USA > New York > The centennial history of the Protestant Episcopal church in the diocese of New York, 1785-1885 > Part 7
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* It was insinuated that it would be unsafe to allow the action to become known, and Jarvis was deputed to visit New York and consult with such of the clergy as he thought "prudent." Mr. White belonged to the patriot party and was offen- sive to Inglis and Seabury, the former being an unrelenting Tory. When Inglis left, New York was free to turn to her natural allies, though not recognizing Sea- bury's consecration until 1789. Bishop White indeed recognized the fact that South Carolina was not prepared to receive the Episcopate, and ecclesiastical sus- picions rankled in the Connecticut mind. Bishop Williams, in treating the sub- ject of the secrecy of the action in Connecticut, repudiates the notion that the mission of Seabury was kept secret on account of supposed opposition of the Laity, and attributes the action to fear of possible action on the part of Congre- gationalists and Presbyterians. But William White at least might have been trusted, being neither Congregationalist nor Presbyterian .- Church Review, October, 1885, pp. 307-309.
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reconciled, and indeed having no rights as a citizen under the Act of Attainder. Mr. Moore, by joining in the proceedings and serving as secretary, the following October, took the right method of extricating himself from a false position ; all of which was done before Seabury received consecration. We can readily understand, perhaps, why Dr. Provoost regarded Bishop Seabury with so much asperity, since, in addition to ecclesiastical difference, they represented opposite political poles ; while we see that there is no truth in the notion, that, but for Seabury, Mr. White might not have taken the course which he actually pursued, as he acted in entire ignorance of what the Seabury party had been doing.
After this New York did not waver, nor pay any further attention to Seabury, until the organization of the Church had been accomplished. On the contrary, New York proceeded to co-operate with the brethren " to the southward " in secur- ing a triple succession from Canterbury, which manifestly was the wise course to pursue, since a failure to connect our- selves organically with the Church of England would have left us in a most unfortunate position. The position might have been the more unfortunate, for the reason that Bishop Sea- bury made a compact with the Scotch church, known as the " Concordate"; in which it was stipulated that those whom he represented should take " care when in Scotland not to hold Communion in Sacred Offices with those persons, who under pretence of ordination by an English or Irish Bishop, do, or shall take upon them to officiate as clergymen in any part of the National Church of Scotland, and whom the Scot- tish Bishops cannot help looking upon as schismatical in- truders," etc.
At the end of a hundred years, this provision appears very impractical, yet we detect the design of the canny Scot, eager to secure an ally in America ; for, whatever may have been the grievances of the Scotch Church, and however great our sympathy for them in their misfortune and distress, the ten- dency of any such provision was mischievous; while it is also a notable fact that when the Scot saw that nothing was to be gained by the Concordate, and that the American Church
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had formed an alliance with Canterbury, the manifestations of interest disappeared.
New York, in common with the Middle States, fully rec- ognized the position, and saw what was to be done; yet there was no unhealthy haste, neither was any one discour- aged by the apparent failure of the first application to the English Primate. Indeed, may we not consider it fortunate that the first application was unsuccessful, and that the Arch- bishop of Canterbury waited until all technicalities had been cleared away, and he could proceed with unanimous approval ? If he had been swift to assent, his act might have been fol- lowed by a century of regret in connection with the truth that haste is not always speed.
These remarks are not offered for the purpose of cheapen- ing the estimate of the work done in Connecticut, whose clergy exhibited rare courage and heroic endurance. To them we owe much. At one period White and Seabury stood on either side of our mother, the Church, like Aaron and Hur holding up the hands of Moses ; yet it must be con- fessed that it would have proved an awkward thing if all the upholding had been done by the first Bishop of Connecticut, especially if our general policy had been shaped in accordance with that inimical provision of the "Concordate," which would have put us into a position of antagonism to the Eng- lish Church.
The movements represented by these two men were ani- mated by different schools of thought, and proceeded on some- what divergent lines. The one school was wanting in appre- ciation of the value of lay co-operation, and at the same time, being piqued by the issue of events, was in danger of becoming involved in the contentions of foreign ecclesiastical bodies by the terms of a written compact; the other accepted the prin- ciple underlying the joint action of the Clergy and Laity in Church Councils, and stood untrammelled, being ready to hold out the hand of fellowship to all the world. New York cast in her lot with those who best represented the genius of American Churchmen, and united with the sagacious White in carrying out his plan. When the desired result was ac-
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complished, this diocese properly joined in the recognition of Seabury, and exhibited a true appreciation of his work. Let us therefore rejoice that, in the Providence of God, two such men as White and Seabury, while in some respects so unlike, at least proved to be substantially of one mind, and able to labor together for a common end .* We turn here, however, to resume the thread of the narrative.
Sunday, July 15, 1787, was a marked day in the calendar of New York, for on that day took place the first apostolic ordination to the sacred ministry ever performed in the city of New York, or within the territory which is now included in the Diocese of New York. Mr. Richard C. Moore and Mr. Joseph G. J. Bend were ordained Deacons by the Rt. Rev. Samuel Provoost, the first Bishop of New York. + In
* In leaving this subject we may point out what seems to have been one re- sult of the " Concordate." In a sermon, by the Rev. William J. Seabury, D.D., preached in the Church of the Annunciation, New York City, December 14, 1884, and reprinted from The Church Eclectic, 1885, the author, after speaking of the uneasiness felt by the English Bishops respecting the consecration of Seabury, as " partly due " to the doubt which they had or " affected " to have, he says, with reference to the first Bishop of Connecticut, " that he was not only not received by them as a Bishop when he passed through England on his return home, but he was even addressed in a formal communication from the Society for the Propaga- tion of the Gospel, of which the bishops were the chief members, not by his title as Bishop, but by his academic title of Doctor." Yet how could he ask for recog- nition, or expect it, after having put himself and the Church of Connecticut in a hostile attitude, both by receiving consecration and by signing the Concordate ? We can easily understand, however, that the English Bishops were moved by something more than a doubt, real or affected, with respect to the " proper juris- diction " of Bishop Seabury's consecration. The latter had put himself in a posi- tion to repudiate both the English and Irish in Scotland ; and thus, as Professor Seabury states, the Bishop of Connecticut was not recognized by the American Bishops until the usual number of three was secured. " Then," continues Professor Seabury, "in 1792, the three Bishops of English consecration did condescend to permit the Bishop of Scotch consecration to join with them (supposing, I presume, that it could then do no harm) in the consecration of Dr. Claggett of Maryland." Bishop White says with reference to the recognition of Bishop Seabury on this occasion: "The question had changed its ground by the repeal of the laws agains the Scotch Bishops ; and by their reception in their proper characters in England." Thus Bishop Seabury was not employed in this vital connection until after the Concordate was practically annulled, and then only as an extra canonical party.
+ "On Sunday last, in St. George's Chapel, in this city, Mr. Richard C. Moore and Mr. Joseph G. J. Bend were ordained Deacons of the Episcopal
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November when the third annual convention was held in 1787 and met in St. Paul's chapel, where the Bishop expressed his satisfaction " on account of the increasing state of the Church." Further, he had ordained " several persons," and had lately visited several churches on Long Island.
In the journal of the fourth convention, 1788, we find the following entries :
" Resolved, that it is highly necessary, in opinion of this Convention, that measures should be pursued to preserve the Episcopal succession in the English line, and
"Resolved also, That the union of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, is of great impor- tance and much to be desired : and that the Delegates of this State, in the next General Convention, be instructed to pro- mote that union by every prudent measure, consistent with the Constitution of the Church, and the continuance of the Episcopal succession in the English line."
This action is explained by Bishop White, in the Memoirs, where it is stated, in connection with the movement in favor of the consecration of the Rev. Edward Bass, of Massachu- setts, that the former laid the application before the conven- tion, though expressing his doubt with regard to the proposed consecration "being consistent with the faith impliedly pledged to the English prelates [not] to proceed to any con- secration, without first obtaining from them the number held in their Church to be canonically necessary to such an act."
Church, by the Right Rev. Samuel Provoost, D.D., Bishop of said Church in this State. These gentlemen, according to the usuages of the Church, are ordained Deacons, with special permission to preach ; and it is requisite that they should continue Deacons for some time, previous to their admission to the order of Priest- hood. The Chapel was unusually crowded, the ceremonies of Episcopal ordina- tion being novel in America. The solemnity of the occasion, the great good con- duct which was observed through every part of it, and an excellent sermon, delivered by the Rev. Benjamin Moore with an admired diction and eloquence peculiar to him, made a pleasing impression upon the audience. We cannot on this occasion, but with pleasure reflect that the Protestant Episcopal Church, in these States, is now perfectly organized and in full enjoyment of each spiritual privilege (in common with other denominations) requisite to its preservation and prosperity."-N. Y. Daily Advertiser, July 17, 1787. Bishop Seabury ordained John Lowe, of Virginia, at Hempstead, Long Island, Nov. 3, 1785. See New York Packet, Nov. 10, 1785.
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Bishop Seabury's consecration, however, was deemed valid, and convention was willing that the Bishop of Connecticut should unite with White and Provoost in consecrating Mr. Bass ; but that step was rendered unnecessary by the election of Dr. Madison, of Virginia, and his consecration September 19, 1790, at Lambeth, thus giving the triple English succes- sion. The subject of Mr. Bass' consecration was therefore dropped, and his elevation did not take place until 1797, when he received the full English succession.
In 1790, measures were taken to secure the incorporation of the Church in the State of New York, and in 1792, the re- building of Trinity Church was accomplished.
In 1794, there were in attendance at the Annual Conven- tion fourteen clergymen, and lay delegates from twenty-two parishes. The next year no convention was held, while in 1796 only twelve clergymen and sixteen parishes responded. At this period age and infirmities were telling upon the bishop, and in 1801 he resigned, having previously relin- quished the rectorship of Trinity Parish. He was succeeded in both positions by Dr. Benjamin Moore, who, in December, 1800, was elected Rector of Trinity church, and Bishop of New York, September 5, 1801.
So far as the journals indicate, the improvement of the Church under his administration was not rapid. In 1805 only thirteen clergymen appeared in convention, with delegates from fourteen parishes. The bishop's failing strength indeed soon rendered the election of an Assistant necessary, and Dr. John Henry Hobart was consecrated May 29, 1811. Bishop Moore lived until 1816, passing the third decade of the diocese. Uniting a fine culture with a sound Christian character, he also exhibited a mind for work, and he under- took the visitation of the diocese with zeal and alacrity ; but the task was a severe one, and, wanting the physical energy of his earlier years, comparatively little was accomplished. It is, therefore, under God, to Bishop Hobart, that we owe the presence in convention, in 1815, of thirty-six clergymen entitled to votes, with eight having seats by courtesy, to- gether with lay delegates from thirty-six parishes.
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Another decade of his administration ended with a list of sixty-eight clergy and lay delegates from fifty-three parishes, every one realizing that a man of genuine power was at the head of affairs. In the middle of the next decade, however, he ceased from his labors, departing to his reward September 12, 1830.
It is hardly necessary to say here what kind of a man Bishop Hobart was. Besides, it would not be possible to de- scribe him in a paragraph. It must suffice to observe that he was Catholic in his principles and temper ; broad and deep in his convictions-having the courage of them ; strong in intel- lect, yet simple in life and manner ; impetuous and devout. He was no cold, mercenary calculator, priding himself in that he never made a mistake. His biographer says that the language of Coleridge was often his: " Give me a little zealous impru- dence," while there was so much method and persistence in his imprudence, that it told powerfully upon the Church, mak- ing his name, as well as that of the Diocese of New York, a tower of strength. There is something grand and inspiring in the memory of this man, but we must not be beguiled by the interest of the subject; and therefore let us simply add the record of his early translation, which took place amidst universal sorrow, his body being too frail to retain the im- passioned soul. He died on the field a true soldier of Christ.
The Rt. Rev. Benjamin Tredwell Onderdonk followed in the Episcopate, being consecrated November 26, 1830. At the time of his predecessor's decease the clergy list numbered one hundred and twenty-seven, with an actual attendance of ninety-four.
The next decade fell upon 1835, when the convention met at Utica, the clergy numbering one hundred and ninety-eight, with sixty-three parishes represented, the attendance of lay delegates being small. At this convention a Committee was appointed on the division of the diocese, which was suggest- ed by Bishop Onderdonk at the convention of 1834. It was accomplished in 1838, causing warm and prolonged discussion, and leading to the publication of various pamphlets .* In
* Bishop Onderdonk referred to the division in his address of 1835, when the
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this discussion, which took place at Utica, in 1838, Dr. Hawks bore a prominent part, making a speech an hour long .*
In 1845, at the convention in New York, one hundred and forty clergy were entitled to seats, while forty-five additional names were on the roll. The total number of churches and chapels was one hundred and seventy-four, of which one hun- dred and forty-six were represented by the laity.
The administration of Bishop Onderdonk, in the main, proved able and successful, but it had ended January 3, pre- vious, under a cloud. During his supervision, the Diocese of Western New York was created out of New York, and, No- vember 1, 1838, he presided at the Primary Convention, held at Geneva, when forty-eight clergy assembled with delegates from forty parishes. + After his retirement an interregnum
Secretary of the General Convention sent notice of the proposed change in the Constitution of the Church respecting the division of a diocese. A committee was appointed on the subject, which was unable to report the next year and was discharged. In 1837 the division was decided upon, and the next year an attempt was made to rescind the action. At an adjourned meeting held in New York the October following, the arrangements were completed. At the Primary Con- vention of the Diocese of Western New York, Bishop Onderdonk presiding, and held at Geneva, November, 1838, the Rev. William Heathcote DeLancey, D.D., of Philadelphia, was elected Bishop, Dr. Whitehouse and the Rev. Manton Eastburn being among the candidates. Among the pamphlets pro- duced in this connection the following are in the collection of the Rev. Dr. Eigenbrodt :
I. An Address to the Clergy and Laity of the Protestant Episcopal Church, residing in the western part of the State of New York respecting the proposed changes in the Episcopal Supervision of that Diocese, April, 1835.
2. A Pamphlet and Broadside by V. Matthew, J. C. Spencer, & F. Whitlesey, the former addressed to " The persons belonging to the Protestant Episcopal Church in Western New York, who united in the petition to their Diocesan for a special Convention of the Diocese."
3. A letter from the Rev. Professor Whittingham, of the General Theological Seminary to a Clergyman of Western New York, in relation to the Division of the Diocese of New York, June, 1838.
4. The present State of the Question, in regard to the Division of the Diocese of New York ; with a summary of reasons therefore, July, 1838.
5. A letter to the Editor of the Gospel Messenger, on the division of the Diocese of New York, by a Missionary, 1838.
* See report of the debate in The Churchman, September 30, 1838.
+ Bishop DeLancey, took charge of the diocese May 9, 1839. In 1868 the Diocese of Central New York was created out of Western New York, the Rev.
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followed, and no election took place until September 2, 1851, when the Rev. William Creighton, D.D., was elected Provis- ional Bishop. He declined the trust. The next year the Rev. Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, D.D., was elected, being con- secrated November 10, 1852. In the meanwhile Episcopal functions were exercised by Bishops McCoskry, DeLancey, Ives, Alonzo Potter, Doane, Whittingham, and Chase.
Bishop Wainwright proved an able and successful admin- istrator, and the Church continued to advance, but his career was brief, and he died September 21, 1854, in the midst of years and usefulness. * During his administration the color line was broken, and in 1853, St. Philip's colored church of New York city, was admitted into union with the convention by an overwhelming majority. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Horatio Potter, the present venerable and beloved bishop, was con- secrated as the successor of Bishop Wainwright, November 22, 1854, and the next year, falling on the seventh decade of the diocese, the number of clergy belonging to the diocese was three hundred and four, of whom two hundred and thirty-two had seats in the convention. One hundred and sixty parishes were represented by lay delegates.
April 30, 1861, by the death of Bishop Onderdonk, Bishop Potter became the Bishop of New York.
In the meanwhile, though strong discussions were com- mon respecting principles and methods, the Church continued to thrive, and in 1865 there were three hundred and ninety-five clergymen on the roll, two hundred and fifty-eight being en- titled to seats, with one hundred and ninety-two parishes. In 1868 the entire list of the clergy numbered four hundred and forty-six, of which number two hundred and ninety-five were entitled to seats.
The year previous, the convention had voted to create two new dioceses, those of Albany and Long Island, but the sep-
Frederic D. Huntington, D.D., being elected bishop, and consecrated February, 2, 1869.
* The church edifice, occupied by the Parish of St. John the Evangelist, New York City, is regarded as the "Wainwright Memorial," but there never was any parish bearing the name.
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aration had not been accomplished at the time when the convention met, and the clergy list appears full. The bishop gave his consent to the division, retaining the Diocese of New York under his jurisdiction. The next year, 1869, showed a reduction of the clergy list to two hundred and ninety, the number of one hundred and eighty being entitled to seats. *
At the convention in 1872, Bishop Potter, in his annual address, recommended action with respect to founding a ca- thedral, when a committee of fifteen was appointed to take the subject into consideration.
He also presided at the Primary Convention of the Dio- cese of Long Island, November 18, 1868, where sixty-five clergy entitled to seats appeared, the whole number on the roll being eighty-five. No less than fifty-five parishes were represented.
Another ten years of the administration of Bishop Potter passed away, when the total number of the clergy had risen to three hundred and four, of whom one hundred and eighty- four were entitled to seats. Of parishes having a right to representation, there were one hundred and fourteen. These figures appear extremely favorable when compared with the strength of the diocese at the time Long Island and Albany were set off. Soon after some action was taken with refer- ence to a federation of the five dioceses, in accordance with the canon of the General Convention, but the project was abandoned, and has since lain dormant.
October 20, 1883, the Rev. Henry Codman Potter, D.D., LL.D., was consecrated Assistant Bishop in Grace Church, New York city, the venerable presiding bishop, the Rt. Rev. Benjamin Bosworth Smith, Bishop of Kentucky, acting as consecrator.
The convention of 1885 was held in St. Augustine's Chapel, commencing Wednesday, September 30. At this time there were three hundred and thirty clergy connected with the diocese, of whom two hundred and seven were entitled to seats, while one hundred and seventy were actually present.
* Bishop Potter presided at the Primary Convention of the Diocese of Albany, Dec. 2, 1868.
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The parishes and mission chapels numbered one hundred and ninety-five, one hundred and fifty-four being in union with the convention and one hundred and thirty-six repre- sented by lay delegates.
The following is a summary of a class of results that have grown out of the small beginnings of 1785, when the Epis- copal supervision included the entire State of New York: Bishops, 5 ; Clergy, (about) 769 ; Churches and missions, 663 ; Candidates for Orders, 75 ; Sunday School Teachers, 7,967 ; Scholars, 79,813. The Communicants exceed 100,000, about 40,000 of whom are in the Diocese of New York.
The total contributions of the five dioceses for various objects demanding support amounted the year past to about $2,390,599.77, nearly one-half of which was contributed by the Diocese of New York.
The subject has now been treated in a brief and somewhat fragmentary way, the design having been to prepare a sketch and not a history. It would prove a source of satisfaction to the writer to delay for the purpose of speaking of a few of the important movements that have sprung up, and to mention some of the institutions of learning and charitable organiza- tions that form the crown and glory of a century of diocesan work; but these topics, whatever may be their interest and importance, must be passed by now. It is gratifying, however, to know that they are in safe hands; for they are watched over with unremitting care by him who so recently, and by the unanimous voice of this great diocese, was called to take up the heavy burden which the failing strength of the ven- erable Senior Bishop obliged him to lay down, and whose successful administration, if a tithe of the good wishes of our people, nay, of the entire Christian community, are fulfilled, will take a high place in the forefront of the incoming cen- tury, and form the inspiring theme of him whose glad task will be to tell the story of our second hundred years.
B. F. DE Certo
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APPENDIX.
A COPY OF A CIRCULAR LETTER TO THE CLERGY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY.
NEW YORK, April 2nd, 1739.
Reverend Sr
In obedience to the comands I have Received from the Right Reverend Father in God Edward Lord Bishop of London and the orders of the Honoura- ble Society, I Doe appoint a meeting of the Clergy of New York and New Jersey at Trinity Church in this city, on the second day of May next ensuing ; and I Desire you there pursuant to the Orders you have Received from the Society to deliver to me your parochial accounts, And the state of your Income, to be trans- mitted to my Lord of London and by his Lordship's hand to that Venerable Body as they directed.
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