The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1901-04-26


rain, Sunday, came at the time it did
making large attendance at tn
union service at Trinity, Sunday morn
ing, entirely out of the question. Tn
service was especially in commemora
tion of the 20Oth anniversary of ''Th'
Venerable Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel in Foreign Parts" al
historical discourse of great interes
being delivered by Rev Samuel Hart
D. D., professor Of doctrinal theolog.
and prayer book and vice dean al
Berkeley Divinity School, MiddletOWn
Rev DR. Hart treated the subject il
an exceedingly interesting way, hold
ing the close attention of all to The
close. He made no attempt at oratory
but in language clear cut and simple
presented his theme in a manner
that delighted all. DR. Hart chose fol
his text EcclesiastuS A.: "a, CAL
things are double, one against.another
and he hath made nothing imperfect. ,
DR. Hart first pointed out that the text
was illustrated by the law of discovery
and invention and by that Of the
moral and religious advance of the age
Passing at once to historic matters
the speaker said that the want of the
American colonies called out ir
England the interest of DR. Bray anC
others of the clergy of the Church OF
England and led to the formation OF
two societies, the Society for the Pro
motion of Christian knowledge ir
1899 and the Society for the Propaga
tion Of the Gospel in 17O1. The organ
ization of these societies, especially
the venerable Society for the Propaga
tion of the Gospel, met the needs OF
the Churchmen in the Colonies. The
help was ready and the people were
ready for it.
| The first missionaries of the Veneer
able Society were George Keith and
John Talbot. They landed in Boston
in 1902 and some days later, on a Satur.
day, they arrived at New London.
They were kindly received by Rev MI
SaltOnstall, minister at New London,
and afterwards governor of the colony.
DR. Hart made the interesting COM
ment that in those early days but few
copies of the prayer book were to be
found in the colony, and he quoted the
words of the late Bishop Williams,
who said "That the first and best mis-
sionary the Church of England had in
this country was the Book of Common
Prayer"
In 1706 Col Heathcote, an officer in
| the British army, made an expedition
along the coast with Rev Mr. Muirson
of Rye. Col Heathcote wrote to a
friend in England: "That the people
were wonderfully surprised at the Or
derSf our church." Stratford was the
only mission established from 1907 to
l722, the only one established from
without and that only in part.
DR. Hart next referred to the inter-
nal preparation for the growth of the
church in Connecticut, the retention
of churchly convictions and feelings
on the part of many. He spoke of the
discussions which arose over the ordi-
nations by laymen in the churches of
the Congregational and Presbyterian
order, and of certain ordination at
Stratfor where blacksmith wearing
leather mitten had assisted in the
ordination of minister. This caused
some among the clergy to doubt the
validity of lay ordination.
Among those who possessed prayer
books was Samuel Smithson, and
this fell into the hands of Samuel
johnson, at that time student in
Yale college, then located at Saybrook.
He, with others, made deep study of
it and as result entertained. serious
doubts as to the validity of Presbyteri-
an ordination. After duly meditating
upon the matter Samuel Johnson, Tim
othy Cutter, then president of Yale
college, Daniel Brown of West Haven
and James Wetmere of Middletown
decided to go to England for ordina-
tion. DR. Hart pointed out that they
were not disappointed Congregational
lists, but were picked men, men of good
character, men of learning. They were
in fact among the strong young men
of Connecticut. They went to London
and after due examination were or
dained. Mr. Brown died of small poX
in England and his body lies in an I'm
marked grave. Mr. Cutler returned to
Boston, where he became rector OF
Christ chulch. Mr. johnson and MI
! WetmOre returned to Connecticut and
the former became in reality the
founder of the church in the Colony OF
Connecticut.
In the fourth place DR. Hart showed
that the history of those early parishes
was an example Of the work in the col
ony for Is years. The society's rult
was: ''To send missionaries only
where there were English 'churchmer
who petitioned for clergyman an(
promised part of the support" Blu
those early Connecticut colonists die
more than call for help; they looked
out and sent the men to be ordained
men of honest report and the best o
the colony. And it should be remem
bered these men crossed the ocean OF
sailing vessels, France at that tim
being at war with England and small
pox was also raging in the latter coun
try. This certainly shows the zeal O
those early brethren.
In October, 1722, IA heads of familie
in Newtown, including representa-
, tive from Woodbury. and Redding, sen
, Mr. Pigot of Stratford d message O