Morning journal and courier., 1892-05-07

ever. ceased to feel the thrill of this i'm. etus towards freedom in thought and in i, overnment. In the early part of the ighteenth century general council was les known as the 'Say brook platform" were adopted. MT. Pierpont was minister f the First church then and prime mover n the consolation formed at Saybrook. This, like the constitution of the United l ;tates admitted of two constructions: the me strict, which amounted to the old the other loose, which l very nearly to Presbyrerianism.
 In 1735 great revival swept over New England. The thoughts of all the people were turned from their temporal pursuits 0 the salvation of their souls. In 1910 Whitfield, the great pulpit orator, came to he colonies and brought with him the English method, fitted to the needs ,f the English churches, but not applicable here of denouncing pastors as he revivalists was at once formed. MT. Moves, the pastor, of the First church, was, in New Haven, a leader of the re- actionists. A party opposed to him arose in his own flock. Charges were preferred F against him and it was requested that council between the two factions be held. MT. Moves insisted that the difficulties must be laid before the consociation, as provided in the "Saybrook platform" The complainants then declaring that MT. l Moves and his friends had departed from | the regular church formed themselves, under the toleration act, into a new same confession of faith and covenant as | the old church and affirming that they were on the "original foundation" The number of persons uniting in the organi- zation was forty-three, eighteen males and twenty five females, but in few weeks the number increased to between seventy and eighty.
 MUST PAY A TAX TO THE FIRST CHUCH.
 At the outset the new church had to struggle with great difficulties. The Act of Federation only gave them the liberty of worshipping by themselves. It did not exempt them from taxation for the sup port of MT. Moves, so that the pecuniary burden was great.
 MINISTER'S ARRESTED AS MIGRANTS.
 Two or three weeks after the church was formed the legislature of the colony from hiring minister without the con sent of the pastor. and a majority of the first society. It was under this law that the great divine, Samuel Finley, after ward president of Princeton college, was arrested and carried out of New Haven as vagrant. The faculty of Yale college forbade the students attending the new church, and partly for disobeying this prohibition in order to hear Rev. Gilbert Tennett of New Jersey that a stu dent was expelled from college. The new church, under the law, was for six years prohibited from hiring minister of their choice.
 Besides persecution from civil and ec- clesiastical powers, the new church suf- fered from social prescription. Some of it's members were by birth, education and
 wealth equal to any of the old church; but as such were few in number they could not uphold themselves so much as did the dominant party. Families often were di- vided. Dr. Dutton says: The father of one of the deacons of this church was the son died. The father, in written note, declined to attend the funeral be- cause the son belonged to the new church.
 A family was walking across the green on Sunday morning in procession, as was
 the, habit, the parents in front, the chill dren following, and the negro servants in the rear. As the procession reached the old meeting house it turned toward the door; but daughter of the family, who
 had recently married seceder, passed on to the "blue meeting house." "Oh," said long in the family, 'tisn't it too bad to zee mistress running after strange gods!" The timbers of the new meeting house | when not guarded were cut in pieces.
 Many went to jail rather than pay the tax imposed on them for the support of Mir. Moves.
 THE BLUE MEETING HOUSE. The new church began to make prepara- l tions to build meeting house in 1944 They refused location on the green, but finally, after great deal of opposition, ! erected building on the corner of Elm | and Church street, where Mayor Sargent's l residence now stands. An addition was made later and from its color it was called
 the "Blue Meeting House." In 1748 an ef- l fort was made to secure stated preacher, and confession was sent to the Rev. MT. Moves confessing the informality of their
 secession. MT. Bird, whose "form and manner were commanding, his voice pow
 erful and digni6ed, his elocution hand
 some and impressive, his sentiments
 evangelical" was called. He was dismissed
 in 1767 and MT. Jonathan Edwards, jr., ,
 who so closely resembled his illustrious
 father in intellect, in piety, and in the
 sweetness of his life, labored through the | SACAo6AbuAC6 u Guo I0tOAuLIOudEy WdE anu
 supported the doctrine of the Halfway
 covenant" or admission to the communion
 table before conversion, which he and
 his father so strenuously opposed,
 until 17s5 Those %sa in favof Of the hafway"
 test, seeded from his flock the same year and in l the meantime worshipped in the state house.
 They completed their meeting-ho on the si, 6 l of the present North church in December, 177O
 This was called the Fair Haven church, and the one on the corner of Church and Elm streets the
 White Haven church. Eighteen months after | united under the name of the United societies As they came into possession of two meeting
 place of worship each month At length, M in i 1s1s
 it was decided to sell both meeting houses and to
 church The building @ was vas eompIeted co @ % n isis Sof'n
 In ss4 the United Church society formed a
 latter church was organized in ls26 and wor. e shipped in the Orange street lecture room be-
 e s % @ ss @ of Of Union streets, with 8 view of providing especially
 orthe eastern part of the city, was completed in
 dered the building to the stockholders, who had
 sdvanced the requisite funds tSs and worshpped
 G6snse ths9 streets moved ss sSs
 
 ! crease and 2 larger and more elegant edif1ce and a better location was demanded, so fine now the present library building. The reason for the consolidation of this society with that of the North church society was that the many churches built on the outskirts of the city had drawn away many families who were accus- toned to come to the green to worship, and it was thought unwise to maintain so many churches on the original green squares m the center of the city.
 A list of the pastors during the 1so years of the history of the United church contains the name of many powerful speaker and lucid reasoner. Their names stand high in the annals Of Congre- gationalism -- The Rev. John Curtiss from 1748 to 1850. The Rev. Samuel Bird, June, 1751, to 1767. 1795.
 vember, 1S01 The Rev. Samuel Merwin, February IS, 1905, to
 The Rev; Lcester A. Sawyer, June 2, 1885. to uary 26, 1S66 ~ - s'fS' -N>''' 'ee v oe.1.- July 17, 1872 - -sS'' ~
 Ths .s Rev Ed Edward Hawes September 17, ls7s
 DIT, !, Nnagas, Iaek,