The Book of Religions Part 50

In this society, Ann found that strength and protection against the powerful influences of evil, which, for the time being, were answerable to her faith; and, by her faithful obedience, she by degrees attained to the full knowledge and experience in spiritual things which they had found.

But as she still found in herself the remains of the propensities of fallen nature, she could not rest satisfied short of full salvation; she therefore sought earnestly, day and night, in the most fervent prayers and cries to G.o.d, to find complete deliverance from a sinful nature, and to know more perfectly the way of full redemption and final salvation.

After pa.s.sing through many scenes of tribulation and suffering, she received a full answer to her prayers and desires to G.o.d. She then came forward, and, with extraordinary power and energy of spirit, testified that she had received, through the Spirit of Christ, a full revelation of the fallen nature of man, and of the only means of redemption, which were comprised in his precepts and living example while on earth. The astonis.h.i.+ng power of G.o.d which accompanied her testimony of this revelation to the society, was too awakening and convincing to leave a doubt on the minds of the society of its divine authority. When, therefore, Ann had thus manifested to the society the revelation of light which she had received, she was received and acknowledged as their leader and spiritual _Mother in Christ_. This was the only name of distinction by which she was known in the society. The term _Elect Lady_ was given to her by her enemies. Ann, with a number of her followers, visited America in 1774, and formed the first society of Shakers in this country, at Watervliet, N. Y., where she died in 1784.

John Gla.s.s.

Scotch divine, born at Dundee, 1698, and educated at Aberdeen. Upon his publication of a pamphlet on the inconsistency of a civil establishment with Christianity, he was deposed from his church, near Dundee, and then became the founder of a new sect, called the _Gla.s.sites_ in Scotland, and _Sandemanians_ in England. As the discipline of his sect was very rigorous, few embraced his tenets, and the name is scarce known now.

George Keith.

A Quaker, born at Aberdeen, and was well educated. He came, in 1682, to East Jersey, where he was surveyor-general. In 1689, he taught a school in Philadelphia. After various exertions, writing and travelling for the propagation of the sentiments of his sect, he at first seceded, and at length entirely deserted the society. In England, he became an Episcopalian, and was consecrated as an Episcopal missionary, and in that capacity officiated for a short time in New York and Boston. Returning to England in 1706, he was a rector at Edburton, in Suss.e.x, where he died.

His publications were numerous, but almost exclusively controversial.

Nicholas Louis, Count Zinzendorf.

The patron of the sect of the Moravians, was born at Dresden, in May, 1700. He studied at Halle and Utrecht. About the year 1721, he purchased the lords.h.i.+p of Bertholdsdorf, in Lusatia. Some poor Christians, the followers of John Huss, obtained leave, in 1722, to settle on his estate.

They soon made converts. Such was the origin of the village of Herrnhut.

Their n.o.ble patron soon after joined them.

From this period Count Zinzendorf devoted himself to the business of instructing his fellow-men by his writings and by preaching. He travelled through Germany, and in Denmark became acquainted with the Danish missions in the East Indies and Greenland. About 1732, he engaged earnestly in the promotion of missions by his Moravian brethren, whose numbers at Herrnhut were then about five hundred. So successful were these missions, that in a few years four thousand negroes were baptized in the West Indies, and the converts in Greenland amounted to seven hundred and eighty-four.

In 1737, he visited London, and, in 1741, came to America, and preached at Germantown and Bethlehem. February 11, 1742, he ordained at Oly, in Pennsylvania, the missionaries Rauch and Buettner, and Rauch baptized three Indians from Shekomeco, east of the Hudson, "the firstlings of the Indians." He soon, with his daughter, Benigna, and several brethren and sisters, visited various tribes of Indians. At Shekomeco he established the first Indian Moravian congregation in North America. In 1743, he returned to Europe. He died at Herrnhut, in 1760, and his coffin was carried to the grave by thirty-two preachers and missionaries, whom he had reared, and some of whom had toiled in Holland, England, Ireland, North America, and Greenland. What monarch was ever honored by a funeral like this?

William Courtney.

Archbishop of Canterbury, the fourth son of Hugh Courtney, earl of Devons.h.i.+re, by Margaret, granddaughter of Edward I. He was educated at Oxford, and, though possessed of abilities, owed his elevation in the church to the consequence of his family. When twenty-eight, he was made bishop of Hereford, and afterwards translated to London, where he summoned before him the great Wickliffe, in St. Paul's Cathedral, 1377. The bold reformer was on this occasion attended by his friends John of Gaunt and Lord Percy, who, in supporting his tenets, treated the prelate with such asperity, that a tumult was excited among the citizens of London. Courtney was made chancellor, 1381, and afterwards raised to the see of Canterbury.

He was a violent persecutor of the Wickliffites, and condemned their tenets in a synod. He died at Maidstone, 1396, aged 55.

Richard Hooker.

An eminent divine of the church of England, was born in 1553, at Heavitree, near Exeter, and, under the patronage of Bishop Jewel, was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he was distinguished for his piety and exemplary conduct. An unhappy marriage, which he contracted before he was thirty, with a scold who had neither beauty, money, nor manners, lost him his college fellows.h.i.+p, and was a fertile source of annoyance to him. In 1585, he was made master of the Temple; but, weary of disputes with the afternoon lecturer,-a violent Presbyterian,-and longing for rural retirement, he relinquished this preferment, and obtained the rectory of Bishop's Bourne, in Kent, at which he resided till his decease, in 1600. His great work is the treatise on "Ecclesiastical Polity;" of which Pope Clement VIII. said, "There are in it such seeds of eternity as will continue till the last fire shall devour all learning."

Charles Chauncey.

Second president of Harvard College, born in England, in 1589. He received his grammar education at Westminster, and took the degree of M. D. at the university of Cambridge. He emigrated to New England in 1638, and, after serving for a number of years in the ministry at Scituate, was appointed, in 1654, president of Harvard College. In this office he remained till his death, in 1671, performing all its duties with industrious fidelity. He was eminent as a physician, and was of opinion that there ought to be no distinction between physic and divinity.

Roger Williams.

The founder of the Providence Plantations, born in Wales, in 1599, and was educated at Oxford. Being a dissenter, he came to America, in the hope of enjoying in freedom his religious opinions. He arrived at Hull, February 5, 1631, and was established at Salem, Ma.s.sachusetts, as colleague with Mr. Skelton. His peculiar notions soon subjected him to the severest censure. He maintained that the magistrates were bound to grant toleration to all sects of Christians, and in his actions and words avowed the liberality of his principles. After the death of Mr. Skelton, he was sole minister of Salem. Continuing to avow his opinions, which were considered not only heretical, but seditious, he was summoned before the General Court, to answer to numerous charges. He, however, refused to retract any of his opinions, and was accordingly banished, 1635. He first repaired to Seekonk: but, being informed that that territory was within the jurisdiction of Plymouth, he proceeded to Mooshausic, where, with others, in 1636, he began a plantation. The land was honestly purchased of the Indians; and the town, in acknowledgment of the kindness of Heaven, was called Providence. Mr. Williams's benevolence was not confined to his civilized brethren; he learned the language of the Indians, travelled among them, won the entire confidence of their chiefs, and was often the means of saving from injury the colony that had driven him from its protection. In 1643, he was sent to England, as agent for both settlements, and in September, 1644, returned with a patent for the territory, with permission for the inhabitants to inst.i.tute a government for themselves. In 1651, he was again sent to England, in the capacity of agent, and returned in 1654, when he was chosen president of the government. Benedict Arnold succeeded him in 1657. He died in April, 1683, aged eighty-four. Mr. Williams was consistent in his religious doctrines, and set a bright example of that toleration which he demanded from others.

His mind was strong and well cultivated; and he read the Scriptures in the originals. After his banishment from Ma.s.sachusetts, he maintained a correspondence with some of its princ.i.p.al men, and ever entertained for them the highest affection and respect. In his writings, he evinces his power at argument. In 1672, he held a public dispute with the most eminent Quaker preachers, of which he has published an account. He also published a "Key to the Indian Language," octavo, 1643; an answer to Mr. Cotton's letters, concerning the power of the magistrate in matters of religion, with other letters and discourses.

John Clarke.

A distinguished Baptist minister, and one of the first founders of Rhode Island, was a physician in London, before he came to this country. Soon after the first settlement of Ma.s.sachusetts, he was driven from that colony with a number of others; and March 7, 1638, they formed themselves into a body politic, and purchased Aquetneck of the Indian sachems, calling it the Isle of Rhodes, or Rhode Island. The settlement commenced at Poca.s.set, or Portsmouth. The Indian deed is dated March 24, 1638. Mr.

Clarke was soon employed as a preacher; and, in 1644, he formed a church at Newport, and became its pastor. This was the second Baptist church which was established in America.

In 1649, he was an a.s.sistant and treasurer of Rhode Island colony. In 1651, he went to visit one of his brethren at Lynn, near Boston, and he preached on Sunday, July 20; but, before he had completed the services of the forenoon, he was seized, with his friends, by an officer of the government. In the afternoon, he was compelled to attend the parish meeting, at the close of which he spoke a few words. He was tried before the Court of a.s.sistants, and fined twenty pounds; in case of failure in the payment of which sum he was to be whipped. In pa.s.sing the sentence, Judge Endicott observed, "You secretly insinuate things into those who are weak, which you cannot maintain before our ministers; you may try and dispute with them." Mr. Clarke accordingly wrote from prison, proposing a dispute upon the principles which he professed. He represented his principles to be, that Jesus Christ had the sole right of prescribing any laws respecting the wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d which it was necessary to obey; that baptism, or dipping in water, was an ordinance to be administered only to those who gave some evidence of repentance towards G.o.d and faith in Jesus Christ; that such visible believers only const.i.tuted the church; that each of them had a right to speak in the congregation, according as the Lord had given him talents, either to make inquiries for his own instruction, or to prophesy for the edification of others, and that at all times and in all places they ought to reprove folly and open their lips to justify wisdom; and that no servant of Jesus Christ had any authority to restrain any fellow-servant in his wors.h.i.+p, where injury was not offered to others.

No dispute, however, occurred, and Mr. Clarke, his friends paying his fine without his consent, was soon released from prison, and directed to leave the colony. His companion Obadiah Holmes shared a severer fate; for, on declining to pay his fine of thirty pounds, which his friends offered to do for him, he was publicly whipped in Boston.

Mr. Clarke died at Newport, April 20, 1676, aged about 66 years, resigning his soul to his merciful Redeemer, through faith in whose name he enjoyed the hope of a resurrection to eternal life.

His life was so pure, that he was never accused of any vice, to leave a blot on his memory. His n.o.ble sentiments respecting religious toleration did not, indeed, accord with the sentiments of the age in which he lived, and exposed him to trouble; but at the present time they are almost universally embraced. His exertions to promote the civil prosperity of Rhode Island must endear his name to those who are now enjoying the fruits of his labors. He possessed the singular honor of contributing much towards establis.h.i.+ng the first government upon the earth, which gave equal liberty, civil and religious, to all men living under it.

Ann Hutchinson.

A woman who occasioned much difficulty in New England, soon after its first settlement, came from Lincolns.h.i.+re to Boston, 1635, and was the wife of one of the representatives of Boston. The members of Mr. Cotton's church used to meet every week to repeat his sermons, and discourse on doctrines. She set up meetings for women, and soon had a numerous audience. After repeating the sermons of Mr. Cotton, she added reflections of her own; she advocated her own sentiments, and warped the discourses of her minister to coincide with them. She soon threw the whole colony into a flame. The progress of her sentiments occasioned the synod of 1637, the first synod in America. This convention of ministers condemned eighty-two erroneous opinions, then propagated in the country. Mrs. Hutchinson, after this sentence of her opinions, was herself called before the court in November of the same year, and, being convicted of traducing the ministers, and advancing errors, was banished the colony. She went with her husband to Rhode Island. In the year 1642, after her husband's death, she removed into the Dutch country beyond New Haven; and the next year, she, her son Francis, and most of her family of sixteen persons, were killed by the Indians.

Michael Molinos.