AN ESSAY, &c. PRELIMINARY. Brief Notices of the Protestant Episcopal Church, from 1606 to 1778. IT is not uncommon to attribute the merit, whatever it may be, of having settled North-America, exclusively to dissenters from the Church of England. But this is a mistake. In New-England, at Salem, as early as 1629, that is only nine years after the first landing at Plymouth, there were persons attached to the faith of that Church, and there is no doubt that, in all the provinces, some of the original adventurers held the same religious principles. They were decidedly the majority, among those who first came to Virginia, and a very large proportion of the founders of Maryland. The original grant for SouthCarolina was made to members* of the Church of England, and it contained a provision that sectaries, though tolerated, should not "in any-wise scandalize or reproach the liturgy, forms and ceremonies, or any thing relating thereunto." The history of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, in substance, is contained in * Lord Ashley, a Deist, is an exception. 66 Humphrey's Historical Account of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts;" in the printed abstracts of the proceedings, and the anniversary sermons, for the first eighty years, of the said Society; in the life of the Rev. Dr. Johnson, first president of King's College, N. Y.; in the "Historical Account of the Church in South-Carolina," by the Rev. Dr. Dalcho; in the Memoirs by Bishop White; in the Journals of the General, and of the Diocesan Conventions; and in the recently published "Memorial of Bishop Hobart." With respect to some of these documents, viz. the anniversary sermons, and abstracts of the Society above-named, if accessible,* they do not appear to have been thoroughly examined by our historians. What we have gleaned from them, and from a few other sources, will shew, that in some parts of our country, our fathers in the faith were much, and for a long time, persecuted; that many of them were distinguished by their fortitude, firmness, zeal, and liberality, and the clergy, in particular, by a disinterestedness, a devotedness, and a courage worthy of the days of "the glorious company of the apostles, and the noble army of martyrs." It will be seen also, that our Church has been, ever the same, as to her principles, characterized by a "zeal according to knowledge," by walking in the "old paths," and by a piety ardent, yet rational and sober, equally distant from the opposite extremes of superstition and enthusiasm.. It is delightful to mark, in seasons of religious commotion, sober-minded Christians, of every. name, retreating, as to an ark of peace and safety, within her pale. It ought to be more generally known, that Sunday schools, bible, and book distributing ŝocieties, and measures for christianizing the Jews, the Indian tribes, and * A complete set, within a few years, has been imported for the library of the "Society for the Advancement of Christianity in South-Carolina." + Perhaps we ought to insert in this list, Theological Seminaries, since such an institution for missionaries was projected by the Bishop of Sodor and Man as early as 1710. the negro slaves, are not of as modern date as most persons suppose; that, in the last named class, according to the experience of our fathers, subordination* and general good conduct were essentially promoted by a knowledge of the gospel; that the growth of our Church was much retarded by the want of Bishops, and advanced by placing the prayer-book, in the hands of the uninformed, and the disaffected. But we will not any farther anticipate the facts which we now proceed to lay before our readers, .chronologically arranged, and in general narrated in the words of the original recorders. 1 1606. The King gave orders as follows, that "the President, Council and Ministers should provide, that the true word of God should be preached, planted, and used in the colonies, according to the rites and doctrines of the Church of England." 1609. In the new charter for the first colony in Virginia, it was declared, that "to prevent the superstitions of the Church of Rome, none should pass into Virginia but such as shall have first taken the oath of supremacy." 1620. There were five clergymen of the Church of England in these provinces. The Virginia company had ordered, in each of the eleven boroughs, one hundred acres, to be set apart for a glebe; and, for the farther maintenance of the minister, required of each planter a certain portion of tobacco. The Bishop of London had collected, and paid in £1000 towards a college in Virginia. He was applied to, to procure ministers. Here are interesting examples of zeal in the cause of religion and learning. This province had been settled not more than thirteen years,† when the Bishop was applied to for duly qualified ministers; and previously, provision was * See in these annals 1712. The first permanent settlement was in 1607. made for their comfortable support.* That the country might have a succession of able ministers educated among the people whom they were to instruct, the Bishop of London wisely and generously pursued the plan which was adopted by Bishop Middleton in India, and laid the foundation of a college. This £1000, raised by him, most probably was a part of the fund of William and Mary college. 1629. Among the new comers at Salem, Massachusetts, were two named Brown, men of note,† who objected to. the mode of procedure in forming a Church on the independent plan. They called the members of this Church separatists from the Church of England, and endeavoured to introduce the book of common-prayer. For this conduct, they were called to an account, and were informed, by the governor, that New-England was no place for such as they, and therefore, within the same year, at the return of the ships he sent them both back to England.‡ This fact satisfactorily explains the preference for the colonies, other than New-England, which was generally entertained by those early emigrants who were attached to the Church of England. It was half a century after this before any Episcopal Church was erected in NewEngland. 1639. Virginia retaliated on New-England by passing severe laws affecting puritans. 1650. Additional provision for ministers was made in Virginia. Gov. Berkley gave orders that each minister should have a convenient house, and two hundred acres of glebe-land. And he instructed his officers to be careful th Almighty God be duly and daily served according * Bishop Sherlock's Memorial on having Bishops in America. "Two of the first patentees," says Marshall. See in Churchman's Magazine, vol. ii. an extract from "the New-England Memorial by the Secretary of Plymouth Court”—a book not at all partial to the Church of England. to the form of religion established in the Church of England, and that every congregation should have an able minister, not only "sufficient," but "conformable."*_ The Rev. Mr. Boucher, of Maryland, author of "Discourses on the American Revolution," states, that in the middle of this century, there was not in the whole colony of Virginia, a single dissenting congregation. 1661. A company was incorporated "for the propagation of the gospel amongst the heathen natives of NewEngland, and the parts adjacent in America." The first Governor of this association, appointed by the King, was Robert Boyle. He makes reference to this company in his last will, in which he settles an annual salary for some learned divine to preach eight sermons in the year, for proving the Christian religion against notorious infidels, and requires the said preachers to be assisting to all companies for propagating the Christian religion in foreign parts. "In humble imitation of those lectures founded by the Hon. Mr. Boyle," (as he modestly expresses himself) the Hon. Chief Justice Pinckney, who died in 1758, by his will, founded two semi-annual lectures, to be preached in St. Philip's Church, Charleston, on "the greatness and goodness of God." The Church of England was established by law in Virginia this year. 1670. About this time, the Rev. Dr. Alexander Murray was nominated for the Episcopate in America. But the coming in of the new ministry, called "the Cabal,” defeated the measure.† 1679. About this time, the first Episcopal Church was erected in Boston, and the Episcopalians petitioned the Bishop of London for a minister. The Bishop of instituting an inquiry, found that there were only fourt on "Free Examination," by the Rev. Dr. Chandler, published in 1774, who refers to the original papers in the Duke of Bedford's office. One of these probably was in South-Carolina, the Rev. Atkin Williamson, who came to the province about that time. |