the Church of England, was the Congregational Minister of the place; and was in high estimation not only there, but among the Dissenters in Stratford, for his learning and piety. After a while this gentleman began to doubt of the validity of the ordination he had received. For a considerable time he endeavoured to get over his scruples, but, in the end, he found it impossible. He therefore declared his conformity to the Church in 1732, and many of his people conformed with him; on which he went to England for Holy Orders, and was appointed their Minister.

This event put many on thinking, and had no small effect upon the Dissenters at Stratford. Mr. BEACH's brother, a man of distinction and property at Stratford, with several other persons, in a short time, came over to the Church. This was soon followed by the conformity of Mr. SEABURY; who took Holy Orders, and came over the society's missionary for New-London, where the congregation was considerable. This excellent Clergyman continued there many years, and afterwards removed to Hempstead, on LongIsland, where he died, in the year 1763, leaving

*The Congregational Minister of Groten.

behind him a character that is held in high esteem, and an example that is worthy of all imitation.*

When, besides Mr. JOHNSON at Stratford, Mr. CANER was settled at Fairfield, Mr. BEACH at Newtown, and Mr. SEABURY at New-London, the Church began to make a visible progress in Connecticut; insomuch that in the year 1736, when an inquiry was made into the number of Episcopal families in the whole colony, they were found to be no less than seven hundred. This increase was not altogether owing to the labours of the gentlemen above-mentioned, but was partly occasioned by the Dissenters themselves; who, in the abundance of their zeal, carried their charges of popery against the Church, and their other misrepresentations, to an extravagant length. This made it necessary for the members of the Church, in their own defence, to procure books that had been written in its vindication. Many of the more candid and inquisitive Dissenters were persuaded to read them; and they were surprised to find in what manner things had been misrepresented to

The late Right Rev. Bishop SEABURY was a son of this Clergyman.

Ed.

them-especially after they ventured so far as to acquaint themselves with the Liturgy, and the manner of our public service.

But what, a few years after, more effectually contributed to the increase of the Church in Connecticut, was a strange, wild enthusiasm, introduced by Mr. WHITFIELD, and propagated by his followers throughout the country. At the first appearing of this adventurer, who was in the orders of the Church of England, and still wore the garb of her Clergy, although he had violated her laws, as well as his own oath of canonical obedience, and put her authority at defiance he was received with all the marks of high approbation and applause by the Dissenting Ministers in general. Some of them undoubtedly looked upon him as an extraordinary person, raised up by Providence, like John the Baptist, and coming in the spirit and power of Elias, to rouse sinners from their spiritual slumber, and to bring men to seriousness of life, and the practice of piety; and, indeed, there is reason to believe that his preaching was attended with good effects in several instances. But there were others of them who seemed to court him, because they considered him rather in the light of an instrument, by which the Church in Con

necticut might be crushed in her infancy, or at least her growth much retarded. This it was hoped might be effected by his bitter revilings of her Bishops and Clergy. But after a while many of his abettors were convinced of their mistake, and saw reason to repent of the countenance they had shown him. Instead of subverting, or even so much as shaking, the Church of England, he nearly occasioned the utter dissolution of their own churches.

Soon after his passing through the country, several preachers undertook to be WHITFIELDS too. They endeavoured to proceed in his manner, imitating his voice, his theatrical action, his vociferation; they disregarded all the rules of ecclesiastical order, and strolled about from place to place, as he had done. It was not long before these were followed by a numerous train of ignorant lay-exhorters, uttering the most horrid expressions concerning God and religion, and proclaiming, in the most affecting tones, and with the greatest violence and extravagance of gesture, the terrors of hell and damnation, in order to bring men to conversion. In several instances, by thus exciting the emotions of terror, they actually frightened persons out of the use of their reason. Their night meet

ings in particular, at some of which Mr. JOHN SON was present in disguise, exhibited the wildest scenes of confusion and uproar. At some of those assemblies, a number of persons might be seen sighing, groaning, dreadfully screeching, and wringing their hands, or smiting their breasts; the preacher, or exhorter, all the while tormenting them like a fiend, as the only way to bring them to Christ; while others, who had lately been converted in this manner, were in the greatest ecstacies and raptures, triumphantly singing anthems and hallelu jahs. Of these, some would fall into trances; in which they conversed familiarly with Christ and his angels, and saw who were to be saved, and who damned; and not a few of them would fall to censuring and reviling, as pharisees and the vilest hypocrites, those who were not converted in their way.

These transactions at length threw the whole country into the greatest confusion, and were productive of divisions and separations without end. Many of the wisest, both ministers and people, foresaw the mischief that threatened, when it was too late to prevent it. Enthusiasm, like faction, is utterly ungovernable; and it is not in the power of the ablest conductors to say