USA > New York > New York City > A history of the parish of Trinity Church in the city of New York, pt 1 > Part 38
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The financial condition of the Corporation had now become very critical. General Tryon held the bond of the Church for {5000, on which he offered a discount of ten per cent. if paid at once. On the 11th of April, 1783, the Paymaster-General of the British forces called on the par- ish for the payment of {8000 of bonds which had come into possession of his department, when the parish frankly confessed its inability to meet the demand at that time, and expressed the hope that the king, on application, would remit the demand in view of their heavy losses .?
Later, application was made in due form to the Lords of the Treasury, and the Bishop of London was approached
1 New York Gen. Conv. MISS., ii., 658.
2 Records, i., 429.
440
History of Trinity Church
[1783
on the subject, but the Bishop wrote in October that to secure the remission it would be necessary to apply to Parliament. 1
The amount standing to the credit of the Church May 2Ist was only about £73. Still, rents were remitted to lessees of the Church property in view of their poverty and the exigencies of the times ; and leases were sold in order to raise funds for carrying on the work of the par- ish.2 Efforts were made to get the churchyard of St. Paul's Chapel fenced in, and an active committee devoted much time to securing subscriptions for that purpose. The charity sermons went on as usual.3
It became necessary at this time to provide for the re- ligious wants of that considerable number who had taken refuge in the city from outside. We read, on this subject, the following announcements :
1 Records, i., 429.
2 See The Royal Gazette, January 9, 1782, The Royal Gazette, July 20, 1782, The New- York Gazette, June 2, 1783, and The New- York Gazette, June 30, 1783.
3 " To-Morrow, being the Seventeenth instant, a CHARITY SERMON is to be preached at ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, for the benefit of the CHARITY SCHOOL belonging to the Parish of Trinity Church in this city. Should the weather prove bad, the ser- mon will be deferred till the ensuing Sunday."-The Royal Gazette, November 16, 1782.
" The badness of the Weather ON SUNDAY LAST PREVENTED THE
CHARITY SERMON
from being preached at St. Paul's Church as was intended.
"It will be preached at that Church To-Morrow, being the 24th instant, weather permitting, and on the Sunday following, another Charity Sermon will be preached at St. George's, for the like laudable design."-Ibid., November 23, 1782.
"Last Sunday an excellent Charity Sermon was preached at St. Paul's Church, by the Rev. Dr. INGLIS, when a handsome Collection was made for the Charity School in this City ; and on Sunday next another Charity Sermon will be preached at St. George's Chapel, for the like laudable purpose."-Ibid., November 27, 1782.
" Last Sunday, an excellent Charity Sermon was preached at St. George's Chapel, by the Rev. Mr. MOORE, when a handsome collection was made for the Charity School in this city."-Ibid., December 4, 1782.
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441
1783]
Death of Margaret Inglis
" The Refugees, and Others,
WHO have not seats in either of the Episcopal Churches in this City, are hereby informed that, his Excellency the Governor has been pleased to allow them use of the Great Court Room in the City-Hall for Divine Service. on Sundays.
"The Refugee Clergy will cheerfully give their Attendance, in rotation, at the usual Hours.
"Divine Service will be regularly performed in that Room, every Sunday : beginning at half an Hour after 10 o'clock in the Fore- noon ; and at half after three in the Afternoon ; during the Summer Season." 1
"THE Refugees and others who have no Seats in the Churches and who chuse to attend Divine Service in the City-Hall are informed that the room will be accommodated with more seats To-Morrow. The service will always begin at the usual hours.""
Another blow now fell upon the head of the rector ; one by one the cords which bound him to his home in this city were cast off. On the 21st of September, 1783, his wife, Margaret Inglis, died, after a tedious and painful illness, which she bore, we are told, "with unshaken for- titude and exemplary patience and resignation." She was in her thirty-fifth year, but much older if the length of life is to be measured by " the multitude of sorrows." Dr. Inglis was now under attainder and his property confiscated. In other colonies amnesty was granted, on the successful completion of the Revolutionary War, and with the good result of retaining in the country men of sterling character and ability, who were willing to yield to the inevitable and accept the situation with a resolve to do their best, as honest citizens, under the change of govern- ment. Not so in the province of New York, where there was no reaction in the feeling against the loyalists, and no disposition to adopt a magnanimous policy towards indi- viduals who had rendered themselves obnoxious during
1 The New- York Gazette, July 1, 1782.
2 The Royal Gazette, July 13, 1782.
442
History of Trinity Church [1783
the strife. It seemed, on considering his position, that nothing remained for the rector of Trinity Church but to resign his charge and leave the country, and he took that course.
A meeting of the Vestry was held November 1, 1783. They had to consider, first, the measures to be taken for the protection of the property and estate of the Church under the change of government ; and secondly, the res- ignation of the rector. As to the first of these matters, we find that the Board, considering their undoubted duty to take every proper measure to protect and preserve the estate of the Church according to the trust reposed in them, which may call for sudden exertions when the Board cannot be conveniently assembled, do therefore re- solve and order that the Church Wardens be a committee for that purpose, and do from time to time use and em- ploy every lawful and reasonable measure to preserve the estate of the Church and the possession thereof, and have power to retain counsel, solicitors, and attorneys, and em- ploy such other persons as they may think proper in that business.1
This matter having been disposed of, they next con- sidered a communication from Dr. Inglis informing them that his private affairs rendered it necessary for him to re- move from the city ; that he was desirous to resign the rectorship of the parish on that account, and that he ten- dered to them, then and there, such resignation. The form of this document, which was in writing, was as follows :
" In the name of God, Amen. I, Charles Inglis, Doctor of Divin- ity, Rector of the Parish of Trinity Church, in the city of New-York, before you the Church Wardens and Vestrymen of the said Church, and in the presence of credible witnesses here present, for certain just and
1 Records, i., 436.
1783]
Resignation of Dr. Inglis 443
lawful causes, me and my mind hereunto specially moving, without compulsion, fear, fraud or deceit, do purely, simply and absolutely re- sign and give up the said Rectory, of the Parish of Trinity Church, and my office of Rector in the said Corporation of the Rector and inhabit- ants of the city of New-York in communion with the Church of England, as by law established, by whatsoever name the said Rectory may be most properly known and distinguished, and also the said Church, with all the rights, members, and appurtenances, into the hands of you the said Church Wardens and Vestrymen the patrons thereof, with all my right, title, and possession of, in, and to the same, I quit, cede and renounce them, and expressly recede from them by these presents.
"In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Inglis, have hereunto set my hand and seal, the first day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-three.
" CHARLES INGLIS.
"Sealed and delivered in the presence of us,
"JOHN ALSOP " GEORGE STANTON." 1
The resignation was accepted ; and as the position of affairs admitted of no delay, an election was immediately held, and it was
"unanimously resolved that the Reverend Mr. Benjamin Moore be, and he is, hereby elected and chosen to succeed the Reverend Doctor In- glis as Rector of Trinity Church in the parish aforesaid."
Mr. Moore having been waited upon, formally accepted the rectorship, and it was resolved that he be duly pre- sented to Governor George Clinton for his approval. The form was duly drawn up, and stands on record .?
Nothing now remained but to take leave of his flock. Dr. Inglis preached his farewell sermon at St. George's and St. Paul's Chapels, on Sunday, October 26, 1783. The discourse was such as might have been expected from a man of his character, under circumstances so trying as those in which he was placed. The text was 2 Cor. xiii., II : " Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace ; and the God of
1 Berrian's Historical Sketch 160. 2 Records, i., 436, 437.
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History of Trinity Church
[1783
love and peace be with you." What his feelings must have been at that moment may be inferred from the " Ad- vertisement " prefixed to the sermon, in which, referring to his domestic affliction and the public calamities, as he regarded them, the author says that
" Being attainted and proscribed, and his estate confiscated by the Legis- lature of the State of New-York, on account of his loyalty and attach- ment to the British Government, he was under a necessity, when the King's troops were withdrawn from New-York, of resigning his parish, which contained three large, respectable congregations, with whom he had lived for almost eighteen years in the greatest harmony and mutual good-will." 1
Speaking of the action of the Legislature, he observes :
" It may perhaps be prudent in such a contest as existed lately to pass severe laws to operate as a check on individuals. But when the party enacting those laws, hath proved successful, beyond even its most san- guine expectations, as hath been the case of the Americans ; good policy, as well as humanity, require that those laws should be relaxed."
He also justly says
"that those persons, who, from principles of conscience, adhered firmly to their former government, were the most likely, on the same princi- ples, to serve the new government with fidelity and to become the best subjects." ?
The discourse formed a loving and faithful address to his people, with very little political allusion, though he says that
" were I to remain here, and transfer my allegiance to the new govern- ment ; I do assure you I would serve and support that government with the same fidelity that I have served the government under which I have hitherto lived." 3
This no one could doubt ; and it inspires a feeling of regret, that men, in large numbers, who would have made
1 " A Farewell-Sermon. Preached at St. George's and St. Paul's Chapels in the City of New York, October 26, 1783. By Charles Inglis, D.D., Rector of the Parish of Trinity-Church, in the City of New York," p. v.
? Ibid., vii.
: Ibid., 29.
1783]
Inglis, Bishop of Nova Scotia
445
useful citizens of the Republic, were driven into banish- ment and lost to it forever. He left New York express- ing the kindest and most Christian feeling for all, friend and foe, upon whom alike he invoked the Divine blessing.1
Having removed with his family to Halifax, Nova Scotia, he there continued to discharge the duties of his sacred office for several years, and so acceptably as to se- cure that advancement in the Church which, for ability and devotion, he justly deserved. On Sunday, August 12, 1787, he was consecrated at Lambeth, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by the Bishops of Rochester and Chester, the first Colonial Bishop of the Church of Eng- land, with ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the whole of Brit- ish North America. Of his work an eloquent summary was given by the Right Reverend William Stevens Perry, D.D., Bishop of Iowa, in a sermon preached in Westmin- ster Abbey, in 1887; the Bishop spoke as follows :
" Gathering his clergy together for counsel and personal knowledge, the Bishop of Nova Scotia proved himself to be a missionary apostle, by the wisdom of his charges and sermons, and the magnetism of his personal interest in each one who had been placed under him in the Lord. In long and wearisome visitations, he visited, so far as was in his power, the various portions of his almost illimitable see, and till the close of a long and honored life, he maintained that character for devo- tion, that reputation for holiness, that fervor of ministrations, that faithfulness in every good word and work, which should characterize the 'good man ' 'full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.' Nor was this all. Through his long and earnest labors, ended only when the summons came to depart and be at rest, 'much people were added to the Lord.' A Church was organized ; a college was founded and built up to a measure of efficiency and success. The institutions of religion were thus established and supported. The preaching of the Word, and the ministration of the sacraments were provided for the crowd of exiles, who, in their devotion to Church and State, had exchanged their Amer- ican homes for the bleak shores of Nova Scotia, and to the frontier
1 See the articles by Bishop Perry in the Church Review for ISS7.
446
History of Trinity Church
[1783
settlers in the dense forests of New Brunswick and Quebec. Thus, through unremitting labors, blessed by God, ere the life of the first colonial bishop was ended, there had been set on foot measures for the development of the Church of Christ in the northern portion of the American continent, which shall act and react for good, till time shall be no more." 1
Bishop Inglis lived to a good old age, and died at Hali- fax, Nova Scotia, February 24, 1816, in the eighty-second year of his age, the fifty-eighth of his ministry, and the twenty-ninth of his episcopate. He lies buried under the chancel of St. Paul's Church, Halifax. A monument in that church bears the following inscription :
Sacred to the Memory of THE RIGHT REVEREND AND HONORABLE CHARLES INGLIS, D.D., Third son of the Rev. Archibald Inglis, of Glen and Kilcar, in Ireland. Bishop of Nova Scotia and its Dependencies, Whose Sound Learning and Fervent Piety, directed by Zeal according to Knowledge, And supported by Fortitude unshaken amidst peculiar trials, Eminently qualified him for the arduous labours of the FIRST BISHOP Appointed to a British Colony. This Stone is raised by Filial Duty and Affection, in grateful Remembrance of every Private Virtue That could endear a Father, and a Friend, Of the Ability, Fidelity, and Success, with which he was Enabled, by the Divine blessing, to discharge All his Public Duties. The general prosperity of the Church in his Diocese, the in- crease of his Clergy, and the provision for their sup- port, the establishment of a Chartered College, and the erection of more than twenty Churches, are the best monument. Obit Anno Salutis, 1816 ; /Etatis 82.2
1 The Churchman, November 5, 1887, 538.
2 History of Trinity Church, St. John, New Brunswick, 1791-1891. By the Rev. Canon Brigstocke, D.D., 49.
447
The Loyalists
1783]
A son of Bishop Inglis, John by name, born in New York, December 9, 1777, succeeded his distinguished father in work and honors, holding the offices of Rector of St. Paul's Church, Halifax, and Ecclesiastical Commissary, during the episcopate of Dr. Stanser, his father's immediate successor, and finally being consecrated Bishop of Halifax in 1825.
· I venture to remark, without prejudice to my patriot- ism and devotion to the memory of our fathers, that it is a great pity that such men as these were lost to the Church, through the intolerance of their contempora- ries. They need not have been, and they ought not to have been. Their errors were those of noble natures ; their faults might have been corrected ; there was no need of driving them away. Such zeal, conscientiousness, hon- esty, and simplicity of mind and purpose might have been turned to our advantage, to the good of the Church, and to the promotion of religion and morality. We salute them from afar, and are glad to remember that these also were once of ours, and, in the faith, are ours still.
" His saltem accumulem donis, et fungar inani Munere."
The story of the parish of Trinity Church falls natu- rally into two grand divisions, separated by the year 1783. I have now completed the first division, bringing the nar- rative down to the date of the evacuation of New York by the British forces. It may be that another hand must take up the story and continue it to a later date ; but, at least, I have the satisfaction of knowing that the more difficult part of the work is now accomplished, and that, however imperfectly, I have given the record of the first eighty years. Looking back upon the period thus trav- ersed, the children of the ancient parish, and Christian
448
History of Trinity Church [1783
friends in general, may be thankful for what they see : for the evidence of a gracious Providence working to righteous ends ; for the laying of sure foundations and the wise build- ing thereon ; for the witness borne here to the power of the Gospel, and for the establishment and maintenance of a great trust in the interest of religion, morals, and sound learning. In no poor and contemptible form did our Church begin her career in a town of importance from the first, and destined to take position among the greatest cities of the world. She was endowed, by generous and powerful benefactors, with means sufficient to the need, and governed from the start by able and devoted men, in the two orders of the clergy and the laity. There is not in her annals one record to bring a blush to the cheeks of her children. Of the rectors of that former period, every one is deservedly held in honor. The practical and hard- working Vesey, the learned and devoted Barclay, the amiable and sympathetic Auchmuty, the staunch and loyal Inglis form a quaternion whose names and honor are our cherished possession. Around them, in their times, shoulder to shoulder and hand to hand, stood such men as were needed for the hour and the occasion, men like Neau, Ogilvie, Bowden, and Charlton, of the clergy, and De Lancey, Clarkson, Heathcote, and Morris of the laity, and many others of whom we may think as the Old Guard of that day. To their firm adherence to their principles, their conscientious devotion to their duty as Churchmen, their forethought and patience under adversity, and their loyalty to civil and religious obligations it was due that the parish founded, maintained, and defended by them prospered and grew strong ; that it gained the general confidence and respect ; that it survived the storm of revo- lution with every right and privilege intact; and that it entered on the second division of its history, ready to carry
449
The Policy of Trinity Church
1783]
forward the cause of Evangelical Religion and Apostolic Order. On such things as these we reflect not with pride, but with deep thankfulness and with reverent thought of the mercy which endureth from generation to generation. If, at the close of the American Revolution, the body, known up to that time as the Church of England in the Provinces, was left in a state of deep depression, bereaved of many faithful priests whose consciences had driven them into exile, and of thousands of her members who had fled to distant shores; if, through no fault of hers, she had to complete her organization amid difficulties and perils ; if adversaries rose up against her, predicting her early disso- lution, and rejoicing thereat in advance ; it was an advan- tage and a very great advantage, that in the chief city of the new-born nation there was one stronghold which could not be shaken, one centre where the traditional faith and order were secure from loss ; a starting point for progress, and an endowment providing the means of recovery from reverses, and for subsequent growth on churchly lines and in gospel ways. The part played by this great corpora- tion in the organization and development of a Church throughout the State of New York, and even beyond its limits, has been recognized and gratefully acknowledged. Of the more prominent parishes of this city, several are the children of Trinity, and great numbers here and else- where have been helped, sustained, and strengthened by her benefactions. With open hand did the corporation give to churches, schools, colleges, and other institutions of religion and learning, and so free and unselfish was its action, and so fully were its obligations recognized, that two thirds of the entire estate had been given away, prior to the year 1840, for the building up of the Episcopal Church outside the limits of the parish. It is a splendid record of fidelity to a trust, and fulfilment of duty. Nor
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History of Trinity Church [1783
should this be left unsaid : that while Old Trinity, through her lavish benefactions, attained the honored position of mother of churches, her influence was not less powerful in the assertion of the faith as our branch of the Church has received the same. The parish has stood staunchly from the beginning, as the representative of the system of doctrine, discipline, and worship, contained and exhibited in the Book of Common Prayer, the Sacramental Offices, and the Articles of Religion ; the most prominent defenders of Episcopacy among us have been found in the ranks of the clergy of this parish ; and her conservative influence has been deeply felt throughout our Communion. These are among the glories of the parish for which we give God thanks and take courage. The story of this development, after the recognition of the independence of the North American colonies by Great Britain, remains to be told, that these annals may be brought down to the present time, when the nineteenth century is passing away, and when another, with its unknown issues, is dawning on the earth.
APPENDIX.
451
-
APPENDIX.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
I .- THE CHARTER OF TRINITY CHURCH 455
II .- ACT OF COLONIAL LEGISLATURE OF JUNE 27, 1704 . 467
III .- QUEEN ANNE'S GRANT 472
IV .- CONFIRMATION OF QUEEN ANNE'S GRANT
475
V .- SECTION 36 OF THE STATE CONSTITUTION OF 1777 .
476
VI .- ACT OF APRIL 17, 1784 . . 476
VII .- DOCUMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE INSTITUTION OF THE REVEREND WILLIAM VESEY 48I
VIII .- TABLE OF CLERICAL INCOMES . . 484
IX .- A LIST OF THE FORT CHAPLAINS, 1678-1723 . . 485
X .- DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON'S ADVERTISEMENT
486
XI .- LIST OF WORKS REFERRED TO IN PART I.
488
453
I.
CHARTER OF THE CORPORATION OF TRINITY CHURCH.1
GULIELMUS, Tertius, Dei Gratia Anglia, Scotic. Francia et Hibernice, Rex fidei Defensor &c. To all to whom these Presents shall come, sendeth greeting :
Whereas, by an act of assembly made in the fifth year of our Reigne, entitled " An act for settling a Ministry and Raising a maintainance for them in the city of New Yorke, countys of Richmond, Westchester and Queens county "; among other things therein conteined it is enacted that there shall be called, inducted and established, a good sufficient Protestant Minister to officiate and have the care of souls within our said city of New Yorke, and for his better encouragement to attend the said service, it is thereby further enacted that there shall be annually, and once in every year, assessed, levyed, collected and paid for the yearly maintainance of the said minister within our city and county of New Yorke the sume one hundred Pounds currt. money of our province of New Yorke, to be assessed, levyed, collected and paid in such man- ner and proportion as is further directed in the Body of the aforesaid act, relation being thereunto had may more fully and at large appear. And Whereas, at the same time when the aforesaid act was made, there was not erected any public church or building within our said city whereunto such a good sufficient Protestant minister might have been inducted for his orderly officiating of his duty in the public worship and service of God according to the Rites and ceremonys of our Protestant Church of England Established by our laws : And Whereas, our trusty and well beloved Benjamin Ffletcher, our captain-Generall and Gov- ernour-in-Chiefe of our said province of New Yorke and Territoryes depending thereon in America, hath by liberall and bountifull dona-
1 This copy is printed in conformity, as nearly as possible, with the record in the Secretary's office. It differs very little, except in the spelling, from that appended to Judge Troup's pamphlet, which is supposed to have been copied from the original char- ter, conformed to the modern spelling. Where there is any difference in words be- tween the two, those in Judge Troup's copy, and not in the Secretary's record, are inserted between brackets.
455
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History of Trinity Church
tions as,well as by his pious example influenced many of our loving sub- jects who have likewise religiously contributed according to their respective abilityes several sumes of money which by our said captaine- Generalls direction have been employed and laid out for the erecting and building a church and laying the foundation of a steeple within our said city that the public worship and service of God in manner aforesaid might be more orderly and reverendly performed by the afore- said minister. And Whereas, our loving subjects Coll Caleb Heathcote one of our Council of our said province Major William Merret Mayor of our said city of New Yorke, John Tuder, James Emott, William Morris, Robert Lurting, Thomas Clarke, Ebenezer Wilson, Samuel Burt, James Evertts, Nathaniel Martson, Michael Howden, Thomas Wenham, John Crooke, and William Sharpas, citizens and inhabitants of our said city of New Yorke, and the present managers of the affairs of our said Church of England within our said city of New Yorke, have by their petition, presented unto our said trusty and well beloved Benjamin Ffletcher, our said Captain-Generall and Governour in chiefe of our said province of New Yorke and terreitoryes depending thereon in America prayed our royall grant and confirmation of a certaine church and steeple that hath been lately built within our said city of New Yorke, together with a certaine piece or parcell of ground there- unto adjoyning scituate lyeing and beeing in or neere to a streete with- out the north gate of our said city commonly called and knowne by the name of the Broadway, conteining in breadth on the East end as the said streete of the Broadway rangeth Northward three hundred and enn foot until you come unto the land lately in the tenure and occupa- tion of Thomas Lloyd Decd : and from thence towards the west in length by the said land until you come unto Hudson's River and thence southward along Hudson's river three hundred and ninety-five foot all of English measure, and from thence by the line of our garden East- ward unto the place of the said street in the Broadway where first be- gunn, and that the said church together with the cemetry or church yard thereunto adjoyning may forever hereafter be dedicated and con- secrated to the public worship and service of God according to the Rites and ceremonies of the protestant church of England as now established by our laws ; which said church and steeple, scituate, lying, and being within our said city as aforesaid, having been built and erected at the charge of our said trusty and well beloved Benjamin Fletcher, our said Captaine-Generall and Governour as aforesaid and of severall other of our loving subjects, inhabitants within our said city and province. And Whereas, our said loving subjects in their said humble petition have
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