General History of Connecticut, from Its First Settlement Under George Fenwick to its Latest Period of Amity with Great BritainPeters, Samuel
History
General History of Connecticut, from Its First Settlement Under George Fenwick to its Latest Period of Amity with Great Britain
Peters, Samuel
Connecticut -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775; Connecticut -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
In Connecticut, zeal, though erroneous, is sincere; each sect believes
religion to be a substantial good; and fanaticism and prejudice have
turned it into superstition, which is stronger than reason or the law
of humanity. Thus it was very observable, that when any persons
conform to the Church of England, they leave neither their
superstition nor zeal at the meetings; they retrench only fanaticism
and cruelty, put on bowels of mercy, and pity those in error. It
should be added, that every town in the colony is by law obliged to
support a grammar school, and every parish an English school. From
experience, therefore, I judge that superstition with knowledge and
sincerity is more favourable to religion than superstition with
ignorance and insincerity; and that it was for this reason the Church
thrives in Connecticut, and exists only in New-England provinces. In
further support of my opinion, I shall recite the words of Mr. George
Whitefield, in his first tour through America in 1740. He found the
people of Connecticut wise in polemical divinity, and told them much
learning had made them mad; that he wished to leave them with “sleep
on and take your rest in the Bible, in Baxter, Gouge, and Bunyan,
without the knowledge of Bishops’ books.”
Persons who supposed Churchmen in Connecticut possessed of less zeal
and sincerity than the various sects among the dissenters, are under a
mistake; for they have voluntarily preferred the Church under every
human discouragement, and suffered persecution rather than persecute.
Conducting themselves upon this truly christian though impolitic
principle, they have, in the space of sixty years, humanized above
sixty thousand puritans, who had ever been hating and persecuting one
another; and though the General Assembly and Consociation are alarmed
at the progress of christian moderation, yet many individuals among
them, perceiving that persecution declines wherever the Church
prevails, bless God for its growth; whilst the rest, more zealous for
dominion and the politics of their ancestors the regicides than for
the gospel of peace and love, compass sea and land to export and
diffuse that intolerant spirit which overthrew the Eastern Church and
has cursed the Western. For this purpose they have sent New-England
ministers as missionaries to the southern colonies, to rouse them out
of their religious and political ignorance; and, what is very
astonishing, they succeeded best with the episcopal clergy, whose
immorality, vanity, or love of self-government, or some less valuable
principle, induced them to join the dissenters of New-England, against
an American bishop, from a pure intention, they said, of preserving
the Church of England in America. If their reward be not pointed out
in the fable of the Fox and Crane, they will be more fortunate than
most men. Other missionaries were dispersed among the Six Nations of
Indians, who were under the care of the clergy and schoolmasters of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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