Morning journal and courier., 1892-09-26
THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Congregatlonalism Was Founded
The Notable Event Communicated

HRKE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Was Founded
The Notable Event CommemOrized
Yesterday at College street Church
"A Striking Discourse Upon the
Subject by the Pastor, DIR. mcLane.
An unusually large congregation, many :
f whom were former members of the
congregation, assembled at the College ,
trset Congregational church yesterday to !
near the pastor, Rev. DR.. McLane, preach
On the three hundredth anniversary OF
the organization of the first Congrega-
tional church in England. The sermon
was most able and comprehensive effort
eminently in keeping with the pastors
scholarly reputation and was much ap-
preciated and enjoyed by all present. A
number of prominent Congregationalists
from other churches of the city were also
present to hear the discourse. During |
the course of his remarks the pastor said:
chose our fathers, and exalted the people, when
they dwelt as strangers in the land Of Egypt and
with an high arm brought he them out OF IT,
Three hundred years since. on day in
September, in the house of one Fox, in
Nicholas Lane, London, company of
Christian men and women organized
Congregational church. Francis johnson
WAS chosen pastor, John Greenwood
teacher, Daniel Studley and George Kins-
ton ruling elders and Christopher Bowman
and Nicholas Lee deacons. Seven infants
were baptised and the Lords supper was
administered. OF the men who composed
this church we who are their descendants,
at least in spirit, may say as Paul said of
Israel: "God chose our fathers and exalted
them and led them out" For God chooses
individual men and races and societies to
be.the instruments of his will and the
agents of his work. That We may under
stand the significance of that church 1t will
be necessary to consider the conditions un-
der which it was organic ed and the conse-
| quences of its organization.
| The preacher then gave an outline of the
changes in the church from apostolic times
and the causes which led to the Reforma-
ton.
In the latter half of the seventeenth cent
ury Robert Browne who had been educa-
ted at Cambridge published three books
in which he denied the ecclesiastical au-
thority of the magistrate, claimed that any
company of believers separating from a
corrupt state church could of themselves
form true church; he taught that the off.
GERS of such church, according to the
New Testament, are pastor, one or more
elders, one or more deacons, and one OF
more widows l. Q. women to minister tx
: the sick and poor. He taught also that
the Lords supper is to be administered
only for and to such as are worthy mem
bers of the church and consistentin Chris
tian life.
Robert Browne, after enduring persecu
ton for his opinions, finally submitted t,
the order and government established il
3 the Church of England, and through tn
| influence of friends became rector of
, small church, in which position he con
, tinued for many years. Having desertet
the cause which he had espoused, and mere
. ly submitted to the governmental author
J ity of England, his name has not been he'll
E in honor by any party. The teaching
q contained in Brownies books, however
/
companies of men who believed in the in
. dependence of the church, in simplicit
3 and spirituality of worship, and in purit
. of life as essential to Christian characte
3 and church membership, met in privat
y places to pray and to hear the gosps
y preached. Two men, both graduates {
,. Cambridge university, Henry Barrowe an
u John Greenwood, the one a lawyer and th
. other clergyman of the Church of En-.
land, both renounced that church and tt
y gether co-operated for the separation o
g men like themselves from the establishe
church. They were both imprisoned, bl
D during their imprisonment they wrot
books against 1.-THE Confusion, False Wo
r ship and Anti Christian Disorder of tt
Church of England" and in defense {
) their "Causes of Separation and Purpose
in Practice" One of their books W,
=. carried in manuscript to Zealand to
,a printed. (At that time Francis Johnso,
who had been fellow of one of the co
q leges in Cambridge, and who was a clerg,
% man of the Church of England, but of tt
= Puritan party, was preaching as chaplai
u to company of English merchants !
4, Middleburgh in Zealand. The fact that tt
III cut of book by Barrowe and Greenwoe
was in the hands of printer there came
his knowledge. He informed the Englis
'. ambassador, who authorized himito inte
the edition was destroyed. He waited III
" til the book was in print and caused all b.
so two copies of it to be burned. One
f. these two copies he reserved for his oW
reading and the other to give to frien
g. He went home, read the book which so II
IN pressed his Puritan mind that ne crosse
v the sea to confer with its authors, wi
d, were in prison. He became converted
Of the views of Barrowe and Greenwood, COZ
A. mitted himself to the cause Of tt
ia Separatists in London, met with them
al the pastor of their first church, whose Q
be ganization was completed in Septembe
no. 1892
it. Prior to this time the Separatists h,
le. held meetings, but the organization of tn
o. church, SO far as we ha
r. any records, marks the beginnll
bit of their organized life. Their principl
N. of faith may be learned from one of the
ls- memorials to the lords of the eounc
mt find Gods absolute commandment that
to which hear and believe the gospel of O
Lord Jesus Christ should forthwith the,
:ly upon forsake their evil walk, and fro
est thenceforth walk in Christ's holy fai
he and order, together with his faithful &c
in wants subjecting themselves to the min
n, try, and those holy laws and ordinsnc
ire which the Lord Jesus hath appointed al
lal whereby he is present and reigneth in /
ell church. Wherefore we have joined OF
~ selves together in that Christi
,es faith, order and communion prescribed
he his word, and have subjected our sot
of and bodies to those holy laws and orr
N, nanoes which the Son of God hath ms
ay tuted; and we have chosen to ourselv
lid such ministry of pastor, teachers, eide,
TX deacons, as Christ hath given to his chur
ms here on earth to the worlds end. We e
ity poet the promised assistance to Coo
ny grace which will enable us to worship hi
ty- Alright, and to frame all our proceedin
according to the presoript of his wor
and to lead our lives In holiness al
righteousness before him, in all duff
b. obedience and humble subjects
nd to our magistrates and COVE
he nors set over as by the Lord
,as But although they promised obedience, l..
he in civil matters, to their magistrates al
governors, yet under the "Act of Co
formity," which required all citizens
~. England to worship according to the ritz
mis- of the established church, and accordil
ev to the ''Act of Supremacy" which forbs
~, all allegiance to any foreign power or pl
v, l 1oko S.,o.. ILL T..