The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-13

COHNlCliOn or the necessity or eplScOpal ordination. When young Timothy Cut Ter came here from Massachusetts in l700 he found himself placed over a congregation which in two generations had had the ministrations of a non- conforming clergyman of the Church iof England. a second minister ordained by laymen, and yet another who had received the laying on of hands of Presbyters. And he found a congrega- Ition a part of which acknowledged the validity of no ministrations which were not of episcopal authority. Meanwhile the preparations of another and young CT man was going on in another way. Samuel Johnson, son of pious deacon of Guilford, had taken his degree in the collegiate school at Saybrook and was beginning his honored career as a scholar and teacher. He studied all the more carefully the questions which had troubled his mind, study of the divine right and the claims of the episcopacy. The declaration made in the library in New Haven on that memorable day in September, 1722, in which four of the leading young men of the colony felt 1t their duty to affirm that they were per- suaded that they could no longer off, ciate as Christ's ministers without first receiving episcopal ordination. and three others expressed doubts in the matter. was like a pentecost for the infant church in Connecticut Dr. Hart described the visit of the four candidates to England, their ordi- nation, the burial there of one of them, and their return to the colony, one to become the father of the church in Con- necticut, the framing of the Saybrook platform and in conclusion said:
 ''The progress of the church. the growth of the living building is made possible by the fixedness of the foun- dation and the sure strength of It's binding stand; and on the other hand the fitting together of each several parts, as new gifts and new powers are at the church's disposal for new du- ties At the close of these two centur- ies we see a great work done but the responsibility for @ greater lying be- fore us.
 eff we are what we ought to be the church of sound learning and true re- ligion, then we shall not grudge the cost of holding and teaching that great truth which our forefathers at so great a cost found and embraced, held and handed down to us,'
 l A short address was given by the Right Rev. Henry Goldman Potter, bishop of New York, after which the clergy and laity were entertained at | luncheon.
 The offering was for the general mis- sion fund. The congregation then rose and sang the Nicene Creed.
 | During the morning service man lin the gallery tainted, but afterwards recovered There were about 500 pres ent in the church at the morning ser | vice.
 | Afternoon Services.
 | The afternoon exercises were pre- sided over by the bishop of the dio- cese.
 Address of Welcome.
 The address of welcome was by the Rev. N Ellsworth Cornwall, as fol- lows:
 RI. Rev. Sir; Fathers in the Episco- pate, and brethren of the clergy and laity:
 In behalf of my people and with rersoual pleasure I bid you welcome to this old town of Stratford, historically 1 interesting to every American citizen and doubly so to every American 1 churchrnan
 Settled in 16s9. Stratford is the ances- tral home of many of the families of our land, and her children's children, scattered far and wide look back to her with filled interest and affection. But to the sons and daughters of the church, whether connected here by ties of family or not, she should be one of 1 those sacred shrines to which the | thoughts and steps of the faithful of- ten turn, her name more and more | hcnored as the years roll by. From her earliest days there were among hel inhabitants those who loved the old Anglican doctrines and worship, and I when through political conditions, they could not enjoy the privileges for which | they longed, they yet waited with a faithfulness and a devotion that could not but conquer; and we are here to-
 day to commemorate the work of those
 sturdy and determined men who, two
 centuries ago, secured for Episcopaey
 in this commonwealth a local habita- tion and a name; and, under the long rectorship of Samuel Johnson, set thai high standard of Connecticut's church l manship which is still recognized and honored and may be wisely followed in every part of our American church ] As student at Columbia l used tc
 gaze with reverentlal awe upon the
 portraits of pr. Johnson and his sor
 William Samuel Johnson, hanging up.
 on the walls of the library At that
 time I little appreciated the real value of their work, but when 1t was my pri. vilege to follow the line of succession as rector of this parish, learned what
 debt both church and state owed tt
 those men and I am sure that a sini' lar sense of obligation has led you, a'
 members of this convention, to mee
 here at this time and that you vii
 join within in the prayer that the sanf
 Divine wisdom that guided the found
 CTS of this parish, may now and al
 ways, inspire this diocese and thu whole church.
 The last session of the convention held in this town met June 9th and 7th
 1922. Bishop Cromwell was then tht
 diocesan. There were twenty-foul
 clergy present. and the number of lay
 delegates entitled to seats was thirty
 eight. representing twenty-slx parishes