A history of the parish of Trinity Church in the city of New York, pt 2, Part 10

Author: Dix, Morgan, 1827-1908, ed. cn; Dix, John Adams, 1880-1945, comp; Lewis, Leicester Crosby, 1887-1949, ed; Bridgeman, Charles Thorley, 1893-1967, comp; Morehouse, Clifford P., ed
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: New York, Putnam
Number of Pages: 752


USA > New York > New York City > A history of the parish of Trinity Church in the city of New York, pt 2 > Part 10


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It was not strange that in the uncertain state of affairs


1 See an interesting article in the Church Eclectic for December, 1900, on John Talbot, by the Rev. Joseph Hooper, M.A.


? Perry's reprint of the Journal, p. 71.


3 See Appendix XV. for article on the "Intrusion " of Bishop Seabury and of Bishop Provoost.


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Intrusion by Seabury


1786]


at that time, things should have been done which natu- rally led to irritation of feeling and breaches of the peace between the brethren. A case in point was that of Bishop Seabury's crossing over into the State of New York in 1785, and ordaining, in a place where he had no canonical right to officiate, a candidate for Holy Orders from the State of Virginia. The ordination took place in St. George's Church, Hempstead, L. I. We read that,


"on Thursday last the 3d inst. Mr. JOHN LOWE, a gentleman from Vir- ginia, received HOLY ORDERS from the hands of the Right Reverend SAMUEL SEABURY, Bishop of the Episcopal Protestant Church, at Hampstead on Long Island.


" As this was the first instance of an ordination of the Church which had ever taken place in this State, the solemnity of the occasion was almost beyond description - the excellent sermon delivered by the Bishop -- the prayers and tears of himself, his Presbyters, and the numerous assembly, for the success of the gentleman in his ministry will be long had in remembrance by every spectator." 1


This ordination caused no little annoyance in New York. Later we find the Bishop of Connecticut vigor- ously resenting a lesser act of intrusion on the part of his brother of New York. When, in 1795, at the request of the Clergy of Massachusetts, and after consultation with those of New York, Bishop Provoost after much hesita- tion ordained a minister for a congregation at Narragan- sett, which had placed itself under the care of the Church in Massachusetts, Bishop Seabury promptly protested against the act, claiming that the whole of the territory of Rhode Island was under his jurisdiction. On receiving Bishop Seabury's remonstrance, Bishop Provoost himself proposed the adoption of Canon VIII. of 1795 (to pre- vent a congregation in any Diocese or State to unite with a church in any other Diocese or State).


In the Convention held at Wilmington, in the autumn 1 The New- York Packet, November 10, 1785.


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of 1786, we find the New York delegation divided on the restoration of the words " He descended into Hell" in the Apostles' Creed ; Dr. Provoost (who had received his Doctorate in Divinity from the University of Pennsylvania the previous July) and Mr. Duane voting " Aye," and Mr. Rutherford " No." Dr. Provoost was President of this · Convention, and before the close of its session his letters testimonial for consecration as Bishop of New York were signed by its members.


The Convention of New York that elected Dr. Pro- voost was held in St. Paul's Church, Tuesday, June 13, 1786.1 After the General Convention at Wilmington had ratified the election, the Vestry of Trinity Church passed the following resolution :


"The Rector having obtained the necessary recommendation for consecration from the State Convention lately held in this city, as also a similar one from the General Convention held at Wilmington, The sense of the Vestry was taken when it would be proper he should go to England for that purpose and they were unanimous of opinion that he should proceed in the next Packet."


On motion of Mr. Farquhar, it was


" Resolved, that the sum of one hundred and fifty English Guineas be advanced by the Treasurer to the Rector on account of his expenses." ?


Dr. Provoost lost no time in making his preparations. He preached his farewell sermon, prior to his departure for England, on Sunday, October 29th.


" He delivered a most excellent discourse, very suitable to this oc- casion, upon the imperative duty of Christian love, from part of our Sav- iour's valedictory discourse to his Disciples, when taking his leave, and about to accomplish the great work of Human Redemption, namely, 'A new Commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another : as I have


1 See The New- York Packet, June 19, 1786.


? Records, liber i., folio 487.


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loved you, that ye also love one another.' The animated and pathetic man- ner in which he addressed his audience, who, as well as himself, ap- peared to be greatly affected, will be long remembered by those who were present. He mentioned his expectations of being able to return to this Country in Eighteen Months."1


He sailed November 2d, in the company of his brother Bishop-elect, Dr. White .?


=


The packet-ship that conveyed them made the shortest passage then known, crossing the ocean in eighteen days. Landing at Falmouth, the Bishops-elect procceded with- out delay to London. The London Chronicle announced their arrival in its issue of December 2d :


" The American Plenipotentiary presented the Rev. Dr. White of Pennsylvania, and the Rev. Dr. Provoost, of New York, to his Grace, the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, to be consecrated Bishops for the United States. The Rev. Dr. Griffith is to be made a third to complete the government of the Episcopal Church in these States, much to the satisfaction of the laity there, who constantly opposed prelacy, until the States became independent Republics, like those of Switzerland, where even the Popish and Protestant Cantons preserve their religious systems without disturbing their civil federal union ; nay, in some places, as in Germany, they worship under the same roof alternately. Such is the liberality of sentiments in this Enlightened age."


The London correspondent of The New- York Jour- nal and Weekly Register reported under date of Decem- ber 5th :


"The Rev. Dr. Provoost and Dr. White arrived here a few days ago and have taken lodgings in Parliament Street, where they are visited daily by persons of the first rank and respectability.


1 The New-York Packet, November 2, 1786.


? That Dr. Provoost should have been supplied with funds for his journey by the Vestry seems to us a matter of course-and yet Dr. David Griffith, who had been elected Bishop of Virginia, was unable to cross the seas, his poverty preventing him, and the laity of Virginia not having furnished the means wherewith to defray his expenses.


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History of Trinity Church [1787


" The American Ambassador accompanied them to the Archbishop's, by whom they were very politely received, and assured that they should receive Episcopal Consecration without any unnecessary delay. It is said that they intend to leave England in the February packet."


The gentlemen of the press anticipated events a hun- dred years ago much as they do now. The Daily Adver- tiser of April 10, 1787, copied the following extract from a London contemporary:


" January 18. By letters from America we are informed that Dr. Provoost, one of the newly consecrated Bishops, is the most dignified Clergyman in that Country, being Chaplain to Congress, and Rector of Trinity Church, New York, by far the most respectable living in the United States. This gentleman received his education at the Univer- sity of Cambridge, was ordained in London about 20 years ago, and is esteemed one of the greatest ornaments of his profession."


As a matter of fact, Dr. Provoost was not consecrated Bishop until the 4th of February.


In a genial letter to his wife, Dr. Provoost alludes to these premature announcements of his consecration, and to his reception by the notabilities in London.


" PARLIAMENT-STREET, LONDON, January 3, 1787.


"MY DEAR MARIA :


" It is with real satisfaction that I enclose, for your perusal, a most affectionate letter from your brother, which I answered immediately, and consequently expect him in London in a few days. I was in hopes our business would have been completely finished before the sailing of this packet ; and the not knowing how soon we might have been called upon by the Archbishop for consecration, kept me so constantly in London, that I have not yet paid a visit to my friends in Cambridge. We were introduced to the Bishops of London and Oxford a day or two after my writing to you, and the latter informed us that he had seen the Archbishop, who was perfectly satisfied with our testimonials. We dined lately with his Grace, and before we parted he told us that he waited for the coming of some more Bishops, to consult with them concerning the mode of our consecration. I regret this delay, but as they will certainly be in town before the Queen's birthday, which is the


III


Provoost to His Wife


1787]


18th, I still firmly believe that we shall be in time for the February packet.


" The only company we had at the Archbishop's was Dr. and Mrs. Lort, and Dr. Inglis. You remember spending an afternoon with Dr. Lort, when he was Greek professor at Cambridge. The Archbishop is very polite, but neither inquisitive nor communicative. Mrs. Moore appears to be a very amiable woman. Mrs. Lort, who was of Cam- bridge, and an acquaintance of Miss Donovan, made many polite in- quiries concerning you and family. It is imagined that a Bishop will soon be appointed for Nova Scotia, but whether Dr. Inglis will be the man or not is yet uncertain. Let your daughter inform Miss Inglis that I dined last Sunday with her papa, mother, and sister at Mr. Duche's, in the Asylum. The sister is really pretty, and the brother one of the smartest boys for his years I ever met with. Mr. Duche and family could not have treated us with more kindness and attention if we had been the nearest relations.


"Apropos, -- Mr. Duche has a daughter about the age of Maria, who had been a long time afflicted with nervous complaints, but she has re- ceived the greatest relief, and is now nearly cured, by the constant eating the dried leaves of hemlock upon her bread and butter. By the by, hemlock must be used with great precaution, and in a small quan- tity upon the first trials.


" My good friends Adair and Wilson are in very flourishing situa- tions. Adair, besides his office of recorder, has a multiplicity of business as a lawyer. Wilson has been knighted, and since our arrival has been made a judge. His appointment has given universal satisfac- tion, as he owes it neither to situation or party, but, what is very un- common here, entirely to his own merit.


"The widow of my dear old tutor, Jebb, has been very ill, and looks indeed like a widow.


" The old Bishop of Carlisle is still living, and though eighty-seven years of age, the Archbishop told me he saw him at the last meeting of Parliament going to make his dinner of a cold, fat goose-pie, too lus- cious for the stomach of his Grace.


" The Bishop of Llandaff is come to town, and paid us a very friendly visit yesterday morning. He was surprised our business was not con- cluded, and I am convinced will use his endeavors to accelerate it.


"The English papers have been premature in announcing our con- secration. I expected we should have been the subject of frequent witticisms, but the following paragraph, which appeared in the Herald, is the only one I have met with :


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History of Trinity Church [1787


"'The ordination of the two American Bishops is an event concern- ing which the universities have formed strange conjectures. These new Right Reverends will, in the American device, restore the primitive fathers, and distinguish themselves by stripes.'


"Mrs. Henry White has lost her husband and proposes returning to America. As you no doubt, often see my worthy friend, the Mayor, and communicate to him the intelligence I send to you, I don't trouble him with a letter.


"You will conclude from the annexed list of engagements, that I lead a desultory life, not quite congenial to my natural disposition. To- day, being Wednesday, at Mrs. Johnson's, aunt to Mr. Hopkinson, of Philadelphia ; on Thursday, to Mirs. Robert Barclay ; Friday, to Mr. Kemp ; Saturday, to the Bishop of Llandaff ; Sunday, to the Recorder ; Monday, to Dr. Jackson, of Westminster ; Tuesday, to Mir. D. Barclay. " My paper being just filled, I must conclude with my sincere regards to my mother and brethren of every description, and love to the children.


" I remain, my dear Maria, with the most ardent wishes, for our speedy meeting,


" Your most affectionate husband, " SAMUEL PROVOOST." 1


Drs. Provoost and White were presented to George III., who gave them a kind and gracious reception.


The two Bishops were consecrated at Lambeth Palace, on Septuagésima Sunday, February 4, 1787. The Royal License required under the statute was given January 25th. The consecrators were : Dr. John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury ; Dr. William Markham, Archbishop of York ; Dr. Charles. Moss, Bishop of Bath and Wells, and Dr. John Hinchcliff, Bishop of Peterborough.2


Diligent search has been made for the original certifi- cate of consecration of the first Bishop of New York - but, like almost all of the papers and documents of Dr. Provoost, it has disappeared. In the Appendix, however, will be found certified copies of -


1 Norton's Life Bishop Provoost, pp. 63-67.


2 See The Independent Journal, April 11, 1757.


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Consecration of Provoost


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(i) The Act empowering the Archbishops of Canter- bury and York to consecrate to the office of a Bishop persons being subjects or citizens of countries out of his Majesty's dominions.


(ii) His Majesty's License.


(iii) Act of Consecration.


(iv) Certificate of Consecration of the Bishop of New York.1


These documents are attested by the Librarian, July 13, 1899, as true copies of the originals on file at Lam- beth Palace Library.


Dr. Provoost's name, it will also be noticed, is spelled throughout " Provost," though he always signed himself at this period as " Provoost."


The London papers had the following respecting the title of the American Bishops :


" The American Bishops do not take the style and title of Lord or Lordship. According to their own request, they are directed to as Right Rev. Doctor, Bishop of &c. and addressed in the same style ; neither have they submitted to the old hackneyed term Father in God. Episcopacy is admitted in America, but it is simplified according to the original intention as much as possible."2


The two Bishops made no stay in London after their consecration, but left that city for Falmouth on the even- ing of the following day.


Dr. Inglis, in order that he might have the pleasure of their company, sent the following note to Dr. Provoost :


" Monday Morning, " February 5, 1787.


" MY DEAR SIR,


" I do assure you I was not a little mortified in being prevented by my lameness from attending at your consecration, and that of Dr. White, yesterday ; and from congratulating you both on the occasion,


1 Appendix X.


2 See The New-York Packet, June 22, 1787. VOL. II .- 8


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which I now do most sincerely, and fervently pray that the great Shep- herd and Bishop of the Church may direct and prosper the endeavours of you both for the promoting of true religion, and the support of our depressed Church in America.


" It was my full intention to have called on you this morning with my two children, that you might see them, and give an account of them to their sister at New York ; but my ankle still continues to be so much . swelled and inflamed that I cannot possibly stir out. My little boy, John, was in town, and I send him with this as the representative of the whole. The several letters from my children and myself to our friends in New York, I have put under one cover, directed to Mr. Ellison, as it will lessen your trouble.


" You will not, I presume, set out for Falmouth till after dinner ; suppose then that you and Dr. White were to come and take a family dinner with me. You may have it at any hour you choose. It will be extremely pleasing to me, and I could mention some particulars which I wish to communicate, and have not time to write down. But if hurry should prevent this give my love to Dr. White. I sincerely wish you and him a safe voyage, and a speedy sight of your friends. Give my best compliments to Mrs. Provoost, and my good old friends at New York whom I often think of with affection and esteem ; not excepting even those, in whose conduct there might have been some appearance of unkindness.


"Sincerely wishing you health and happiness, I am most affection- ately yours, " CHARLES INGLIS."


"Right Reverend Dr. PROVOOST." 1


The Bishops set out that evening for Falmouth, which they reached on Wednesday, but, owing to contrary winds, the packet, Prince William Henry, did not sail till the 15th. Fifty days afterwards they landed at New York, on Easter-day, April 8th.


Bishop Provoost suffered much during the voyage, and after his arrival in New York he was so ill that for some days his life was despaired of. On the 18th, the New- York Independent Journal was able to announce that the Bishop was out of danger.


It has been long disputed which of the two Bishops, 1 Norton's Life, pp. 72-74.


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Priority of Consecration Considered


1787]


Provoost or White, was consecrated first. It seems im- possible to decide this question in the face of conflicting testimony ; it has no practical importance now, as in the official list, showing the succession of Bishops in the American Church, Bishop White's name stands before that of Bishop Provoost. Mr. Cadwalader D. Colden, the son-in-law of Bishop Provoost, makes the following state- ment on the subject, on the authority of the Bishop himself, in his short memoir on the life of his father-in law :


"I will here mention a fact I learned from Bishop Provoost. I have heard him say that when the ceremony of consecration was about to be performed a question arose as to which of the candidates was en- titled to precedence, and it having been ascertained that Dr. Provoost was the senior in the ministry, he was first consecrated, and thus be- came the first duly consecrated American Bishop, or the first Protestant Episcopal Bishop then acknowledged of the Church of England in the United States.1


Per contra, the Right Rev. Dr. Smith, late Bishop of Kentucky, asserted that he had been informed by Bishop White that he had been consecrated first, owing to his seniority as Doctor of Divinity, that being, in his opinion, the English rule for determining seniority when two or more men were consecrated at the same time.2


Bishop Perry, in his History, takes up this question and discusses it ; other writers have gone into it at length, among them Dr. John W. Francis. A careful perusal of Bishop White's Memoirs throws no light on the subject ; nor can anything be determined from the presidency of the Bishops in their House during the early days of the American Church.3


1 Evergreen, vol. i., p. 197.


? See Bishop Smith's letter, dated October 23, 1861, Perry's History of the Ameri- can Church, vol. ii., p. 74.


3 At the Conventions in July and August, 1789, Bishop White presided, being the only Bishop present. At the meeting of the House of Bishops, on October 5th, 1789, Dr. Seabury presided, owing to the rule then passed that " The senior Bishop shall


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This dispute about the relative rank of the two Bishops appears to have originated in the current notion already referred to of an irregularity in the Scotch succession and the idea of the superiority of consecration through the English line. Those quibbles are no longer heard ; and it is the pride of American Churchmen that the Episco- pacy came to us first from the little despised "Catholic remnant," as they styled themselves, in Scotland, who had made so noble a stand under trial and persecution for the faith and discipline of the ancient days. It is only neces- sary to read the account of the Centennial Commemora- tion at Aberdeen, in 1884, to see in what esteem the illustrious and venerable Seabury is held among us, and on the other side of the sea, and with what respect and affection he is regarded as First American Bishop. To him, and to the saintly White, second in order in our line, are due, under God, the honor which succeeding genera- tions have paid them, as men adapted, as no others could · have been, to the task of settling the order of our Church and marking out the lines on which her work has been done since that distant day.


be the President ; seniority to be reekoned from the date of the Letter of Consecra- tion," and he therefore ought to be reckoned as the first Presiding Bishop of the American Church. When, however, the Bishops next met, in September, 1792, that rule was reseinded, and the rule adopted that " the office of President of this house shall be held in rotation, beginning from the North."


Thus Dr. Provoost beeame presiding Bishop for that Convention, and the Bishop of Pennsylvania the presiding Bishop at the next Convention, that of 1795. In the Conventions of 1799 and 1801, Bishop White presided, not by right, but by courtesy of the House of Bishops.1 And it was not till the year IS04 that the House of Bishops adopted the standing rule that the " Senior Bishop present at any Conven- tion shall preside." Under this rule Bishop White beeame legally presiding Bishop.


1 See pp. 235 and 271 of Perry's Reprint of the Journals of the General Convention.


CHAPTER XI.


BISHOP PROVOOST'S EPISCOPATE.


Regrettable Absence of Diocesan Records-Disappearance of Bishop Provoost's Books and MSS .- Julien Xavier Chabert-Bishop's Bookplate and Seal-First Convention of Diocese of New York-Address to the Bishop-His Reply-His First Ordination- Joseph Grove John Bend and Richard Channing Moore-The Bishop's First Confirma- tion-First Ordination in State of New Jersey-Resolution of the Vestry Relating to the Incorporation of Connecticut in the General Convention-Vetoed by the Bishop as not Safeguarding Rights of Laity-Instruction to New York Delegates-General Convention in Philadelphia, 1789-Seabury Admitted-Lay Representation Guaran- teed -- Address to Washington --- His Reply-Inauguration of Washington as President -General Convention in New York, 1792-Provoost Unites in Consecration of Bish- ops Claggett, Smith, Bass, Jarvis, and IIobart.


L ONG, careful, and useless search has been made for the letters, manuscripts, and private registers of Bishop Provoost. Of his sermons a considerable number is in existence ; but the materials for a complete account of his life are missing. There are gaps in our Parish Registers which might be filled by his memoranda of his acts; but none can be found, with the exception of occasional anno- tations on the blank leaves of sermons. The Diocese of New York has no records, nor archives, nor historical col- lections to which to refer. The records of the Standing Committee of the Diocese do not appear to begin before the year 1813, though occasional finds have been made, and valuable papers recovered.


To trace Bishop Provoost's official acts otherwise than by the side-light thrown on them by the announcements in the newspapers of the day, is, as yet, impossible. It is said that the Bishop's private MSS. and papers passed into


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the possession of Cadwalader L. Colden, his son-in-law, but no trace of them can be found, though enquiry has been made of every known descendant of the Bishop. In the Memoir of Bishop Provoost, Evergreen, vol. i., the statement is made that a part of his library passed into the possession of the New York Historical Society ; but that society has no record of ever having received so much as a single volume. Miss Grace Wilkes, of this city, has in her possession the Bishop's loving-cup and part of his silver, and to her and to the late lamented and beloved Miss Anne Wilkes the writer is personally in- debted for the gift of several books, each containing his bookplate and autograph. What has become of the rest of his library, no one seems to know ; the volumes are probably scattered here and there among the book-loving brotherhood, and treasured as they ought to be. About forty years ago the Rev. John N. Norton wrote a Life of Bishop Provoost. He alludes to letters of the Bishop's, which he says that he had before him while writing; but his widow states that her husband returned them to the lenders, with all the MSS. and papers confided to him, after having made such use of them as he found advisable : and so they have likewise vanished.


The Bishop's eldest daughter, Susanna Elizabeth, mar- ried George Rapelje, who died in 1835 without issue. She then married Julien Xavier Chabert, who had been one of Napoleon's soldiers, was in several of his cam- paigns, including the disastrous retreat from Moscow, and was decorated with the St. Helena medal. He emigrated to this country, practised medicine on the corner of Pearl Street and Broadway, and upon the death of George Rapelje married his widow. Two of his children, Dr. Romeo F. Chabert and Mrs. Adelaide Des Noyers, are now residing in the vicinity of New York.


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Provoost's Library


1811]


Mrs. Des Noyers distinctly remembers that at the death of Mrs. Chabert her father had all the old books and papers belonging to the Provoost family laid on the floor of the attic, and that the Bishop's son, Benjamin Bousfield Provoost came and selected such portions as he desired. What became of the rest she does not know, though she had until within a year or two a few volumes of the Bishop's library, bearing his bookplate, still in her possession. Dr. Romeo F. Chabert has also a few such volumes in his possession. General James Grant Wilson is also the possessor of a few of the Bishop's books.1




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