1754 BISHOP SHERLOCK TO THE REVEREND SAMUEL JOHNSON, D. D. Rev. Sir, Fulham, Oct. 20, 1754. In consideration of Mr. Palmer's* circumstances, and the strong recommendation he brought from you and other worthy clergymen, I appointed a special ordination, and not being able myself to ordain, the Bishop of Bangor, at my request, was so good as to come hither and ordain him; but I refer myself to him to give you an account of his reception here Sir, I do heartily congratulate the Church abroad, upon the prospect of the settlement of a College at New York under the circumstances and conditions you specify. There is nothing that has come from your parts that has given me so much satisfaction; and I am, and every friend of the Church of England will be. very much obliged to you for undertaking the care of it; for upon the prudence and fidelity of those who have the first formation, the future success of this undertaking will very much depend. I remember some time ago, that I heard of this scheme. but then it was insisted, that the dissenters should have the direction entirely, and that the service of the College should be in their way. One reason offered in behalf of such settlement was, that it would be very convenient for the education of the young gentlemen of the islands; which, I own, was far from being an argument with me; for as the inhabitants of the islands are almost generally of the Church of England, I thought the putting the young people under the conduct of the dissenters, and obliging them to their manner of worship, might, in time, be attended with great inconveniences; but if the College can be settled upon the terms yo mentioned, it will go a great way in showing that the zeal for establishing the Church of England is not so inconsiderable in New England as it has sometimes bea industriously represented. I pray God grant you health and strength to accomplish this undertaking, to whose protection I recommend you, and the good work. If I live to hear that you are settled in this new office, I shall pay great regard to your recommendation of Mr. Beach. I am, Sir, Your affectionate brother and very humble servant, Tho. London. -Chandler's Life of Johnson, 172 CORRESPONDENCE IN AMERICA. Rev. Van Sinderin to Rev. Ritzema, Oct. 22, 1754. Sir, and Brother : No. V. Your letter of the 18th, I received on the 19th inst. At your Rev's. request this must serve as my reply. As to the proposal that you should preach to the party differing with us-thar. both to myself and to my friends, looks very strange; inasmuch as your Rer. recognizes the decision of the Rev. Coetus in regard to the (anti-) consistory II-Ttioned, namely, that it ceased to be when its minister, Arondeus dropped out. It is also to be added, that, in a matter of a similar kind, the Rev. Coetus once made a complaint, in writing, to the Rev. Classis of Amsterdam, about the miseraduct of Rev. Mancius. Therefore I cannot accede to such a request, as, in fact. no one is conscientiously free to seek to do so. Rev. Solomon Palmer was a graduate of Yale College, and afterwards a Congregational Minister in Connecticut. Having conformed he was admitted to Her orders in the Church of England by the Right Reverend Dr. Egerton, as abre stated, "being found worthy upon an examination into his Morals and good LearnIng." He continued a missionary in Litchfield county. Conn., and in 1761 was pointed, at his own request. to Amboy, N. J., being no longer able to bear the fatis of an itinerant mission. But it seems he did not remove thither, as, "he would hi no means be suitable at Amboy, which is a polite place and the seat of the Gorernor, whereas Mr. Palmer has been always used to a plain retired Country Life He was in consequence appointed to Rye, Westchester county, N. Y., in 1762. But be did not go there, the people of that place preferring another; Mr. Palmer contingel at Litchfield, and in 1763 went to superintend the church at New Haven. In 175 was again Missionary at Litchfield and Great Barrington, where he continued unti his death, which is supposed to have taken place in 1772.-Col. Docs. N. Y. vi. 910 But, if it is their desire, and their idea that by your preaching, your Rev. can do some good, then (I consent) with all my heart; but that can be done in an orderly way, under my direction, and that of my consistory, even if it were to be week after next, when the Preparatory Service, (boetpredikatie) Deo Volente is to be held. I am willing to exchange with your Rev., if it is necessary. As to the rest, what your Rev. writes of its possibly being done by force, on the part of those who do not trouble themselves about my ruin-it grieves my very soul to hear that there are such men to be found among the brethren. But whosoever it may be, who seek to do such a thing as that, shall bear his own judgment, Gal. 5:10; for he will thereby publicly show that he listened neither to God nor to His Word, (The Golden Rule), Matt. 7:12, nor to the Church Order, Art. XV and LXXX. Farther, as regards the brethren with whom we differ, we hope to conduct ourselves always in a Christian spirit, and to settle all differences amicably. It grieves me to learn from your Rev's. communication that many were greatly disturbed about the letter we sent, because no names were mentioned. But, in truth, that cannot be said: because the writing mentioned was not meant for any one in particular, but for the whole of the party that differs from us. These, I thought I could honor with no better designation that that of "Men and Brethren," this being an elegant form of address and scriptural. However, if I had had, as the writer, an inkling of such a desire, I should with all my heart have mentioned certain ones in particular by name, as it would have been easy enough to do so. But although this was not done, the good intention of the writer ought not to have been ignored, much less should the communication itself have been left wholly unanswered, as was done by the opponents in this case. For the rest, I hope that, according to your wish, the Lord may direct my way in wisdom, to His honor and to the salvation of many souls. This is also my wish for your Rev. as well. In closing I hope to remain your Rev's. well wishing brother, especially as I came out of the same Province as yourself, and across the dangerous waters, to be engaged in the same service. U. Van Sinderen. Flatbush, Oct. 22, 1754. THE CHURCH AND THE COLLEGE. Reverend S. Johnson to Bishop Secker. May it please Your Lordship : Stratford in New England, Oct. 25, 1754. What Your Lordship says on the subject of that letter is very melancholy. I now almost despair, and very much doubt those more favourable times you hope for will never come. So far from this, that I rather fear the age is growing worse and worse so fast, that the Freethinkers and Dissenters, who play into one anothers hands against the Church, will never drop their virulence and activity, by all manner of Artifices, till they go near to raze the very Constitution to the foundation, both in Church and State.-It is a sad omen that their interest with the Ministry should be so much superior to that of the Church, that she cannot be heard in so reasonable and necessary a thing, and when she asks no more than to be upon a par here with her neighbors, in having to leave to enjoy the benefit of her own institutions as well as they. Is it then come to this, My Lord, that she must ask the Dissenters leave whether she may be allowed to send so much as one bishop; even though it were but a transient one, once in 7 years, to take care of all her numerous children, scattered over so vast a tract of the English dominions?-If these dissenting Govern Article XV. No minister relinquishing the service of his own church, or being unattached to any particular congregation, shall be permitted to preach indiscriminately from place to place, without the consent and authority of the (Provincial) Synod or Classis; in like manner no minister may preach or administer the sacra ments in any church other than his own, without the consent of the consistory of that church.' Article LXXX. "The following are to be considered as the principal offences that deserve the punishment of suspension or removal from office, namely: False doctrine or heresy, public schisms, open blasphemy, simony, faithless desertion of his office or intruding upon that of another,' etc. ..Rules of Synod of Dort, 1619. 1754 1754 ments in New England, who scarcely tolerate the Church, must be Indulged, yet why may not one be allowed to be sent to New York or Maryland, or Virginia or South Carolina, in which Colonies the Church is established by Law?-This is extremely hard indeed!—Our Candidates would gladly ride, if it were 5 or 700 miles, for orders. vastly rather than go over the sea 1000 leagues, which has proved so fatal to many of them. I have my Lord above these 30 years been trying by many good Offices, and all the means of a friendly converse with the Chief of them, to convince them that nothing more is intended than what I mentioned above, and many of them are good men and have no objection; but so far are the prevailing party from being softened, that of late they seem a good deal worse than they were, (encouraged, I suppose by their potent friends at home,) for now they will not suffer the pupils of our College at New Haven that belong to the Church, to go to the Church there, nay, offer to fine Mr. Punderson's own sons for going to hear their father, as I suppose he will inform the Society when at the same time the Church at New York, (where it most prevails) is about founding a College with free liberty to dissenting pupils to go to what meeting they please; nay not excluding dissenters from being even tutors, and only desiring such a preference in their Charter, as that the President of the College be always a Member of the Church, and that an abridgement of the service of the Church be used for Morning and evening prayer, and offer at least seven tenths of the charge in founding endowing etc.-And yet such a hideous clamour is raised against her having any sort of preference or any Charter on these terms, by a small busy faction of dissenters headed by 4 or 5 bigotted violent freethinkers, 58 threatens throwing the Government into confusion and frustrating the whole design and this notwithstanding that they have 3 Colleges in these Northern Colonies and the Church none. Nay they contend that no religion at all should be taught in the College rather than the Church should have any precedence.-So bitterly are they set against us! and however so much they are otherwise at variance among themselves, yet they unite with their utmost force against us, and do all they can to disaffect the Dutch towards us, who otherwise were peaceably disposed. Thus, my Lord it is here, and so I doubt it is at home, that by how much the more mildly they are used, by so much the more assuming and active they grow in their endeavours, (not only to hinder the promoting them here, but) even utterly to demolish the Episcopate and the Liturgy there! My Lord, Your Lordship's Most dutiful most obliged and obedient humble servant, (signed) Samuel Johnson. -Col. Docs. N. Y. Vol. vi. pp. 912, 913, 914. REV. DR. JOHNSON TO THE MOST REVEREND DR. HERRING, May it please Your Grace, New York, October 25, 1755. The bearer hereof is my son who having been several years in the Society's Service as a Catechist, is now humbly desirous of being admitted to their service as a Curate or Assistant to Mr. Standard* the very aged Missionary at West Chester, near me in this province of New York, and humbly begs leave to pay his duty to Your Grace. and to wait upon you for your instructions and your blessing. I therefore humbly presume to introduce him to Your Grace's kind notice, and beg Your Candor and Condescension towards him, as I trust he is an honest Youth, and have some reason to hope he may prove a useful man, especially in such a Country as this. At West-Chester in particular, there is the greatest necessity of some good assistance, as the people there have been for many years sinking into a deplorable state Rev. Thomas Standard, was the first Episcopal Clergyman of Brookhaven, L. L where he organized a congregation in 1725. Thompson's History of Long Island, 11., 428. In the following year, he was removed to Westchester, vacant by the death of Rev. Mr. Bartow, (Rep. of Prop. Soc., 1727,) where he continued to labor until bis death, which occurred in 1760; having been for some time before his demise incapable of performing his office in the Church. Bolton's History of Westchester County, ii., 212. He was succeeded in 1761, by the Rev. John Milner.-Ed. of irreligion and neglect of the public worship; partly through the age infirmity and inattention of their minister, and partly through the bad example and influence of some people of condition who affect to be a kind of freethinkers, and not only neglect the public Worship themselves, but tempt the vulgar to neglect and despise it: many of whom, however, if not all, I would hope may yet be reclaimed by the good conduct of a discreet, industrious and faithful clergyman. And as Mr. Standard, (having no child and a considerable estate, has, I think been too narrow in allowing my son but £40. this currency, i. e. about £22. sterling per annum when, at the same time he is past doing anything himself, (at least that is acceptable to his people) so that my son must, in a manner do all the duty; I should therefore be most humbly thankful for Your Grace's kind influence with the Society, that they would be so good as to allow him a small pension, which probably would not need to continue long. With my son, as a friend and companion in his travels, goes one Mr. Harrisson, a gentleman of good esteem in the Vestry of this Church, whereof he is a Member, who will wait on the Society with a letter from the rector, church-wardens & vestry, relating to our College, of whom also I beg Your Grace's kind notice, as he purposes with him to pay his humble duty to Your Grace: and to them I beg leave to refer Your Grace for an account of the condition of things here in America and particularly as to what concerns our young College.-I humbly beg Your Grace's prayers for my son, amidst all the dangers and difficult station. I am, may it please Your Grace, Your Grace's most dutiful Son and most humble servant, To his Grace of Canterbury. (signed) Samuel Johnson. CHURCH OF NEW YORK. Petition of the Collegiate Church, of New York City, to the (From the Journal of the Assembly (of the Province), Vol. ii., p. 392, Oct. 25, 1754.) That a College for the instruction of youth in sound literature will be very advantageous in general; but unless provision be made for a Professor of Divinity for the benefit of the Dutch churches in this country, they will lose a main advantage thereby (and which they prefer to every other benefit excepted from a public Seminary of learning), as the youth intended for the ministry will without that privilege, at a vast expense to the parents, be obliged to reside several years in Holland, or other foreign Protestant countries: That the institution of such a Professor would make the intended College more numerous and flourishing, as their youths would thereby be encouraged to the study of Divinity; that as the Dutch are the greatest number of any single denomination of Christians in this Province, it may reasonably be expected that in all Provincial contributions they will be the greatest benefactors to the intended College; and, therefore, humbly praying that the Honorable House will be favorably pleased, whenever the matter of the said College comes under consideration, they may, by the Act for incorporating and establishing the same, be entitled to a Divinity Professor, with a reasonable salary, to be nominated by the Ministers, Elders and 1754 1754 Deacons of the Dutch Reformed Protestant Church in this City; and that the said Professor may freely and without control teach the doctrines of faith maintained by their churches, as established and approved of by the National Synod of Dort, 1613, 1619. Ordered that the said petition be taken into consideration when the House proceeds on the consideration of establishing a College for the education of youth within this Colony. DRAFT OF CHARTER FOR A COLLEGE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK At a Council, etc., etc., the 31st of October, 1754. Present (as above, except Mr. The draft of letters patent, incorporating certain persons to be named therein, by the name and stile of the Governors of the College of the Province of New York, in the City of New York, in America, prepared and signed by his Majesty's AttorneyGeneral, pursuant to his Honour's warrant, issued by advice of the Council on the 30th day of May last, was laid before the Board and read and agreed to with one alteration made at the table. His Honor also communicated a list of the names of the persons he proposed to appoint Governors of the said College, which list wes read and the persons approved of by the Council. And the Council humbly advised his Honour to affix the great seal to the said letters patent when engrossed. Mr. Smith declared his dissent to the said draft of a charter or letters patent, for the reasons assigned by him and Mr. Alexander on the 30th of May last, on the report of the committee upon the petition of the Trustees, and desired his dissent might be entered, which is entered accordingly.-Council Minutes, 224. ROYAL CHARTER OF KINGS COLLEGE, NEW YORK. OCTOBER 31, 1754. Name and Title of the King. GEORGE THE SECOND, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc. To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting: Moneys Raised for Founding a College. Whereas, by several acts of the Governour, Council, and General assembly of on: Land Given by Trinity Church. And Whereas, the Rector and Inhabitants of the City of New York, in Communica of the Church of England, as by Law Established, for the encouraging and promoting the same good design, have sett apart a parcell of ground for that purpose, of upwards of Three Thousand Pounds value, belonging to the said Corporation, on the west side of the broadway, in the west ward of our City of New York, fronting easterly to Church street, between Barclay street and Murray street, four hundred and forty foot; And from thence running westerly, between and along the sald Barclay street and Murray street, to the North River; And also, a street, from the middle of the said Land, Easterly to the Broadway, of ninety Foot, to be called Robinson street, And have declared that they are ready and desirous to Conver the said Land in Fee, to and for the use of a College, intended and proposed to be Erected and Established in our said Province, upon the terms in their said declartion mentioned. |