USA > New York > Westchester County > History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the county of Westchester, from its foundation, 1693, to 1853 > Part 25
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MR. WETMORE TO THE SECRETARY.
[EXTRACT.] Rye, New- York, Dec. 5th, 1735.
REV. DOCTOR,
" It is no less my inclination than duty to obey the Honoura- ble Society's order in keeping a frequent correspondence with you, although to transmit an account exactly according to the prescribed method in this Parish, seems impracticable ; the bounds of the parish being very large, and the people so often removing to and from, so many sectaries of so various denomi- nations, and so many of such an indifferent temper, that scarce themselves know what profession they are of.
a New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii, p. 74, 75. (Hawks'.)
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH!
I continue my method of preaching alternately at several parts of the parish, viz : three Sundays in the Church of Rye ; then one at North Castle ; then three again at Rye; then one at White Plains; besides, the first Wednesday in each month I preach at Bedford, about eighteen miles from Rye, within my parish, and upon the request of some that profess themselves of the Church of England, I have preached several times at Nor" walk, Stamford, Greenwich, and Horse neck, the western towns in Connecticut colony, in which places I have baptized several adult persons and near twenty children the year past, and ad- mitted five to the Holy Communion. They are very desirous in those towns, to be supplied with an Episcopal minister, but because we have little grounds to give them encouragement to hope for such a supply at present, I have promised to preach at Stamford, which is near the centre of those towns, the third Wednesday of every month, and find a very considerable con- gregation of very serious, well disposed people, and the inclina- tion of others towards the established Church, seems daily in- creasing in those parts as well as several other parts of New England.
In my own parish, although a contest among the inhabitants concerning their lands, has occasioned some difficulty to keep them united in religion, and a few rash and heady persons have grown to neglect the Church upon that account, yet by the acces- sion of others, the Church is generally as full as ever it has been, and a party spirit among the sectaries decreaseth very ev- idently. I have baptized the year past, five adults, two of which were negroes.
Mr. Dwight's catechumens, and several others, are desirous of baptism, which I have promised to administer to them as soon as Mr. Dwight has prepared them by necessary instruc- tions. They belong to Quaker masters, but yet got leave to come pretty often to Church, where Mr. Dwight catechises them with such chidren as offer themselves after evening service, and keeps a school at the White Plains to the people's good satisfaction,
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AND CHURCH OF RYE.
and Mr. Purdy is in his school at Rye ; is very diligent and ac- ceptable to the people."a
MR. WETMORE TO THE SECRETARY.
[EXTRACT.] Rye, July 1st, 1738.
REV. SIR :
" 'There are, besides the numbers contained in the enclosed Notitia Parochialis, about fifty families near adjoining to this Parish, in the Colony of Connecticut, who have requested me to officiate among them as often as I can be spared from my own Parish, among whom I preach a lecture the third Wednesday in each month; visit them in sickness, baptize their children, and once in a year, administer the Lord's Supper among them ; many of them live so near as to attend church at Rye pretty constantly. These people are much oppressed by the Dissent- ers among whom they live, which in some degree prevents the increase of their numbers, and when we have applied to all their courts for a just relief, according to their own law, we have been baffled under one trifling pretence or another, even where the law appears most plain in our favour, and unless some powerful protection can be obtained from home for the profes- sors of the Church of England, in their just and natural rights, that colony will find so many pretences to oppress them, as will put the Church of England under the greatest discountenance.
Some particulars of this nature, will, I believe, soon be rep- resented by the clergy."b
To this account may be added the following, from the Socie- ty's Abstracts :--
Mr. Wetmore acquaints the Society, by a letter of July 1st,
a New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii. p. 90, 92. (Hawks'.)
b New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii. p. 117, 118. (Hawks'.)
.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
1736, " that his congregation holds well together, and his church is full and flourishing ; and he had baptized within the last half year, five adults, besides children. Mr. Wetmore hath likewise transmitted certificates of the behaviour of the two schoolmasters of the Society, in his Parishes, attested likewise by the churchwardens, and other inhabitants, by which it ap- pears, that they both give daily attendance in their schools ; and Mr. Purdy, the schoolmaster in the town of Rye, teaches twenty-one children, whose parents profess themselves of the Church of England, and fourteen children of Dissenting pa- rents, as likewise three Dutch, two Jewish, and one negro child, in all, forty-one, and that Mr. Dwight, the schoolmaster, at the White Plains, six miles from Rye, teaches twenty-seven child- ren, whose parents profess themselves to be of the Church of England, seventeen born of Dissenting parents, and two negro children, in all, forty-six. The Society hath sent Mr. Wetmore two dozen of small Common Prayer books for the poor."a
MR. WETMORE TO THE SECRETARY.
EXTRACT.] Rye, August 5th, 1739. REV. SIR,
" The two last times I preached at the White Plains, where Mr. Dwight teaches school, it was judged the congregation con- sisted of at least three hundred people, where, not having any house large enough to receive the people, I am obliged to preach in the open fields ; and if the congregation at Rye increases as it has done the year past, we must be forced to enlarge the Par- ish church."b
Mr. Wetmore, by a letter, dated July 15th, 1740, writes :- " that besides his regular duty at Rye, he officiates once a month
¿ Printed Abstracts of Ven. Prop. Soc.
b New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii. p. 107. (Hawks'.)
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AND CHURCH OF RYE.
at Stamford and at Greenwich in Connecticut, and lately bap- tized at Greenwich, a very sober man, his wife, and all the fam- ily, except one negro woman, whom he reserved for further in- struction ; he had been a long time instructing this family, who had been tainted with Quakerism and Anabaptism." Mr. Wet- more spent some days last winter, in visiting sundry families in the woods, and a great number of people assembled to whom he read divine service, and preached, and baptized one adult, and eight children ; and they were very thankful, and pressed him much to visit them again, which he proposed to do in a short time. According to Mr. Wetmore's Notitia Parochialis, his number of communicants is fifty, and he had baptized from the 3d day of May, 1739, one hundred and eleven children, of whom, five were negroes, and seven adults, of whom one was a negro ; and he returns thanks for some Common Prayer books, lately sent him."a
MR. WETMORE TO THE SECRETARY.
Rye, Sept. 28th, 1741. 1
REV. SIR,
" The efforts of the sectaries in this parisli, have been various the year past, and their endeavours indefatigable, to weaken and destroy our church, and they have been much encouraged by the countenance of some that were formerly professors of the Church of England, but for several years past, have proved the worst enemies to it. However, by God's help, we hitherto maintain our ground, and tho' some few of our number are cor- rupted with the wild enthusiasm of the new sect, which has in- fected the greater part of the Independents, yet in all the parts of the parisli, where I preach alternately, the congregations seem to be as large as ever they have been, and I hope the measures I use to establish and strengthen my people in the faith of Chris- tianity, according to the doctrines of the Church of England,
* Printed Abstracts of the Ven. Prop. Soc., from 1740 to 1741.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISHI
will, by God's blessing, prevent this new Methodism, or rather, downright distraction, in the shape it now appears among the itinerant sectaries, from gaining much ground among us. I shall only enclose the Notitia Parochialis, and beg leave to pre- sent my humble duty to the Venerable Board, and subscribe,
Rev. Sir, your most obedient, humble servant, JAMES WETMORE."a
According to Mr. Wetinore's Notitia Parochialis, (for 1741,) he had baptized within twelve months, sixty-nine children, four of whom were negroes ; and four adults, one of whom was a negro.
In the two following extracts from reports of Mr. Wetmore, some further allusions are made to the " new Methodists, or right down distractionists," who were probably associated with Mr. Whitefield in his labours :-
MR. WETMORE TO THE SECRETARY.
[EXTRACT.] Rye, March 25th, 1743.
REV. SIR,
"The boundaries of my parish being very large, I preach al- ternately at five different places, yet so as to be three Sundays or four, to be at the parish church in Rye. I have considerable large congregations in all the out places where I preach, but they mostly consist of people unsettled in their principles, and who go after all sorts of teachers that come in their way, and many of them much confused by the straggling methodist teachers that are continually about among us.
Some few families that professed themselves of the Church of England, living very remote from the church, have been car-
· New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii. 124, 125. (Hawks'.)
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AND CHURCH OF RYE
ried away with their zealous pretences ; and as the Dissenting faction have now got one of that sort ordained among them, re- siding not far from me, it gives me a great deal of trouble and uneasiness. Some that used to frequent the church, and had al- most worn off their prejudices against it, now follow those meet- ings, and are wliecdled after them by continued visits and fair pretences, but we have some again made more zealous in attend. ing the Church, and I hope are more settled in their principles."a
MR. WETMORE TO THE SECRETARY.
[EXTRACT.] Province of New- York, Rye, Sept. 29th, 1743.
REV. SIR,
" As to the state of my Parish, nothing very remarkable has happened since my last, but I find my care and labours in_ creased, by having two Independent Methodist teachers settled by that party "in my Parish, besides exhorters and itinerants that frequently call people together to instill wild and enthu- siastic notions into them. They have made much confusion in the remote parts of the Parish, but chiefly among those who al- ways were Dissenters; and when my turn is to preach in those places, I find my congregations are larger than before those tu- mults, and many apply to me for instruction, and to have the doctrines of Christianity explained to them, which I endeavour, in the most plain and intelligible manner I can, according to the articles, catechism, and offices of our Liturgy. And although the teacher that holds his meeting near the parish church, is much cried up by his party, and indeed is unwearied in his at- tempts to amuse the people with fair speeches, and prejudice them against the Church in his private visits from house to house, yet some of his first proselytes have returned to the church already, and I don't know of one he has gained for
· New-York MSS., from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii. p. 148. (Hawks .. )
1
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
six months past, and our church was never so full as this sum- mer, insomuch that we find a necessity of enlarging it, which I hope with the next spring I will prevail with my people to ef- fect. I was last week at Middletown, on Connecticut River, eighty miles from this place, which, being the place of my na- tivity, I visit annually, and keep one Sunday among them, where I find a disposition to the Church grows very much, and there are near forty families that would rejoice to have a min- ister of the Church of England among them."a
One of the " wild and enthusiastic notions" of the new Me- thodists referred to in the above letter, related to the doctrine of Regeneration, as appears from the following :-
REV. MR. COLGAN TO THE SECRETARY.
EXTRACT.] Jamaica, L. I., Nov. 22nd, 1740.
REV. SIR,
" Some enthusiastic itinerant teachers have of late been preach- ing upon this island. The notorious Mr. Whitefield being at the head of them, and among other pernicious tenets have broached such false and erroneous opinions concerning the doctrine of Re- generation as tend to the destruction of true religion and of a holy and virtuous life ; and therefore, I take this opportunity to beg that the Society would be pleased to bestow upon the peo- ple of this Parish a few of Dr. Waterland's pieces on that sub- ject, and of his Lordship, the Bishop of London's Pastoral Letters upon Lukewarmness and Enthusiasm.b The agitation of these erroneous views, led to a thorough examination of the doctrine
a New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii. pp. 149, 150. (Hawks'.) ৳ New-York, MSS. from Archives at Fulham. (Hawks'.) In 1743, Mr. Colgan asks for " some small tracts, such as the Trial of Mr. Whitefield's Spirit; An Englishman Directed in the Choice of his Religion; Bishop Stillingfleets Unrea- sonableness of Separation."
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AND CHURCH OF RYE.
of Regeneration by Dickinson, on the Presbyterian, and Wet- more, on the Episcopal side.
In 1743, Mr. Dickinson published a work " on the Nature and Necessity of Regeneration, with remarks on " Dr. Waterland's Discourse on Regeneration." To which the Rev. James Wet- more replied by " A Defence of Waterland's Discourse on Re- generation."
At this period, Mr. Wetmore writes to the Society, " That he is fully occupied in performing duty at Rye, Scarsdale, and the White Plains, and calls for an assistant under him at Bedford and North Castle, where are four hundred families, the inhabi- tants promising £30 to his assistance." In the following letter Mr. Wetmore speaks of Mr. Lamson who was subsequently ap- pointed to fill the office :-
MR. WETMORE TO THE SECRETARY.
[EXTRACT.]
Province of New - York, Rye, Dec. 13th, 1744.
REV. SIR,
" Mr. Lamson took a passage from Boston sometime in June last, and there being no account of his arrival in England, it is feared he is taken by a Spanish privateer and carried into some port in Spain. If that should prove to be his hard fortune, I hope, by the favour of Divine Providence, he may find some way for redemption and get to London.
In Ridgefield not being able to do so much for the support of a minister, as to encourage them to hope for obtaining one to theniselves alone, have proposed joining with the northern parts of my Parish so as to have a minister perform divine service alternately at Ridgefield, Bedford and North Castle, and many of my Parishioners in these towns seem very forward to have it effected, as they live so remote from the Parish Church at Rye, that they seldom or ever go to church except once in two
18
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
months, which is the proportion I have observed for officia- ting in these parts, having a considerable congregation at the White Plains and Scarsdale, about seven miles west of the Parish Church, which I also attend once in two months.
In the northern parts, Bedford and North Castle, were near four hundred families, mostly very poor people ; many un- baptized and such as have very little sense of religion.
Reverend Sir, Your most obedient and humble servant, J. WETMORE."&
The Society's Abstracts for 1745, say :- " Mr. Wetmore, the Society's missionary to the Parish of Rye, in this Province, ac- quaints the Society that he is so fully employed in perform- ing the duties of his holy function at Rye, Scarsdale and the White Plains, that he cannot attend the distant parts of his parish so often as he could wish, and therefore, he humbly prays the Society, instead of appointing a successor to the late Mr. Dwight, the Society's schoolmaster at the White Plains, they would grant him an assistant minister to officiate under him ; and the good people of Bedford and North Castle, in which are four hundred families that stand much in want and are very desirous of instruction in the true sound principles of Christianity, and to those of Ridgefield, adjoining to them, where a church is already built; and the inhabitants of those towns earnestly petitioning the Society to the same purpose, and promising £30 per annum towards the expence, the So- ciety hath granted this request and appointed the Rev. Mr. Lamson, lately arrived from New England, with very ample testimonials from the clergy of that province, to be upon his admission into holy orders, assistant minister to Mr. Wetmore, in officiating to the inhabitants of Bedford, North Castle, and
a New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii, p. 134. (Hawks'.)
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AND CHURCH OF RYE.
Ridgefield, with a salary of £20 per annum ; besides a gratuity of the same sum out of compassion to Mr. Lamson's sufferings and necessities, who was taken prisoner, stripped, and carried into France, on his voyage towards England, and afterwards in his way from Port Louis, in France, to London, was de- tained four months by a fever, at Salisbury, where he lost, by that distemper, his companion and fellow sufferer, Mr. Minor, another worthy candidate for the Society's favour; and the Society hath lately had the satisfaction to be informed that Mr. Lamson arrived safe sometime since at New-York, and went from thence to enter upon the duties of his mis- sion."a
Under date of March 25th, 1745, Mr. Wetmore writes to the Secretary as follows :--
REV. SIR,
"Our several churches in this colony continue in peace, and a very good harmony among the clergy in general, which good agreement and comely order in a time of so great confusion and disorder among all our sectaries, gains the Church of England much honour and reputation in the country and brings many proselites to it. I have had several from the wild Metho- dists themselves, whose zeal and madness very much abates through the country.
I am, Reverend Sir, Your most obedient humble servant, JAMES WETMORE."b
The following extract shows that the flames kindled in
· Printed Abstracts of Ven. Prop. Society.
New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii. p. 155. (Hawks'.) This year Colonel Robinson, one of the wardens of Trinity Church, N. Y., was ordered by the Vestry of that church to deliver to Mr. Peter Jay, the old com- munion cloth, pulpit cloth and desk cloth, for the use of the Church at Rye, in Westchester County.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
1722, by Johnson, Cutler, Wetmore and others, were spreading rapidly, and adding fresh numbers and strength to Episco- pacy :-
MR. WETMORE TO THE SECRETARY.
[EXTRACT.] Province of New - York, Rye, Oct. 3, 1745.
REV. SIR,
" I was three weeks ago at Middletown, in Connecticut, the place of my nativity, which I have been used to visit annually while my father lived there, and have not only frequently preached among them and baptized many children and some adults, but taken pains in conversation with my relations and ac- qnaintances to give them just notions of religion and beget in them a liking to the Church of England, and I am rejoiced to see very hopeful prospect of a good church gathering in that place, chiefly promoted by some brethren of mine; and it was a pleasure to me to observe at the Commencement, in New Haven, (at which I was present in my way to Middletown, with Dr. Johnson and several others of our clergy) no less than five of the Batchelors graduated this year, openly professing the Church of England, and was told some others of them had a good disposition to- wards it, by whom we were treated very respectfully ; and if we may imagine the questions defended in publick dispu- tation as the prevailing sentiments of the country, we may see a great change in that colony for the better in a very few years-by the following questions, which indeed I was sur- prised to hear defended by those whose fathers have held, and acted upon their reverse, in their separation from the Church of England. The questions publickly disputed were :-
Ist. The Potestus legislativa sit unicumque societati Essentialis affirmat re- spondens.
2nd. Aures in se indiffiantes sunt proprie humonie potestatis objectum respon- dens affirmat.
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AND CHURCH OF RYE.
3rd. An conscientia dictermina, conferent jen agendi vel cogitandi contra veri- tatem nuget respondens.
Reverend Sir, yours, &c., &c., JAMES WETMORE."a
The two following are Mr. Wetmore's semi-annual reports for 1748 :-
MIR. WETMORE TO THE SECRETARY.
Rye, March 26th, 1748.
REV. SIR,
" Since my last, dated December 28th, 1747, nothing remarka- ble relating to the state of religion has happened among us, except the deaths of sundry persons that have been esteemed principal inhabitants in the Parish, and some new attempts of the enemies of the Church to promote divisions in the Parish, in hopes of making some advantages to themselves by such contentions, in which I hope they will meet with a disap- pointment. That by this means they have hindered us from repairing our Church and adding galleries and steeple to it as ive projected, at least, we are obliged to defer it because some of the most wealthy of the professors of our Church have, to gain an ascendancy in the Parish, so far sided with the Independents, that they will do nothing which the others will dislike. All endeavours can't excite a proper zeal in the professors of the Church of England among us to come to the Lord's Supper so that the number of actual communicants continues small,
a New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii., p. 155. (Hawks'.) The Society's Abstracts for 1715, say :- "and Mr. William Sturgeon, a Batchelor of Arts of that college, (Yale) who teaches a school within the precincts of the Parish of Rye, though the son of a Presbyterian teacher, who lived lately among them he desired Mr. Wetmore to recommend him to the Society as a candidate for employment in the Church, which he attends steadily, and is esteemed very worthy of favour, and as such he is entered upon the books of the Society."-Print- ed Abstracts for 1745.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
in proportion to the number of professors, and deaths, and re- movals, seem to equal our accessions ; but I have lately been using such endeavours with many, whose conversation in other respects, appears sober and christianlike, and have hopes of four or five new communicants at Easter.
I lately preached a lecture at Mamaroneck, the westermost part of my Parish, where many more attended than I had ex- pectation of, upon which I have promised to visit them again and continue to give them frequent lectures as long as their zeal will continue to attend them ; I have also undertaken to preach a monthly lecture at North Castle, besides their usual turn upon Sundays, and this I shall continue as long as I find a good disposition in this people to attend such lectures.
JAMES WETMORE."a
MR. WETMORE TO THE SECRETARY.
Rye, Sept. 29th, 1748.
REV. SIR,
"In compliance with the commands of the Honourable Society, to which I would always pay dutiful and strict obedience, I give you this trouble, with my Notitia Parochialis enclosed, and ac- quaint you that I have drawn upon the treasurer a sett of bills, bearing date this day, for £25 sterling, payable at thirty days sight in favour of Mr. Samuel Farmer, merchant. Since Mr. Lamson has removed from this Parish and Mr. Chandler decli- ned accepting the catechetical mission at North Castle and Bed- ford, I do the duty at these places as formerly ; and although I find large congregations when I preach among them, yet I don't find that forwardness I could wish, to exert themselves in building churches and providing for the support of a minister or catechist; and it is a trouble to me that the same negligent temper prevails in other parts of my Parish. Our church, the
· New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. ii .. pp. 196, 197. (Hawks'.)
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AND CHURCH OF RYE.
only one in the Parish, is much out of repair, which. after seve- ral year's endeavouring to bring my people to a scheme to make decent and ornamental, I am yet unable to effect, obstructed by the difficult humours of some professing themselves of the Church, chiefs of the Parish for estates, from whom I have had my greatest troubles since I have had the care of this Parish. To whom, also, I esteem it owing that the dissenters are now endeavouring to get into their possession the small glebe be- longing to our Church, which is scarcely worth the charge of a law suit ; yet I have commenced a suit to defend it, which I believe. the wealthiest of my parishioners will not assist me with a farthing to support.
I have enlarged and repaired the parsonage house some years ago, at my own charge, solely, and it is now grown so old and decayed, that it is scarce worth repairing. As I find it agreeable to the sentiments of the Honourable Society, that the people to whom they send missionaries, should provide a house and glebe for their minister, I believe a line or two from you np- on this subject, directed to the church wardens, would be of more effect than many words of mine, which I therefore request the favourof; and as I have not been troublesome by begging books from the Society for many years, and Prayer Books and Cate- chisms are grown very scarce in my Parish, and poor people frequently applying to me to be supplied, a small present of that kind would be thankfully received by me and the poor people that are destitute. I only add further, my humble duty to the Venerable Board, and hearty prayers to Almighty God to bless all their pious and charitable designs, and am, with much sub- mission,
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