. Origin and annals of "The Old south," First Presbyterian church and parish, in Newburyport, Mass., 1746-1896 . roduct of Yankee Presbyterianism. But how did itcome about? The founders explained it as a matter of bothchoice and compulsion. To understand this wemust remember that, while the Pilgrim Fathersrejected the theory that the Church is to be ruled bythe State, the) went to the opposite extreme of claim-ing that the State should be evolved from the they divided up the region into par-ishes, forbade any man building more than half amile from the meeting house; allowed
. Origin and annals of "The Old south," First Presbyterian church and parish, in Newburyport, Mass., 1746-1896 . roduct of Yankee Presbyterianism. But how did itcome about? The founders explained it as a matter of bothchoice and compulsion. To understand this wemust remember that, while the Pilgrim Fathersrejected the theory that the Church is to be ruled bythe State, the) went to the opposite extreme of claim-ing that the State should be evolved from the they divided up the region into par-ishes, forbade any man building more than half amile from the meeting house; allowed none butchurch members to vote; and made all property tax-able for the parish. Brave Roger Willams protested,in 1634, that no one should be bound to worship,or to maintain worship, without his own seems to us just and sensible; but the PilgrimFathers deemed it treason and heresy, and banishedthe bold Baptist and his comrades. Those of his way ofthinking who remained were cowed into submission. The inevitable result of such despotism in thename of liberty was formality, hypocrisy and torpid- 2 2. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. ity of religious life. Even of the clergy only adecent morality together with respectable scholarshipwas required; and a public profession of faith, on thepart of church members was dispensed with. It issignificant that at about this time the office of rulingelder fell into disuse. It was an era fit for witchtrials and scandals. The word went forth from Mather, the President of Harvard College,that conscientious people would soon have to gatherchurches out of churches. This lamentable declen-sion in piety continued till a reaction set in, ofwhich the revival at Northampton was the sign. THE COMING OF WHITEFIELD. Among those who heard of it gladly was a youngEnglish evangelist, who had already made his markin the world, although but twentv-six years of a« was a preacher who could, at any time and anywhere, collect in the open air
Size: 1310px × 1907px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidoriginannals, bookyear1896
