 1 Report for 1752, p. 38. 2 Ibid. 1746, p. 42. 
 
X.] REV. EDWARD BASS. 219 
 
 congregations exhibited a hearty and spontaneous affection 
 for their Church, by complying with the Society s rule in 
 building a church and setting apart a glebe. This was 
 done at Marblehead, where, on the petition of the inha 
 bitants, Mr. Peter Bours, educated at Harvard College, 
 was ordained to officiate in 1753. A like provision was 
 made for the Missionary of Norwalk and Ridgefield. At 
 Newbury the people built a second church, and undertook 
 to pay a moiety of the assistant curate 1 s stipend ; the other 
 moiety (20/.) being furnished by the Missionary whom he 
 was to assist. The person fixed upon was the Rev. 
 Edward Bass, B.A., of Harvard College, the future 
 Bishop of Massachusetts ; and as nothing connected with 
 the early history and character of the first American 
 Bishops can be uninteresting, the following letter, intro 
 ducing him to the notice of the Society, is inserted : 
 
 " Braintree, Feb. 1, 1752. 
 
 " Rev. Sir, The bearer, Mr. Bass, is a young gentleman bred 
 at Harvard College, and has preached for some time among the 
 dissenters to good acceptance, hut now, upon mature considera 
 tion, thinks it his duty to conform to the Church of England, and 
 come over for holy orders, and to be appointed to the new church 
 in Newbury. Both Mr. Plant and the people are highly pleased 
 with him, and, indeed, he is universally well spoken of as a man 
 of piety and sense, a good preacher, and of an agreeable temper. 
 He brings full testimonials from the college, where he has lived, 
 I think, about ten years, which are confirmed by the Clergy of 
 Boston, &c. A person so qualified and recommended can never 
 want your favour and assistance. 
 
 " There is one thing in particular wherein he desires your 
 assistance viz. that you would do what you can to despatch his 
 business speedily, because he has never had the small-pox, which 
 he is fearful of, it having proved fatal to many New England men 
 in London ; and besides, Mr. Plant s ill state of health is another 
 reason for his returning as soon as may be. 
 
220 CONNECTICUT. [CH, 
 
 " Mr. Bass is a distant relation of mine, and I shall esteem the 
 favour shewn as an addition to those already conferred on, 
 " Dear Sir, your affectionate brother and humble servant, 
 
 " F. MILLER." l 
 
 Mr. Bass was, accordingly, after a full inquiry into his 
 qualifications, ordained; and in April, 1753, it was re 
 ported from the Mission of Newbury that he " had 
 behaved to their universal satisfaction." 2 
 
 The town of Salem was formed into a Church Mission, 
 and Mr. Brockwell removed to it, as the more important 
 place, from Scituate, in 1739. " He was received with 
 great joy, and found a handsome and well-furnished church, 
 with the Ten Commandments in gold letters upon black, 
 and the Lord s Prayer and the Creed in black letters upon 
 gold, at the communion table. The congregation seemed 
 seriously disposed to adorn their profession with a Chris 
 tian course of life." 3 Like other parts of New England, 
 however, Salem was exposed to the exciting effect of 
 visits from the Methodists. In a letter, dated June 15th, 
 1741, Mr. Brockwell says, " The distractions Whitfield 
 and Tennent have made in these parts are very great ; 
 some labouring under a high spirit of enthusiasm, others 
 of antinomianism, and others under despair, and, what is 
 yet stranger, the very children are affected by their 
 parents uneasinesses, and talk nothing less than they 
 of renovation, regeneration, conviction, and conversion, 
 though neither children nor parents understand the mean 
 ing of the terms they continually cant about. And even 
 from eight years old to twelve or thirteen they assemble 
 in bodies to vent the imaginary profusions of the Holy 
 Spirit in disorderly praying and preaching ; nay, the very 
 
 * Original Letters, vol. xiii. 1. 22. 2 Report or 1754, p. 48. 
 
 3 Report for 1739, p. 47. 
 
X.] WHITFIELD AND HIS FOLLOWERS. 221 
 
 servants and slaves pretend to extraordinary inspirations ; 
 and, under the veil thereof, cherish their idle dispositions, 
 and, in lieu of dutifully minding their respective busi 
 nesses, run rambling about to utter enthusiastic non 
 sense. The Wesleys and Whitfield are expected here in 
 the fall. We universally dread the consequences of their 
 coming, and I am sure, as to myself, I should be glad of 
 the Society s direction how to behave in such perilous 
 times. The two former, if enemies, are powerful ones; 
 men of great capacities, and fortified by a large fund of 
 learning, whereof Whitfield is destitute, and therefore the 
 victory over him neither difficult nor glorious, however he 
 may boast in his lying and scandalous journals. If the 
 venerable Society please to favour us with their instruc 
 tions how we are to treat these itinerant preachers, the 
 sooner the better, that we may be armed against the 
 approach of (I fear) these enemies to our Church and 
 Constitution." 
 
 Who the principal followers of Whitfield in America 
 were at this period we learn from the following extract 
 of a letter written by Mr. Brockwell, in 1743: " As to 
 the convulsions in religion raised here by the emissaries of 
 Whitfield, such as Cowper, Tennent, Rogers, Davenport, 
 Bewel, &c., they still continue breaking out in different 
 parts ; and, as the Church has steered clear of this 
 religious phrenzy, so I think we have gained by their 
 confusions, seeing the beauty and harmony of government 
 has opened the eyes even of those who were blinded with 
 prejudice." ] 
 
 A like opinion was expressed by the Rev. James Mac- 
 sparran, in a letter addressed to the Bishop of London. 
 The following passage is too interesting to be omitted: 
 1 Original Letters, vol. iv. 1. 60. 
 
222 RHODE ISLAND. [CH. 
 
 " Narraganset, New England, Oct. 18th, 1742. 
 
 " I thank your Lordship, as for many things, so for your 
 fourth letter, wherein you have remarked on Master Whitfield s 
 Journal. I happened on one of them, but there have been a 
 good many in the country, and have done signal service. God 
 has (contrary to the purposes of Whitfield, and those who in 
 vited him into New England) overruled the enthusiasm of the 
 man, to the almost utter overthrow of the Dissenters cause here. 
 They are so broken into divisions and parties, that I think they 
 cannot be healed or united without returning into the unity of the 
 Church. Nothing like them, since the French prophets, has 
 appeared, and they riot with religion to that degree, that it were 
 too tedious to trouble your Lordship with a detail of their dis 
 tracted doings. I cannot omit, however, giving an instance or 
 two. They are said seldom to pray for the king ; when they 
 do, they pray for his conversion : which, what a tendency it 
 may have to make him vile in the eyes of the people, and 
 what the consequence of it may be, I leave to your Lordship s 
 greater penetration. One of them, lately, after his extempore 
 prayer, instead of giving out the psalm to be sung, as the preacher 
 generally does, by saying, " Let us sing to the praise and glory of 
 God," such a psalm and such a verse began thus " Let us 
 sing to the praise and glory of the Rev. Dr. Watts." The 
 precentor, fearing this would give offence to the people, mentioned 
 to him his mistake, but he repeated it ; and then the precentor, 
 not being able to bear the blasphemy, gave out the psalm himself, 
 and the people sang it ; when that exercise was over, the pulpiteer 
 not bearing to be so baffled said the third time, " Let us sing to 
 the praise and glory of the Rev. Dr. Watts," such and such a 
 hymn of said Watts s ; and added, that he would sing to said 
 Watts s praise and glory in spite of men and devils. 
 
 " I hope God will give grace to the clergy of our Church here, 
 to behave with such a steadiness, as, I thank God, they generally 
 do, that we shall reap advantage by those confusions, and many 
 souls be saved, by taking sanctuary in the Church, which there is 
 no unpromising prospect of." 
 
 The foregoing account was sent to Bishop Gibson. A 
 
X.] METHODISTS. 223 
 
 few years later, Mr. Macsparran, in writing his first letter 
 to Bishop Sherlock, after speaking of the great increase of 
 the Church during the last twenty-nine years, urged the 
 necessity of his Lordship s giving strict injunctions to his 
 Commissary, " to have a watchful, but tender eye over the 
 conduct of the Clergy, with respect to their adhering 
 strictly to canon and rubric." " We mistake much," he 
 says, " if we think the best way to reconcile the people to 
 our Church is to humour them with undue compliances. 
 The posterity of the old Puritans here are a sagacious and 
 prying people, and seldom come to Church before they are 
 masters of the Prayer-Book, and know what is respectively 
 bound upon the clergy as well as the laity ; and when they 
 see us depart from or disparage our own rules, it rather 
 irreconciles than inclines them to conformity." He then 
 goes on to speak of a different matter : 
 
 " Ever since Mr. Whitfield first propagated Methodism (called 
 here the New Light ) through New England, those enthusiastic 
 fires have been breaking out, lo and again, to the almost utter 
 confusion of the sectaries of all sorts, but with some advantage to 
 our Churches. Our present attention is taken up with this false 
 fire s breaking out among the Antipoado-baptists in the places 
 under my care, and as their extravagancies are very extraordinary 
 and uncommon, I am not without hopes the Church will gain by 
 the confusion, and I will do my best among the soberest of them 
 to reduce them by this handle. Whoever is acquainted but with 
 English history can be no stranger to the stratagems of Rome, 
 and how eagerly she embraces every opportunity of mixing her 
 Missionaries in masquerade with all our discontents and enthu 
 siasms ; and I make no doubt, my Lord, but she is making her 
 market among us, even by Methodism. I have good assurance 
 that one of Mr. Whitfield s attendants (or Armour Bearer, as he 
 and another were called), when he took his first tour through 
 New England, was then, and is now, a Jesuit, residing lately at 
 Martinico. If a discovery and full proof of this will, in your. 
 
224 CONNECTICUT. [CH. 
 
 Lordship s opinion, be of service to either the Church or Govern 
 ment of England, and you require it of me, I can, if God lengthens 
 out the person s life to that time, get the same authentically 
 proved by the gentleman who knew and conversed at Martinico 
 with said Jesuit upon Whitfield s scheme, and who, when he 
 was with Whitfield at Ehode Island, lodged at the informant s 
 house. It might be dangerous for me to be named in this matter, 
 but nothing shall fright me from getting full information, upon 
 the least signification of your Lordship s pleasure. 1 
 
 In the course of our narrative it has been shown, that a 
 considerable number of the candidates for holy Orders was 
 composed of those who had been brought up as Dissenters, 
 or had even acted as Dissenting ministers. From this latter 
 class, the Rev. Solomon Palmer was selected, in 1755, to be 
 itinerant Missionary for the district surrounding New Mil- 
 ford and Lichfield. Mr. Palmer, who was of course fully 
 conversant with the system of the Dissenters in raising 
 money for the support of their religious teachers, strongly 
 urged upon the Society the necessity of making large de 
 mands upon the liberality of the several Church congrega 
 tions, since many among them were as able to contribute as 
 the members of the Society at home. He further recom 
 mended that the Society should require of its Missionaries 
 " an account of the circumstances and abilities of their 
 respective Missions, and what money they annually receive 
 from them," with a view to the more equitable apportion 
 ment of its own grants. 
 
 In the following year, the Rev. Mr. Macclenaghan was 
 ordained to the charge of an extensive tract of country 
 round George Town and Frankfort. He was specially re 
 commended " on account of his uncommon fortitude, and 
 
 1 Fulham MS. April 3rd, 1749. 
 
X.] REV. JOHN GRAVES. 225 
 
 a mind cheerfully disposed to undergo the dangers and 
 difficulties to be expected in that Mission." 1 Such quali 
 fications were indeed indispensable in the laborious service 
 on which, as an itinerant Missionary, he was employed. 
 His residence was " an old dismantled fort, where the 
 wind, rain, and snow had a free passage ;" and it was 
 moreover exposed to the frequent attacks of the Indians. 
 He says that his head, his heart, and his hands were all 
 employed in directing, encouraging, and fighting for his 
 people. In another letter he describes the fatigues which 
 he underwent as excessive ; all his journies were by water, 
 and he was "frequently obliged to tug at an oar." His 
 labours, however, were attended with visible success in the 
 increase of his congregation and of his communicants. 
 In 1759, worn out, as he describes himself, with the toils 
 and difficulties of his Mission, he asked permission to 
 resign it, and accepted the charge of Christ Church, 
 Philadelphia. 2 
 
 The other Missionaries of this period reported favour 
 ably of the state of their congregations and the growth 
 of religious principle. The Rev. John Graves, vicar of 
 Clapham, Yorkshire, and brother of the Missionary of 
 New London, was appointed to succeed Mr. Checkley, 3 at 
 Providence, in Rhode Island, in 1754. He appears to 
 have been impelled by an earnest sense of duty to resign 
 his living for the purpose of labouring in a comparatively 
 
 1 Report for 1756, p. 37. 2 Journal, vol. xiv. pp. 41, 147, 203. 
 
 3 The Rev. John Checkley reprinted in America " Leslie s Short and Easy 
 Method with the Deists," together with a discourse concerning Episcopacy. 
 For this he was indicted at Boston, in 1730, and found guilty of a " false 
 and scandalous libel" against " the ministers of the Gospel by law established 
 in the province ;" the argument of the discourse being, that preachers not 
 duly ordained and commissioned were schismatical and excommunicate. 
 He was sentenced to a fine of 501., and bound over in recognisances for six 
 months. Speech of John Checkley upon his Tryol nt Boston. (BRIT. Mrs,) 
 
 Q 
 
226 NEW ENGLAND. [CH. 
 
 wild and dreary country. Two years after his arrival his 
 church was crowded, and his services were so highly ap 
 preciated, that the parishioners wrote to thank the Society 
 for sending so zealous and worthy a clergyman. Besides 
 his own Missions, he officiated as often as he was able at 
 Warwick, a town ten miles distant ; the number of com 
 municants at the former place being about fifty; at the 
 latter, twelve. 
 
 From Salem, in 1756, Mr. Macgilchrist writes "that 
 true religion gains ground there, and his communicants 
 increase ; and that the Church of England is of consider 
 able service in that country, not only to those Avho are 
 within her pale, but to those likewise that are without, 
 and disown all obligation to her ; for by the light she holds 
 forth to them, they perceive many of their errors, and are 
 much brought off from their rigid ways and antinomian 
 principles, and often perceive the truth, except in such 
 doctrines as immediately affect their separation." 1 In 
 1764, the population of Salem amounted to 4,500, and 
 110 heads of families belonged to the Church. 
 
 We are told also that the Church at Kipton greatly 
 flourished under the care of Mr. Newton. 
 
 Many of the settlements, however, were in a deplorable 
 state of spiritual destitution. Thus the Rev. E. Thomp 
 son, who gives a satisfactory account of his own Mission at 
 Scituate, in respect to the attendance, both of the English 
 and Indians, on the ordinances of the Church, informs the 
 Society, in 1755, that he had been, on invitation, to per 
 form the services of the Church at Plymouth, where, 
 although the town had been settled more than 120 years, 
 the Liturgy of the Church of England had never before 
 been used in public. 2 
 
 1 Keport for 1756, p. 39, 2 Ibid. 1756, p. 38. 
 
X.] ALLOTMENT OF GLEBES. 227 
 
 This lack of the means of grace arose in great part from 
 the want of endowments for the support of an adequate 
 body of Clergy. The attention of the Society was di 
 rected to this important subject, by Mr. Macsparran, whom 
 we have already quoted on a different matter, and whose 
 letter contains so much sound principle applicable to the 
 settlement of the Church in a new country, that we are 
 tempted to give the following extended extract : 
 
 " Narraganset, 4th July, 1745. 
 
 " Having this day had the honour of writing to the venerable 
 Society, in which I took a short notice of the glebe affair, I must 
 now beg leave, for reasons I shall mention anon, to be with you, 
 Rev. Sir, a little more large and explicit upon that matter. From 
 motives which lie concealed from all possible penetration of mine, 
 some of the clergy here greatly dislike the rule relating to 
 glebes : while others confess they feel at present, and imagine they 
 foresee, a greater future advantage arising from it. It is, no 
 doubt, a means to make one popular, to appear against a measure 
 that puts the people to a present expense ; though, to look upon 
 it in its true light, it amounts to no more than laying out a 
 little for their children and providing for their better part, when 
 the parents themselves are dead and gone. A motion that looked 
 like bringing in the clergy to declare jointly against it, started 
 last year at Boston, and renewed again last month at the conven 
 tion in Newport, was quashed by what was advanced at both 
 places, as to any public application to the board ; but what may 
 be done in a separate and more private way, one cannot easily 
 
 " As to the hardships upon our poor people, alleged against 
 this rule, that it shuts them out from the Society s charity, surely 
 it is sufficient to say, that it becomes them to be contented with 
 occasional ministrations, until their numbers and wealth increase, 
 or the Society s stock is so enlarged as to be adequate to all 
 demands ; the last, I am afraid that sacred fund will never arrive 
 at, nor can one well wish that the American clergy should be 
 supported from England through all generations. Where a 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 NEW ENGLAND. |_ CH< 
 
 people are numerous and wealthy enough to perpetuate the sup 
 port of religion, but will not, no modesty can mention them as 
 meet objects of the Society s bounty, though they are on that 
 very account the objects of all men s pity ; and when they are 
 able and willing, sure no measure can be better calculated to per 
 petuate religion than that of the Society s, relating to glebes and 
 manses, whether at the erection of new Missions or the revival of 
 old ones. 
 
 " We see already, in consequence of this rule, a small matter 
 given by Mr. Davenport, of Scituate, to which I am told there 
 has been added since some more land by the people. 
 
 " At Providence, the house and glebe is said, by Mr. Checkley 
 himself, to be vastly a greater benefit to him than all his other 
 income from the people. 
 
 " At Symsbury, when their fifty acres of glebe is perfected, 
 with the parsonage-house, it will save the incumbent very little 
 less than 201. sterling a-year ; and Mr. Gibbs tells me they allow 
 him at present, in lieu of the glebe, and till the house is finished, 
 120^., this currency, per year. 
 
 " At Waterbury, Mr. Lyons says they have purchased some 
 land, talk of adding more, and the minister s house is so forward 
 that he expects they will finish it by fall. 
 
 " At Hopkington, where Commissary Price has an estate, there 
 is a good house, and glebe enough to entitle them to the Society s 
 care, especially as Mr. Price says he intends a further addition. 
 
 " At Taunton, in compliance with the Society s command, the 
 people have done wonders that way. I was applied to, above a 
 year or two ago, by one of their principal people, and after a 
 great deal said, and my concluding that the clergy could not, 
 with duty and decency, interpose in their favour at home, until 
 they had tried what they could do by way of perpetual provision, 
 they began the business ; and I am now told, from very good 
 hands, that they have purchased a manse and glebe of a very 
 considerable present value. And now, surely, such first fruits, 
 which promise at the same time a fuller future harvest, is evi 
 dence enough in favour of the rule, which, I persuade myself, the 
 venerable Society will insist on, and not depart from without 
 weightier reasons than any I have yet heard or am aware of. 
 
X.] ENDOWMENTS. 229 
 
 " I have had the honour of holding a Mission in the Society s 
 service almost five-and-twenty years, and though I can with 
 pleasure compare the present with the past times, and have seen 
 a great deal done in building new churches, yet, antecedent to 
 this order, nothing was attempted to perpetuate the church or 
 ease the Society. There is no doubt that a clergyman that lives 
 on a fee-simple estate of his own may improve it greatly in 
 favour of his family, if he has posterity ; whereas he who lives on 
 a glebe, whilst he is improving for his own convenience, pleasure, 
 or profit, is doing something at the same time for the church, and 
 increasing its future income. I hope, however, these are not the 
 grounds of the present dissatisfaction at this rule, and I hope, 
 too, that no efforts will be effectual either entirely to stop or clap 
 a clog on a measure so evidently adapted to the advantage of the 
 church. As the affair does not at all affect me, so I profess to 
 be free from all undue influence, and should not have offered you 
 the interruption of this long letter were it not to suggest these 
 few hints, which you are able to express in a stronger and clearer 
 light to the leading members of the board, if they obtain your 
 approbation and there is occasion of them. 1 " 
 
 While we are upon this subject, justice requires us to 
 mention that several instances occurred about this time of 
 gifts or bequests for the endowment of the Church in dif 
 ferent Missions. Mr. Samuel Colburn, of Braintree, left 
 land for the site of a Church, and 200 currency towards 
 the expense of the building ; he left also an estate of 1 1 1 
 acres, with a house upon it, for the permanent endowment 
 of the Church. " A handsome benefaction," as Dr. Miller, 
 the Missionary, observes, " from one who was only a private 
 sentinel in the provincial troops, and died in the expedition 
 against Crown Point." 2 
 
 Still more important is it to record that Governor Went- 
 worth, in 1762, having authority from his Majesty to dis 
 tribute by grant many tracts of land in New Hampshire, 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. v. 1. 29. 2 Report for 1758, p. 38. 
 
230 NEW ENGLAND. [CIJ. 
 
 made over to the Society a lot of about 300 acres severally 
 in 120 new townships, together with a glebe for the use of 
 the Clergyman. Tracts of land, however, in a new settle 
 ment, are but of nominal value, and the Society was the chief 
 source to which the American Clergy looked for support. 
 
 Mr. Palmer mentions the good effect which the services 
 of the Church had produced on a neighbouring congrega 
 tion of Dissenters, who, he says, t( observing our regular 
 method of reading the Scripture in Church, have, in their 
 last parish meeting, voted that a new folio Bible be bought 
 for them, and that their teacher shall read lessons out of 
 it every Sunday morning and evening." 
 
 The Rev. Jacob Bailey, itinerant Missionary for the 
 eastern frontiers of Massachusetts Bay, in reporting his 
 arrival, says, March 26, 1761, "I arrived at Boston about 
 the 1st of June, and travelled by land, 190 miles, to Frank 
 fort, the place of my residence, where I was received by 
 the poor inhabitants of this and the neighbouring parts 
 with manifest tokens of satisfaction; and they appeared 
 sensibly affected with the goodness of the Society in 
 sending them a minister." He states that in the county 
 of Lincoln, which contained a population of 1,900 fami 
 lies, scattered over a country extending one hundred 
 miles in length and sixty in breadth, he found no teachers 
 of any denomination, save only a number of illiterate 
 exhorters who rambled about the country. The people 
 were a mixture of several nations, languages, and reli 
 gions, but pretty constant in their attendance on Divine 
 worship. He adds i 1 
 
 " Travelling here is attended with the utmost difficulty, the 
 whole country being full of rapid rivers and impenetrable forests ; 
 and in the winter season the weather is so excessively cold, and 
 
 1 Original Lottery vol. xviii. 1. 59. 
 
X.] REV. JACOB BAILEY. 231 
 
 the snow so deep, that moving from place to place is still more 
 impracticable; I have, notwithstanding these discouragements, 
 travelled six or seven hundred miles backward and forward to 
 preach among the people and to baptize their children, and am a 
 witness to their extreme poverty." 
 
 The following year he writes, that his communicants 
 at George Town had increased from seventeen to fifty, 
 and that it gave him " great satisfaction to find in 
 dustry, morality, and religion flourishing among a people 
 till of late abandoned to disorder, vice, and profaneness." 1 
 And that the effect of his presence and labours among 
 them were such as he has described, seems to be established 
 by the subjoined testimony to his character from an elder 
 brother in the ministry, Mr. Caner : 
 
 " It is a great pleasure to me to hear, as I have repeatedly, that 
 Mr. Bailey, lately sent Missionary to Kennebec, is highly useful 
 there, by his diligence, prudence, and exemplary conduct. That 
 county, though a frontier, peoples very fast. Had they the hap 
 piness of two more such Missionaries, one at the western, the 
 other at the eastern boundary, as Mr. Bailey is in the centre, the 
 whole country would unite in one profession, without any per 
 plexing disputes or differing sentiments. But this is a matter 
 which must be referred to the wisdom of the Society." 2 
 
 It appears from one of Mr. Bailey s reports, that Pownal- 
 borough was the only place in the province where the 
 Church was planted before any other worship had been 
 introduced. 
 
 The Rev. E. Pundersoii remarks, in a letter written by 
 him, November 12th, 1762, that although he had entered 
 upon his thirtieth year of service, he had, during that long 
 term, been enabled to officiate every Sunday except one ; 
 and that, amid many difficulties and discouragements, he 
 
 1 Report for 1762, p. 3. 2 Original Letters, vol. xviii. 1. 100. 
 
232 NEW ENGLAND. [CH. 
 
 saw much to cheer him. In Guilford, Newhaven, and 
 Blandford, he had six churches and 160 communicants; 
 and had, altogether, by the blessing of God on his endea 
 vours, been the means of raising eleven churches in 
 Connecticut. 1 
 
 It will probably be admitted by impartial persons, what 
 ever be their own religious bias, that the members of the 
 Church in New England were far from enjoying the full 
 benefit of toleration. Not only were they subject to direct 
 taxation for the support of independent ministers, but every 
 obstacle was thrown in the way of their obtaining the full 
 settlement and organization of their own communion. 
 This may be gathered from the following among many 
 similar statements. It is an extract from a letter of the 
 Kev. Edward Winslow, .dated Stratford, July 1, 1763. 
 
 " Never, sir, did a malignant spirit of opposition to the Church 
 rage with greater vehemence than of late. The most indecent 
 reflections upon the venerable Society, and the general constitu 
 tion of the Church, the most gross and flagrant misrepresentations 
 of the state of the Church in these colonies, and the most false 
 and abusive personal invectives against the Clergy, have lately 
 appeared in print among us ; and all this at a time when there 
 has been not the least particular cause to provoke such a temper. 
 On the contrary, wherever the Church has been planted, the con 
 duct of its members and ministers has been so prudent and 
 charitable, as, at least, to give no just occasion of offence. No 
 cause has, in truth, excited all this virulence, but that the Church 
 has everywhere grown and increased, and the prospect is con 
 tinually enlarging of its still further and substantial increase ; 
 and its condition is such in the colonies as that, since the glorious 
 conclusion of the war and the happy establishment of peace, with 
 such an accession of territory on this continent, the dissenters are 
 from hence jealous the Church may meet with some further 
 encouragement, and perhaps enjoy those essential parts of her 
 1 Report for 1763, p. 52. 
 
X.] LAY BENEFACTORS. 233 
 
 worship and discipline which we have hitherto been destitute of j 
 and they know not how to bear the thoughts of our having the 
 same complete exercise of religion in our way as they have in 
 theirs. They may really thank themselves for no small part of 
 that growth of the Church at which they are now so enraged. 
 Their continual disputes and endless divisions have driven sensible 
 and serious persons to take refuge in our happy constitution. They 
 know they cannot charge the Church, professors, or Clergy, with 
 having made use of any of their own arts to withdraw their 
 people, and that we have been wholly unconcerned, and [have] in 
 no instances intermeddled with their disputes and contentions. 
 The -increase the Church has received by means of these con 
 fusions, has been by its obvious superior worth and excellence. 
 Those venomous pieces which have been published, and what has 
 been wrote in answer to them, have been and will be transmitted 
 to the venerable Society by Dr. Johnson, Mr. Beach, Mr. Apthorp, 
 and those gentlemen who have chiefly interposed their wise and 
 worthy endeavours to vindicate our cause and antidote the mis 
 chiefs designed to be spread by these licentious writings." 
 
 And while the adversaries of the Church were doing 
 their best to injure and cripple it, the number of its influ 
 ential friends, either at home or in the colony, was small. 
 
 There were at this early period of North American 
 history but few independent gentlemen of fortune, and of 
 these only occasionally was found one who concerned 
 himself in the welfare and progress of the Church. Such 
 a one, however, was Mr. John Merrett, who, while lament 
 ing the indifference of the mother country, distinguished 
 himself by his zeal and liberality in the cause of religion. 
 He was a regular attendant and communicant at the 
 Church of Providence while the weather permitted ; and 
 when confined to his own house, discharged " daily the 
 office of a priest in his own family," and read the service 
 from the Book of Common Prayer in the presence of all 
 his household. 
 
234 NEW ENGLAND. [cil. 
 
 At his death, in 1770, he left the sum of one hundred 
 pounds to each of the two Societies for Promoting Chris 
 tian Knowledge and for the Propagation of the Gospel ; 
 and an equal amount to the Church at Providence. 
 
 We have now to remark the commencement of efforts 
 for the better organization of the Church. It had been 
 determined by the Clergy who followed the remains of Dr. 
 Cutler to the grave, in 1765, to have an annual convention 
 at Boston, with a view to promote mutual love and har 
 mony among themselves, and to assist each other with 
 advice in difficult cases. The plan was approved by the 
 Bishop of London, and the first meeting took place in June, 
 1766. The appearance of fourteen Clergymen walking in 
 their gowns and cassocks in procession to Church, was a 
 novelty in America at that time, and was calculated to 
 create an impression of the importance of the body to 
 which they belonged. Dr. Caner, who was appointed Mo 
 derator, preached the first sermon in King s Chapel. 1 
 
 But, compared with the harvest to be reaped, the 
 labourers were still miserably few, and the subjoined 
 account of a Missionary tour by the Rev. Richard Mans 
 field 2 will convey some notion of the wide tracts of 
 country which were wholly unsupplied with the ministra 
 tions of religion. The occasional visits of a Clergyman 
 were doubtless highly valued by a people almost entirely 
 
 1 Macgilchrist, June 27, 1766. 
 
 2 " Mansfield of Derby I knew, one of the holiest and most guileless of 
 men. When the present Trinity Church, New Haven, of which I laid the 
 corner stone in 1814, was consecrated by Bishop Hobart, Dr. Mansfield was 
 present. He went up into the pulpit, and after looking around in silent 
 thought, he said, I remember when there were but three Churchmen in 
 New Haven, and two of them men of doubtful character. So great was the 
 puritan bitterness, that when young Mansfield sailed for England to receive 
 holy orders, his own sister prayed that he might be lost at sea." Rev. 
 Dr. Jarvis. 
 
X.] REV. RICHARD MANSFIELD. 235 
 
 cut off from Christian communion, but could hardly avail 
 to prevent their gradual deterioration ; and we are guilty 
 of no extravagance in attributing much of the religious 
 indifference, as well as of the hostility to the Church, which 
 prevails in the New England states, to the want of an 
 early provision of the appointed means of grace. The 
 letter is dated Derby, September 25, 1768 : 
 
 " In May last, I undertook and performed a long journey, and 
 visited a considerable number of the professors of the Church of 
 England, in seven or eight different towns of the colonies of New 
 York and Massachusetts Bay, who live at a great distance from 
 any Minister of the Church of England, and who are very desirous 
 of Missionaries coming among them. At Lainsborough, a town 
 within the province of Massachusetts Bay, I found a considerable 
 number of serious and sensible professors of the Church of Eng 
 land, who, having been tired out with the very rigid doctrines of 
 the enthusiastic independent teacher of the town, had embraced 
 the Church of England, built them a small church, in which they 
 constantly meet, and join in our liturgy, and in reading and 
 hearing good sermons. Here I preached a lecture and performed 
 Divine service, as I did also at Williamstown, another town in the 
 same province, about sixteen miles north of Lainsborough, where 
 there are also a number of families who profess for the Church. 
 I then proceeded northward to the towns of Pownall, Arlington, 
 and Manchester, which lie in the western parts of those lands 
 which were patented out into townships by the late governor of 
 New Hampshire, and afterwards annexed to the colony of New 
 York. Here I found a considerable number of families who were 
 professors of the Church, to whom I preached, performed Divine 
 service, and baptized their children ; and the people of other 
 denominations in general gave their attendance, and seemed very 
 desirous of instruction. The town of Arlington, which consists of 
 about thirty families, is settled almost entirely by Church people, 
 and Captain Hawley, a principal planter, has constantly read 
 service and sermons in his own house, where the people have 
 attended, by which means a sense of religion hath been kept up 
 
236 NEW ENGLAND. [CH. 
 
 among them. But the other towns in these parts, having been 
 settled by people of different denominations, from different towns 
 in New England and New York, can agree in nothing ; and 
 having no ordained ministers of any kind, and no teachers, 
 excepting some strolling, ignorant, enthusiastic anabaptist and 
 new-light exhorters, and some of them also scandalously immoral 
 in their lives, are in danger of falling into entire irreligion. If 
 the Society, therefore, should see fit to make a Mission at Arling 
 ton, it would be likely to be of very great and extensive service. 
 Manchester and Arlington, the most northern towns which I 
 visited, are about a hundred miles distant from Derby. The 
 people expressed themselves very thankful to me for coming among 
 them, but being new settlers, and generally poor, were not able to 
 contribute to me half enough to defray the expenses of my journey. 
 On my way homewards, I preached at New Concord, within the 
 colony of New York, about twenty miles distant from Albany, 
 where there are about twenty families of the Church of England, 
 who hope that Mr. Bostwick, a candidate for holy orders, will be 
 ordained and settled among them. I was employed near three 
 weeks on this journey, and in the time baptized thirty- two 
 infants and two adults." 1 
 
 The Rev. Alexander Murray, of Reading, relates, (25 
 March, 1769,) how for the recovery of his strength, after 
 an ague fit, he was advised to make a tour i( into the more 
 mountainous grounds," and accordingly traversed the north 
 west parts of the country as far as the Susquehana. Here 
 he found several places which had been planted by the Dutch 
 and English, and baptized several children of Dissenters as 
 well as those of Churchmen. The families all concurred in 
 lamenting their want of the ordinances of religion, and be 
 sought him to visit them, if it were only once or twice a 
 year, to baptize their children, for he was the only minister 
 of any persuasion in the whole county. 
 
 Mr. Murray adds his experience to that of many others 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvii. 1. 273. 
 
X.] ELECTION OF CLERGYMEN. 237 
 
 already quoted, as to the evils which arose from the absence 
 of superior authority. An extract from a letter dated 
 March 26, 1772, on the ill consequences of a popular 
 election of the clergy may be read with advantage. 
 
 " The Lutherans of this town are just now a suing and exe 
 crating one another on the occasion of electing a minister ; and 
 this satisfaction they frequently indulge themselves, being fonder 
 of new clergy than new clothes, which they are parsimonious 
 enough to wear threadbare ; and when they are ripe for a change 
 of pastors, they make them do so too, and so starve them out of 
 place with cold or hunger. Their subscriptions are scanty, at 
 best, and these they continue or withhold annually at pleasure ; 
 for, in their language, they hire a minister generally for no longer 
 than a year, which renders this office as contemptible as poor. 
 Their elections are like Polish Diets ; they meet again and again, 
 and as often dissolve in confusion, till at last, tired out, they 
 submit to any measure or any minister for a time, which makes 
 your settlements short-lived and unsatisfactory, and vacancies 
 long. These sad effects of anarchy too evidently show the neces 
 sity of some ecclesiastical government in these parts of the world. 
 Must not Christianity, in such circumstances, suffer in the eyes 
 of the heathen, whose morals it should mend, not corrupt 1 ? 
 Besides, the members of our own Church are no more than men, 
 and may be brought to think the more lightly of religion and its 
 ministers, especially in those places where they are comparatively 
 but a small number. 
 
 " Has France or Spain, Russia or Turkey, left their religions 
 in such a distracted state as ours in British America ? I address 
 a wise and zealous advocate for an American episcopate, "judge 
 you what I say." 
 
 It is sometimes said that the principal difference between 
 the Church and dissent is one of ecclesiastical government, 
 and that, practically, it is of little consequence to the 
 people by what denomination of ministers they are in 
 structed. It were easy to prove by argument the exceed 
 ing shallow ness of this popular remark ; but it seems more 
 
238 NEW ENGLAND. [cil. 
 
 appropriate to our present subject to shew by the facts of 
 history, how the doctrines of revelation, and the sacra 
 ments ordained by Christ Himself, have become mutilated 
 or neglected through the want of a divinely-constituted 
 Church. With this view is cited the following statement, 
 as to the general neglect of baptism. It was sent home 
 by the Rev. John Tyler, Missionary of Norwich, in Con 
 necticut, in Jan. 1770 : 
 
 " Since I came into this Mission, I have observed that the pro 
 fessors of the Church do, and have in times past, very much 
 neglected bringing their children to the sacrament of baptism ; 
 and are, and have been, themselves extremely backward in be 
 coming partakers of the Lord s Supper. This evil practice in 
 the Church people here, with respect to baptism and the Lord s 
 Supper, they seem to have learned while dissenters j and upon 
 conforming to the Church, are not without difficulty cleared from 
 a tincture of this evil. The anabaptists are numerous in parts 
 adjacent some few here j and the dissenters here seem too gene 
 rally to consider baptism of infanta, or indeed the baptism of any, 
 to be a matter of no great importance in religion ; and, though 
 they do not seem in their principles to despise the sacrament of 
 the Lord s Supper, yet their superstitious notions about it produce 
 effects almost (I may well say) as injurious to Christianity as their 
 contempt of baptism. For they seem too generally to consider the 
 Lord s Supper as no means of salvation, but rather as a solace for 
 those whom they imagine to be out of the reach of all possibility 
 of perishing ; and then they seem to think (and not without 
 reason) that the participation of the Lord s Supper is not a matter 
 of pressing necessity to such \ and for any others to partake who 
 are not thus qualified, they seem to imagine cannot be, without 
 almost infinite hazard to their souls ; and accordingly, in this 
 large and populous town of Norwich, containing, I suppose, at 
 least twelve hundred families of dissenters, there is not in all 
 these but only a very small and inconsiderable number of com 
 municants. 
 
 " Doubtless you will say, Why, indeed, my account is some- 
 
X.] UNPROVIDED DISTRICTS. 239 
 
 what extravagant, or else I live in a town peculiarly fanatical. 
 True, sir, this town, and those adjacent, are rather uncommonly 
 enthusiastical, even for New England. 
 
 " Ever since I have been in this Mission, by dispersing of books, 
 and by preaching and conversation, I have earnestly laboured (but 
 more especially of late) among my people, to cure this evil prac 
 tice of neglecting the two Christian sacraments. My endeavours 
 have been effectual with some, and I hope will soon be so with 
 more ; and be sure (if God continues my life) I shall not rest 
 easy till I can, with truth and pleasure, give the Society a more 
 satisfactory account of this matter." 
 
 The destitute condition, in respect to the means of grace, 
 of vast districts in New England, and the difficulties which 
 beset the Missionary in his attempts to visit the members 
 of the Church when thinly scattered over the face of a 
 new country, are set forth in a letter of the Rev. Samuel 
 Peters, who, attended by his clerk, undertook a Missionary 
 tour among the poor emigrants in September, 1770. 
 
 He describes two large counties on the west side of the 
 Connecticut, containing several thousand souls in one of 
 which, viz. Gloucester, there was a teacher of the sect 
 of Independents, but not one of any denomination in 
 Cumberland. He then proceeds : 
 
 " On the east side of the river are many settlements begun, 
 whose inhabitants much resemble their neighbours in every 
 uncomfortable property. Among these people I spent four weeks, 
 travelling from place to place, preaching and baptizing the 
 people, being careful to attend Divine service j many wishing 
 for a Clergyman to reside among them. . . 
 
 " In October I travelled west from the river in a pathless wil 
 derness, by trees marked and by the compass. Crossed the Green 
 Mountain, (sixteen miles over,) which begins at the sea, in New- 
 Haven, extending north-east to the river St. Lawrence, and is the 
 height of land between the two rivers, Hudson and Connecticut. 
 On the west of this mouhtain lie the towns of Sunderland, Erling- 
 
240 NEW ENGLAND. [CH. 
 
 ton, &c. Here are a number of very serious Churchmen. With 
 them I tarried three days, preached and baptized, much pleased 
 with their rubrical devotion and zeal for religion, owing much to 
 Captain Howley, a worthy and good man. From hence I travelled 
 west to Hudson river, and arrived at Fort Miller, fifty miles north 
 of Albany. Here I spent several days visiting the people, preach 
 ing and baptizing. Here are wanted two Clergymen very much. 
 From hence I continued my journey south-west up Mohawk 
 River ; preached at Schenectady. From there to Albany, thence 
 to America Precinct, Sharon, &c., and tarried several days ; per 
 formed Divine Service among them. This America Precinct is in 
 great want of a Clergyman. From hence I went to Woodbury, 
 and spent one Sunday; from hence to my own house upon 
 November 6th. 
 
 " In this excursion I baptized thirty-five infants and buried 
 one ; preached as often as every other day ; travelled 700 or 
 800 miles, in a way so uneven that I was in perils oft ; and God 
 be praised for my preservation, and that I am alive to pity and 
 pray for those in the wilderness. The spirit of colonization seems 
 worthy of all encouragement from the patron of Great Britain, as 
 thereby very soon his dominion will reach from sea to sea. . . 
 
 " I must confess the prospect existing in my mind of future 
 accessions to the best of Churches, such as shall be saved, in 
 these new plantations, fills me with a principle of enthusiasm which 
 guided the primitive Christians to wander about, being destitute ; 
 and, was my ability equal to my inclinations, I would choose to 
 spend my life among them, and so fly from the midst of these sons 
 of liberty and property, who imagine his sacred majesty is capable 
 of rebellion against his supreme subjects in America. 
 
 " Be this as it may, the Clergy and Church of England want 
 many supports to make them equal (in temporals) with the various 
 sects who ride with whips and spurs. We are curing our troubles 
 as the early Christians prevented theirs, by our prayers and tears ; 
 arid we hope deliverance at least, if we quit the mortal scene, with 
 < Well done! " 
 
 He concludes his interesting narrative in the following 
 characteristic manner : 
 
X.] REV. SAMUEL PETERS. 241 
 
 " If what I have done in the preceding half-year shall be 
 approved of by the Society, it will add to my happiness, and be 
 a stimulus touching my future conduct in this pauper and con 
 tending part of the kingdom of Great Britain. Having no faculty 
 to dissemble, no inclination to trim between Charles and Oliver, 
 I seek to live obstinately just j hence must bid adieu to the laurels 
 natural to the fond admirers of Hugh Peters, my grandfather s 
 uncle." 
 
 In a previous letter, dated June 25, 1768, lie described the 
 spirit of disaffection and republicanism which was spread 
 ing more widely every day, and which, resisted for the 
 most part by the clergy and laity of the Church, was fos 
 tered and inflamed by the great body of Dissenters, who 
 declaimed against the Parliament and the Church, and 
 denounced the Archbishop of Canterbury as another Laud. 
 Mr. Peters thus speaks : 
 
 " I spend most of my time endeavouring the good of these 
 people within the circle of thirty and forty miles ; but, by some 
 evil fate having seized the Dissenting teachers and their adherents, 
 nothing seems worth their notice or consideration except the 
 glorious idea of an Oliverian revolution, or something as bad. 
 The peasantry I have often heard say, that they had rather (not 
 withstanding their religious tenets are bent upon John Calvin s 
 wheel) be under the government of the Pretender, the French, 
 Dutch, or Spanish monarchies, than to submit to acts of a British 
 parliament, or an American episcopate. You may have a faint 
 idea of what doctrines are generally taught by those enemies of 
 peace and order, by reading Livingstone s scurrilous letter to my 
 lord of Llandaff. 1 Livingstone has now immortalized his name 
 with the American puritans. That man is the greatest patriot 
 who blows the loudest blast in honour of their mighty hero, 
 Livingstone. Was his lordship, the worthy ordinary of Llandaffj 
 now in America, he could find but little grounds to give a better 
 
 1 See the Bishop of Llandaff s (Dr. Ewer) Sermon preached at the Anni 
 versary of the Society, 1767. 
 
 R 
 
242 NEW ENGLAND. |_CH. 
 
 character of its inhabitants than appears in his very excellent 
 sermon." 
 
 This growing discontent is noticed in the letters of the 
 other Missionaries. The Eev. E. Dibblee, of Stamford, 
 says, Oct. 18, 1768: 
 
 " With pleasure I can inform the venerable Board of the 
 peaceable, flourishing, increasing state of my parish, and of their 
 firm attachment to our happy constitution, both in church and 
 state ; notwithstanding, party rage never ran higher ; and, under 
 the specious pretence of civil and religious liberty, every art is used 
 to throw us into all imaginable confusion, and to prejudice his 
 Majesty s subjects against the conduct of the government in being, 
 and our religious constitution in particular. We hope in God for bet 
 ter times, that the provinces will obtain redress of just grievances, 
 and effectual provision be made for the support and encourage 
 ment of our national religion in these remote regions, and the 
 subjects of it delivered from their fears and insults, and indulged 
 in the full enjoyments of their religious profession and Church 
 government." 2 
 
 To the same purport is a letter of the Eev. Bela Hub- 
 bard, dated Newhaven, January 10, 1769 : 
 
 " I can say it with sincerity, that I have faithfully endeavoured 
 to discharge my duty as a servant of the Society, and as a mini 
 ster of Jesus Christ ; and I trust that my labours in the vineyard 
 of Christ have not been altogether in vain. I have not failed to 
 exhort them in these unhappy times, to let the world see that 
 Churchmen fear God and honour the king to do. their utmost to 
 live peaceably with all men not to use our liberty for a cloak of 
 maliciousness, but as the servants of God ; and I know of no 
 disposition in any one member of our excellent Church to go over 
 to the party of the Sons of Liberty (though falsely so called) 
 who have given so much trouble to the mother country, and to 
 all in her colonies who are friendly to the cause of the nation." 3 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvii. 1. 329". Tbid. 1. 109. 3 Ibid. 1. 171. 
 
X.] ATTACKS UPON THE CHURCH. 243 
 
 As years rolled on, affairs became more and more em 
 broiled ; and Mr. Dibblee thus gives vent to his feelings : 
 
 " Stamford, 5th April, 1775. 
 
 " We view with the deepest anxiety, affliction, and concern, the 
 great dangers we are in by reason of our unhappy divisions, and 
 the amazing height to which the unfortunate dispute between 
 Great Britain and these remote provinces hath arisen ; the baneful 
 influence it hath upon the interest of true religion, and the well- 
 being of the Church. 
 
 " Our duty as ministers of religion is now attended with peculiar 
 difficulty faithfully to discharge the duties of our office, and yet 
 carefully to avoid taking any part in these political disputes, as I 
 trust my brethren in this colony have done, as much as possible, 
 notwithstanding any representations to our prejudice to the con 
 trary. We can only pray Almighty God, in compassion to our 
 Church and nation and the well-being of these provinces in par 
 ticular, to avert those terrible calamities that are the natural result 
 of such an unhappy contest with our parent state, to save us from 
 the horrors of civil war, and remove all groundless fears and 
 jealousies, and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union 
 and concord. " 
 
 But more numerous were the promoters of discord than 
 the preachers of peace ; and Mr. Graves tells us of the 
 means taken to excite the passions of the people by the 
 most inflammatory publications, as well as of the constant 
 inculcation of the duty of loyalty and obedience by the 
 Missionaries. In April, 1770, he says, " The face of pub 
 lic affairs here is melancholy. Altar against altar in the 
 Church, and such open, bold attacks made upon the state, 
 as, I believe, the English annals do not furnish us with 
 the like since the reign of King Charles I." These were 
 the signs of the coming storm. Two subsequent letters 
 bring us acquainted with the effects of the revolution upon 
 the Church and the Clergy. On the 19th of September, 
 1776, Mr. Graves writes thus: 
 
 R 2 
 
NEW ENGLAND. [CH. 
 
 " Since independency has been proclaimed here, my two churches 
 have been shut up; still I go on to baptize their children, visit 
 their sick, bury their dead, and frequent their respective houses 
 with the same freedom as usual j and add, with gratitude, that 
 their benefactions to me since the above period have been great, 
 and far beyond what I ever experienced from them before, founded 
 upon their commiserating sense that the necessary means of sup 
 porting my large family a wife and seven children were now 
 entirely cut off." 
 
 In 1782, he informed the Society that he had been 
 expelled, by a vote of the vestry, from the parsonage-house 
 and glebe, because he refused to open his church in con 
 formity with the principles of independence. It appears 
 that he was still personally in much estimation with his 
 parishioners, who continued to shew him much kindness ; 
 but he refused, in his public ministrations, to comply with 
 the requirements of the republicans, and was therefore 
 obliged to leave his house, and resign a cure which he had 
 served with advantage to the congregation for a period of 
 twenty- six years. 
 
 The Rev. Marmaduke Browne, Missionary at Newport, 
 in the same island, gives similar testimony to that which is 
 supplied in the letters of Mr. Graves, both as to the 
 violent proceedings of the sons of liberty, and the loyal 
 and orderly conduct of the Churchmen, and he concludes 
 with an observation of much practical wisdom: " I cannot 
 help wishing that the government would pay more atten 
 tion to the welfare of the Church of England in North 
 America than it has hitherto done ; it being the opinion of 
 many, who do not pretend to the spirit of prophecy, that a 
 disregard to this will be, some time or other, attended with 
 consequences fatal and pernicious. They think a religious 
 establishment necessary to preserve the peace and quiet of 
 a country, which the Church of England is so far from 
 
X.] TROUBLES OF THE CLERGY. 245 
 
 being in these parts, that it is little better than in a state 
 of persecution." 
 
 In another letter of the same year he states the lamentable 
 fact, that not one-third of the inhabitants of that colony 
 were baptized. 
 
 Some further extracts from the letters of the Missionaries 
 at this period will serve to convey a notion of the troubles 
 and suiferings to which they were exposed during the 
 course of the civil war. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Caner, who gives his testimony to the 
 firmness, tempered by prudence, with which the Clergy 
 conducted themselves amid their severe trials, sends home 
 the following melancholy details, June 2, 1775 : 
 
 " Mr. Serjeant, of Cambridge, has been obliged, with his family, 
 to fly for the safety of their lives, nor can I learn where he is con 
 cealed. His fine church is turned into barracks by the rebels, 
 and a beautiful organ that was in it broke to pieces. 
 
 " Mr. Weeks, of Marblehead, has also fled with his family, since 
 which I have had no intelligence what is become of him. 
 
 " Mr. Wiswall, of Falmouth, after being taken prisoner, escaped 
 out of their hands, and has taken shelter in this town, but his 
 family remain at the mercy of the rebels. All letters are inter 
 cepted, so that I can obtain no particular account of the other 
 Missionaries. I have heard, indeed, that Mr. Winslow of Brain- 
 tree, Mr. Thompson of Scituate, and Mr. Clark of Dedham, have 
 not left their Missions, nor suffered any actual violence, though 
 much threatened. In short, we are all of us in a distressful 
 situation. In the town we are exposed to famine in the country, 
 to the sword. The town is straitly besieged, and whether the 
 king s troops are not thought strong enough, or whether the 
 general has no fighting orders, I cannot say j but this I am 
 certain of, that unless something be speedily done, the town will 
 fall into the hands of the rebels, and we shall all of us be put to 
 the sword. The prospect of such an event, together with the bar 
 barities committed by the rebels, has so intimidated many of the 
 
246 NEW ENGLAND. [cif. 
 
 king s loyal subjects that they are fled, and are daily flying, to 
 Halifax, to Quebec, to the West Indies, and to England." 1 
 
 The Rev. J. W. Weeks, the Missionary of Marblehead, 
 
 a town containing, at that time, a population of 6,500, 
 four-fifths of which were Dissenters, but very moderate 
 and quiet, writes in the same strain : 
 
 " Portsmouth, September 7th, 1775. 
 
 " The condition of your Missionaries is truly deplorable : they 
 have enemies all around them, and no friends but God and their 
 consciences. I am now stripped of the comforts and conveniences 
 of life j my wife and a family of eight helpless children are obliged 
 to seek shelter in a wilderness, the horrors of which they had never 
 seen or felt before. And yet even there they have not been suf 
 fered to remain in quiet. Their happiness has been often inter 
 rupted by insults, and by the snapping of a loaded gun at Mr. 
 Bailey and me while walking in the garden. We have no hope 
 but in the experience of your wonted charity." 
 
 Dr. Caner, like many of his brethren, was soon after 
 wards compelled to leave his parish, and seek refuge in 
 the loyal colony of Nova Scotia. 
 
 But before dismissing his name, it seems due to one 
 who faithfully served the Church for a period of half a 
 century, to give at least a brief outline of his history. 
 After filling, for a short time, the subordinate office of 
 catechist, he was, in 1727, ordained to the Mission of Fair- 
 field, where he remained till the year 1747, when he was 
 appointed to King s Chapel, Boston, and on quitting his 
 Mission took occasion to send home a summary of his ser 
 vices, showing that whereas, on his arrival at Fairfield, there 
 were but 12 communicants, he left 68 ; and that at Nor- 
 walk, where there were none, he left 115, besides 20 at 
 
 1 Original Letters, voLxviii. 1.132, 
 
X.] REV. DR. CANER. 247 
 
 Stanford. The subscriptions that were raised in the Mis 
 sion lie appropriated to the erection of churches. 1 For the 
 thirty years of his residence at Boston, though receiving 
 no allowance from the Society, he continued to act as its 
 confidential friend and correspondent, especially in regard 
 to the recommendation of candidates for holy orders. In 
 1766, he received the honorary degree of D.D. by diploma. 
 But not age, nor long service, nor honour, could protect 
 him from republican jealousy. He thus describes his 
 escape : 
 
 "Halifax, May 10th, 1776. 
 
 "As to the Clergy of Boston, indeed, they have for eleven 
 months past been exposed to difficulty and distress in every shape; 
 and as to myself, having determined to maintain my post as long 
 as possible, I continued to officiate to the small remains of my 
 parishioners, though without a support, till the 10th of March, 
 when I suddenly and unexpectedly received notice that the king s 
 troops would immediately evacuate the town. It is not easy to 
 paint the distress and confusion of the inhabitants on this occa 
 sion. I had but six or sevc n hours allowed to prepare for this 
 measure, being obliged to embark the same day for Halifax, where 
 we arrived the 1st of April. This sudden movement prevented 
 me from saving my books, furniture, or any part of my interest, 
 except bedding, wearing apparel, and a little provision for my 
 small family during the passage. 
 
 " I am now at Halifax with my daughter and servant, but 
 without any means of support, except what I receive from the 
 benevolence of the worthy Dr. Breynton." 
 
 He soon afterwards sailed for England, and was re 
 ceived by the Society with the respect which he so well 
 deserved, as the father of the American Clergy. The 
 Society offered to him the choice of any of the Missions 
 then vacant ; and he was appointed to Bristol, in Rhode 
 Island : and thus, through the changes and chances of 
 
 1 Journal, vol. x. p. 306. 
 
248 NEW ENGLAND. [CH. 
 
 life, he re-assumed, in his old age, a similar employment 
 to that which he undertook in youth. 1 
 
 Besides the personal hardships to which the Clergy were 
 exposed by their fidelity to the king, they had to choose the 
 painful alternative of departing from the Liturgy, to which 
 they had promised to conform, by omitting the prayers for 
 the king and royal family, or to close their churches alto 
 gether. The Clergy of New England adopted the latter 
 course, conceiving that there was no authority which 
 could release them from their oath of allegiance, or from 
 their obligation of conforming to the Book of Common 
 Prayer. Many of them, however, though compelled by 
 conscientious scruples to abstain from officiating in public, 
 remained, as long as it was safe, in their Missions ready to 
 perform the occasional services whenever they might be 
 required by their parishioners. 
 
 To the list of those Clergymen who sought for Ordi 
 nation in the Church from a conviction of the unscrip- 
 tural grounds of nonconformity, is to be added that of the 
 Rev. Mather Byles, whose ancestors were of great repu 
 tation among the early Puritans. He was son of Dr. 
 . Byles, a dissenting minister of Boston, and had himself 
 been a preacher for ten years at New London. After a 
 careful examination of the argument for Episcopacy, he 
 resigned his functions and conformed to the Church of 
 England. On the death of Mr. Greaton he was elected 
 to succeed him as Rector of Christ Church, Boston. 
 
 Having presented satisfactory testimonials as to his 
 character and qualifications, he was ordained by the 
 Bishop of London, and took possession of his parish in 
 September, 1768, a very critical time to enter upon his 
 
 1 Report for 1777, p. 15. 
 
X.] IlEV. MATHER BYLES. 249 
 
 ministry. The congregation had already been thinned by 
 the divisions which were then commencing; but he still 
 reckoned 100 families who were regular attendants at 
 Divine service, and the number of his actual communi 
 cants was fifty. For a few years he bore up against the 
 gradually increasing torrent of discontent, but finding, in 
 1775, that his congregation at Boston was determined to 
 withdraw all further support, he accepted an invitation 
 from the Churchmen of Portsmouth. " Unhappily, how 
 ever," he says, " on the very next day the sword of civil 
 war was unsheathed, and there was a battle between the 
 regulars and provincials, in which numbers were killed 
 on both sides. In consequence of this, New England is 
 now in an uproar Boston is besieged letters are inter 
 ceptedand all friendly intercourse between town and 
 country prevented. The inhabitants of this place are now 
 confined to a garrison ; nor, indeed, is there any safety 
 elsewhere for those who have distinguished themselves as 
 friends of Government." 
 
 And again, in a letter dated Halifax, May 4, 1776, he 
 writes : 
 
 " In my last I gave you a particular account of my melancholy 
 situation and prospects, with the reasons of my not repairing to 
 my Mission at Portsmouth. All the evils of which I was then 
 apprehensive have been since realized, with the addition of many 
 others, which I at that time hardly supposed possible. Close 
 confinement, scarcity of provision, and even cannonading and 
 bombardment, I was in some measure prepared for ; but I 
 must confess I had not the least suspicion that the army would 
 ever have evacuated Boston. That astonishing event has now 
 taken place ; and the retreat has been so sudden and precipitate, 
 that it has totally ruined multitudes, who thought themselves 
 perfectly secure in the British protection. Of this number I am 
 one, not being allowed to bring away my furniture, or anything 
 that I possessed, but a couple of beds, with such articles as might 
 
250 NEW ENGLAND, [CH. 
 
 be contained in a few trunks and boxes. I now see myself, 
 without being guilty of any crime to occasion it, reduced, within 
 the compass of a few days, to the most distressing circumstances 
 imaginable an exile from my native country pent up in one 
 wretched chamber, in a strange place, together with my five 
 motherless children, one son and four daughters deprived of 
 every other earthly enjoyment, and entirely at a loss as to my 
 future residence and subsistence. Such are the horrors of civil 
 war ! and I have nothing to console me, unless it be a conscious 
 ness that I have never contributed to kindle the destructive 
 flame, but, on the contrary, have exerted all my little influence 
 to prevent it. 
 
 " P.S. Dr. Caner, Mr. Walter, and Mr. Badger, are all safe at 
 Halifax. Mr. Thompson, of Scituate, is dead." 
 
 This mention of the death of the Rev. E. Thompson 
 seems to require the insertion, in this place, of the high 
 testimony which was borne to his character by his brethren. 
 The Rev. Edward Winslow communicates the mournful 
 intelligence of his death in the following terms : 
 
 "April 10, 1776. 
 
 " Of our number, one of the worthiest, my much loved friend 
 and neighbour, the Rev. Mr. Thompson, of Scituate, it has pleased 
 God to remove from his station by death. I was called to perform 
 the last Christian office to his remains on the 2d December past. 
 He continued firm to his principles to the last. In the support 
 of them, and of his duty to the Church, he met with some harsh 
 treatment, under which he gave substantial evidence of a truly 
 Christian temper, as he also did under a long and painful exercise 
 from bodily infirmities. It may with justice be said that he was 
 exemplary in his disposition and deportment, both in life and at 
 death. Both appeared truly Christian. His family, flock, and 
 brethren have sustained a loss peculiarly affecting at this time." 
 
 And Dr. Caner refers, though more briefly, to the high 
 estimation hi which Mr. Thompson was held: 
 
X.] REV. BE. CANER. 251 
 
 " Boston, January 14, 1776. 
 
 " Mr. Wiswall, late Missionary at Falmouth, takes charge of 
 this letter, which is intended to acquaint the Society with the 
 death of their faithful and very worthy Missionary, Mr. Thomp 
 son, of Scituate. It is said that his death was partly owing to 
 bodily disorder, and partly to some uncivil treatment from the 
 rebels in his neighbourhood. The parish are earnestly desirous 
 of being re-supplied, but I can hardly think any gentleman would 
 undertake the Mission in these troublesome times. 
 
 " What views Mr. Wiswall has in going to England I cannot 
 say. He has no parish, indeed ; the town N of Falmouth being 
 burnt, and his people in consequence scattered abroad. Possibly 
 he may apply to the Society for some favour. If so, I must say 
 that he has been a diligent and prudent Minister, and a very 
 great sufferer in the confusion that now prevails. Indeed, we all 
 of us labour under so much distress, that we should gladly remove 
 to some place of peace and safety. 
 
 " As to myself, in particular, the scarcity and dearness of every 
 necessary of life would have determined me for England, if I could 
 see the least ground to hope for a support there ; but as I see 
 none, I am obliged to submit to the evil of the present day as 
 well as I can. The wealthier part of my parish have provided 
 for themselves by removing to England, or elsewhere ; so, while 
 the few necessaries of life are risen to an exorbitant price, my 
 salary is diminished to an insufficiency, through the poverty of 
 the few remaining parishioners." 
 
 Some additional insight into the temper of the times, 
 and the ungenerous treatment both of the Clergy and 
 the laity of the Church, may be gathered from the follow 
 ing extract of a letter, dated Quebec, July 20, 1778, from 
 Colonel John Peters to his brother, the Rev. Mr. Peters, 
 in London: 
 
 " The Rev. Dr. Wheelock, (President of Dartmouth College, in 
 New Hampshire,) in conjunction with Deacon Bayley, Mr. Morey, 
 and Mr. Hurd, all justices of the peace, put an end to the Church 
 of England in this State, so early as 1775. They seized me, 
 
252 NEW ENGLAND. [cil. 
 
 Captain Peters, and all the judges of Cumberland and Gloucester, 
 the Rev. Mr. Cossit, and Mr. Cole, and all the Church people for 200 
 miles upon this river (Connecticut), and confined us in close gaols, 
 after beating and drawing us through water and mud. Here we 
 lay some time, and were to continue in prison until we abjured 
 the king and signed the league and covenant, similar to that in 
 Noll s time, excepting they fought the king s troops, and we were 
 to fight the ministerial troops. Many falling sick, some died ; 
 one of which was Captain Peters son. We were removed from 
 the gaol, and confined in private houses at our own expense. 
 Captain Peters and myself were guarded by twelve rebel soldiers 
 while sick in bed, and we paid dearly for this honour, and others 
 fared in like manner. I soon recovered from my indisposition, 
 and took the first opportunity and fled to Canada, leaving Cossit, 
 Cole, Peters, Willis, Porter, Sumner, Paplin, &c. in close confine 
 ment, where they had misery, insults, and sickness enough. My 
 flight was in 1776, since which my family arrived at Montreal, 
 and inform me that many prisoners died, that Captain Peters had 
 been tried by a court-martial, and ordered to be shot, for refusing 
 to lead his company against the king s troops. He was afterwards 
 reprieved, but still in gaol, and that he was ruined both in health 
 and property ; that Cossit and Cole were alive when they came 
 away, but were under confinement, and had undergone more 
 insults than any of the loyalists, because they had been servants 
 of the Society, which, under pretence (as the rebels say) of pro 
 pagating religion, had propagated loyalty, in opposition to the 
 liberties of America. If the rebels had said that the Society for 
 the Propagation of the Gospel were, and had been, the only sup 
 porters of all the religion and loyalty that is, or ever was, in New 
 England, they would have for once spoke the truth ; but this 
 suits not with their plan." 
 
 These details of the sufferings which the Clergy had to 
 undergo for no other offence than the firm but unobtrusive 
 assertion of their own principles, are full of useful in 
 struction ; and we, therefore, make no apology for adding 
 another extract of similar tendency from the Society s 
 correspondence. It is instructive in many ways, both as 
 
X.] REV. RICHARD MANSFIELD. 253 
 
 showing the utter disregard of individual rights and pro 
 perty by the professed champions of liberty, and the sted- 
 fast loyalty of both the Clergy and lay-members of the 
 Church of England. Such loyalty, which has its founda 
 tion in the divine commandment, has been proved in more 
 than one revolution, and was also most conspicuously 
 displayed at the time of the insurrection in Canada, in 
 1837, when, among all the prisoners who were taken 
 fighting against their sovereign, not one was found to be 
 a member of our Church. Such examples may, perhaps, 
 serve to show the responsible ministers of the crown who 
 they are, on whom they may most securely rely for main 
 taining the connexion between the colonies and the mother 
 country. The statement is taken from a letter of the 
 Rev. Richard Mansfield, whom we have before had occa 
 sion to cite, and is dated December 29th, 1775 : 
 
 " After having resided and constantly performed parochial 
 duties in my Mission, full twenty-seven years without intermis 
 sion, I have at last been forced to fly from my churches and from 
 my family and home, in order to escape outrage and violence, im 
 prisonment and death, unjustly meditated of late and designed 
 against me ; and have found a temporary asylum in the loyal town 
 of Hempstead, pretty secure, I believe, at present from the power 
 of those violent and infatuated people who persecute me in par 
 ticular, and disturb the peace of the whole British empire. As 
 soon as these sparks of civil dissension appeared, which have since 
 been blown up into a devouring flame, I did (as I thought it my 
 duty) inculcate upon my parishioners, both from the pulpit and 
 in private conversation, the duty of peaceableness and quiet sub 
 jection to the king and to the parent state ; and I am well 
 assured that the clergy in general of the Church in the colony of 
 Connecticut, with most of whom I have the pleasure of a par 
 ticular acquaintance and friendship, did the same. That my 
 endeavours and influence have had some effect appears from 
 hence, that out of one hundred and thirty families which attended 
 
254 NEW ENGLAND. [C H. 
 
 divine service in our two churches, it is well known that an 
 hundred and ten of them are firm and stedfast friends to govern 
 ment, and that they detest and abhor the present unnatural 
 rebellion, and all those measures which have led to it .... The 
 worthy Mr. Scovil and the venerable Mr. Beach have had still 
 better success, scarcely a single person to be found of their several 
 congregations but what hath persevered stedfastly in his duty 
 and loyalty ; and there are but few instances to be found in the 
 colony of persons who are professors of the Church, who are not 
 entitled to the same character. 1 
 
 He then goes on to describe the insults and abuse to 
 which the Clergy, and generally all the friends of peace, 
 were exposed. They were denounced as Tories and 
 Papists by the populace, and subject to very arbitrary 
 treatment by the republican soldiery. At this alarming 
 crisis he wrote a letter to Governor Tyron, to state it as 
 his opinion that, in case the King s troops were sent to 
 protect the loyalists, several thousand men in the three 
 western counties of the colony would join them. 
 
 The contents of this letter were communicated to the 
 " Committee of inquiry," who gave directions for the appre 
 hension of Mr. Mansfield ; but being apprised of the order 
 by his friends, he had just time to effect his escape : 
 " I was forced," he says, " to flee from home, leaving 
 behind a virtuous, good wife, with one young child newly 
 weaned from the breast, four other children which are 
 small, and not of sufficient age to support themselves, and 
 four others which are adults ; and all of them overwhelmed 
 with grief and bathed in tears, and but very slenderly pro 
 vided with the means of support, whilst I myself could 
 entertain but very faint hopes, if any at all, considering 
 the badness of the times, of returning back to them in 
 safety. But I hope to be able to maintain some fortitude 
 1 Original Letters, vol.xvii. 1. 278. 
 
X.] STATE OF THE CHURCHES. 255 
 
 of mind under adversity, and to improve in the virtues of 
 patience and resignation to the disposals of the Divine 
 Providence, which since my misfortunes I have found to 
 yield me some comfort and sensible relief." 
 
 A statement sent home by the Rev. J. W. Weeks, con 
 tains some interesting particulars of the condition of many 
 of the Churches and congregations of New England in the 
 year 1778. It is therefore given at length: 
 
 " The Church of Pownalborough, on Kennebec, is not much 
 diminished. Mr. Bailey, having been long persecuted, is now 
 treated with a little less severity. When I came away they had 
 not tendered the oath to him. Should they do it, he determines 
 to attempt making his escape to Halifax. 
 
 " When I was in that part of the country I baptized many 
 children and married several couples. The Church at George 
 Town is made up of several wealthy farmers who are noted 
 loyalists. I offered to preach to them, but they were afraid to 
 suffer me. They were all obliged to pay taxes to the dissenting 
 ministers, and they dared not dispute it. 
 
 " At Falmouth, in Casco Bay, I used to preach frequently, even 
 after the church was burnt. The congregation was small, but 
 exceedingly well-disposed, being enemies of the rebellion, and 
 friends to government. 
 
 " The church at Portsmouth is in a ruinous condition, the 
 windows broken, and many of the pews shattered. There are 
 several good families which belong to the church still. A clergy 
 man who was supposed to have abjured the king offered to preach 
 there. The warden, who was a rebel general, and commissary of 
 the province, refused him, saying the doors of the church should 
 never be opened till they could have somebody else to enter them 
 and officiate besides those perjured villains, who had broken their 
 oaths of allegiance, and their promises at ordination. 
 
 " The church at Newbury Port is much in the same state in 
 which it hath been for some years past. Upon the declaration of 
 independence, Mr. Bass was persuaded to leave out the prayer for 
 the king, &c. By this compliance he expected to make great 
 
256 NEW ENGLAND. [CIT. 
 
 acquisitions to his flock, but he was disappointed. For this 
 indeed, his people have greatly increased his salary, but he hath 
 by it lowered himself in the esteem even of the rebels themselves. 
 There is scarcely one loyal person in that rebellious town. 
 
 " At Salem, Macgilcrist s parish hath dwindled away almost 
 to nothing. He is very much broken by years and infirmities, 
 and especially by the ill treatment of those from whom he had 
 reason to expect, at least, the common offices of humanity. For 
 the rebels, after having made an ineffectual attempt to starve him 
 into compliance with their humours, now have some .compassion 
 for his grey hairs, and suffer him to remain unmolested. The 
 rebels at Marblehead made the same trial to bring me to their 
 terms, but it proved abortive. My secret friends are more power 
 ful than my open enemies. 
 
 " Mr. Sergeant s parish at Cambridge is wholly broken up. 
 The elegant houses of those gentlemen who once belonged to it 
 are now occupied by the rebels, and Mr. Inman, a man of fortune 
 and figure, is now obliged to purchase things from his own farm 
 at Cambridge. The rebels have taken everything from him except 
 his wearing apparel, only because he had been one of the king s 
 council in that province. 
 
 " I have not the happiness to know any of the people at Marsh- 
 field and Scituate; but, though at the distance of fifty miles, I 
 have received privately many tokens of their esteem, which they 
 never would have sent me had they not been loyal in their hearts, 
 and had they not sincerely approved my conduct. Truth con 
 strains me to say, that the conduct of the loyalists in that country 
 resembles that of the primitive Christians towards their brethren 
 suffering persecution. They have all things, if I may so say, in 
 common, and they are ready to suffer and die for each other. 
 
 "Mr. Fayerweather, having an excellent glebe of 100 acres, 
 and having no family, meets with no difficulty in living. His 
 parish, being small, never contributed anything to his subsistence. 
 
 " Mr. Clark, of Dedham, on account of his health, got liberty 
 of the rebels to go to Newport. He is excessively deaf, so that he 
 cannot perform divine service. Some refugees and inhabitants of 
 Newport had subscribed about 30/. sterling for his present sup 
 port. Though he has no family but a wife, yet he is in great 
 
X.] STATE OF THE CHURCHES. 257 
 
 need, and merits compassion from all. He was taken up last 
 year, and tried at the same time I was, and his lawyer deceiving 
 him, by going out of town when he ought to have been in court, 
 he was, without the least colour of evidence against him, con 
 demned, and confined for some time on board of the guard ship, 
 by which his health was much injured, and his voice so affected 
 that he can scarcely be understood. 
 
 " The church of Marblehead before these unhappy times was 
 large. Almost all the young people of any note in the town 
 flocked to it ; and there was no testimony of their love and 
 esteem which they were not ready to give me. It grew up under 
 my ministry to a very flourishing state, but the breath of rebel 
 lion made it wither away in a very strange manner. Some, 
 terrified by the threats of the rebels, were afraid to attend it, and 
 others, growing disaffected to government, spontaneously left it. 
 There were only about fifty families on whose fidelity I could rely, 
 as they were still attached to our constitution both in church 
 and state. For near a year after independence was declared by 
 the Congress, they generally attended divine service in the church, 
 where I constantly used the Liturgy till the General Assembly 
 made a law against it, when it was judged best for me to desist. 
 Mr. Macgilcrist shut up his church at the same time. After this 
 I frequently visited my flock from house to house, instructed their 
 children, comforted them under their troubles, and endeavoured 
 to encourage them in their religion and loyalty. 
 
 " Trinity Church, in Boston, is still open, the prayers for the 
 king and royal family, &c. being omitted. The king s chapel is 
 made use of as a meeting-house by a dissenting congregation. 
 The French had received leave from the Congress to make use of 
 Christ Church for the purpose of their worship ; but the pro 
 prietors having notice of this, persuaded Mr. Parker to preach in 
 it every Sunday in the afternoon, by which means it remains 
 untouched. 
 
 " In a word, our ecclesiastical affairs wear a very gloomy aspect 
 at present in that part of the world." 1 
 
 The Rev. Raima Cossit is the only other witness whom 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xviii. 1. 260. 
 
258 NEW ENGLAND. |_CH. X. 
 
 we shall cite to the deplorable position of affairs in New 
 England. He says : 
 
 " New York, Jan. 6, 1779. 
 
 " I arrived in this city last Sunday, by permission, with a flag, 
 and am to return in a few days .... I trust the Society cannot 
 be unacquainted with the persecutions the loyalists have endured 
 in New England. I have been by the committee confined as pri 
 soner, in the town Claremont, ever since the 12th of April, 1775; 
 yet God has preserved my life from the rage of the people. I 
 have constantly kept up public service, without any omissions, for 
 the king and royal family, and likewise made use of the prayer for 
 the high court of parliament, and the prayer to be used in time of 
 war and tumults ; have administered the Lord s Supper on every 
 first Sunday in the month, except two Sundays that we could not 
 procure any wine. The numbers of my parishioners and commu 
 nicants in Claremont are increased, but I have been cruelly dis 
 tressed with fines for refusing entirely to fight against the king. 
 In sundry places where I used to officiate, the church people are 
 all dwindled away. Some have fled to the king s army for pro 
 tection; some were banished; and many dead." 
 
 We may safely conclude this chapter in the words of 
 the Rev. Dr. Jarvis of Middletown, the learned author 
 of a " Chronological Introduction to the History of the 
 Church," to whom we are indebted for some interesting 
 anecdotes of the New England Clergy. He says, " No 
 one in England can know how much these Missionaries 
 had to endure for the sake of Christ and His Church. 
 They were confessors, if not martyrs." 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 EARLY MISSIONS TO THE INDIANS AND NEGROES. 
 
 State of Religion among the Indians in New England Memorials of the 
 Earl of Bellamont and Mr. Livingstone Appointment of the Rev. Thorough- 
 good Moor Mission unsuccessful Embassy of four Sachems to England 
 Rev. William Andrews Habits of the Indians Instruction of the 
 Negroes Mr. Elias Neau Rev. R. Charlton Rev. S. Auchmuty. 
 
 BEFORE proceeding to give an account of the efforts made 
 by the Society for the conversion of the native North 
 American tribes, it may be as well to cite the following 
 extracts from a letter addressed to Sir William Ashurst, 
 Governor of the Corporation for Propagating the Gospel 
 in New England, on the " state of Christianity among 
 the Christianized Indians" in that province. This docu 
 ment is dated 2nd of March, 1705, and is signed by 
 the well-known names of " Increase Mather, Cotton 
 Mather, and Nehemiah Walker." 
 
 " There were in the southern parts of this province, about four 
 or five years ago (when your Commissioners here sent a couple of 
 English Ministers, who were masters of the Indian tongue, to visit 
 them) no less than thirty several congregations of Indians, who 
 commonly assembled themselves every Lord s day, and, a great 
 part of them, to lectures on other days also, for the worship of 
 the great God and our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot understand 
 that the number of the congregations is considerably altered from 
 
 s2 
 
260 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. [CH. 
 
 what it was when the gentlemen who then examined their condi 
 tion brought in that report of them. Indeed, the number of 
 Indians in this land is not comparable to what it was fifty years 
 ago. The hand of God has very strangely wasted them ; and the 
 war which they began upon the English in the year 1675, 
 hastened a strange desolation upon whole nations of them. Al 
 most all that remain under the influence of the English, in this 
 Massachusetts province, are so far christianized as that they believe 
 there is a God, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the 
 Saviour of the world. Mr. Experience Mahew, who is grandson 
 to the old gentleman that first instructed the Indians on Martha s 
 vineyard, and, like his grandfather, a laborious teacher amongst 
 them, informs us, that there are about one hundred and fourscore 
 families of Indians on that island ; and that of these, there are 
 no more than two persons which now remain in their Paganism. 
 He is, at this time, gathering another church of Indians, whereof 
 he is himself to be the pastor. 
 
 " In the Indian congregations, there were at the time of our last 
 visitation (which we said was about four or five years ago) about 
 thirty-seven Indians who were the constant preachers of the gospel 
 unto them in their own language, in which they have Catechisms, 
 and Bibles, and Psalm Books, and other books of piety translated 
 by the vast labours of worthy Englishmen. 
 
 " Besides these, there are seven or eight English Ministers, who 
 have learned the Indian tongue, and visit the Indian assemblies, 
 and pray and preach among them, and give such directions as 
 they see needful for their affairs. The Indian Ministers very fre 
 quently apply themselves to these English ones for their advice 
 about instructing the flocks under their charge : and some of 
 the English preachers do constantly spend every Lord s day with 
 the Indian assemblies, having taken the charge of them. 
 
 " How the ordinary congregations among the Indians are in 
 clined, and how instructed, may be a little apprehended from some 
 lines in a letter now lying before us, dated not many weeks ago, 
 from a very valuable servant of God, namely, Mr. Samuel Dan- 
 forth ; he says, They met me at Little Compton, about two 
 months since, to hear me preach. Had you been there with me 
 to see how well they filled up the seats, with what gravity they 
 
XI.] NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 261 
 
 behaved themselves, what attention they gave, what affection they 
 showed; how powerfully Pawquachoise (an Indian) prayed (for 
 I put him upon it to pray, having never before heard him pray, 
 and being willing to have some trial of his ability in order to his 
 approbation for office) ; how melodiously Jonathan George (another 
 Indian) set the tune for the psalms, and carried it out; and how 
 dexterously the young lads of twelve years old could turn to the 
 proofs throughout the sermon ; and how thankful they were to me 
 at the last that I would take so much pains as to come so far 
 from home to preach to them, I am sure you would be much 
 affected with it. 
 
 " Though there are some congregations of the Indians which 
 are not advanced unto all the privileges of the evangelical church 
 state, combining for and enjoying of all special ordinances, yet a 
 considerable number of them are so. Some new churches have 
 been lately formed and filled, and more will quickly be gathered. 
 They have pastors and elders of their own, ordained sometimes by 
 the hands of English Ministers, and sometimes by the hands of 
 Indian Ministers in the presence of the English, all after the 
 solemn English manner ; and by admonitions and excommunica 
 tions publicly dispensed, they proceed against scandalous offenders 
 when any such are found amongst them. 
 
 " We shall here insert an extract of a late letter from Mr. Josiah 
 Torry. a hopeful young man, who had learned the Indian tongue, 
 and begun to preach to them in their own language : he having 
 been an eye-witness of their proceedings, writes to us in words 
 following : 
 
 " The gravity and diligent attendance in the time of worship, 
 with the affectionate confessions of such as are admitted into the 
 church, make me hope that many of them may have the Spirit 
 wrought in them, according to the working of the mighty power 
 of God. Their method respecting those that are admitted into 
 their church communion is more according to the manner of the 
 churches in the primitive times, than is now practised among the 
 churches in most parts. The person to be admitted stands forth 
 in the midst of the assembly, and first makes declaration of his 
 knowledge, and sometimes desires information in things more 
 arduous and doubtful. And then he makes confession of sins, 
 
262 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. [CH 
 
 which they do (as I have seen) with tears of trembling, like him 
 in the sixteenth chapter of the Acts. And then he gives an 
 account of experience he has had, of convictions, awakenings, and 
 comforts, in which they are large and particular. After which, 
 (much comfort and exhortations to remain stedfast in the faith 
 and ways of the Lord being given them by their pastor and elder,) 
 they are admitted. I would, and not ungroundedly, hope that 
 additions are made unto the church daily of such as shall be 
 saved. There are many which maintain a Christian conversation, 
 and are to be accounted not almost, but altogether Christians. 
 And this does encourage the preaching of the Gospel to them, 
 when we see it pleases God to make it his power unto salvation. 
 
 " About the manner of performing the more stated exercises of 
 religion in public among the Indians, there needs no account but 
 this. They are conformed unto the English. 
 
 " But we have now before us a letter very lately received, from 
 as knowing and as faithful a person as could be inquired of, 
 wherein he speaks a little more particularly. 
 
 " He says, You may remember that yourself, with some 
 others, were pleased once to bear me company to a lecture to 
 Assawanpset, and were an eye-witness of their grave, serious, 
 attentive deportment in their exercises, and of their excellent 
 singing of psalms with most ravishing melody. They begin their 
 exercises with prayer; they sing a psalm, they preach, and so 
 conclude with prayer. The administration of Sacraments among 
 them is like ours, and as they were taught by their apostle Eliot. 
 His name is of wonderful authority among them ; and the rules 
 he gave them for the form of marriages among them, and for 
 admonitions and excommunications in their Churches, are not to 
 be found fault with by any but it will provoke them. Not long 
 since, an Indian lodged at an Englishman s house one night, and 
 the next day he visited me, and asked why the man at whose 
 house he lodged did not pray in his family ? Seeing that Mr. 
 Eliot taught the Indians to do it every day, morning and evening, 
 he thought it strange that the English should direct them to pray 
 in their families, and yet not to do it themselves. But, at last, 
 he entertained the distinction, that there were matchet English 
 men as well as matchet Indians, and that some English did not 
 
XI.] OBSTACLES TO THEIR CONVERSION. 263 
 
 practise as they had been taught to do ; matchet, that is to say, 
 naughty or wicked. " l 
 
 That much good was effected among the Indians by men 
 like Eliot, we are not at liberty to doubt; and yet it 
 would be unsafe to accept the testimony of writers such as 
 those we have quoted, without balancing it with the very 
 different statement of others. Thus Mr. Elias Neau, a 
 catechist who was sent out specially for the instruction of 
 the Indians and Negroes, and who laboured most devotedly 
 amongst them, says, "I have been nineteen years in this 
 country ; I have seen the Indians of New England, and 
 formerly I knew Mr. Eliot, who took much pains with 
 them ; but I never see any of them that were true converts, 
 although these gentlemen boast of the conquest that they 
 have made over souls ; but must needs say, that if the 
 purity of manners be not joined with that of doctrine, 
 I have no good opinion of such professors of Christianity." 2 
 
 One truth is sufficiently obvious that difficulties of the 
 most formidable kind opposed themselves to the Missionary s 
 efforts. The native tribes inhabited a wild and almost 
 impracticable country; their occupation was hunting, in 
 which they were frequently engaged for weeks together ; 
 they had the greatest aversion to settled agricultural 
 pursuits, and could never be brought to live together in 
 villages ; and consequently the Missionary had but few and 
 unfavourable opportunities of instructing them in the 
 truths of religion. But over and above all these obstacles 
 in his path, his arguments in favour of Christianity were 
 neutralized by the scandalous lives of white men and 
 Christians. " If such be the fruits of your religion, why," 
 asked the poor Indian, " should we prefer it to our own ? " 
 
 1 Appendix to Journal, p. 64. 2 MS. Letters, vol. ii. p. 125. 
 
264 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. [CH. 
 
 What follows, however, may serve to show both to what 
 extent the aborigines desired Christian instruction, and 
 how far they profited by it. 
 
 In the year 1700, the Earl of Bellamont, Governor of 
 New York, memorialized the Lords of Trade and Planta 
 tions on the want of some " ministers of the Church of 
 England to instruct the five nations of Indians, and to 
 prevent their being practised upon by French priests and 
 Jesuits ; " whereupon the said lords submitted a repre 
 sentation on the subject to Queen Anne, who, by an order 
 in council, sanctioned their proposal for the appointment of 
 two Clergymen, and referred the accomplishment of the 
 plan to the Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 
 The Society also received a similar memorial from Robert 
 Livingstone, Esq., Secretary for Indian affairs in the 
 province of New York, testifying to the great desire 
 entertained by the Indian tribes settled in the neighbour 
 hood of Albany, to have Missionaries to instruct them in 
 the Christian faith. In this document, also, allusion is 
 made to the great and persevering efforts which had been 
 made by the French Jesuits to convert the Indians to their 
 faith, and the credit and advantage which would accrue to 
 Great Britain, if the tribes could be brought within the 
 pale of the English Church, and thus attached to English 
 interests. For the attainment of this object, Mr. Living 
 stone recommended that six Clergymen, one for each nation, 
 should be sent to reside among them ; that two young men 
 should be attached to each Mission, for the purpose of 
 rendering various small services to the natives, and instruct 
 ing them in European arts ; and that a chapel should be 
 built for the purpose of Divine worship. 1 
 
 1 Appendix to Journal, p. 28. 
 
XI.] REV. THOROUGHGOOD MOOR. 265 
 
 Although the measure, as far as the government was 
 concerned, appears to have been suggested by motives of 
 political expediency, quite as much as by a desire for the 
 conversion of benighted savages, the Society, at the call of 
 its president, took advantage of the opportunity to estab 
 lish a Mission amongst the Iroquois Indians. The Rev. 
 Thoroughgood Moor arrived at New York on this noble 
 service in the year 1704. 
 
 He does not appear to have met with any marked 
 success. The Indians to whom he was sent were unpre 
 pared to profit by his instructions, and ingenious in finding 
 excuses for not going to hear him. Disheartened, as it 
 would appear, at the little progress which he made, Mr. 
 Moor embarked for England, after about three years resi 
 dence in America. It is supposed that he was drowned at 
 sea; for neither himself nor the vessel in which he sailed 
 was ever heard of afterwards. One incident of his history 
 deserves record, as showing both the arbitrary conduct of a 
 governor frequently spoken of in high terms for the sup 
 port he afforded to the Church, and also the grievances to 
 which the Clergy were subjected for want of episcopal pro 
 tection. On some charge of irregularity, Mr. Moor was 
 summoned by Lord Cornbury from Burlington to New 
 York, and, on his declining to obey what appeared to be an 
 illegal warrant, was arrested by order of the governor, and 
 imprisoned in Fort Anne. The administration of the 
 Holy Communion once a fortnight a frequency which 
 the Governor had endeavoured, but in vain, to prevent 
 was the supposed ground of offence. Mr. Moor concludes 
 his account with these words : " I can t forbear making an 
 humble proposal to the Society, which is, that they would 
 be pleased to use their interest with her Majesty, in order 
 to their obtaining leave for the recommending proper 
 
266 MOHAWK AND ONETDA INDIANS. [CH. 
 
 persons to be governors of these parts ; men of good 
 morals, if not of true religion. But, alas ! why not the 
 latter?" 1 
 
 In 1709, four Sachems, or chiefs, came to England to 
 confirm the peace which had been made by their nations 
 with the Governor of New York ; and to request that 
 her Majesty would be pleased to take measures for the in 
 struction of their subjects in the truths of Christianity. 
 
 This request having been submitted by the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury to the Society, it was agreed to send two 
 Missionaries, together with an interpreter and school 
 master, to the Mohawk and Oneida Indians ; and the 
 Queen gave directions for the erection of a fort, with a 
 chapel and house for the clergyman, in the country of the 
 Mohawks. 
 
 The Re v.William Andrews, the first Missionary selected, 
 arrived at Albany in 1712; and in giving an account of 
 his reception, he says, " When we came near the town, 
 we saw the Indians upon the banks, looking out for my 
 coming. When I came ashore, they received me with 
 abundance of joy; every one shaking me by the hand, 
 bidding me welcome over and over." 2 After some further 
 account of his proceedings, he gives the following par 
 ticulars as to the customs and mode of living of the 
 Indians : "The number of adults of this nation is about 
 260. They have a great many children. There are 
 seldom above half of the Indians at home together, but 
 always going and coming ; their chief town or castle, 
 as it is called, stands by the fort, consisting of forty 
 or fifty wigwams, or houses, palisaded round. . . Their 
 houses are made of mats and bark of trees, together with 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. iv. p. 53. 2 MS. Letters, vol.viii p. 143. 
 
XI.] DIFFICULTIES OF INDIAN MISSIONS. 267 
 
 poles about three or four yards high. Their clothing is a 
 match-coat, like a mantle, either a blanket or a bear s skin ; 
 their bed is a mat or a skin ; they paint and grease them 
 selves much with bear s fat clarified, cut the hair off from 
 one side of their heads, and some of that on the other they 
 tie up in knots upon the crown with feathers. . . The 
 men are slothful and lazy enough ; the women laborious, 
 true servants to their husbands ; carry all the burdens ; fetch 
 home out of the woods the venison their husbands kill, the 
 wood they burn ; carry the children about on their backs ; 
 hoe the ground ; plant the corn ; wait upon * their husbands 
 when they eat, and take what they leave them ; yet, for 
 all this, they say the women court the men when they 
 design marriage." 1 
 
 In a subsequent letter he paints the serious incon 
 veniences of a residence in that country : f There is no 
 manner of pleasure to be proposed by living here, but only 
 the hopes of doing some good among these poor, dark, 
 ignorant creatures; for, in the winter season, for four or 
 five months we can scarce stir abroad, by the reason of the 
 extreme coldness of the weather and deep snows ; and in 
 the summer [we are] tormented with flies and musquitoes, 
 and cannot stir abroad without being in danger of being 
 stung with the snakes, here are so many of them. In the 
 next place, the transporting of provisions to this place is 
 very chargeable; the nearest towns to us of Christian 
 inhabitants, where we buy what we want, are Shenectady 
 and Albany the one about twenty-four, the other about 
 forty-four miles ; the road by land for the most part is a 
 small, rough Indian path through the woods, where we 
 cannot ride without a great deal of danger, by reason of 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. v. p. 147. 
 
268 CHARACTER OF THE INDIANS. [CH. 
 
 the foulness of the road with fallen trees, roots, stones, 
 high hills, and swamps." 1 
 
 In 1715, that is, about three years after his arrival, he 
 had twenty children pretty constantly at school, but ac 
 knowledges that they were principally induced to attend 
 by the food which he distributed to them. " Victuals is a 
 great motive with them ; for the Indians are very poor, 
 and fare hard." The ordinary attendants at church were 
 from sixty to seventy, and as many as 150 when the great 
 body of them were at home. The number of communi 
 cants altogether was thirty-eight. 2 
 
 If Mr. Andrews be a fair and competent witness as to 
 the character of the Indians in his times, they were far 
 from deserving the praise that is sometimes lavished upon 
 them. He describes them as both treacherous and cruel. 
 He says, " There is no trusting bad Indians ; for they, 
 having no laws among them, make no more to kill a man, 
 if they have opportunity, to get a coat or a shirt, than to 
 kill a dog, and eat him when they have done ; for it is 
 common among most of the Indians not only to eat dogs, 
 horses, or any carrion in the world, but man s flesh." 3 
 They were constantly begging, and were so much addicted 
 to drunkenness, that it was almost impossible to make any 
 moral impression on them. 
 
 So far, indeed, was Mr. Andrews from claiming any 
 credit for his labours among them, that he writes thus to 
 the Society in 1718 : " Their lives are generally such as 
 leave little or no room for hopes of ever making them 
 any better than they are heathens. Heathens they are, 
 and heathens they will still be. There are a few, and 
 but a few, perhaps about fourteen or fifteen, whose lives 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. viii. p. 185. 2 Ibid. p. 190. 
 
 3 Ibid. vol. xi. p. 328. 
 
XI.] MISSIONS TO THE NEGROES. 269 
 
 are more regular than the rest." They showed no devo 
 tion in church, where they came to get a dinner, and 
 slept most of the time. They frequently spent the Sun 
 day in a hunting excursion. He sums up his description 
 of their character in the following words : " They are 
 a sordid, mercenary, beggarly people, having but little 
 sense of religion, honour, or goodness among them ; living 
 generally filthy, brutish lives : they are of an inhuman, 
 savage nature; kill and eat one another." 1 And in another 
 letter, dated six months later, he states, " that though he 
 had been by the death-beds of several among them, he did 
 not remember to have seen any one of them that he could 
 think penitent." 2 
 
 He accordingly entreated the Society to remove him 
 from his Mission, as all his labours in it for the im 
 provement of the Indians were ineffectual. They would 
 neither accept the ordinances of religion themselves, nor 
 send their children to school. The Society was, for a long 
 time, unwilling to listen to so discouraging a report ; but 
 as, upon inquiry, it was found to be confirmed by others, 
 Mr. Andrews was allowed to resign, almost in despair, a 
 Mission which he had undertaken with very different feel 
 ings and expectations. At a subsequent period, as will 
 appear in the ensuing chapter, the Missionaries at Albany 
 give a very different account of their labours and success 
 among the Mohawks. 
 
 But there was another class of men who seemed to 
 have a stronger claim upon the Society than even the native 
 inhabitants : these were the poor negroes, who had been 
 cruelly torn from their own country to be the bondmen ofj 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xiii. p. 323. 2 Ibid. p. 333. 
 
270 MISSIONS TO THE NEGROES. [CH. 
 
 too frequently, selfish and unfeeling masters. They were 
 employed either in the cultivation of the fields, or in 
 domestic drudgery; and were talked of and treated as 
 creatures who had no souls. 
 
 The attention, then, of the Society was, from the first, 
 steadfastly directed to the amelioration of the condition of 
 these unfortunate men. Directions were given to the 
 several Missionaries to promote their instruction, and to 
 persuade their masters to send them at stated times to be 
 catechised and prepared for baptism. This, however, was 
 no easy task. The masters could not spare them from 
 their task-work, or the distance was inconveniently great. 
 These were the plausible objections ; but the real obstacle 
 was to be found in the unwillingness of the master to have 
 his slaves taught ; partly from a vague apprehension of the 
 effects of education, and partly from an ignorant notion 
 that slaves became free by baptism. The actual condition 
 of the negro population in New York was brought forcibly 
 under the notice of the Society by Mr. Elias Neau, a trader 
 in that city, whose evidence about the Indians has been 
 already quoted. Mr. Neau was a Frenchman, who had 
 embraced the reformed religion, and had suffered in 
 consequence several years confinement in prison and in 
 the galleys. During this time, " I had learned," he 
 says, "part of the Liturgy by heart in my dungeons, 
 and ever since that time I have had both affection and 
 esteem for the divine service as it is used in the Church 
 of England. Nevertheless, I would not condemn all those 
 who are not comformable thereunto; I leave that judg 
 ment to God." 1 
 
 It was determined, therefore, to appoint a catechist, 
 whose exclusive business should be the instruction of the 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. ii. p. 67. 
 
XI.] MR. ELIAS NEAU. 271 
 
 negro slaves ; and Mr. Neau, being strongly recommended 
 for this office, was appointed in the year 1704. There 
 were at that time about 1500 negro and Indian slaves in 
 the city. Mr. Neau began by visiting them from house to 
 house : but afterwards got leave for them to come to his 
 own residence. 
 
 In 1708, the number of his catechumens had risen to 
 more than 200, and was increasing every day. One of 
 them remarked to him, " The gentlemen in England who 
 pay you to instruct us must be excellent men, since their 
 charity is extended to poor creatures like us, whom they 
 have never seen." Some, it appears, were afraid to con 
 tinue their attendance, because, when they asked permis 
 sion of their masters to be baptized, they were threatened 
 with being sold into Virginia, or sent away into the 
 country, if they went any more to school. 
 
 Mr. Neau states, 27th February, 1708-9, in reply to 
 inquiries from the Society, that the arrest and imprison 
 ment of Mr. Moor were occasioned by that Missionary s 
 faithful denunciation of the profligate habits of the Gover 
 nor. Among other scandalous practices, it seems that 
 Lord Cornbury was accustomed to dress himself in women s 
 clothes, and so publicly exhibit himself on the ramparts 
 of the town. For this Mr. Moor openly declared that he 
 deserved to be excommunicated; and did, in point of 
 fact, refuse to administer the holy communion, at Bur 
 lington, to the lieutenant-governor, in consequence of 
 the debaucheries and profane swearing to which he was 
 addicted. 1 
 
 Mr. Moor contrived to make his escape after a short 
 imprisonment ; and Mr. Brooke, for whom the same fate 
 was intended, for taking his friend s part, was fortunate 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. iv. p. 121. 
 
272 SCHOOL FOR THE NEGROES. [CH. 
 
 enough to avoid an arrest by suddenly returning to 
 England. 
 
 Mr. Neau gives the following account of his mode 
 of catechising. He could never muster his scholars till 
 candlelight in summer or winter, except on Sundays, when 
 they came after the last service of the church. He says, 
 " Je commence par la priere, et a mon exemple tous se 
 mettent a genoux : ce sont de prieres publiques de Feglise 
 que j ai choisi, aim de les leur apprendre par coeur." After 
 their lesson, which commonly occupied about two hours, 
 they concluded with singing a psalm, and the evening 
 prayer, in which an invocation of blessing on the Society s 
 labours was always introduced. " Vous jugez bien, Mon 
 sieur, que je n oublie pas leurs bienfaiteurs, et que j en ai 
 fait un article dans les prieres, et souvent dans mes dis- 
 cours je leur fais voir 1 obligation qu ils ont a Messieurs de 
 Tillustre Societe, pour les exciter a la reconnoissance." 1 
 
 It was the practice of Mr. Neau to take his catechumens 
 to the Rev. Mr. Vesey for baptism, from time to time, as 
 he considered them sufficiently prepared to receive that 
 holy sacrament. The useful course of his labours was 
 interrupted, in 1712, by an insurrection of the negroes in 
 the city of New York, which, though soon put down, 
 created a strong prejudice against the school, which the 
 masters well knew how to turn to account. On the trial, 
 however, of the conspirators, it appeared that but one of 
 all Mr. Neau s scholars, and that one unbaptized, was con 
 cerned in the plot. But more than this, it was found that 
 the negroes who were most guilty were the slaves of those 
 masters who were strongly opposed to their Christian 
 education. 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. iv. p. 155. 
 
XI.] CHARLTON AUCHMUTY. 273 
 
 Governor Hunter afterwards publicly declared his appro 
 bation of the school ; arid, in a proclamation, recommended 
 the clergy to exhort their several congregations to promote 
 the instruction of the negroes. 1 
 
 The long and consistent service of the Rev. R. Charlton 
 in the same humble but important office of Catechist to 
 the Negroes, first at New Windsor, and afterwards at 
 New York, demands a brief notice. He was in the habit of 
 publicly every Sunday teaching and explaining the Church 
 Catechism, and was reported by Mr. Vesey to have given 
 great satisfaction to the people, and to have " crowned all 
 with a good life." From his appointment at New York, in 
 1732, to 1740, he had baptized 219 negroes, of whom 24 were 
 adults. The next year he had 70 negro and 90 white cate 
 chumens. In 1746, their number had considerably in 
 creased ; and he " could plainly discover a truly pious spirit 
 among them." In 1747, he was promoted by the Society 
 to the church of St. Andrew, in Staten Island, and was 
 succeeded by the Rev. Samuel Auchmuty, who had been 
 educated at Harvard College, Cambridge, and recently 
 ordained deacon. 2 A school was soon afterwards built by 
 voluntary contributions, in which fifty children were edu 
 cated by Mr. Hildreth ; and successive reports of the Cate 
 chist mention the increasing number of his baptisms, 
 amounting at last to about one hundred, including infants 
 and adults, yearly. In 1764, he reports that "not a single 
 black admitted by him to the holy communion had turned 
 out badly, or in any way disgraced his profession." 3 These 
 few facts may serve to show that the Society was neither 
 forgetful of its duty to the poor African race, nor an unsuc 
 cessful labourer in the cause of their amelioration. 
 
 1 Humphreys Hist. Account, p. 242. 2 Journal, vol. vii. p. 79. 
 
 3 Report for 1765. 
 
 T 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 First discovery by Hudson And settlement by the Dutch Oaptured by 
 the English in 1664 Area Present population and number of Clergy- 
 First Church and Clergyman Eev. W. Vesey Kev. John Bartow 
 M. Bondet M. Stoupe Rev. H. Barclay Rev. G. Muirson Rev. John 
 Miln Mr. Barclay, Jun. Rev. John Ogilvie The Mohawks Mr. St. 
 George Talbot Convention at Ripton, Connecticut Sir "W. Johnson. 
 
 THE sea-board of this province was first explored about 
 the year 1609, by Henry Hudson, a native of Holland, 
 whose name has become memorable by having been given 
 to the noble river of the Northern States, and to the well- 
 known bay, both of which he discovered. In the following 
 year a few Dutch stations were formed, and in 1620 a set 
 tlement was made on a larger scale, when the district was 
 called New Netherlands ; and the principal cluster of 
 houses, on the site of a town which now contains a quarter 
 of a million inhabitants, was named New Amsterdam. A 
 perfect toleration for all religious opinions was guaranteed, 
 and the new colony became a refuge for the persecuted 
 Protestants of many European countries, France, Belgium, 
 Germany, Bohemia, and Piedmont. 1 
 
 In the reign of Charles II., 1664, and during the war 
 with Holland, this province was taken possession of by the 
 
 1 The United States of America, by Hugh Murray, vol. i. p. 285. 
 
CH. XII. ~| REV. WILLIAM VESEY. 275 
 
 English, and, being granted to the Duke of York, received 
 the name which it has since borne. 
 
 Though but one of the States of Independent America, 
 the area of New York is nearly equal to that of England, 
 and the population is hardly short of two millions and a 
 half, a number far exceeding the entire population of our 
 present North American colonies. The number of Clergy 
 at this time, in the two dioceses, is about 300. 
 
 Such has been the growth of the province in a period of 
 two centuries. We have now to go back a hundred and 
 fifty years, to the time when the Society first commenced its 
 operations. The population then consisted of a few thou 
 sands scattered along the coasts, and the banks of the Hud 
 son a population of different races, and various forms of 
 religion. Till the year 1693, when Governor Fletcher pro 
 cured an Act of Assembly for settling and maintaining a 
 Ministry, there seems to have been " no face of the Church 
 of England" in the colony. The choice of a Clergyman 
 was lodged in the vestry, who, after having built a church, 
 offered the appointment of Rector to Mr. Vesey, a gentle 
 man well known and generally esteemed in the city, pro 
 vided he should be admitted to Holy Orders. Mr. Vesey 
 accordingly went to England and was ordained, and his 
 whole subsequent life fully justified the choice which had 
 been made of him. For fifty years he continued to dis 
 charge the duties of Rector of Trinity Church, and for a 
 great part of that time was entrusted with the general 
 ecclesiastical oversight of the Church in that colony, as 
 Bishop of London s Commissary. But, as he was not a 
 Missionary of the Society, we must content ourselves with 
 this brief notice of him. 
 
 The Rev. John Bartow was appointed Missionary, on an 
 annual salary of 50/. in the year 1702. He arrived in 
 
 T 2 
 
276 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 New York in ten weeks, during the prevalence of a very 
 fatal sickness, of which twenty persons, on the average, died 
 every day for some months. He was fixed at West Chester 
 by the Governor, Lord Cornbury ; but found the glebe of 
 100 acres " all a wilderness," no part of which had ever 
 been cultivated. He says, Nov. 4, 1702, "We have a 
 small house built here for public worship, of boards, but 
 there is neither desk, pulpit, nor bell in it." ] 
 
 At the end of two years, he speaks with thankfulness of 
 having, " by the blessing of Almighty God, been made 
 instrumental in making many proselytes to our holy 
 religion, who are very constant and devout in, and at, their 
 attendance on Divine service ; and those who were enemies 
 at my first coming are now zealous professors of the ordi 
 nances of our Church. The inhabitants of our parish live 
 scattered and disposed up and down in the woods, so that 
 many cannot repair constantly to the church, by reason of 
 their great distance from it." 2 
 
 Mr. Bartow appears, by his letters, to have been in the 
 habit of making collections in his church for any very 
 urgent cases of distress. Thus we have the following 
 notices: "September 5, 1708, came a distressed woman, 
 the widow Maynard, through West Chester, who had nine 
 children murdered by the Indians. Collected for her in the 
 church, 11s. 6c?." The following Sunday he made a similar 
 collection for a poor man. 
 
 Besides West Chester, at which he resided, Mr. Bartow 
 officiated once a month at East Chester, and occasionally 
 at Yonkers. The population of West Chester was about 
 550 ; that of East Chester 400, who, being presbyterians, 
 obtained an Act by which they were formed into a separate 
 parish, and obtained a Minister of their own persuasion ; 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. i, 1. 55. 2 Ibid. vol. ii. 1. 32. 
 
XII.] REV. GEORGE MUIRSON. 277 
 
 but on Mr. Bartow s coming among them, " they were so 
 well satisfied with the liturgy and doctrine of the Church, 
 that they forsook their Minister," and conformed to the 
 Church of England. 1 The population of Yonkers was, in 
 1703, about 250. 
 
 Mr. Bartow continued in the discharge of his important 
 duties for the long period of a quarter of a century. He 
 was the instrument of bringing many separatists back to 
 the Church, and admitting into it many hitherto careless 
 adults. He likewise gave much of his time to the instruc 
 tion of the poor negroes. By such long and faithful 
 services he secured the general esteem of his people. He 
 died, 1727, in the Mission to which he was first sent. 
 
 Another valuable and zealous Missionary was brought 
 to the notice of the Society, by the Rev. E. Evans, in a 
 letter to the Bishop of London, in which he writes thus : 
 " Oct. 17, 1704. This comes by the hands of the inge 
 nious Mr. George Muirson, to receive holy Orders from 
 your lordship, by the approbation of his Excellency my 
 Lord Cornbury. I find that he is very well beloved and 
 esteemed by all sorts of people ; a man of a very sober 
 and blameless conversation. He seems to be endued with 
 great humility of mind, and has the character of being very 
 prudent in his conduct. I give him this recommendation, 
 not to gratify himself, nor anybody else, but because I 
 sincerely believe he may be very instrumental of doing 
 much good in the Church." 2 Mr. Muirson, having been 
 ordained, was appointed to the Mission of Rye. In his 
 first report to the Society, he states that he had a very 
 great congregation every Sunday, and that those were his 
 constant hearers who never were in a Church of England 
 congregation before. Though the people were of almost 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. ix. p. 109. 2 Ibid. vol. ii. 1. 34. 
 
278 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 all persuasions, lie had admitted into the church by baptism 
 eighty persons, young and old ; hundreds, however, in the 
 parish remained unbaptized. He goes on afterwards to 
 say, "I have lately been in the government of Connecticut, 
 where I observe some people well affected to the Church, 
 for those that are near come to my parish on Sabbath days ; 
 so that I am assured an itinerant Missionary might do 
 great services in that province. Some of their Ministers 
 have privately told me, that, had we a Bishop among us, 
 they would conform and receive holy Orders ; from which, 
 as well as on all the continent, the necessity of a Bishop 
 will plainly appear." l 
 
 Subsequently, October, 2, 1706, he informs the Society 
 that he had paid another visit to Connecticut ; had preached 
 at Stratford to numerous congregations, and baptized 
 twenty-four in one day. " There are," he adds, " some 
 thousands of persons in that colony unbaptized, and the 
 reason is this ; most of their Ministers refuse to admit any 
 children into Christ s church by baptism but those whose 
 parents are in full communion with them. The Indepen 
 dents threaten me, and all those that are instrumental in 
 bringing me thither, with prison and hard usage. They 
 are very much incensed to see that the Church (Rome s 
 sister, as they ignorantly call her) is like to gain ground 
 among them, and use all the stratagems they can invent to 
 defeat my enterprises." 2 In these visits, and in every 
 effort for the good of the Church, Mr. Muirson was heartily 
 supported by Colonel Heathcote, who also wrote to the 
 Society on the subject, confirming the account of the 
 opposition which the Missionary had encountered; and 
 stating that the justices had forbidden him to preach, and 
 even threatened to put him and all his hearers in gaol. 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. ii. 1. 126. 2 Ibid. vol. iii. 1. 1. 
 
XII.] REV. GEORGE MUIRSON. 279 
 
 But he goes on to say " Notwithstanding all their threats 
 to some, and persuasions to others, lie had a handsome con 
 gregation ; and I believe, the next visit that is paid them, 
 it will be found that their struggling to stifle the Church 
 will be a great means to forward its growth." l 
 
 Of his own parish, Mr. Muirson reports, " I have bap 
 tized about 200 young and old, but most adult persons ; 
 and am in hopes of initiating many more into the Church 
 after I have examined, taught, and find them qualified. 
 This is a large parish ; the towns are far distant ; the 
 people were some Quakers, some Anabaptists, but chiefly 
 Presbyterians and Independents. They were violently set 
 against our Church, but now (blessed be God !) they comply 
 heartily ; for I have now above forty communicants, and 
 only six when I first administered that holy sacrament." . . 
 "I find that catechising on the week days in the remote 
 towns, and frequent visiting, is of great service ; and I am 
 sure that I have made twice more proselytes by proceeding 
 after that method than by public preaching." l 
 
 Mr. Muirson, besides his salary of 50/. from the Society, 
 was entitled to 50/. currency, as settled by Act of Assembly 
 on Rye parish ; but as his people were poor, and for the 
 most part recent converts, he considerately forbore to press 
 his legal claim, and during the first two years of his 
 Ministry had only received about ten or twelve pounds 
 currency ; thus plainly showing that he sought not theirs 
 but them. 
 
 It is instructive, though humiliating, to learn how the 
 same party who had left their own country in vindication 
 of the liberty of conscience, and for a principle of religious 
 equality, became persecutors the moment their own sect 
 was uppermost. Mr. Muirson states, that, in a third visit 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. iii. 1. 86. 2 Ibid. vol. iii. 1. 75. 
 
280 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 to Connecticut, one of the magistrates with some other 
 officers, came to his lodgings to inform him that theirs was 
 a chartered government ; that he had acted illegally in 
 coming among them to establish a new way of worship ; 
 and to forewarn him against preaching any more. This he 
 did by citing one of their laws, intituled Ecclesiastical, in 
 which were these words: " Be it enacted by the Governor, 
 Council, and Representatives, convened in General Assem 
 bly, that there shall be no Ministry or Church administra 
 tion entertained or attended by the inhabitants of any 
 town or plantation in this colony, distinct and separate 
 from, and in opposition to that which is openly and publicly 
 observed and dispensed by the approved Ministers of the 
 place." When he was invited to perform Divine service in 
 the house of a private gentleman, the Independents refused 
 him " the liberty of ringing the bell or beating a drum to 
 give the people notice." But not content with denying 
 to Churchmen the same liberty of worship which they 
 affected to prize so dearly themselves, they compelled the 
 members of the Church to contribute to the support of 
 Independent ministers, and levied distresses upon their 
 estates. " By these and such like intolerable oppressions," 
 he says, " the people are disenabled to contribute to the 
 support of a Church of England minister, and therefore 
 have petitioned home that one may be sent with a sufficient 
 maintenance from the honourable corporation. He had 
 need be a man very prudent in conduct and exemplary in 
 life and conversation ; for (being the first) the advancement 
 of the Church, in after ages, depends in a great measure 
 upon his good behaviour, for the people generally judge a 
 man s principles by his life." l 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. iii. 1. 76. 
 
XII.] REV. GEORGE MUIRSON. 281 
 
 The following account of the Indians, written in the 
 year 1708, will be thought interesting: 
 
 "As to the Indians, the natives of the country, they are a 
 decaying people. We have not now in all this parish twenty 
 families, whereas not many years ago there were several hundreds. 
 I have frequently conversed with some of them, and been at their 
 great meetings of pawawing, as they call it. I have taken some 
 pains to teach some of them, but to no purpose, for they seem 
 regardless of instruction ; and when I have told them of the evil 
 consequences of their hard drinking, &c., they replied that 
 Englishmen do the same, and that it is not so great a sin in an 
 Indian as in an Englishman, because the Englishman s religion 
 forbids it, but an Indian s does not. They further say they will 
 not be Christians, nor do they see the necessity for so being, 
 because we do not live according to the precepts of our holy 
 religion. 
 
 " In such ways do most of the Indians that I have conversed 
 with, either here or elsewhere, express themselves. I am heartily 
 sorry that we should give them such a bad example, and fill their 
 mouths with such objections to our blessed religion." 1 
 
 He mentions in this letter that they had completed the 
 house of God at Rye, by the subscriptions of the inhabi 
 tants ; " a stately structure indeed." 
 
 In alluding to the arbitrary conduct of the governor in 
 arresting the Rev. Messrs. Moor and Brooke, " two good 
 men, who suffered for discharging their office," he takes 
 occasion to show the great need they had of a Bishop, and 
 prays God " to put it into the hearts of his superiors at 
 home to send them a head to bless and protect the whole." 
 Mr. Muirson, after a short but a most useful service in the 
 ministry of the Church, died in October, 1708, " much 
 lamented by his friends and missed by his parishioners." 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. iii. 1. 168. 
 
282 NEW YORK. [CII. 
 
 New Rochelle was a settlement of French protestants, 
 of whom M. Bondet was the pastor. In 1709, the congre 
 gation conformed to the Church of England, and the 
 Society made an allowance to M. Bondet, with instructions 
 to use the liturgy of our Church. He had a considerable 
 congregation, among whom he lived and ministered up 
 wards of twenty years. The town gave a house and three 
 acres of land, adjoining the church, for the use of the 
 clergyman for ever ; and M. Bondet, at his death, in 1722, 
 bequeathed his library, consisting of 400 volumes, for the 
 same purpose. 
 
 He was succeeded by Mr. Stoupe, who also was able to 
 officiate in French, a simple-minded, conscientious man, 
 who continued, for seven-and-thirty years, patiently and 
 faithfully to discharge the duties of this Mission. During 
 this long incumbency the number of communicants was 
 raised from thirty-three to eighty. 
 
 Albany was principally settled by the Dutch, and from 
 its situation on the river Hudson, and its being the chief 
 place of trade with the Indians, early became an important 
 town. The population, in 1712, was computed at 4,000, 
 of which 450 were negroes, or Indian slaves. It was 
 defended by a strong fort, and a garrison of 200 men, for 
 the security of the province, both against the French and 
 the Indians. To this station the Society appointed the 
 Rev. Henry Barclay, as Missionary and Catechist, with a 
 view not less to the spiritual benefit of the resident Eng 
 lish, than to the instruction and conversion of the Indians 
 and the negroes. 
 
 During the absence of the Dutch minister, Mr. Dellius, 
 several of his congregation attended the English church, 
 where Mr. Barclay preached to them in their own language; 
 and many of the principal inhabitants, and still more of 
 
XII.] REV. JOHN MILN. 283 
 
 the common people, were led to join the communion of the 
 church of England. Mr. Barclay was in the habit of 
 publicly catechising the children in church, during the 
 afternoon service, on Sundays, besides twice a-week on 
 other days ; and his class usually consisted of about seventy 
 children. 
 
 After officiating for seven years in the Dutch chapel, 
 he took measures for the erection of a church. In this 
 design he was assisted most generously by persons of 
 every class. The governor, Robert Hunter, Esq., besides 
 a money subscription, gave all the stone and lime required 
 for the building. The town of Albany contributed 200/., 
 and every inhabitant of Schenectady, with the single 
 exception of one very poor man, gave something, which in 
 all amounted to 50/. currency, while both the officers and 
 privates of the garrison subscribed in proportion to their 
 means. In this way a sum of 600/. was raised, and a 
 solid building of stone erected, which was opened for 
 Divine service in November 1716. l 
 
 The next Missionary at this station was the Rev. John 
 Miln. On his first arrival he states that the number of 
 communicants was thirty-four. His plan was to visit the 
 Mohawks four times a-year, and to remain five days with 
 them at each visit. The commanding officer of the garri 
 son wrote to the Society, in 1731, that Mr. Miln had 
 taken indefatigable pains in instructing the Indians in the 
 principles of the Christian religion; and, in 1735, he 
 repeated and confirmed his favourable testimony, stating, 
 " that the Indians were very much civilized of late, which 
 he imputed to the industry and pains of the Kev. John 
 Miln ; that he was very diligent in baptizing both children 
 and adults; and that the number of the communicants 
 1 Humphreys Hist. Account, p. 217. 
 
284 NEW YORK. L CH. 
 
 was daily increasing." The same authority added, that 
 "many of the Indians are become very orderly, and 
 observe the Sabbath." i 
 
 In the same year Mr. Henry Barclay, son of the late 
 Missionary, who had been four years at the college of 
 Newhaven, was, by Mr. Miln s recommendation, appointed 
 catechist to the Mohawks at Fort Hunter. On his first 
 arrival, he represented the prospects of converting that 
 tribe as very encouraging. They were desirous of instruc 
 tion, and constantly attended Divine service. 
 
 In 1737, Mr. Miln was transferred, at his own request, 
 to the Mission of Monmouth county, and Mr. Barclay, 
 being strongly recommended by all to whom he had 
 become known in the discharge of his duty as a catechist, 
 was sent for to England, and ordained deacon and priest. 
 On his return, he was welcomed with hearty good will by 
 " both his congregations, but more especially by the poor 
 Indians, who many of them shed tears of joy." 2 Besides 
 his services on the Sunday, he catechised the Indians in 
 the evenings, when thirty, forty, and sometimes fifty adults 
 would attend. On occasion of the gathering of the Six 
 Nations to renew their league of friendship with the 
 English, he preached to large numbers of them, and had 
 the satisfaction of being understood by all the Indians, 
 while the Mohawks behaved so devoutly, and made their 
 responses so regularly, as to excite the admiration of all 
 the congregation. Mr. Barclay was also frequently called 
 upon to preach to the Dutch in their own language. 
 
 In 1741, he informed the Society that his congregation 
 at Albany consisted of 180 English, besides two indepen 
 dent companies; and, in the Mohawk county, of 500 
 Indians, settled in two towns, at thirty miles distance from 
 
 1 Eeport for 1735. 2 Ibid. 1739. 
 
XII.] REV. HENRY BARCLAY. 285 
 
 Albany ; that he had 60 English, and 58 Indian commu 
 nicants. He further stated, as a satisfactory test of their 
 moral improvement, that there was a great decrease in the 
 vice of drunkenness ; not so many cases having occurred 
 during the whole summer, as frequently occurred in a 
 single day on his first coming among them. 1 In 1743, he 
 informed the Society that two or three only of the whole 
 tribe remained unbaptized, and that, with the consent of 
 the governor, he had appointed Mohawk schoolmasters at 
 the two towns, (f Cornelius, a sachem, at the lower, and 
 one Daniel, at the upper town, who are both very diligent, 
 and teach the young Mohawks with surprising success." 2 
 
 The very satisfactory progress which this zealous Mis 
 sionary was thus enabled to make in the great work of 
 Christianizing and civilizing the native Indians, was rudely 
 checked towards the end of 1745, first, by the intrigues, 
 and afterwards by the hostile invasion, of the French 
 Indians. The following is Mr. Barclay s account of the 
 matter : 
 
 " About the middle of November, 1 745, the French Indians 
 came to an open rupture with us, and, with a party of French, 
 fell upon a frontier settlement, which they laid in ashes, and 
 made most of the inhabitants, to the number of about a hundred, 
 prisoners; ever since which time they have kept us in a continual 
 alarm by skulking parties, who frequently murdered and carried 
 off the poor inhabitants, treating them in the most inhuman and 
 barbarous manner; by which means the lately populous and 
 nourishing county of Albany is become a wilderness, and numbers 
 of people, who were possessed of good estates, are reduced to 
 poverty. In the meantime, our Indians could not be prevailed 
 upon to enter into the war, but have deceived us with fair pro 
 mises from time to time, whilst we were convinced, by undeniable 
 proofs, that they kept a correspondence with the enemy." 3 
 
 1 Report for 1742. 2 Ibid. 1743. 
 
 3 Original Letters, vol. vii. 1. 95. 
 
286 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 The following year, on the death of the Rev. W. Vesey, 
 the vestry, and principal parishioners, determined on 
 inviting Mr. Barclay to occupy the vacant post ; and he, 
 though with some natural reluctance, yet from a conviction 
 that, during the prevailing troubles among the Indians, he 
 could be of no further service to them, accepted the offer. 
 The Indian Mission remained vacant some time after his 
 withdrawal, but was filled up, in 1748, by the appointment, 
 on his recommendation, of the Rev. John Ogilvie, "a 
 young gentleman of an extraordinary good character, 
 educated at Yale college, in Connecticut ;" and one who 
 was in a special manner qualified for the duty at Albany, 
 by being able to officiate in the Dutch language. From 
 his first letter it appears that the Mohawks, among whom 
 he had spent the winter, were attentive to all the obser 
 vances of religion, but fell to excessive drinking on his 
 departure; and he was convinced that the only way to 
 make any lasting impression upon them, and reform their 
 habits, was to receive and maintain them in hostelries 
 prepared for their reception, where they might be in 
 structed in the English language, and, through that 
 medium, in the principles of the Christian faith. In suc 
 cessive communications, Mr. Ogilvie makes the same com 
 plaint of their excessive indulgence in strong drink, which 
 sometimes drove them mad, to the extent of burning their 
 huts, and threatening the lives of their wives and children. 1 
 They too generally spent their money in purchasing spirits, 
 and threw themselves upon the Missionary for provision 
 whenever they went to Albany. 
 
 On first entering upon his Mission, he selected one of 
 their most promising boys to educate entirely at his own 
 charge, but, as soon as he had taught him to speak English, 
 
 1 Keport for 1753. 
 
XII.] REV. JOHN OGILVIE. 287 
 
 and " read in the psalter," the parents removed him, lest, 
 as they said, he should learn to despise his own nation : 
 yet, in spite of all the difficulties and discouragements 
 which he met with, Mr. Ogilvie s Mission was by no 
 means without its fruits. In 1756, he informs the Society 
 that many of the Mohawks of both castles appeared to 
 have a serious and habitual sense of religion. When at 
 home they regularly attended divine worship, and were 
 frequent communicants at the Lord s Supper; and even 
 while out upon the hunt, several of them came sixty miles 
 to communicate on Christmas day. 
 
 The number of his Indian communicants was 50. In 
 the space of eighteen months he baptized 27 Indian chil 
 dren, two of them the children of the famous half-Indian 
 king, who distinguished himself so much in the fatal expe 
 dition under General Braddock, when twelve principal 
 men of the Mohawks fell in battle. Of these twelve, six 
 were regular communicants of the church, and, while they 
 were in the field, good old Abraham, the catechist, (one of 
 their own sachems, as already mentioned,) regularly per 
 formed for them morning and evening service. 1 In 1758, 
 this tribe was involved in all the horrors of a most cruel 
 war, by an invasion of the French Indians, who burnt 
 their houses and carried away the families; and here it 
 should be mentioned, to the honour of the Mohawks, and 
 of the Society, whose converts many of them were, that 
 they alone, of all the Indian nations, remained during this, 
 and a subsequent war, stedfast in their loyalty to Great 
 Britain. 2 
 
 But, whatever were the blessings conferred upon the 
 poor Indians by the charitable regard of the Society and 
 its Missionaries, they were, it is to be feared, more than 
 1 Report for 1757. 2 Ibid. 1759 
 
288 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 counterbalanced by the vices which they learned from 
 European contact and example. The fatal use of intoxi 
 cating liquors, to them an irresistible temptation, was 
 rapidly thinning their numbers. Mr. Ogilvie reports that, 
 in less than six months, fifty-five persons had died within 
 the Mohawk castle, chiefly from the effects of drinking, 
 and more were dying. Neverthless, he persevered steadily 
 in his duty, and daily catechised the children. 
 
 The following passage from a letter, dated February 1, 
 1760, possesses historical interest, and places the zeal and 
 liberality of the French Romanists in mortifying juxta 
 position with the coldness and apathy of the British 
 government : 
 
 " I attended the royal American regiment upon the expedition 
 to Niagara; and indeed there was no other chaplain upon that 
 department, though there were three regular regiments, and the 
 provincial regiment of New York. The Mohawks were all upon 
 this service, and almost all the Six Nations ; they amounted in 
 the whole to 940 at the time of the siege. I officiated constantly 
 to the Mohawks and Oneidas, who regularly attended divine 
 service. I gave them exhortations suitable to the emergency, 
 and I flatter myself my presence with them contributed, in some 
 measure, to keep up decency and order amongst them. The 
 Oneidas met us at the lake near their castle, and, as they were 
 acquainted with my coming, they brought ten children to receive 
 baptism; and young women, who had been instructed in the 
 principles of Christianity, came likewise to receive that holy ordi 
 nance. I baptized them in the presence of a numerous crowd of 
 spectators, who all seemed pleased with the attention and serious 
 behaviour of the Indians upon that solemn occasion ; and indeed, 
 bad as they are, I must do them the justice to say, that whenever 
 they attend the offices of religion, it is with great appearance of 
 solemnity and decency. 
 
 " During this campaign I have had an opportunity of convers 
 ing with men of every one of the Six Nation confederacy and 
 their dependents, and of every nation I find some who have been 
 
XII.] REV. JOHN OGILVIE. 289 
 
 instructed by the priests of Canada, and appear zealous Roman 
 Catholics, extremely tenacious of the ceremonies and peculiarities 
 of that Church; and from very good authority I am informed, 
 that there is not a nation bordering upon the five great lakes, or 
 the banks of the Ohio, the Mississippi, all the way to Louisiana, 
 but what are supplied with priests and schoolmasters, and have 
 very decent places of worship, with every splendid utensil of their 
 religion. How ought we to blush at our coldness and shameful 
 indifference in the propagation of our most excellent religion. 
 The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few. The Indians 
 themselves are not wanting in making very pertinent reflections 
 upon our inattention to these points. 
 
 " The possession of the important fortification of Niagara is of 
 the utmost consequence to the English, as it gives us tlie happy 
 opportunity of commencing and cultivating a friendship with 
 those numerous tribes of Indians who inhabit the borders of 
 Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan, and even Lake Superior ; and the 
 fur trade, which is carried on by these tribes, which all centres at 
 Niagara, is so very considerable, that I am told, by very able 
 judges, that the French look upon Canada of very little impor 
 tance without the possession of this important pass. It certainly 
 is so, and must appear obvious to any one who understands the 
 geography of this country. It cuts off and renders their commu 
 nication with their southern settlements almost impracticable. 
 In this fort there is a very handsome chapel ; and the priest, who 
 was of the order of St. Francis, had a commission as the king s 
 chaplain to this garrison. He had particular instructions to use 
 the Indians who came to trade with great hospitality, (for which 
 he had a particular allowance,) and to instruct them in the prin 
 ciples of the faith. The service of the church here was performed 
 with great ceremony and parade. I performed divine service in 
 this church every day during my stay there, but I am afraid it 
 has never been used for this purpose since, as there is no minister 
 of the Gospel there. This neglect will not give the Indians the 
 most favourable impression of us." * 
 
 Mr. Ogilvie cannot repress a complaint that he received 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 105. 
 
290 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 no countenance or support in his Mission from any of the 
 leading men of the colony ; for, though they did nothing to 
 oppose him, Sir William Johnson was the only person who 
 lent him any active assistance. An extract from a letter, 
 dated August 9, 1760, will prove that the operations of war 
 did not altogether put a stop to the Missionary exertions 
 of Mr. Ogilvie. He says 
 
 " By this I beg leave to inform the Society, that I left Albany 
 on the 24th of June, in order to join the army, who were proceed 
 ing under General Amherst to Oswego. I tarried at Fort Hunter 
 three days. I preached twice during that time, and administered 
 the sacrament of baptism to several white and Indian children. 
 The Mohawks were preparing for the field, and told me they 
 should overtake me near the Oneida lake, at which place a consi 
 derable number of Indians joined us. General Amherst, being at 
 the Oneida lake on the preceding Sunday, went up as far as the 
 Oneida town. Upon his arrival there, he found them at their 
 worship, and expressed a vast pleasure at the decency with which 
 the service of our church was performed by a grave Indian 
 sachem. They applied to the General to leave directions for me 
 to come to the castle upon my arrival at the lake. 
 
 " Agreeable to the General s directions, I went to the Oneida 
 town the 1 8th day of July. I had sent a Mohawk Indian before, 
 so that, upon my coining into their town, I found a large congre 
 gation met for Divine service, which was performed with great 
 solemnity. Six adults presented themselves to be examined for 
 baptism, who all of them gave a very satisfactory account of 
 the Christian faith, and appeared to have a serious sense of reli 
 gion. I baptized them, and immediately after joined them in 
 marriage. They were three principal men, and their wives, who 
 had lived many years together, according to the Indian custom. 
 I baptized fourteen children ; and, in all, I joined nine couple in 
 the holy bands of marriage. 
 
 " I was much pleased with this day s solemnity ; it would have 
 been a noble subject for the pen of one of the Jesuits of Canada. 
 I would to God we had labourers in this part of the vineyard, to 
 
XII.] REV. JOHN OGILVIE. 291 
 
 keep alive the spark that is kindled among some of these tribes, 
 and spread the glad tidings of the Gospel among the numerous 
 tribes with whom we have now a free communication. Besides 
 my duty in the army, I attend the Indians, and give them prayers, 
 as often, on week days, as the public service of the camp will 
 admit ; and on Sunday, the General always gives public orders 
 for Divine service among the Indians. 
 
 " I hope soon to congratulate the venerable Society upon the 
 entire conquest of Canada; and I pray God that, by that means, 
 there may be an e effectual door opened for the propagation of 
 the blessed Gospel amongst the heathen." 1 
 
 The war, as is well known, was brought to a glorious 
 termination by the capture of Quebec, under the command 
 of Wolfe. After congratulating the Society on this happy 
 result, Mr. Ogilvie proceeds to say, that, during the cam 
 paign, he had been particularly careful to perform all the 
 offices of religion among the Indians, " great numbers of 
 whom attended constantly, regularly, and decently." He 
 concludes thus : " I am unable to express the universal 
 joy and triumph that prevails amongst us at this period of 
 public success. How remarkably has God in his provi 
 dence sustained the cause, and restored the honour of our 
 country, by the successes of the past and the glorious con 
 clusion of this year. The inhabitants of this northern 
 region of America are now happy in the quiet possession 
 of their estates. No more leading into captivity; a cap 
 tivity big with danger and horror : ( no more complaining 
 in our streets. May all these happy events conspire to 
 bring about a speedy, safe, and honourable peace. May 
 the peaceable kingdom of the Redeemer universally prevail 
 amongst mankind, and all the world know the only true 
 God, and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent." 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. L 107. 
 u 2 
 
292 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 Though our record is concerned principally with the 
 labours and services of the Clergy, it would be ungrateful 
 not to mention the names of some of the more distinguished 
 lay benefactors of the Church in America. Among these, 
 Mr. St. George Talbot deserves special notice. He gave 
 several handsome donations for the erection and endow 
 ment of churches in New York and Connecticut ; and at 
 his death, in 1767, left nearly the whole of his estate, both 
 real and personal, to the Society. As the will, however, 
 was disputed by the heirs-at-law, the executors, after some 
 years spent in negotiation, agreed to accept 1,300/. cur 
 rency, as payment in full of all demands of the Society. 
 But Mr. Talbot shewed his good will to the Society not 
 only by gifts of money, but by going round in company 
 with the Missionaries to visit the several churches. In 
 1762, he made a tour with Mr. Dibblee, of whom he reports, 
 that he was indefatigable in his endeavours to serve the 
 interest of true religion and our holy Church, "whose 
 services I find universally acceptable, and his life agreeable 
 to his public character." He was surprised both at the 
 number and devout behaviour of the people at North 
 Castle, for the church could not contain them; but at 
 Crompton, Peach Hills, and Croton, the state of religion, 
 for want of a clergyman, was deplorable, and the people 
 were left a prey " to various sectaries and enthusiastic lay- 
 teachers," while those who were members of the Church 
 had not the opportunity of joining in the Liturgy for years 
 together. In 1763, he took another journey into Connec 
 ticut, and attended the Convention at Ripton, of which he 
 gives the following brief account : " The Rev. Dr. John 
 son, being requested to preach, delivered an excellent, 
 pathetical, spirited sermon, adapted to the occasion, and 
 acceptable to the Clergy and all who had the pleasure to 
 
XII.] SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON. 293 
 
 hear him, pressing them to the utmost fidelity and diligence 
 in doing the duties of their respective cures. Twelve Mis 
 sionaries were present, who appear to be ornaments to 
 their ecclesiastical profession, and very usefully employed, 
 having had the opportunity to acquaint myself with the 
 state of most of their respective Missions. Four or five 
 promising young gentlemen, candidates for holy orders, 
 were present." 1 Among these he mentions Mr. Jarvis, of 
 Middletown, who was afterwards Bishop of Connecticut. 
 
 Another eminent upholder of the Church was Sir 
 William Johnson, already mentioned, who zealously ex 
 erted himself for the education and conversion of the 
 Indian tribes. He also was among the most zealous in. 
 promoting the permanent establishment of the Church in 
 America by the endowment of an episcopate. For this 
 purpose he conveyed to the Society 20,000 acres of land 
 in the neighbourhood of Schenectady, and on the 10th 
 December, 1768, wrote as follows on the subject: "We 
 cannot have a Clergy here without an episcopate ; and this 
 want, as it has occasioned many to embrace other persua 
 sions, will oblige greater numbers to follow their example ; 
 of which the dissenters are very sensible, and by pretended 
 fears of an episcopal power, as well as by magnifying their 
 own numbers and lessening ours, give it all possible oppo 
 sition." 2 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 208. 2 Ibid. 1. 89. 
 
CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 Eev. Samuel Seabury, Father and Son Rev. S. Seabury, Jim. Report of 
 Flushing Of Jamaica Effects of Quakerism Loss of two Mission 
 aries at sea Promotion of Mr. Seabury to West Chester Political 
 troubles Escape to Long Island Persecution and Sufferings of the 
 Missionaries Rev. L. Babcock Rev. Dr. Auchmuty Rev. Leonard 
 Cutting Rev. P. Reading Rev. John Sayre Rev. Dr. Smith Rev. 
 S. Tingley Rev. J. Learning Rev. John Stuart. 
 
 SEABURY is a name well known in the history of the 
 Anglo-American Church. The first connected with the 
 subject of our record who bore it, the Rev. Samuel Sea- 
 bury, appeared before the Society on the 21st August, 
 1730; and, after due examination and inquiry, was ap 
 pointed Missionary to New London, in Connecticut, on a 
 salary of 50/. a year. It was agreed at the same time 
 " that a library of 10/., five pounds worth of small tracts, 
 and one dozen of Ostervald s Catechisms be allowed him." 
 The inhabitants of New London at this period were 600, 
 of whom 100 belonged to the communion of the Church, 
 but there were only fourteen communicants. 1 In a few 
 years his congregation doubled, and very gratifying success 
 attended his ministrations at some distant settlements, 
 especially at Hebron, thirty miles off, where he was listened 
 
 1 Journal^ vol. vi. p. 19. 
 
CH. XIII.] REV. SAMUEL SEABURY. 295 
 
 to with great seriousness, and more than twenty families 
 conformed to the worship of the Church. 1 The people of 
 this township afterwards built a, chapel, and petitioned 
 the Society for a resident Missionary. They were, how 
 ever, soon after this (in 1741), seduced into the wildest 
 extravagance by some of the ignorant and fanatical fol 
 lowers of Whitfield. On the removal of Dr. Jenney to 
 Philadelphia, in 1742, Mr. Seabury was appointed to the 
 Mission of Hempsted, in Long Island. At the time of his 
 leaving New London the population had grown to 1000, 
 the members of the Church to 228, and the regular com 
 municants to 39. 2 It is, moreover, satisfactory to know 
 that the Church people remained stedfast in the midst 
 of the mad excitement of sectarians, who, on one occa 
 sion, assembled in large numbers in the public street on a 
 Sunday, made a bonfire, and burned a great pile of books 
 on divinity, including Bishop Beveridge s Thoughts on 
 Religion. 3 
 
 In 1748, Mr. Seabury informed the Society that at 
 Huntington, a town about eighteen miles distant from 
 Hempsted, a considerable number of people had con 
 formed, and built a church for the worship of God accord 
 ing to the Liturgy of the Church of England ; that he had 
 frequently officiated there, and that, at their request, his 
 son, who had been educated at Newhaven, read prayers and 
 sermons for them, under his direction. Such being the 
 case, he requested that his son, who would be recom 
 mended by the Commissary, might be appointed by the 
 Society to be a Catechist, with some small allowance. The 
 Society accordingly appointed Mr. Samuel Seabury, jun., 
 to act in this capacity under the direction of his father, 
 
 1 Journal, vol. vii. p. 79. 2 Ibid. vol. ix. p. 117. 
 
 3 Ibid. p. 175. 
 
296 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 and allowed him a salary of 101. a year. 1 Such was the 
 modest commencement of a long series of services to the 
 Church by the future Bishop of Connecticut the first 
 bishop of our own communion in the wide continent of 
 North America. 
 
 In one of his letters, the elder Seabury describes the 
 Church at Hempsted as " truly militant," being continually 
 subject to attack by the enemies of revelation on one side, 
 and wild enthusiasts on the other; nevertheless he states 
 that his churches at Hempsted, Oyster-bay, and Huntington 
 were crowded in fine weather. 2 In 1756, he paid a visit to 
 Duchess county, eighty miles distant, at the request of the 
 inhabitants. The only provision which had been made for 
 the spiritual wants of this extensive county, containing a 
 population of 10,000, was to be found in the services of 
 one Dutch and one Presbyterian minister, with one 
 Quaker s meeting. This state of things he represented 
 to the Society, who resolved to send a Missionary there as 
 soon as a church and residence-house had been built. 3 
 
 Wherever a Clergyman was zealous in the discharge of 
 his duty, many of those who had been educated in dissent 
 conformed to the Church, and Mr. Seabury had the satis 
 faction of reporting in one year the baptism of eleven 
 adults at Hempsted : one of them declared publicly " that 
 it was after considering most other professions, and upon 
 mature deliberation, that he had determined to make the 
 solemn confession of his faith in the Church of England, 
 and accordingly himself, his wife, and eight children were 
 baptized." 4 
 
 Mr. Seabury died on the 15th June, 1764. The last 
 " Notitia Parochialis" which he furnished to the Society, 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xi. p. 91. 2 Report for 1755. 
 
 3 Ibid. 1757. 4 Ibid. 1763. 
 
XIII.] REV. SAMUEL SEABURY. 297 
 
 states the population at Hempsted to be 6,000, of whom 
 750 were members of the Church, and about seventy com 
 municants. The total number of baptisms since he had 
 come into the Mission was 1,071. 
 
 We must now travel back a few years, to gather up the 
 principal points in the history of his son. In 1 753, the Society 
 received from the Rev. J. Wetmore, Missionary at Rye, 
 a testimonial in favour of the Rev. Samuel Seabury, jun., 
 whom he represented as "a man of unblemished moral 
 character, sound learning, and so prudent behaviour, that he 
 would prove a worthy Missionary." He accordingly re 
 commended him for the vacant cure of New Brunswick, 
 in the colony of New Jersey. The Society, having now 
 for some years had knowledge of him in the subordinate 
 office of Catechist, immediately gave its sanction to his 
 coming to England for holy orders, and his salary was 
 then advanced to 50/. He arrived at his new Mission on 
 the 25th May, 1754, and was received with "a hearty 
 welcome" by the people. He found there a stone church 
 nearly finished, with a large congregation, increased by the 
 attendance of the dissenters, who were without any minister 
 of their own. Mr. Seabury, however, remained but a short 
 time in this Mission; for in 1757 he was promoted by the 
 government to the living of Jamaica, to which he the more 
 readily removed, as it brought him " nearer to a most 
 excellent father, whom he dearly loved, and whose conver 
 sation he highly valued." 
 
 One of the stations at which he was called upon to 
 officiate was Flushing ; and this is the miserable report 
 which he makes of it in 1759: "Flushing, in the last 
 generation the grand seat of Quakerism, is in this the seat 
 of infidelity a transition how natural ! Bred up in an 
 entire neglect of all religious principles, in hatred to the 
 
298 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 Clergy, and in contempt of the sacraments, how hard is 
 their conversion ! Especially as they disavow the necessity 
 of any redemption. At Jamaica," he continues, " open 
 infidelity has not made so great a progress ; a general 
 remissness in attending Divine service, however, prevails, 
 though I know not from what particular cause." ] 
 
 Six months later he writes in the same melancholy 
 strain : 
 
 " Such is the effect of deism and infidelity, (for the spreading 
 of which Quakerism has paved the way,) which have here been 
 propagated with the greatest zeal, and the most astonishing suc 
 cess, that a general indifference towards all religion has taken 
 place ; and the too common opinion seems to be, that they shall 
 be saved without either of the Christian sacraments, without any 
 external worship of God, in short, without the mediation of 
 Christ, as well as with ; and even among those who profess them 
 selves members of the Church of England, a very great backward 
 ness in attending her service prevails, and particularly with 
 regard to the holy sacrament of the Lord s Supper ; so great is 
 their aversion to it, or neglect of it, that I fear the number of 
 communicants at present scarce exceeds twenty*" 2 
 
 After a time, however, he was enabled to report some 
 what more favourably ; for in October of the same year he 
 writes, " Things are considerably mended, especially at 
 Flushing, which has ever been the seat of Quakerism and 
 infidelity. Many young people of both sexes have steadily 
 attended Divine service the past summer, (whose parents 
 are either Quakers or deists,) and behaved with great 
 decency." 3 In 1762, he informed the Society that the 
 Church was gradually gathering strength, and that a more 
 serious turn of mind began to show itself, especially at 
 Flushing, where the white congregation had increased from 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 154. 2 Ibid. 1. 155. 
 
 3 Ibid. 1. 156. 
 
XIII.] REV. SAMUEL SEABURY. 299 
 
 twenty to eighty. At Jamaica there were 120 families in 
 communion with the Church, affording twenty-nine com 
 municants ; while the families of dissenters of various 
 denominations amounted to 500. l But the Church seems 
 to have been constantly winning back her own, for we 
 find that, in 1764, he baptized at one time "ten adults, 
 who gave a good account of their faith." 2 
 
 This year his Mission was visited by Mr. Whitfield, who 
 remained a considerable time, and, Mr. Seabury " feared, 
 had done a great deal of mischief," as his tenets and method 
 of preaching had been adopted by many dissenters, " and a 
 continual succession of strolling preachers, who misrepre 
 sented the Church as popish." None, however, of his own 
 people had been led away, while many of them had become 
 more serious and devout. 3 
 
 Mr. Seabury had now had considerable experience, and 
 the best opportunities of forming a judgment on the effects 
 of various religious systems which he saw in operation 
 around him. It is therefore instructive to know his deli 
 berate opinion of that negative system of faith which was 
 first introduced into America by George Fox, and which, 
 rejecting the voice of the Church, and all external revela 
 tion, referred everything to the inward light. He says, in 
 making a report to the Society of the religious state of the 
 Mission of Hemps ted, "It is evident to the most superficial 
 observer that, where there have been the greatest number 
 of Quakers among the first settlers in this country, there 
 infidelity and a disregard to all religion have taken the 
 deepest root ; and if they have not entirely corrupted the 
 religious principles of the other inhabitants, they have at 
 least very much weakened them, and made them look 
 upon religion with indifference. This seems to me the 
 1 Report for 1763. 2 Ibid. 1765. 3 Journal, vol. xvi. p. 270, 
 
300 NEW YORK, [CH. 
 
 reason why it is so hard to bring the people of that parish, 
 or this (Jamaica) to comply with the sacraments of the 
 Christian Church, or to think themselves under any obli 
 gation of duty to attend the public worship of God." 1 
 
 It was during this year that the loss of two promising 
 missionaries at sea, as recounted in an earlier chapter, oc 
 curred. Such calamities are but too frequent in the annals 
 of the early American Church, and they must ever be 
 recorded to the shame and condemnation of the mother 
 country, for so long turning a deaf ear to the urgent and 
 oft- repeated call of the Colonies for resident Bishops. In 
 the present case, two young men, willing and well qualified 
 to serve the Church, having at much cost and inconvenience 
 obtained ordination in England, were, on their voyage back, 
 drowned within sight of their own country. This sad event 
 is thus commented upon by Mr. Seabury, in a letter dated 
 April 17, 1766, and the observations are the more inter 
 esting as coming from one who was himself afterwards 
 called to be Bishop : 
 
 " We have lately had a most affecting account of the loss of 
 Messrs. Giles and Wilson, the Society s Missionaries, the ship 
 they were in being wrecked near the entrance of Delaware Bay, 
 and only four persons saved out of twenty-eight. Their death is 
 a great loss in the present want of clergymen in these colonies ; 
 and, indeed, I believe one great reason why so few from this con 
 tinent offer themselves for holy orders is, because it is evident 
 from experience that not more than four out of five who have 
 gone from the northern colonies have returned. This is one 
 unanswerable argument for the absolute necessity of bishops in 
 the colonies. The poor Church of England in America is the 
 only instance that ever happened of an episcopal church without 
 a bishop, and in which no orders could be obtained, without cross 
 ing an ocean of 3,000 miles in extent. Without bishops the 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 166. 
 
XIII.] REV. SAMUEL SEABURY. 301 
 
 Church. cannot flourish in America ; and unless the Church be 
 well supported and prevail, this whole continent will be overrun 
 with infidelity and deism, methodism and new light, with every 
 species and every degree of scepticism and enthusiasm ; and with 
 out a bishop upon the spot, I fear it will be impossible to keep 
 the Church herself pure and undefiled. And that it is of the last 
 consequence to the State to support the Church here, the present 
 times afford a most alarming proof." l 
 
 In 1766, Mr. Seabury, whose necessary expenses at 
 Jamaica far exceeded the amount of his professional in 
 come, seeing but little hope of the congregation redeeming 
 the pledge which they gave on his coming among them, of 
 providing him with a parsonage-house, intimated to the 
 Society his wish to accept the offer of the mission of West 
 Chester, which was made to him by the churchwardens 
 and vestry ; and, the Society consenting to this proposal, 
 he removed thither at the end of the year 1766. His 
 average congregation at this place was about two hundred; 
 and he states that one of the means which he adopted 
 of communicating religious instruction to the people, was 
 preaching at funerals in the more remote districts, whereby 
 he had the opportunity of addressing those who could not 
 be brought together at any other time. 
 
 At the commencement of the civil troubles, Mr. Seabury 
 expressed a hope that, at least, they would have the effect 
 of proving which party, the Churchmen or their opponents, 
 were the best friends of social order and good government. 
 The following are his words, in a letter dated March 29, 
 1770:- 
 
 " The violent party heats which prevail in this colony, as well 
 as in the others, engross at present the attention of the people. 
 But I think that even these disturbances will be attended with 
 some advantage to the interest of the Church. The usefulness and 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 169. 
 
302 NE\V YORK. [CH. 
 
 truth of her doctrines, with regard to civil government, appear 
 more evident from those disorders which other principles have 
 led the people into. This is particularly remarked and publicly 
 mentioned by the more candid and reasonable people, who seem 
 heartily tired with the late clamours for liberty, &c., as it appears 
 evident that unbounded licentiousness in manners, and insecurity 
 to private property, must be the unavoidable consequence of some 
 late measures, should they become prevalent." 1 
 
 The violence of the democratical party, however, con 
 tinued to gather strength. For some years longer, indeed, 
 Mr. Seabury was permitted to remain in the quiet dis 
 charge of his sacred duties ; but in the civil war which 
 ensued, neither person nor property was secure. In 1776, 
 he was seized by a party of the disaffected in arms, and 
 carried off to Newhaven, all his papers being examined for 
 proof against him. After describing this outrage, he says, 
 " God s providence will, I hope, protect His Church and 
 Clergy in this country, the disorder and confusion of which 
 are beyond description. But it is His property to bring 
 order out of confusion, good out of evil ; and may His will 
 be done." 2 
 
 Already Drs. Chandler and Cooper had been compelled 
 to fly for their lives ; the charge against them and the 
 other Clergy being, that, " in conjunction with the Society 
 and the British ministry," they had concerted a plan for 
 enslaving America. " I do not think," says Mr. Seabury, 
 " that those people who raised this calumny believe one 
 syllable of it, but only intend it as an engine to turn the 
 popular fury upon the Church ; which, should the violent 
 schemes of some of our eastern neighbours succeed, will 
 probably fall a sacrifice to the persecuting spirit of inde 
 pendency." 3 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 178. a Ibid. 1. 189. 3 Ibid. 1. 187. 
 
XIII.] REV. SAMUEL SEABURY. 303 
 
 As every thing from the pen of Mr. Seabury, in refer 
 ence to the history of those critical times, possesses a 
 twofold claim to attention, the following additional details 
 are added. He says, in a letter, dated New York, Decem 
 ber 29, 1776:- 
 
 " Since my last letter, I have undergone more uneasiness than 
 I can describe; more, I believe, than I could well support again. 
 
 " When the present unnatural rebellion was first beginning, 
 I foresaw evidently what was coming on the country, and I 
 exerted myself to stem the torrent of popular clamour, to recall 
 people to the use of their reason, and to retain them in their 
 loyalty and allegiance. Several pamphlets appeared in favour 
 of government ; among others, some written under the character 
 of a Farmer, which gave great offence to the sons of liberty, as the 
 rebels then styled themselves. These were attributed to me, and 
 were the principal reason of my being carried into Connecticut 
 the last year. If I would have disavowed these publications, 
 I should have been set at liberty in a few days ; but as I refused 
 to declare whether I were, or were not, the author, they kept me, 
 till they sent to New York and New London, and wherever they 
 could hear of a journeyman printer, who had wrought for 
 Mr. Rivington at the time when those pamphlets were published, 
 and had them examined ; but, finding no sufficient proof, upon 
 my putting in a memorial to the general assembly at Connecticut, 
 the gang who took me prisoner thought proper to withdraw their 
 guard, and let me return. I continued tolerably quiet at home 
 for a few weeks, till after the king s troops evacuated Boston, 
 when, the rebel army passing from thence to New York, bodies 
 of them, consisting of twenty or thirty men, would, every day or 
 two, sometimes two or three times a-day, come through West 
 Chester, though five miles out of their way, and never failed to 
 stop at my house, I believe only for the malicious pleasure of 
 insulting me by reviling the king, the parliament, Lord North, 
 the Church, the Bishops, the Clergy, and the Society, and, above 
 all, that vilest of all miscreants, A. W. Farmer. One would give 
 100 dollars to know who he was, that he might plunge his 
 bayonet into his heart; another would crawl fifty miles to see 
 
304 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 him roasted; but, happily for the farmer, it was not in the power 
 of any person in America to expose him. This continued about 
 a month. Matters then became pretty quiet, till they got intel 
 ligence that General Howe was coming to New York. Indepen 
 dency was then declared by the grand Congress at Philadelphia; 
 and the petty Congress of New York published an edict, making 
 it death to aid, abet, support, assist, or comfort the king, or any 
 of his forces, servants or friends. Till this time I had kept the 
 church open. About fifty armed men were now sent into my 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 " I was now in a critical situation. If I prayed for the king, 
 the least I could expect was to be sent into New England : 
 probably something worse, as no clergyman on the continent was 
 so obnoxious to them. If I went to church and omitted praying 
 for the king, it would not only be a breach of my duty, but in 
 some degree countenancing their rebellion, and supporting that 
 independency which they had declared. As the least culpable 
 course, I determined not to go to church, and ordered the sexton, 
 on Sunday morning, to tell any person who should inquire, that 
 till I could pray for the king, and do my duty according to the 
 rubric and canons, there would be neither prayers nor sermon. 
 About half a dozen of my parishioners, and a dozen rebel soldiers, 
 came to the church. The rest of the people, in a general way, 
 declared that they would not go to church till their minister was 
 at liberty to pray for the king. 
 
 " Soon after this, the British fleet and army arrived at Staten 
 Island. The rebels then became very alert in apprehending the 
 friends of government. Many had retired to West Chester from 
 New York. These were first sought after; some escaped; many 
 were seized. My situation became daily more critical, as they 
 began to take up the inhabitants of the country. At length two 
 ships of war came into the Sound, and took their station within 
 sight of my house. Immediately the whole coast was guarded, 
 that no one might go to them. Within a few days the troops 
 landed on Long Island, and the rebels were defeated. A body 
 of them then took post at the heights near Kingsbridge, in my 
 parish, and began to throw up works. Another body fixed them 
 selves within two miles of my house. 
 
XIII.] REV. SAMUEL SEABURY. 305 
 
 " For some time before, I had kept a good deal out of sight, 
 lodging abroad, and never being at home for more than an hour 
 or two at a time, and having a number of people whom I could 
 depend upon engaged, who punctually informed me of every cir 
 cumstance that was necessary for me to know." 
 
 With some difficulty he effected his escape to Long 
 Island. The troops then, having burned the pews, con 
 verted his church into a hospital. They also quartered 
 cavalry in his house, and consumed all the produce of his 
 farm. A school which he had opened at West Chester 
 was necessarily broken up, and thus he was deprived of 
 every means of support. 
 
 When the king s troops passed over into the county of 
 West Chester, Mr. Seabury accompanied them, and, being 
 perfectly acquainted with the roads and rivers of the 
 country, furnished General Clinton with plans and maps, 
 which were very serviceable. Soon after this, his resi 
 dence became too exposed to be safe, and he accordingly 
 retired, with his family, to New York. His withdrawal 
 was but just in time ; for, shortly afterwards, many persons 
 were seized and carried off from that neighbourhood, and 
 the whole country, for thirty miles round, was laid waste 
 and ruined, partly by the march of the king s army, and 
 partly by that of the insurgents. 
 
 He then goes on to say : 
 
 " I hope my conduct will be approved by the Society. I assure 
 them I have done everything in my power to retain the people 
 in their duty, nor did I shut up the church, or leave the Mission, 
 while it was practicable for me to do duty in either. I must also 
 observe, that but few of my congregation are engaged in the 
 rebellion. The New England rebels used frequently to observe, 
 as an argument against me, that the nearer they come to West 
 Chester, the fewer friends they found to American liberty that 
 is, to rebellion; and, in justice to the rebels of East and West 
 
 x 
 
306 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 Chester I must say, that none of them ever offered me any insult, 
 or attempted to do me any injury, that I know of. It must give 
 the Society great satisfaction to know that all their Missionaries 
 have conducted themselves with great propriety, and on many 
 occasions with a firmness and steadiness that have done them 
 honour. This may, indeed, be said of all the clergy on this side 
 the Delaware, and, I am persuaded, of many on the other. But 
 the conduct of the Philadelphia clergy has been the very reverse. 
 They not only rushed headlong into the rebellion themselves, but 
 perverted the judgment, and soured the tempers, and inflamed 
 the passions of the people, by sermons and orations, both from 
 the pulpit and the press. Their behaviour hath been of great 
 disadvantage to the loyal clergy. . . Messrs. Babcock, Town- 
 send, and James Sayre, were seized by the rebels some time in 
 October, and I have not heard of their being discharged. 
 
 " Mr. Veits is a close prisoner in Hartford jail, and has been 
 in irons. He is to be tried for his life, some say for assisting the 
 royalists, who were confined in Simsbury mines, in breaking out ; 
 others, for concealing those unhappy people after they had broke 
 out, and for helping them to make their escape. 
 
 " Mr. Beardsley has been obliged to leave his Mission. I saw 
 him lately in this town, and I presume he will write to the 
 Society. 
 
 " Mr. Learning has been taken up by the rebels, but was dis 
 missed in a few hours. 
 
 " I just mention what I have heard of these gentlemen because 
 it will be difficult, if not impracticable, for them to write, and 
 because I know the Society will be glad to get any little infor 
 mation about their Missionaries, and to know how they are 
 treated." * 
 
 The persecution and privations to which they were 
 exposed in the war, whether from the royalist or rebel 
 armies, proved fatal to several of the clergy. At Bye, 
 Mr. Avery was a principal sufferer. His horses were 
 seized, his cattle driven off, and his property plundered. 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 190. 
 
XIII.] REV. SAMUEL SEABURY. 307 
 
 His death, by some supposed to have been occasioned by 
 these losses, happened soon afterwards. 
 
 Another victim to ill-treatment, already mentioned, was 
 the Rev. Luke Babcock, Missionary at Philipsburg. He 
 was seized by the insurgents, his papers were examined, 
 and, because he answered affirmatively to the question 
 whether he considered himself bound by his oath of 
 allegiance to the king, he was deemed an enemy to the 
 liberties of America, and ordered to be kept in custody. 
 After four months confinement his health gave way, and 
 he was then dismissed with a written order to remove 
 within the lines of the king s army. " He got home," 
 says Mr. Seabury, " with difficulty, in a raging fever and 
 delirious, and there died extremely regretted. Indeed, 
 I knew not a more excellent man, and I fear his loss, 
 especially in that Mission, will scarcely be made up." 
 
 Mr. Seabury, who communicated this sad intelligence, 
 goes on, in the same letter, to say : 
 
 " The church in this country hath also sustained another loss, 
 in the death of the Rev. Dr. Auchmuty. To avoid the insults 
 of the rebels, he had retired from this city to Brunswick, in New 
 Jersey. When the rebels were driven from hence, they endea 
 voured to guard the passes in such a manner as to prevent the 
 friends of government from returning to it. The doctor s anxiety 
 to return to his charge was so great, that he was determined to 
 attempt it at all rates. By travelling in the night, and otherwise 
 exposing himself, he caught a severe cold, which, increasing, at 
 length threw him into a fever which proved fatal. I wish I could 
 give the Society a more pleasing account of the Missionaries in 
 Connecticut. I believe they are all either carried away from 
 their cures, or confined to their houses, except Mr. Dibblee, who 
 is gone to Sharon to be inoculated for the small-pox, possibly 
 hoping thereby to enjoy a few weeks respite from persecution. 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 191. 
 x 2 
 
308 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 With regard to my own Mission, I can only say that it is utterly 
 ruined. Before the king s troops went into that part of the 
 country, the people were robbed of their cattle, and otherwise 
 plundered by the rebels; and, I am sorry to say, that they 
 suffered greatly in that way from the royal army. Little or no 
 distinction was made. No redress could be obtained, and no stop 
 was put to it. As soon as the king s troops withdrew, the rebels 
 returned in parties, and every party plundered the inhabitants. 
 Many fled to this city, with what little they could carry; many 
 were deprived by the rebels of everything but the clothes on their 
 backs, and sent off with only six days provision, because they 
 refused to swear allegiance to the " States of America." Children 
 and infants have been deprived of their clothes, and women in 
 childbed have had the covering, even the sheets torn from their 
 beds by those monsters, who seem to have nothing of humanity 
 left, but the shape of men only. Many families of my parishioners 
 are now in this town, who used to live decently, suffering for 
 common necessaries. I daily meet them, and it is melancholy to 
 observe their dejection strongly marked on their faces, which 
 seem to implore that assistance which I am unable to give. To 
 pity them and pray for them is all I can do. I shall say nothing 
 more of my own situation at present, than that I have hitherto 
 supported myself and family with decency, and I will not distrust 
 the goodness of God, which has hitherto preserved me, nor render 
 myself unworthy of it by repining and discontent." 1 
 
 Some further indications of the state of public feeling, 
 and the persecution to which Churchmen, in particular, 
 were subject, are contained in a letter of the Rev. Leonard 
 Cutting. This excellent Clergyman, who had been edu 
 cated at Eton and Cambridge, and had for some time held 
 the office of public tutor at the college of New York, was 
 appointed to succeed Mr. Seabury at Hempsted in 1765. 
 He was received with much kindness by the people, and 
 found in the township about ninety families who were 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1.191. 
 
XIII.] REV. LEONARD CUTTING. 309 
 
 in communion with the Church ; and, as there was no 
 resident dissenting minister, many persons belonging to 
 other religious bodies frequented the church which was 
 thus well filled. The Churchmen, however, were the 
 most numerous body, with the exception of the Dutch, 
 who appear to have been well affected. Indeed there was 
 no sign of religious animosity in Long Island. The Pres 
 byterians were " kind and obliging neighbours, sober and 
 pious in their conversation." Great numbers, however, 
 of every sect remained unbaptized, owing to the long 
 prevalence of Quakerism. 1 A school long wanted was 
 opened in June, 1770. 
 
 Unhappily Mr. Cutting was not permitted long to carry 
 on his ministrations in peace. The people in his own 
 parish, indeed, were, for the most part, steady loyalists, 
 opposed to the election of delegates ; and they were, conse 
 quently, subjected to many harassing annoyances. Their 
 houses were occupied by an armed rabble, while the 
 rightful possessors were -compelled to hide themselves in 
 woods and swamps, or were seized and carried prisoners to 
 Connecticut. Mr. Cutting continued to perform divine ser 
 vice for some weeks after the declaration of Independence, 
 though orders were more than once issued to take him out 
 of his church; and, upon the whole, it appears that the 
 Church had rather made progress during the disturbances. 
 He states that e< there were not above three who called 
 themselves Churchmen amongst the malcontents ;" and 
 adds, " that as there was no settled Presbyterian teacher 
 to inflame the minds of the people, the dissenters were 
 left to their own cool judgments, attended the Church 
 service, and, in general, approved of, and joined their 
 neighbours in the opposition to the Congress." 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 143. 
 
310 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 From a subsequent letter, written at the end of 1781, it 
 appears that the loyalists suffered even more from the 
 rapacity of the King s troops than from the violence of 
 the insurgents. " Where the army is," he says, " oppres 
 sion, such as in England you can have no conception of, 
 universally prevails. We have nothing we can call our 
 own, and the door to redress is inaccessible. The army 
 has done more essential injury to the King s cause than 
 the utmost efforts of his enemies. 
 
 Other details are furnished by the Rev. Philip Reading, 
 of Apoquimininck. On March 18th, 1776, he says, " ( No 
 more passive obedience and non-resistance was scribbled 
 on his church doors ; and it was made a ground of com 
 plaint against one of the captains of militia, that he had 
 f lugged his company to church on the day of the public 
 fast, to hear that old wretch preach, f who was always an 
 enemy to the present measures. " And again, August 25th 
 of the same year, he says : " Being assured on all hands 
 of the danger with which I was threatened, if I persisted 
 in complying with my oaths, vows, and subscriptions, I 
 thought it high time to consult my own and my family s 
 safety; and therefore, on Sunday, July 28th, when the 
 people were assembled for public worship, before I began 
 the service, I explained to them the obligations the Clergy 
 of the Church of England are under to assert the King s 
 supremacy in their public ministrations, and acquainted 
 them that as I could not read the Liturgy agreeably to 
 the prescribed form, without offending against the new 
 government, and incurring the resentment of the people, 
 I should on that day declare the church shut up for six 
 weeks. Accordingly, after the Nicene Creed, I declared 
 in form that, as I had no design to resist the authority of 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1, 153. 
 
XIII.] REV. JOHN SAYRE. 311 
 
 the new government, on one hand, and as I was deter 
 mined, on the other, not to incur the heavy guilt of per 
 jury by a breach of the most solemn promises, I should 
 decline attending on the public worship for a short time 
 from that day ; but that, for the benefit of those who were 
 in full and close communion with me, for comforting them 
 in the present distress, for strengthening them in the faith, 
 for encouraging them to persevere in their present profes 
 sion unto the end, I would administer the sacrament of the 
 Lord s Supper on (Sept. 8th) that day six weeks. I had pro 
 posed to say more on the subject, but the scene became too 
 affecting for me to bear a further part in it. Many of the 
 people present were overwhelmed with deep distress, and 
 the cheeks of some began to be bathed with tears. My 
 own tongue faltered, and my firmness forsook me ; beckon 
 ing, therefore, to the clerk to sing the psalm, I went into 
 the pulpit, and having exhorted the members of the Church 
 to ( hold fast the profession of their faith without wavering, 
 and to depend upon the promises of a faithful God for 
 their present comfort and future relief, I finished this irk 
 some business, and Apoquimininck church from that day 
 has continued shut up." 1 
 
 The Rev. John Sayre, Nov. 8, 1779, after speaking of the 
 satisfactory state of the Mission of Fairfield, as shown both 
 by the increase in the number of his congregation, and 
 by their confirmed attachment to the Church, is compelled 
 to turn aside from the details of Missionary operations to 
 describe the unhappy course of events by which the exer 
 tions of himself and so many other of his brethren were 
 paralyzed. His people were engaged in enlarging their 
 church, when a stop *was put to their work by the open 
 violence of the insurgents. Indeed the churches generally, 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xv. 1. 211. 
 
312 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 throughout this and the neighbouring province, became the 
 first object of attack. The hangings were torn down, the 
 leads stripped off, bullets were fired through the windows, 
 and the sacred edifices themselves exposed to every sort of 
 wanton defilement. And, while the churches were thus 
 injured and desecrated, those who formed the congrega 
 tions were, on account of their loyalty, subjected to the 
 worst species of oppression and persecution. They were 
 fined and imprisoned on the most frivolous pretences ; and, 
 during this time of distress, Mr. Sayre most generously 
 relinquished his legal dues, and informed his congregation 
 that " he should expect only a bare subsistence for his 
 family during the troubles ; while they, on their part, 
 determining not to be outdone in generosity, stood by him 
 and ministered to his wants at the risk of their personal 
 safety." Shortly after this he was confined to his house and 
 garden, and proclaimed as an enemy to his country, (f for 
 refusing to sign an association, pledging its members to 
 oppose the King with life and fortune, and to withdraw all 
 offices of even justice, humanity, and charity, from every 
 recusant. In consequence of this advertisement," says 
 Mr. Sayre, " all persons were forbidden to hold any kind 
 of correspondence, or to have any manner of dealing with 
 me, on pain of bringing themselves under the same prer 
 dicament. This order was posted up in every store, mill, 
 mechanical shop, and public house in the county, and was 
 repeatedly published in the newspapers ; but, through the 
 goodness of the Lord, we wanted for nothing, our people, 
 under cover of the night, and, as it were, by stealth, sup 
 plying us with plenty of the comforts and necessaries of 
 life." 
 
 But as he still manifested the same unshaken attach 
 ment to his Majesty s person and government, he was 
 
XIII.] REV. JOHN SAYRE. 313 
 
 banished to a distance from his Mission, till, at length, on 
 his people offering to become security for his safe custody, 
 he was allowed to return to Fairfield and resume his long- 
 suspended ministrations. 
 
 Nothing is more gratifying than to find, amid the 
 cruelty, and selfishness, and mutual distrust which ordi 
 narily characterize periods of civil war, such instances of 
 noble and generous conduct ; and we hardly know whether 
 most to admire the self-denying devotion of the pastor to 
 his flock, or the fidelity and affection of the flock to their 
 pastor. This feeling of attachment on the part of the 
 people among whom he had been labouring could not have 
 been undeserved. Mr. Say re writes very modestly : 
 
 " The loss of all my books and papers puts it out of my power 
 to transmit an exact account of the marriages, funerals, and bap 
 tisms, since the first year of my residence in Fairfield j but I think 
 they have not greatly altered since that time. There has been, 
 however, a considerable augmentation in the number of commu 
 nicants. I think, on my first going to Fairfield, they did not 
 exceed forty. Some time ago they were considerably more 
 than a hundred; but lately, I believe, something less, owing to 
 refugees hinted at above." 
 
 With such obvious fruits of his labour he determined 
 not to quit his post, but remain with his people and " see 
 the end." This resolution, however, he was compelled, by 
 an unforeseen calamity, to abandon. On the 7th July, 
 1779, General Try on landed at Fairfield and set fire to the 
 town, after having ordered a guard to protect the house of 
 the Clergyman and a few others. "But," says Mr. Sayre, 
 " the ungovernable flames soon extended to them all, and 
 in a few minutes left me with a family, consisting of my 
 wife and eight children, destitute of food, house, and 
 raiment." He was then compelled to seek protection by 
 
314 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 retiring within the King s lines ; and he thus sums up the 
 history of his own losses and those of the Mission : 
 
 " The valuable little library given by the Society was burnt, 
 together with my own ; and the plate belonging to Trinity 
 church, at Fairfield, was lost, as well as that of my family, and 
 the handsome church itself was entirely consumed. The people 
 of that Mission have met with a heavy stroke in the loss of their 
 church, parsonage-house, plate, books, &c., not to mention myself, 
 their unworthy minister. 
 
 " My own loss includes my little all ; but what I most regret, 
 is my absence from my flock, to which my heart was, and still is, 
 most tenderly attached. I trust, however, that the Great Shep 
 herd will keep them in his own tuition and care. I bless the 
 Lord for that, through all my trials, I have endeavoured to keep 
 a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men ; con 
 tinually striving to discharge my duties to my Master, r my king, 
 and my people; and am bound to thank the Lord daily for that 
 divine protection, that tranquillity of mind, and that peace of 
 conscience which, through his grace, I have all along enjoyed." 1 
 
 It will be gathered from the general tenour of the fore 
 going statements, that the Missionaries of New York 
 and those of the New England colonies were, for the 
 most part, staunch loyalists, and even sufferers for their 
 faithful allegiance to their sovereign. A less resolute 
 spirit seems to have pervaded the Clergy of Pennsyl 
 vania, who, with some exceptions like Mr. Reading, dis 
 covered more sympathy for the cause of the patriots, and 
 a desire to reconcile their duty to the Church with some 
 concessions to the popular will. This will be evident from 
 the following statement of the Rev. Dr. Smith, 2 Provost of 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvii. 1. 233. 
 
 2 At a voluntary Convention which was held at Philadelphia, May 2, 
 1760, as Dr. Jenny was incapable of acting, Dr. Smith was chosen President, 
 and preached. There were twelve Clergymen present, and Mr. Inglis says 
 " so many black gowns made no inconsiderable appearance in those parts." 
 Original Letters, vol. xv. 1. 139. 
 
XIII.] REV. DR. SMITH. 315 
 
 the College at Philadelphia, who seems to have acted on 
 many occasions for the Society, as adviser and referee, and 
 in 1767, was allowed a small stipend for his services in the 
 Mission of Oxford : 
 
 " The several letters which you have directed to my care, by 
 the last ships viz., to Messrs. Tingley, Battwell, Curry, Murray, 
 Craig, and Magaw, are duly forwarded. Their difficulties in their 
 Missions are greatly increased by the present alarming state of 
 things, and never were men in a more trying or delicate situation. 
 We had hitherto, with one consent and one mind, kept our pulpits 
 wholly free from everything bordering on the present unnatural 
 controversy. But now our people have all taken up arms, and 
 entered into associations, never to submit to the parliamentary 
 claim of taxing them at pleasure. We see nothing in our 
 churches but men in their uniforms; and though they excuse us 
 on Sundays, yet they are now everywhere requesting occasional 
 sermons on the present situation of things. The case of the poor 
 Missionaries is hard. To comply may offend their protectors, and 
 those that support them in the parent country; to refuse would 
 leave them without congregations everywhere ; and perhaps it is 
 more the wish of some that they should refuse than comply. We 
 intended to have held a general meeting to consult together on 
 these difficulties, but found that it might involve us in new diffi 
 culties, by having it suspected we met for purposes of another 
 kind. All these difficulties increased from the necessity some of 
 our brethren apprehended themselves in, of quitting their charges 
 and going to England. I wish they could have stood their ground, 
 which I think might possibly have been accomplished, without 
 any unworthy compliances on their part. For, when the shepherds 
 are out of the way, the flocks will be scattered. Some of Dr. 
 Chandler s congregation whom I have seen do insist that he would 
 have been perfectly safe in staying. But of that matter he and 
 his family perhaps could only judge, or at least in such a way as 
 to satisfy his own mind. We have not been able of late to corre 
 spond with our brethren in New York, so that I have not the 
 
316 NEW YORK. [OH. 
 
 particulars of Dr. Cooper s case ; but have heard that he was 
 under an evident necessity of retiring for a time. 
 
 "If our Clergy were generally to quit their people at this 
 time, I say, we should not have the appearance of a Church or 
 people left. A conduct, therefore, of the most prudent nature is 
 required from us. We need not widen the breach, and yet we 
 may wish well to (nay, in all decency and firmness contend for) 
 the just rights of America ; and so far indulge our people as to 
 convince them that the Clergy of our Church are as true friends 
 to liberty, and as much devoted to the constitutional and just 
 rights of their country, as any other man in America. And upon 
 this plan we have all judged it our duty to prepare for keeping 
 the fast recommended by the Congress to be kept July 20th; and 
 also not to decline our turns of the occasional service required of 
 us by our people at other times, hoping our prudence and con 
 sciences may lead us safely through the difficulties with which we 
 are beset. Indeed, exclusive of the recommendation, never were 
 fasting and humiliation more our duties." 
 
 He says, further, that no man had laboured more 
 zealously than himself to avert the calamities in which 
 both countries were then involved ; that he did his utmost 
 to bring about a reconciliation ; and though he would have 
 preferred to reserve his pulpit for the appropriate lessons 
 which belong to it, yet, when unavoidably called upon to 
 speak, he could not " betray the cause of universal liberty, 
 nor suffer our Church or Clergy to labour under the im 
 putation of departing from those principles which distin 
 guished some of her brightest luminaries near a century 
 past." Such, he says, were not only his own views, but 
 those of bis brethren in the province ; and he maintains 
 that, if they were to suffer " the notion to prevail that the 
 Church Clergy are tools of power, slavish in their tenets, 
 and secret enemies to the principles of the revolution, it 
 would give a deadly wound to the Church in America." 
 
XIII.] REV. J. LEAMING. 317 
 
 These views he set forth at large in a sermon, of which 
 some thousands were sold in a day or two after its pub 
 lication. 1 
 
 In a subsequent letter, dated August 28th, 1775, he 
 speaks of the union and organization of the States : 
 
 " The Americans continue firm in the measures they have 
 adopted for opposing parliamentary taxation ; and the colony of 
 Georgia has now joined the other twelve colonies. Administration 
 can expect nothing by hopes of disunion here. Would to God 
 that a suspension of hostilities and a negotiation could take place, 
 before either side have proceeded too far in measures so ruinous 
 to both. For this I pray, and for this I labour daily ; and in 
 such a way, perhaps, as may subject me to the blame of the 
 violent of both sides. But I look far beyond the present heated 
 times. Since I wrote to you, all our clergy within my knowledge, 
 two only excepted, in four provinces, have preached on the Fast 
 of July 20th. Some of their sermons are printed, and more in 
 the press. You will herewith receive two of Mr. Duche s, and 
 one of Mr. Coombe s. Please to communicate them to the Lord 
 Bishop of London." 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Tingley, mentioned by Dr. Smith, 
 was Missionary at Lewes, Pennsylvania, and the only 
 clergyman for one hundred miles in length. He used to 
 travel three thousand miles a-year to officiate at distant 
 stations, and had sometimes from thirty to fifty children 
 brought to him at one time for Baptism. Like his 
 brethren, he was plundered and ill-used by the insurgents, 
 but kept his church open notwithstanding their threats. 
 To such straits, however, was he reduced, that, to use his 
 own words, " he had scarcely bread to eat or clothes to 
 put on." 
 
 Another Missionary, the Rev. J. Learning, of Norwalk, 
 
 1 In 1777, the Society came to the resolution of relieving Dr. Smith from 
 his charge of the Mission at Oxford ; a resolution which he considered to 
 have been occasioned by the sermon above referred to. 
 
318 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 had now for some years been engaged in the zealous 
 discharge of his pastoral office ; his sole desire being 
 that those committed to his care (e might be Christians 
 indeed." He could not, however, fail to see the dangers 
 to which the Church was exposed from enemies without, 
 as well as from its want of internal organization. Writ 
 ing to the Society, September 29th, 1763, he says: 
 "I hope there will be means found out to support the 
 Church in this Government, otherwise I fear there will be 
 no religion here in the next generation. In order that it 
 might be supported in the purity of it, there is great need 
 of a Bishop to confirm, ordain, and govern. Every Body 
 wants a Head." 
 
 During the troubles of the civil war, he was unfortunate 
 enough to suffer most severely from both the British and 
 American parties. Writing from New York, 29th July, 
 1779, he says : " On the llth instant, by the unavoidable 
 event of the operation of his Majesty s troops under the 
 command of General Tryon, my church and great part of 
 my parish was laid in ashes, by which I have lost every 
 thing I had there my furniture, books, and all my papers, 
 even all my apparel, except what was on my back. My 
 loss that fatal day was not less than twelve or thirteen 
 hundred pounds sterling. Although in great danger, my 
 life has been preserved ; and I hope I shall never forget 
 the kind providence of God in that trying hour." As a 
 specimen of the insults to which the loyal clergy were 
 exposed, it may be mentioned that the mob took his 
 picture, defaced and nailed it to a sign-post, with the head 
 downward. 1 He was afterwards put in jail as a Tory, and 
 denied even the comfort of a bed. This brought on a hip 
 complaint, which made him a cripple for life. 
 1 Journal, vol. xxii. p. 141. 
 
XIIJ.] REV. JACOB BAILEY. 319 
 
 As the history of this period is the history rather of the 
 sufferings and dispersion, than of the labours, of the Mis 
 sionaries, it seems of little consequence whether or not the 
 record of their troubles be connected with the particular 
 colonies to which they properly belonged. It may be as 
 well, therefore, in this place, to make a brief reference to 
 the trials and persecutions of another victim of these 
 unhappy times. 
 
 The Rev. Jacob Bailey, whose services at Pownalborough 
 have already been noticed, 1 states, that for refusing to read 
 the declaration of independence, he was declared an enemy 
 to his country, and ordered to appear before the general 
 court, 180 miles from his own residence, and in the depth 
 of winter ; that on visiting a settlement, at the desire of 
 the people, to preach among them, and to baptize their 
 children, he was assaulted by an armed mob, who stripped 
 him naked in search of papers ; and, in short, that during 
 the present commotions, he had suffered almost every form 
 of persecution. Three times he had been driven from his 
 family, and obliged to preserve a precarious freedom by 
 roving about the country through unfrequented roads, 
 under cover of darkness, and in disguise ; while his family 
 were distressed beyond measure for the common neces 
 saries of life, though relieved by his own people as long as 
 they had anything to bestow. During his wanderings he 
 preached in private houses, and baptized a great number 
 of children at George Town, Falmouth, Wyndham, 
 Portsmouth, &c. He concludes by giving a most deplor 
 able account of the state of New England, from which, 
 he says, religion had almost vanished. 2 
 
 In a work pretending to record the names of the more 
 distinguished American Missionaries, it would be unpar- 
 1 P. 230. Eeport for 1780. 
 
320 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 donable to omit all notice, though we must content our 
 selves with a short one, of the Rev. John Stuart, styled by 
 the Bishop of Toronto Jhe "Father of the Church in 
 Upper Canada." 1 He was recommended to the Society 
 by Sir William Johnson as Missionary to the Mohawks. 
 He arrived at Fort Hunter, December 2, 1770, and was 
 received with great joy by the Indians. The number of 
 inhabitants was then about 170. On Christmas-day follow 
 ing he preached at Canaijohare, a village about thirty 
 miles distant, and administered the Holy Communion to 
 twenty Indian converts. 
 
 He describes them as "attending divine service con 
 stantly, and making the responses with the greatest regu 
 larity and seeming devotion." " Indeed," he says, " their 
 whole deportment is such as is but rarely seen in religious 
 assemblies that have been better instructed." 
 
 In 1774, he says " Their morals are much improved 
 since my residence among them." In this year they lost 
 by death their best friend and patron, Sir William Johnson, 
 who, during the whole period of his administration, had 
 shown a most laudable desire to improve their condition ; 
 and by whose advice and encouragement it was, that Mr. 
 Stuart was induced to prepare a Mohawk translation of 
 the Gospel according to St. Mark, with a compendious 
 history of the Bible, and an exposition of the Church 
 Catechism in the same language. 
 
 Mr. Stuart says, in 1775, when parties had become 
 violent, that the Indians were attached to him, and had 
 publicly declared that they would protect and defend him 
 as long as he continued to reside among them. In 1781, 
 he gives the following account of the troubles and priva- 
 
 1 Charge, 1842. 
 
XIII.] REV. JOHN STUART. 321 
 
 tions which he had to endure personally, and of the scan 
 dalous profanation of his church: 
 
 " At the commencement of the unhappy contest betwixt Great 
 Britain and her colonies, I acquainted the Society of the firm 
 reliance I had on the fidelity and loyalty of my congregation, 
 which has justified my opinion; for the faithful Mohawks, rather 
 than swerve from their allegiance, chose rather to abandon their 
 dwellings and property ; and accordingly went in a body to 
 General Burgoyne, and afterwards were obliged to take shelter in 
 Canada. While they remained at Fort Hunter I continued to 
 officiate as usual, performing the public service entire, even after 
 the declaration of Independence, notwithstanding by so doing 
 I incurred the penalty of high treason by the new laws. As soon 
 as my protectors were fled I was made a prisoner, and ordered to 
 depart the province, with my family, within the space of four 
 days, or be put into close confinement; and this only upon suspi 
 cion that I was a loyal subject of the king of Great Britain. 
 Upon this I was admitted to paroles, and confined to the limits 
 of the town of Schenectady, in which situation I have remained 
 for upwards of three years. My house has been frequently broken 
 open by mobs, my property plundered, and, indeed, every kind 
 of indignity offered to my person by the lowest of the populace. 
 At length my farm, and the produce of it, was formally taken 
 from me, in May last, as forfeited to the state ; and, as the last 
 resource, I proposed to open a Latin school for the support of my 
 family. But this privilege was denied, on pretence that, as a 
 prisoner of war, I was not entitled to exercise any lucrative occu 
 pation in the state. I then applied for permission to remove to 
 Canada, which, after much difficulty and expense, I obtained 
 upon the following conditions : to give bail in the sum of 400. 
 to send a rebel colonel in my room, or else return to Albany, and 
 surrender myself a prisoner whenever required. In consequence 
 of which I set out on my journey from Schenectady on the 19th 
 of September last, with my wife and three small children ; and, 
 after suffering much fatigue and difficulty, we arrived safe at 
 St. John s, in Canada, on the 9th instant. ... I cannot omit to 
 mention that my church was plundered by the rebels, and the 
 
 Y 
 
322 NEW YORK. [CH. XJ1I. 
 
 pulpit-cloth taken away from the pulpit; it was afterwards 
 employed as a tavern, and the barrel of rum placed in the reading- 
 desk. The succeeding year it was used for a stable, and now 
 serves as a fort." l 
 
 On his arrival in Canada he immediately repaired to the 
 Mohawk village, where he was affectionately welcomed by 
 his Indian flock. They offered to build a house for him, 
 that he might continue to reside amongst them ; but he 
 preferred fixing his residence at Montreal, and going over 
 to them once a month. He was soon afterwards appointed 
 chaplain to the 2d battalion of the Royal Yorkers ; and in 
 addition to this duty, he opened a school, which had long 
 been wanted in the city. 
 
 Another clergyman also, the Rev. John Doty, not long 
 before appointed to the Mission of Schenectady, after 
 having twice been made prisoner, was happy to escape 
 (in 1777) with his family into Canada, where he was soon 
 afterwards appointed by Sir John Johnson to a military 
 chaplaincy. 2 
 
 The loyalty of the clergy in the northern and eastern 
 states drew down upon them the resentment of the repub 
 lican authorities, and many of them, of course, sought pro 
 tection under the royal flag, while not a few of those who 
 survived the troubles were afraid to remain in America. 
 A large number of refugees, among whom were several 
 clergy, sought an asylum in New York; and, as the 
 churches did not afford sufficient accommodation, it became 
 necessary to make suitable arrangements for the celebration 
 of divine worship in the City Hall, where the refugee 
 clergymen ministered to their brethren in affliction. 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 204. 2 Journal, vol. xxi. p. 344. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 Rev. Charles Inglis appointed to Dover Mission Becomes Assistant to 
 Dr. Auchmuty at New York Urges the appointment of Bishops Plan 
 for conversion of the Indians Letter recounting the progress of the 
 Civil War and the sufferings of the Clergy Death of Dr. Auchmuty 
 Election of Mr. Inglis as Eector of Trinity Treaty of 1783 Confiscation 
 of Mr. Inglis s Property He retires to Nova Scotia Bishop of Oxford s 
 Testimony to the conduct_of the Missionaries Address of the Clerical and 
 Lay Deputies of the American Church, 
 
 ON Mr. Neill s removal, in 1758, from Dover to the 
 less laborious Mission of Oxford, in the same province 
 (Pennsylvania), Mr. Charles Inglis was recommended to 
 the Society as his successor. He had, during the last 
 three years, conducted the free-school at Lancaster to the 
 satisfaction of all, and had thus become favourably known 
 to the clergy of the neighbourhood, who now testified of 
 him " as a young gentleman of unblemished character, dis 
 creet in his behaviour, and free from even the suspicion of 
 anything unbecoming." With these high testimonials he 
 came to England, was admitted by the Bishop of London 
 to holy orders, and re-embarked for his humble Mission, to 
 which a salary of 50/. a year was attached. Such was the 
 modest commencement of a career, which was destined to 
 be marked by various fortunes, and distinguished by ser 
 vices of the highest value to the Church. 
 
 Mr. Inglis, after a long and dangerous voyage, arrived 
 at Dover on the 1st of July, 1759 ; and at this distance of 
 
 Y2 
 
324 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 eighty-six years, it is impossible not to remember with 
 thankfulness, that the son is still administering, with unim 
 paired vigour and energy, one division of that important 
 diocese which, when it was first placed under the father s 
 spiritual superintendence, comprehended the whole of the 
 British colonies in that quarter of the world. So long a 
 period of service (and still, let us hope, to be considerably 
 extended) to the colonial church, deserves, surely, special 
 notice and remembrance. 
 
 Mr. Inglis, on coming to his Mission, found the situation 
 unhealthy from the neighbourhood of low, marshy lands. 
 There were within it three churches, but that at Dover 
 was in a most ruinous condition. He soon, however, con 
 trived to restore it, and to build a fourth on the borders of 
 Maryland. The Mission comprised the whole county of 
 Kent, thirty-three miles in length and ten in breadth, 
 with a population of 7000, of which a third belonged to 
 the communion of the church. 1 
 
 A method which he had adopted to abate the drunken 
 ness, debauchery, and riots, which were the usual con 
 sequence of meetings to hear candidates for the office of 
 representative or sheriff, was to announce a sermon at the 
 same place and hour ; and by this he drew off many. 
 
 In 1763, he informed the Society of the flourishing state 
 of his Mission, as evidenced by the erection and restoration 
 of churches, the crowds who attended Divine service, the 
 return of dissenters to the Church, and the revival of a 
 spirit of piety in many persons. His own health he 
 described as much affected by the dampness of the situa 
 tion, as well as by the excessive fatigue of having to attend 
 stations distant severally fourteen, seventeen, and eighteen 
 miles from his own residence. 2 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xv. p. 279 2 Ibid, vol.xvi. p. 68. 
 
XIV.] REV. CHARLES INGLIS. 325 
 
 111 1765., Mr. Inglis obtained permission of the Society 
 to accept the appointment of assistant to Dr. Auchmuty, 
 and catechist to the negroes at New York. During the 
 six years of his ministration at Dover he had baptized 756 
 children and twenty-three adults; while, within the same 
 period, his communicants had increased from forty-nine to 
 one hundred and fourteen. 
 
 The churchwardens and vestry of Dover, on the occasion 
 of his departure, wrote to express their great regret at his 
 going, and to testify that he had, "with unwearied dili 
 gence, attended four churches, discharging every duty of 
 his functions, and conducting himself on all occasions in a 
 manner truly laudable and exemplary." 1 
 
 The melancholy accident, which has been more than 
 once alluded to already, namely, the shipwreck and 
 death at sea of the Rev. Messrs. Giles and Wilson, who 
 had been appointed by the Society his successors in the 
 Mission of Dover and Mispillion, furnished him with an 
 opportunity of renewing with increased force the argument 
 for the appointment of bishops. The following are his 
 observations on the subject: 
 
 " April 19, 1766. 
 
 " The expense and hazard in going to England for orders were 
 always discouraging circumstances. This melancholy accident 
 will increase our apprehensions of danger, and shows they are 
 well founded. Nothing but our having Bishops here can remove 
 these and many other grievances which the American Churches 
 labour under. 
 
 "Our having Bishops here on the terms we want them is a 
 thing so equitable in itself, and so essential to the interest of 
 religion in our Church, that I am lost in astonishment at our 
 being deprived of them so long. Why are we denied the common 
 privileges of all other subjects 1 or why are we distinguished by 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xvii. p. 41. 
 
326 NEW YORK. [CM. 
 
 grievances and persecutions to which all other denominations are 
 perfect strangers 1 
 
 "Our Church must necessarily decline while we are in this 
 situation, and must finally sink unless the timely remedy is 
 applied. If the Clergy of England, therefore, do not exert them 
 selves, and with spirit second the applications hence on this head, 
 a person without the spirit of prophecy may easily tell what the 
 event will be. For my part, I look upon it to be the immediate 
 cause of Christ and his Church ; and therefore, every obligation 
 we are under to serve these calls on us to promote this measure. 
 
 " As we want not to encroach on the liberties or privileges, civil 
 or religious, of any other denomination, the most violent, un 
 reasonable dissenter dares not openly avow his disapprobation of 
 this measure. Some may murmur in secret, but, as their murmurs 
 will not bear examination, proceeding entirely from a perverse, 
 persecuting spirit, they keep them to themselves. All of them 
 that are moderate and reasonable, and in charity we should sup 
 pose these to be the majority, own the necessity and equity of our 
 having Bishops. This I know to be the case. But suppose they 
 were violent in opposing this, yet have they any right to do so or 
 be heard 1 Have we not an equal right to oppose their having 
 ordinations, and synods, and presbyteries, and sessions 1 Or might 
 we not, with equal justice, oppose any sect here in having the full 
 exercise of their discipline and government 1 We have already 
 seen what delays in this affair produce. They only weaken our 
 cause, and add strength to our opponents ; and I pray God the 
 government may not have cause to repent, when it is too late, 
 their omission of what would be so great a means of securing the 
 affections and dependence of the colonies, and firmly uniting 
 them to the mother country. Even good policy dictates this 
 measure, were the interest of religion and our Church left out of 
 the question." * 
 
 At the request of several of the principal inhabitants, 
 Mr. Inglis paid a visit to his old Mission of Dover in 1767. 
 He remained with them three Sundays, and officiated at 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 57. 
 
XIV.] HEV. CHARLES INGLIS. 327 
 
 each of the churches. During this visit he baptized fifty- 
 five children, and had the satisfaction of learning that not 
 a single member of the church had left it since his depar 
 ture. 1 During the whole of his residence at New York, he 
 exerted himself most zealously in behalf of the Mohawk 
 Indians, and was frequently in communication on the sub 
 ject of the conversion of these tribes with Sir William 
 Johnson, than whom the Church never had a more loyal 
 supporter in America. Owing to the influence of his 
 example, the members of the church within his neighbour 
 hood increased in a few years from 40 to 140 families. 
 Both Sir William and Mr. Inglis were of opinion, that the 
 most likely means to civilize and convert the tribes was to 
 settle Missionaries and schoolmasters among them; and 
 they estimated that this plan might be attempted, on a 
 sufficiently large scale, at an annual outlay of 5001. Mr. 
 Inglis rightly regarded it as " a matter in which our 
 Church and nation, as well as the peace and welfare of 
 the colonies, were deeply concerned, not to mention our 
 duty as Christians, to diffuse the saving light of the gospel 
 among those poor savages." 
 
 But the government would lend no assistance to the 
 design, which, owing to the death of its great promoter, 
 Sir William Johnson, in 1775, and the subsequent civil 
 troubles, was never carried into effect. 
 
 Indeed, every plan for the social and religious improve 
 ment of the people, whether European or aborigines, was 
 now suspended by the contention of parties and the prepa 
 rations for war. This state of confusion is described in 
 detail by Mr. Inglis ; and as it will appear from his narra 
 tive that the clergy were among the more prominent suf 
 ferers, his letter seems properly to belong to this history. 
 1 Journal, vol. xvii. p. 452. 
 
328 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 " New York, Oct. 31, 1776. 
 
 " Reverend Sir, The confusions which have prevailed in North 
 America for some time past must have necessarily interrupted the 
 correspondence of the Missionaries with the Society, and that to 
 such a degree as to leave the Society in the dark with respect to 
 the situation both of the Missionaries and the Missions at present. 
 I flatter myself, therefore, that a short authentic account of them, 
 and of the Church of England in general in this and the adjacent 
 colonies, may be acceptable to the Society at this most critical 
 period. The success of his Majesty s arms in reducing this city, 
 and driving out the rebels, the 15th of last month, affords me an 
 opportunity of doing this, as packets are now again established 
 between this port and England. 
 
 " I have the pleasure to assure you that all the Society s Mis 
 sionaries, without excepting one, in New Jersey, New York, 
 Connecticut, and, so far as I can learn, in the other New England 
 colonies, have proved themselves faithful, loyal subjects in these 
 trying times ; and have to the utmost of their power opposed the 
 spirit of disaffection and rebellion which has involved this conti 
 nent in the greatest calamities. I must add, that all the other 
 Clergy of our Church in the above colonies, though not in the 
 Society s service, have observed the same line of conduct; and 
 although their joint endeavours could not wholly prevent the 
 rebellion, yet they checked it considerably for some time, and 
 prevented many thousands from plunging into it who otherwise 
 would certainly have done so. 
 
 " You have, doubtless, been long since informed by my worthy 
 friends, Dr. Chandler and Dr. Cooper, to what an height our 
 violences were risen so early as May 1775, when they were both 
 obliged to fly from hence, and seek protection in England. These 
 violences have been gradually increasing ever since ; and this, with 
 the delay of sending over succours, and the king s troops totally 
 abandoning this province, reduced the friends of government here 
 to a most disagreeable and dangerous situation, particularly the 
 Clergy, who were viewed with peculiar envy and malignity by the 
 disaffected ; for, although civil liberty was the ostensible object, the 
 bait that was flung out to catch the populace at large and engage 
 them in the rebellion, yet it is now past all doubt that an abolition 
 
XIV.] REV. CHARLES INGLIS. 329 
 
 of the Church of England was one of the principal springs of 
 the dissenting leaders conduct ; and hence the unanimity of dis 
 senters in this business. Their universal defection from govern 
 ment, emancipating themselves from the jurisdiction of Great 
 Britain, and becoming independent, was a necessary step towards 
 this grand object. I have it from good authority that the Presby 
 terian ministers, at a synod where most of them in the middle 
 colonies were collected, passed a resolve to support the continental 
 congress in all their measures. This and this only can account for 
 the uniformity of their conduct; for I do not know one of them, 
 nor have I been able, after strict inquiry, to hear of any, who did 
 not, by preaching and every effort in their power, promote all the 
 measures of the congress, however extravagant. 
 
 " The Clergy, amidst this scene of tumult and disorder, went 
 on steadily with their duty ; in their sermons, confining themselves 
 to the doctrines of the Gospel, without touching on politics; 
 using their influence to allay our heats and cherish a spirit of 
 loyalty among their people. This conduct, however harmless, 
 gave great offence to our flaming patriots, who laid it down as a 
 maxim, That those who were not for them were against them. 
 The Clergy were everywhere threatened, often reviled with the 
 most opprobrious language, sometimes treated with brutal violence. 
 Some have been carried prisoners by armed mobs into distant 
 provinces, where they were detained in close confinement for 
 several weeks, and much insulted, without any crime being even 
 alleged against them. Some have been flung into jails by com 
 mittees for frivolous suspicions of plots, of which even their 
 persecutors afterwards acquitted them. Some who were obliged 
 to fly their own province to save their lives have been taken 
 prisoners, sent back, and are threatened to be tried for their lives 
 because they fled from danger. Some have been pulled out of 
 the reading desk because they prayed for the king, and that before 
 independency was declared. Others have been warned to appear 
 at militia musters with their arms, have been fined for not appear 
 ing, and threatened with imprisonment for not paying those fines. 
 Others have had their houses plundered, and their desks broken 
 open under pretence of their containing treasonable papers. 
 
 " I could fill a volume with such instances ; and you may rely 
 
330 NEW YORK. {CH. 
 
 on the facts I have mentioned as indubitable, for I can name the 
 persons, and have these particulars attested in the simplest man 
 ner. The persons concerned are all my acquaintances, and not 
 very distant; nor did they draw this treatment on themselves by 
 any imprudence, but for adhering to their duty, which gave 
 offence to some demagogues, who raised mobs to persecute them 
 on that very account. Whatever reluctance or pain a benevolent 
 heart may feel in recounting such things, which are, indeed, a 
 disgrace to humanity and religion, yet they ought to be held up 
 to view, the more effectually to expose the baneful nature of per 
 secution, make it detestable, and put mankind on their guard 
 against its first approaches. Were every instance of this kind 
 faithfully collected, it is probable that the sufferings of the 
 American clergy would appear, in many respects, not inferior to 
 those of the English clergy in the great rebellion of last century; 
 and such a work would be no bad supplement to Walker s 
 Sufferings of the Clergy. 
 
 " The present rebellion is certainly one of the most causeless, 
 unprovoked, and unnatural that ever disgraced any country; 
 a rebellion marked with peculiarly aggravated circumstances of 
 guilt and ingratitude ; yet amidst this general defection, there are 
 very many who have exhibited instances of fortitude and adhe 
 rence to their duty which do honour to human nature and Chris 
 tianity; many who, for the sake of a good conscience, have incurred 
 insults, persecution, and loss of property, when a compliance with 
 the spirit of the times had insured them applause, profit, and that 
 eminence of which the human heart is naturally so fond. 
 Perhaps such cases are the most trying to a man s fortitude, much 
 more so, in my opinion, than those which are sudden, and where 
 danger, though more apparent, yet is not more certain or real. 
 The one is like a weight indesinently pressing on us, which 
 wastes and consumes our strength; the other, like a transient 
 impulse, which, by a sudden exertion of strength, may be resisted. 
 It is but justice to say that those instances were exhibited by the 
 members of our Church : there is not one of the clergy in the 
 provinces I have specified, of whom this may not be affirmed ; 
 and very few of the laity who were respectable or men of property, 
 have joined in the rebellion. 
 
XIV.] REV. CHARLES INGLIS. 331 
 
 " Thus matters continued ; the clergy proceeding regularly in 
 the discharge of their duty where the hand of violence did not 
 interfere, until the beginning of last July, when the congress 
 thought proper to make an explicit declaration of independency, 
 hy which all connexion with Great Britain was to be broken off, 
 and the Americans released from any allegiance to our gracious 
 sovereign. For my part, I had long expected this event : it was 
 what the measures of the congress from the beginning uniformly 
 and necessarily led to. 
 
 " This declaration increased the embarrassments of the clergy. 
 To officiate publicly, and not pray for the king and royal family 
 according to the liturgy, was against their duty and oath, as well 
 as dictates of their conscience ; and yet to use the prayers for the 
 king and royal family would have drawn inevitable destruction 
 on them. The only course which they could pursue, to avoid 
 both evils, was to suspend the public exercise of their function, 
 and shut up their churches. 
 
 " This, accordingly was done. It is very remarkable that, 
 although the clergy of those provinces I have mentioned did not, 
 and, indeed, could not, consult each other on this interesting 
 occasion, yet they all fell upon the same method in shutting up 
 their churches. The venerable Mr. Beach, of Connecticut, only 
 is to be excepted, if my information be right, who officiated as 
 usual after independency was declared, and, upon being warned 
 of his danger, declared, with the firmness and spirit of a primitive 
 confessor, That he would do his duty, preach and pray for the 
 king, till the rebels cut out his tongue. All the churches in 
 Connecticut, (Mr. Beach s excepted, if the above account be true, 
 and I had it from pretty good authority,) as well as those in this 
 province, except in this city, Long Island, and Staten Island, 
 where his Majesty s arms have penetrated, are now shut up. 
 This is also the case with every church in New Jersey ; and I am 
 informed by a gentleman lately returned from Pennsylvania, who 
 had been a prisoner there for some time, that the churches in the 
 several Missions of that province are shut up, one or two excepted, 
 where the prayers for the king and royal family are omitted. 
 The churches in Philadelphia are open. How matters are cir 
 cumstanced in the more southerly colonies, I cannot learn with 
 
332 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 any certainty; only that the provincial convention of Virginia 
 have taken upon themselves to publish an edict, by which some 
 collects for the king are to be wholly omitted in the liturgy, and 
 others altered, the word commonwealth being substituted for 
 the king. For my part, I never expected much good of those 
 clergy among them who opposed an American episcopate. If 
 such should now renounce their allegiance, and abandon their 
 duty, it is no more than what might naturally be looked for. 
 There are, however, several worthy clergymen in those provinces, 
 some of whom I hear have taken sanctuary in England, particu 
 larly from Maryland. This province, although the most loyal 
 and peaceable of any on the continent, by a strange fatality is 
 become the scene of war, and suffers most. This city, especially, 
 has a double portion of the calamities brought on by the present 
 rebellion; and perhaps a brief detail of our situation for some 
 months past, may gratify curiosity, and convey to the Society the 
 clearest idea of the state of things here. Upon General Howe s 
 departure from Boston to Halifax, early in the last spring, the 
 rebel army was drawn to this city, which they fortified in the 
 best manner they could, expecting it would be attacked. Most 
 of the inhabitants, warned by these symptoms of the gathering 
 storm, moved into the country, and carried their valuable effects 
 with them. Among others, I moved my family, consisting of a 
 wife and three small children, seventy miles up Hudson s River, 
 where they still remain, that part of the country being yet pos 
 sessed by the rebels. Dr. Auchmuty, the rector, being much 
 indisposed during the spring and summer, retired with his family 
 to Brunswick, in New Jersey; and the care of the churches, in 
 his absence, of course devolved on me, as the oldest assistant 
 a situation truly difficult and trying in such times, especially as 
 the other assistants were young and inexperienced, though very 
 loyal, and otherwise worthy young men. 
 
 " About the middle of April, Mr. Washington, commander-in- 
 chief of the rebel forces, came to town with a large reinforcement. 
 Animated by his presence, and, I suppose, encouraged by him, the 
 rebel commitees very much harassed the loyal inhabitants here 
 and on Long Island. They were summoned before those com 
 mittees, and, upon refusing to give up their arms and take the 
 
XIV.] REV. CHARLES INGLIS. 333 
 
 oaths that were tendered, they were imprisoned or sent into 
 banishment. An army was sent to Long Island to disarm the 
 inhabitants who were distinguished for their loyalty. Many had 
 their property destroyed, and more were carried off prisoners. 
 It should be observed, that members of the Church of England 
 were the only sufferers on this occasion. The members of the 
 Dutch church are very numerous there, and many of them joined 
 in opposing the rebellion ; yet no notice was taken of them, nor 
 the least injury done to them. About this time, Mr. Bloomer 
 administered the sacrament at New town, where he had but four 
 or five male communicants, the rest having been driven off, or 
 carried away prisoners. At this present time, there are many 
 hundreds from this city and province prisoners in New England; 
 and among these the mayor of New York, several judges and 
 members of his Majesty s council, with other respectable inha 
 bitants. 
 
 " Soon after Washington s arrival, he attended our church ; 
 but on the Sunday morning, before divine service began, one of 
 the rebel generals called at the rector s house, (supposing the 
 latter was in town,) and, not finding him, left word that he came 
 to inform the rector that General Washington would be at 
 church, and would be glad if the violent prayers for the king and 
 royal family were omitted. This message was brought to me, 
 and, as you may suppose, I paid no regard to it. 
 
 " On seeing that general not long after, I remonstrated against 
 the unreasonableness of his request, which he must know the 
 clergy could not comply with ; and told him further, that it was 
 in his power to shut up our churches, but by no means in his 
 power to make the clergy depart from their duty. This 
 declaration drew from him an awkward apology for his conduct, 
 which I believe was not authorized by Washington. Such in 
 cidents would not be worth mentioning, unless to give those who 
 are at a distance a better idea of the spirit of the times. 
 
 " May 17th was appointed by the congress as a day of public 
 fasting, prayer, and humiliation throughout the continent. At 
 the unanimous request of the members of our Church who were 
 then in town, I consented to preach that day; and, indeed, our 
 situation made it highly prudent, though a submission to an 
 
334 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 authority that was so far usurped was exceedingly grating and 
 disagreeable. In giving notice the preceding Sunday, I only men 
 tioned that there would be a sermon the ensuing Friday, which 
 was the 17th, without saying anything of the reason, or by what 
 authority. It was exceedingly difficult for a loyal clergyman to 
 preach on such an occasion, and not incur danger on the one 
 hand, or not depart from his duty on the other. I endeavoured 
 to avoid both, making peace and repentance my subject, and 
 explicitly disclaimed having anything to do with politics. This 
 sermon, in the composition of which I took some pains, I intend 
 to publish, for various reasons, should I be able to recover it 
 from the place where it now is, with all my books and papers, in 
 the country. The several churches in this province, (except two, 
 where the clergymen thought they might without danger omit 
 service,) and so far as I can learn, through all the thirteen united 
 colonies, as they are called, were opened on this occasion. 
 
 " Matters became now critical here in the highest degree. The 
 rebel army amounted to near 30,000. All their cannon and mili 
 tary stores were drawn hither, and they boasted that the place 
 was impregnable. The mortifications and alarms which the 
 clergy met with were innumerable. I have frequently heard 
 myself called a Tory, and traitor to my country, as I passed the 
 streets, and epithets joined to each, which decency forbids me to 
 set down. Violent threats were thrown out against us, in case 
 the king were any longer prayed for. One Sunday, when I was 
 officiating, and had proceeded some length in the service, a com 
 pany of about one hundred armed rebels marched into the church, 
 with drums beating and fifes playing, their guns loaded and bayonets 
 fixed, as if going to battle. The congregation was thrown into the 
 utmost terror, and several women fainted, expecting a massacre was 
 intended. I took no notice of them, and went on with the service, 
 only exerted my voice, which was in some measure drowned by 
 the noise and tumult. The rebels stood thus in the aisle for near 
 fifteen minutes, till, being asked into pews by the sexton, they 
 complied. Still, however, the people expected that, when the 
 collects for the king and royal family were read, I should be fired 
 at, as menaces to that purpose had been frequently flung out. 
 The matter, however, passed over without any accident. Nothing 
 
XIV.] REV. CHARLES INGLIS. 335 
 
 of this kind happened before or since, which made it more re 
 markable. I was afterwards assured that something hostile and 
 violent was intended ; but He that stills the raging of the sea, 
 and madness of the people, overruled their purpose, whatever it 
 was. 
 
 " In the beginning of July, independency was declared : as this 
 event was what I long expected, I had maturely considered, and 
 was determined, what line of conduct to pursue. General Howe 
 had arrived some time before from Halifax, as did Lord Howe from 
 England. They had taken possession of Staten Island, where the 
 fleet lay in sight of this city, at the distance of nine miles ; and only 
 waited for the arrival of the fleet from England, to make a descent 
 and reduce New York. This circumstance pointed out still more 
 clearly what part I should act. However, I thought it was proper 
 to consult such of the vestry as were in town, and others of the 
 congregation, and have their concurrence; and I must do them 
 the justice to say, that they were all unanimous for shutting up 
 the Churches ; and chose rather to submit to that temporary in 
 convenience, than, by omitting the prayers for the king, give that 
 mark of disaffection to their sovereign. To have prayed for him, 
 had been rash to the last degree the inevitable consequence had 
 been a demolition of the churches, and the destruction of all who 
 frequented them. The whole rebel force was collected here, and 
 the most violent partizans from all parts of the continent. A fine 
 equestrian statue of the king was pulled down, and totally de 
 molished, immediately after independency was declared. All the 
 king s arms, even those on signs of taverns, were destroyed. The 
 committee sent me a message, which I esteemed a favour and 
 indulgence, to have the king s arms taken down in the church, or 
 else the mob would do it, and might deface and injure the 
 churches. I immediately complied. People were not at liberty 
 to speak their sentiments, and even silence was construed as a 
 mark of disaffection. 
 
 " Things being thus situated, I shut up the churches. Even 
 this was attended with great hazard ; for it was declaring, in the 
 strongest manner, our disapprobation of independency, and that 
 under the eye of Washington and his army. The other assistants 
 now went to their respective friends in the country. My family 
 
336 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 were at such a distance, and in such a part of the country, that 
 I could not with any degree of safety visit them; I therefore 
 remained in the city, to visit the sick, baptize children, bury the 
 dead, and afford what support I could to the remains of our poor 
 flock, who were much dispirited; for several, especially of the 
 poorer sort, had it not in their power to leave the city. After we 
 had ceased to officiate publicly, several of the rebel officers sent to 
 me for the keys of the churches, that their chaplains might preach 
 in them; with these requisitions I peremptorily refused to com 
 ply, and let them know that, ( if they would use the churches, 
 they must break the gates and doors to get in. Accordingly, 
 I took possession of all the keys, lest the sextons might be tam 
 pered with ; for I could not bear the thought that their seditious 
 and rebellious effusions should be poured out in our churches. 
 When those requisitions were repeated with threats, my answer 
 was, that I did what I knew to be my duty, and that I would 
 adhere to it, be the consequences what they would. Upon this 
 they desisted, and did not occupy any of the churches. 
 
 " I cannot reflect on my situation at that time, without the 
 warmest emotions of gratitude to Divine Providence for preserving 
 me. I was watched with a jealous, suspicious eye. Besides the 
 imputation of being notoriously disaffected an imputation which 
 had flung others in jail without any other crime, I was known 
 and pointed at as the author of several pieces against the proceed 
 ings of the congress. In February last, I wrote an answer to a 
 pamphlet entitled e Common Sense, which earnestly recommended 
 and justified independency. It was one of the most virulent, 
 artful, and pernicious pamphlets I ever met with, and perhaps 
 the wit of man could not devise one better calculated to do mis 
 chief. It seduced thousands. At the risk, not only of my liberty, 
 but also of my life, I drew up an answer, and had it printed here; 
 but the answer was no sooner advertised, than the whole impression 
 was seized by the sons of liberty, and burnt. I then sent a copy 
 to Philadelphia, where it was printed, and soon went through the 
 second edition. This answer was laid to my charge, and swelled 
 the catalogue of my political transgressions. In short, I was in 
 the utmost danger, and it is to the overruling hand of Providence 
 that I attribute my deliverance and safety. With difficulty 
 
XIV.] REV. CHARLES INGLIS. 337 
 
 I stood my ground till about the middle of August, when almost 
 all who were suspected of disaffection were taken up and sent 
 prisoners to New England: I therefore found it necessary to 
 return to Flushing, on Long Island ; but I had no sooner left 
 that place, than the committee met, and entered into a debate 
 about seizing me. This obliged me to shift my quarters, and 
 keep as private as possible, till the 27th of that month, when 
 General Howe defeated the rebels on Long Island, which set me 
 and many others at liberty. 
 
 " On Sunday, the 15th of September, General Howe, with the 
 king s forces, landed on New York Island, four miles above the 
 city ; upon which the rebels abandoned the city, and retired toward 
 King s Bridge, which joins this island to the continent. Early on 
 Monday morning, the 16th, I returned to the city, which exhibited 
 a most melancholy appearance, being deserted and pillaged. My 
 house was plundered of everything by the rebels. My loss 
 amounts to near 200?. this currency, or upwards of 100?. sterling. 
 The rebels carried off all the bells in the city, partly to convert 
 them into cannon, partly to prevent notice being given speedily of 
 the destruction they meditated against the city by fire, when it 
 began. On Wednesday, I opened one of the churches, and 
 solemnized Divine service, when all the inhabitants gladly at 
 tended, and joy was lighted up in every countenance on the 
 restoration of our public worship ; for very few remained but such 
 as were members of our Church. Each congratulated himself 
 and others on the prospect of returning peace and security ; but 
 alas ! the enemies of peace were secretly working among us. 
 
 "Several rebels secreted themselves in the houses, to execute 
 the diabolical purpose of destroying the city. On the Saturday 
 following an opportunity presented itself ; for the weather being 
 very dry, and the wind blowing fresh, they set fire to the city in 
 several places at the same time, between twelve and one o clock in 
 the morning. The fire raged with the utmost fury, and, in its 
 destructive progress, consumed about 1000 houses, or a fourth 
 part of the whole city. To the vigorous efforts of the officers of 
 the army and navy, and of the soldiers and seamen, it is owing, 
 under Providence, that the whole city was not destroyed. We 
 
338 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 had three churches, of which Trinity Church was the oldest and 
 largest. It was a venerable edifice, had an excellent organ, 
 which cost S5QL sterling, and was otherwise ornamented. This 
 church, with the rector s house and the charity school, the two 
 latter, large expensive buildings, were burned. St. Paul s Church 
 and King s College had shared the same fate, being directly on the 
 line of fire, had I not been providentially on the spot, and sent a 
 number of people with water on the roof of each. Our houses 
 are all covered with cedar shingles, which makes fire very danger 
 ous. The church corporation has suffered prodigiously, as was 
 evidently intended. Besides the buildings already mentioned, 
 about 200 houses, which stood on the church ground, were con 
 sumed; so that the loss cannot be estimated at less than 25,0001. 
 sterling. This melancholy accident, and the principal scene of 
 war being here, will occasion the Clergy of this city to be the 
 greatest sufferers of any on the continent by the present rebellion. 
 " The Church corporation have some thoughts of applying to 
 his Majesty for a brief to collect money in England, or for leave 
 to open a subscription to repair their loss in some measure, which, 
 I fear, will involve them in inextricable difficulties, as they are 
 already burdened with a debt of more than 20,0001. this currency. 
 But this step will probably be deferred till the city and county 
 are restored to his Majesty s peace and protection, which I hope 
 will be soon, as a petition for this purpose, signed by near a 
 thousand inhabitants, has been presented to the. king s commis 
 sioners. I had the honour of drawing up this petition ; and from 
 the amiable and excellent character of the commissioners, Lord 
 Howe and General Howe, from whom everything brave, generous, 
 and humane, or tending to the interest of Great Britain, and the 
 colonies, may be justly expected, I flatter myself that the prayers 
 of our petition will be soon granted. Perhaps I should apolo 
 gize for this detail, in which I myself was so much concerned ; 
 but, in truth, no better method occurred to me of conveying to 
 you information of what I thought you were desirous to know; 
 and I claim no merit in doing what I always conceived to be my 
 duty. Any of my brethren in my situation would have done the 
 same that I did many of them, probably, much better. 
 
XIV.] REV. CHARLES INGL1S. 339 
 
 " All the Missionaries in the colonies first mentioned are resi 
 dent on their respective Missions, although their churches are 
 shut, except those that are now in England, and Mr. Walter, of 
 Boston, who is here ; also Mr. Cooke, who is chaplain to the 
 Guards, and cannot get to his Mission, as that part of the country 
 is still in the hands of the rebels. I fear many of the Mission 
 aries are distressed for want of an opportunity to draw for their 
 salaries, and I apprehend they have not yet received any benefit 
 from the generous collection that was made for them in England. 
 Dr. Chandler some time since sent me a list of those Missionaries 
 in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, that were to receive 
 those benefactions, and the sum allotted to each ; desiring that 
 I should give them notice, and inform them how to draw for the 
 money. But I have not yet been able to give intelligence of this 
 to any, except Messrs. Seabury, Bloomer, and Cutting all com 
 munication by letter with the rest being entirely cut off. Dr. 
 Chandler also kindly informed me, that the Society transmitted 
 a large sum to Boston, to pay the Missionaries in Massachusetts 
 and New Hampshire; but I imagine General Howe left Boston 
 before the money could get there ; and I have not been able to 
 learn who the person was to whom the money was delivered, nor 
 what is become of it. The Missions of New Windsor (or New- 
 burgh, as it was latterly called) and of Albany are still vacant. 
 Mr. Stuart continues at Fort Hunter, and occasionally officiates 
 at Johnstown. He has been of much service in that place. The 
 Indians under his care remain firm in their attachment to the 
 king, except one or two that were bribed into a kind of neutrality, 
 with rum and some other presents, by the rebels, but will, I doubt 
 not, be as active as any for the king s service, now that General 
 Burgoyne has crossed the lakes from Canada with his army, and 
 is got into this province. Upon the whole, the Church of Eng 
 land has lost none of its members by the rebellion as yet none, 
 I mean, whose departure from it can be deemed a loss j on the 
 contrary, its own members are more firmly attached to it than 
 ever. And even the sober and more rational among dissenters 
 for they are not all equally violent and frantic look with reve 
 rence and esteem on the part which Church people here have 
 
 z 2 
 
340 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 acted. I have not a doubt but, with the blessing of Providence, 
 his Majesty s arms will be successful, and finally crush this unna 
 tural rebellion. In that case, if the steps are taken which reason, 
 prudence, and common sense dictate, the Church will indubitably 
 increase, and these confusions will terminate in a large accession 
 to its members. Then will be the time to make that provision 
 for the American Church which is necessary, and place it on at 
 least an equal footing with other denominations by granting it an 
 episcopate, and thereby allowing it a full toleration. If this 
 opportunity is let slip, I think there is a moral certainty that 
 such another will never again offer ; and I must conclude, in that 
 case, that Government is equally infatuated with the Americans 
 at present. If fifty years elapse without any episcopate here, 
 there will be no occasion for one afterwards \ and to fix one then 
 will be as impracticable as it would be useless. And I may 
 appeal to all judicious persons, whether it is not as contrary to 
 sound policy, as it certainly is to right reason and justice, that 
 the king s loyal subjects here, members of the national Church, 
 should be denied a privilege the want of which will discourage 
 and diminish their numbers, and that merely to gratify the 
 clamours of dissenters, w"ho have now discovered such enmity to 
 the constitution, and who will ever clamour against anything 
 that will tend to benefit or increase the Church here. The time, 
 indeed, is not yet fully come to move in this affair ; but I apprehend 
 it is not very distant, and, therefore, it should be thought of. 
 Government will have it in its power very soon to settle this and 
 other matters as may be judged expedient. The Clergy here will 
 not be wanting in anything that is in their power towards the 
 accomplishment of so desirable an object; and, in the meantime 
 would be very glad to have the Society s advice and directions 
 how to proceed. I may add, that the Society, taught by late 
 experience, will be desirous of seeing the Church placed on a more 
 respectable footing, and so far as I can judge, will join in such 
 prudent measures as may be thought necessary, on their part, for 
 the attainment of it. 
 
 " I shall not trespass further on your time and patience, by 
 adding to this letter, which is swelled to an extraordinary length, 
 
XIV.] REV. CHARLES INGLIS. 341 
 
 for which the interesting occasion and subject must be my 
 apology, than to assure you, that I am, with the most perfect 
 esteem and regard to yourself and the Venerable Society, 
 
 " Reverend Sir, 
 " Your affectionate and humble servant, 
 
 " CHARLES INGLIS. 
 " The Kev. Dr. Hind." 
 
 " P. S. Since the above was written, Dr. Auchmuty is come 
 to town, having, with great difficulty, escaped from the rebels at 
 Brunswick." l 
 
 Such was the melancholy condition of affairs in 1776. 
 The following year, in speaking of the Missionaries, Mr. 
 Inglis says : " Matters are not mended with them, but 
 grown worse. All the Missionaries in Connecticut are 
 now either removed to a distant part of the province from 
 their cures, and there detained, or else confined in their 
 own houses : of this province, Mr. Seabury and Mr. 
 Beardsly have been obliged to fly from their Missions the 
 first resides in this city, the second on Long Island. Mr. 
 Browne and Mr. Odell, of New Jersey, have also taken 
 sanctuary here." 
 
 The death of Dr. Auchmuty, which happened about 
 the same time, seems to have been hastened by the per 
 secutions and hardships he underwent from the " patriots." 
 He died on the 4th March, 1777 ; and, a fortnight after 
 wards the churchwardens and vestry met, and elected 
 Mr. Inglis to succeed him as rector of Trinity Church. 2 
 He says " The rectory has come to me at a most difficult, 
 critical period : our corporation is burdened with a heavy 
 debt, and lost about 25,0001. by the fire in September. 1 
 In subsequent letters, he describes the vast increase of 
 labour occasioned by the influx of refugees from all parts. 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xix. 1. 68. 2 Ibid. 1. 69. 
 
342 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 In the midst of his trials, however, he continued sted- 
 fastly to discharge his pastoral duties, and applied his 
 special attention to the school for negro children. 
 
 The rebellion had already driven nearly all the Clergy 
 from their Missions: of those belonging to the southern 
 colonies, some had gone to England, some had sought 
 refuge in New York, and a few had taken the oath of allf 
 giance to the republic. The majority of those who were 
 dispossessed from the northern and eastern provinces were 
 appointed to chaplaincies in the army or in the loyal militia. 
 While almost annihilated in some places, the Church 
 seems to have nourished in the midst of persecution in 
 Connecticut, and this Mr. Inglis attributed to the steady, 
 consistent conduct of the Society s Missionaries, who con 
 tinued patiently in their course of duty, preaching the 
 unchangeable truths of the Gospel; while the dissenters, for 
 the most part, substituted politics for religion. The result 
 was, that, in general, the churches there were crowded, 
 while many of the meeting-houses were very thinly at 
 tended. 
 
 The treaty of 1783 left the Clergy in great difficulty 
 and embarrassment. The independence of the United 
 States having now been formally acknowledged, it became 
 incompatible with the designs of the Society, as expressed 
 in its Charter, to continue the support of Missions which 
 were no longer within the dominions or dependencies of 
 the British Crown. In withdrawing, therefore, the aid, 
 which it had so long afforded, from the independent colonies, 
 the Society was acting under the compulsion of uncon 
 trollable events ; and the feelings with which those who 
 superintended its affairs at that critical time took leave of 
 the Missions, which the Society had sustained through so 
 many years of weakness and difficulty, may be gathered 
 
XIV.] DISPERSION OF THE CLERGY. 343 
 
 from the language of the Report for 1785 : " It is so far 
 from their thoughts to alienate their affections from their 
 brethren of the Church of England, now under another 
 Government, that they look back with comfort at the 
 good they have done, for many years past, in propagating 
 our holy religion, as it is professed by the Established 
 Church of England; and it is their earnest wish and 
 prayer that their zeal may continue to bring forth the 
 fruit they aimed at, of pure religion and virtue ; and that 
 the true members of our Church, under whatever civil 
 government they live, may not cease to be kindly affec- 
 tioned towards us." At the breaking out of the war the 
 Society was contributing towards the maintenance of nearly 
 eighty Missionaries, at an average little exceeding 40/. a 
 year for each. But in proportion as the violence of party- 
 feeling increased, the Clergy, against whom it was more 
 especially directed, and who, with hardly an exception, 
 remained unshaken in their allegiance to the King, were 
 either driven from their parishes by actual force, or in 
 duced, for the safety of their families, to retire. The 
 embarrassment and distress into which many of them were 
 thus thrown may be imagined, and naturally excited the 
 sympathy of their friends and brethren in England, by 
 whom a subscription was set on foot for the relief of their 
 present necessities. Some of the Clergy were eventually 
 appointed to Chaplaincies in the King s army, others were 
 provided with Missions in Canada, Nova Scotia, and New 
 Brunswick, some went to England, whilst a few, who 
 were recommended by long service, or disabled by age and 
 infirmity, were allowed a small annuity by the Society. 
 Of the Clergy thus scattered by the political storm, none 
 suffered greater pecuniary loss than Dr. Inglis; for not 
 only was his private estate confiscated, but he was com- 
 
344 NEW YORK. [CH. 
 
 pelled also to abandon his rectory. In this strait, he first 
 applied to the Society for permission to accompany some 
 loyalists of his congregation to Annapolis, in Nova Scotia. 1 
 We cannot better conclude these few notices of the 
 faithfulness and loyalty with which, for the most part, the 
 Missionaries conducted themselves, amid trials and dif 
 ficulties of no ordinary kind, than by citing the following 
 testimony of the Bishop of Oxford (Butler) in his anniver 
 sary sermon before the Society in 1784 : 
 
 " But the most conspicuous mark of the prudent care of the 
 Society has been exhibited in the choice of their Missionaries. 
 If they have not all proved equally unexceptionable, every pos 
 sible precaution has been used to admit none of evil report. The 
 indispensable qualifications annexed to the annual abstract of our 
 proceedings might serve to evince this, had not the Missionaries 
 themselves, during the last seven or eight years, by their conduct 
 and sufferings, borne abundant testimony to the attention and 
 discernment of the Society . 
 
 " The characters of those worthies will entitle them to a lasting 
 memorial in some future impartial history of the late events in 
 that country. Their firm perseverance in their duty, amidst 
 temptations, menaces, and in some cases cruelty, would have dis 
 tinguished them as meritorious men in better times. In the 
 present age, when persecution has tried the constancy of very few 
 sufferers for conscience here, so many in one cause argue a larger 
 portion of disinterested virtue still existing somewhere among 
 mankind, than a severe observer of the world might be disposed to 
 admit." 
 
 And when the connexion between the colonies and the 
 mother country had been finally severed by the acknow 
 ledgment of American Independence, it is gratifying to 
 find that the important services rendered by the Society to 
 the cause of religion and of the church in America were 
 not forgotten. 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol, xxiii. 1. 23. 
 
XIV.] ADDRESS OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 345 
 
 In an address, dated October 5, 1785, from the clerical 
 and lay deputies of the Church, in sundry of the United 
 States of America, to the Archbishops and Bishops of the 
 Church of England, the following grateful acknowledgment 
 is made : 
 
 " All the Bishops of England, with other distinguished 
 characters, as well ecclesiastical as civil, have concurred in 
 forming and carrying on the benevolent views of the 
 Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts ; 
 a Society to whom, under God, the prosperity of our 
 Church is, in an eminent degree, to be ascribed. It is 
 our earnest wish to be permitted to make, through your 
 lordships, this just acknowledgment to that venerable 
 Society." 1 
 
 1 Note to Bishop Bagot s Sermon, 1790, p. 16. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 NEWFOUNDLAND. 
 
 Discovery Name Area Its Fishery Lord Bacon s Patent Lord Balti 
 more s Settlement Finally ceded to England First Eeport Eev. Mr. 
 Jackson Eev. Jacob Eice Eev. E. Killpatrick Eev. Henry Jones 
 Eev. Mr. Peaseley Eev. Edward Langman Eev. Lawrence Coughlan 
 Rev. James Balfour Gift of William the Fourth. 
 
 THIS island, the nearest to the mother country of all the 
 Colonies of Great Britain, was discovered in 1497, by 
 Sebastian Cabot, the celebrated Venetian navigator, who 
 sailed from the port of Bristol under authority of letters 
 patent, granted by King Henry the Seventh. To that 
 projecting peninsula, on which the capital was afterwards 
 built, Cabot gave the name of St. John s, because it was 
 first seen on the festival of St. John Baptist (June 24). 
 The island itself was called by the Venetian Prima Vista, 
 but has never been known by any other than the descrip 
 tive English name of Newfoundland. Its extreme length 
 is about 420 miles; its greatest width about 300. The 
 area is computed at 36,000 square miles ; and it is therefore 
 somewhat larger than Ireland. The value of the newly- 
 discovered country, as a fishing station, soon became known ; 
 for, in 1517, it was "stated by the crew of an English ship 
 that they had left forty vessels, Portuguese, French, and 
 Spanish, busily employed in the fishery." 1 In 1578 the 
 English had fifty vessels engaged in the trade ; but the 
 Spaniards had no fewer than one hundred, besides twenty 
 
 1 Edinburgh Cabinet Library; British America, vol. ii. p. 278. 
 
CH. XV.] STATE OF THE ISLAND. 347 
 
 or thirty whalers from Biscay ; and the French " had one 
 hundred and fifty, though of smaller dimensions." 1 
 
 After various unsuccessful attempts by private adventurers 
 to form a settlement on the island, a patent was granted in 
 1610, by James I., to Lord Chancellor Bacon and others, 
 conveying a grant of land for the purpose of securing the 
 fishing trade. This scheme of colonization, however, seems 
 to have met with no better success than those which had 
 preceded it. In 1623, Lord Baltimore obtained the grant 
 of a considerable tract of land, from Cape St. Mary to the 
 Bay of Bulls, with the view of planting a body of his coun 
 trymen, who, professing like himself the Roman Catholic 
 religion, might enjoy there its uninterrupted exercise ; and 
 a few years later, Lord Falkland, as the Lord Lieutenant 
 of Ireland, engaged to send a colony from that country. 
 
 This history of the first settlement of the island, together 
 with the constant immigration of Irish labourers, will 
 account for the predominance of Roman Catholics in the 
 population. For a long period the possession of New 
 foundland was disputed by the French, but at the peace 
 of Utrecht, in 1713, it was finally ceded to England. 
 
 The following short account of the state of the island at 
 the commencement of the last century, occurs in the first 
 Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 
 a report which bears date February 4th, 1704. 
 
 " Newfoundland has several settlements of English, with 
 many occasional inhabitants, as workers, mariners, &c., at 
 the fishing seasons, to the amount of several thousands, but 
 no public exercise of religion except at St. John s, where 
 there is a congregation, but unable to subsist a minister." 
 
 It appears, however, that the Rev. Mr. Jackson, who 
 
 1 Edinburgh Cabinet Library ; British America, vol. ii. p. 278, 
 
348 NEWFOUNDLAND. [CH. 
 
 had previously been maintained for a limited period at 
 St. John s, by private subscription, was, in May 1703, 
 adopted as a Missionary by the Society for three years, at 
 a salary of 50. 1 
 
 In 1705, some merchants trading to Newfoundland 
 waited upon the Society with a memorial, praying that 
 two Missionaries might be appointed for St. John s ; and 
 undertaking that the people of the country should contri 
 bute to their support. The Rev. Jacob Rice was sent 
 out about this time, by the Bishop of London. 
 
 In 1729, the inhabitants of Trinity Bay represented to 
 the Society their earnest wish to have a Clergyman settled 
 amongst them ; pledging themselves to build a Church, and 
 raise a salary of 301. for the support of a minister. The Rev. 
 Robert Killpatrick was accordingly sent to this station on a 
 salary of 30/.perannum; 2 but after a residence of some months, 
 receiving but very inconsiderable contributions from the 
 people, and being unable to subsist upon the allowance of the 
 Society, he requested to be transferred to some other Mis 
 sion, and was consequently sent to New Windsor, in the 
 colony of New York. So far, however, was his condition 
 from being improved by the change, that he was glad to 
 return to his first Mission ; for in New Windsor he could 
 meet with no one who would give him a lodging on any 
 terms. On his way back, he was detained three months at 
 Placentia, where he preached six Sundays, and baptized ten 
 children. He describes the settlement as in great want 
 of a Clergyman, for the inhabitants were regardless 
 of all religion, and a great many of them abandoned to 
 infidelity. 3 
 
 Mr. Killpatrick was welcomed back to the Bay in 1734, 
 with much joy, and found a numerous congregation. He 
 
 1 Journal, vol. i. p. 107. 2 Ibid. vol. v. p. 255. 3 Ecport for 1734. 
 
XV.] KILLPA TRICK JONES. 349 
 
 occasionally visited Old Perlican, ten leagues distant, where 
 he had about 200 hearers. 
 
 Being under the necessity of coming to England in 1737, 
 he brought a letter signed on behalf of the justices of the 
 peace, churchwardens, and inhabitants of Trinity Bay, in 
 which they " gratefully and humbly thanked the Society 
 for their great favour in sending a Missionary to be their 
 spiritual director according to the usage of the Church of 
 England." 1 Commodore Temple West wrote also on the 
 same occasion to the Bishop of London, to say, that as he had 
 the honour of commanding one of His Majesty s ships on 
 the station, he took the liberty of representing the condi 
 tion of the Clergyman residing at Trinity, whom he cha 
 racterises " in one word, the most comprehensive of all 
 others, as a good Christian." 2 
 
 Mr. Killpatrick continued, after this, to labour in his 
 Mission for a space of four years ; the average number of 
 his congregation in the summer being 250, many of whom 
 were converts from a profane life. He died in August, 
 1741. 
 
 In January, 17i6, the Bishop of London laid before the 
 Society a letter which he had received from the Rev. Henry 
 Jones, a clergyman settled at Bonavista, stating that he 
 officiated in that place, and had established a school ; on 
 which the Society agreed to make him a gratuity of 30, 
 and to send over to him 51. worth of Common Prayer 
 Books and Catechisms. 3 A similar gratuity was afterwards 
 annually voted. In 1730 he reported that his Church was 
 nearly completed, and that a gentleman of London had 
 presented to it "a set of vessels for the Communion, and 
 a handsome stone font." In 1734 he informed the Society 
 that his congregation was in a flourishing condition, and 
 
 1 Journal, vol. vii. p. 202. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. vol. v. p. 76. 
 
350 NEWFOUNDLAND. [CH. 
 
 the number of his communicants increasing. Since his 
 first coming to that settlement, he had baptized 114 persons, 
 of whom five were adults; 1 and he continued to labour 
 steadily in the same Mission till the year 1741, when, on 
 the death of Mr. Killpatrick, he was transferred to Trinity 
 Bay, but with instructions to render what service he could 
 to his old flock at Bonavista. In this, however, he was 
 soon relieved by the appointment of the Rev. Mr. Peaseley, 
 a Graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. Mr. Jones con 
 tinued six years at Trinity Bay, where, during the summer 
 season, the number of residents was about 600 ; but, finding 
 the winters too severe for his constitution, he asked leave, 
 after twenty -five years service, to be sent to a warmer 
 climate, and was accordingly appointed to a Mission in the 
 Moskito Country. 
 
 His successor in the Mission of Bonavista, Mr. Peaseley, 
 remained there but a short time ; being transferred to St. 
 John s, in compliance with a petition from the inhabitants, 
 who alleged that they had purchased a house for the Mis 
 sionary, and bound themselves to an annual payment of 
 forty pounds. In his letter, dated November 1, 1745, he 
 says, that the congregation, which was large on his arrival, 
 continued to increase, insomuch that the Church could 
 scarcely contain it. Besides attending to his own flock 
 at St. John s, Mr. Peaseley was in the habit of making 
 periodical visits during the summer to Petty Harbour. 
 
 His allowance from the people, notwithstanding their 
 pledge to the Society, was either not kept up, or very 
 irregularly paid; and in consequence of the embarrass 
 ments into which he was on this account not unfre- 
 quently thrown, Mr. Peaseley was, on his own petition, 
 
 1 Journal, vol. vi. p. 213. 
 
XV.] REV. EDWARD LANGMAN. 351 
 
 removed, in 1750, to the Mission of St. Helen s, South 
 Carolina. 
 
 The next Missionary of St. John s and the Out-Har 
 bours, was the Rev. Edward Langman, of Balliol College, 
 Oxford, appointed at the request of the inhabitants, among 
 whom he had already been residing some time, and who 
 were, therefore, well able to appreciate the value of his 
 services. On his return thither to take possession of his 
 cure in 1752, he reported that the congregation was 
 numerous, and the number of communicants thirty. Of 
 one hundred families, which, exclusive of the garrison, 
 formed the entire population of the town, forty were of 
 the communion of the Church of England, fifty-two Roman 
 Catholic, and eight Dissenters. 
 
 In 1759 he undertook a Missionary voyage to Placentia, 
 where he remained a month ministering to a congregation 
 of sixty or seventy fishermen, and performing the several 
 offices of the Church. During this visit, he baptized fifty 
 persons, some of them forty, some thirty, some twenty years 
 of age, and fifteen infants. The next summer he paid 
 a similar Missionary visit to the harbour of the South East. 
 
 The following Ecclesiastical returns of the population in 
 those settlements, almost a hundred years ago, may be 
 interesting/ at least in the country itself. Mr. Langman 
 found in Reneuse twenty-five families, of which nine were 
 Protestant, and sixteen Irish Romanists, the whole popu 
 lation amounting to one hundred and forty. In Fermeuse 
 nearly the whole population, amounting to one hundred, 
 were Roman Catholic. In Ferryland there were sixty- 
 four Protestants, and eighty-six Roman Catholics. In this 
 visit he baptized thirty-eight children, and distributed copies 
 of the Bible, Book of Common Prayer, and Catechism. 1 
 1 Journal, vol. xv. p. 49. 
 
352 NEWFOUNDLAND. [CH. 
 
 At St. John s he was in the habit of catechising the 
 children in the face of the congregation, every Wednesday 
 and Friday, during the season of Lent, and frequently 
 read one of the Homilies, with which the people seemed 
 well pleased. 
 
 In 1761 he continued his course of Missionary visits, 
 and found in the Bay of Bulls forty-five families, of which 
 thirty-seven were Roman Catholics from Ireland, the re 
 mainder Protestant. The eleven families resident in Whit- 
 lass Bay were almost all Irish. 
 
 The following year the town and garrison of St. John s 
 were taken by the French, and a general plunder ensued, 
 by which Mr. Langman was a great sufferer. 1 But in 
 dependently of these losses, which he computes at ISO/., 
 his position at St. John s must have been a very hard 
 one. The allowance of 50/. a-year, granted to him by 
 the Society, was obviously insufficient for the decent 
 support of a married man. A house, though promised, 
 had never been provided for him by his congregation; 
 and so niggardly or inconsiderate were they, that, even 
 for the little gratuities which he received, he was com 
 pelled " to go and beg, as a poor man would for an 
 alms." 2 On more than one occasion he refers with satis 
 faction to the absence of religious strife, and to the fact 
 that several families of Dissenters were in the habit of 
 joining in the public worship of the Church, and of receiv 
 ing the Holy Communion. He continued to discharge the 
 same laborious duties, till his death in 1783. 
 
 In 1766, the Rev. Lawrence Coughlan submitted to the 
 
 Society a memorial from the inhabitants of Harbour Grace 
 
 and Carbonear, praying that he, having for some time been 
 
 resident among them, might be appointed their Missionary, 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xv. p. 219. 2 Original Letters, vol. xxii. 1. 36. 
 
XV.] REV. JAMES BALFOUR. 353 
 
 and offering a salary of 50/. towards his maintenance. Mr. 
 Coughlan was accordingly nominated to this Mission. He 
 had no sooner arrived, than he proceeded to establish a 
 school for the education of poor children. In 1769, he 
 reported, that he had the satisfaction of observing, that 
 "drunkenness, swearing, and sabbath- breaking," had be 
 come much less frequent since his arrival, and that his 
 congregations were very numerous, including many Irish 
 Roman Catholics, as he was able to preach in the Irish 
 language. 
 
 The Rev. James Balfour went as Missionary to Trinity 
 Bay, with the outharbours of Old and New Perlican and 
 Bonaventure, in 1765. In acknowledgment of his services, 
 the parishioners, soon after his arrival, built him a house ; 
 but after nine years spent in this Mission, which was not 
 less than forty leagues in circuit, he was removed to the 
 more important station of Harbour Grace, vacant by the 
 resignation of Mr. Coughlan, in 1773. In a letter, dated 
 1778, he reports, that the population of this settlement 
 consisted of 4,462 Protestants, and 1,306 Roman Catholics. 
 The number of communicants varied from 150 to 200. 
 
 In 1787, a memorial from the principal inhabitants of 
 Placentia was laid before the Society, setting forth the 
 great want of a clergyman in that settlement, and their 
 willingness to contribute to his support. This application 
 deserves more especially to be noted, as it was recom 
 mended by His late Majesty King William IV., who was, at 
 the time, in command of the Pegasus, on that station, and 
 had given the sum of fifty guineas towards the erection of 
 the church ; to which, also, he presented a handsome set of 
 vessels, which are still used at the celebration of the Holy 
 Communion. 
 
 A A 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 NOVA SCOTIA. 
 
 Ceded to Great Britain Settlers sent out by Board of Trade Grants to 
 Clergymen and Schoolmasters Eev. W. Tutty Kev. M. Moreau Rev. 
 Mr. Burger Rev. P. Bryzelius Eev. R. Vincent Rev. P. De la Roche 
 Scarcity and Distress Rev. T. Wood Visit to Indian Tribes Rev. J. 
 Bennet, Coast Missionary Rev. W. Ellis Rev. J. Eagleson Difference 
 of Language and of Forms of Worship A public Seminary at Windsor 
 recommended Rev. John Breynton Statistics of Halifax Influx of 
 Refugees from the States Ejected Missionaries appointed to Nova Scotia 
 Bishop of Oxford s allusion to them. 
 
 NOVA SCOTIA, after having been occupied by the English 
 and French alternately, for more than a century, was 
 finally ceded to Great Britain, in 17 13, 1 at the close of the 
 war of the Spanish succession. But we shall at once pro 
 ceed to the period when the first Mission was established. 
 
 In April, 1749, the Society received a communication 
 from the Board of Trade and Plantations, to the effect that 
 His Majesty had determined to send out a body of settlers 
 to the province of Nova Scotia; and the Commissioners 
 further stated, that it was proposed to settle these persons 
 in six townships, in each of which a site for a church would 
 be given, and 400 acres of land adjacent thereto be granted 
 in perpetuity to a minister and his successors, and 200 
 acres, in like manner, to a schoolmaster. Other liberal ad 
 vantages were offered, and the Society was solicited to name 
 
 1 Haliburton s History of Nova Scotia, vol. i. p. 91. 
 
CH. XVI.] REV. W. TUTTY. 355 
 
 a clergyman and a schoolmaster for each of the said town 
 ships. The letter in which this wise and Christian scheme 
 of colonization is .proposed, will be found in the Appendix. 1 
 The Society determined to act at once upon the recom 
 mendation of the Lords Commissioners, and undertook on 
 its part to appoint six Missionaries, and as many school 
 masters, according as the settlements were formed. In 
 consequence of a statement in the letter of the Com 
 missioners, that, with the exception of the garrison of 
 Annapolis, all the inhabitants of Nova Scotia, amounting 
 to 20,000, were French Roman Catholics, who were 
 supplied with a great number of priests, under the juris 
 diction of the French Bishop of Quebec, the Society 
 urged, in reply to the Commissioners, the importance of 
 setting apart land for the support of a Bishop of the 
 Church of England ; and expressed a hope that they 
 would second the application which, at various times, had 
 been made by the Society, for the appointment of Bishops 
 in the American Colonies. 
 
 The first Missionary appointed under this arrangement 
 was the Rev. William Tutty, of Emmanuel College, Cam 
 bridge, who went to the principal settlement of Cheducto, 
 now named Halifax, from the nobleman who, as first Lord 
 Commissioner of the Board of Trade, directed the settle 
 ment of the New Colony. Mr. Tutty was for some time 
 compelled to officiate in the open air ; but it was not long 
 before a church (St. Paul s) was built, in which he preached 
 his first sermon, September 2, 1750. 2 He reports in 
 1752, that he had persuaded his German parishioners, 
 both Lutheran and Calvinist, to conform to the Church 
 of England, and had frequently administered the Holy 
 Communion to them several times to more than 100 
 1 See Appendix, E. 2 Original Letters, vol. xi. 1. 4. 
 
 A A 2 
 
356 NOVA SCOTIA. [CH. 
 
 at once. He computed the entire population at about 
 6,000; and those who professed themselves members of 
 the Church of England at 3,000 : the actual commu 
 nicants were between 500 and 600. 1 At his earnest 
 request, and on the strong recommendation of others, 
 M. Moreau, a Roman Catholic priest, and formerly Prior 
 of the Abbey of St. Matthew, near Brest, who had been 
 received into communion with the Church of England, was 
 appointed to minister to his own countrymen. But another 
 body of settlers, who had come from Germany, required a 
 pastor who could minister to them in their own tongue ; 
 and the Society was fortunate enough to find in Mr. Burger, 
 a Swiss minister who had taken great pains to commend our 
 Liturgy to his people, and who was desirous of ordination ; 
 a person well qualified for this duty, to which he was 
 accordingly ordained. 
 
 In 1752, M. Moreau reported that 500 Protestants of 
 the Confession of Augsburgh, recently arrived in Nova 
 Scotia from Montbelliard, had joined themselves to the 
 Church of England, and desired to partake of the Sacra 
 ment of the Lord s Supper. They received copies of the 
 Book of Common Prayer in French with the greatest 
 satisfaction, which they showed by kissing the books, and 
 M. Moreau s hand as he distributed them. His congre 
 gation consisted of 800 adults, and 200 children. 
 
 The next year M. Moreau and the great body of Germans 
 and French, with some few English, making in all a com 
 pany of 1,600 persons, migrated from Halifax to Lunen- 
 burg, where they assembled every Sunday for Divine 
 Service, on the parade ; and more than 200 Germans and 
 French were regular communicants. M. Moreau continued 
 his useful labours, ministering in three languages to his 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xiii. 1. 5. 
 
XVI.J REV. P. BRYZELIUS. 357 
 
 several congregations, and extending his care also to the 
 Indians, several of whose children he baptized, till the 
 year 1770, when he died. 
 
 Mr. Bryzelius, a Lutheran minister, having been strongly 
 recommended as Missionary to the Germans of Lunenburg, 
 was ordained by the Bishop of London to that charge, in 
 1767. He was received with the greatest delight by his 
 countrymen; in proof of which, Lieut. -Governor Francklin 
 sent home a letter addressed to himself, by the oldest 
 magistrate in the place, in which, speaking of the new 
 Missionary, he says : ee It is scarce to be expressed how 
 much our people are satisfied with his behaviour and his 
 preaching. He has given them, last Sunday and Monday, 
 most excellent sermons, insomuch that most of the people 
 were shedding tears. The breastwork of the upper 
 galleries was in danger to break down, on account of so 
 many people." 1 
 
 Chief Justice Belcher described the success of the Mis 
 sionary among the young as surpassing the warmest hopes. 
 At Easter, 1768, he brought 46 of them for the first time 
 to the Holy Communion. Every Sunday he performed ser 
 vice in English at 10, in French at 12, and in German at 2. 
 At his request a large supply of Prayer-books in the 
 German language was sent by the Society for the use of 
 his congregation. The labours of this useful Missionary 
 were brought to an early and sudden termination; for, 
 while preaching on Good Friday, 1773, he was struck 
 with apoplexy, and died almost immediately. 2 
 
 Two more names remain to be mentioned in connexion 
 with this Mission. The Rev. R. Vincent officiated there 
 from 1762 to 1765, in the double capacity of missionary and 
 schoolmaster, and earned so high a character by his devoted 
 
 1 MS. Letter, June 9, 1767. 2 Report, 1774, p. 18. 
 
358 NOVA SCOTIA. [CH. 
 
 attention to his duties, that Mr. Breynton, of Halifax, after 
 reporting his death, says, Oct. 11, 1765: "It would be 
 injustice to him not to assure you, that while his health 
 permitted, no one showed more zeal or assiduity in his 
 functions, and I am of opinion that his persevering in his 
 duty, even beyond his strength, has shortened his days." 
 And Chief Justice Belcher refers to him in terms almost 
 of affection. " I sincerely lament," he says, " the Society s 
 and the Province s, as well as my own loss, in the decease 
 of so able and prudent a Minister in the Mission, and so 
 worthy a friend. His pious labours at Lunenburg, under 
 the circumstances of that settlement, were more successful 
 than could have been expected from such difference in 
 language, manners, and religious principles. Mr. Vincent s 
 congregation was numerous, constant, and attentive, through 
 his indefatigable application, and moderate conduct in the 
 course of his Mission. 1 
 
 The Rev. Peter De la Roche was ordained to the cure 
 of Lunenburg in 1771, and most affectionately received 
 there. He was, however, much discouraged at the first 
 aspect presented by the affairs of the Church in that set 
 tlement. A large body of Germans had separated them 
 selves, and the Lutherans and Calvinists had built each 
 their separate meeting-houses, while many of the English 
 seemed to be attached by no stronger tie than their 
 pecuniary interest, and because they had nothing to pay 
 for the expense of the Church or the support of the 
 Clergymen. The schools, too, were in an inefficient state. 
 Gradually, however, he was enabled to effect some im 
 provements. 
 
 In 1773, he prevailed upon his congregation to build a 
 school for the French, and to make a yearly allowance to 
 1 MS. Letter, Jan. 27, 1766. 
 
XVI.] REV. P. DE LA ROCHE. 359 
 
 the master, M. Bailly, of forty bushels of grain, and 
 twenty-four cords of wood. He applied himself, also, 
 with great diligence, to the study of the German, and, by 
 1775, had qualified himself to preach in that language, so 
 that now he undertook to officiate thrice on the Sunday in 
 three different languages, without expecting or desiring, 
 as he said, " any other reward than the approbation of his 
 superiors upon earth, and mercy from his Father above." * 
 But even in this labour of love he was vexed and harassed 
 by the petty jealousies of his people, each class considering 
 itself entitled to a larger share of his services. Still the 
 good which he was the instrument of effecting could not 
 have been inconsiderable ; for at Easter the number of his 
 communicants was 120 Germans, 50 French, and 30 
 English. So highly did the Society approve of this dis 
 interested conduct of M. De la Roche, that they entered 
 upon their minutes a resolution expressive of the great 
 satisfaction which they had received from their faithful 
 Missionary s zeal and diligence in his profession. 2 
 
 One, somewhat novel, mode which he adopted for com 
 municating religious instruction, was the publishing weekly 
 in the Gazette a commentary on the four Gospels, " not 
 with a view to profit, but for the benefit of the unlearned 
 in that province." 3 
 
 His zeal for the good of his flock won for him their 
 praise and esteem, but, as he painfully discovered during 
 the times of scarcity and high prices, occasioned by the 
 war and the rush of emigrants to Nova Scotia, did not 
 induce them to make provision for his wants. In 1778, he 
 says : " Food I have but barely ; as to raiment, I have it 
 not. ... I am in great distress, for I receive no additional 
 benefits from the people here ; they confer already too 
 
 i Journal, vol. xx. p. 298. 2 Report, 1775, p. 19. 3 Ibid. 1779, p. 295. 
 
360 NOVA SCOTIA. [CH. 
 
 great a favour, in their own sense of the matter, on a 
 Church of England minister, to countenance him by their 
 keeping to the Church." After remaining a few years 
 more in this Mission he was removed to Guysborough. 
 
 When Mr. Tutty, who seems to have been a diligent and 
 conscientious Missionary, was called away from his labours 
 by death, after a service of four years, the Rev. T. Wood, 
 heretofore a Missionary in New Jersey, was appointed to 
 succeed him. In the absence of any settled Clergyman at 
 East and West Falmouth, Cornwallis, Horton, Granville, 
 and Annapolis (although the last-named township is 150 
 miles from Halifax), Mr. Wood went twice to them 
 during the year 1762, and was most gratefully welcomed 
 by the inhabitants. He mentions, that in the same 
 year he had attended, during an illness of several weeks, 
 the Vicar-General of Quebec, M. Maillard ; that the day 
 before his death he had, at his request, read the Office for 
 the Visitation of the Sick ; and that, finally, he had per 
 formed over his remains the funeral service according to 
 the ritual of the Church of England. 1 
 
 The following year, with the consent of the Governor 
 and of the Churchwardens and Vestry of St. Paul s, 
 Mr. Wood was removed to Annapolis, as Port Royal had 
 been named in compliment to her Majesty, Queen Anne. 
 He immediately applied himself to the study of the Mic- 
 mac language, in which he had no other assistance than 
 what could be derived from some papers of M. Maillard. 
 Still he resolved to persevere till he should be able to 
 publish a grammar, a dictionary, and a translation of the 
 Bible. " I am fully determined," he says, " that nothing 
 but sickness, or the Bastille at Paris, shall impede me in 
 this useful service. 2 In 1766, he sent home the first volume 
 1 MS. Letter, Oct. 27, 1762. 2 MS. Letter, July 30, 1764. 
 
XVI.] REV. T. WOOD. 361 
 
 of his native grammar, with a Micmac translation of the 
 Creed, Lord s Prayer, &c., and was now able to minister 
 to the Indians in their own language. 
 
 In 1769, he complied with the desire of the Governor, 
 by making a missionary tour among the settlements on the 
 St. John s Elver, New Brunswick. On his arrival at 
 Okpaak, the most distant Indian settlement, he was 
 received by the chief, who handed him out of the boat ; 
 and immediately several of the Indians, who were drawn 
 out on the occasion, discharged a volley of musketry, and 
 invited him and Captain Spry, by whom he was accom 
 panied, " to their council chamber," as they called it ; viz., 
 their largest ouigoum, or wigwam." Mr. Wood, at their 
 desire, offered up some prayers in the Micmac language, 
 which is understood by the three tribes of the province, 
 the Micmacs, the Marashites, and the Carribous. During 
 the prayers they all knelt and behaved themselves very 
 devoutly : the service concluded with an anthem and the 
 blessing. 1 
 
 It has been already stated, that even while resident at 
 Halifax, Mr. Wood paid occasional visits to Grandville. 
 These visits were of course much more frequent after he 
 had become settled at Annapolis, though still the distance 
 was considerable. The results of this laborious service 
 were strikingly manifested in 1771, when the inhabitants 
 of the two townships addressed an invitation to the Rev. 
 Mr. Clarke, the Missionary at Dedham, Massachusetts, to 
 come and settle amongst them, promising, at the same 
 time, to contribute towards his support. They stated that 
 the greater part of them had " been educated and brought 
 up in the congregational way of worship, and therefore 
 should have chosen to have a minister of that form of 
 1 MS. Letter, July 29, 1769. 
 
362 NOVA SCOTIA. [CH. 
 
 worship, but that the Rev. Mr. Wood, by his preaching 
 and performing the other offices of his holy function occa 
 sionally amongst us in the several districts of this country, 
 hath removed our former prejudices that we had against 
 the forms of worship of the Church of England as by law 
 established, and hath won us to a good opinion thereof, 
 inasmuch as he hath removed all our scruples of receiving 
 the holy sacrament of the Lord s Supper in that form of 
 administering it ; at least many of us are now commu 
 nicants with him, and we trust and believe many more will 
 soon be added." 
 
 The proposed arrangement, however, was not carried 
 into effect, and Mr. "Wood remained in charge of both 
 places. 
 
 In 1775, he was able to present the following very 
 satisfactory report of the progress of the Church in his 
 Mission : " My congregations are greatly increased, both 
 here and at Grandville, partly by several English farmers 
 who came here last summer, and have bought farms, and 
 are now settled with their families in our county of Anna 
 polis ; and also by great numbers who came here dissenters 
 from New England, but now flock to my congregations, 
 insomuch that our places of public worship will not con 
 tain them ; and the inhabitants of Annapolis have most 
 cheerfully subscribed 1601. towards building a Church, 
 60 feet by 40, in this town, which is actually begun, and 
 we expect will be enclosed in four months time ; and my 
 parishioners in Grandville are following the same laudable 
 example, and say they will immediately begin to build a 
 Church there also, and are actually now at work in pre 
 paring the timbers for it, and will have it inclosed before 
 the next summer is ended. ... I have now several persons 
 who came here dissenters, communicants at the Lord s 
 
XVI.] REV. JOSEPH BENNET. 363 
 
 Supper, and do baptize their children, and have, within 
 a few years past, baptized several whole families of 
 them." 1 He was, however, now beginning to feel the 
 effects of age and infirmity. He had laboured faithfully, 
 and with success, as far as we can judge, for a period of 
 thirty years ; and he died at his post in Annapolis on the 
 14th December, 1778. 2 
 
 The Rev. Joseph Bennet was the first Missionary sent 
 specially to take charge of the long-neglected townships of 
 Horton, Cornwallis, Falmouth, and Newport. At the 
 time of his arrival at Fort Edward, in January 1763, the 
 total population of the four places was 1717 ; but there was 
 neither church nor school in any of them, and the people 
 were consequently in a lamentable state of ignorance. His 
 practice was to visit, in order, the various places within his 
 Mission, officiating at Horton in the Town-hall, and in the 
 other stations in private houses ; and he states that, in the 
 discharge of his laborious duty, he had to ride about 200 
 miles a month, besides having several rivers to cross. 3 It is 
 not surprising, if we consider the long neglect of the 
 Church, and the present very inadequate supply of its 
 ordinances, either that the dissenters were very numerous 
 in the Mission, or that little distinction seemed to be made 
 by the people between the ministrations of Clergymen 
 and those of unauthorized teachers. Without a Bishop, and 
 therefore without consecration of their Churches, or confir 
 mation of their Catechumens, some of the distinctive features 
 of the Church were effaced, and in the eyes of many it 
 became confounded with surrounding sects. 
 
 Thus Mr. Bennet writes, April 18, 1771 : " We have 
 got a small Chapel at Windsor, which answers for a 
 
 1 MS. Letter, April , 1775. 2 Journal, vol. xxi. p. 452. 
 
 3 MS. Letter, Sept. 18, 1764. 
 
364 NOVA SCOTIA. [CH. 
 
 Church for me, for a Meeting-house whenever a Dissenting 
 Minister happens to come that way in my absence, and for 
 a school-house on week days. It was built by subscription 
 of the inhabitants indiscriminately, Churchmen and Dis 
 senters, according to their abilities." 
 
 He reports at the same time that a small Church had 
 been built at Cornwallis, by two gentlemen, at their own 
 expense. 
 
 In 1775, he visited many of the harbours along the coast, 
 east from Halifax, and baptized both infants and adults. 
 He had also some conferences with the Indians, whom he 
 assured of the interest which was felt, both in their tem 
 poral and spiritual state, by the Church and the Govern 
 ment. 
 
 Mr. Bennet repeated his Missionary cruise during the 
 summer months of the following year ; during which he 
 baptized, along the coast, thirty children and six adults, 
 and administered the Holy Communion at Tatmagouche to 
 twenty-eight communicants. Besides the many hardships 
 he had to undergo in his voyage along the coast, Mr. 
 Bennet was in constant danger of being taken by the 
 privateers, and had the misfortune to lose his schooner, 
 which was wrecked, but without loss of life. Almost 
 incessant labour and anxiety seem to have affected Mr. 
 Bennet both in body and mind : and, in 1781, the principal 
 inhabitants of Windsor, headed by Michael Franklin, Esq. 
 member of the Council, addressed the Society in his favour. 
 The ruin of his health and constitution, they " attribute 
 entirely to his indefatigable endeavours and unwearied 
 exertions to perform the duties of his Mission." They 
 state of their own knowledge, that he had "regularly 
 attended four, and, part of the time, five different towns, 
 some of which were twenty-five miles distant from Windsor, 
 
XVI.] REV. W. ELLIS. 365 
 
 where he chiefly resided ;" that " none of those towns could 
 he come at, but by passing dangerous fords, almost en 
 tirely through woods; and that his zeal to promote the 
 established religion in those new settled countries, abound 
 ing with all sorts of sectaries, made him remarkably 
 assiduous to convert those wandering people, who, not being 
 able to maintain preachers of their own, \vere thus often 
 induced to join in the public worship of the Church of 
 England." The memorial then proceeds to speak of the 
 fatigue and risk which he encountered " in going into all 
 the numerous bays, harbours, creeks, and rivers," along the 
 coast ; and of his forcing his way to some of the settle 
 ments through the wilderness, when the American priva 
 teers rendered a passage by water impracticable. In the 
 preceding year he succeeded in getting to Tatmagouche 
 and Pictou ; but in returning lost his way, and was 
 detained a whole night alone in the woods. " The 
 horror of this hopeless and dismal situation is supposed to 
 have affected his understanding, as it certainly did his 
 health."" l On this representation Mr. Bennet, though dis 
 abled from performing any duty, was continued on the 
 Society s list of Missionaries at a reduced salary. 
 
 On the death of Mr. Bryzelius, it was determined to 
 discontinue the German Mission, and in lieu thereof to 
 maintain an itinerant Missionary. Mr. William Ellis was 
 the person selected, and having been ordained by the 
 Bishop of London, he embarked for Nova Scotia in 
 1774. In his voyage out, the small-pox then so much 
 and so justly dreaded by the Americans broke out in 
 the ship, which was ordered from Boston to Salem, and 
 back again to Boston, without being allowed to land its 
 passengers at either port. Mr. Ellis and his wife ultimately 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xxii. pp. 261 3. 
 
366 NOVA SCOTIA. [CH. 
 
 made their way in a boat to the Quarantine Island, whence, 
 having complied with the regulations, they proceeded to 
 Boston ; but " must have lain in the street, had not an old 
 woman, tempted by their money, given them a lodging." 
 
 With some difficulty they contrived to get to Salem, 
 where they were shunned as a pestilence, and yet could 
 not proceed to Halifax, as the master of the vessel, about 
 to sail thither, was not permitted to take them aboard. 
 So they were condemned to remain at Salem, in a very 
 " comfortless solitude," till the ensuing spring. 1 
 
 The destination of Mr. Ellis was changed soon after his 
 arrival in the colony, and an arrangement made, by which 
 he was sent to Windsor, for the charge of the neighbouring 
 townships, while Mr. Bennet undertook the duty of 
 visiting along the coast. In his letter of September 14, 
 1776, Mr. Bennet states, that he "found the lower orders 
 of the people, nearly to a man, Presbyterians or fanatics ; 
 many of the better sort indifferent to all religion, and a few 
 gentlemen s families well affected to the Church." This 
 sad condition of things he attributed to the unmanageable 
 size of the Mission. 
 
 The Church at Windsor was not only open for the ser 
 vices of Dissenters, but was used for secular purposes 
 also. At Falmouth the congregation met in the " Tavern 
 kitchen," while at Newport service was performed in a 
 private house, Mr. Ellis carrying a Prayer-book with him, 
 and borrowing a Bible for the occasion. His congregation, 
 however, which comprehended persons of various sectarian 
 denominations, was numerous ; and he reported the total 
 number of communicants within the Mission to be ninety. 
 Three years later his report was more favourable. The 
 people of Cornwallis, now numbering 1,000, were in general 
 1 Journal, vol. xv. p. 269. 
 
XVI.] REV. J. EAGLESON. 367 
 
 well affected towards the Church, and anxious to have a 
 resident Clergyman. Of Horton he could not give a good 
 account ; but the settlers at Falmouth and Newport 
 attended Divine service regularly ; and at Windsor, he 
 says, " The Dissenting interest declines beyond my expec 
 tation, all bitterness is entirely over, and, although some 
 still profess themselves Dissenters, they are often at Church, 
 and, which is more, send their children regularly to 
 Catechism, which is every Sunday evening that I am at 
 Windsor, in the Church." Among his baptisms (fifty-six 
 in 1779) he specified a negro man and an Indian youth. 1 
 
 Mr. Eagleson, who had been brought up in the Kirk 
 of Scotland, and had for some time been engaged as 
 a minister at Cumberland, was strongly recommended 
 to the Society by Mr. Breynton, as likely to prove 
 a valuable acquisition, since he was about to quit his 
 former profession, not "through disgust, quarrel, or any 
 sinister motive, but from real conviction and regard for 
 the ordination, doctrines, and discipline of the Church of 
 England." 2 Mr. Eagleson was also recommended, in very 
 flattering terms, by Chief- Justice Belcher, and by Lieut. - 
 Governor Franklin, who spoke of him as well qualified 
 to undertake the Mission of Cumberland, where, though 
 the population amounted to 1,100, there " was no Cler 
 gyman or teacher of any sort." He was, accordingly, 
 on the Society s presentation, ordained by the Bishop 
 of London, and appointed to the charge of Cumber 
 land. Before settling there, however, he was directed by 
 the Governor to visit the island of St. John, (since called 
 Prince Edward Island,) and he did not arrive at Fort 
 Cumberland till 1770, when he found the people had been 
 so little accustomed to the use of the Book of Common 
 1 MS. Letter, August 9, 1779. 2 Journal, vol. xvii. p. 400. 
 
368 NOVA SCOTIA. [CH. 
 
 Prayer, that they were at a loss to find the Collects, or 
 join in the responses. He had, however, a considerable 
 congregation, and " several Dissenters attended with great 
 gravity and decorum." * Succeeding reports evince the 
 growth of religious feeling, and a greater attachment to the 
 Church. But this progress was seriously checked by the 
 lawless spirit of the times. In 1778, the garrison of Fort 
 Cumberland was besieged, and Mr. Eagleson was taken 
 prisoner and carried off to New England, where he was 
 confined for sixteen months ; at the expiration of which 
 time he succeeded in effecting his escape, and returned to 
 his home, which he found plundered of everything of value 
 including, what he most lamented, his library. 2 Here, 
 however, he remained in the discharge of his duty, up to 
 the year 1781, when he received private intelligence of a 
 plan laid by the Cumberland rebels, once more to surprise 
 and carry him off to New England. Having already 
 experienced their mode of treatment, he thought it wisest 
 to leave the neighbourhood; and accordingly, while yet 
 the snow was two feet and a half deep upon the mountains, 
 he set off with a pilot, to make his way, through the woods, 
 to Halifax, enduring fatigue of which " he cares not to 
 speak." 3 
 
 One main obstacle to the progress of the Church in 
 Nova Scotia, was the variety of people by whom it was 
 colonised. The French and Germans introduced not only 
 the embarrassment arising from difference of language, but 
 also the additional one of a different form of worship. 
 
 This difference of language and creed to say nothing 
 
 of the hostility of the English sects rendered the task of 
 
 the missionary a very arduous one, as is shown by reference 
 
 to the case of Lunenburg. But it was almost impossible, 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xviii. p. 465. 2 Ibid. vol. xxi. p. 330. 3 Ibid. vol. xxii. p. 259. 
 
XVI.] REV. JOHN BREYNTON. 369 
 
 under the circumstances, to provide efficient schoolmasters 
 for rarely could any one be found, possessed of the requi 
 site qualifications, to offer his services for a remuneration 
 so miserably insufficient. The Corresponding Committee, 
 therefore, at their meeting of October 5, 1770, recom 
 mended that the salaries of the schoolmasters should be 
 discontinued, and that the amount thus saved should be 
 applied to the endowment of a public seminary, which would 
 be of great benefit to the rising generation of the Province. 
 The Committee, after noticing the obvious objections to 
 such a college being established in the capital, recommended 
 that it should be fixed at Windsor. The Society did not, 
 indeed, consider it right to break up the existing schools, 
 with a view to the adoption of the proposed scheme ; but 
 the minute of the Committee deserves to be recorded, as 
 suggesting, probably for the first time, what has since 
 been happily carried into execution the foundation of a 
 Collegiate School and University at Windsor. 
 
 A Missionary whose name has already been inci 
 dentally mentioned, but who, for his long and faithful 
 services, deserves honourable notice, the Rev. John Breyn- 
 ton, was sent to Halifax in 1752. He soon established a 
 school, in which fifty orphans, besides other children, were 
 very diligently instructed by a religious soldier, named 
 Ralph Sharrock. The duties of the Mission at this period 
 were considerably increased by the presence of a large 
 number of troops and seamen, who introduced the small 
 pox, and other contagious disorders, into the city; and 
 Mr. Breynton writes, in 1757, that there were never less 
 than eight funerals a-day. 1 The Indians who were to be 
 found in the villages round Halifax, had, for the most 
 part, been brought by the French priests to profess them- 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xiv. p. 40. 
 B B 
 
370 NOVA SCOTIA. [CH. 
 
 selves of the Church of Rome ; but as soon as the French 
 Acadians had been removed into the interior, Mr. Breynton 
 exerted himself, and wrote to the Society to provide them 
 with religious instruction by settling a Missionary amongst 
 them. Indeed he appears to have applied himself zealously 
 to the discharge of every portion of his duty ; and Jonathan 
 Belcher, Esq., the President of the Council, speaks in the 
 highest terms of his " indefatigable labours." 1 His report 
 for 1765 supplies the following statistical summary, which 
 is exclusive of the army and navy: 
 
 Inhabitants in and about Halifax ] ; 300 
 
 Members of the Church of England .... 950 
 Protestant Dissenters 350 
 
 The number of English communicants was 95, besides 
 60 German and French. 2 
 
 The faithful but unobtrusive performance of his duty 
 by a settled Missionary, though full of the most important- 
 consequences, presents few events of historical interest. 
 But the warm and unanimous testimony which all who 
 were acquainted with Mr. Breynton gave to his zealous 
 exertions, as well as to his exemplary character, leaves us 
 no room to doubt that his ministry at Halifax was of the 
 greatest benefit to the people. 
 
 The Corresponding Committee of the Society at Halifax, 
 consisting of his Excellency Lord William Campbell the 
 Governor, Chief Justice Belcher, and Mr. Bulkeley the 
 Secretary of Government, at a meeting held 7th February, 
 1770, signified to him their "entire approbation of his con 
 stant vigilance and prudent care in promoting the designs 
 of the venerable Society in this province, and expressed 
 their sense of the progress and happy eifects of Mr. 
 1 MS. Letter, Nov. 12, 1764. 2 MS. Letter, Oct. 11, 1765. 
 
XVI.] REFUGEES. 371 
 
 Breynton s labours in his parish church of Halifax, as well 
 from his parochial care in visiting his parishioners, as from 
 his respected life and doctrines." His returns for this year 
 state, that out of a population of 5000, including the army 
 and fishermen, 4500 were in outward conformity with the 
 Church of England. 
 
 The Corresponding Committee, entertaining so high an 
 opinion of his merits and services, communicated to the 
 Society their opinion, that the honorary degree of D. D. 
 should be conferred upon him ; and Mr. Bennet took occa 
 sion of his absence to inform the Society, that he " never 
 knew a man so universally regretted by every individual 
 of all denominations." 
 
 No sooner had the civil war broken out in America than 
 its effects were felt in the neighbouring Colonies. At the 
 close of the year 1775, many of the wealthier among the 
 loyalist families of New England sought refuge in Halifax. 
 This was an opportunity of which Mr. Breynton gladly 
 availed himself to prove his effectual sympathy for the 
 exiles. Pie says, that although many of them were dis 
 senters, yet they constantly attended the services of the 
 Church. 1 
 
 In a letter of a year s later date he reports the landing 
 of another body, of refugees. " There is no describing the 
 hurry, confusion, and expense that attended the arrival of 
 the fleet and army, and about 1700 of loyalists from Boston. 
 No exertions were wanting on the part of our inhabitants 
 to accommodate that immense concourse, and I flatter 
 myself I did my duty as a minister and citizen. I enter 
 tained under my humble roof Major-General Jones, Gover 
 nor Wentworth, Dr. Caner, and two officers ; and happy 
 was I to have it in my power to testify my zeal at that 
 1 MS. Letter, January 2, 1776. 
 B B 2 
 
372 NOVA SCOTIA. [CH. 
 
 important crisis." 1 The addition of so many persons, civil 
 and military, to his congregation necessarily increased his 
 labours; a remarkable instance of which he mentions, 
 namely, his having administered the sacrament of the 
 Lord s Supper to 500 men of Baron de Seitz s Hessian 
 regiment, whose exemplary and regular behaviour, he 
 says, did them great honour. 2 Mr. Breynton was in the 
 habit of officiating to them in their own language. 
 
 Refugees from the insurgent Colonies still continued to 
 pour into Nova Scotia. In a letter, dated 28th October, 
 1782, Dr. Breynton says, that 300 persons had just arrived 
 at Annapolis, and were soon to be followed by three times 
 that number. Halifax was already so thronged that houses 
 were no longer to be procured at any price, and the neces 
 saries of life had become exorbitantly dear. 3 
 
 It seems only just to Dr. Breynton s memory to refer to 
 a document in the possession of the Society, which, though 
 imperfect, appears to have been written by a dissenter 
 who had been reconciled to the Church by his means. 
 The writer speaks of Dr. Breynton "as a person who, 
 during a residence of upwards of twenty years in this pro 
 vince, has deservedly gained the goodwill and esteem of 
 
 men of all ranks and persuasions He preaches the 
 
 Gospel of peace and purity with an eloquence of language 
 and delivery far beyond anything I ever heard in America." 
 
 Not only Dr. Breynton, but also the other Missionaries, 
 and the Church itself in Nova Scotia, were under solid 
 obligations to those who, at this period, were high in 
 office in the Government; to Lieut. -Governors Lawrence, 
 and Franklin, but especially to John Belcher, Esq., succes 
 sively Lieut. -Governor and Chief Justice, who manfully 
 
 1 MS. Letter, January 13, 1777. 2 Journal, vol. xxii. p. 45. 
 
 3 Ibid. vol. xxiii. p. 10. 
 
XVI.] REFUGEES. 373 
 
 avowed his attachment to the Church of England. Writing 
 to the Society, December 16, 1763, he says: "Whilst I 
 may continue to act here for the public, I shall vigilantly 
 note and oppose any infringements upon the rights and 
 freedoms of the Church ; at the same time endeavouring, 
 with all tenderness, to promote the fullest toleration upon 
 truly religious, constitutional, and decent principles." 
 
 It appears that, by the end of 1783, not fewer than 
 30,000 persons from New York, and other parts of the 
 States, had arrived in Nova Scotia. The following re 
 ference to these interesting immigrants has been kindly 
 contributed by the present Bishop of that diocese, in a 
 letter, dated September 2, 1844: 
 
 " I have lately been at Shelburne, where nearly ten thousand 
 of them, chiefly from New York, and comprising many of my 
 father s parishioners, attracted by the beauty and security of a 
 most noble harbour, were tempted to plant themselves, regardless 
 of the important want of any country in the neighbourhood fit for 
 cultivation. Their means were soon exhausted in building a 
 spacious town, at great expense, and vainly contending against 
 indomitable rocks ; and in a few years the place was reduced to a 
 few hundred families. Many of them returned to their native 
 country, and a large portion of them were reduced to poverty. . . . 
 Some few of the first emigrants are still living. I visited these 
 aged members of the Church. They told me that, on their first 
 arrival, lines of women could be seen sitting on the rocks of the 
 shore, and weeping at their altered condition. It is a happy 
 circumstance that the church, built soon after the arrival of the 
 settlers, and consecrated by my father in 1789, has been carefully 
 preserved, and is in excellent condition." 
 
 This influx of refugees, many of them members of the 
 Church of England, demanded an additional supply of 
 pastoral ministrations; and the Society, therefore, was ready, 
 as opportunity offered, to transfer the services of the 
 
374 NOVA SCOTIA. [CH. XVI. 
 
 Missionaries who had been ejected from the States, to their 
 brother-loyalists, and now the companions of their exile. 
 This interesting circumstance is noticed by the Bishop of 
 Oxford (Butler), in his anniversary sermon before the 
 Society, in 1784, in the following terms : 
 
 " An infant Church is rising under the favour and pro 
 tection of Government in Nova Scotia; and it is of a 
 singular description, consisting of honourable exiles under 
 the pastoral care of fellow-sufferers." 1 
 
 Not quite sixty years had elapsed from the publication 
 of this sermon, when the son of the first Bishop of Nova 
 Scotia, and now occupying the same see, informed the 
 Society that he had seen the number of the Clergy, resi 
 dent within the archdeaconry, (which forms the present 
 diocese,) 2 increase from five to fifty. 3 
 
 1 Journal, vol. xxiii. p. 18. 
 
 2 Comprising Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, and Prince Edward Island. 
 
 3 Keport for 1842. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. 
 
 Design of Archbishop Laud Of Clarendon Appeals of Kev. John Talbot 
 Subject for Convocation Efforts of the Society Petition from the 
 Colonies Gift and Legacies for Endowment of Bishopricks Kev. S. 
 Johnson and New England Clergy Rev. Mr. Colebatch designed for 
 Consecration Exertions of Bishops Seeker, Sherlock, Terrick Drs. 
 Johnson and Learning Rev. G. Craig Bishops Ewer and Lowth 
 Exertions of Granville Sharp Of Dr. George Berkeley Dr. Seabury 
 His Consecration Renewed efforts to obtain the Succession through the 
 English branch of the Church American Prayer-Book Election and 
 Consecration of Bishops White and Provoost Of Bishop Inglis Growth 
 and expansion of the Church. 
 
 THE anomalous condition of the Church in America, 
 so long unprovided with episcopal government, has formed 
 the subject of repeated observation in the preceding 
 chapters. It seems, however, due to the importance of 
 the subject, that the whole of it should be presented in 
 one connected view, not only as forming a most interesting 
 page of ecclesiastical history, but also, and especially, 
 because it affords a lesson of useful warning for the 
 future. 
 
 It was, as we have seen, in the year 1607, that Robert 
 Hunt, an English clergyman, landed in Virginia with a 
 party of settlers; but it was not until 1784, after the 
 separation of the States from the mother country, that a 
 single Bishop was consecrated for any part of the North 
 
376 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 American Continent. Thus, for upwards of 170 years, 
 and while so many new communities, of British origin, 
 were growing to maturity, the Church was left unor 
 ganized shorn of its ordinances subject to every sort of 
 disorder and in a position of obvious disadvantage, as 
 compared with the Nonconformist bodies. As early, how 
 ever, as the year 1638, the sagacious mind of Laud had 
 conceived a design for the remedy of an evil then at its 
 rise, by sending a Bishop to New England ; but the scheme 
 was thwarted by the outbreak of troubles in Scotland. 1 A 
 similar proposal was made, soon after the Restoration, by 
 Lord Chancellor Clarendon, and so fully approved by the 
 king, that a patent was actually made out, constituting 
 Dr. Alexander Murray, Bishop of Virginia, with a general 
 charge over the other provinces. But this noble project, 
 which, if carried into effect, would doubtless have exercised 
 a sensible influence on the religious and political institu 
 tions of America, was defeated by the accession to power 
 of the " Cabal" Ministry. 2 
 
 The very first missionaries who were nominated by the 
 Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, made strong 
 and repeated representations on the necessity of sending 
 out Bishops. Thus the Rev. John Talbot wrote from 
 New York in 1702 : " We have great need of a Bishop 
 here, to visit all the Churches, to ordain some, to confirm 
 others, and bless all." 
 
 Again, the next year, he speaks of many falling away 
 into dissent, for want of a lawful ministry ; while those 
 
 1 Heylyn s Life of Laud, p. 347. 
 
 2 Gadsden s Life of Bishop Dehon, p. 5. Seeker states, from an exami 
 nation of Bishop Gibson s papers, that the failure was owing to the endow 
 ment being made payable out of the customs. Letter to H. Walpole. 
 Worfo, vol. xi. p. 355. 
 
XVII.] REV. JOHN TALBOT. 377 
 
 who were willing and qualified to serve, shrunk from the 
 loss and hazard of a voyage to England to obtain holy 
 orders. He then expresses his assurance that " Did 
 our gracious Queen Anne but know the necessities of 
 her many good subjects in these parts of the world, she 
 would allow 1000/. per annum, rather than so many souls 
 should suffer. Meanwhile, I don t doubt," he continues, 
 " but some learned and good man would go further, and 
 do the Church more service with 100/. per annum, than 
 with a coach and six one hundred years hence." 
 
 Writing, in 1704, to his friend George Keith, who had 
 returned home, he goes so far as to speak both of the 
 right person to be appointed, and the mode of providing 
 for him : " Mr. John Lillingston designs, it seems, to go 
 for England next year : he seems to be the fittest person 
 that America affords for the office of a suffragan ; and 
 several persons, both of the laity and Clergy, have wished 
 he were the man ; and if my Lord of London thought fit 
 to authorize him, several of the Clergy, both of this pro 
 vince and of Maryland, have said they would pay their 
 tenths unto him, as my Lord of London s vicegerent, 
 whereby the Bishop of America might have as honourable 
 provision as some in Europe." 1 
 
 The other Missionaries concurred in pressing this subject 
 upon the attention of the authorities at home. " Excuse 
 me to the Society," says the Rev. Thoroughgood Moor, in 
 1704, "if I am earnest with them for a suffragan, and 
 that they would have a particular regard to the unanimous 
 request of the Clergy in all parts of America upon this 
 account." 2 
 
 In the year 1705, a memorial to the Archbishops and 
 Bishops was agreed upon, and signed by fourteen Clergy- 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. ii. p. 23. 2 MS. Letters, vol. ii. p. 25. 
 
378 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 men assembled at Burlington in New Jersey, praying for 
 the "presence and assistance of a suffragan Bishop, to 
 ordain such persons as are fit to be called to serve in the 
 sacred ministry of the Church, and stating, that they had 
 been " deprived of the advantages which might have been 
 received of some presbyterian and independent ministers 
 that formerly were, and of others that still are, willing to 
 conform and receive the holy character, for want of a 
 Bishop to give it. The baptized," they added, " want to be 
 confirmed." l Thus appealed to, both publicly in formal 
 representations, and privately in the correspondence of its 
 Missionaries, the Society took occasion to embody the sub 
 stance of these several petitions in a Memorial to the 
 Queen in 1709, as follows : 
 
 " We cannot but take this opportunity further to represent to 
 your Majesty, with the greatest humility, the earnest and repeated 
 desires, not only of the Missionaries, but of divers other consider 
 able persons that are in communion with our excellent Church, to 
 have a Bishop settled in your American plantations, (which we 
 humbly conceive to be very useful and necessary for establishing 
 the gospel in those parts,) that they may be the better united 
 among themselves than at present they are, and more able to 
 withstand the designs of their enemies ; that there may be Confir 
 mations, which, in their present state, they cannot have the bene 
 fit of, and that an easy and speedy care may be taken of all the 
 other affairs of the Church, which is much increased in those parts, 
 and to which, through your Majesty s gracious protection and 
 encouragement, we trust that yet a greater addition will daily be 
 made. We humbly beg leave to add, that we are informed that 
 the French have received several great advantages from their 
 establishing a Bishop at Quebec." 2 
 
 It was about this time that, as we are informed by his 
 biographer, 3 a plan was proposed for sending out Dean 
 
 1 Appendix to Journal, p. 86. 2 Appendix to Journal, p. 139. 
 
 3 Scott s Life of Swift, prefixed to his Works, p. 98. 
 
XVII.] A SUBJECT FOR CONVOCATION. 379 
 
 Swift, as Bishop, to Virginia ; but it is needless to say, that 
 no appointment was made. 
 
 In 1710, Colonel Nicholson, the Governor of Virginia, 
 and a most munificent benefactor to the Church, expressed, 
 in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, his opinion, 
 " that unless a Bishop be sent, in a short time, the Church 
 of England will rather diminish than increase in North 
 America." J 
 
 Of course it was impossible but that a subject, so 
 important in itself, and so constantly dwelt upon in the 
 memorials and remonstrances of churchmen in America, 
 should engage the attention of the leading authorities of 
 the Church at home. And we are told, that, at a meeting 
 held January 20, 1711, and attended by the Archbishop 
 of York (Sharp), the Bishops of Bristol (Robinson) and 
 St. David s (Bisse), Dr. Atterbury, prolocutor of the lower 
 house of Convocation, and Drs. Smaldridge and Stanhope, 
 to deliberate upon what measures it might be suitable to 
 submit to the consideration of Convocation, Archbishop 
 Sharp, after certain points had been agreed upon, would 
 have "added another proposal concerning Bishops being 
 provided for the plantations ; but as my Lord of London, 
 who had a right to be consulted first on the project, was 
 not there, the thing was dropped." 2 
 
 We cannot help bitterly regretting that the Church of 
 England lost the opportunity afforded by her last syno- 
 dical meeting, of proclaiming the duty of planting the 
 Episcopate in our Colonies. 
 
 The Society, however, stimulated by repeated appeals 
 from the Missionaries, appears at length to have matured a 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. v. p. 94. 
 
 2 Life of Archbishop Sharp, by his son, Archdeacon Sharp, edited by the 
 Eev. Thomas Newcome, vol. i. p. 352. 
 
380 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [cil. 
 
 comprehensive plan for providing the Church in the Colo 
 nies with episcopal government; and, accordingly, on the 
 24th of March, 1713, a representation on the subject was 
 drawn up, and, in due time, presented to her Majesty, who 
 was graciously pleased to return a favourable answer. 
 The Church, therefore, seemed on the point of attaining 
 the object at which she had so long aimed; but, unhappily, 
 the Queen s death occurring soon afterwards put an end to 
 the arrangements. 
 
 The Society took an early opportunity, after the acces 
 sion of George L, of renewing their application to the 
 crown ; and as the Memorial contains not only a full state 
 ment of the wants of the American Church, but proposals 
 in detail for the best mode of supplying them, it is here 
 given at length. 
 
 " To His most Excellent Majesty George, by the Grace of God, 
 of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the 
 Faith, &c. 
 
 "The most humble representation of the Society for the 
 Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, 3rd of 
 June, 1715. 
 " May it please your Majesty : 
 
 " The said Society, with greatest humility, crave leave to repre 
 sent to your Majesty that, since the time of their incorporation, 
 which was in the reign of his late Majesty, King William the Third, 
 they have used their best endeavours to answer the end of their 
 institution, by sending over, at their very great expense, ministers, 
 and to the utmost of their ability, for the more regular adminis 
 trations of God s holy word and sacraments, together with 
 schoolmasters, pious and useful books to and amongst your 
 Majesty s subjects in many of your Majesty s plantations and 
 colonies in America, for their instruction and improvement in 
 sound religion, which, as they humbly hope, hath redounded to 
 the advancement of God s glory and the good of your subjects in 
 those parts. In prosecution whereof, the said Society were greatly 
 
XVII.] MEMORIAL TO THE CROWN. 381 
 
 encouraged and assisted by your Majesty s royal predecessor, Queen 
 Anne, to whom, among other things, they then represented, as they 
 now do most humbly to your Majesty, the earnest desires and 
 repeated applications, not only of the Missionaries, but of divers 
 other considerable persons in those parts in communion with our 
 Church, to have Bishops settled in your American plantations, as 
 very useful and necessary for establishing the gospel there, for the 
 due exercise of ecclesiastical discipline, for ordaining men well 
 qualified and willing to take upon them episcopal ordination, for 
 confirming persons baptized, and promoting of piety, duty, peace 
 and unity, as well among the clergy as laity. To which request 
 she was graciously pleased to make a most favourable answer. 
 But it pleased God the same could not be perfected by her late 
 Majesty, as the Society most humbly hope it will be under your 
 Majesty s most auspicious reign. 
 
 " Therefore, the said Society, with all submission, lay it before 
 your Majesty as their opinion, after the most mature deliberation, 
 that it is highly expedient four Bishops [be sent] thither, as soon as 
 conveniently may be, to forward the great work of converting 
 infidels to the saving faith of our blessed Redeemer, and for the 
 regulating such Christians in their faith and practice as are already 
 converted thereunto : that is to say, two for the care and super- 
 intendency of islands, and as many for the continent ; with the 
 appointments of fifteen hundred pounds sterling per annum for 
 each of the former, and one thousand pounds per annum for 
 each of the latter, as the nature of their dioceses seem to require, 
 in case the sees of the former be settled, as is humbly proposed 
 by the said Society, the one of them at Barbados for itself and the 
 Leeward Islands, the other at Jamaica for itself with the Bahama 
 and Bermuda Islands : those for the continent, the one of them at 
 Burlington in New Jersey, where the Society has been at six 
 hundred pounds charge and upwards to purchase a convenient 
 house and land for his residence, for a district extending from the 
 east side of Delaware River to the utmost bounds of your Majesty s 
 dominions eastward, including Newfoundland : the other, at 
 Williamsburg in Virginia, for a district extending from the west 
 side of Delaware River to the utmost bounds of your Majesty s 
 dominions westward. 
 
382 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [cH. 
 
 " The said Society humbly beg leave further to represent, that the 
 appointments for the Bishops of the islands may be raised from the 
 best rectory in the capital seat of each Bishop, from the ordinary 
 jurisdiction, and from the tenth part of all future grants and 
 escheats to the crown, if your Majesty shall so please, with such 
 local revenues as shall be thought fit to be made by the respective 
 assemblies. The Bishop of Barbados may have, towards com 
 pleting the said sum of 1,500/. per annum, the presidentship of 
 General Oodrington s College, to be erected within that island by 
 the Society therewith entrusted, under your Majesty s royal licence. 
 And the Bishop of Jamaica may have a like provision out of the 
 church lands of St. Christopher s, formerly belonging to the 
 Jesuits and the Carmelites, and other French popish clergy, if 
 your Majesty shall be so pleased to grant them to the use of the 
 said Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, 
 for the purposes above mentioned. And the appointments for the 
 Bishops of the continent, besides what is expected from St. Chris 
 topher s, may, unless other proper means be found out for their 
 maintenance and support by your Majesty s great wisdom, be made 
 up out of the ordinary jurisdiction of their respective dioceses, 
 some lands which may be purchased in those dominions at easy 
 rates, others which may be granted by the favour of your Majesty s 
 donations, with a tenth part clear out of all future grants and 
 escheats, if your Majesty shall be so pleased, and such proportion 
 of the local revenues as shall be sufficient to make up the sum 
 proposed ; or in lieu of such appointments which shall not be 
 judged practicable, such bishopric on the continent as shall most 
 want a complete maintenance, may have annexed to it either a 
 prebend in your Majesty s gift, the mastership of the Savoy, or 
 that of St. Catherine s. 
 
 " And the Society, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, &c." l 
 
 But the time was most unfavourable for a consideration 
 of the claims of the Church. The rebellion had just 
 broken out in Scotland ; and the jealousies of party, height- 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. x. p. 28. 
 
XVII.] REV. JOHN TALBOT. 383 
 
 ened by distrust of a Clergy suspected of favouring the 
 Stuart family, precluded all hope of their petition being 
 entertained by the administration of Sir Robert Walpole. 
 The importance, however, which Archbishop Tenison at 
 tached to the subject, may be judged of by the fact, that 
 he bequeathed, by will, dated 1715, the sum of 1,0002, 
 towards the settlement of Bishops in America. 
 
 These delays were very mortifying to the ardent minds 
 of such men as Talbot, who, in his impatience, was tempted 
 to lay the blame, though most unjustly, upon the Society. 
 The following characteristic remonstrance is contained in 
 one of his letters, written in 1716 : 
 
 " The poor Church of God here in the wilderness, there s 
 none to guide her among all the sons that she has brought 
 forth, nor is there any that takes her by the hand of all the 
 sons that she has brought up. When the apostles heard 
 that Samaria had received the Word of God, immediately 
 they sent out two of the chief, Peter and John, to lay their 
 hands on them, and pray that they might receive the Holy 
 Ghost ; they did not stay for a secular design of salary ; 
 and when the apostles heard that the Word of God was 
 preached at Antioch, presently they sent out Paul and 
 Barnabas, that they should go as far as Antioch to confirm 
 the disciples ; and so the churches were established in the 
 faith, and increased in number daily. And when Paul did 
 but dream that a man of Macedonia called him, he set sail 
 all so fast, and went over himself to help them. But we 
 have been here these twenty years calling till our hearts 
 ache, and ye own tis the call and cause of God, and yet ye 
 have not heard, or have not answered, and that s all one . . . 
 I don t pretend to prophesy, but you know how tis said, 
 the kingdom of God shall be taken from them, and given 
 to a nation that will bring forth the fruits of it. God give 
 
384 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 us all the grace to do the things that belong to our 
 peace !" x 
 
 The following is another specimen in the same reproach 
 ful strain : 
 
 " I cannot think but the honourable Society had done 
 much more if they had found one honest man to bring 
 Gospel orders over to us. No doubt, as they have freety 
 received, they would freely give ; but there s a nolo episco- 
 pari only for poor America ; but she shall have her gospel- 
 day even as others, but we shall never see it unless we 
 make more haste than we have done." 2 
 
 No stronger testimony could be afforded to the value and 
 importance of episcopal superintendence, regarded merely 
 as a matter of ecclesiastical polity, than is to be found in 
 the frequent and earnest appeals of the Clergy and laity 
 of the infant Church of America. Instead, as some would 
 have supposed, of jealously defending their independence, 
 they discovered it to be nothing but a source of disorder, 
 and with one voice demanded to be placed under the 
 government of Bishops and the discipline of the Church. 
 The following is a statement at once of their grievances, 
 and a plan by which they might be redressed. 3 
 
 " To the most Reverend Fathers in God, the Arch 
 bishops and Bishops of the Church of England, 
 
 " The representation and humble petition of many of the 
 faithful in the communion of the Church of England in 
 North America, 
 " Most humbly sheweth : 
 
 " That whereas, the British colonies and settlements in America 
 have now for many years been blessed with the pure and primitive 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xi. p. 335. 2 MS. Letters, vol. xii. p. 178. 
 
 3 Vol. xiv. p. 144. 
 
XVII.] MEMORIAL OF AMERICAN CLERGY. 385 
 
 doctrine and worship of our mother the Church of England, of 
 which you are happy at this day in [being] the great ornaments 
 and rulers ; 
 
 " And whereas, for want of episcopacy being established amongst 
 us, and that there has never been any Bishop sent to visit us, our 
 churches remain un consecrated, our children are grown up and 
 cannot be confirmed, their sureties are under solemn obligations 
 but cannot be absolved, and our Clergy, sometimes, under doubts 
 and cannot be resolved ; 
 
 " But whereas, more especially for the want of that sacred 
 power which is inherent to your apostolick, the vacancies which 
 daily happen in our ministry cannot be supplied for a consider 
 able time from England, whereby many congregations are not only 
 become desolate, and the light of the gospel therein extinguished, 
 but great encouragement is thereby given to sectaries of all sorts 
 which abound and increase amongst us, and, some of them pre 
 tending to what they call the power of ordination, the country is 
 filled with fanatic teachers, debauching the good inclinations of 
 many poor souls who are left destitute of any instruction or 
 ministry ; 
 
 " May it therefore please your lordships, in your great piety and 
 regard for the government of the Church by Bishops, to 
 think of some means whereby these sorrowful complaints 
 and most grievous misfortunes may be heard and redressed, 
 and that Almighty God may, of his infinite mercy, inspire 
 your thoughts, and assist your pious endeavours to accom 
 plish this evidently necessary work, is the most earnest 
 and daily prayer of, 
 
 " May it please your lordships, 
 
 " Your lordships most humble petitioners, and most obedient 
 sons and servants." 
 
 This petition, which is dated June 2, 1718, was signed by 
 order of the vestries of Christ s Church, Philadelphia, and 
 St. Ann s, Burlington, as also by the clergy and many of 
 the laity in Maryland, and it may therefore be fairly 
 
 c c 
 
386 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 presumed to convey the sentiments of the members of our 
 Church in those Colonies. 
 
 It was about this time that an unknown benefactor gave 
 the sum of 1000/. to the " Society for the Propagation of 
 the Gospel," with directions that " the principal and interest 
 might be applied towards the maintenance of a Bishop in 
 America, when such Bishop should be established." This 
 fund was increased in 1720, by a gift of 500/. for the same 
 purpose, by Dugald Campbell, Esq., and in 1741, by a 
 benefaction of like amount, from the Lady Elizabeth Has 
 tings. These donations show that the interest which was 
 felt in the full organization of the American Church was 
 not confined to the Clergy. 
 
 An event occurred in 1723, which induced Bishop Gib 
 son to press the matter more urgently on the attention of 
 the minister. The Rev. John Talbot, who had so long and 
 so warmly contended for the establishment of the episcopate 
 in America, and the Rev. Robert Welton, were consecrated 
 by the nonjuring Bishops, and went back in their new cha 
 racter to the Colonies. The Government at home suc 
 cessfully interfered to prevent the exercise of their functions, 
 but still unaccountably refused to sanction the consecration 
 of clergymen friendly to the Hanoverian line. 
 
 Every year the necessity of such a measure was becom 
 ing more sensibly felt. In 1724, the Rev. Samuel Johnson, 
 the newly ordained missionary of Stratford, after alluding 
 to several places where a resident clergyman was much 
 wanted, proceeds as follows, in a letter to the Bishop of 
 London, dated January 28: 
 
 " Now, at the same time, my lord, there are a considerable 
 number of very promising young gentlemen, five or six I am 
 sure of, and those the best that are educated among us, who might 
 be instrumental to do a great deal of good to the souls of men, 
 
XVII.] NEW ENGLAND CLERGY. 387 
 
 were they ordained, but for the want of episcopal ordination 
 decline the ministry, and go into secular business, being, partly 
 from themselves, and partly through the influence of their friends, 
 unwilling to expose themselves to the danger of the seas and 
 distempers; so terrifying has been the unhappy fate of Mr. Browne. 
 So that the -fountain of all our misery is the want of a Bishop, for 
 whom there are many thousands of souls in this country do 
 impatiently long and pray, and for want do extremely suffer. 
 My lord, permit me to remember the concern your lordship was 
 pleased to express for sending a suffragan into this country, when 
 we were before your lordship, which gave me greater pleasure 
 because I have the satisfaction to know, that so great is your 
 lordship s deserved interest with his most sacred Majesty King 
 George (whom God long preserve), that you might very probably 
 be the first, under God and the King, in effecting for us so great 
 a blessing. And suffer me further, my lord, to say ; that there 
 is not one Jacobite or disaffected person in this colony, nor above 
 two or three, that I know of, in America." 
 
 In 1725, six of the Clergy of New England, including 
 Dr. Cutler and Mr. Johnson, drew up a Memorial to the 
 Society, conveying a generally favourable account of the 
 condition of their congregations, but complaining of the 
 annoyance and oppression to which those who, for con 
 science sake, united themselves to the Church, were sub 
 jected, especially by imprisonment for non-payment of 
 taxes towards the support of dissenting teachers ; and 
 praying for the protection and guidance of a resident 
 Bishop. 
 
 "We humbly conceive nothing can more effectually redress 
 these grievances, and protect us from the insults of our adver 
 saries, than an orthodox and loyal Bishop residing with us ; and 
 at this time are awakened to such a thought by the coming over 
 of Dr. Welton, late of Whitechapel, who has privately received 
 the episcopal character in England, and from whose influences and 
 industry we have reason to fear very unhappy consequences n the 
 peace of the Church, and the affections of this country to our most 
 
 c c 2 
 
388 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 excellent constitution and his most sacred Majesty s person and 
 government. 
 
 " Not only those who profess themselves Churchmen long and 
 pray for this great blessing of a worthy Bishop with us, but also 
 multitudes of those who are well-wishers to us, but are kept con 
 cealed for want thereof, and would immediately appear and form 
 many more congregations too, if once this happiness were granted. 
 This would supply us with many useful ministers from among 
 ourselves, whom the hazards of the seas and sickness, and the 
 charges of travel, discourage from the service of the Church, and 
 tempt them to enlist themselves as members or ministers of dis 
 senting congregations. Our people might receive the benefit of 
 confirmation, the usefulness whereof we preach, and they are very 
 deeply sensible ; a better harmony might be amongst ourselves than 
 now is, of very necessary consequence to our happiness and re 
 putation ; the mouths of our enemies might be stopped, both 
 the Roman Catholics of the governments around us who have 
 Bishops, and the dissenters with whom we dwell, who upbraid us 
 for pressing those things we cannot enjoy. In a word, by this 
 means, all those gracious ends which the Society purposeth to 
 itself might, with a vast deal more regularity, facility, and success, 
 be attained." 1 
 
 The Rev. James Honyman also, besides signing the fore 
 going memorial, wrote privately to the Bishop of London 
 on the same subject, submitting to his lordship that many 
 perplexing doubts were constantly arising which could only 
 be resolved by the authority of a superior ; among others, 
 the difficulty or impossibility of finding a sufficient number 
 of baptized persons to be sureties or witnesses at the bap 
 tism of infants and adults. 2 
 
 Nor was this importunate cry for Bishops confined to 
 the New England Colonies. The clergy of Maryland 
 made the same demand ; and the Bishop of London, willing 
 
 1 MS. Letters, vol. xix. p. 234. 2 MS. Letter, June 16 1726. 
 
XVII.] SECKER AND SHERLOCK. 389 
 
 to comply with their request, sent for the Rev. Mr. Cole- 
 batch, one of the clergy of that province, who bore the 
 character of a worthy and religious man, with a view to 
 his being consecrated suffragan. It does not appear whe 
 ther the Bishop had obtained the consent of the Crown ; 
 but Mr. Colebatch was served with a writ ne exeat regno ; 
 and so this scheme, like others which preceded it, fell to 
 the ground. 1 
 
 Still the subject was not allowed to drop ; and in the 
 anniversary sermon which Seeker, then Bishop of Oxford, 
 preached before the Society in 1741 , he thus alluded to some 
 of the disadvantages under which the Church in America 
 laboured for want of Bishops : " Were there better oppor 
 tunities for a learned education abroad, more of the natives 
 of our Colonies would be fitted for the work, which they 
 would undertake with many advantages above such as go 
 from hence. And had they Bishops there, these persons 
 might be ordained without the inconveniences of a long 
 voyage ; vacancies might be supplied in much less time ; 
 the primitive and most useful appointment of confirmation 
 might be restored, and an orderly discipline exercised in 
 the churches." 
 
 But another witness, whose opinion deserves even greater 
 weight, from his experience of the impossibility of a Bishop 
 of London practically superintending a church so far 
 removed, is now to be cited. Bishop Sherlock, writing to 
 the Rev. Dr. Johnson in 1749, says: "I have been 
 soliciting the establishment of one or two Bishops, to 
 reside in proper parts of the plantations, and to have the 
 conduct and direction of the whole. I am sensible, for 
 myself, that I am capable of doing but little service to 
 
 1 Hawks s Ecclesiastical History of the United States, vol. ii. p. 196. 
 
 2 Pp. 27, 28. 
 
390 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 those distant churches ; and I am persuaded that no Bishop 
 residing in England ought to have, or willingly to under 
 take, the province. As soon as I came to the See of 
 London, I presented a Memorial to the King on this 
 subject,, which he referred to his principal officers of state, 
 to be considered." 1 
 
 It will naturally be asked, if so general a desire was 
 expressed by the clergy in the plantations for the appoint 
 ment of Bishops, and the reasonableness and importance of 
 the measure were so fully admitted by the heads of the 
 Church at home, why the appointment was still delayed ? 
 The answer must be, that the prejudices of those who 
 opposed the introduction of Episcopacy into America out 
 weighed the representations of its advocates. 
 
 The objections commonly entertained were rather of a 
 civil and political than of an ecclesiastical character. There 
 was, of course, the old traditionary feeling, especially in 
 the New England States, against what they termed 
 "Prelacy," as connected with religious intolerance; and 
 this objection was much strengthened by vague appre 
 hensions of some coercive power to be exercised by a Bishop 
 over the laity of his interference with the authority of the 
 Governor, and of taxes which might be levied for his 
 support. But, besides all this, the people were becoming 
 gradually more democratic in their habits, and so, more and 
 more jealous of the influence which Episcopacy might exert 
 in favour of monarchy and the institutions of the mother 
 country. 
 
 Proposals were sent home by some of the New England 
 clergy in 1750, with a view of obviating such objections; 
 and a plan was drawn up in the same year by Bishop Butler, 2 
 
 1 Chandler s Life of Dr. Johnson, p. 131. 
 
 2 Calamy s Hist. Account of his own Life, vol. ii. p. 335. Note by the 
 Editor. 
 
XVII.] OPPOSITION OF DISSENTERS. 391 
 
 embodying the proposals of the memorialists, in the hope of 
 disarming hostility ; but it shared the fate of its many pre - 
 decessors. The truth is, that while the dissenters in the 
 Colonies and at home were united in opposition to the 
 measure, the mass of English Churchmen, ignorant and 
 indifferent, gave themselves no trouble about it. The 
 Society had done its part, by frequent addresses to the 
 crown ; and the Bishops continued to do theirs. Bishop 
 Sherlock thus expressed himself on the subject to Dr. 
 Doddridge, May 11, 1751 :- 
 
 " The care of it [the Church of England in the Colonies] as an 
 Episcopal Church is supposed to be in the Bishop of London. 
 How lie comes to be charged with this care I will not now 
 inquire ; but sure I am that the care is improperly lodged : for a 
 Bishop to live at one end of the world and his Church at another, 
 must make the office very uncomfortable to the Bishop, and, 
 in a great measure, useless to the people." 
 
 He then alludes to the great inconveniences arising from 
 want of a resident Bishop, the hazard and expense of going 
 to England for ordination, &c., and adds : 
 
 " For these reasons, and others of no less weight, I did apply to 
 the King, as soon as I was Bishop of London, to have two or three 
 Bishops appointed for the Plantations, to reside there. I thought 
 there could be no reasonable objection to it, not even from the 
 dissenters ; as the Bishops proposed were to have no jurisdiction 
 but over the clergy of their own Church." 
 
 But although the proposal, in itself most reasonable, was 
 made in so conciliatory a spirit, and although no design was 
 entertained of sending a Bishop to New England, where 
 the dissenters predominated, yet it met with the most 
 determined opposition in that country. 
 
 " Was this," the Bishop asks, " consistent even with a spirit of 
 toleration 1 Would they think themselves tolerated, if they were 
 
392 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 debarred the right of appointing ministers among themselves, and 
 were obliged to send all their candidates to Geneva, or Scotland, 
 for orders ? At the same time that they gave this opposition, they 
 set up a mission of their own for Virginia, a country entirely 
 episcopal, by authority of their Synod. And in their own country, 
 where they have the power, they have prosecuted and imprisoned 
 several members for not paying towards supporting the dissenting 
 preachers, though no such charge can, by any colour of law, be 
 imposed on them : this has been the case in New England." 1 
 
 Seeker, whose sermon in 1741 has been referred to, never 
 lost sight of the subject. While Bishop of Oxford, he 
 wrote, in 1754, to his correspondent, the Rev. Dr. Johnson, 
 as follows: "We have done all we can here in vain, and 
 must wait for more favourable times .... So long as they 
 [the Dissenters] are uneasy, and remonstrate, regard will 
 be paid to them and their friends here by our ministers of 
 state." 2 And his later correspondence contains proof of the 
 anxiety which he felt, after his elevation to the primacy, 
 for the settlement of the Church in America. Nor did he 
 content himself with expressing his opinion in private. In 
 the midst of other occupations, he took the trouble of 
 replying to a pamphlet, written by Dr. Mayhew, of Boston, 
 in which the proposal for appointing Bishops in America 
 was vehemently denounced. In this answer, the Arch 
 bishop states very calmly the undeniable right of the 
 Church to her own Apostolical government; and speaks 
 of the anomalous position of the clergy in America as 
 " without parallel in the Christian world." 3 
 
 In 1764, lie says, writing to Dr. Johnson: 
 
 " The affair of American Bishops continues in suspense. Lord 
 Willoughby of Parham, the only English dissenting peer, and 
 
 1 Correspondence and Diary of Dr. Doddridge, vol. v. p. 201. 
 
 2 Chandler s Life of Dr. Johnson, p. 177. 
 
 3 Life of Seeker, prefixed to his Sermons, p. 52. 
 
XVII.] ARCHBISHOP SECKER. 393 
 
 Dr. Chandler, have declared, after our scheme was fully laid be 
 fore them, that they saw no objection against it. The Duke of 
 Bedford, Lord-President, hath given a calm and favourable hearing 
 to it, hath desired it may be reduced to writing, and promised to 
 consult about it with the other ministers, at his first leisure." 1 
 
 But party spirit was beginning to run high; and the 
 Archbishop, therefore, urged the importance of pursuing 
 their object " in a quiet, private manner," so as not to " run 
 the risk of increasing the outcry against the Society." 
 
 In //76/he spoke more fully on the same subject : 
 
 " It is very probable that a Bishop, or Bishops, would have 
 been quietly received in America before the Stamp Act was passed 
 here ; but it is certain that we could get no permission here to 
 send one. Earnest and continual endeavours have been used 
 with our successive ministers and ministries, but without obtain 
 ing more than promises to consider and confer about the matter ; 
 which promises have never been fulfilled. The king [George the 
 Third] hath expressed himself repeatedly in favour of the scheme ; 
 and hath promised, that, if objections are imagined to lie against 
 other places, a Protestant Bishop should be sent to Quebec, where 
 there is a Popish one, and where there are few dissenters to take 
 offence. And in the latter end of Mr. Grenville s ministry, a plan 
 of an ecclesiastical establishment for Canada was formed on which 
 a Bishop might easily have been grafted, and was laid before a 
 committee of council. But opinions differed there, and proper 
 persons could not be persuaded to attend ; and in a while the 
 ministry changed. Incessant application was made to the new 
 ministry : some slight hopes were given, but no step taken. 
 Yesterday, the ministry was changed again, as you may see in the 
 papers ; but whether any change will happen in our concern, and 
 whether for the better or the worse, I cannot so much as guess. 
 Of late, indeed, it hath not been prudent to do anything, unless at 
 Quebec ; and therefore the Address from the clergy of Connecticut 
 which arrived here in December last, and that from the clergy of 
 New York and New Jersey, which arrived in January, have not 
 
 1 Life of Seeker, prefixed to his Sermons, p. 196. 
 
394 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 been presented to the king ; but lie hath been acquainted with 
 the purport of them, and directed them to be postponed to a 
 fitter time." 
 
 It was at this time that Seeker wrote in the following 
 terms to Horace Walpole : 
 
 " The reasonableness of the proposal, abstractedly considered, 
 you seem to admit : and indeed it belongs to the very nature 
 of Episcopal Churches to have Bishops at proper distances pre 
 siding over them ; nor was there ever before, I believe, in the 
 Christian world, an instance of such a number of churches, or a 
 tenth part of that number, with no Bishop amongst them, or 
 within some thousands of miles from them. But the considera 
 tion of the episcopal acts which are requisite, will prove the need 
 of episcopal residence more fully. Confirmation is an Office of our 
 Church, derived from the primitive ages ; and when administered 
 with due care, a very useful one. All our people in America see 
 the appointment of it in their Prayer-books, immediately after 
 their Catechism ; and if they are denied it unless they will come 
 over to England for it, they are, in fact, prohibited the exercise of 
 one part of their religion." * 
 
 He then refers to the anxiety of successive Bishops for 
 the establishment of Episcopacy in the Colonies : 
 
 " I believe there scarce is, or ever was, a Bishop of the Church 
 of England, from the Revolution to this day, that hath not desired 
 the establishment of Bishops in our Colonies. Archbishop 
 Tenison, who was surely no High-Churchman, left, by his will 
 1000/. towards it ; and many more of the greatest eminence might 
 be named, who were and are zealous for it. 2 Or, if Bishops, as 
 such, must of course be deemed partial, the Society for Propa 
 gating the Gospel consists partly also of inferior clergymen, partly 
 too of laymen. Now the last cannot so well be suspected of 
 
 1 Letter to Horace Walpole, Works, vol. xi. p. 342. 
 
 2 Bishop Benson, of Gloucester, who died in 1752, bequeathed a legacy, 
 " to be added to the fund for settling Bishops in our Plantations in America, 
 hoping that a design so necessary and unexceptionable cannot but at last 
 be put in execution." Seekers Answer to Dr. Maylieirfs Observations. 
 
 Worte, vol. xi. p. 328. 
 
XVII.] BISHOP TERRICK. 395 
 
 designing to advance ecclesiastical authority. Yet this whole body 
 of men, almost ever since it was in being, hath been making 
 repeated applications for Bishops in America ; nor have the lay 
 part of it ever refused to concur in them." l 
 
 Archbishop Seeker, as his last service in a cause which 
 he had so zealously advocated, bequeathed the sum of 
 1000/. "tosvards the establishment of a Bishop, or Bishops, 
 in the king s dominions in America." 
 
 Bishop Terrick, whose attention was naturally directed 
 to the subject, on his translation to the See of London, in 
 1764, expressed distinctly his opinion, both as to the im 
 portance of establishing the Episcopate in America, and as 
 to the obstacles in the way of such a measure. His words 
 are: 
 
 " I feel, as sensibly as you can do, the distress of the Ameri 
 cans, in being obliged, at so much hazard and expense, to come 
 to this country for orders ; but I own I see no prospect of a 
 speedy remedy to it. They who are enemies to the measure of 
 an Episcopacy, whether on your part of the globe or ours, have 
 hitherto found means to prevent its taking place, though no 
 measure can be better suited to every principle of true policy* 
 none can be more consistent with every idea I have formed of 
 truly religious liberty. We want no other motives for declaring 
 our sentiments and wishes on the subject, but what arise from the 
 expediency, I had almost said the necessity, of putting the 
 American Church upon a more respectable plan, by the appoint 
 ment of a Bishop." 2 
 
 A few more witnesses shall be cited with a view of 
 completing the chain of evidence, both of the urgently 
 expressed wants of the American Church, and also of 
 the long-continued neglect of it by the Government of the 
 mother country. 
 
 1 Letter to Horace Walpole. Works, vol. xi. p. 348. 
 
 2 Chandler s Life of Dr. Johnson, p. 200. 
 
396 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [cH. 
 
 The Kev. Jeremiah Learning writes thus, September 2 9, 
 1763 : "I hope there will be means found out to support 
 the Church in this Government, otherwise I fear there 
 will be no religion here in the next generation. In order 
 it might be supported in the purity of it, there is great 
 need of a Bishop to confirm, ordain, and govern." And 
 the veteran Dr. Johnson urges the point with the same 
 warmth as he had done forty years previously. Writing to 
 the Bishop of London, in behalf of the clergy of Con 
 necticut, September 14, 1764, he says : 
 
 " But as the Church is become very numerous in these now wide 
 and vastly extended countries ... we humbly hope . . . that it is 
 reserved for one of the glories of your lordship s Episcopate, that 
 these countries may be provided for with Bishops residing in some 
 of these Colonies, to have the more immediate inspection and 
 government of us ; and we humbly implore your lordship s best 
 influence, that this blessed event may now at length be accom 
 plished." 
 
 " I have often wondered," (says the Rev. George Craig, June 25, 
 1766,) "what can be the reason that the British dominions in 
 America are not blessed with a Bishop : it is certainly a very 
 great loss to the Church, and the longer it is deferred it will be 
 more so. It was thought absolutely necessary to have one before 
 our late conquests, and if I may give my opinion, three now will 
 be few enough, viz. one for the Floridas and Carolinas ; one for 
 Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Jersey, and Boston ; 
 the third for Canada." 
 
 Again, the clergy of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 
 assembled in convention at Boston, June 6, 1767, drew up 
 a Report to the Society, containing particulars of several 
 of the missions, and concluding with the following expos 
 tulation, which would shoAv that they had more correct 
 views as to the best mode of binding a colony to the mother 
 country than the statesmen and politicians at home. 
 
XVII.] NEW ENGLAND MEMORIAL. 397 
 
 " It is, however, a great discouragement to those who would 
 offer themselves to the service of these American churches, that 
 they are still obliged to submit to the danger and expense of a 
 voyage of one thousand leagues long to qualify themselves for 
 that service. Since the first settlement of Christianity, so large 
 a continent as this was never known without a resident Bishop. 
 We flattered ourselves that such an extensive territory as was 
 heretofore possessed, and hath since been added to the British 
 dominions by the late war, would certainly have been followed by 
 some provision of this kind ; but especially the late popular 
 tumults in these colonies, we imagined, would have strongly 
 pointed out the necessity of such a step towards the uniting and 
 attaching the colonies to the mother country, and have silenced 
 every objection that could be raised against it. 
 
 " We are too remote and inconsiderable to approach the throne ; 
 yet, could his Majesty hear the voice of so distant a people, the 
 request for American Bishops would appear to be the cry of many 
 thousands of his most faithful subjects. We do, however, think 
 ourselves happy in this, that the Society will omit no favourable 
 opportunity of representing the advantages that may accrue to 
 these colonies, to religion, and to the British interests, by conde 
 scending to this our request. 
 
 " We bless God for the great and good effects of the Society s 
 care and attention to these colonies, and hope it will please God 
 tha.t they may become instrumental in obtaining this further 
 invaluable blessing of resident Bishops for America. 
 
 " We are, with great veneration, the Society s dutiful and obe 
 dient, and, Rev. Sir, your most humble servants, % 
 
 " EDWARD BASS. H. CANER. 
 
 EDWARD WINSLOW. JOHN USHER. 
 
 S. FAYREWEATHER. EBENR. THOMPSON. 
 
 JACOB BAILEY. WILL. M/GILCHRIST. 
 
 J. WINGATE WEEKS. JOHN TROUTBECK. 
 
 A. WALLER. W. SERGEANT. 
 
 JOHN LION. JAMES GREATON." 
 
 Boston, June 7th. 1767. 
 
398 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 The Missionaries kept up for three quarters of a century 
 their importunate demand for resident Bishops ; and these 
 appeals and remonstrances, though unavailing for the time, 
 may not be without their use for the statesmen and 
 churchmen of a country which is still mistress of so many 
 and important colonies. 
 
 The Eev. E. Dibblee writes thus, Oct. 1, 1767 :- 
 
 " We cannot but flatter ourselves, that our superiors will be 
 made sensible of the importance and necessity of settling an Epi 
 scopate in America, in regard to the interest of religion, the obliging 
 their best friends, the safety and security of the government, when 
 we have so powerful and reputable a body as the venerable board 
 to solicit in our favour. God have mercy upon us, if the pro 
 vinces here should throw off their connexion, dependence, and 
 subjection to the mother country ; for, how much soever they are 
 divided in religious sentiment among themselves, yet they can 
 unite heart and hand to oppose and check, if possible, the growth 
 and progress of our Holy Church, which, like rising Christianity, 
 springs up and flourishes out of their religious confusions ; and 
 extremely sorry indeed we were to find the venerable Board so 
 reluctant to establish any more new missions in and about New 
 England, in consequence of late clamours ; whereas I think it 
 impossible the present missionaries can supply the spiritual wants 
 of the people." 1 
 
 Another letter, dated the same year, from the Rev. 
 ^James Scovil, is too instructive to be omitted. He says, 
 July 6, 1767 : "The church people in my cure appear to 
 have a serious sense of religion, and a hearty love and 
 affection to our excellent Church, which makes them 
 greatly lament the deplorable condition of the Church in 
 these parts, for want of resident Bishops, to ordain, govern, 
 and confirm those of our own communion. They who live in 
 England, where the Church is rather triumphant, can have 
 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvii. 1. 107. 
 
XVII.] REV. JAMES SCOVIL. 399 
 
 but a faint idea of its truly militant state here in New 
 England, where the dissenters take occasion to insult and 
 revile us, even for want of that discipline which they so 
 unjustly and clamorously oppose. Though they would be 
 thought the greatest friends to liberty, yet, I doubt not, 
 they would think it a great degree of oppression, and even 
 persecution, to be obliged themselves to go 3,000 miles 
 for what they judged essential to the perfection of their 
 church ; and I trust in God, we are as conscientious in the 
 profession of the truth, and adherence to the most pure 
 and primitive Church in the world, as they can be in their 
 errors. They have plentifully reproached us with the 
 hated name of Jacobites, persons disaffected to the present 
 royal family, of blessed memory ; but when the Stamp Act 
 brought our loyalty to the test, I thank God the scale 
 turned greatly in our favour. While we sensibly feel all 
 these disadvantages, it fills us with real grief and concern 
 to find the venerable Society declining to open any more 
 missions in New England. They, under God, by their 
 generous bounty and pious liberality, have been the nursing 
 fathers and chief supporters of the languishing Church in this 
 land, for which unspeakable favour our warmest sentiments 
 of gratitude and duty will always attend them ; and we 
 most humbly and earnestly beg the continuance of their 
 patronage and kind assistance, so long as our circumstances 
 continue upon all accounts so truly pitiable." l 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Andrews, Missionary at Wallingford, 
 writes much in the same style (Oct. 8, 1767). " There 
 appears," he says, " to be nothing wanting in this country, 
 in the present day, in order that our Church should flourish 
 in every part of it, but resident Bishops and a proper sup 
 port of government ; towards the effecting of which, if the 
 1 Original Letters, vol. xvii. 1. 343. 
 
400 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 degeneracy of the age is such that the political and reli 
 gious interest of the nation cannot prevail, what other 
 arguments have we reason to hope will?" 
 
 " I will only add, for the sake of the best churches," (says Dr. 
 Johnson, 1769,) " that, though I am sensible nothing can be done 
 as to providing an American Episcopate, in the present unhappy 
 condition of things, yet I do humbly hope and confide that the 
 venerable Society will never lose sight of that most important 
 object till it is accomplished ; for, till then, the Church here must 
 be so far from flourishing, that she must dwindle and be contemp 
 tible in the eyes of all the other denominations." 
 
 We may add, though a little out of order, the following 
 brief but passionate appeal of the Rev. Matthew Graves, 
 dated Jan. 1, 1772: "The blessing of a Bishop would 
 make true religion and loyalty overspread this land. 
 Hasten, hasten, O Lord, a truly spiritual overseer to this 
 despised, abused, persecuted part of thy vineyard, for 
 Christ Jesus sake. Amen ! Amen ! " 
 
 And well was the prayer of the clergy in America sup 
 ported by the Bishops in England. In the anniversary 
 sermon preached before the Society for the Propagation 
 of the Gospel in 1767, the Bishop of Llandaff (Dr. Ewer) 
 contended warmly for the rights of the American Church, 
 which alone (he said) of all the religious communions, 
 was not tolerated ; while the want of Bishops rendered it 
 impossible to have a native ministry. 
 
 Bishop Lowth urged forcibly the same topics, in 1771, 
 and spoke of the colonists as deprived of " the common 
 benefit which ail Christian Churches, in all ages, and in 
 every part of the world, have freely enjoyed." The 
 Bishop observes: 
 
 " The proper and only remedy hath long since been pointed 
 out the appointment of one or more resident Bishops, for the 
 
XVII.] MR. GRANVILLE SHARP. 401 
 
 exercise of offices purely episcopal in the American Church of 
 England ; for administering the solemn and edifying rite of con 
 firmation ; for ordaining ministers/ and superintending their 
 conduct : offices to which the members of the Church of England 
 have an undeniable claim, and from which they cannot be pre 
 cluded without manifest injustice and oppression." 2 
 
 The last quotation shall be from a letter written by the 
 same eminent prelate to Dr. Chandler, at the very begin 
 ning of the American disturbances, May 29, 1775: 
 
 " If," he says, " it shall please God that these unhappy tumults 
 be quieted, and peace and order restored (which event I am san 
 guine enough to think is not far distant), we may reasonably hope 
 that our governors will be taught, by experience, to have some 
 regard to the Church of England in America." 3 
 
 With these earnest appeals on record, it cannot be said 
 that the heads of the English Church were indifferent to 
 the claims of their American brethren, or backward to 
 maintain them. But it would be both unjust and un 
 grateful not to mention how powerful and steadfast an 
 ally they found in Mr. Granville Sharp. In a long note 
 appended to his tract on the " Law of Retribution," which 
 was printed in 1776, he gave an account "of the Aposto 
 lical and primitive Catholic Church of Christ, which 
 always maintained the natural and just right of the 
 clergy and people of every diocese to select their own 
 Bishops, for above 500 years after the establishment of it, 
 
 1 " The exact number of those who have gone home for ordination from 
 these northern Colonies is fifty-two. Of these, forty-two have returned 
 safely, and ten have miscarried ; the voyage, or sickness occasioned by it, 
 having proved fatal to near a fifth part of them. The expense of their 
 voyage cannot be reckoned at less, upon an average, than one hundred 
 pounds sterling to each person." Dr. Chandler s Appeal, p. 34. Now 
 York. 1767. 
 
 2 Sermon before S.P.G. p 17. 
 
 3 Chandler s Life of Dr. Johnson, p. 207. 
 
 D D 
 
402 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 until the Church of Rome began its baneful exertions to 
 invade and suppress that just and important right. This 
 note," he says, " together with some other remarks on the 
 importance of Episcopacy, as being, according to a maxim 
 of the English common law, the strength of the republic 
 (ordo Episcoporum est robur rei-publicai), had the extra 
 ordinary effect of convincing a very large body of Dis 
 senters and Presbyterians, as well as Churchmen, in 
 America, of the propriety of establishing Episcopacy among 
 themselves in the United States ; so that, even during the 
 war, a motion had been made in Congress for that purpose, 
 and was postponed merely because a time of peace was 
 thought more proper for the consideration of so important 
 a regulation. 
 
 The "remarks," to which allusion is made, were con 
 tained in a treatise on "Congregational Courts;" of which, 
 he says, " the chief design is to remove the prejudices of 
 the Americans against Episcopacy, by proving the right of 
 popular elections; and he afterwards characterized the 
 same tract as " chiefly instrumental to the introduction of 
 Episcopacy into America ; as even Dr. Franklin, the philo 
 sopher, became an advocate for it." * 
 
 After the recognition of the Independence of the States, 
 the appointment of Bishops, which had, for nearly a cen 
 tury, been a matter of the highest importance to the 
 welfare of the Church, became an indispensable condition 
 of its existence. The English Bishops were not at liberty 
 to ordain any Candidates for Holy Orders without first 
 requiring them to take the oath of allegiance to the British 
 Crown. This, of course, no citizen of an Independent 
 power, as the States had now become, could do, and the sup 
 ply of clergy seemed in danger of being cut off. In point 
 
 1 Memoirs of Granville Sharp, Esq., by Prince Hoare, pp. 208, 209. 
 
XVII.] MR. GRANVILLE SHARP. 403 
 
 of fact, two candidates had come over to England in July, 
 1784, and been refused ordination on these grounds. 
 They then applied to Dr. Franklin for counsel as to 
 the proper course to be followed in their case, but he, 
 it would appear, was very incompetent to advise on such 
 a subject ; for, being at Paris, he went to consult first the 
 French Bishops, and next the Pope s nuncio, on the matter. 1 
 To remove, in some sort, the existing anomaly, an Act 
 was passed, " to empower the Bishop of London for the 
 time being, and any other Bishop to be by him appointed, 
 to admit to the order of deacon or priest persons being 
 subjects or citizens of countries out of his Majesty s domi 
 nions, without requiring them to take the oath of allegiance 
 as appointed by law." 
 
 This was, however, a palliative, rather than a remedy ; 
 and Sharp, disappointed with such a half-measure, ad 
 dressed himself at once to the Archbishop of Canterbury 
 on the subject : 
 
 " I am sorry/ he says, Nov. 19, 1784, "to see the powers of 
 the late Act, intended for promoting the Episcopal Church in 
 America, so unhappily limited ; and the authority of ordaining 
 priests and deacons for Independent States confined to the Bishop 
 of London alone, though all the other Bishops, as Bishops of 
 Christ s Catholic Church, are equally entitled to exercise that 
 authority : and I am still much more sorry to find, that neither 
 the Bishop of London, nor any of the other Bishops, have yet 
 obtained authority to consecrate a Bishop for foreign parts, either 
 separately or jointly. I should not have presumed to have 
 troubled your Grace with so long a letter on this subject, had 
 I not lately been informed that an American clergyman, who 
 calls himself a loyalist, is actually gone down to Scotland with a 
 view of obtaining consecration from some of the remaining non- 
 juring Bishops in that kingdom, who still affect among themselves 
 
 1 Memoirs of Granvillc Sharp, p. 215. 
 D D 2 
 
404 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [cH. 
 
 a nominal jurisdiction from the Pretender s appointment ; and he 
 proposes, afterwards, to go over to America, in hopes of obtaining 
 jurisdiction over several Episcopal congregations in Connecticut. 
 So that it is really a measure of great importance, that your Grace 
 and the other Bishops should obtain authority to consecrate 
 Bishops for the true Christian Church in every part of the 
 world." 1 
 
 The Clergyman here alluded to was Dr. Samuel Seabury, 
 many years a Missionary of the Society for the Propa 
 gation of the Gospel in Long Island, and whom the Clergy 
 of Connecticut had, in 1783, elected to be their Bishop, 
 and commended to the Bishops of the English Church for 
 consecration. The first choice of the Convention had, 
 indeed, fallen on the Rev. Dr. Learning, who, for the suf 
 ferings he underwent during the war of Independence, 
 was regarded as a Confessor. He, however, declined the 
 office on the ground of his infirmities, and Dr. Seabury 
 was then elected. The following is Mr. Sharp s account 
 of the interview between the Archbishop of Canterbury 
 and the Bishop Elect of Connecticut : 
 
 " Dr. Seabury, on coming to England, called on the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury for consecration, to the great surprise of the Arch 
 bishop, who was apprehensive that it might give great offence 
 to the Americans, with whom we had just then made peace ; and 
 therefore his Grace, (the very worthy and learned Dr. Moore,) 
 wished to be allowed some time to consider of the request ; upon 
 which Dr. Seabury very abruptly left the room, saying, If your 
 Grace will not grant me consecration, I know where to obtain it ; 
 and immediately set off for Aberdeen. The Archbishop commu 
 nicated to G. S. this account of Dr. Seabury s behaviour ; and G. S., 
 in return, informed his Grace, that a General Convention was 
 actually appointed in America for the election of Bishops. On 
 hearing this, the Archbishop gave G. S. authority to assure the 
 Americans, that, if they elected unexceptionable persons, and 
 transmitted proper certificates of their morals and conduct, and of 
 1 Memoirs of Granville Sharp, p. 212. 
 
XVII.] DR. GEORGE BERKELEY. 405 
 
 their suitable abilities for so important a charge, he would do 
 every thing in his power to promote their good intentions." 1 
 
 It was certainly only reasonable that the Archbishop 
 should take time to deliberate, and to consult with his 
 suffragans, on a matter of such importance as the conse 
 cration of a Bishop for an independent country. Without, 
 indeed, the consent of the crown, he could not legally 
 consecrate ; and besides, he might have had scruples about 
 the propriety of doing so, partly from the circumstance of 
 the Bishop Elect not being the choice of the whole Church, 
 and partly from an apprehension of giving umbrage to a 
 Power with whom a treaty of peace had but lately been 
 signed. On the other hand, it was natural that Seabury, 
 an hereditary missionary, who had lived through years and 
 years of disappointed hope, and had seen the Church lan 
 guish for want of a head, should be impatient of further 
 delay, and that, fearful of legal obstructions, he should, 
 even though it were somewhat precipitately, address him 
 self to Bishops who were unfettered by State connection 
 and of whose sympathies he was well assured. Nor should 
 it be forgotten, that he was strongly advised to adopt this 
 course by one whose name, station, and learning, gave 
 weight to his opinion. Dr. George Berkeley, prebendary 
 of Canterbury, who inherited all his father s zeal for the 
 Colonial Church, had, for some time previously, been in 
 correspondence with Bishop Skinner, of Aberdeen, on the 
 subject of transmitting to America the gift of episcopacy 
 " from the suffering Church of Scotland." " My reading," 
 he says, " does not enable me to comprehend how, without 
 an Episcopacy, the Gospel, together with all its divine, 
 institutions, can possibly be propagated." He, moreover, 
 considered that a Bishop consecrated in Scotland would have 
 1 Memoirs of Granville Sharp, p. 214. 
 
406 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [cil. 
 
 to encounter fewer prejudices than one who received his 
 commission from Bishops forming part of the legislature 
 of a country against which the Americans had successfully 
 asserted their independence. There do not appear to have 
 been any sufficient grounds for this opinion ; but we cannot 
 help seeing the force of his reason, when he urges it as 
 " the duty of all and every Bishop of the Church in 
 Scotland to contribute towards the sending into the new 
 world Protestant Bishops before general assemblies can 
 be held, and covenants taken, for their perpetual ex 
 clusion." 
 
 With respect to any jealousy on the part of the Church, 
 or Government, of England, which might possibly be ex 
 cited by such a measure, Dr. Berkeley says, " I scruple 
 not to give it as my decided opinion, that the King, some 
 of his Cabinet Counsellors, all our Bishops, (except, per- 
 adventure, the Bishop of St. Asaph, [Shipley] ) and all 
 the learned and respectable Clergy in our Church, will at 
 least secretly rejoice, if a Protestant Bishop be sent from 
 Scotland to America ; but more especially if Connecticut 
 be the scene of his ministry." 
 
 But Berkeley was not content, in a matter of such 
 moment, to trust to any general assurance, however 
 strong. He therefore wrote to the Archbishop of Canter 
 bury, informing him of Dr. Seabury s application, and 
 requesting an immediate reply, in case his Grace thought 
 the Scottish Bishops ran any risk in complying with his 
 wish ; but adding, " that if his Grace was satisfied the 
 consecration might safely proceed, there was no occasion 
 to give any answer." And Bishop Skinner, who is the 
 authority for this statement, says that " no answer came." 
 
 From Dr. Seabury s own account, it would appear that 
 he did not even apply to the Scottish Bishops until he had 
 
XVII.] MR. GRANVILLE SHARP. 407 
 
 ascertained that the Government would not "permit a 
 Bishop to be consecrated without the formal request, or 
 at least consent, of Congress, which," he added, " there is 
 no chance of obtaining, and which the Clergy of Con 
 necticut would not apply for, were the chance ever so 
 good." At length, every obstacle having been removed, 
 Dr. Seabury went to Scotland, and was there conse 
 crated on the 14th November, 1784, by Bishops Kil- 
 gour, Petrie, and Skinner. Early in the summer of the 
 ensuing year he returned to Connecticut, the first Bishop 
 of our Church (for Talbot and Weldon left no traces 
 behind them) that had been seen in any part of the North 
 American Continent. The number of Episcopal con 
 gregations in the province at this time was seventy, 
 and the members of the Church 40,000. Granville 
 Sharp did not, of course, for a moment, doubt the 
 full validity of Bishop Seabury s consecration, but was 
 still as anxious as ever to see the succession con 
 veyed to America through the English branch of the 
 Church. This he rightly considered a matter of the highest 
 importance, and accordingly kept up an active corre 
 spondence on the subject with persons of various characters 
 and professions, as Dr. Franklin, Mr. Adams the first Am 
 bassador from the United States, Dr. Rush an eminent 
 physician at Philadelphia of the presbyterian denomination, 
 and the Rev. Mr. Manning a clergyman of Rhode Island. 
 By these means he was enabled to keep the Archbishop fully 
 informed on the subject. Dr. Rush wrote to him, April 
 27, 1784 : " I am happy in being able to inform you, that 
 
 1 For the notice of the part taken by Dr. Berkeley in this matter, I am 
 indebted to the valuable and interesting history of the American Church, 
 by the present Bishop of Oxford, who quotes as his authority the MS. docu 
 ments preserved at Fulham. 
 
408 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 attempts are now making to revive the Episcopal Church 
 in the United States. Though a member of the Presby 
 terian Church, yet I esteem very highly the articles and the 
 worship of the Church of England Such is the libe 
 rality produced among the dissenters by the war, that I do 
 not think they will now object to a Bishop being fixed in 
 each of our States, provided he has no civil revenue or 
 jurisdiction." 
 
 In a letter to his brother, Mr. Sharp thus expresses 
 his gratification at the prospect of a successful issue 
 to the labours of himself and others in this great 
 cause. He says, January 10, 1786, " The Church of 
 England is likely to take the lead, and to be gloriously 
 established in America." And a week later the folio wing- 
 entry occurs in his journal: "January 13, 1786. In 
 formed by Mr. Adams, American Ambassador, that the 
 Convention of the Episcopal Church of America (which 
 included Carolina, the Jerseys, and Maryland, as well as 
 Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York,) have written a 
 letter to the two Archbishops, requesting them to consecrate 
 a person whom they would send ; that the letter was in 
 closed to him, and delivered with his own hand." 
 
 The next morning he waited upon the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury, who, he says, " told me, that the requisition 
 is a very proper one, and expressed in very respectful 
 terms ; and assured me that he is a sincere friend to what 
 is proposed, and will promote it to the utmost of his power, 
 provided they send persons duly qualified." 1 
 
 When all seemed thus prepared, some very formidable 
 
 difficulties were suggested in respect to the orthodoxy 
 
 of the persons to be elected, and the alterations which 
 
 had been made in the Book of Common Prayer. As 
 
 1 Memoirs of Granville Sharp, pp. 2223. 
 
XVII.] CAUTION OF THE BISHOPS. 409 
 
 long as any uncertainty remained on these points, the 
 greatest caution was necessary, and the Archbishop, there 
 fore, on the part of himself and his suffragans, demanded 
 satisfactory proof that the Clergymen to be presented for 
 consecration were in doctrine uncorrupt. In answer to 
 the address of the Convention, the Archbishop thus ex 
 pressed the unanimous opinion of the English Bishops : 
 " While we are anxious to give every proof not only of 
 our brotherly affection, but of our facility in forwarding 
 your wishes, we cannot but be extremely cautious lest we 
 should be the instruments of establishing an ecclesiastical 
 system which will be called a branch of the Church of 
 England, but afterwards may possibly appear to have de 
 parted from it essentially either in doctrine or discipline." 
 The Church at large is under the greatest obligation to 
 the Bishops for the faithful execution of their trust at that 
 critical time. Their Christian firmness, and a little wise 
 delay, gave the Convention an opportunity of withdraw 
 ing the most objectionable alterations in their Prayer- 
 Book, which was mainly constructed according to a re 
 vision of Archbishop Tillotson and a Committee of 
 Divines in 1689. The preface states, that by an examina 
 tion of the altered form, " it will appear that this Church 
 is far from intending to depart from the Church of 
 England in any essential point of doctrine, discipline, or 
 worship; or further than local circumstances require ;* or to 
 deviate, in anything essential to the true meaning of the 
 Thirty-nine Articles." 
 
 On the 17th July, 1786, Mr. Sharp waited on the 
 Archbishop of Canterbury, with a copy of the new Ame 
 rican Prayer- Book. And a few days later, July 27, 1786, 
 he writes to his brother as folio we : " The Archbishop 
 1 Preface to the (American) Book of Common Prayer. 
 
410 STRUGGLE FOR THE EPISCOPATE. [CH. 
 
 very obligingly took the trouble to read over to me the 
 letters which he and the Archbishop of York wrote to the 
 American Convention, and the forms of the certificates 
 or testimonials which they proposed as being most satis 
 factory. The letter is exceedingly well drawn up, with all 
 the solemnity and true Christian propriety that you could 
 possibly wish on the occasion." 1 
 
 This very delicate and protracted, but most important 
 negotiation, was now brought to a successful issue. The 
 Rev. William White and the Rev. Samuel Provoost, who 
 had been duly elected to the sees of Pennsylvania and New 
 York, arrived in London at the end of November, 1786, 
 bearing testimonials signed by the conventions of their 
 respective states. They were at once introduced to the 
 Archbishop of Canterbury by Mr. Granville Sharp, and 
 formally presented to his Grace, a few days afterwards, 
 by Mr. Adams, the American Minister. At length, on the 
 4th February, 1787, they were consecrated in the chapel 
 of Lambeth Palace, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, 2 
 assisted by the Archbishop of York, 3 and the Bishops of 
 Bath and Wells, 4 and Peterborough. 5 
 
 The two Bishops did not linger in England, but em 
 barked a few days after their consecration, and arrived in 
 New York on the 7th of April Easter-day a happy 
 omen, as it was considered, for the reviving Church of that 
 country. 
 
 Thus, at last, after nearly two centuries of struggle, the 
 Church was perfected in America, and from this moment 
 her course has been rapidly progressive. Before, however, 
 this happy settlement, many of her most devoted children 
 had been driven, by the troubles of the times, to seek a 
 
 1 Memoirs of Granville Sharp, p. 229. 2 Dr. Moore. 
 
 3 Dr. Markham. 4 Dr. Moss. 5 Dr. Hinchliffe. 
 
XVII.] EXPANSION OF THE CHURCH. 411 
 
 refuge in the provinces which still maintained their alle 
 giance to the British Crown. Thousands of loyalists, as 
 we have seen, passed over to Nova Scotia and Canada ; 
 and it was wisely determined to give them the full privi 
 leges of that Church to which they were so strongly 
 attached, by forming the remaining British Colonies into 
 an Episcopal see. The person fixed upon, as it were, 
 by common consent, to fill it, was Dr. Chandler ; but that 
 admirable man was already suffering from a fatal malady, 
 which compelled him to decline an elevation which he 
 had so well merited. He, however, took the opportunity 
 of recommending, for the office of chief pastor, one who 
 had done and suffered much for the Church ; and Dr. 
 Charles Inglis, Rector of Trinity Church, New York, who 
 had been obliged to fly to England for his life, in 1783, 
 was consecrated Bishop of Nova Scotia, on the 12th 
 August, 1787. 
 
 We cannot conclude this chapter without a remark on 
 the wonderful growth and expansion of both mother and 
 daughter Church in the half century which has elapsed 
 since the planting of the Episcopate in America. The 
 Church in the Colonies, at the period of their independence, 
 was indeed in " a great strait." Unorganized and imperfect, 
 it was little able to meet and triumph over the persecution 
 to which on all sides it was exposed ; for while " without 
 were fightings, within were fears." Yet these troubles, 
 threatening as they seemed, were overruled, by a merciful 
 Providence, for the ultimate benefit of the Church, and 
 were perhaps even necessary for its restoration. 
 
 At the time when it seemed almost in danger of dis 
 solution, it was providentially empowered to renew its 
 strength and mount up. That Church which, in 1784, 
 ran the risk of being betrayed into some modification of 
 
412 EXPANSION OF THE CHURCH. [CH. XVII. 
 
 Presbyterianism, now numbers twenty-six Bishops, and 
 twelve hundred and thirty-one Clergymen, within its 
 proper borders. l 
 
 Nor has the Mother Church of England, which trans 
 mitted the gift of Episcopacy to America, exhibited fewer 
 tokens of life during the same period. Seventeen 
 Bishoprics have been founded in the different colonies and 
 dependencies of the British Crown; and, with a view of 
 marking the increased ratio of progress of late, it may be 
 stated, that fourteen of them have been the work of the 
 last ten years. 2 All this is cause, not of boasting, but of 
 thankfulness. Very much yet remains to be accomplished ; 
 much both at home and abroad; and never was there 
 more cause than at present for adopting the prayer of the 
 Psalmist : " Turn Thee again, thou God of Hosts, look 
 down from heaven : behold, and visit this vine ; and the 
 place of the vineyard that Thy right hand hath planted : 
 and the branch that Thou madest so strong for Thyself." 3 
 
 1 Two Bishops have been consecrated for the direction of foreign 
 Missions ; one, namely, for China, and one for Turkey. 
 
 2 See Appendix F. 3 Ps. Ixxx. 14, 15. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX A. p. 17. 
 
 Charter of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. 
 
 WILLIAM the Third, by the grace of God, of England, Scotland, 
 France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all 
 Christian People, to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting. 
 
 Whereas Wee are credibly informed, That in many of our PlanTN 
 aeons, Colonies and Factories beyond the Seas, belonging to Our 
 Kingdome of England, the Provision for Ministers is very mean ; 
 and many others of Our said Plantacons, Colonies and Factories 
 are wholy destitute, and unprovided of a Mainteynance for Minis 
 ters, and the Publick Worshipp of God ; and for Lack of Support 
 and Mainteynance for such, many of Our Loveing Subjects doe 
 want the Administration of God s Word and Sacraments, and 
 seem to be abandoned to Atheism and Infidelity ; and alsoe for 
 Want of Learned and Orthodox Ministers to instruct Our said 
 Loveing Subjects in the Principles of true Religion, divers Romish 
 Priests and Jesuits are the more incouraged to pervert and 
 draw over Our said Loving Subjects to Popish Superstition and 
 Idolatry. 
 
 And whereas Wee think it Our Duty, as much as in Us lyes, 
 to promote the Glory of God, by the Instruccon of Our People 
 in the Christian Religion; and that it will be highly conducive 
 for accomplishing those Ends, that a sufficient Mainteynance be 
 provided for an Orthodox Clergy to live amongst them, and that 
 sucli other Provision be made, as may be necessary for the Pro 
 pagation of the Gospell in those Parts. 
 
416 APPENDIX. 
 
 And whereas Wee have been well assured, That if Wee would 
 be gratiously pleased to erect and settle a Corporacon for the 
 receiving, manageing, and disposeing of the Charity of Our Love- 
 ing Subjects, divers Persons would be induced to extend their 
 Charity to the Uses and Purposes aforesaid. 
 
 Know yee therefore, That Wee have, for the Consideracons afore 
 said, and for the better and more orderly carrying on the said 
 Charitable Purposes, of Our speciall Grace, certain Knowledge, 
 and mere Mocon, Willed, Ordained, Constituted, and Appointed, 
 and by these Presents, for Us, Our Heires, and Successors, doe 
 Will, Ordaine, Constitute, Declare, and Grant, That the most 
 Reverend Fathers in God, Thomas Lord Archbishopp of Canter 
 bury, and John Lord Archbishopp of Yorke; The Right Reverend 
 Fathers in God, Henry Lord Bishop of London, William Lord 
 Bishop of Worcester, Our Lord Almoner, Simon Lord Bishop of 
 Ely, Thomas Lord Bishop of Rochester, Deane of Westminster ; 
 and the Lords Archbishops of Canterbury and Yorke, the Bishops 
 of London and Ely, the Lord Almoner and Deane of Westminster 
 for the Time being ; Edward Lord Bishop of Gloucester, John 
 Lord Bishop of Chichester, Nicholas Lord Bishop of Chester, 
 Richard Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, Humphry Lord Bishop 
 of Bangor, John Mountague, Doctor of Divinity, Clerke of Our 
 Closett, William Sherlock, Doctor of Divinity, Deane of St. 
 Paules, William Stanley, Doctor of Divinity, Arch Deacon of 
 London, and the Clerke of the Clossett, of Us, Our Heires and 
 Successors, the Dean of St. Pauls and Arch Deacon of London for 
 the Time being ; The two Regius and two Margeret Professors of 
 
 Divinity of both Our Universities, for the Time being ; Earle 
 
 of Thannet, Thomas Lord Viscount Weymouth, Francis Lord Guil- 
 ford, William Lord Digby, Sir Thomas Cookes of Bentley, Sir 
 Richard Bulkley, Sir John Phillipps and Sir Arthur Owen, Baro- 
 netts; Sir Humphrey Mackworth, Sir William Prichard, Sir 
 William Russell, Sir Edmund Turner, Sir William Hustler, Sir 
 John Chardin, and Sir Richard Blackmore, Knights ; John Hook 
 Esquire, Serjeant at Law, George Hooper Doctor of Divinity, 
 Deane of Canterbury, George Booth Doctor of Divinity, Arch 
 deacon of Durham, Sir George Wheeler Prebendary of Durham, 
 William Beveridge Doctor of Divinity, Arch Deacon of Colchester, 
 
THE CHARTER. 417 
 
 Sir William Dawes Baronett, Thomas Maningham, Edward Gee, 
 Thomas Lynford, Nathaniel Resbury, Offspring Blackball, George 
 Stanhope, William Heyley, and Richard Willis, Doctors of Divi 
 nity, and Our Chaplaines in Ordinary ; John Mapletoft, Zacheus 
 Isham, John Davies, William Lancaster, Humphrey Hodey, 
 Richard Lucas, John Evans, Thomas Bray, John Gascorth, White 
 Kennett, Lilly Butler, Josiah Woodward, Doctors in Divinity ; 
 Gideon Harvey and Frederick Slare, Doctors of Phisick ; Rowland 
 Cotton, Thomas Jervois, Maynard Colchester, James Vernon Junr. 
 
 Joseph Neale, Grey Nevill, Thomas Clerk, Peter King, Rock, 
 
 John Comins, William Melmoth, Thomas Bromfeild, John Ray- 
 nolds, Dutton Seaman, Whitlock Bulstrode, Samuel Brewster, 
 John Chamberlaine, Richard King, and Daniel Nicoll, Esquires ; 
 Benjamin Lawdell, John Trimmer, Charles Toriano, and John 
 Hodges, Merchants; William Fleetwood, William Whitfeild, 
 and Samuel Bradford, Masters of Art, and Our Chaplains in 
 Ordinary ; Thomas Little, Batchelor in Divinity ; Thomas Staino, 
 Henry Altham, William Loyd, Henry Shute, Thomas Frank, and 
 William Meeken, Clerks, and their Successors ; to be elected in 
 Manner as hereafter directed, be, and shall for ever hereafter be, 
 and by Vertue of these Presents shall be one Body Politick and 
 Corporate, in Deed and in Name, by the Name of, The Society for 
 the Propagation of the Gospell in Forreigne Parts : And them and 
 their Successors, by the same Name, Wee doe by these Presents, 
 for Us, Our Heires, and Successors, really and fully Make, Ordaine, 
 Constitute, and Declare One Body Politick and Corporate, in Deed 
 and in Name. 
 
 And that by the same Name, they and their Successors shall 
 and may have perpetuall Succession. 
 
 And that they and their Successors, by that Name, shall and 
 may, for ever hereafter, be Persons Able and Capable in the Law to 
 Purchase, Have, Take, Receive, and Enjoy to them and their Suc 
 cessors, Mannors, Messuages, Lands, Tenements, Rents,Advowsons, 
 Liberties, Privileages, Jurisdictions, Franchises, and other Here 
 ditaments whatsoever, of whatsoever Nature, Kind and Quality 
 they be, in Fee and in Perpetuity, not exceeding the Yearly Value 
 of Two Thousand Pounds beyond Reprizalls ; and alsoe Estates for 
 Lives and for Yeares ; and all other Manner of Goods, Chattells, 
 
 E E 
 
418 APPENDIX, 
 
 and Things whatsoever, of what Name, Nature, Quality, or Value 
 soever they be, for the better Support and Maintenance of an 
 Orthodox Clergy in Forreigne Parts, and other the Uses aforesaid : 
 And to Give, Grant, Let, and Demise, the said Manners, Messuages, 
 Lands, Tenements, Hereditamts. Goods, Chattells, and Things 
 whatsoever aforesaid, by Lease or Leases, for Terme of Yeares, in 
 Possession at the Time of Granting thereof, and not in Reversion, 
 not exceeding the Ternie of One and Thirty Years from the Time 
 of Granting thereof ; on which, in Case noe Fine be taken, shall 
 be Reserved the Full Value ; and in Case a Fine be taken, shall 
 be Reserved at least a Moyety of the full Value that the same 
 shall reasonably and Bona Fide be worth at the Time of such 
 Demise. 
 
 And that by the Name aforesaid they shall and may be able to 
 Plead and be Impleaded, Answer and be Answered unto, Defend and 
 be Defended, in all Courts and Places whatsoever, and before what 
 soever Judges, Justices, or other Officers of Us, Our Heires and 
 Successors, in all and singular Actions, Plaints, Pleas, Matters and 
 Demands, of what Kind, Nature, or Quality soever they be : And 
 to act and doe all other Matters and Things, in as ample Manner 
 and Forme as any other Our Liege Subjects of this Our Realme of 
 England, being Persons able and capable in the Law, or any other 
 Body Corporate or Politique within this our Realme of England, 
 can, or may have, purchase, receive, possesse, take, enjoy, grant, 
 sett, let, demise, plead and be impleaded, answer, and be answered 
 unto, defend and be defended, doe permitt and execute. 
 
 And that the said Society for ever hereafter shall and may have 
 a Common Seale to serve for the Causes and Businesse of them and 
 their Successors : And that it shall and may be lawfull for them 
 and their Successors to change, breake, alter, and make New the 
 said Seale from Time to Time, and at their Pleasure, as they shall 
 think best. 
 
 And for the better Execucon of the purposes aforesaid, We doe 
 give and grant to the said Society for the Propagation of the 
 Gospell in Forreigne Parts, and their Successors, That they, and 
 their Successors for ever, shall, upon the Third Friday in February, 
 Yearely, meet at some convenient Place to be appointed by the 
 said Society, or the major Part of them, who shall be present at 
 
THE CHARTER. 419 
 
 any Generall Meeting, betweene the Houres of Eight and Twelve 
 in the Morning ; and that they, or the major Part of such of them 
 that shall then be present, shall choose one President, one or more 
 Vice-president or Vice-presidents, one or more Treasurer or Trea 
 surers, two or more Auditors, one Secretary, and such other Officers, 
 Ministers, and Servants, as shall be thought convenient to serve 
 in the said Offices for the Yeare ensueing : And that the said 
 President and Vice-presidents, and all Officers then elected, shall, 
 before they act in their respective Offices, take an Oath, to be to 
 them administred by the President, or in his Absence by one of 
 the Vice-presidents, of the Yeare preceeding, who are hereby 
 authorized to administer the same, for the faithfull and due 
 Execucon of their respective Offices and Places dureing the said 
 Yeare. 
 
 And Our further Will and Pleasure is, That the first President 
 of the said Society shall be Thomas, by Divine Providence, Lord 
 Arch Bishop of Canterbury, Primate and Metropolitan of all 
 England : And that the said President shall, within Thirty Dayes 
 after the passing of this Charter, cause Summons to be issued to 
 the severall Members of the said Society herein particularly men- 
 coned, to meet at such Time and Place as he shall appoint : And 
 that they, or the major Tart of such of them as shall then be 
 present, shall proceed to the Eleccon of one or more Vice-president 
 or Vice-presidents, one or more Treasurer or Treasurers, two or 
 more Auditors, one Secretary, and such other Officers, Ministers, 
 and Servants, as to them shall seem meet ; which said Officers, 
 from the Time of Their Eleccon into their respective Offices, shall 
 continue therein untill the Third Friday in February, which shall 
 be in the Yeare of Our Lord, One Thousand Seaven Hundred and 
 One, and from thence forwards untill others shall be chosen into 
 their Places, in Manner aforesaid. 
 
 And that if it shall happen, that any of the Persons at any 
 Time chosen into any of the said Offices shall dye, or on any 
 Account be removed from such Office at any Time between the 
 said yearly Dayes of Election, that in such Case it shall be lawfull 
 for the surviving and continueing President, or any one of the 
 Vice-presidents, to issue Summons to the severall Members of the 
 Body Corporate, to meet at the usuall Place of the Annuall 
 
 E E 2 
 
420 APPENDIX. 
 
 Meeting of the said Society, at such Time as shall be specified in 
 the said Summons ; and that such Members of the said Body 
 Corporate, who shall meet upon such Summons, or the major Part 
 of them, shall and may choose an Officer or Officers into the Roome 
 or Place of such Person or Persons, soe dead or removed, as to 
 them shall seem meet. 
 
 And Wee doe further Grant unto the said Society for the Pro 
 pagation of the Gospell in Forreigne Parts, and their Successors, 
 That they and their Successors shall and may, on the third Friday 
 in every Month, yearely, for ever hereafter, and oftner if Occasion 
 require, meet at some convenient Place to be appointed for that 
 Purpose, to transact the Businesse of the said Society, and shall 
 and may at any Meeting on such Third Friday in the Month, 
 Elect such Persons to be Members of the said Corporation, as they, 
 or the major Part of them then present, shall think Beneficiall to 
 the Charitable Designes of the said Corporation. 
 
 And Our Will and Pleasure is, That noe Act done in any 
 Assembly of the said Society shall be effectuall and valid, unlesse 
 the President or some one of the Vice-presidents, and Seaven 
 other Members of the said Company at the least, be present, and 
 the major Part of them consenting thereunto. 
 
 And Wee further Will, and by these Presents, for Us, Our 
 Heires and Successors, doe Ordaine and Grant unto the said 
 Society for the Propagation of the Gospell in Forreigne Parts, and 
 their Successors, That they, and their Successors, or the major 
 Part of them who shall be present at the first and second Meeting 
 of the said Society, or at any Meeting on the Third Friday in the 
 Months of November, Frebuary, May, and August, yearely for 
 ever, and at noe other Meetings of the said Society, shall and may 
 Consult, Determine, Constitute, Ordaine, and Make any Consti 
 tutions, Lawes, Ordinances and Statutes whatsoever ; as alsoe to 
 execute Leases for Yeares, as aforesaid, which to them, or the 
 major Part of them then present, shall seem reasonable, profitable, 
 or requisite, for, touching or concerning the Good Estate, Rule, 
 Order and Government of the said Corporation, and the more 
 effectuall promoteing the said Charitable Designes : All which 
 Lawes, Ordinances, and Constitucons, soe to be made, ordained and 
 established, as aforesaid, Wee Will, Command, and Ordaiue, by 
 
THE CHARTER. 421 
 
 these Presents, for Us, Our Heires, and Successors, to be from 
 Time to Time, and at all Times hereafter, kept and performed in 
 all Things as the same ought to be, on the Penalties and Amerce 
 ments in the same to be imposed and limited, soe as the same 
 Lawes, Constitucons, Ordinances, Penalties, and Amercements, be 
 reasonable, and not repugnant or contrary to the Laws and 
 Statutes of this Our Realme of England. 
 
 And Wee doe likewise Grant unto the said Society for Propa 
 gation of the Gospell in Forreigne Parts, and their Successors, 
 that they and their Successors, or the major Part of such of them 
 as shall be present at any Meeting of the said Society, shall have 
 Power from Time to Time, and at all Times hereafter, to depute 
 such Persons as they shall think fitt to take Subscriptions, and to 
 gather and collect such Moneys as shall be by any Person or Persons 
 contributed for the Purposes aforesaid. 
 
 And shall and may remove and displace such Deputyes as often 
 as they shall see Cause soe to doe, and to cause publick Notification 
 to be made of this Charter, and the Powers hereby granted, in 
 such Manner as they shall think most conduceable to the Further 
 ance of the said Charity. 
 
 And Our further Will and Pleasure is, That the said Society 
 shall Yearely, and every Yeare, give an Account in Writing to 
 Our Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper of the Great Scale of Eng 
 land for the Time being, the Lord Cheife Justice of the King s 
 Bench, and the Lord Cheife Justice of the Common Pleas, or any 
 two of them, of the severall Summe or Summes of Money by them 
 received and laid out by vertue of these Presents, or any Authority 
 hereby given, and of the Management and Disposicon of the 
 Revenues and Charityes aforesaid. 
 
 And lastly Our Pleasure is, That these Our Letters Patents, or 
 the Inrollment thereof, shall be good, firme, valid, and efFectuall 
 in the Law, according to Our Roy all Intentions herein before 
 declared. In Witnes whereof, Wee have caused these Our Letters 
 to be made Patents. Witnes Ourselfe at Westminster the Six 
 teenth Day of June, in the Thirte2nth Yeare of our Reigne. 
 Per Breve de Privato Sigillo, 
 
 COCKS. 
 (L.S.) 
 
422 APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX B. p. 21. 
 
 The original Parchment Roll, dated Oct. 17, 1701 Dec. 30, 
 1709, contains the names, which are (with few exceptions) in 
 autograph, of the following persons among many others: 
 
 TIIO. CANTUAR (Tenison,) 
 
 Jo. EBOR (Sharp,) 
 
 BISHOP OP LONDON (Compton.) 
 
 BISHOP OF BANGOR (Jones.) 
 
 E. BATH AND WELLS (Kidder.) 
 
 N. CESTRIENS (Strafford.) 
 
 Jo. CHICHESTER (Williams.) 
 
 BISHOP OP ELY (Patrick.) 
 
 BISHOP OF GLOUCESTER (Fowler.) 
 
 H. HEREFORD (Humphreys.) 
 
 BlSHOP OF LlCHFIELD AND COVENTRY... (Hough.) 
 
 JA. LINCOLN (Gardiner.) 
 
 J. NORWICH (Moore.) 
 
 W. OXON (Talbot.) 
 
 Bic. PETERBOROUGH (Cumberland.) 
 
 GEO. SARUM ..- (Burnet.) 
 
 W. WORCESTER (Lloyd.) 
 
 THO. SODOR AND MAN (Wilson.) 
 
 GEO. STANHOPE (Dean of Canterbury.) 
 
 EICH. WILLIS (Dean of Lincoln.) 
 
 THE DEAN OF NORWICH (Prideaux.) 
 
 WILL. STANLEY (Dean of St. Asaph.) 
 
 AFTERWARDS. 
 
 WILL. WAKE Abp. of Canterbury. 
 
 Jo. POTTER Abp. of Canterbury. 
 
 WILL. BEVERIDGE Bp. of St. Asaph. 
 
 EDM. GIBSON Bp. of London. 
 
 WHITE KENNETT Bp. of Peterborough. 
 
 OFFSPRING BLACKBALL Bp. of Exeter. 
 
 FR. GASTRELL Bp. of Chester. 
 
 CHARLES TRIMNELL Bp. of Norwich. 
 
INSTRUCTIONS TO COLONIAL GOVERNORS. 423 
 
 GUILFORD (LORD). 
 GEO. WHEELER (SIR) 
 SERGEANT HOOKE. 
 JOHN CHAMBERLAYNE. 
 CHARDIN (Sin JOHN). 
 
 How : COTTON. 
 H. HODY. 
 J. EVELYN. 
 
 R. NELSON. 
 
 APPENDIX C. p. 45. 
 
 Extract from the " Instructions" given to Earl Clarendon, when 
 Lord Cornbury, and Governor of New York, January, 1703. 
 
 60. You shall take especial care that God Almighty be 
 devoutly and duly served throughout your government, the Book 
 of Common Prayer, as by law established, read each Sunday and 
 Holyday, and the blessed Sacrament administered according to 
 the rites of the Church of England ; you shall be careful that the 
 churches already built there be well and orderly kept, and that 
 more be built as the Colony shall by God s blessing be improved ; 
 and that, besides a competent maintenance to be assigned to the 
 Minister of each orthodox church, a convenient house be built 
 at the common charge for each Minister, and a competent 
 proportion of land assigned him for a glebe and exercise of his 
 industry. And you are to take care that the Parishes be so 
 limited and settled, as you shall find most convenient for the 
 accomplishing this good work.* 
 
 61. You are not to prefer any Minister to any Ecclesiastical 
 Benefice in that our Province without a certificate from the Right 
 Reverend Father in God, the Bishop of London, of his being 
 conformable to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of 
 
 * This clause, and clause 63, are almost verbatim the form of "Instruc 
 tions" still sent out to the Colonial Governors ; the Bishop of the Diocese, 
 of course, being substituted for the Bishop of London. See Anderson s 
 History of the Church of England in the Colonies, p. 478. 
 
424 APPENDIX. 
 
 England, and of a good life and conversation. And if any person 
 preferred already to a Benefice shall appear to you to give 
 scandal, either by his doctrine or manners, you are to use the 
 best means for the removal of him, and to supply the vacancy in 
 such manner as we have directed. 
 
 62. You are to give order forthwith (if the same be not 
 already done) that every orthodox Minister within your govern 
 ment be one of the Vestry in his respective parish, and that no 
 Vestry be held without him, except in case of sickness, or that, 
 after notice of a Vestry summoned, he omit to come. 
 
 63. You are to enquire whether there be any Minister within 
 your government, who preaches and administers the sacrament in 
 any orthodox church or chapel without being in due orders, and 
 to give an account thereof to the said Bishop of London. 
 
 APPENDIX D. p. 85. 
 
 As the Missionaries were sent into countries where there was no 
 Bishop, a Paper of " Instructions," was given to them, in regard 
 to their duty, before their departure their conduct during the 
 voyage, and on their arrival and lastly, with respect to their 
 Pastoral Charge. 
 
 The following are among the most important : 
 
 " That before their Departure they wait upon his Grace 
 the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, their Metropolitan, and 
 upon the Lord Bishop of London, their Diocesan, to receive their 
 Paternal Benediction and Instructions. 
 
 " That they always keep in their View the great Design of their 
 Undertaking, viz. To promote the Glory of Almighty God, and 
 the Salvation of Men, by Propagating the Gospel of our Lord and 
 Saviour. 
 
 " That they often consider the Qualifications requisite for those 
 who would effectually promote this Design, viz. A sound Know 
 ledge and hearty Belief of the Christian Religion ; an Apostolical 
 Zeal, tempered with Prudence, Humility, Meekness, and Patience ; 
 a fervent Charity towards the Souls of Men; and finally, that 
 
COLONY OF NOVA SCOTIA. 425 
 
 Temperance, Fortitude, and Constancy, which become good 
 Soldiers of Jesus Christ. 
 
 " That in order to the obtaining and preserving the said Quali 
 fications, they do very frequently in their Retirements offer up 
 fervent Prayers to Almighty God for his Direction and Assist 
 ance; converse much with the Holy Scriptures ; seriously reflect 
 upon their Ordination Vows ; and consider the Account which 
 they are to render to the great Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls 
 at the last Day. 
 
 " That avoiding all Names of Distinction, they endeavour to 
 preserve a Christian Agreement and Union one with another, as a 
 Body of Brethren, of one and the same Church, united under 
 the superior Episcopal Order, and all engaged in the same great 
 Design of Propagating the Gospel ; and to this End, keeping up 
 a Brotherly Correspondence, by meeting together at certain 
 Times, as shall be most convenient, for mutual Advice and 
 Assistance." 
 
 APPENDIX E. p. 355. 
 
 At a Special Meeting of the Society held on the 7th April, 1749, 
 Present The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and Ten 
 Suffragan Bishops, the following letter 1 from the Lords Com 
 missioners of Trade and Plantations was read : 
 
 "Whitehall, April 6th, 1749. 
 
 " SIB, His Majesty having given directions that a number of 
 persons should be sent to the Province of Nova Scotia, in North 
 America, I am directed by my Lords Commissioners for Trade and 
 Plantations, to desire you will acquaint the Society for Propagating 
 the Gospel in Foreign Parts, that it is proposed to settle the said 
 persons in six Townships, and that a particular spot will be set 
 apart in each of them for building a Church, and 400 acres of 
 land adjacent thereto granted in perpetuity, free from the pay 
 ment of any Quit Rent, to a Minister and his successors, and 200 
 
 1 Journal, Vol. XI. p. 1 05. 
 
426 APPENDIX. 
 
 in like manner to a Schoolmaster. Their Lordships therefore 
 recommend to the Society to name a Minister and Schoolmaster 
 for each of the said Townships, hoping that they will give such 
 encouragements to them as the Society shall think proper, until 
 their lands can be so far cultivated as to afford a sufficient 
 support. 
 
 " I am further to acquaint you that each Clergyman who shall 
 be sent with the persons who are to form this first settlement, will 
 have a grant of 200 acres of land, and each Schoolmaster 100 
 acres in perpetuity to them and their heirs, as also 30 acres over 
 and above their said respective quotas, for every person of which 
 their families shall consist j that they will likewise be subsisted 
 during their passage, and for twelve months after their arrival, 
 and furnished with arms, ammunition, and materials for hus 
 bandry, building their houses, &c. in like manner as the other 
 settlers. 
 
 " Their Lordships think proper that the Society should be 
 informed that (except the Garrison of Annapolis) all the inhabi 
 tants of the said Province, amounting to 20,000, are French 
 Roman Catholics, and that there are a great number of priests 
 resident among them^ who act under the directions of the French 
 Bishop of Quebec. 
 
 " At the same time their Lordships would recommend it to 
 the consideration of the Society, whether it may not be advisable 
 to choose some amongst others of the Ministers and Schoolmasters 
 to be sent, who by speaking the French language may be par 
 ticularly useful in cultivating a sense of the true Protestant 
 Religion among the said inhabitants, and educating their children 
 in the principles thereof. 
 
 " I am, SIR, your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 "JOHN POWNALL, Solicitor, &c. 
 Clerk of the Reports." 
 
A31ERICAN BISHOPS. 
 
 427 
 
 APPENDIX P. 
 
 TABLE OF AMERICAN DIOCESES AND BISHOPS, 
 
 1845. 
 
 Dioceses. 
 
 Date of 
 Erection. 
 
 Name of Bishop, 1845. 
 
 Date of 
 Consecration. 
 
 Connecticut .... 
 Pennsylvania .... 
 New York 
 
 1784 
 
 1787 
 1787 
 1790 
 
 Thomas Church Brownall, D.D. 
 Alonzo Potter, D.D 
 Benj. Tredwell Onderdonk, D.D. 
 William Meade, D.D. . . . | 
 
 1819 
 1845 
 1830 
 1829 
 
 
 
 John Johns D D (Coadjutor) ) 
 
 1 049 
 
 Maryland 
 
 17Q2 
 
 W Robinson Whittingham DD 
 
 1840 
 
 South Carolina . . . 
 Massachusetts .... 
 New Jersey 
 Ohio 
 
 1795 
 1797 
 1815 
 i 01 q 
 
 Christopher E. Gadsden, D.D. . 
 Manton Eastburn, D.D. . . . 
 George Washington Doane, D.D. 
 Charles Pettit M llvaine D D 
 
 1840 
 1842 
 1832 
 1832 
 
 North Carolina . . . 
 Vermont . 
 
 1823 
 1 8^9 
 
 Levi Silliman Ives, D.D. . . . 
 John Henry Hopkins D D 
 
 1831 
 
 1832 
 
 Kentucky .... 
 
 1832 
 
 Benjamin Bosworth Smith D D 
 
 1832 
 
 
 1834 
 
 James Hervey Otey D D. . . 
 
 1834 
 
 
 1 oqc 
 
 Philander Chase D D 
 
 1 Q1Q 
 
 Indiana, Wisconsin, and) 
 Iowa j 
 
 1835 
 1 R^fi 
 
 Jackson Kemper, D.D 
 Samuel Allen M Coskry D D 
 
 1835 
 
 1 CQfi 
 
 Louisiana 
 
 1838 
 
 Leonidas Polk D D 
 
 1838 
 
 Western New York . . 
 
 1839 
 1841 
 
 Win. Heathcote De Lancey, D.D. 
 Stephen Elliott D D . . 
 
 1839 
 1841 
 
 Delaware 
 
 1841 
 
 Alfred Lee, D.D 
 
 1841 
 
 Maine and Rhode Island 
 New Hampshire . . . 
 
 1843 
 1844 
 1844 
 
 John P. Kewley Henshawe, D.D. 
 Carlton Chase, D.D 
 Nicholas H Cobbs D D 
 
 1843 
 1844 
 1844 
 
 Missouri . 
 
 1844 
 
 Cicero S Hawks 
 
 1844 
 
 Arkansas 
 Amoy, China . 
 
 1844 
 1844 
 
 George W. Freeman, D.D. . . 
 William Boone 
 
 1844 
 1844 
 
 Turkish Dominions . . 
 
 1844 
 
 Horatio Southgate 
 
 1844 
 
 
 
 
 
428 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 TABLE OF COLONIAL DIOCESES AND BISHOPS, 
 
 1845. 
 
 Dioceses. 
 
 Date of 
 Erection. 
 
 Name of Bishop, 1845. 
 
 Date of 
 Consecration. 
 
 Nova Scotia .... 
 Quebec 
 
 1787 
 1793 
 1839 
 1839 
 1824 
 1824 
 1842 
 1842 
 1814 
 1835 
 1837 
 1836 
 1841 
 1842 
 1842 
 1845 
 1845 
 
 added- 
 
 John Inglis, D.D 
 George J. Mountain, D.D. . . 
 John Strachan, D.D. . . . . 
 Edward, Feild, D.D 
 Aubrey George Spencer, D.D. . 
 Thomas Parry, D.D 
 Daniel G. Davis, D.D. .... 
 William Piercy Austin, D.D. . 
 Daniel Wilson, D.D 
 George Thomas Spencer, D.D. . 
 Thomas Carr, D.D 
 
 1825 
 1836 
 1839 
 1844 
 1843 
 1842 
 1842 
 1842 
 1832 
 1837 
 1837 
 1836 
 1841 
 1842 
 1842 
 1845 
 1845 
 
 Toronto 
 
 Newfoundland .... 
 Jamaica . 
 
 Barbados . ... 
 
 Antigua 
 Guiana 
 
 
 Madras . 
 
 Bombay 
 
 Australia . 
 
 William G. Broughton, D.D. . 
 George A. Selwyn, D.D . . . 
 Francis Eussell Nixon, D.D. . . 
 George Tomlinson, D.D. . . . 
 John Medley D D 
 
 New Zealand .... 
 Tasmania 
 
 Gibraltar 
 
 Fredericton 
 
 
 James Chapman, D.D 
 
 If to the foregoing list be 
 
 For the Congregations of the) , r TT T 
 [ M. H. F. Luscombe, LL.D. 
 Church of England in France. 3 
 
 Anglican Church at Jerusalem. M. S. Alexander, D.D. ; 
 
 the whole number of Bishops of our Communion in other countries amounts 
 
 to forty-seven ; and, singularly enough, the number at home, including 
 
 England, Ireland, and Scotland, is at present precisely the same making 
 
 in all NUTETY-FOTIR. 
 
CONCLUDING NOTICES. 429 
 
 SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 Before bringing this Volume to a close, it may be well to add a 
 few particulars respecting that Society, which, for a period of 
 fourscore years, so largely contributed to the support of the 
 Church in the North American Colonies. 
 
 The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, if it may not 
 in strictness of speech be called the organ of the Church for 
 the department of missions, is at least entitled to the credit 
 of having led the way in this great work and has, from the 
 beginning, enjoyed the confidence, and been guided by the 
 counsels, of the spiritual rulers of our Church. 
 
 The successive Archbishops of Canterbury, from the time of 
 William the Third to the present day, have been the Presidents of 
 the Society, whose proceedings have been uniformly in strict 
 accordance with the spirit of our Ecclesiastical system, 
 
 At the Anniversary Festival, which has been celebrated without 
 interruption since the year 1702, the sermon, with rare ex 
 ceptions, has been preached by a Bishop ; and in this way the 
 claims of the Society have been upheld by Burnet, Beveridge, 
 Sherlock, Berkeley, Butler, Seeker, Warburton, Newton, Lowth, 
 Hurd, Porteus, Horsley, Burgess, and Van Mildert. 1 
 
 For the carrying on of its great designs, the Society was 
 dependent upon voluntary contributions, whether by gift or annual 
 subscription. The following table of income and expenditure for 
 the first five years will be read with interest : 
 
 Income. Expenditure. 
 
 To Midsummer 1702 . . . 1,537 . . . 452 
 
 " 1703 ... 952 ... 588 
 
 " 1704 . . . 1,146 ... 864 
 
 " 1705 . . . 1,507 . . . 1,343 
 
 1706 . . . 1,205 . . . 2,519 
 
 From 1710 to 1750, the annual receipts averaged 2,150 ; from 
 1750 to 1770, the average rose to 4,OOOZ., but rapidly fell soon 
 after the commencement of the political troubles in 1776. At no 
 period was the ordinary income of the Society sufficient to meet 
 
 1 A volume containing twelve anniversary sermons preached before the 
 Society,, has recently been published. Sharpe : London 1845. 
 
430 APPENDIX. 
 
 < 
 
 its annual expenditure ; and, therefore, it soon became necessary to 
 have recourse to some extraordinary means for raising the amount 
 requisite to carry on its operations. 
 
 The plan determined on was to present a petition to the Crown, 
 to authorize a general collection in all the Churches and Chapels 
 throughout the Country ; and here, perhaps, a brief account of 
 the several Royal Letters, in behalf of the Society, may be ac 
 ceptable. 
 
 It has already been stated l that an ordinance was passed in 
 1649, during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, for a general 
 collection in aid of the " President and Society for the Propagation 
 of the Gospel in New England" 
 
 In the anniversary sermon, for the year 1709, the Bishop of 
 Chester 2 offered a suggestion, which has proved of lasting benefit 
 to the Missions of the Church. After showing how persons of all 
 classes and conditions should combine in the great work of pro 
 pagating the gospel throughout the world, he concludes with a 
 practical proposal, which we give in his own words, not without 
 a hope that it may some day be acted upon more fully than ever 
 it has yet been : 
 
 " And for the more effectual securing the alms and prayers of 
 all good Christians towards the carrying on of this great work, 
 give me leave humbly to propose a few things to you by way of 
 question : As whether it would not be proper to recommend it to 
 our Governors, (especially since they have been already pleased to 
 countenance and authorize this work,) to set apart a day once in 
 the year, by public fasting and prayer, to implore God s blessing 
 upon it ? And to make this as easy to all persons as may be, 
 whether Good Friday, which is already appointed to be publicly 
 kept holy, with fasting and prayer, in commemoration of the Son 
 of God s dying for the redemption of all mankind, Gentiles as 
 Jews, might not be a proper day for this purpose ? especially 
 considering that our church itself has led us to this thought, 
 by making one of its collects, for that day, a prayer for the con 
 version of all Jews, Turks, infidels, and heretics : and whether 
 one or two collects more added, of the same kind, would not 
 
 1 Page 9. 
 
 2 Sir William Dawes, Bart., afterwards Archbishop of York. 
 
CONCLUDING NOTICES. 431 
 
 sufficiently accommodate the service of that day to this use 1 
 And farther, whether if a public collection were to be made in 
 all churches, especially in the churches of these two great cities, 
 (London and Westminster,) on that day, for the promoting of this 
 work, it would not be both a very proper and a very great help 
 and encouragement to it T 1 
 
 In consequence of this suggestion, the Society, at a meeting 
 held on the 19th December, 1710, agreed, "That an humble 
 address be made to her Majesty, representing the condition of the 
 Society, and praying that she would be pleased to issue her Royal 
 Proclamation, or her Letter, for a collection to be made in churches 
 and chapels on Good Friday, and in other places of public worship 
 on the Sunday following, in the cities of London and Westminster, 
 and bills of mortality, for promoting the designs of the Society." 2 
 
 A memorial was accordingly presented to the Queen by the 
 Archbishop of York, 3 to which her Majesty was graciously pleased 
 to answer, that " she thought not fit a general collection to be 
 made on Good Friday, because she was informed it had been 
 customary to make charitable collections for other uses on that 
 day, but that it was her Royal intention to grant the request of the 
 Society at a more proper opportunity." 4 Trinity Sunday was 
 the day ultimately fixed; and a Royal Letter was accordingly 
 addressed to the Bishops of London and Winchester, for a collec 
 tion within the limits above specified. The returns under this 
 first Royal Letter amounted to the sum of 3,0 GO/. 5 
 
 Three years afterwards, a similar application, with, however, 
 a more comprehensive prayer, was presented to her Majesty on 
 behalf of the Society, and she was again pleased to return a 
 favourable answer, and to address her Royal Letters to the Arch 
 bishop of Canterbury, the Bishops of London, Durham, Winches 
 ter, Exeter, Rochester, Bristol, and Chester, ordering collections 
 to be made in the cities of London and Westminster, with the 
 borough of Southwark, on Trinity Sunday, (May 9, 1713,) and 
 in the cities of Exeter and Bristol, with the sea-port towns of 
 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Plymouth, Bideford, Barnstaple, White- 
 haven, and Liverpool, on the llth July following. 
 
 1 Keport for 1709. 2 Journal, vol. i. p. 328. 3 Dr. Sharp. 
 
 4 Journal, ii. p. 27. 5 Report for 1713. 
 
432 APPENDIX*. 
 
 " These Royal Letters," says the Report of the Society, for 1714, 
 " were attended with so good success, by the blessing of God on 
 the fitting care and importunity of the clergy, and others, in 
 collecting the munificent charities of a willing people," that they 
 brought into the treasury of the Society no less an amount than 
 3,8871. 
 
 In 1717, a third collection, under authority of Letters from 
 King George I., was made in the cities of London and Westminster, 
 and within a circuit of ten miles, as also in " the principal towns 
 trading to the plantations in America," the same as already men 
 tioned on a former occasion. The day appointed for making the 
 collection was the Third Sunday in Advent. The amount raise 
 was 3,7271. 
 
 No other general collection was made until 1741, in which year 
 the Society, having far exceeded its income, addressed King 
 George II. in a memorial, stating that it " had distributed more 
 than one hundred thousand copies of the Bible, Common Prayer, 
 and other religious books, and that God had so far blessed its 
 endeavours, that not only some thousands of Indians and Negroes 
 had been instructed and baptized by the Missionaries, but likewise 
 by their means and procurement many churches had been built in 
 several parts of America, where, at present, in populous congrega 
 tions, the Word of God is taught, and the Sacraments administered 
 according to the Liturgy of the Church of England," and on these 
 grounds praying his Majesty to issue his Royal Letter for a general 
 collection of charity throughout England and Wales, for the good 
 uses of this Society. The petition was granted, and the Letter 
 addressed, through the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, to 
 the several suffragans in the two provinces. 1 
 
 This, which was the first collection directed to be made through 
 out the ivhole country, produced a considerable sum for these 
 times nearly 15,0221. 
 
 The next letter was issued, in 1751, by King George II., who 
 himself set the example of a liberal contribution, by a donation 
 of 5001. The proceeds of this letter were 19,783/. 
 No Royal Letter after this was granted till 1779, when George III. 
 
 1 Report for 1742. 
 
CONCLUDING NOTICES. 433 
 
 in the midst of the American war of independence, authorized 
 a general collection, and contributed from the privy purse a sum 
 of 500/. The total receipts on this occasion were 19,3711. 
 
 This was the last Royal Letter in aid of the Society during that 
 century the last therefore which properly belongs to this volume. 
 As ; however, it may interest some to know the amount of subse 
 quent collections, the following summary statement is added. 
 The Royal Letter of 1819 (February 10) was in aid of a special 
 object of very considerable importance the erection of a mission 
 college at Calcutta. It produced 45,747/. 
 
 The receipts on account of similar Letters since issued have been 
 as follow : 
 
 Date. Amount raised. 
 
 May 5, 1831 35,600 
 
 May 16, 1835 34,940 
 
 June 18, 1838 39,520 
 
 July 28, 1841 35,692 
 
 The Queen s Letter last issued is dated September 9, 1844, but 
 the returns are not yet complete. 
 
 It is worth remarking, how large an amount of good not of a 
 transitory but of a permanent character was effected by means 
 which, even taking into account these great periodical offerings 
 of the Church, were still far from considerable. At a time when 
 there was no other source from which the spiritual wants of the 
 American Colonies could be supplied, the Society was enabled to 
 maintain in those parts a regularly-increasing number of Mission 
 aries, till, in 1776, they amounted to eighty-six, besides twenty-one 
 Schoolmasters and Catechists. But it should be remembered, that 
 its operations were not confined to these provinces. As early as 
 the year 1732, a Missionary (the Rev. Mr. Smith) was sent to the 
 Bahamas, and a second in 1739, while a Catechist was maintained 
 in Barbados for the instruction of the Negroes. On the Mosquito 
 shore, both a Missionary and a Catechist were supported for several 
 years. In 1752, an itinerant Missionary was sent to the Negroes 
 in Guinea ; and a native African, educated and ordained in England, 
 the Rev. Philip Quaque, was stationed on the Gold Coast, where 
 he continued to officiate for above fifty years, from 1765 to 1816. 
 
 F F 
 
434 APPENDIX. 
 
 It will not be considered inappropriate to record in this place 
 the names of the Secretaries, by whom, in succession, the business 
 of the Society was conducted for a whole century. 
 
 John Chamberlain, Esq., was the first. He was a man of some 
 literary distinction, Fellow of the Royal Society, and author of 
 " Dissertations on the Most Memorable Events of the Old and New 
 Testaments," as well as of several miscellaneous pieces. 
 
 On his resignation, in 1712, he was succeeded by William 
 Taylor, Esq., who died three years afterwards. 
 
 Dr. Humphreys held the office from 1716 to 1739. He was 
 Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and thence preferred to the 
 Vicarage of Ware, in Hertfordshire, but is, perhaps, best known 
 as the author of " An Historical Account" of the Society down to 
 the year 1728. By his will he left a legacy of 300Z. to the Society. 
 
 He was succeeded by Dr. Philip Bearcroft, Master of the Charter 
 house, who, in 1744, preached the Anniversary Sermon, which 
 forms the sequel to the historical sketch of his predecessor. He 
 was Secretary for twenty-two years, from 1739 to 1761. 
 
 We can in no way so well speak of his successor as in the words 
 of Archbishop Seeker, who, writing to Dr. Johnson of New York, 
 December 10, 1761, says: " Dr. Bearcroft is dead, and we have 
 chosen Secretary, Dr. Daniel Burton, who was many years my 
 Chaplain, and is Chancellor of the diocese of Oxford, and Canon 
 of Christ Church, a very pious, and sensible, and diligent, and care 
 ful, and disinterested man ; who, I am fully persuaded, will give 
 entire satisfaction, both on this side the water and on yours." l 
 
 On Dr. Burton s resignation in 1773, Dr. Hind, Rector of 
 St. Anne s, Westminster, was elected, but held the office only five 
 years, when he was succeeded by Dr. Morice, Chaplain in Ordinary 
 to King George III., Rector of All Hallows, Bread Street, (the 
 church in which Milton was baptized,) and of Wennington, Essex. 
 Dr. Morice was Secretary for a long series of years, extending far 
 beyond the time comprised within the present Volume. 
 
 1 Chandler s Life of Johnson, p. 136. 
 
INDEX 
 
 F F 2 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Adams, Mr., 407, 408. 
 
 Rev J., 72 ; character of, 74. 
 Africans, instructed by S. P. G., 60, 
 
 270. 
 Albany, 33, 236, 240, 264, 266, 269, 
 
 284, 286, 290, 339 ; settlement of, 
 
 282. 
 Albemarle, 69, 77. 
 
 Duke of, 47. 
 
 Allen, Mr., 193. 
 
 Alliston, Rev. D., 125, 157. 
 
 Amboy, 27, 36, 44, 142, 144, 147, 
 
 158, 161, 164. 
 America Precinct, 240. 
 American Church, Address from, 
 
 354. 
 
 Prayer Book, 409, 
 
 States, the Church and 
 
 sects in, 12, 22, 37, 412 ; set 
 tlement of, 13, 342 ; opposition to 
 the Church in, 232, 242, 280. 
 
 War, 89, 129, 152, 161, 
 
 210, 303306, 328 ; effects of on 
 the Church, 243, 245, 249, 302, 
 305,309,311, 313, 328; loyalty 
 of the clergy, (see Missionaries ;) 
 termination of, 291. 
 
 Whig, published, 157, 160. 
 
 Dioceses and Bishops, 427. 
 
 Amherst, General, 290. 
 
 Amsterdam, New, 274. 
 
 Amwell, 150. 
 
 Andrew, St., 58, 273. 
 
 Andrews, Rev. Samuel, 399. 
 
 Rev. William, 266. 
 
 Annapolis, 163, 355, 360, 372, 426. 
 
 Anne, Fort, 265, 266. 
 
 (Queen) presents communion 
 
 plate to Philadelphia Church, 114; 
 appoints clergymen for the Indians, 
 264, 266. 
 
 Apoquimininck, 310. 
 
 Apthorp, Rev.E., 233. 
 Aramuskeet, 85. 
 Arlington, 214, 235. 
 Arnold, Rev. Jonathan, 189. 
 Ashurst, Mr., 9. 
 
 Sir William, 259. 
 
 Atterbury, Dr., 379. 
 
 Auchmuty, Rev. Samuel, 273, 307, 
 
 325, 332 ; his death, 341. 
 Augusta, 100. 
 Avery, Rev. Mr., 306. 
 
 Babcock, Rev. Luke, 306, 307. 
 
 Bacon, Chancellor, 347. 
 
 Badger, Rev. Mr., 250, 
 
 Bagot, Bishop, 345. 
 
 Bahamas, 433. 
 
 Bailey, Rev. Jacob, 230, 246, 255 ; 
 his persecution, 319. 
 
 Balfour, Rev. James, 353. 
 
 Baltimore, Lord, colonizes Maryland, 
 13 ; grant to, of land in Newfound 
 land, 347. 
 
 Baptism, general neglect of, 238. 
 
 Barbados, 433. 
 
 Barclay, Rev. Henry, 282, 286. 
 
 Mr. Henry, 284. 
 
 Barclay s Apology for the Quakers, 
 36, 41. 
 
 Barnett, Rev. John, 87. 
 
 Baron, Rev. Robert, 59. 
 
 Bartholomew, St., 59. 
 
 Barton, Rev. Thomas, account of his 
 mission, 127; testimony to, 132; 
 remarks on fanaticism, 135 ; on 
 the persecution of the missionaries, 
 139. 
 
 Bartow, Rev. John, 275. 
 
 Bass, Rev. Edward, 219, 255. 
 
 Bath-county, 69, 77; Bath-town, 85. 
 
 Bathurst, Lord, 172. 
 
 Batwell, Rev. Mr., 315. 
 
438 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Baxter, Rev. Richard, 9. 
 
 Bayley, Dr., 251. 
 
 Bayonne, 21.8. 
 
 Beach, Rev. John, 195, 233, 254, 
 331 ; his education, 201 ; testimo 
 nial of, 202 ; state of his mission, 
 203, 205 ; increase of congregation, 
 ib. ; sermon before the Convention, 
 208 ; controversy with Independ 
 ents, 209 ; his long services, 213 ; 
 death and character, 215. 
 
 Bearcroft, Rev. Dr. Philip, Secretary 
 to S. P. G., 434. 
 
 Beardsley, Rev. Mr., 306, 341. 
 
 Beaufort, 58. 
 
 Beckett, Rev. William, 121. 
 
 Bedford, 151. 
 
 Duke of, 393. 
 
 Belcher, Chief Justice, 357,358,367, 
 370, 372. 
 
 Bellamont, Lord, 33 ; memorial on 
 behalf of the Indians, 264. 
 
 Bennet, Rev. Joseph, 363. 
 
 Benson, Bishop, 394. 
 
 Bergen, 22. 
 
 Berkeley, Bishop, 154 ; Plan for sup 
 plying the colonies with clergymen, 
 168; sails to America, 170; returns 
 to England, 171 ; his character, 
 172 ; part of the subscriptions given 
 to S. P. G., 173. 
 
 Dean, 405. 
 
 Lord, 141. 
 
 Berks, 133. 
 
 Bermuda, Gates and Somers expe 
 dition wrecked at, 4 ; Ferrars be 
 quest to Governor for Bermuda 
 college, 7 ; Dr. Berkeley s plan for 
 a college, 168; charter granted, 
 170; fund disposed of by Sir R. 
 Walpole, 170. 
 
 Bethesda, 99. 
 
 Bewell, Mr., 221. 
 
 Beveridge, Bishop, 31. 
 
 Bible, (Indian), translated, 10, 320. 
 
 Bishops, account of the struggle for 
 the episcopate, 375 ; Archbishop 
 Laud s design, 376 ; memorial from 
 Burlington, 378 ; proposal to Con 
 vocation, 379 ; memorials to Queen 
 Anne and George I.; 143, 380 ; peti 
 tion from the colonies, 384 ; fund 
 for the support of, 146, 386, 394; 
 application from clergy of New 
 England, 387 ; exertions of 
 Bishop Seeker and others, 389 ; 
 appeals from missionaries, 396 ; 
 
 Boston Convention, 396; Gran- 
 ville Sharp s remarks, 402 ; act to 
 empower bishops to ordain for the 
 colonies, 403 ; Sharp s appeal, 
 403 ; interview with the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury, 404 ; consecrated 
 for the United States, 410 ; con 
 secrated for the colonies, 412. 
 
 Bishops in America required, 32, 34, 
 37,81,86, 87, 104, 11], 116, 124, 
 125, 134, 142, 144, 153, 157, 162, 
 166, 179, 185, 188, 199, 204, 207 
 212, 237, 265, 281, 293, 300, 318, 
 325, 340, 398. 
 
 (Nonjuring), consecration 
 
 by, 146, 386. 
 
 Bisse, Bishop, 379. 
 
 Blackmore, Sir Richard, 21. 
 
 Blair, Rev. James, Missionary at 
 New Plymouth, 8. 
 
 Rev. John, Missionary in 
 
 Carolina, 64 ; account of his 
 labours, 65. 
 
 Blandford, 232. 
 
 Bloomer, Rev. Mr., 333, 339. 
 
 Bonaventura, 353. 
 
 Bonavista, 349, 350. 
 
 Bondet, Rev. Mr., 282. 
 
 Books dispersed, (See S. P. G.) 
 
 Bosomworth, Rev. Mr., 100. 
 
 Boston, 24, 28, 29, 32, 38, 178, 179, 
 
 181, 187, 246, 248, 257, 303, 332 ; 
 
 first Church erected and endowed, 14. 
 
 College, 42. 
 
 Eostwick, Mr., 236. 
 Bours, Rev. Peter, 219. 
 Boyd, Rev. John, 77. 
 
 Boyle, Hon. Robert, Governor of 
 New England Corporation, 10 ; 
 Practice of Piety translated, 10 ; 
 bequest to New England Society, 11. 
 
 Braddock, General, 129, 287. 
 
 Braintree, 245 ; Colburn s gift for, 
 229. 
 
 Brantford, 197. 
 
 Bray, Rev. Dr., 21, 24, 95; Com 
 missary for Maryland, 15 ; plan 
 for the propagation of the gospel, 
 15, 16; returns to England, 16. 
 
 Breynton, Rev, Dr. John, 247, 358, 
 367, 369 ; testimony of, 371. 
 
 Bristol, 145, 178, 218, 247. 
 
 Brockwell, Rev. Mr., 220, 221. 
 
 Brooke, Rev. John, 144, 147, 271,281. 
 
 Brookhaven, 162. 
 
 Brown, Rev. Daniel, 42, 174, 175, 
 178. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 439 
 
 Browne, Andrew, 23. 
 
 Rev. Isaac, 162,167,188,341. 
 
 Rev. Marmaduke, 244. 
 
 Brunswick, 88, 160, 163, 297, 307, 
 
 332, 341. 
 
 Bryzelius, Rev. P., 357, 365. 
 Bucke, Rev. Mr., 4. 
 Bulkeley, Mr., 370. 
 Bull s Bay, 347, 352. 
 Burger, Rev. Mr., 356. 
 Burgoyne, General, 321, 339, 
 Burke, Mr., account of clergy in 
 
 Maryland, 13. 
 Burlington, 35, 36, 44, 117, 142, 
 
 145, 146, 148, 149, 160, 265, 378, 
 
 381, 385. 
 Burnet, Bishop, 25 ; sermon before 
 
 S. P. G., 19. 
 Burrough s Book, 39. 
 Burton, Rev. Dr., 91. 
 Rev. Dr. Daniel, Secretary to 
 
 S. P. G., 434. 
 Bute, 87. 
 
 Butler, Bishop, 344, 374. 
 Byles, Rev. Mather, account of, 248. 
 
 Cabot, Sebastian, 346. 
 
 Cambridge, 39, 43, 73, 173, 193, 245, 
 256, 273. 
 
 Camp, Rev. Mr., 218. 
 
 Campbell, Rev. Colin, 148. 
 
 Dugald, 386. 
 
 Lord William, 370. 
 
 Canaijohare, 320. 
 
 Caner, Rev. Dr., 195, 231, 234, 250 ; 
 testimony of the clergy, 245 ; seeks 
 refuge in Nova Scotia, 246, 247, 
 371 ; outline of his history, 246 ; 
 sails for England, 247 ; returns to 
 Rhode Island, 247. 
 
 Canogoehieg, 128. 
 
 Carbonear, 352. 
 
 Carlisle, 128, 130. 
 
 Carnarvon, 134, 137. 
 
 Carolina, 41 ; settlement of, 47 ; mor 
 tality at, 50 ; war with the natives, 
 55. 
 
 North, general account of, 
 
 64; Governor Eden s account of, 
 69 ; religious state, 67, 72, 74, 86. 
 
 South, religious state, 23, 
 
 35, 54, 56, 60. 
 
 Carotuck, 74, 81. 
 
 Carteret, Lord, 141. 
 
 Casco Bay, 255. 
 
 Chamberlain, Mr. John, appointed 
 secretary to S. P. G., 21, 434. 
 
 Chandler, Rev. Dr., 302, 315, 328, 
 339, 401, 411 ; account of, 150 ; 
 remarks on the American war, 155 ; 
 his publications, 157; retirement, 
 161 ; opinion on Whitfield s pro 
 ceedings, 195. 
 
 Chardin, Sir John, 21. 
 
 Charles L, grants land in Chesapeak 
 Bay to Lord Baltimore, 13. 
 
 Charles II. erects Church at Boston, 
 14 ; allows stipends to colonial 
 chaplains, 14; grants books to 
 parishes, 14; charter for South 
 Carolina, 47 ; grant of Jersey, 
 141. 
 
 Charleston, 16, 47, 57, 95; African 
 school, 61. 
 
 Charlton, Rev. R., 273. 
 
 Charter of S. P. G., 17, 416. 
 
 Chauncy, Rev. Dr., 157, 187. 
 
 Checkley, Rev. John, 225, 228 ; tried 
 for printing discourse on episco 
 pacy, 225. 
 
 Cheducto, 355. 
 
 Chesapeak Bay, 13. 
 
 Chester, East and West, 36, 42, 46, 
 108, 111, 119, 133, 256, 301, 303, 
 304, 305. 
 
 Chichester, 108. 
 
 Chowan, 68, 71, 72, 78. 
 
 Christian, Rev. N., 88. 
 
 Church, The, in America, (see 
 America.) 
 
 Claremont, 258. 
 
 Clarendon, Lord, 10, 47, 376. 
 
 Clark, Rev. Mr., 61. 
 , Rev. W., 245, 256, 361. 
 
 Clayton, Rev. Mr., missionary in 
 Philadelphia, 16, 107. 
 
 Clinton, General, 305. 
 
 Clubb, Rev. John, 115. 
 
 Colburn, Mr. Samuel, gift to Brain- 
 tree Church, 229. 
 
 Cole, Mr., 252. 
 
 Colebatch, Rev. Mr., 389. 
 
 Colonial Dioceses and Bishops, 428. 
 
 Colton, Rev. Mr., 218. 
 
 Communion, Holy, contempt of in 
 America, 73. 
 
 Compton, Bishop, 14, 17, 19, 20. 
 
 Compton, Little, 260. 
 
 Concord, 108, 236. 
 
 Conestego, 117. 
 
 Connecticut, 41 ; religious state, 24, 
 165, 232, 279, 341 ; list of 
 Churches in, 217; bishop of, 293, 
 296. 
 
440 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Convention of clergy, 34, 208, 234, 
 
 292,314. 
 
 Cooke, Rev. Mr., 339. 
 Coombe, Mr., 317. 
 Cooper, Rev. Dr., 159, 302, 316, 328. 
 Cooper River, 51. 
 Copp, Rev. Jonathan, 100. 
 Cornbury, Lord, 33, 35, 41, 45, 147, 
 
 265, 271, 276, 277 ; his character 
 
 of the clergy, 46 ; instructions 
 
 given to, 423. 
 Cornwallis, 360, 364, 366. 
 Cossit, Rev. Raima, 252, 257. 
 Cotton, Mr. John, 39. 
 Coughlan, Rev. Lawrence, 352, 353. 
 Cowper, Mr., 221. 
 Craig, Rev. George, 315, 396. 
 Crashawe, Rev. W., character of Rev. 
 
 A. Whitaker, 6. 
 Craven, Governor, 55. 
 Crawford, Rev. Thomas, 118. 
 Crompton, 292. 
 Cromwell, Oliver, establishes the 
 
 New England Society, 9 ; orders a 
 
 general parochial collection, 9. 
 Croswicks, 27. 
 Croton, 292 
 Crown Point, 229. 
 Culpepper, Lord, 24. 
 Cumberland, 129, 239, 367. 
 Cupples, Rev. Charles, b7. 
 Curry, Rev. Mr., 315. 
 Cushin, Mr., 40. 
 Cushing, 28. 
 Cutler, Rev. Dr, Timothy, 42, 174, 
 
 175, 178, 179, 186, 234, 387; bis 
 
 character, 186. 
 Cutting, Rev. Leonard, 198, 339 ; 
 
 account of, 308. 
 
 Dalcho s Account of South Carolina, 
 
 63. 
 Dale, Sir Thomas, expedition to 
 
 Virginia, 6. 
 
 Danforth, Rev. Samuel, 260. 
 Dartmouth college, 251. 
 Davenport, Mr., 221, 228. 
 Davies, Mr., 210. 
 Deane, Rev. Mr., 218. 
 Dedham, 245, 256, 361. 
 Delamotte, Mr., 93, 95. 
 Delaware Bay, 300 ; River, 27, 107, 
 
 111, 121, 306. 
 
 Delawarr, Earl, lands in Virginia, 5. 
 Dellius, Mr., 282. 
 Denis, St., 49. 
 Derby, 192, 234, 236. 
 
 Dibblee, Rev. E., 194, 199, 243, 292, 
 307, 398. 
 
 Dissenters, system of making gene 
 ral collections, 224 - f eiFect of the 
 Church on, 230 ; aid republican 
 ism, 241 ; ordination of, 224. 
 
 Dobbs, Governor, 86. 
 
 Doddridge, Rev. Dr., 391. 
 
 Dorr, Dr., 140. 
 
 Doty, Rev. John, 322. 
 
 Dover, 118, 123, 323, 324, 325, 326. 
 
 Drage, Rev. T. F., 66. 
 
 Duche, Mr., 317. 
 
 Duckenfield, Mr., 75. 
 
 Dudley, Colonel, 29 ; account of re 
 ligion in America, 23. 
 
 Duquesne, 129. 
 
 Dutchess County, 296. 
 
 Eagleson, Rev. J., 367- 
 
 Ebenezer, 91. 
 
 Eden, Governor, 68, 75. 
 
 Edentown, 76, 80. 
 
 Eliot, John, 10, 175, 262. 
 
 Elizabeth-town, 117, 142, 144, 147, 
 148, 150, 151, 160. 
 
 Ellington, Rev. Edward, 101. 
 
 Ellis, Rev. William, 365. 
 
 Endowments to the American church, 
 228. 
 
 England, duty of, to its colonies, 1. 
 
 New, Cromwell s charter 
 
 for erecting a corporation, 9 ; char 
 ter enlarged, 9 ; Nonconformists 
 flee to, 10; Boyle s bequest to the 
 Society, 1 1 ; first church erected, 
 14; religious state, 24, 28, 164; 
 list of churches and clergy in, 217 ; 
 Rev. John Week s account of the 
 churches, 255. 
 
 Erie, Lake, 289. 
 
 Erlington, 239. 
 
 Evans, Bishop, 20. 
 
 Mr. G., 55. 
 
 Mr. Nathan, 138. 
 
 Rev. Evan, 107, 277; his re 
 port on the state of the Church in 
 Pennsylvania, 108. 
 
 Evesham, 108. 
 
 Ewer, Bishop, 241, 400. 
 
 Fairfield, 187, 188, 195, 206, 216, 
 
 311, 313. 
 
 Falkland, Lord, 347. 
 Falmouth, 245, 251, 255, 319, 360, 
 
 366. 
 Fanaticism, progress of, 135, 180. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 441 
 
 Fayerweather, Rev. Mr., 256. 
 
 Fermeuse, 351. 
 
 Ferrar, Rev. Nicholas, member of the 
 
 Virginia Company, 7 ; his father s 
 
 bequest to Virginia College, 7. 
 Ferryland, 351. 
 Fleetwood, Bishop, sermon by, 60, 
 
 70. 
 
 Fletcher, Governor, 15, 275. 
 Flushing, 297, 337. 
 Forbes, General, 132. 
 Fowler, Bishop, 20. 
 Fox, George, founder of the Quakers, 
 
 13, 299. 
 
 Franckfort, 42, 224, 230. 
 Francklin, Governor, 357, 367, 372. 
 Franklin, Dr., 197, 402, 407. 
 
 Michael, Esq., 364. 
 
 Frederica, 101. 
 
 Freehold, 22, 147. 
 
 Freeman, Mr. Samuel, bequests to 
 
 the Church, 179. 
 Frink, Rev. Samuel, 101. s 
 
 Garden, Rev. Alexander, 56, 61, 95 ; 
 his character, 62 ; his replies to 
 Whitfield, 63. 
 
 Garzia, Rev. Mr., 78. 
 
 Gates, Sir Thomas, expedition com 
 manded by him, 4. 
 
 Georgetown, 224, 231, 255, 319. 
 
 Georgia founded, 90; divided into 
 parishes, 101, 104; its religious 
 state, 104. 
 
 Gibbs, Rev. Mr., 228. 
 
 Gibson, Bishop, 60, 178, 223, 3S6. 
 
 Giles, Rev. Mr., 125, 300, 325. 
 
 Gillingham, Mr. Richard, 33. 
 
 Glebes, allotment of, 227. 
 
 Gloucester, 239. 
 
 Glover, Colonel, 74. 
 
 Gold Coast, 434. 
 
 Goosecreek, 48, 59. 
 
 Gordon, Rev. Patrick, account of, 
 29, 31. 
 
 Rev William, 72. 
 
 Granville, 360, 362. 
 
 Graves, Rev. John, 225, 243. 
 
 Rev. Matthew, 400. 
 
 Greaton, 248. 
 
 Green, Bishop, 179. 
 
 Green Mountain, 239. 
 
 Greenwich Hospital, 15. 
 
 Guilford, 197, 232. 
 
 Guinea Coast, mission to, 149, 434. 
 
 Guy, Rev. William, 58, 60. 
 
 Guysborough, 361. 
 
 Hakluyt s Voyages, 2. 
 
 Halifax, 332, 355 ; population of, 
 
 356, 370. 
 
 Hall, Rev. Clement, account of, 79. 
 Hampshire, New, religious state of, 
 
 24, 165 ; list of churches in, 217 ; 
 
 glebe lands, 230. 
 Hampstead, 32, 46, 96. 
 Hampton, 39. 
 Harbour Grace, 352, 353. 
 Hariot, the Mathematician, 2. 
 Harrison, Rev James, 59. 
 Harshorne, Richard, 23. 
 Hart, Rev. Mr., 175. 
 Hartford, 306. 
 Harvard, John, 173. 
 College, 39, 43, 73, 173, 
 
 179, 186, 193, 219, 273. 
 Hasell, Rev. Thomas, 49, 57. 
 Hastings, Lady Elizabeth, 386. 
 Hawks, Rev. Dr., 147. 
 Hawley, Captain, 235. 
 Heathcote, Colonel, 46, 278. 
 Hebron, 197, 217, 294. 
 Helena, St., 57. 
 Helen s, St., 351. 
 Hempsted, 295, 296, 299, 308. 
 Henrico Church, Virginia, 6. 
 Henrietta Maria, 13. 
 Henry the Seventh s patent to Sebas 
 tian Cabot, 346. 
 Highgate, 96. 
 Hildreth, Mr., 273. 
 Hind, Rev. Dr., Secretary to S. P. G., 
 
 434. 
 
 Hobart, Bishop, 234. 
 Hodges, Mr., treasurer of S.P.G., 21. 
 Holly Mount, 148. 
 Honyman, Rev. James, 165, 201, 208, 
 
 388. 
 
 Hook, Mr. Sergeant, 21. 
 Hopewell, 142, 145. 
 Hopkinton, 216, 228. 
 Horton, 360, 367. 
 Howe, General, 304, 332, 335, 337 
 
 339. 
 
 Lord, 335, 338. 
 
 Howley, Captain, 240. 
 
 Hoyler, Thomas, 71. 
 
 Hubbard, Rev. Bela, 198, 199, 215, 
 
 242. 
 
 Hudson River, 41, 239, 274, 282, 332. 
 Hudson, Henry, discoveries by, 274. 
 Humphreys, Rev. Dr., Secretary to 
 
 S. P. G., 434. 
 Hunt, Rev. Robert, sails to America, 
 
 3, 375. 
 
442 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Hunter, Governor, 145, 273, 283. 
 Hunter, Fort, 284, 290, 320, 321,339. 
 Huntingdon, 127, 295, 296. 
 Kurd, Mr., 251. 
 Huron, Lake, 289. 
 Hyde, Lord Chancellor, 9. 
 Hyde, 85. 
 
 Indian war, 138. 
 
 Indians in Nova Scotia, 361. 
 
 , instruction and conversion 
 
 of, 126, 131, 159, 168, 197, 281, 
 283, 287, 320 ; early missions to, 
 259 ; obstacles to conversion, 263, 
 266 ; memorials to government, 
 264 ; Sachems embassy to Eng 
 land, 266 ; character of, 268 ; mis 
 sion resigned, 269 ; school esta 
 blished, 272 ; insurrection of, 272, 
 285. 
 
 Ingham, Mr., 93. 
 
 Inglis, Bishop, 159,314; appointed 
 missionary, 323 ; remarks on the 
 want of bishops, 326 ; remarks on 
 the American war, 328 ; appointed 
 to New York, 3J4 ; retires to Nova 
 Scotia, 344 ; consecrated bishop of 
 Nova Scotia, 411. 
 
 Inman, Mr., 256. 
 
 Iroquois Indians, 265. 
 
 Jackson, Rev. Mr., 347. 
 
 Jamaica, Long Island, 46, 297299. 
 
 James I., charters granted by, 3, 347. 
 
 James Town, destruction and rebuild 
 ing of the town, 4 ; town aban 
 doned, 5. 
 
 Jarvis, Mr., 198, 293. 
 
 Rev. Dr., 234, 258. 
 
 Jau, Dr. Le, 49 ; character of the 
 Indians and Negroes, 49. 
 
 Jenkyns, Sir Leolyne, fellowships at 
 Oxford for colonial clergymen, 
 11. 
 
 Jenney, Rev. Dr., 295, 314. 
 
 Jersey, New (or East and West), 41 ; 
 religious state of, 2224, 26 ; set 
 tlement of, 141 ; origin of its name, 
 141. 
 
 Jesuits, efforts to convert the Indians, 
 264. 
 
 John s, St., 321, 346, 350, 352, 361. 
 
 Johnson, Sir John, 322. 
 
 * Rev. Dr. Samuel, 42, 59, 
 
 169, 174, 175, 178, 187, 189, 194, 
 233, 386 ; account of his mission, 
 195; his publications, 196; his 
 
 degrees, 196 ; his studies, 197 ; 
 elected president of York College, 
 198 ; returns to his mission, 198 ; 
 death and character, 199 ; his Pre 
 face to Beach s Sermon, 208 ; Con 
 vention Sermon, 292. 
 
 Johnson, Sir William, 159, 290, 320, 
 327; gift for an episcopate, 293. 
 
 Johnstone, Rev. Gideon, 53. 
 
 Johnstown, 339. 
 
 Jones, Major General, 371. 
 
 Rev. Henry, 349. 
 
 Rev. Lewis, 57- 
 
 Keith, Governor, 23, 120, 142. 
 
 Rev. George, account of, 25, 
 
 36 ; first mission, 28 ; narrative of 
 his journey, &c., 38, 41, 44. 
 
 Kennebec, 231, 255. 
 
 Kennett, Bishop, 20. 
 
 Kent, 120, 324. 
 
 Kilgour, Bishop, 407. 
 
 Killpatrick, Rev. Robert, 348, 350. 
 
 King, Rev. James, 169. 
 
 Kingsbridge, 304. 
 
 King s College, (see New York.) 
 
 King s Province, 24. 
 
 Lamson, Rev. Mr. 199. 
 Lancaster, 133, 137, 323. 
 Lanesborough, 214, 235. 
 Langman, llev. Edward, 351. 
 Laud, Archbishop, 336. 
 Lawrence, St., 239. 
 
 Lieut.-Governor, 372. 
 
 Learning, Rev. Jeremiah, 194, 199, 
 
 306, 317, 396, 404. 
 Lewes, 121, 317. 
 Lewistown, 120. 
 Lichfield, 210, 224. 
 Lillingston, Rev. John, 143. 
 Lin, 38. 
 Lincoln, 230. 
 
 Livingston, Mr., 160, 241. 
 Livingstone, Robert, Esq., 264. 
 Llandaff, Bishop of, 160. 
 Lloyd, Thomas, 26, 194. 
 Locke, John, 47. 
 London, New, 135, 137, 195, 225, 
 
 248, 294. 
 Long Island, 41, 143, 304, 331, 332, 
 
 341, 404 ; religious state, 28, 32. 
 Louisiana, 289. 
 Lovick, Colonel, 82. 
 Lowth, Bishop, 400. 
 Ludlam, Rev. Mr., 51 ; legacy to 
 
 S. P. G., 51. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 443 
 
 Lunenburg, 356, 358, 368. 
 Lyons, Rev. Mr., 228. 
 
 Macclenaghan, Rev. Mr., 224. 
 Macgilchrist, Rev. Mr., 226, 256, 
 
 257. 
 
 Mackean, Rev. John, 163. 
 Mackintosh, Sir James, eulogy of 
 
 Bishop Berkeley, 171. 
 Macsparran, Rev. J., 167 ; his opinion 
 
 on Whitfield, 222; remarks on 
 
 glehe allotments, 227. 
 Magaw, Rev. Mr., 315. 
 Maherin, 75. 
 Mahew, Mr. E., 260. 
 Maidenhead, 108. 
 Maillard, Rev. Mr., 360. 
 Maine, Province, religious state, 24. 
 Manchester, 235. 
 Manning, Rev. Mr., 407. 
 Mansfield, Rev. Dr. Richard, 194; 
 
 his character, 234 ; account of his 
 
 visitations, 235 ; remarks on the 
 
 American war, 253 ; escapes from 
 
 the rebels, 254. 
 Marblehead, 143, 219, 245, 246, 256, 
 
 257. 
 
 Marlborough, 136, 137. 
 Marsden, Rev. Mr., 54. 
 Marshall, Rev. Samuel, Missionary 
 
 at Charlestown, 16, 48. 
 Marshcreek, 128. 
 Marshfield, 256. 
 Martha s Vineyard, 11, 260. 
 Martinico, 223. 
 Marty-n, Rev. Charles, 58. 
 Mary, St., Cape, 347. 
 Maryland, 41, 325, 332, 385; colo 
 nized, 13 ; Burke s account of the 
 
 clergy, 13; divided into parishes, 
 
 15; religious state, 24. 
 Massachusetts, 41, 230 ; religious 
 
 state of, 24, 165 ; list of Churches 
 
 in, 217; Bishop of, 219. 
 Mather, Rev. Increase, 43, 168, 259. 
 
 Rev. Cotton, 259. 
 
 Maule, Rev. Robert, account of, 51 ; 
 
 his bequest to S. P. G., 53. 
 Mayhew, Rev. Dr., 392. 
 Melmoth, Mr., appointed treasurer of 
 
 S. P. G., 21. 
 Merioneth, 109. 
 Merrett, Mr. John, his character, 
 
 233. 
 
 Merry, Rev. Mr., 51. 
 Methodism, effects of, 220, 223. 
 Michigan, Lake, 289. 
 
 Middleton, 22, 197, 218, 258, 293. 
 
 Milford, 206, 224. 
 
 Millard, Mr. Samuel, 43. 
 
 Miller, Rev. F., 220. 
 
 Fort, 240. 
 
 Mills, Mr., 190. 
 
 Miln, Rev. John, 283. 
 
 Mispillion, 325. 
 
 Missionaries, applications to S. P. G., 
 for, 43; difficulty of visitations, 67, 
 133, 201, 235, 364; evil of non- 
 settlement, 119, 120, 237, 239; 
 their usefulness, 46, 121, 160, 171, 
 177, 201, 204, 208, 226, 231 ; per 
 secution of, 139, 161, 163, 177, 
 192, 196,205,280,308; troubles 
 occasioned by the American war, 
 245, 246, 248, 249, 251, 280, 302 
 306, 314, 318, 321, 328; col 
 lection for, 343 ; testimony to their 
 loyalty, 344 ; parochial returns, 
 85, 224; privations of , 67, 70, 71, 
 79, 83, 88, 102, 133, 139, 160, 166, 
 187, 193, 225, 230 ; qualifications 
 of, 28, 44 ; want of in America, 44, 
 66, 70, 81, 120, 124 ; ecclesiastical 
 discipline, 62 ; (see also S. P. G., 
 and Bishops.) 
 
 Mississippi, 289. 
 
 Mohawk Indians, 266, 283, 286, 290, 
 320, 327. 
 
 Moir, Rev. James, 78, 81. 
 
 Monrnouth, 149, 284. 
 
 Montgomery, 108, 110. 
 
 Montreal, 322. 
 
 Moor, Rev. T., account of, 265, 271, 
 281, 377. 
 
 Moore, Archbishop, 404. 
 
 Moreau, Rev. M., 356. 
 
 Morey. Mr., 251. 
 
 Morice, Rev. Dr., Secretary to S.P.G., 
 434. 
 
 Morris, Colonel, memorial to S.P.G., 
 22, 29. 
 
 Rev. W., 100. 
 
 Mosquito country, 350, 433. 
 
 Muirson, Rev. George, 143 ; his re 
 commendation, 277 ; account of his 
 mission, 278. 
 
 Murray, Rev. Alexander, 236, 315; 
 proposed as Bishop of Virginia, 376. 
 
 Nantucket, 11. 
 
 Narraganset, 24, 167, 227. 
 
 Neau, Mr. Elias, 263, 270 ; appointed 
 
 catechist to the negroes, 270 ; his 
 
 school, 272, 
 
444 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Negroes, Missions to, 270. 
 
 Neill, Rev. Hugh, 123, 323. 
 
 Nelson, Robert, 21. 
 
 Netherlands, New, 274. 
 
 Neuse River, 70, 78. 
 
 Newark, 160, 162. 
 
 Newburgh, 339. 
 
 Newbury, 219, 255. 
 
 Newcastle, 27, 110, 118. 
 
 Newfoundland, settlement and state 
 
 of, 316 ; ecclesiastical returns, 351. 
 Newhaven, 168, 188, 194, 208, 232, 
 
 234, 239, 242. 
 Newman, Rev. Thomas, account of 
 
 his labours, 75. 
 Newport, 137, 165, 167, 172, 244, 
 
 256, 367. 
 
 Newton, Rev. Mr., 226. 
 Newtown, or Newton, 187, 195, 201, 
 
 202, 207, 213,333. 
 Niagara, 288, 289. 
 Nichols, Rev. Henry, 12, 108, 111, 
 
 119. 
 Nicholson, Governor, 21, 24, 36, 
 
 142, 166, 379 ; his character, 142. 
 Nobletown, 214. 
 Nonconformists go to New England, 
 
 10. 
 
 Northcastle, 151, 292. 
 Norwalk, 197, 219, 246, 317. 
 Norwich, 238. 
 Nova Scotia, clergy in, 159; ceded 
 
 to England, 354 ; settlers sent to, 
 
 354 ; endowments for, 355, 425 ; 
 
 Bishop s account of the refugees, 
 
 373 ; consecration of Bishop In- 
 
 glis, 411 ; Government s proposal 
 
 for endowments, 425. 
 
 Odell, Rev. Mr., 341. 
 Ogilvie, Rev. John, 286291. 
 Oglethorpe, General, 90, 92. 
 Ohio, 128, 129, 289. 
 Okpaak, 361. 
 Oneida Indians, 266, 288. 
 
 Lake, 290. 
 
 Orem, Rev. James, 177. 
 
 Oswego, 290. 
 
 Ottolenghr, Mr., 290, 
 
 Outharbours, 351. 
 
 Oxford, 111, 115, 123, 126, 315, 317, 
 
 323. 
 Oyster Bay, 28, 42, 296. 
 
 Palmer, Rev. Solomon, 224, 230. 
 Pamplico, 67. 
 Paplin, Rev. Mr., 252. 
 
 Paquimans, (see Pequimans.) 
 
 Parker, Rev. Mr., 257. 
 
 Pasquotank, 68, 73, 74, 80. 
 
 Paul s, St., 84. 
 
 Peach hills, 292. 
 
 Peaseley, Rev. Mr., 350. 
 
 Penn, William, Pennsylvania granted 
 to, 13. 
 
 Pennsborough, 128. 
 
 Pennsylvania, colonized, 13 ; reli 
 gious state, 23, 24, 26, 42, 108, 
 120 ; first settlement, 107 ; Bishop 
 of, 410. 
 
 Pequea, 134, 137. 
 
 Pequimans, 68, 72, 80. 
 
 Perlican, 349, 353. 
 
 Peters, Colonel John, 251. 
 
 Rev. Hugh, 241. 
 
 Rev. Samuel, 251 ; his mis 
 sionary tour, 239. 
 
 Petrie, Bishop, 407. 
 
 Petty Harbour, 350. 
 
 Philadelphia College, 197; Congress, 
 304; religious state, 16, 26, 32, 
 225, 331, 385. 
 
 Philip s, St., 87. 
 
 Philipsburg, 307. 
 
 Pictou, 365. 
 
 Pierson, Mr. John, 188. 
 
 Pigot, Rev. George, 167. 
 
 Piscataway, 22, 28, 41, 147, 163. 
 
 Placentia, 348, 351, 353. 
 
 Plant, Mr., 219. 
 
 Plymouth, 226. 
 
 Port Royal, 360. 
 
 Porter, Rev. Mr., 252. 
 
 Portsmouth, 249, 255, 319. 
 
 Pownall, 231, 235, 255, 319. 
 
 Presbyterian orders, 176. 
 
 Preston, Rev. Mr., 161. 
 
 Price, Rev. Roger, 216, 228. 
 
 Prince Edward Island, 367. 
 
 Prince, Mr., 193. 
 
 Printz, Governor, 107. 
 
 Providence, Plantation, 24, 167, 225, 
 228, 233. 
 
 Provoost, Bishop, consecrated, 410. 
 
 Punderson, Rev. E., 231. 
 
 Puritans, settlement in Massachus- 
 sets, 8. 
 
 Quakers, 23, 109 ; colonize Pennsyl 
 vania, 13; increase of, 16 ; Keith s 
 account of in America, 26, 31 ; 
 opposition to the Church, 67, 69, 
 72, 80, 298 ; Seabury s account of, 
 298. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 445 
 
 Quaque, Rev. Philip, 433. 
 Quarantine Island, 365. 
 Quebec, Bishop of, 355, 393. 
 
 - captured, 291. 
 Quincy, Rev. Samuel, 92. 
 
 Radnor, 108, 115. 
 
 Rainsford, Rev. Giles, account of, 71. 
 Raleigh, Sir Walter, gift by, 2. 
 Reading, 164, 203, 205207, 213, 
 
 236. 
 
 Reading, Rev. Philip, 310, 314. 
 Reed, Rev. Mr., 88. 
 Refugees in America, 371. 
 Reneuse, 351. 
 Rhode Island, 41, 143; churches built 
 
 at, 15 ; religious state, 24, 28, 32, 
 
 164, 166, 171. 
 Rice, Rev. Jacob, 348. 
 Ridgefield, 219. 
 Ripton, 187, 190, 226, 292. 
 Rivington, Mr., 303. 
 Robinson, Bishop, 177, 379. 
 Roche, Rev. 1 , de la, account of, 
 
 358. 
 
 Rochelle, New, 282. 
 Rogers, Rev. Jonathan, 169, 221. 
 Romanists in Canada, 289. 
 Ronoke, 76. 
 
 Ross, Rev. George, 110, 119. 
 Rowan, 88. 
 Royal Letters, for Virginia College, 7; 
 
 in behalf of S. P. G., 430, 
 Rush, Dr., 407. 
 Rye, 46, 277, 279, 281, 297, 306. 
 
 Salem, 220, 226, 256, 366. 
 
 Salisbury, 39, 88. 
 
 Saltzburg, 91. 
 
 Sandeman, Mr., 210. 
 
 Sandwich, 28. 
 
 Savannah, 90, 94, 100; ecclesiastical 
 
 returns, 105. 
 Saybrook, 175. 
 Sayre, Rev. James, 306. 
 
 - Rev. John, state of his mission 
 
 from the American war, 311. 
 Schenectady, 267, 283, 293, 321, 322. 
 Schools, want of in America, 85. 
 Scituate, 226, 228, 245, 250, 256. 
 Scovil, Rev. James, 254, 398. 
 Scriblerus Club, 172. 
 Seabury, Rev. Samuel, 151, 163, 195, 
 
 294. 
 Seabury, Bishop, 198, 295, 297, 341, 
 
 404. 
 
 Seeker, Archbishop, 58, 389, 394. 
 Second River, 162. 
 
 Sects in America, variety of, 124, 
 133, 136, 148, 152, 166, 179, 190, 
 196, 204, 206, 223, 279, 295. 
 Sentinel, the, publication of, 157. 
 Serjeant, Rev. Mr., 245, 256. 
 Sharon, 240, 307. 
 Sharp, Archbishop, 379. 
 Sharp, Granville, remarks on epis 
 copacy, 402. 
 Sharpe, Mr., 142. 
 Sheerman s Valley, 128. 
 Shelburne, Settlement of, 373. 
 Shepherd, Mr., 39. 
 Sherlock, Bishop, 233, 389. 
 Shrewsbury, 22, 27, 160. 
 Shippensburgh, 128. 
 Simsbury, (see Symsbury.) 
 Skinner, Bishop, 405, 407. 
 Slavery in America, 50, 73. 
 Smaldridge, Rev. Dr., 379. 
 Smith, Bishop, 61. 
 
 Rev. Dr., 126, 314; sermon 
 
 by, 317. 
 
 Rev. Mr., Bahamas, 433. 
 
 Society for Promoting Christian 
 Knowledge, schools in Georgia, 91. 
 Society for the Propagation of the 
 Gospel in Foreign Parts, (see 
 Missionaries;) proposed by Dr 
 Bray, 16 ; charter granted, 17 ; ob 
 ject of, 18 ; meetings, 20, 21, 44 ; 
 testimonials required from candi 
 dates, 45 ; character of its mission 
 aries, 46 ; aid to Carolina clergy, 
 55 ; its services in North America, 
 63 ; books distributed by, 110, 122, 
 174, 294, 349, 357; request a 
 bishop for America, 144, 378, 380; 
 propose to send out deacons, 145 ; 
 missions withdrawn from the United 
 States, 342 ; memorials to Queen 
 Anne and George I., 380 ; copy of 
 the Charter, 416 ; subscription roll, 
 422 ; instructions to Missionaries, 
 424 ; short account of, 429 ; Royal 
 Letters granted to, 430 ; Secre 
 taries of, 434. 
 
 Somers Islands, (see Bermuda. ) 
 Somers , Sir George, expedition com 
 manded by, 4. 
 Spotswood, 163. 
 Spry, Captain, 360 
 Stamford, 242, 247. 
 Standish, Rev. Mr., 60. 
 Stanhope, Rev. Dr., 21, 177, 379. 
 Staten Island, 41, 142, 143, 273, 304, 
 
 331, 335. 
 Stewart, Rev. Alex., 85. 
 
446 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Stiles, Rev. Dr , 187. 
 
 Stratford, 100, 143, 168, 178, 18G, 
 187, 189, 190, 195, 197, 278, 386. 
 
 Stoupe, Rev. Mr., 282. 
 
 Stuart, Rev. John, 320, 339. 
 
 Sturgeon, Mr., 194. 
 
 Summer, Rev. Mr., 252. 
 
 Sunderland, 239. 
 
 Superior, Lake, 289. 
 
 Superstitious uses, bill for alienating 
 lands given for, 15. 
 
 Susquehana, 237. 
 
 Sussex, 118, 120, 121. 
 
 Swift, Dean, remarks on Dean Berke 
 ley s plan of a college in Ber 
 muda, 169 ; proposed as bishop for 
 Virginia, 379. 
 
 Symsbury, 215, 228, 306. 
 
 Talbot, Rev. John, 29, 30, 32. 39, 42, 
 142 ; account of his missionary tour, 
 and state of the Churches, 33, 35 ; 
 his exertions to obtain a bishop, 
 144, 376, 383 ; accused of Jaco- 
 bitism, 145 ; returns to England, 
 146 ; consecrated, 146, 386, 407 ; 
 his character, 147. 
 
 Mr. St. George, his services 
 
 and bequests, 292. 
 
 Tatmagouch, 364. 
 
 Taunton, 228. 
 
 Taylor, W. Esq. Secretary to S. P.G., 
 
 434. 
 Tenison, Archbishop, 17, 19, 20; 
 
 legacy for American bishops, 146, 
 
 383, 394. 
 
 Tennent, Gilbert, 182, 220. 
 Terrick, Bishop, 395. 
 Thatcher, Mr., 187. 
 Thomas, Rev. Samuel, 48. 
 
 Rev. John, 109. 
 
 St., 49, 78. 
 
 Thompson, Rev. E., 226, 245 ; cha 
 racter of, 250. 
 
 Rev. Thomas, missionary 
 
 in Monmouth, 149 ; appointed to 
 Guinea Coast, 149. 
 
 Rev. William, 169. 
 
 Tingley, Rev. Samuel, 315, 317. 
 Tithes instituted in Virginia, 8. 
 Toleration Act, 38. 
 
 Torry, Mr. Josiah, 260, 
 Townsend, Rev. Mr., 306. 
 Trenton, 150. 
 Trinity Bay, 348, 350. 
 Tryon, Governor, 254, 313, 318. 
 Tutty, Rev. William, 355, 360. 
 
 Tyler, Rev. John, account of his mis 
 sion, 238. 
 
 Upland, 108. 
 
 Urmston, Rev. John, account of, 67. 
 
 Usher, Rev. James, 218. 
 
 Vaughan,Mr., 1 1 7. 
 
 Rev. Edward, account of, 
 
 148 ; bequest to S. P. G., 148. 
 
 Vesey, Rev. Mr., 32, 272, 275, 286. 
 
 Vermont, 165. 
 
 Viets, Rev, Roger, 214, 307. 
 
 Vincent, Rev. R , 357. 
 
 Virginia, 41, 332. 
 
 Company, 3 ; legislature s 
 
 provision for the clergy, 8; emi 
 gration to, 8 ; college erected, 8 ; 
 religious state, 24, 65. 
 
 Bishop of, 81, 376. 
 
 Waccamaw, 88. 
 
 Walker, Henderson, 67. 
 
 Rev. Nehemiah, 259. 
 
 Wallingford, 197, 399. 
 
 Walpole, Sir Robert, 154, 383 ; dis 
 poses of the Bermuda college fund, 
 170. 
 
 Walter, Rev. Mr., 250, 339. 
 
 Warwick, 218, 226. 
 
 Washington, General, 332. 
 
 Waterbury, 228. 
 
 Watkinson, Mr. Paul, bequest for 
 Burlington church, 149. 
 
 Weeks, Rev. J. W., 245, 246, 255 ; 
 account of churches in New Eng 
 land, 255. 
 
 Welton, Rev. Dr., consecrated Bishop, 
 146, 386, 387, 407. 
 
 Wentworth, Governor, 229, 371. 
 
 Wesley, Rev. John, his strict obser 
 vances, 91 ; appointed a missionary 
 in Georgia, 92 ; adherence to the 
 rubric and discipline of the Church, 
 94 ; his expenses, 95 ; appeal to 
 the Commissary, 95 ; service in 
 different languages and Sunday 
 occupation, 97 ; reasons for return 
 ing to England, 97 ; going back to 
 America, 221. 
 
 Rev. Charles, 221. 
 
 West, Commodore Temple, 349. 
 
 Westhaven, 174, 193. 
 
 Wetmore, Rev. J., 175, 297. 
 
 Weyman, Rev. Robert, 117. 
 
 Weymouth, Lord, 64. 
 
 Wheeler, Sir George, 21. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 447 
 
 Wheelock, Rev. Dr., 251. 
 
 Wheuf, Mrs., 27. 
 
 Whitaker, Rev. Dr. William, 6. 
 
 Rev. Alexander, chaplain 
 at Henrico, 6 ; his character, 6 ; re 
 marks on the apathy of England, 7. 
 
 White, Bishop, consecrated, 410. 
 
 Whiteclay Creek, 135, 137. 
 
 Whitemarsh, 117, 123. 
 
 Whitfield, Rev. George, cited and 
 suspended, 62 ; proceeds to Georgia, 
 98 ; erects an orphan-house, 99 ; 
 superintended by Mr. Ellington, 
 103 ; his character, 103, 122 ; visits 
 Lewes, 122, 124; disorders pro 
 duced by his preaching, 181, 184, 
 195, 220, 295, 299; admirer of, 
 190. 
 
 Whitlass Bay, 352. 
 
 Whittelsey, Rev. Mr., 175. 
 
 Whole Duty of Man, the, 63. 
 
 Wicacon, 75. 
 
 William and Mary College, charter 
 to, 8. 
 
 William III., endows church at Bos 
 ton, 14 ; charter to Society for the 
 Propagation of the Gospel, 17,416. 
 
 William IV., gift to Placentia Church, 
 353. 
 
 Williams, Bishop, 20. 
 
 Williamsburg, 381. 
 
 Williamson, Rev. Atkin, 48. 
 
 W r illiamstown, 235. 
 
 Willis, Dean, sermon before S.P.G., 
 
 19. 
 
 Rev. Mr,, 252. 
 
 Willoughby, Lord, 392. 
 Wilson, Rev. Mr., 125, 325. 
 Windsor, 273, 339, 348, 364, 366 ; 
 
 College founded, 369. 
 Winslow, Rev. Edward, 198, 245, 
 
 250. 
 
 Wiswall, Rev. Mr., 245, 251. 
 Witchcraft in America, 49. 
 Wolfe, General, 291. 
 Wood, Rev. T., 360. 
 Woodbridge, 27, 152. 
 Woodbury, 240. 
 Woodside, 148. 
 Wyndham, 319. 
 
 Yale College, 150, 168, 174, 186, 
 188, 201, 286; account of students 
 at, 175. 
 
 Yeomansee (or Yammonsee) Indians, 
 20, 48, 55. 
 
 Yonkers, 276. 
 
 York, New, religious state, 24, 27, 
 32, 128, 272, 273, 275, 327; dis 
 covery of and settlement, 274; cap 
 tured by the English, 275 ; its 
 name and extent, 275 ; Congress, 
 304; Bishop of, 410; King s Col 
 lege, 198, 308. 
 
 Zouberbugler, Rev. Mr., 100. 
 
 R. CLAY, PiUNTER, I5READ STREET HILL. 
 
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