Unitarianism in America: A History of its Origin and DevelopmentCooke, George Willis
History
Unitarianism in America: A History of its Origin and Development
Cooke, George Willis
Unitarianism -- United States
The council which dismissed Edwards from Northampton decided against him by
a majority of one; and that one vote may have been cast by Robert Breck, of
Springfield. If this were the case, there was something of poetic justice
in it; for only a few years earlier Edwards had used his influence against
the settlement of Breck because the latter was an Arminian. In 1734 a
fierce church quarrel took place in Springfield, that involved many of the
ministers of Massachusetts and Connecticut, invoked the aid of the county
court, and was finally settled by the legislature of Massachusetts, when
Mr. Breck was ordained.[6] He was charged with denying the authenticity of
parts of the Bible, with discarding the necessity of Christ's satisfaction
to divine justice for sin, with maintaining that the heathen who live up to
the light of nature would be saved, and that the contrary doctrine was
harsh. Breck refused to admit that he held these opinions, as thus stated;
but he was regarded by many as an Arminian and a heretic. It was said of him
that he would read any book, orthodox or otherwise, that would clear up a
subject. That he departed to any considerable extent from the generally
accepted faith of the time there is no evidence, but he was probably what
was often called "a moderate Calvinist." He did not favor the methods of
Whitefield, and he thoroughly distrusted the revival introduced by him.
Soon after Breck's settlement the Springfield church followed the Brattle
Street Church of Boston in discarding the relation of religious experiences
as preliminary to admission to the church. It voted that it "did not look
upon the making a relation to be a necessary term of communion."[7] At the
very time that Edwards was preaching of the awful fate of sinners in the
hands of an angry God, Breck was teaching that God is good and loving, and
that his salvation is freely open to all who may wish for it. It has been
truly said of these two men that "one had the heart and the other the
intellect of theology." With all his logic and power of thought and
marvellous spiritual insight, Edwards failed at Northampton because of
conditions beyond the control of his strenuous will. Robert Breck gained
year by year in his personal influence in Springfield, his cheerful and
progressive teaching made a deep impression on the community, and before he
died he saw a great change for the better in the people for whom he
diligently labored. Perhaps we could not have a plainer indication of the
change that was going on than is found in the experiences of these two
men.[8]
When Whitefield visited Harvard College in 1740, he was received in a most
friendly manner; yet he afterwards criticised the teaching there on the
ground that it was not sufficiently devout and earnest, and that the pupils
were not examined as to their religious experiences.[9] These charges were
denied by the president and tutors, and he was not again welcomed to the
college.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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