USA > Connecticut > A complete history of Connecticut, civil and ecclesiastical, from the emigration of its first planters, from England, in the year 1630, to the year 1764; and to the close of the Indian wars > Part 17
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His brethren remonstrated against these wild measures, and represented to him, that he must be under the influ- ence of a wrong spirit ; but he persisted in his measures. At Charlestown, in Massachusetts, he withdrew from the communion, on the Lord's day, pretending that he had scruples as to the conversion of the minister. The Boston ministers disapproved of his conduct, and rejected him. He was complained of, and brought before the general court of Massachusetts, and was dismissed as not being of a sound mind.
His conduct had a pernicious influence on the people, and seems to have given rise to many errors which sprang V
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Book II. up in the churches about this time, and to have been in- strumental in the separations which soon took place in sev- 1742. eral of the churches, and gave great occasion of scandal to the enemies of the revival. Every thing was said reproachful of it, which its enemies could invent. Bv some it was termed a distemper, which affected the mind and filled it with unnecessary concern and gloominess ; by others it was termed the work of the devil ; by others, qua- kerism, enthusiasm, antinomianism and distraction. The zealous experimental christians were termed new lights, following an ignis fatuus, which would lead them to des- truction.
Some of the leading ministers in the colony, were most bitter enemies to the revival, and to their brethren who were instrumental in promoting it. This was the case in general with the magistrates and principal gentlemen in the commonwealth. They employed all their art and power to suppress it, and to keep all zealous ministers, who favoured the work, as far as possible out of the colo- ny, and to confine all the zealous preachers of the doc- trines of the reformation to their own pulpits ..
Governor Talcott, who called those days, times of re- freshing, was now no more ; and Jonathan Law, Esq. a gentleman of a different character, was chosen governor .. Under his administration, a number of severe and perse- cuting laws were enacted, and the laws which had been enacted in favor of sober consciences were repealed.
In May, 1742, the General Assembly passed the follow- ing act, prefaced in the following manner ..
" Whereas, this assembly did by their act, made in the 27th year of queen Anne, establish and confirm a confes- sion of faith, and an agreement for ecclesiastical disci- pline, made at Saybrook, Anno Domini, 1708, by the Rev. elders and messengers delegated by the churches in this colony, for that purpose ; under which establishment, his majesty's subjects inhabiting in this colony, have en- joyed great peace and quietness, 'till of late; sundry per- sons have been guilty of disorderly and irregular prac- tices, whereupon this assembly did direct to the calling of a general consociation, at Guilford, in November last, which said consociation was convened accordingly : at which convention, it was endeavoured to prevent the growing disorders among the ministers that have been or- dained, or licensed by the associations in the government to preach, and likewise to prevent divisions and disorders among the churches, and ecclesiastical societies. settled by order of this assembly :
Ecclesias- tical law, May 1742.
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" Notwithstanding which, divers of the ministers or- Book II. dained as aforesaid, and others licensed to preach by some of the associations allowed by law, have taken upon them, May, 1742, without any lawful call, to go into parishes, immediately under the care of other ministers, and there to preach to and teach the people ; and also sundry persons, who are very illiterate, and have no ecclesiastical character, or any authority whatsoever to preach or teach, have taken it upon them publicly to teach and exhort the people, in matters of religion, both as to doctrine and practice ; which practices have a tendency to make divisions and conten- tions among the people in this colony, and to destroy the ecclesiastical constitution established by the laws of this government, and also to hinder the growth and increase of vital piety and godliness in the churches; and also to in- troduce unqualified persons into the ministry ; and more especially where one association, doth intermeddle with the affairs, that by the platform and agreement above said, Inade at Saybrook, aforesaid, are properly within the pro- vince and jurisdiction of another association, as to the li- censing persons to preach, and ordaining ministers : therc- fore,
" 1. Be it enacted by the governor, council and repre- sentatives in general court assembled, and by the authori- ty of the same, that if any ordained minister, or any other person licensed as aforesaid, to preach, shall enter into any parish not immediately under his charge, and shall there preach and exhort the people, he shall be denied and excluded the benefit of any law of this colony, made for the support and encouragement of the gospel ministry, except such ordained minister, or licensed person, shall be expressly invited and desired to enter into such parish, and there to preach and exhort the people, by the settled minister, and the major part of the church and society within such parish.
" 2. And it is further enacted by the authority afore- said, that if any association of ministers shall undertake to examine or license any candidate for the gospel ministry, or assume to themselves the decision of any controversy, or as an association counsel and advise in any affair that by the platform, or agreement above mentioned, made at Saybrook, aforesaid, is properly within the province and jurisdiction of another association, then and in such case every member that shall be present in such association so licensing, deciding or counselling, shall be each and every one of them, denied and excluded the benefit of any law in this colony, for the encouragement and support of the gos- pel ministry.
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BOOK II. " 5. And it is further enacted, by the authority afore- said, That if any minister, or ministers, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, shall presume to preach in any parish, not under his immediate care and charge, the minister of the parish where he shall so offend, or the civil authority, or any of the committee of said parish, shall give information thereof, in writing, under their hands, to the clerk of the society or parish where such of- fending minister doth belong, which clerk shall receive such information, and lodge and keep the same on file, in his office, and no assistant or justice of the peace, in this colony, shall sign any warrant for the collecting any min- ister's rate, without first receiving a certificate from the clerk of the society, or parish, where such rate is to be collected, that no such information as is above mention- cd, hath been received by him, or lodged in his office. "4. And be it further enacted, by the authority afore- said, that if any person whatsoever, that is not a settled or ordained minister, shall go into any parish, without the express desire and invitation of the settled minister of such parish, if any there be, and the major part of the church and congregation within such parish, and publicly teach and exhort the people, shall, for every such offence, upon com- plaint made thereof to any assistant or justice of the peace, be bound to his peaceable and good behaviour, until the next county court in that county where the offence shall be committed, by said assistant or justice of the peace, in the penal sum of one hundred pounds lawful money, that he or they will not offend again in the like kind; and the said county court may, if they see meet, further bind the said person or persons, offending as aforesaid, to their peaceable and good behaviour, during the pleasure of the court.
" 5. And it is further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That if any foreigner or stranger, that is not an inhabitant of this colony, including as well such persons as have no ecclesiastical character, or license to preach, or such as have received ordination or license to preach, by any as- sociation or presbytery, shall presume to preach, teach, or publicly exhort, in any town or society within this colony, without the desire and license of the settled minister, and the major part of the church of such town and society, or at the call and desire of the church and inhabitants of such town or society, provided that it so happen that there be no settled minister there, that every such preacher, teacher, or exhorter, shall be sent, as a vagrant person, by warrant
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from any assistant or justice of the peace, from constable Book II. to constable, out of the hounds of this colony."*
What ministers composed the general association at 1742. Guilford, cannot be known, as there is not the least min- ute of any such council on the records of the general as- sociation, nor is there any intimation of the result or do- ings of it, any further than what is found in the preamble to this extraordinary act, and in references to it, by asso- ciations and consociations afterwards. But it undoubtedly gave countenance to this, and other violent measures, adopted and pursued by the legislature ; and was a coll- Observa- certed plan of the old lights, or Arminians, both among tions on the clergy and civilians, to suppress, as far as possible, all the law. the zealous and Calvinistic preachers ; to confine them en- tirely to their own pulpits; and, at the same time, to put all the public odium and reproach possible upon them, as wicked, disorderly men, unfit to enjoy the common rights of citizens. The law was an outrage to every principle of justice, and to the most inherent and valuable rights of the subject. It was a palpable contradiction, and gross violation, of the Connecticut bill of rights. It dishonour- ed the servant of God, stained his good name, and depri- ved him of all the temporal emoluments of his profession, without judge or jury, without hearing him, or knowing what evil he had done. It put it into the hands of enemies and malicious persons, to undo innocent men. If the cer- tificate lodged were ever so false, there was no redress. In other cases, civil and criminal, an appeal is allowed ; but here, in a case of great magnitude, in which character, and a man's whole temporal living was at stake, there was no redress. Further, it was believed by many, that this law was an invasion of the rights of heaven, and in- compatible with the command, Go ye into all the world, and
* Records of Connecticut, May, 1742. This extraordinary act, in part, at least, had its origin in the consociation of New-Haven County, as ap . pears from the instructions which they gave to their delegates, whom they sent to the Guilford council, which were suggested first by the Rev. Samuel Whittelsey, of Wallingford. How perfectly it corresponded with their opinions and feelings, is fully exhibited in their address to the General As- sembly, the October following, an extract from which is as follows :- " To the Hon. General Assembly, &c. convened at New-Haven, October 14th, 1742 .- May it please this honourable assembly, to permit us, the Associa- tion of the county of New-Haven, regularly convened in the first society in Wallingford, Sept. 28th, 1742, to lay before you our grateful sense of the goodness of the General Assembly in May last, in so caring for our re- ligions interests, and ecclesiastical constitution ; and our just apprehensions of their wisdom, in making the statute, entitled, An act for the regulating abuses, and correcting disorders, in ecclesiastical affairs ; and pray that it may be continued in force : being satisfied that it hath already been, in good measure, serviceable, and persuaded that it will be more so," &c.
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Book II. preach the gospel to every creature .* I charge thee, there- fore, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall 1742. judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing and king- dom, preach the word ; be instant in season, and out of sea- son.t In obedience to these commands, the primitive preachers went every where, preaching the word .; They regarded no parochial limits, and when high priests and magistrates forbade their preaching, they answered, Whe- ther it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto you, more than unto God, judge ye; for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.§ What right could one minister have to shut another out of his pulpit or society, whom he owned as a brother; to whom he had given the right hand of fellowship, and whom he could not accuse either of false doctrine or immoral conduct ?
It may be further observed, that this law was contrary to the opinion and practice of all the reformers and puritans. The reformers all preached within the parishes and bish- opricks of the Roman catholics, and by this means, under · the Divine Providence, effected the reformation. It never could have been effected without it. The puritans preach- ed within the parishes of the church of England, and judg- ed' it their indispensable duty to preach the gospel, when and wherever they had an opportunity. They did it zeal- ously and faithfully, though exposed to fines, imprison- ment, and loss of living. Even in Connecticut, the epis- copalians were allowed to preach and collect hearers, and erect churches, in any of the ecclesiastical societies, in op- position to the established ministers and churches. The baptists were also allowed to do the same. 'The law was therefore partial, inconsistent, and highly persecuting. It manifested, in a strong point of light, the exceeding hatred, rancour and opposition of heart, which there was in the Arminians and old lights, to the work of God, and all the zealous and faithful promoters of it, It was an occasion of a great and fixed disaffection between the different classes of ministers, and between many of the religious people and the legislature. Instead of preserving the peace and order of the churches, it was a means of separation and division. It could have no good effect : law opposed to enthusiasm, is only like heaping fuel upon the fire to quench it. With respect to good people, who are govern- ed by the love and fear of God, and the sober dictates of reason, though they honour the civil magistrate, and sub- mit to the laws, as far as they can with a good conscience,
* Mark xvi. 15. +2 Tim. iv. 1, 2. @ Acts iv. 19, 20.
# Acts viiį. 4.
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yet they will regard God rather than man. When they Book II. are fully persuaded that it is necessary, for their own edi- fication and salvation, and the safety of their children, to adopt a mode of worship, and to hear a kind of preaching, differing from that which any civil establishment enjoins, they will depart from it so far, as to worship God agreeably to the sober dictates of their consciences. This, the prac- tice of the primitive christians, of the reformers, of the puritans, and of good people in all ages, has witnessed. With respect to enthusiasts, mild measures, kind and ehris- tian treatment, have always succeeded the best.
There were a variety of things, at the election, and May session, this year, calculated to divide and irritate the re- ligious parties, in the colony, more and more, at a time when all conciliatory measures ought to have been adopt- ed.
The preacher at the election, was the Rev. Isaac Stiles, of North-Haven. He was a most bitter enemy to the work which GOD had been, and was carrying on in the land, and to all the instruments of it. He gave himself great liberty to reproach them. He compared them to Will with his wisp and Jack with his lanthorn, and pointed the artillery of heaven, in a tremendous manner, against them. The assembly thanked him for his sermon, and printed it, with all the reproach and abuse of his breth- ren in the ministry, and of other christians, which it con- tained .*
At the same session, a complaint was exhibited against Mr. Da- Mr. James Davenport, of Southhold, on Long-Island, that venport he had convened great assemblies at Stratford, and that he and Mr. and others had committed great disorders : against Mr. brought Pomeroy Benjamin Pomeroy also, as having committed great disor- before the ders with him, the said Davenport. They were arrested, assembly .. and brought before the assembly. The assembly judged with respect to Mr. Davenport, that the things alleged, the behaviour and conduct, and doctrine advanced by him, had a tendency to disturb and destroy the peace and order of this government ; yet, that it further appeared to the as- sembly, that the said Davenport was under the influence of enthusiastic impressions and impulses, and thereby dis- turbed in the rational faculties of his mind, and therefore rather to be pitied and compassionated, than to be treat- ed as otherwise he might be ; and the assembly considering that the settled place of his abode is in the town of South- hold, on Long-Island, whereto it is best he should be con-
The Rev. Mr. Williams, of Lebanon, remarked on the sermon, that he had never before seen the artillery of heaven so turned against itself.
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Book II. veyed : thereupon it was ordered by the assembly, that the said Davenport be forthwith transported out of this
1742. colony to Long-Island, to the place whence he came, wherein he is settled ; and the governor and council are desired to take effectual care, that this order be duly exe-
Mr. Dav- enport transport- ed to Long cuted. * The decision with respect to Mr. Pomeroy was, Island. that the evidence produced was not sufficient to make out any thing material against him. He was therefore dismis- sed.
. Mr. Pomeroy was treated rudely ; resentment and malice appeared in the people ; an attempt, as he supposed, was made to throw him down the stairs of the state-house ; he was pushed off from one side of the stairway, but he leaped across to the other, and so saved himself.
Sometime after, a lecture was appointed at Colchester, for Mr. Pomeroy to preach. Himself and Mr. Little, the pastor, had always lived in harmony ; their parishes join- ed each other. Mr. Pomeroy went from home supposing that he was about to afford him brotherly assistance, and to oblige his people ; but entirely contrary to his expecta- tions, Mr. Little, cither from his own private feelings, or from the influence of some of his principal hearers, forbade his going into the meeting-house. There was a great col- lection of people, from Colchester, and the neighbouring towns, who were earnest to hear the word. Mr. Pomeroy, considering that many saints might be quickened, strength- ened, and.comforted, and that some souls might possibly be saved froîn death by his preaching, therefore judged it his indispensable duty to preach. Accordingly, he retired a little froin the meeting-house, to the shade of a grove, and preached to a very numerous and attentive auditory. A certificate was lodged against him, and, for seven years, he was deprived of his stated salary.
Errors of the sepa- rates.
It was.now a very critical and momentous period with the churches ; for while the spirit of Gon wrought power- fully, satan raged maliciously, and playing his old subtle- ties, by transforming himself into an angel of light, deceiv- ed many. There appeared however many bad things in the good work. There was a false, as well as a good spir- . it among the people, and a disposition to make religion consist in crying out, in bodily agitations, in great fears and joys, in zeal and talk, which were no evidences of it. When ministers in faithfulness pointed out their errors and false notions, and showed them clearly in what true reli- gion consisted, and pressed it upon them to be followers of GOD, as dear children, they were, numbers of them, diso-
* Records of the colony.
.
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bliged, and pretended that the ministers' preaching had a Book II. tendency to quench the spirit : they pleaded for the indul- gence of their inward frames, in noise and outcry, without 1742. restraint. They pretended that the power of godliness lay, or appeared, in such outcries and bodily motions, or visible tokens, and consequently, that to correct them was to deny the power of the holy Spirit, and to grieve him. They said, let the LORD carry on his own work in his own way. The zealous private brethren maintained, that it was right for them to exercise their gifts in public, as the spirit moved them, whether by exhorting, expounding scrip- ture, praying or preaching, as they felt themselves impres- sed; and they declared, that they had rather hear their ex- horters exercise their gifts, than hear their ministers, and that more souls were converted under their exertions, than under those of the ministers.
If an honest man doubted of his conversion, and only said, he did not know that he had faith, he was upon that in the declared to be unconverted.
If a person were filled with great joy, he was declared to be converted, and a child of GOD; making no distinction between a mere selfish joy, and joy in GOD; between the joy of the hypocrite, and that of the true christian.
They held a certain knowledge of christians, not so much by external evidence, as by inward feeling, or fellow- ship, as they called it.
Sometimes they pretended to have a witness of the con- version of others, who now were in a state of sin ; or they had faith given them to believe, that such a person would be converted.
They paid a great regard to visions, or trances. In these, some would lie for hours; and on their coming to themselves, would tell of wonderful things; that they had 'seen heaven, or hell, and such and such persons, if dead, there, or if alive, going to one or other of those places.
In their religious conduct, they were influenced rather by inward impressions, than by the plain word of GOD, or the manifest intimations of Providence. Neither ministe- rial advice, nor parental counsel, nor their obligations to relative duties, were of any weight with them, in compari- son with impressions.
They laid great weight upon their lively imaginations, or views of an outward CHRIST, or of CHRIST without them, whether they had a view of him in heaven, on a throne sur- rounded by adoring angels, or on a cross, suffering, bleed- ing, dying, and the like. Some looked on this as a pre- cious, saving discovery of CHRIST.
Errors and enthusiam churches,
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They maintained, that, if they did not feel a minister's preaching, he was either unconverted, or legal and dead ; or, to be sure, he did not preach CHRIST with power. They would hear none of the standing ministers preach, unless such as they called converted, lively, and powerful preach- ers.
They thought lightly of those public meetings and ex- ercises, in which there was no visible great stir, or opera- tions among the people. They would commonly say there was nothing of the power of religion. . These were some of the errors which prevailed, and fi- nally terminated in separations from the standing minis- ters and churches.
There was a remarkable haughtiness and self-sufficien- cy, and a fierce and bitter spirit and zeal, a censorious- ness and impatience of instruction and reproof, manifest among these people, and especially among their exhort- ers. Instead of loving and cleaving to the ministers, who had been their spiritual fathers, and to the churches, which had been their mother's house, in which they had been conceived, if they were indeed born of GOD, they were strangely alienated from them.
Difference between This spirit and these errors were not general ; in most of the churches in the colony there was nothing of it, or the people the instances of it were very rare. There was not, so far who separ- as I can find, one minister in the colony who favoured any the church- of these errors, but they universally opposed them. In ated from es, and those who «lid not. 'most of the churches where the work had been remarka- ble, their ministers were greatly beloved ; the brethren walked together in great harmony, and brotherly love. They, instead of being offended at close preaching, and at being searched to the bottom, relished and applauded it. The more close and discriminating the preaching was, the better it was received. The ministers, and good people in general, considered bodily motions, extacies, and imag- inations of outward views of Christ, as no kind of evidence of a gracious state, or of any saving views of a REDEEMER. Thus different were the principles, views and feelings, of the two sorts of christians. The one, were humble, do- cile, and willing to come to the light, that their works might. manifest that they were wrought in GOD. They, like the primitive christians, continued stedfast in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread togeth- er. The other were haughty, bitter, censorious ; disaf- fected to their teachers ; disowned the churches with which they had covenanted ; and treated their brethren rather as the worshippers of satan, than as the followers of CHRIST.
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