USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Stratford > The genesis of Christ Church, Stratford, Connecticut : background and earliest annals, commemoration of the two hundred fiftieth anniversary 1707-1957 > Part 7
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success we had in our frequent addresses for a minister to the Right Rev. Father in God, the Lord Bishop of London, and tho IIonourablo Society for the Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts. And indeed, the want of a minister is the greatest of our afflictions, which, with the rest of our griev- ances, we presume humbly to lay before your Majesty, and pray your Majesty to use some means for our relief, and that your Majesty may long and happily live to reign over us ; and when you lay aside this earthly crown, that you may re- ecive a crown of glory, is the continual and fervent prayer of, may it pleaso your Majesty, your Majesty's most loyal and faithful and obedient snbjeets and servants,
TIMOTHY TITHARTON, Church
WILLIAM RAWLINSON,
WILLIAM SMITH,
Wardens. WILLIAM JEANES,
JOHN JOHNSON,
DANIEL SHELTON,
ARCHIBALD DUNLAP,
EDWARD BURROUGH,
JAMES HUMPHREYS,
JAMES CLARKE,
RICHARD BLACKLATH.
1710, October: The Rev. Christopher Bridge began his rectorate in Rye, which continued until his death on May 22, 1719. He was kind to Anglicans in Stratford, paying occasional visits to baptize Strat- ford children, but all traces of his records are missing.
The parish registers of Rye were apparently burnt during the Revolutionary War. Only the post-Revolutionary volumes are extant. 88
On August 19, 1709, the Rev. Christopher Bridge was commissioned by the Venerable Society to be missionary at Rye. Mr. Bridge was a graduate of Cambridge and had been assistant to the Rector of King's Chapel, Boston, and Rector at Narragansett before coming to Rye. He arrived in Rye in January 1710, "having lost almost all his books and abundance of other necessaries; the vessel in which he sent them being chased ashore by a French privateer, and being billged, were all either lost or damnified to the value of £150 or £ 200."
Mr. Bridge was inducted Rector at Rye in October 1710. On Novem- ber 20, 1710, he wrote "I find no library here, that I need not say how uneasy and dissatisfied I am to be destitute of books, and without any company that might supply that want. I hoped to borrow out of the library at New-York, but scruples were raised against letting any of those books go so far. . . . I give you here the best account I can of the present state of this parish. The inhabitants are 722, including children, servants and slaves. The baptized, 441. The greatest part of them were baptized before the Church was settled here. The communicants 43, several of them are not constant, some still Presbyterians or Independents in their judgment, but are persons well disposed and willing to partake of the Sacrament in what way they can, rather than not at all. Those that profess themselves of the Church of England, 284, though several of them do very seldom come to church. Dissenters, 468, several of those are serious people and do frequently come to church. ... Among the Dis- · senters are 7 families of Quakers and 4 or 5 families inclining to them. The rest are presbyterians or Independents, transplanted out of the Connecticut Colony."
On July 27, 1711, Mr. Bridge wrote "several of Cates' followers being in the neighborhood of this parish, they began the last winter to form themselves into a society, and were very busy to invite the neighbours to their meetings, upon which I acquainted the chief of them, that I should be glad to be with them, if they would let me know when they had a meeting on a week day." A meeting having been arranged, Mr. Bridge debated with these Dissenters who were called "ranting Quakers," to such effect that on June 9, 1712, he reported "they have never since held a public mecting in these parts, and one of their preachers did soon after, before a witness, make an oath or confession of his faith in all the points wc then disputed. He owned himself fully convinced, and came sometimes
Rev. Christopher Bridge 1710-1719
to church, but it pleased God soon after, to take him suddenly out of the world."
On July 29, 1712, Mr. Bridge communicated to the Vestry the fol-
lowing order from the Crown:
"You are to give order forthwith (if the same be not already done) that every orthodox minister within your government, 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 vestry summoned, he omit to come."
On July 30, 1717, Mr. Bridge wrote "at my first coming here, I found the (parsonage) house so much decayed, that it was scarce habitable. In the year 1706,-methods were used to induce the town to raise a tax for building a church, and they raised a handsome outside, and covered and glazed it, but found nothing done to the inside, not so much as a floor laid. When I had for a year or two preached upon the ground, I got subscriptions for about £50, among the inhabitants towards finishing the inside."
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1711: The Rev. Timothy Cutler, pastor of-the Congregational flock, began at this time to have mis- givings about his orders and to be strongly attracted to the Church of England. 89 John Dayenport and Stephen Buckingham, writing to Increase and Cotton Mather from Stamford on Sept. 25, 1722, reported 90 sad news: "It may be added, that Mr. C[utler] then declared to the trustees [of Yale College], that he had for many years been of this [Anglican] persuasion, (his wife is reported to have said that to her knowledge he had for eleven or twelve years been so persuaded) and that therefore he was the more uneasy in performing the acts of his ministry at Stratford, and the more readily accepted the call to a college improvement at N. Haven."
1712, Dec. 19: The Rev. Francis Philips arrived in Stratford, sent by the S.P.G. It very soon ap- peared that he had none of the genius and vision of Mr. Muirson. He failed to understand the strategic importance of this town in the conversion of Connecticut to the Church of England. (See under April 9, 1714.)
1713, August 19: Francis Philips left the cure at Stratford for reasons explained in his letter of September 9 to the S.P.G.
1713, September 9: Philips' letter to the S.P.G. attempts to explain why he violated S.P.G. rules by moving without permission. 91
Philadelphia, Sept. 9th, 1713. .
Sir,
It is with more than ordinary concern I am forced to give yon this trouble to desiro the favour of you to acquaint tho Honorable Society with my reasons for leaving Stratford, in Connecticut Colony, in New-England. During my abode there, which was till tho 19th duy of August last, I used my utmost endeavours to answer the end of my mission, as ap- pears by a certificate signed by the Churchwardens and Ves- tryinen of that place. I made it my business to ride from place to place, to preach to and instruct those that showed tho least inclination to become members of our Church, in the extremity of heat and cold, which has indeed very much impaired my health ; but the dissenting party being very nn- incrous, and being likewise encouraged by the Governor there, who is a rigid Independent, and finding the greatest part of those who pretended to be of the Churchway, were only so to screen themselves from the taxes imposed on them by Dissenters, I inust beg leave to inform the Venerable So- cicty that there is little success, and less enconragement, to bo expected from the labours of the most painful divine which shall be sent to that place, whilst tho goverminent re- mains in the hands it's in, than alinost any other part of America. The consideration of which, together with iny un- willingness to put tho Honourable Society to so great an ex- pense to very little purpose, made me look ont for some other place, where, in all probability, I might be capable of doing much more service; which, I hope, will in some measure help to plead my exense with that venerable body that I did not let 'em know of my removal beforo I did remove ; but the shortness of the time and the necessity of the present circumstances of the Church, which laid Mr. Evans under
necessity to lasten home, could not possibly admit of it; otherwise, I should not have presumed to have taken any one step withont first consulting that learned body, for which I have the greatest esteem imaginable ; besides, I thought that no missionary now abroad could bo so well spared from their enre, as myself. Therefore, when I heard of Mr. Evans' de- sign of visiting Great Britain, I made iny application to him. and by the persuasion of my friends and of the request of his Churchwardens and Vestrymen, as appears by the copy of their minutes, I, with much difficulty, prevailed upon him to accept of mo for his curato during his absence ; in doing which (though I have been guilty of a breach of iny instrne- tions) I beg that the Honourable Society will please to pardon it. I sent homo bills of exchange for £20 sterling, payable to Mr. Nathaniel Simpson, or his order, bearing dato May 2d, 1713 ; and since that, I havo sent other bills of exchange, pay- able to the Rev. Mr. Gardiner, for £20 sterling, which is all that remains due to mo from the Honourable Society. Pray, sir, pleaso to order that it may bo paid, and you will much oblige,
Sir, your very humble servant, FRANCIS PHILIPS.
P. S. Had wo a Bishop here to apply to in that and other exigencies that will happen when a Church begins to increase, there would be no need of troubling the Society with things of this naturo; but where this guido is wanting, it can't pos- sibly bo but that some things that aro dono may bo looked upon as irregular ; but I humbly beg the Society's acceptance of my most grateful acknowledgments of their undeserved favours.
1714, April 9: The opinion of the wardens and vestry at Stratford regarding the Rev. Francis Philips was expressed vigorously in their letter to Colonel Heathcote, who transmitted a copy to General Francis Nicholson in New York: 92
Stratford, April 9th, 1714.
Honored Sir,
These are to inform you of the deplorable state of our poor Church, which wo labour under by reasons of Mr. Philips leaving of ns. Our Church was on a likely way to have flourished, and several persons, the masters of considerable families, were leaving the society of Dissenters, and coming over to ns, but, by reason of his desertion, it all failed, and
left us a scorn and reproach to the encinies of the Church ; and as touching his behaviour whilst among us, the greatest thing we have to charge him with was hiis not attending his orders and commission ; for when he first arrived he stayed weeks at New-York, and came not to Stratford until the 19th day of December, and then was with us but uine Sabbaths, and went again to New-York and stayed five weeks, and then was with us five Sabbaths more, and went again to New-
- --...
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York and stayed about two weeks, and then stayed two Sab- baths, and then finally left ns wholly, as at this day ; but be- fore hiq went the first time to Now-York ho desired ns to sign for him a letter of recommendation to send to the Honour- ablo Society, which we, like innocent sheep, did ; ho having it ready drawn ; himself wrote it. The second timo ho left us wo discoursed whether he designed to leave us, and ho said he would never leave us until such time as we should have a supply, and another minister settled amongst us. But having no regard to his promise, he left us, as you are sensible, and carried away with him the books, which we understood since, were sent by the Honourable Society for the use of our Church. Ho also promised that ho would receive what money he could
for us to assist in the building of our Church, for which (though long first) we have at last got the timber felled, and do hope to get it raised in thirco montlis' time. Nothing else, but with hearty thanks and praises to God for a blessing on your faithful endeavours, and for the settling of the Church amongst us, we rest,
Your most humble servants, RICHARD BLACKLATIL, { Churchwardens, WILLIAM SMITH, 1 and others.
Endorsed by Col. Heathcote: " Copy of this letter was sent to Gen. Nicholson."
1714, April 19: Colonel Heathcote wrote about Philips to General Nicholson: ,93
New- York, April 19th, 1714.
May it please your Excelleney,
I happened to be detained in the country out of the post- road, when the postman went last froin home, and so was disabled from the keeping my promise in writing to your excellency then, and giving those accounts you desired, or acknowledging your excellency's favour of the 5th past. As to the Church of Stratford, I send your excellency the stato thereof as it was transmitted to ine by the Churchwardens and Vestry of that place; those poor people have hitherto been very unfortunate, but I hope it won't be always so with them. When I went first amongst them with Mr. Muirson, there seemed to be as fair a prospect of settling the Church as in any part of America, he having, in a very few journies, increased his communion to forty ; and had ho not unhappily died, or had the Society, upon the first notice of his death,
been expeditious in supplying that place with another good, diligent missionary, it had still been recoverable; but they delayed it so long that the enemies of the Church had time to fortify themselves against us, for tho effecting whereof the Presbyterians and Independent ministers, both in Connecticut and Boston, were consulted, and, among many other resolves to prevent the Church's growth, determined that one of the best preachers that both colonies could afford should be souglit out and sent there; and one Mr. Cutler, who lived thien at Boston or Cambridge, was accordingly pitched upon. As to Mr. Philips, the Society mado a wrong choice in him ; for that missionary being of a temper very contrary to be pleased with such conversation and way of living as Stratford affords, had no sooner seen that place but his whole thoughts were bent and employed how he should get from it, and to be employed either at Mr. Vesey's lecture, or to be settled at Philadelphia, the latter whercof he brought about.
1714, October 14: Christopher Bridge expressed his worries about Stratford in a report to the Secretary of the S.P.G. 94
Rye, Oct. 14th, 1714.
Sir,
I am heartily sorry that I have occasion to inform the Honourable Society that the interest of the Church in Strat- ford seems to be declining ; there are there an honest and so- ber people, truly zealous for the Church ; but they live among neighbours who despise and misuse them for their loyalty to the crown and zeal for the Church, and they have met with so many discouragements and disappointments that they are almost wearied ont ; they are frequently calling on mno to
assist them, and I go as often as my health and the affairs of my parish will allow me; but they are at such a distance that it is both diffienlt and expensive to me, and I have not put them to any charge for my coming among them, and shall always be willing to assist them what I can, till a minis- ter be sent to settle with them, if the Honourable Society be pleased to dircet me so to do.
I am, sir, &e., CHRIS. BRIDGE.
1715: The strategy of the S.P.G., on all sides of Connecticut, meanwhile, was being evidenced in its grants of books for parish libraries, in its sending packets of catechisms, Bibles and Prayer Books, as well as in its shipments of apologetical works like Archbishop King's Inventions of Man, a copy of which ultimately fell into the hands of Samuel Johnson and other Yale intellectuals. 95
But now, whilft the Society has been this Ye lamenting the Difadvantages of it, and at the fa Time labouring to furmount them ; It has by Means been remifs, within its Compafs, in f plying thofe Countries with Miffionaries, or th Miffionaries with Stipends or Books convenio tor them ; Nor have they waved any nece. Charges incumbent on them towards the Com fion of the Natives, or making a due Provifion
the Salvation of its own People, The Neglect which might have rendred fome of our Coup men abroad, and brought an Imputation on felves at home as, worfe than Infidels :
Thus, the Reverend Mr. Robert Walker has he difpatched to Burlington, for the Care of Place, in Mr. Talbot's Sicknefs, and as his Succul in Cafe of Removal, with the provifional Chis of New Briftol and Hopewell, at the Allowance
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TRINITY : ~.. : : TRARY.
AN
ABSTRACT
OF THE
PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
SOCIETY
. FOR THE
Propagation of the Gofpel in Foreign Parts,
In the Year of our Lord 1715.
LONDON.
Printed and Sold by Fofeph Downing, in Bartholomew- Clofe near West-Smithfield, 1716.
60 %. per Annum ; The Reverend Mr. Robert T to New York, for the Affiftance of Mr. Velg 50%; The Reverend Mr. Henry Lucas to M bury, at 60 l. where the Reverend Mr. Los for his officiating,, had a Gratuity of .40 l. from Society ;
Befides which original Salaries, . The Society thought fit, upon fpecial Occafions or prefing En gencies, To grant other Gratuities, or, To augo the Salaries of deferving Miffionaries or Oficers what Sort foever : So the Sum of 40 /. was gn to the Reverend Mr. Vefey, in Confideration his Services done in the Plantations of America, for enabling him to tranfport himfelf to New T To the Reverend Mr. Adams, now Minifter of
Parish, in Somerfet County, Maryland, 100 l. To Reverend Mr. Vaughan, for his Care at Am- Elizabeth Town, &c. 10/. incrcafe Annually ; b the Reverend Mr. Poyer, an Order has been anted for all the Expences he fhall be at in re .. gering his Salary by due Courfe of Law, in the forteft and fpeedieft manner it can be effected ; To k Reverend Mr. Honeyman, for his extraordinary
Imply of Tiverton, Free Town, Little Compton, and euganfit, till Miffionaries be fent over thither, l. per Annum ; To the Reverend Mr. Bridge 30 1. Confideration of Loffes in the Societies Service ; o the Reverend Mr. Humphreys at Ch.fr, an Augmentation of 10/; To Mr. Huddleftone, School- after at Rye, 51. Addition to his Salary ; To Mr. mas Moore, Affiftant to the late Secretary, 10 /. for extraordinary Service for the Society during the AYear ; And to the Secretary himfelf 50 1. per MAY has been added, for enabling him to pro- de fuch Afliftants as he fhall think proper in the finefs of the Society, to commence from the laft aniverfary Meeting.
InBooks, There have been granted 5l. and 8/.worth the Reverend Mr. Vaughan ; To the Reverend Ar. Thomas at Hempftead, 2 Dozen of Common Prayer koks 12º. 2 Dozen of Archibifhop King's Inven- ans of Men ; 2 Dozen of the Dean of St. Afaph's with and Practice of a Church of England Man ; d one of the London Cafes abridged, compleat ; o the Reverend Mr Walker, 5 l. for devotional ed practical Tracts, to be diftributed amongft his cople ; with 2 Church Bibles, 2 Folio Common- Tager Books, and 2 Books of Homilies for the Ufe This Churches ; To the Reverend Mr. Lucas at Fembury a Library, to be removed from Braintree whither a. fupernumerary one had been fent by Miftake ; To the Reverend Mr. Hoi mais, on Rhode- Ifland, I doz. Common Prayer Book .. Svo. and 2 doz. 120. 50 of Wall's Abridgements ; 6 of Br- net's Books againft the Quakers; and 50 ferions Calls to the Quakers by the Reverend Mr. George Keith, as a very acceptable Prefent to him and his Congregation, againft the Errors of Qualms and Anabaptists ; To the Reverend Mr Bridge an Rye, fome Common Prayer Books, and fome devotional 'Tracts, of which the People were very defirons before he wrote, and heartily thankful for them fince; To the Reverend Mr. Mackenzie, 2 dax Common Prayer Books 120. ; To the Reverend Dr. l Jau, fome Society Sermons with other Books, a gra Part of which have been diftributed to thofe wh make a good Ufe of them, not excepting th Sloves, who feem defirous of Inftruction, and co receive the Ordinances from the Minifters of the Parifhes ; To the Reverend Mr. Adams the ufod Allowance ; To the Reverend Mr. Sham 100 for a Library ; To Mr. Huddlestone, 2 doz. Com mon Prayer Books 120. with the old Verfion of the finging Pfalms, and as many of Lewis's Explanation of the Church Catechifm, for Exercifes in his School and in the Evening on the Lord's Days : ( when noch only his own Scholars, but feveral of the young People of the Town of both Sexes come willingy to be informed ; ) I doz. Bibles with the Comms Prayer Book, 1 large 40. Common Prayer, with the New Version of the Palms, 25 Pfalters, and Primmers ; all which he requefted as contribute mightily to the fpeeding the good Work he
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in hand ; having taught befides Britifb Childml 650 Dutch and French, to read and write Englifb, fince he was førft fent over in the Employ of a Schoolmafter, of which he has demonstrated him- felf very capable.
Befides thefe Expences, large enough for their prefent Income ; The Society has been at a very great Charge about Incidentals, neceffary in a manner for carrying on the Conversion or Reforma- tion intended, whether of Pagans or Chriftians ; Such have been with Refpect to the former ; their Inftruction and Maintenance of Prince George, Son of a Tammonfea Sachem, for fome
Time in England, who may in the Hands of God become a healing Inftrument for cementing thofe late Breaches which have been fatally wi- den'd between the Englifh and their Neighbours, on the Frontiers of Carolina ; and by a feafonable Gratitude may caufe many Thankfgivings to God in the Societies Behalf; And fuch has been likewife the Prefent made to the Sachems of the Mohauks and other bordering Nations, by the Reverend Mr. Andrews, at the Societies Appointment, by which be obtained Leave to preach among their Peo- ple ; With the Printing of Prayers, and Catechifms, in the Indian Language, and the Infiractions for Catechifts in English.
1715: From the "Autobiography" of Samuel Johnson : 96 "He soon after, in 1715, happened to light on Archbishop King's book of the Inventions of Man in the Worship of God, which confirmed him in what he had before thought and seemed to carry demonstration with it that the extempore way [of prayer] in which he had been brought up was very wrong, and preconceived, well-composed forms were infinitely best, as we should then have no occasion to rack our invention in finding what to say and have nothing else to do in prayer but to offer up our hearts with our words which is indeed the proper and only business of prayer."
1716: Another passago from the "Autobiography" of Samuel Johnson:97 "He had also been bred up in much prejudice against the Church of England but ... being led by a good religious man (one Mr. Smithson) of that Church lately settled at Guilford to peruse the Liturgy [Prayer Book] which he found to be main- ly and no more than a very judicious collection out of the Holy Scriptures which he always had loved, this together with Bishop King [Inventions of Man in the Worship of God ] caused all his prejudices against the church to vanish like smoke."
1716: The Yale Library received an important shipment of books from England, some of which may have been contributed by the S.P.G. 98 This collection of eight hundred had been assembled in England "at the request of the Connecticut Assembly by the colony's agent, Anglican Jeremiah Dummer .... It con- tained a generous sprinkling of religious books written from the Anglican point of view, such as Hoad- ley's Reasonableness of Conformity, and Admonition to Mr. Calumy, Tillotson's Rule of Faith, Burnett's Pastoral Care, Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity, Sherlock's Tracts, and Barrow's Works. When the books were [eventually ] opened and shelved in the college library, Dr. Timothy Cutler ... and his tutors pro- ceeded to read themselves into the Anglican Church .... " 99
1717, November 14: The Rev. Christopher Bridge wrote the Secretary of the S.P.G. about his occas- ional visits to Stratford :100 "There are in Stratford, and the neighbouring towns in Connecticut, about 36 communicants of the church of England, and within these few years, I find there have been about 24 adult persons, and between 70 and 80 children baptized by me, and other missionaries of the Society, who have occasionally been there; they seem extremely desirous to have a minister settled among them. "
1718, September 30: Your indefatigable forefathers again addressed a long petition to the S.P.G., signed by wardens and vestry. A part of it follows:" ,101
Stratford, September 30th, 1718.
To the Honourable Society for Propagating the Gospel in Forcign Plantations :
The humble address of us, the subscribers, members of the Church of England, in Stratford, in the Colony of Connecti- ent, in New-England, on behalf of ourselves and Society,
HUMBLY SHEWETH : .
Hoping your houonrs will consider that we have been an embodied society these twelve years, and you have so far considered us at first, to send a Commission to the Rev. Mr. Muirson to be our minister, but his deceasing, we remained destitute at least five years ; then your honours considered us
a second time, and sent us a minister, Mr. Phillips; but he not answering your expectations, nor ours neither, soon left us destitute as before, and much worse ; for those who liked not the Church would often flout us and say, we might never expect another minister. So we remained in this deplorable state more than five years, as a seoff' and by-word to the ene- mies of the Church. We have causo to donbt we have been represented to your honours as inconsiderable, few in num- bers and not worth minding ; and, indeed, as to our outward estate, it may very well be said that we are inconsiderable, it being the interests of our government so to make ns ; but as to our number, we have had at least a hundred baptized into the Church, and have had at one time thirty six par- takers of the Holy Communion of the Lord's Supper, and
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