USA > Connecticut > The history of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, Vol. II > Part 21
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The resolutions were not concurred in by the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies, and submitted to the consideration of the different dioceses, without stren- uous opposition. Of the four clerical and two lay delegates present from Connecticut, three of the former and one of the latter voted against them, and Bishop Brownell, in his address to the Diocesan Convention of 1829, thus stated his objections :-
" The consideration of the proposed alterations in the Liturgy of our Church was postponed to the pres- ent Convention. I had purposed to avail myself of this occasion fully to express my views on the subject, but the sense of the Church appears to be so decidedly averse to the alterations, that I think there is no prob- ability of their receiving the approbation of the Gen- eral Convention. Under these circumstances, a discus- sion of them would be superfluous. Although, at the
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last General Convention, I voted in favor of submitting these alterations to the consideration of the Church, it was partly in deference to the opinions of others, and on the intimation that such a measure would tend to promote harmony in the Church, and uniform- ity in the ministrations of the clergy. For myself, I desire to see no further attempts made for changes in the Liturgy, and I believe this to be the general senti- ment of this Diocese. I might, indeed, fancy myself able to make improvements in it, if it were left to my discretion. Many others would probably enter on such a work with greater confidence than myself. But I am persuaded that there is no part of the Liturgy but has become endeared to so many pious people, that nothing could be altered or expunged without doing great violence to feelings which every ingenuous mind should respect. I rejoice in the decided expression of opinion which has been evinced in regard to the proposed alterations, and consider it as more auspicious to the integrity. of the Liturgy, than any enactments of the General Convention which could possibly be devised."
He was right in his opinion of the general feeling of the Diocese, for the same Convention, to which he spoke these cautions, expressed its sense of the pro- posed alterations by unanimously rejecting them. The clergy of Connecticut, some years before, had agreed among themselves to a use of the Ante-com- munion service every Sunday, and they did not wish any modification or new construction of the rubric on this point. In dioceses, too, where the greatest liberties had been taken with the Liturgy, opposition was raised to the changes -and when the General
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Convention assembled at Philadelphia in August, 1829, a resolution was adopted, offered by Bishop Hobart himself, to the effect that, "under existing circumstances," it is inexpedient to approve of the propositions, "and they are, therefore, hereby dis- missed from the consideration of the Convention."
Bishop Brownell preached the sermon at this meet- ing in Philadelphia. His subject was "Christian Zeal," and in the treatment of it, he referred to the work of the "Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society," con- sidering its prosperity as inseparably connected with the prosperity of the Church, and the piety of her members. A vast territory of our Union, spreading to the West and to the South, was not then under the jurisdiction of any Protestant bishop, and the Directors of the Society requested him to visit it, and " to perform such Episcopal offices as might be de- sired, to inquire into the condition of the missions established by the Board, and to take a general survey of the country, for the purpose of designating such other missionary stations as might be usefully estab- lished." He was the youngest of the American prel- ates, and the best situated, it was thought, to under- take a journey which must separate him from his Diocese for many months, and involve him in the perils of a traveller by sea and by land. He left Hart- ford on the 5th of November, 1829, being escorted to the steamboat by the officers and students of the College, whom he bade an affectionate adieu, and at New York he was joined by the Rev. William Rich- mond, his faithful companion on the whole visita- tion.
The general direction of their tour was from Phila-
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delphia to Pittsburgh, and thence down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, to New Orleans, - the latter city being the utmost point of their destination. Wel- comed wherever they passed, and taking advantage of all opportunities to make known the objects of their mission, they succeeded in reviving an interest for the services of the Church, where the people had become discouraged, and in facilitating the organiza- tion and support of new parishes. The Bishop exer- cised his Episcopal functions in Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama, and, besides consecrating six churches, admitting one candidate to the priesthood, and confirming one hundred and forty-two persons, he preached, or assisted at divine service seventy- four times, administered the sacrament of the Lord's Supper on several occasions, and baptized twenty-two children and twelve adults. In the course of his visit to Louisiana and Alabama, he presided at conventions held for the regular organization of the Church in those States. Speaking, in his report to the Directors, of the future character and aspect of the country through which he had travelled, he said : -
"The great Valley of the Mississippi, which is so interesting to the statesman and the philosopher, has not failed to attract the attention of the Board I address, to its spiritual wants. This immense region, extending from the Alleghany ridges to the Rocky Mountains, and from Lake Erie to the Gulf of Mex- ico, was, a few years since, but a vast wilderness, in- habited by wild beasts and a few tribes of wandering savages. At the present day, it comprises a vast empire, and contains nearly five millions of inhabi- tants. In twenty years to come, it will probably
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contain twelve millions of souls, which will then be a majority of the whole population of the Union.
" There is a grandeur and solemnity in this march of population, which cannot fail to arrest our atten- tion, and dispose us to reflect on its results. What is to be the religious, the moral, and the intellectual state of these increasing millions? Who, that regards their temporal welfare, would not wish to see them blessed with the religion and the ministrations of the Gospel ? But, from the manner in which this country was settled, it is unreasonable to expect that compe- tent provision should yet be made for the support of literary and religious institutions. The emigrants did not take with them their pastors and their school- masters, like the Pilgrim Fathers of New England. And, though their enterprise and industry have made the wilderness to bud and blossom as the rose, there have not been the same inducements, nor the same opportunities for religious culture."
On returning homeward " through Alabama, the Creek Nation, and the Atlantic States," Bishop Brownell paid a friendly visit to his brother in the episcopate at Raleigh,1 North Carolina. He at length reached his home in Hartford on the 14th of March,
1 " Here we remained a day, for the purpose of rest, and to see the Rt. Rev. Bp. Ravenscroft, who, we had learned, was dangerously ill. We found the Bishop in a very feeble and emaciated state, affording scarcely a hope of his recovery, and awaiting the time of his departure with the most perfect resignation and composure. He had caused a door to be cut in the floor of the chancel of the church and his grave to be dug there, and had caused a plain pine coffin to be made to contain his body." - Bp. Brownell's MS. Notes.
On the 5th of March, 1830, ten days after the visit of his brother, Bp. Ravenscroft entered into his rest, " without a struggle or distorted feature," at the age of nearly fifty-eight years.
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having been engaged in missionary services for the Church four months, accomplishing a tour through the West and South of about six thousand miles, and rivalling in extent the far-famed visitation of the la- mented Heber in India. It is worth while to cite, from his own note-book, the words in which he records his gratitude : -
"I have been graciously preserved from every danger to which I may have been exposed. Nothing has occurred to mar the satisfaction of my journey, or to frustrate the benefits to be expected from it, and I have been permitted to join my family and friends again, under circumstances of the richest mercy. May I be suitably grateful for these unmer- ited favors, and may the great Head of the Church pour forth abundant blessings on my unworthy la- bors."
The spiritual destitution seen on this visitation, im- pressed the beholder with the necessity of an increase in the number of the clergy. The growth of the Church was greater than the supply of faithful labor- ers, and duly qualified missionaries could not be ob- tained, to meet the wants of the West and the South, so long as the older parishes in the Eastern and Atlantic States claimed all the active men in Holy Orders. The complete list of the clergy at that time in the country, as shown by the Journal of the General Convention, numbered only five hundred and seven. Bishop Brownell, therefore, once more invited attention to a subject, which he had frequently placed before the Convention of his Diocese. "It is obvious," said he in 1830, "that the principal efforts of Episcopalians should be directed to the education
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of young men for the sacred ministry." Nothing but a strong sense of religious duty would lead any to devote themselves to a calling which, in this land, offers so few worldly inducements, but there were young men whose piety inclined them to enter the ministry, and whose talents qualified them to adorn it, but who had not the pecuniary means of obtaining a suitable education ; and such must be sought out and assisted.
It was to create a feeder for the College, and, in some measure, a nursery to the ministry, that the churchmen of Hartford established an academy in that city, and induced the Rev. Reuben Sherwood to relinquish his pleasant parish in Norwalk, and accept the charge of it, Easter, 1830. Whether he sighed again for the full pastoral work, or felt disappoint- ment at the prospects of the Academy, he ceased his connection with it at the end of a year, and removed from the Diocese, and the buildings, after some fruit- less attempts to accomplish the original design, passed into other hands, and were used for other purposes.
Because it speaks of an evil, partly springing from the scarcity of clergymen, and yet directly connected with the misjudgments of the people, this chapter will be closed with an extract from Bishop Brownell's address in 1831 :-
" The Convention will not fail to notice the nu- merous changes in the location of the clergy, reported from year to year. This is not peculiar to Con- necticut, but is a common complaint in almost every Diocese. It is occasioned, in a considerable degree, by the inadequate number of the clergy. Vacant parishes will not fail to make overtures to settled VOL. II. 19
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clergymen, when no others are to be obtained. These importunities, together with prospects of better sup- port, or of more extensive usefulness, inust lead to frequent changes. Another cause, of considerable in- fluence in this Diocese, will be found in the condition of our parishes. Many of these are yet in so feeble a state, that two or three of them are obliged to unite for the support of a clergyman. Under these circum- stances, they will generally be averse to the formation of permanent arrangements, in the hope that each will be able to secure the exclusive services of a clergyman at no distant period. But there is still another cause for these frequent changes, for which no justification can be urged. I allude to that love of novelty, and that admiration of mere popular preaching, which, I fear, is too much a characteristic of the present times. It is not thought sufficient that the minister is sensible, discreet, and pious; that he visits the sick and the afflicted, and discharges all his pastoral duties with fidelity. He must, moreover, be an orator, attract the admiration of the multi- tude, and draw crowds to hear him preach. A good elocution is certainly a very desirable qualification in a public speaker, but it may be doubted whether splendid displays of eloquence contribute greatly to Christian edification. It sometimes happens that men's minds are so engrossed by their admiration of the orator, that they think little of any practical application of the truths which he delivers. But what is called popular preaching, is too often but frothy declamation, set off by some of the graces of delivery. Such popularity is of short continuance. It ceases as soon as the novelty is past, and the un-
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fortunate parish that relies on it, will be grievously disappointed. This eagerness for popular preaching is especially the propensity of the young, whose ardent feelings expose them to the influence of showy and imposing qualities. I have known more than one pastoral connection broken up, where the clergy- man possessed undoubted talents and piety, and all those substantial qualifications which go to form the character of the faithful and useful pastor, but was thought deficient in a popular elocution. The tem- poral condition of the parish did not prosper so remarkably as some of its sanguine members could desire - for though men may plant and cultivate, it is for God to give the increase, and he does this in his own good time. Reports are circulated of the ephemeral growth of some neighboring parish, under the auspices of a popular preacher, and it is fondly imagined that mere popular preaching will produce the same effects in every parish, and that these effects will be permanent. The ardent and restless members of the parish become uneasy. Dissatisfac- tion and complaints increase, till the clergyman finally deems it expedient to relinquish his station, and seek for service in some other part of his Master's vine- yard."
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CHAPTER XXI.
RETIREMENT OF THE BISHOP FROM THE PRESIDENCY OF THE COL- LEGE; CHARGE TO THE CLERGY; AND GENERAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF THE CHURCH.
A. D. 1831 - 1835.
THE Diocese became somewhat restless under the partial supervision of the Bishop, and adopted meas- ures, in 1831, to separate him from the presidency of the College. The combined duties of the two offices were too much for one man to discharge well, and there was a feeling in some quarters that each would suffer, if they continued to be united in the same person. The College was the favorite institu- tion of the Bishop, not less as a nursery of learning than of the ministry of the Church, and around it hung his affections and his prayers. The movement to withdraw him from the immediate administration of it was a delicate one, and the Convention, in making it, bore grateful testimony to the important services rendered by him in founding it and advan- cing its interests. But, in the same resolution, the earnest hope was expressed that, while so many par- ishes were destitute of settled ministers, he would devote his labors exclusively to the pastoral care of the Diocese, as soon as a suitable gentleman could be provided to fill the presidency of the institution, and a competent support secured for his family.
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He met the request of the Convention without hesitation, and entirely concurred with the members in regard to the expediency of the step which they asked him to take. The question that now rose before them, was, What salary shall be paid to the Bishop ? and a committee of five laymen was ap- pointed to devise and report a plan for immediately increasing it to eighteen hundred dollars. This, with the amount of arrearages due to him, which had been accumulating for years, constituted a sum so large, that many feared it would not be raised. The poor parishes, still delinquent in the matter of the old assessments of 1813, were again stirred up, and vig- orous efforts made to increase the permanent fund. But they were far from being successful, and the next year a new scheme was adopted, in the shape of the following preamble and resolution : -
" Whereas, at the last Convention of this Diocese, it was voted to grant the Bishop an annual salary of eighteen hundred dollars, and whereas, the funds for the support of the Episcopate yield at this time only about thirteen hundred dollars, therefore, -
Resolved, that, for the purpose of making up the deficiency, the Convention earnestly recommend to the several parishes in the Diocese, to raise an annual contribution of two and one-half per cent. per annum on the amount paid to their clergymen respectively, and to remit the same annually, on or before the first day of August, to the Treasurer of the Bish- op's Fund, until the interest of the Bishop's Fund shall amount to the sum of eighteen hundred dol- lars."
And the members of that Convention, by another
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resolution, " individually pledged themselves" to use due diligence to further the object thus recommended.
The Bishop resigned the presidency of the College, in the course of a few months, and his successor was the Rev. N. S. Wheaton, Rector of Christ Church, Hartford. His "Farewell Address" to the students on the occasion of his retiring, delivered in the Col- lege Chapel, December 16th, 1831, opens with a pas- sage rich in tender historic associations : -
" The time is at hand when I am to retire from the immediate charge of this institution. It is an event which I cannot contemplate without some emotion. Having made the first movements for the establish- ment of the College; having been engaged, with great solicitude, in all the measures for procuring its char- ter, for raising the funds for its endowment; having presided over the instruction and discipline which has been dispensed in it, from its origin to the present time, it is naturally to be expected that my feelings should be strongly identified with its interests and its prospects.
"These feelings of general interest, derive peculiar force from the acquaintances I have formed, and the attachments I have contracted with the young men who have passed under my charge. About eighty youth have already received the honors of the insti- tution. They have carried forth into the world a measure of talents and worth of which its friends may well be proud."
A large proportion of these youth entered the sacred ministry, and of the twenty candidates for Holy Orders named by the Bishop in 1832, thirteen were graduates of the College at Hartford. The
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number increased from year to year, and the Church in Connecticut and other Dioceses received, from this source, many accessions to her educated clergy.
Withdrawn now from other cares, the Bishop de- voted himself exclusively to Episcopal duties, and, in 1832, stated that he had visited, since the last Con- vention, sixty-six parishes, and administered, in fifty- four of them, the rite of confirmation to twelve hun- dred and ten persons. In the same period he conse- crated five new churches, and preached one hundred and thirty-nine times, notwithstanding a " severe lameness," from which he suffered during the early part of the year. Activity in the overseer of the vineyard, as well as in all its workers, was specially demanded. Public attention was now very much directed to the subject of religion in Connecticut, and Bishop Brownell, in his "Second Charge" to the clergy, counselled them how they might best fulfill the ministries with which they were intrusted, and have a due regard to the circumstances of the times. In the heats of religious excitement, charity is often forgotten and misapprehensions propagated, and hence no cautions are more proper than those which relate to the message of salvation and its right acceptance.
" As members of the Protestant Episcopal Church," said he, "we believe that her articles and formularies present a correct view of the true doctrines of the Gospel. That they do so, is generally conceded by all the orthodox denominations of Christians in our country. But we are sometimes charged with hold- ing these doctrines, subject to some mental reserva- tion, and of really entertaining erroneous and defec- tive views of the great doctrines of the Cross. I feel
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assured that this charge, as applied to the clergy of our Church at the present time, is utterly errone- ous and groundless. In retracing the history of the Church of England, we may, perhaps, find a period, when the discourses of her divines were directed too exclusively to the enforcing of social obligations, partly because they considered the peculiar doctrines of the gospel to be generally understood, but chiefly because the sectarian preachers were accustomed to dwell exclusively on high points of faith, to the neg- lect, and often to the disparagement, of the common duties of life. It may be that the imputation in question has been handed down from these times, in the traditions of dissenters, and transferred from our parent Church to our own. But, however we may feel the injustice of the reproach, it will ultimately be put to shame, if we continue faithfully to preach the great doctrines of grace and salvation through Jesus Christ; and if, when we are called upon to inculcate the relative duties of life, we enforce them by Christian motives and Christian sanctions.
" The whole economy of the gospel supposes man- kind to be, by nature, in a state of sin and guilt, subject to the just displeasure of God, and utterly incapable of extricating themselves from misery by their own unassisted powers. This fact constitutes the basis of the scheme of salvation unfolded in the Scriptures, and the foundation of all our efforts to seek the mercy of God. through the merits of the Redeemer. It should be faithfully set forth and en- forced by every minister of Christ." 1
This whole charge, spoken in 1832 to a Conven-
1 Second Charge, pp. 6, 7.
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tion of forty clergymen and forty-three lay delegates, is full of the soundest instruction, and many extracts from it might be made to reflect the religious history of the times. One more, however, of considerable length, is as much as the limits of this chapter will allow.
"The times in which we live, require that we should take especial heed to ourselves and to our doctrine ; that we should be abundant in our labors, vigilant in our care of the Church of God committed unto us, and faithful and zealous in the performance of all our duties. Never was there more need of a strict observance of the precept of the Saviour: 'Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves.' The subject of religion occupies an unusual share of the public attention. There has been no period since the Reformation, when such zealous exertions have been put forth for its advancement. This auspicious char- acteristic of the times has been gradually developing itself for more than twenty years, and as the era was preceded by a period of comparative apathy, the present has, not inaptly, been called a season of revi- val. It is highly important, brethren, that we partici- pate in this characteristic of the age. It is, therefore, incumbent on us, not only to take peculiar heed to our own religious state, and to the spiritual welfare of those who are committed to our charge, but we are called upon to take an active part in the common efforts that are put forth to extend the Redeemer's kingdom through the world. We are called upon to afford our aid in the dissemination of religious knowledge, and in sending forth the gospel of salva- tion, with its ministry and ordinances, not only to the
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destitute of our own country, but to the benighted heathen in other lands. And we are emphatically called upon to contribute our aid in elevating and sustaining the tone of religious piety in the com- munion to which we belong, according to that un- erring standard prescribed in the Gospel.
" But, brethren, our times are marked by other characteristics, less auspicious to the cause of divine truth. While these zealous exertions have been put forth for the promotion of the Christian religion, we cannot fail to have observed that this holy cause is bitterly assailed, both by open and covert enemies, and that it is sometimes lamentably injured even by its professed friends. The success of the Redeemer's cause seems to have called forth the most active and subtle opposition of the adversary. Infidelity has arisen from the dust, into which it was humbled by the events of the French Revolution, and once more stalks boldly through the land. The plenary inspira- tion of the Scriptures, and the divinity and atone- ment of the Saviour, are now denied by those who bear the Christian name. And even among those who imagine themselves the best friends of religion, its doctrines are sometimes so distorted, the modes of advancing it are sometimes so injudicious and extravagant, and the course of duty it prescribes is sometimes so revoltingly misrepresented, that one is at a loss to determine whether the sacred cause is most injured by its professed friends, or its avowed enemies. The misrepresentations and perversions of infidel writers have, indeed, done incalculable mis- chief to the cause of Christianity; all the powers of sophistry, sarcasm, and ridicule, have been exhausted
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