increased very little, until the year 1742, when a considerable number of families professed themselves to be of the church of England; and went off from the congregation to which they formerly belonged, and joined that communion. Soon after, a church house was erected. Before this, one Mr. Arnold preached to them a few times. He had been minister at West-Haven, and, imbibing episcopacy, he went to England, and took orders for West-Haven and Derby. He returned about the year 1737. He preached to them a few years, and then removed to Staten Island. Dr. Johnson of Stratford, and Mr. Beach of Newtown, visited them occasionally, preached and administered the ordinances to them. Soon after the erecting of their church house, one Mr. Morris was appointed, by the society in England, to preach to them and other churches of that denomination. He continued but a short time, and it seems that, not liking the country, he returned to Europe.

An episcopal church and congregation had been formed at Derby, and one Mr. Lyon was appointed missionary for Derby and Waterbury. He continued with them about four or five years, and then removed to Long-Island. To him succeeded the Rev. Richard Mansfield, about the year 1749. He preached part of the time at Derby and the other part at Waterbury, until the year 1758. By this time, the church in Waterbury had greatly increased. In the society of Northbury, a majority of the people were, for a time, churchmen, and the Rev. James Scovil was appointed their missionary.

In 1740, a church house was erected at Ripton. The church in this place was under the care of Dr. Johnson, until the year 1755, when the Rev. Christopher Newton was appointed their missionary.

The church was formed in Stamford in 1747, and another small one soon after at Greenwich. Their only missionary has been the Rev. Ebenezer Dibble.

About the year 1750, a church professing episcopacy commenced at Middletown, and, two years after, they erected them a handsome church, with a steeple and bell. In 1751, Mr. Ichabod Camp went to England for ordination, with a view to the church in Middletown and Wallingford. In Wallingford, there were thirteen subscribers for him, ten in the first society and three in Cheshire. In North-Haven, there were two only. He returned in 1752, with an appointment of missionary for Middletown and Wallingford. In 1760, he left Middletown, and removed to Louisburg in Virginia. To him succeeded the Rev. Abraham Jarvis, afterwards bishop Jarvis, in the church at Middletown; and the Rev. Samuel Andrews in the church at Wallingford. He supplied the church at North-Haven, once in four sabbaths.

In New-Haven, the church of England commenced about the same time as that at Middletown. The Rev. Ebenezer Punderson

was their first and only priest from 1755 to 1762, when he removed to Rye, in the state of New-York. He generally officiated once in four sabbaths at North-Haven, while he continued in New-Haven. To him succeeded the Rev. Solomon Palmer, in 1763.

At the close of the year 1764, to which this history is brought down, there were thirteen ministers of the episcopal denomination in the colony. They had pluralities. Few of them were confined to one church only.

They were missionaries from the society for propagating the gospel in foreign parts. They generally had a salary from the society, of about fifty pounds sterling, upon an average: some had more and some less.

The churches were supplied with books suited to their mode of worship, from the society in England. To them the missionaries annually transmitted an account of their labors and churches. This was the state of the episcopal churches, in Connecticut, until the American revolution.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Sketches of the Separates and Baptists.

OF the separation from the standing churches, an account has been given, and of the disorders and oppressions of those times when they commenced. Churches of this character were formed in New-London, Stonington, Preston, Norwich, Lyme, Canterbury, Plainfield, Windsor, Suffield and Middletown. Some of their churches and congregations were nearly as large as some of the standing churches. There were ten or twelve churches and congregations of this denomination, first and last, in the colony. Some of them carried their enthusiasm to a greater extreme than others. In New-London, they carried it to such a degree, that they made a large fire to burn their books, clothes, and ornaments, which they called their idols; and which they now determined to forsake and utterly to put away. This imaginary work of piety and self-denial they undertook on the Lord's day, and brought their clothes, books, necklaces and jewels together, in the main street. They began with burning their erroneous books: dropping them one after another into the fire, pronouncing these words, "If the author of this book died in the same sentiments and faith in which he wrote it, as the smoke of this pile ascends, so the smoke of his torment will ascend forever and ever. Hallelujah. Amen." But they were prevented from burning their clothes and jewels. John Lee, of Lyme, told them his idols were his wife and

children, and that he could not burn them; it would be contrary to the laws of God and man: That it was impossible to destroy idolatry without a change of heart, and of the affections.

How much they held to a miraculous and immediate assistance of the Spirit, in their performances, may appear by a charge given to elder Paul Parks, of Preston, at his ordination. He was solemnly charged not to premeditate, or think, before hand, what he should speak to the people; but to speak as the Spirit should give him utterance. The preachers of this denomination were laymen, and their ordinations were of the same sort.

Their zeal and enthusiasm abated as they were kindly treated, and the oppressive laws were repealed.

For this purpose the dissenters in England deeply interested themselves. They had a committee to guard their liberties, and to oppose all measures which might be attempted to infringe them. At the head of this, was Dr. Avery, a very noted and influential gentleman. He wrote to a gentleman in New-England, "I am very sorry to hear of the persecuting spirit that prevails in Connecticut. It is unaccountable, that those who live and breathe by liberty, should deny it to their brethren. If any gentlemen that suffer by these coercive laws will apply to me, I will use my influence that justice shall be done them." This letter was read in the General Assembly. In consequence of it, governor Law wrote to Dr. Avery, acquainting him with the disorders and extravagancies into which the people ran, under a pretence of, and zeal for religion, which had occasioned such laws to curb their excesses. The Dr. replied, that he disliked such wildness and disorder as much as he did; but that civil penalties were not the proper remedy to heal them. Upon a revision of the laws soon after, the laws which had given so much trouble and done so much dishonor to the colony, were expunged, or left out. The churches of this denomination are now generally extinct. Some have returned to the standing churches, but they have generally turned baptists. With respect to this denomination of christians, there were but a few of them in the colony, at the period to which this history comes down. The first appearance of them, in Connecticut, was at Groton, about the year 1700. In 1710, Mr. Valentine Wightman was ordained their pastor. He continued in his ministry with them between thirty and forty years. He died, June 9th, 1747. He was succeeded by elder Daniel Fisk, from Rhode-Island, who was installed in autumn of the same year. He continued with them in ministry about ten years, and was dismissed. To him succeeded Mr. Timothy Wightman, son of their first pastor, who was ordained, May 20th, 1756.

1 Manuscripts of the Rev. Mr. Birdseye.

It is probable that the gentleman to whom the letter was addressed, was rector Williams, for Mr. Birdseye says, he shewed him the letter.

There were a few baptists in New-London and Lyme. In 1720, they called one Stephen Gorton, a young man, who was a warm exhorter, from Rhode-Island, to be their teacher; he was ordained by elder Wightman. He was supposed to be a descendant of Gorton, who gave so much trouble in Massachusetts, in the first settlement of that state. He was brought up in great ignorance. When he came to New-London he married a Connecticut girl, and she learned him to read and write. This church and congregation increased to about an hundred and fifty members, and were respectable among the baptists in Rhode-Island. They attended their general meetings. The ministers in the vicinity of NewLondon began to be alarmed; and as they understood that Wightman of Groton, Moss of Providence, Gorton of New-London, and one Hitchcock, a seventh day baptist, were about to meet at Lyme, for the propagation of their opinions, on the 7th of June, 1727, the Rev. Messrs. Adams of New-London, Bulkley of Colchester, Griswold, Noyes and Mather, met with them, by agreement, and they had a public disputation, on the points of difference between them. But they parted much as they began, each retaining their former opinions. There were, probably, a few scattering baptists at Lyme, attached to Gorton's congregation, which was gathered from different places.

Gorton was not of a good moral character. Soon after the disputation at Lyme, he was accused of sodomy, by his own church; and, after many trials before them, the cause was referred to a general meeting of the baptists in Rhode-Island. Many witnesses appeared against him, and the general meeting condemned his conduct as unworthy of an elder, and advised the church to dismiss him. He persisted in his office, but it scattered his congregation, and left but very few hearers.

A number of baptists appeared in Wallingford, about the year 1735. They consisted of about ten families. They built them a small house of worship, in which they assembled for a number of years. Their first elder was Timothy Waters, who was succeeded by John Merriman. They were laymen of no great talents, and the church, many years since, became extinct. As late as the year 1764, it does not appear that there was one family of that denomination in the town.

There were a considerable number of baptists in the society of Weston, and a small number in Greenwich, on the line between. Connecticut and New-York. It is believed that these were all the baptists in Connecticut, before the year 1764.

A PLAN of a proposed union of the several colonies of Massachusetts Bay, New-Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode-Island, NewYork, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, NorthCarolina and South-Carolina, for their mutual defence and security, and for extending the British settlements in North-America, in July, 1754.

I. That humble application be made for an act of parliament of Great-Britain, by virtue of which, one general government may be formed in America, including all the said colonies, within and under which government each colony may retain its present constitution, except in the particulars wherein a change may be directed in the said act, as hereafter follows.

II. That within

months after the passing of such act, the house of representatives that happens to be sitting within that time, or that shall be especially for that purpose convened, shall choose members for the grand council in the following proportions, that is to say,

Massachusetts Bay,
New-Hampshire,
Connecticut

Rhode-Island,

New-York,

New-Jersey,

7

7252 436

6

4

Pennsylvania,

Maryland,

Virginia,

North-Carolina,

4

7

4

South-Carolina,

4-[Total, 48]

who shall meet for the first time at the city of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, being called by the president general, as soon as conveniently may be after his appointment.

III. That there shall be a new election of the members of the grand council every three years; and on the death or resignation of any member, his place shall be supplied by a new choice at the next sitting of the assembly of the colony he represented.

461