USA > Connecticut > The history of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, Vol. II > Part 24
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" For ourselves, brethren, we are much less con- cerned about new discoveries in religion, than we are
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to preserve, in their integrity and purity, the faith and worship which now pertain to our Church ; founded, as they are, in the Scriptures of truth, freed from the errors and incumbrances of superstition by the Reformation, and detached from all embarrassing alliance with the State, by the civil constitution of our country. We love the Church as it is ; Nolumus mutari."
It will be seen in a future chapter, that the com- placency with which the Bishop at first viewed this theological movement, was somewhat disturbed by its later developments and fruits, and he had reason to " deprecate the treachery of perverting the doctrines of the Church, or the teaching of dogmas alien to her faith, while ministering at her altars."
The Annual Convention of the Diocese, which met at Hartford in 1843, was composed of sixty-four clergymen and seventy-three lay delegates. On this occasion, he delivered his fourth and last charge to the clergy, entitled "Errors of the Times," - a sug- gestive subject, which admitted of a wide range of thought, and embraced a view of things that could not well be considered in his usual addresses. The tone and temper of the " dissenting press " were against the Church; and its various periodicals, tak- ing advantage of the feeling excited by the discus- sions recently commenced at the University of Oxford, joined in a "general crusade against Popery, Pusey- ism, and Prelacy." The charge was the longest which the Bishop had delivered, and about one half of it was occupied with remarks on the abuses of the right of private judgment in matters of religion, and on some of the errors which have prevailed in modern times
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respecting the Church of God and its ministry. An extract from this part of it will show the tenor of his counsels upon one of the topics : -
" The general exercise of private judgment, and the freedom of the will, is, indeed, the natural and inalienable right of every man. But he is responsi- ble to his God, and, in a minor degree, to his fellow men, for the manner in which he exercises those faculties. He may not rightly set them up in oppo- sition to the word of God. He may not rightly exercise them in a spirit of vanity, of perversity, or of self-conceit. He may not rightly exercise them in a way injurious to the peace and order of society, nor without a due veneration for the judgment of the Church and its ministry, so far as that judgment is supported by primitive tradition and usage, and is in conformity to the divine word. We deem him self- sufficient and conceited, who pays no respect to public opinion, even though that opinion may, per- haps, be founded on the caprice of the day. Much less is he to be commended who sets at naught the opinions which have stood the scrutiny of ages, and which have, for centuries, received the sanction of the universal Church.
" It was under these views of the right of private judgment, that the Reformation of the Church of England was conducted through many vicissitudes, and brought to a successful issue. The result is fully embodied in our Book of Common Prayer, - a standard of faith and worship which seems to be almost the only permanent religious monument of the Reformation in Protestant Christendom. The communions planted by Calvin and Zuinglius, have
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become deeply imbued with Socinianism and infi- delity. Those founded by Luther and Melancthon have been corrupted by Rationalism, and every spe- cies of vain philosophy. The stern Church of John Knox has shared, to a great degree, a similar fate, and is, moreover, rent by internal divisions. Has Puritanism enjoyed a happier destiny, either in Eu- rope or in this country ? Let the schisms, the here- sies, the infidelity, the fanaticism, which have every- where sprung up from its distractions, answer the question. The erroneous notions of the right of private judgment, under which all these communions were established, have been constantly growing to greater and greater lengths of extravagance, till the tone of public sentiment on this subject is utterly perverted. Under this state of things it seems to create but little horror, or even surprise, for a man to avow openly that he is not a Christian. The sentiment is still more common, that it is a matter of entire in- difference with what particular sect a man connects himself; nor is it thought a matter of much impor- tance that he should unite with any Christian denomi- nation, provided that he be sincere in his religion. The same state of public sentiment has afforded a strong stimulant to the aspirings of religious ambi- tion, and the arts of hypocrisy. Learned theologians have vied with ignorant fanatics and wicked impos- tors, in founding and extending new sects of religion- ists. No metaphysical quibble appears too slight to obtain partisans, no extravagance too absurd to gain disciples, and no imposture too gross to secure be- lievers."1
1 Charge, 1843, pp. 7, 8.
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In the latter portion of the charge, the Sacrament of Baptism was considered, and some of those errors in regard to it noticed, which appeared to be the most deeply seated in the public mind, and the most injurious in their tendency. It was his belief that there was but little real difference of sentiment, among churchmen, as to the true interpretation of the baptismal office, and that the controversies which had been carried on concerning it were mainly dis- putes about words. The change of state effected in baptism is called in Scripture, and in the Prayer Book, regeneration, but the "New Light Theology," dating back to the times of Whitefield and Edwards, applied the term to the process of spiritual renova- tion, sometimes designated as the new birth or a change of heart.
"The use of the word," said the Bishop, "in a sense so different from its former acceptation, has led to a lamentable misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the doctrine of baptismal regeneration, as held by our Church. It is probable, too, that another error has concurred in producing this misapprehension. The idea of perseverance in grace is popularly con- nected with that of change of heart, and it is hence inferred, that if a person be regenerated in baptism, his salvation is secured. But the Church holds no such doctrine."
Profound deference was no longer paid to the authoritative teaching of the chief Protestant denom- inations on the subject. The Congregational minis- ters virtually rejected this teaching, by allowing so much latitude to the right of private judgment, and by yielding to the wide-spread influence of new views
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in religion. A few citations in the charge from the writings of the principal Continental Reformers, and from the standards of the Westminster and New Eng- land divines served to show that their doctrinal views in regard to baptism assimilated to those of the Church of England. But the great idea of the new heart absorbed all other considerations.
" Whatever vague generalities may be uttered con- cerning the duty of baptism, it is but too commonly regarded as a mere ceremonial observance, -a mere sign, unaccompanied by anything signified. Practi- cally, there is an utter unbelief in its sacramental efficacy. And the pious nurture of children, whether baptized or not (so far, at least, as their religious state is concerned), is considered of no avail, until, some time during life, they shall become subjects of the 'new birth ;' converted by a sudden 'change of heart,' of which they have a distinct consciousness, and in which they are entirely passive. Though, in reading the Scriptures, baptized persons are represented as members of the 'family' and 'household' of Christ ; as 'fellow-citizens with the saints ;' as 'members of Christ,' 'children of God,' and 'heirs of the kingdom of heaven ;' as having 'put on Christ' by baptism ; and as being ' buried with him in baptism,'-yet these are all regarded by those who are imbued with the new theology, as mere figurative modes of expression, from which they derive no distinct conception of the real efficacy of the sacrament." 1
The charge provoked the hostility of all the ecclesi- astical organizations which, following the lead of their ministers, inclined to lower the nature and obligation
1 Page 30.
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of baptism, and to exalt unduly the importance of ex- perimental religion. Writers in some of the religious periodicals of Connecticut run their pens against it, and besides being subjected to long and searching re- views from the press, it was made the theme of dis- course from more than one Congregational pulpit. The Bishop seemed to anticipate a reception of this kind, for, in the conclusion of the charge, he said : -
"I am aware that the plainness of speech which has characterized this discourse, will bring upon me the imputation of uncharitableness, by those who dissent from my opinions. I am not conscious of any such feeling, and it has been my desire to express myself with proper Christian courtesy. But charity consists not in the suppression of important truths, nor in overlooking important errors. It is sufficient that we entertain kindly feelings towards those whom we be- lieve to be in error, and adhere to the great law of equity, by doing to others as we would have them do to us. The views which I have presented in relation to the right of private judgment in matters of religion, in regard to the nature and constitution of the Chris- tian Church, its ministry, and sacraments, are widely different from the opinions held by many wise and good men around us. I question not their intelli- gence or their piety. I would judge no man, I would unchurch no man. I would decide nothing concern- ing the efficacy of a ministry which I may deem to be invalid, nor concerning the benefits which may be at- tendant on irregular or defective ministrations. It is the prerogative of God alone, who knows what allow- ance may be made for ignorance, pride, or prejudice, to determine what shall be the consequences to any
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man, of the errors he commits, -whether those errors be voluntary or involuntary. But, my brethren, it is the duty of all men to seek the truth, and to main- tain it. And, for ourselves, it has been made our spe- cial care 'with all faithful diligence, to banish and drive away from the Church all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to God's word.' Errors in religion, whether they relate to the theory or to the practice of it, are not only hazardous to those who embrace them, but they are injurious to the cause of religion itself. All the writings of infidels have, perhaps, done less to injure the cause of Christianity, than the here- sies and schisms which have rent the Church, the multiplicity of sects which have arisen, and the hatred, the fanaticism, and the extravagances by which they have been attended." 1
The errors of the day and the animating discussions which sprung from the Oxford Tracts did not prevent the erection of new churches and the formation of new parishes. The Diocese steadily advanced in pros- perity, and larger edifices, built of wood to take the place of the old ones, were consecrated about this time for St. Paul's parish, Norwalk, St. John's, Stam- ford, and St. Stephen's, Ridgefield. A new church was also consecrated in the spring of 1842, for the parish at Poquetannock, in the town of Preston, - a parish representing the old Church in North Groton, which was among the earliest of those organized in the Col- ony before the Revolution.2 During the same year a
1 Pages 32, 33.
2 The church originally stood about four miles south of the present edi- fice, but, before the Revolution, in order to accommodate the parishioners, the venerable Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, as appears from a "letter for that purpose," permitted it to be removed to any place in the
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" spacious granite church" was built by St. James's parish, Derby, and small edifices of wood rose in the villages of Glenville1 (Greenwich), and Zoar (New- town). But there were better evidences than these of the increase of the Church. New parishes, which have since been blessed with prosperity, were formed in Hartford, West Hartford, Fair Haven, Wolcottville, and Windsor. St. John's parish, Hartford, sprung from the superabundant growth of Christ Church in that city, and immediately erected for itself, in a central position, what was called at the time, "a beautiful structure " of Portland stone. When it was conse- crated in the spring of 1842, the Rev. Mr. Burgess, then Rector of Christ Church, preached the ser- mon, - a brief extract from which will show the need of a second parochial organization : -
"It is not yet thirteen years since the festival of town of Groton. It was accordingly removed to the village of Poque- tannock ; and, to keep to the letter of the permission, was " placed so that the north side of the building coincided with the boundary line between Groton and Preston, the building wholly standing in Groton (now Led- yard), but touching Preston on its north side."
The Revolutionary War broke up the congregation, and the church went to decay. Occasional services were afterwards held in it, and it remained, as its successor still remains, the only house of public worship in Poque- tannock. Ammi Rogers appeared among the people in 1815, and, being accepted as their minister, persuaded them to repair the church, but, in doing this, it passed from the control of the parish and became the prop- erty of individuals, other denominations having a right to use it when not needed by the Episcopalians. Subsequently different Episcopal clergymen officiated there, and, in 1839, the ministry of the Rev. Dexter Potter com- menced. He succeeded in accomplishing the erection of a new church, which is located about a quarter of a mile east of the old one, and within the limits of the town of Preston.
1 That at Glenville was due to the munificence of a single individual (Mr. Samuel G. Cornell), who conveyed it by deed to the Bishop of the Diocese, and his successors in office, in trust for the Protestant Episcopal Church.
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Christmas was made more joyful by the consecration of that Church which now bears the name of Christ ; and we are here met, in the season of His death and resurrection, to dedicate this by the name of that Apostle who, of all Christian men, was last at the cross, and earliest at the grave. The parish register of burials may, perhaps, better than any other record, display the actual increase in the number of persons who are to be furnished with the means of our wor- ship. In 1811, the year at which this register com- mences, there were four burials; in 1841 there were forty-four. The regularity of increase may also be seen in the annual numbers of burials for a course of years ; which were in their order, beginning with 1832, thirteen, sixteen, twenty-five, twenty-three, thirty-one, twenty-two, twenty-seven, thirty-five, thir- ty-four, forty-four ; and in the present year, already fourteen, more than the whole number ten years ago.
" No signal event, then, has marked the history of our Church in this city, except such as has proceeded from its ripening vigor. No memorable struggle, no happy accident has filled its places of worship, till it demanded first a larger, and then another. It has but grown as bodies grow, which have a healthful life in their heart and their members. It has but received that place in the regard of men, which their impartial judgment and enlightened conscience must always, in the end, allow to truth, to unity, and to order. These are the principles on which it has sustained itself, and must sustain itself under the help of its Redeemer." 1
1 Pages 7, 8.
VOL. II. 22
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CHAPTER XXIV.
INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CLERGY; MOVEMENT FOR AN AS- SISTANT BISHOP ; DEATH OF REV. ASHBEL BALDWIN ; AND IMPROVED STYLE OF ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE.
A. D. 1843 - 1848.
FULL one hundred clergymen were now residing in the Diocese, but not more than seventy-five of them were engaged in active parochial work. Some of the remainder were prevented by age and infirmity from officiating, and others were employed as instructors in public and private seminaries of learning. The parishes also numbered nearly one hundred, and con- sequently, the smaller ones were obliged to continue united in cures or else have no stated ministrations. Though the list of candidates for Holy Orders rose from fourteen in 1843 to thirty-one in 1845, yet the growth of the Church in Connecticut was such as to require the services of all, and the parishes, which had been nursed with the bounty of the Christian Knowl- edge Society, were fast becoming self-supporting. All, however, did not remain in the Diocese, - many, as heretofore, being drawn to fields of usefulness outside of it, where the prospect of pecuniary support was better, and pastoral toils no more exacting.
An increase in the number of its clergy does not necessarily prove the prosperity of a Diocese. Inter- nal troubles and theological controversies may check
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its advancement, and give to the enemies of Chris- tianity occasion to triumph in their ungodliness. But Connecticut was happily free from evils of this sort, and furnished few incidents, at this period, to excite extraordinary interest. The condition of the Diocese was well described in the " Report on the State of the Church," made to the General Convention in 1844, and compiled from documents supplied by the different delegations which composed that body.
" The Church in Connecticut is now, as heretofore, at unity, and being strictly conservative in spirit, is in little danger of being seriously affected by unprofit- able contentions. With reasonable and allowable dif- ferences of opinion on questions of policy and expe- diency, there is no diversity of sentiment with regard to the great principles of Christian doctrine and ec- clesiastical polity. The mutual confidence subsisting between the clergy and laity and their Bishop, pre- sents a beautiful exemplification of the tendency of our system, and the soundness of our principles. In no part of the Union has the Church been so rudely, unjustly, and unscrupulously assailed. But the hostile shafts have fallen harmless ; and her steady progress affords satisfactory proof that she has nothing to fear from such an unsanctified warfare, and that, so long as these assaults shall stimulate men to examine her standards and her bulwarks, they will only tend to enlarge her borders and increase her prosperity."
The interest of the laity in the progress of the Diocese was shown, as in other ways, so, especially, by the more general attendance of their delegates upon the annual conventions. The new parishes were rare- ly unrepresented, and in the older organizations, where
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it had once been accounted somewhat of a burden, it was beginning to be esteemed a privilege to be chosen a delegate. Besides, it was a sign of deadness or in- difference to be unrepresented, and hence, at the Easter meetings of the parishes, when vestries were elected, and all important business transacted, men were appointed to this office who would be pretty sure to attend. In 1844, the Annual Convention was held in New Haven, and the Rev. A. Cleveland Coxe, then Rector1 of the new parish in Hartford (St. John's), preached the sermon. Seventy-two clergymen and eighty-six lay delegates were present, and on the same occasion, the next year, more than one hundred of the latter order were in attendance. This increase marked the growth of the Church in the Diocese, for, by the Constitution, each parish in union with the Convention was entitled to a representation by one lay delegate, and, if it contained "more than fifty families, by two," and parishes "composed of two or more congregations, having a corresponding number of church edifices," were entitled to a " representation from each of such congregations, as from so many distinct parishes."
Dr. Brownell had been in the office of the Episco- pate for a quarter of a century, and, during that period, he had ordained one hundred and twenty-five deacons, one hundred and twenty priests, consecrated sixty-six churches, and confirmed, in Connecticut, eleven thousand three hundred and fifty-three per- sons. While such tokens of spiritual progress glad- dened him, he could not but see that the generation which welcomed him to the Diocese was rapidly pass-
1 Now Bishop of Western New York.
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ing away. Four of the clergy only, who were pres- ent as members of the Convention of 1844, had par- ticipated in his election, and one of these was the venerable Burhans, ordained by the first Bishop of Connecticut.
The rest of the members, both clerical and lay, be- longed to a new generation, and the Bishop already appeared among them as a patriarch among his de- scendants. Age and infirmity had produced their debilitating effect upon his constitution, and he was beginning to feel the need of some relief from the burden, which " the care of all the churches" in the Diocese brought upon him. He found it necessary to depend, for the most part, upon his clergy to preach for him, and frequently a presbyter was taken into his company for this purpose when he started on a visita- tion. Even with this assistance, the state of his health was not always equal to his duties. In his address to the Convention of 1844, he said : -
" Owing to an affection of my eyes, which contin- ued through the past winter, and which threatened to terminate in blindness, I was advised to place myself under the charge of an eminent physician and oculist in the city of New York. His skilful treat- ment, aided by the divine blessing on the means, has produced a great mitigation of the disease, and I am encouraged to cherish sanguine hopes of the ultimate recovery of my sight. But the arrangements which I had proposed for Episcopal services through the spring have been almost entirely frustrated, and it is probable that several months must yet elapse before I shall be able to use my eyes for reading or writing."
Though he was afterwards restored, in a measure, to
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his former health and able to resume his duties, the subject of permanent relief in the Episcopal office oc- cupied much of his attention, and, while on his visita- tions the next year, he conversed freely with leading clergymen and laymen as to the expediency of apply- ing for the election of an assistant bishop. Delegates, therefore, went to the Annual Convention which met at Hartford in 1845, fully persuaded that the matter would be introduced, and acted upon with due delib- eration. But prior to the meeting, it had been dis- covered, that if an election was pressed, the candidate whom the Bishop might prefer, would not be the only one whose name would be brought forward, and there was danger that the choice of the clergy would fall upon some presbyter whose respectable support the Diocese would be indisposed to provide for, - at least, so long as it was still indebted to the Bishop, for arrear- ages of salary and interest, in the sum of nearly four thousand five hundred dollars. Under these circum- stances, he would have been quite willing to relin- quish the subject for the time; but he had gone too far in his consultations to do this, and therefore he closed his address with cautious words, and left the responsi- bility of further action, where it properly belonged, to the Convention : -
" In concluding this address, I have to bring before you a subject which cannot fail to be regarded with deep solicitude by yourselves and by me. It is known to many of you that, on account of permanent bodily infirmities, I have contemplated applying to the Con- vention for the election of an assistant bishop. Those of my brethren to whom I have mentioned this sub- ject, have received the proposition in a way very
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grateful to my feelings, while they have generally ex- pressed a wish that the measure might be deferred as long as practicable. The expression of this sentiment, in connection with the consideration that, for the last few weeks, my general health has been greatly im- proved, had almost determined me to defer the prop- osition for another year. But further consideration admonishes me that the bodily infirmities to which I have alluded are of a permanent character, and that I cannot count, with any confidence, on the continuance of the degree of health which I now enjoy.
" Under these considerations, I beg leave to refer the consideration of the election of an assistant bishop to the free discretion of the Convention. Whatever measure of health and strength may be vouchsafed to me by Divine Providence, I shall cheerfully devote to the service of the Church. But if my brethren of the clergy and of the laity shall be of opinion that the Diocese is likely to suffer for the want of a more effi- cient superintendence, it is my desire that the Con- vention should proceed to the election of an assistant bishop, either at the present session, or at such other time as their judgment may deem expedient."
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