USA > Virginia > A history of Virginia : from its discovery and settlement by Europeans to the present time. Vol. II > Part 12
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When Mr. Davies returned to Virginia in 1748, he was accompanied by John Rodgers, a young minister whose aid he wished for in his new field. As they rode in the night-time through one of the thick forests of the river counties, a terrible storm overtook them. Incessant lightnings flashed around them, and bursts of thunder seemed to rend the heavens; rain poured down in such floods that they were unable to ride in safety, and alighting by the roadside, they waited until the fury of the
a See Howe's Histor. Collec. 294.
b Davidson's Pres. Ch. in Ky., 27.
181
NOT PERMITTED TO PREACH.
1748.]
storm should be over.a Davies had a heart too resolute to feel any thing but reverence in such a scene, and his young companion, who had, before, been remarkably timid under displays of lightning, is said from this time forth to have lost all his fear, and to have emulated the boldness of his friend. The storms of the natural world were not the only difficulties which Rodgers encountered in Virginia.
When Davies and his comrade presented them- selves before Governor Gooch, he received them politely and introduced them to the General Court, which now claimed the exclusive right of granting licenses to Dissenters. Jealousy had crept into this tribunal, in view of the rapid progress of the new denomination. In vain did the Governor exert himself to procure a liberal judgment. They positively refused to permit Mr. Rodgers to preach, and even expressed regret that they had licensed Mr. Davies. A minister of the Established Church complained to Gooch that Rodgers had preached in Virginia since his arrival, and advised severe measures, but the good Governor rebuked him in most cutting terms, and declared that he deserved to be stripped of his office for his intolerance.b Yet the court was inexorable. With saddened feelings Mr. Rodgers was compelled to return to the north, and Davies was left alone to speak for his church in Eastern Virginia.
If the rulers of the land looked on him with little favour, the people more than compensated by their
a Miller's Rodgers, 26, 27. Rev. Dr. A. Alexander to Editor
b Note in Miller, 50-52; Letter of W. and O., March 18, 1847.
182
DAVIES' SUCCESS.
[CHAP. III.
love. In less than a year three more churches were added to his number, and the counties of Ca- roline, Louisa, and Goochland, witnessed his la- bours.ª Three hundred communicants were under his care; his places for preaching were sometimes forty miles apart, and, in traversing this wild tract of country, he was brought in contact with all classes, and nearly all learned to respect and love him. As his work advanced, the opposition of Churchmen increased; the question was raised whether the English Act of Toleration had any force in the Colony, and Mr. Davies was permitted to argue the point before the General Court, in an- swer to Peyton Randolph, the Attorney-General. The divine, for a season assumed the lawyer, and is said to have sustained himself with remarkable power.b The Attorney-General delivered a speech distinguished in legal learning, and when the young preacher rose to reply, many in the assembly ex- changed smiles of derision. But, as he opened his subject, the hearers were astonished at his skill, and before he concluded, lawyers present were heard to whisper, " The Attorney-General has met his match to-day."c There can be no doubt that Mr. Davies was right, for an Act of Assembly passed in 1705, had expressly taken notice of, and, by necessary implication, had given effect to the Act 1 William and Mary, ch. 18, which was the existing law of toleration in Great Britain.ª When
a Encyc. Rel. art. Davies ; Hawks, 108, 109.
b See Hawks, 109 ; Miller's Rod- gers, 54, 55.
c Evan. and Lit. Magazine, ii. 118; Memoir of Davies.
d Address to Anabaptists, Virg. Gazette, Feb. 20. 1772.
183
HIS PATRIOTISM.
1755.]
Davies visited England in 1753, to ask subscriptions to Princeton College, he obtained from the Attor- ney-General, Sir Dudley Rider, an opinion con- firming his argument, and thus the question was settled for ever in favour of the Dissenters.
This great man was as patriotic as he was pious and eloquent. After the defeat of Braddock, vo- lunteers were needed to drive back the Indians on the frontier: Mr. Davies delivered two soul-stir- ring addresses to the people in Hanover. In the first he spake of George Washington, and uttered a memorable prophecy of his future greatness, which was fulfilled to the letter. The effect of the last was such, that immediately on its conclusion, more volunteers were enrolled than were needed, and the people followed him in crowds from the muster-ground to the tavern, still eager to hear his thrilling appeals.ª The influence of such a mi- nister upon those among whom he laboured, may be estimated by his success. Every where, at his approach, serious attention was awakened, lives were reformed, churches were organized, and the principles he cherished took vigorous root.
In 1755 the Presbytery of Hanover was formed, embracing all the Presbyterian churches in Vir- ginia, and some in North Carolina. Four years afterwards, Mr. Davies was called to preside over Princeton College; but, though no one in all re- spects his equal has arisen in his Church, he left behind him in the Old Dominion, men eminent in piety, learning, and zeal. The foundations of his
a Howe's Hist. Collect., 294.
184
METHODISTS.
[CHAP. III.
work had been well laid ; in the Valley, and through the lower counties of the Colony, his denomination gained many accessions. With their increase, they felt the necessity for securing to their youth edu- cation in which science and religion should be united, and, in 1774, under their auspices, two colleges arose, which yet exist. . One was located in Prince Edward County, and bore the name of Hampden Sydney; the other was in Rockbridge, in the Valley, and was named Liberty Hall.ª Each of these titles will recall to our minds thoughts of freedom and patriotism, and may assure us that the founders of these schools of learning were the lovers of their country. With what disapprobation they regarded the restraints of conscience, yet sanctioned by law in Virginia, may be readily conceived.
Previous to, and during the Revolutionary War, the Methodists, as composing a distinct Church, had no existence in America. It is true, the fol- lowers of Mr. Wesley were numerous and active. Traces of their labours in Virginia may be found as early as 1745,' and in 1773, their exertions be- came uniform and efficient. In this year Robert Williams entered the town of Norfolk, and, stand- ing on the steps of the court-house, sang aloud. A crowd assembled, and he preached to them zeal- ously, urging a salutary fear of hell and the devil.
a Davidson's Pres. Ch. in Ky., 39- ceive from the state for himself, and 47. In 1812, Liberty Hall received transferred to the Academy. the name of Washington College. It b Gooch's Charge, see vol. i. 429- enjoys a liberal bequest which the 431. Father of his Country declined to re-
185
METHODISTS.
1776.]
So seldom had they heard any thing of these start- ling subjects from the pulpits of the Establishment, that they at first thought Mr. Williams either mad or impious ;ª but, after a time, his earnestness had its reward, and a considerable number of converts were collected in Norfolk. Their preachers then spread themselves abroad through the counties of Sussex, Brunswick, Prince George, Lunenburg, Amelia, and Mecklenburg, and through a series of years they gathered increasing congregations. Great excitement prevailed. " Many sinners were power- fully convinced, and Mercy! Mercy! was their cry." The vehement exhortations of which Mr. Wesley approved wrought their accustomed effect, and while we have reason to fear that the religion of some vanished with their tears, others gave proof of permanent reform.
But though their numbers thus swelled, the Me- thodists did not withdraw from the Established Church. When the Revolution opened, their con- dition was one of perplexity and hazard. Their great leader, instead of being friendly to freedom, had published a pamphlet in which he condemned the Americans, and justified the course of the British Ministry." Four of their most distinguished preachers in America were from England, and were, with good reason, suspected to be attached to the cause of their native land, and, in many cases, both leaders and people did so imprudently declaim
a Dr. Bang's Hist. M. E. Church,
i. 73.
c Bang's M. E. Church, i. 122 ; Hawks, 134.
b Letter in Dr. Bangs, i. 93.
186
FIRST FREE LEGISLATURE.
[CHAP. III.
against the measures of Congress, that they drew down upon themselves the merited contempt of all patriots.ª They considered themselves as only "a society within the Church ;" their preachers were expressly forbidden to administer the sacraments, and in Virginia their followers were to be earnestly exhorted to attend the Episcopal churches, and there receive the ordinances.b Although Mr. Wesley professed to have been long convinced by Lord King's Account of the Primitive Church that bishops and presbyters were equal in authority, yet not until 1784 did he ordain Dr. Coke and his assistants, and send them to America to establish a separate Church. Under these circumstances, we are not surprised to find the Methodists of Virginia co-operating with the Establishment, and using all their influence for its support, instead of en- deavouring to destroy it.d
Thus were forces arrayed when the first free Legislature of Virginia commenced its session in Williamsburg, on the 7th day of October, 1776. Nearly two-thirds of the people had become, either openly or in feeling, dissenters from the Church of England;e yet a majority of the Legislators were Churchmen, and the triumph of religious liberty was due to its own commanding claims rather than to the prepossessions of the members.
a See Dr. Bangs, i. 118-122.
b Minutes of First Regular Con- ference, 1773; Bangs, i. 79.
c Wesley's Letter, Bangs, i. 153, 140. 154; Southey's Life of Wesley, ii. 247, 248, Am. edit. 1847.
d Hawks, 132, 134, 139.
e Compare Jefferson's Works, i. 32, and Girardin, 180, with Hawks,
187
MEMORIALS.
1776.]
Hardly had the body been in session a week, before memorials began to appear urging action on the laws affecting conscience. The Bill of Rights had proclaimed abstract principles, but now something practical was sought. Baptists, Quakers, Presby- terians, and men holding no special creed, united in asking for a repeal of the oppressive laws which had grown up under the old régime. Few opposed this reform except Churchmen and Methodists, but, it is worthy of remark, that an earnest plea for the Establishment was published by a writer who seems to have been an open infidel. His address appeared in print during the session of the As- sembly. He declares that, when tested by truth, every system of religion, except simple Deism, will be found equally " false and foolish." Yet he is in favour of a strict establishment, to depress sectaries, and to make the evils of religion as small as pos- sible ! Following out his principles, he says, that " Toleration carries satire in every letter of it ; lite- rally, it means the suffering an abuse," and, there- fore, he intimates that Trajan and Pliny merited praise for endeavouring to destroy the Christian sect in its infancy !ª From such an ally, it is to be hoped the friends of the Established Church de- rived little advantage.
The Dissenters urged the glaring injustice which had long been done to them. In the frontier coun- ties of the state they had been compelled to con- tribute money to purchase glebes and to build churches, when in fact very few Episcopalians lived
a The Address is in the Va. Gazette, Dec. 13, 1776.
-
188
MEMORIALS.
[CHAP. III.
within their bounds.ª And in the eastern counties, contributions were yet levied upon them where they were more numerous than Episcopalians, never attended their churches, and had their own ministers, from whom they heard the Gospel. Among these memorials one appeared from the Presbytery of Hanover, which strongly commended itself by the power of its argument, the elegance of
its composition, and the dignity of its tone.b It asked that all sects might be placed on the same ground with regard to the state; that the Esta- blished Church should be abolished, and that the support of religion should be left to the voluntary offerings of the people. Its doctrines were bold and original ; if adopted, they would at once level with the dust the huge fabric which centuries have built in Christendom; "there is no argument in favour of establishing the Christian religion, but what may be pleaded for establishing the tenets of Mohammed by those who believe the Koran, or, if this be not true, it is at least impossible for the magistrate to adjudge the right of preference among the various sects which profess the Christian faith, without erecting a chair of infallibility which would lead us back to the Church of Rome."c.
In opposition to these protests, memorials were presented from the Methodists and the Episcopa-
a Journal of H. of D. for 1776, page 26 ; Girardin, 181.
b It may be found in the Journal of H. of D., 1776, 24, 25, and in Dr. Rice's Evang. and Lit. Magazine, fesses to give. ix. 30-33.
c Dr. Hawks should have quoted all or none of this passage. See his Episc. Ch. in Va., 139. He mis- quotes even the part which he prc-
189
MEMORIALS.
1776.]
lians, urging a continuance of the Established system.ª They argued that the clergy of the Church had accepted cures in Virginia, trusting to the laws which provided for their support, and to the good faith of the public for their countenance. They considered that they had thus acquired a vested right to a legal provision. It might have been answered that these very laws constituted the unjust system of which Dissenters complained. They argued farther that true wisdom required that the state should provide religious instruction for their people, and that the best mode of doing this was by an Established Church. While, therefore, they approve of the system generally, "they are more particularly convinced of the excellency of the reli- gious establishment which has hitherto subsisted in this state ;" " the experience of one hundred and fifty years," they said, " had tested it ;" and it had been productive of " order and internal tranquillity, true piety, and virtue." That these opinions were sincere we may not doubt, but that they were cor- rect, neither the past history of their state, nor their own experience would authorize the Legislature to believe. Finally, these memorialists asked that the question should not be immediately decided, but should be referred to the people, that they might speak from the polls. Had this been done, we have reason to believe the cause of dissent would have triumphed, but the Legislature did not think proper farther to delay.
The memorials and petitions, after passing under
a Journal of 1776, 30 and 47, and Hawks, 142.
-
190
BILL PASSED IN
[CHAP. III.
review of a special committee on religion, were referred to the whole House, forming a committee on the state of the country. A severe contest im- mediately commenced. Edmund Pendleton was the speaker, and was justly revered for his age, his integrity, his power in argument. He was the strenuous advocate of the Established Church, and he was ably seconded by Robert Carter Nicholas. Mr. Jefferson was the great champion of religious freedom. He found something so congenial to his own taste in the views of the Dissenters, and par- ticularly in the doctrines of the memorial from Hanover Presbytery, that he willingly adopted and sustained them. Scepticism and Christianity may alike condemn the ruinous union of church and state. The struggle in committee was desperately maintained from the 11th of October to the 5th day of December. Mr. Jefferson has himself de- clared that the contests were the most severe he had ever engaged in.ª At length, however, the triumph of the friends of liberty, if not complete, was decisive. A bill passed, repealing every law which denounced punishment for maintaining opinions in religion, or for not attending the Epis- copal Church; exempting Dissenters from contribu- tions for the support of the Episcopal clergy, and suspending the legal assessments of members of the Church until the next session. The salaries of the clergy were, however, continued to them until the 1st of January succeeding, and the glebe lands, churches, books, and plate which had been
a Works, i. 32; Hawks, 148.
191
FAVOUR OF DISSENTERS.
1776.]
provided by law for the Establishment, were still secured to it.ª The question whether there should be a general assessment on the people for the sup- port of pastors of their own choice, was expressly reserved to be decided thereafter.
When we remember how long the church esta- blishment of Virginia had existed, how deeply it had planted its roots in the social system, and how strong were the habits which taught men to revere it, we should be surprised rather that so much was done for its destruction, than that so much remain- ed to be accomplished. The very first Legislature under the new constitution, struck a fatal blow, from which the victim did not recover. Death was not instantaneous ; the wound was mortal, but though the principle of life was driven from the heart, it continued to linger in the extremities, until exhaustion and renewed attacks finally extin- guished it. The Act of 1776 went far to establish religious freedom. Men were no longer compelled to attend the worship of a particular sect, or to pay fines for disobedience; the rights of citizenship were no longer confined to Churchmen; the au- thority to exercise private judgment in religion was recognised; the state pretended not to decide which church taught the truth, and which was guilty of schism or heresy ; Dissenters were re- leased from the unjust burdens they had so long borne, and were allowed to build churches when and where they pleased, and to support their pastors as they thought best; even members of the Epis-
a Jefferson's Works, i. 32 ; Girardin, 182 ; Hawks, 148.
192
JUSTICE IN PART.
[CHAP. III.
copal churches were released from legal obligation to support their rectors, and were left to the guidance of conscience. These were important results; they proved that the eyes of men had at length been opened to the truth, and gave an earnest that all that liberty demanded should finally be done.
But it is not to be denied that Virginia had not yet been completely disenthralled. Even after the late acts, the Legislature, by many expressions in its laws, continued to show special favour to the Episcopal Church. As late as to the year 1778, it was called the " Established Church," the word " toleration" had not ceased to be used, and the name of " Dissenters" was still applied to all who rejected the surplice and the prayer-book. Such expressions should be banished from the language of a free people, except to explain antiquated evils. Where man is at liberty to worship God as he pleases, he asks no toleration from human govern- ment, and he cannot be called a dissenter, what- ever may be his creed. At this time, those who belonged to denominations other than the Epis- copal, composed two-thirds of the people ; the faith of the Church of England was no longer the re- ligion of the country, and with some propriety those who adhered to that church, might have been called " Dissenters" in Virginia. Yet it continued to enjoy certain immunities which were not limited to an empty name.
The ministers of the Episcopal sect were con- sidered as authorized to perform the marriage cere-
193
PROSPECTIVE FREEDOM.
1776.]
mony without special license. They were ex officio clergymen, and might tie the matrimonial knot whenever and wherever called upon through the state. But ministers of other sects had not this privilege ; they were compelled by law to seek a license in the county in which they lived, and for this and the oath attending it, the clerks were em- powered to demand certain fees, which often bore heavily on the poor pastors of country flocks. Again, the old parish system was yet alive in law ; their vestries, as such, were considered as still having power to collect a class of fees allowed by various statutes, and. in the absence of express legislation, the courts looked upon these church officers as clothed with their former authority ; and farther, the glebe lands remained in exclusive pos- session of the Episcopal clergy. Property amount- ing to several hundred thousand pounds in value, a large proportion of which had been taken from men who never entered a church of the establishment, and all of which had accumulated under a system of injustice, was continued in the hands of a small number of ministers, whose teachings were attended by the most insignificant of minorities among the people.
As we advance in the history of our state, we shall see each one of these evils successively re- moved. The patriots of Virginia were not content with victory half-won. They knew that their principles were sound, and they followed them out even to their extreme results. While life lingered in any severed limb of the Establishment they did
VOL. II.
13~
194
CHRISTIANITY
[CHAP. III.
not feel safe. They renewed their attacks until they had not merely hewn down the tree, but had torn it up by the roots, and had destroyed the last germ from which it might be reproduced. It will not be necessary any longer to separate the history of religion from the general narrative of Virginia's fortunes. The time was soon to come when abso- lute religious liberty was to be enjoyed by her people. We may be startled in view of a state in which civil government grants the same rights and the same protection to the Christian, the Moham- medan, the Jew, the disciple of Brahma, and the Bhoodist from Siam; yet such is the case in Vir- ginia, and such should be the case in every nation pretending to be free. On the soil of the " Ancient Dominion," the believer in the Koran has the same right to build his mosque, to preach his creed, and to exercise civil functions, that the believer in the Scriptures claims for his own privileges. All are at liberty ; all are protected. But while this is so, let it not be supposed that Christianity has ceased to be the religion of our people, or that any of her divine claims have been forgotten. Never has she been cherished with zeal so ardent, and with love so devoted as since the divorce was declared be- tween church and state. She is now sustained, not by legal establishment, but by the voluntary offer- ings of people who feel that they depend upon her for happiness in time and eternity. She has been restored to that position intended for her by her Author, who declares that his " kingdom is not of this world." Her weapons are no longer the penal
195
AND TRUTH.
1776.]
statutes made by human governments ; they are more noble, more powerful, more holy. Her de- fence is THE TRUTH. With this, her advocates may meet error in its worst forms, and with the certainty of ultimate success. The victory thus gained will be permanent and glorious ; it will not have been achieved by bloodshed and oppression, but by the silent march of that power which is destined at last to conquer evil, and to establish the reign of the Prince of Peace.
CHAPTER IV.
Changes required by the principles of the Revolution-Law-State of the Law in Virginia-Entails-Their progress in England-Docked by fine and recovery-Rigour of entails in Virginia-Aristocracy-Evils of the system-Mr. Jefferson's bill-Entails abolished-Proposed revisal of the whole legal system of the state-Revisors appointed-Their labours- Their report partially adopted-Review of their suggested reforms- Events of 1776-A dictator proposed-Patrick Henry and Archibald Cary-Progress of the Revolutionary War-Scientific association-Aid to Hampden Sydney College-Lafayette and De Kalb-General Thomas Nelson-Legislation as to British debts-Consequences thereof-Vir- ginia accedes to confederation-Josiah Phillips-Dismal Swamp-Bill of attainder-Phillips captured, regularly tried, condemned, and exe- cuted-Further importation of slaves forbidden-English Commissioners -Their disgraceful conduct-Virginia refuses to hear them-Settlement of the west-Magnificence of the country-Daniel Boone in Kentucky- Manners of the western pioneers-English Governor Hamilton-George Rogers Clarke-Capture of Kaskaskia-Of Fort Vincennes-Hamilton sent a prisoner to Williamsburg-His rigorous treatment-General Mat- thew's incursion-Suffolk burned-Thomas Jefferson, governor-Defeat of Gates at Camden-Leslie's incursion-Saratoga prisoners-Arnold's incursion-Proceedings in Richmond-Arnold enters-Simcoe destroys stores at Westham-Baron Steuben-Skirmishes with the enemy-Ge- neral Phillips takes command of the English-Marches to Petersburg- Lafayette appointed to defend Virginia-Phillips, after descending the river some distance, returns to Petersburg-His death-Cornwallis ad- vances from North Carolina-Pursues Lafayette-Caution and skill of the Marquis-Simcoe drives Steuben from the Point of Fork-Tarleton seeks to capture the Legislature and Mr. Jefferson-Narrow escape- Masterly movement of Lafayette-Cornwallis retires to the seaboard- Takes post on York and Gloucester Points-Washington advances from the north with the combined French and American armies-French fleet enters the Chesapeake-Siege of Yorktown-Surrender of Cornwallis- End of the Revolutionary War.
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