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THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF
EDWARD BASS
FIRST BISHOP OF MASSACHUSETTS
BY
DANIEL DULANY ADDISON
AUTHOR OF " LUCY LARCOM : LIFE, LETTERS, AND DIARY "

BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY
1897

Copyright, 1897,
Bt DANIEL DULANY ADDISON.
All rights reserved.

TO THE MEMORY
OF
PHILLIPS BROOKS
SIXTH BISHOP OF MASSACHUSETTS

PREFACE.

Edwaed Bass was consecrated Bishop of Massachu
setts on the seventh of May, 1797. The centennial
year of this event is chosen as an appropriate time for
the publication of his biography, both as an honor to
his memory and an attempt to make known more fully
his character and work.
It is singular that the first bishops of other Dio
ceses — men Hke Bishop Seabury of Connecticut,
Bishop White of Pennsylvania, and Bishop Provoost
of New York — should he so well known, and that the
first bishop in Puritan Massachusetts, where the fight
against the introduction of the Episcopate was the
fiercest, should not be hetter known. Yet in some re
spects the consecration of a bishop for Massachusetts
was an event more historicaUy significant than the
making of a prelate elsewhere. The vagueness that
has hung about the life of Bishop Bass is due for the
most part to the failure of the men of the colonial
and revolutionary periods of the Episcopal Church in
the Commonwealth to preserve the permanent records
of their faithful ministers. But, when one makes dih
gent search for the facts, it is a surprise to see how
much material there is still in existence ahout the first
hishop of Massachusetts, and how quickly he emerges

vi PREFACE.
from obscurity as a strong and lovable personality, one
who occupied a foremost place in the dehberations of
the Colonial Church, and was an important factor in
the organization of the American Episcopal Church.
The hfe of Bishop Bass, from the beginning to the
end, as rector of St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, for
fifty-one years, and as bishop from 1797 to 1803, is
the record of an earnest and wise minister of Christ.
Entering into the discussion of aU the leading ecclesi
astical questions of his day, and faithfully performing
his duties, he presents to the student a career of un
usual picturesque interest : there are letters and docu
ments that show his attitude toward the controversy
between Jonathan Mayhew and Archbishop Seeker ; he
was a prominent figure in the conventions of his
Church before the Revolution, and first among those
who petitioned for a bishop to be sent out to the Colo
nies from England ; and during the Revolution his
course was as unusual as it was dignified, for amid
many hardships he remained as rector of his parish
during the whole period of the struggle for Independ
ence. As bishop he was faithful to his trust, perform
ing many acts of importance, the full record of which
has not been preserved except as it is hid in historical
collections, church record-books, and Norton's slight
biography. As to his character, he was amiable and
affectionate, a friend of all and judicious in deahng
with opponents ; full of humor, he was a charming com
panion, and greatly respected in the community where
he Uved. As a preacher he was strong and practical ;
and his manuscript sermons reveal a style of preaching

PREFACE, vii
not frequent in his day, — temperate, logical, and spir
itual, often epigrammatic and sometimes forcible in
passages of eloquence. A study of his life shows that
Edward Bass was in every way worthy to head the
hst of Massachusetts bishops, which includes Samuel
Parker, Alexander Viets Griswold, Manton Eastburn,
Benjamin Henry Paddock, Phillips Brooks, and Wil
ham Lawrence.
This book, however, is something more than a bio
graphy of Edward Bass, for it has been necessary, in
illustrating his life, to deal with subjects of more gen
eral historical interest. It therefore gives glimpses of
the history of the Church of England, and the Episco
pal Church in Massachusetts. It deals also at some
length with the formative period of the Church of
England parishes ; the persecutions they suffered ; the
controversies they engaged in ; the ecclesiastical causes
that led to the Revolution ; the history of the parishes
during the Revolution ; the organization of the Ameri
can Episcopal Church, and the final perfecting of the
system by the election and consecration of a bishop.
There are many points where the Church of England
parishes touched the larger life of the Colony ; and,
being associated with the English government, their
history is a part of the history of the relations that ex
isted between England and the American Colonies
before the Revolution.
There is much material in the book that has never
been printed before. The author has had access to the
records of certain of the pre-revolutionary parishes, the
archives of which have yielded important documents,

viii PREFACE.
notably St. Paul's Church, Newburyport ; St. Michael's
Church, Marblehead ; St. Peter's Church, Salem ; and
Trinity Church, Boston.
The striking series of letters written by Edward Bass
to the " Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in
Foreign Parts " has been copied direct from the ar
chives of the Society in England, together with full
extracts from the Journal of the Society, sent to
America specially for this book. The letters relating
to the consecration of Bishop Bass have been received
from the Rev. Samuel Hart, D. D., Secretary of the
House of Bishops.
The author desires to express his indebtedness to
those who have helped him in his work, and speciaUy
to the Rt. Rev. William Lawrence, D. D., Bishop
of Massachusetts, for his active assistance and counsel
in the preparation of these pages.
Daniel Dulany Addison.
Brookline, Mass,, October 4, 1897.

CONTENTS
Chapter Pjige
I. Early Life and Ordination  1
II. Origin of the Church in Newburyport ... 25
III. Ministry in Newburyport  50
IV, Controversies and Struggle for a Bishop . . 77
V. State of the Churches in Massachusetts . . . 101
VI. The Churches during the Revolution . . . 131
VII. Attitude of Bass during the Revolution , . , 175
VIII, Organization op the Episcopal Church , , . 215
IX. Changes in the Prayer-Book  237
X. Election op Bass to the Episcopate . . , 260
XI. The Consecration of Bishop Bass , . . . 295
XII. The Episcopate of Bishop Bass  314
Index  337

LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.

CHAPTER I.
EAELY LIFE.

It is a matter of interest to know that the best blood
of Massachusetts flowed in the veins of Edward Bass.
He was a direct descendant of John Alden, whom tra
dition honors as the first passenger of the Mayflower
to set foot on Plymouth Rock, and Priscilla MuUens,
the fair maiden who was bold enough to intimate to
John that he ought to speak for himself when he came
to press the suit of Miles Standish, brave in war, but
timid in love. The connection between the first bishop
of Massachusetts and these Pilgrim worthies is estab
lished by an item preserved in the old Town Records
of Braintree, which tells the story that " on the 12
month, 3, 1657, John Bass and Ruth Aulden were
married by John Aulden of Duxbury." This Ruth
Alden, daughter of John Alden and Priscilla, was the
great-grandmother of Edward Bass; and Ruth's hus
band, John Bass, had also an illustrious parentage,
being the son of the sturdy Deacon Samuel Bass, who
came to New England, and settled in Roxbury near
Hog Bridge, in the year of our Lord 1630. This first
American ancestor of the Bass family, Samuel, soon

2 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
removed from Roxbury to Braintree, where he was
chosen first deacon of the church, and known as " a
man of strong and vigorous mind, and was one of the
leading men of the town for many years." ^ When the
deacon died, at the age of ninety-four years, the Town
Records referred to his longevity and the remarkable
number of his progeny that had risen to call him
blessed, by spreading upon its pages the fact that
" Deacon Samuel Bass, aged 94, departed this life upon
the 30*'' day of Dec. 1694 ; who had been a deacon of
the church of Braintree for the space of above 50
years, and the first deacon of that church; and was
the father and grandfather and great-grandfather of
a hundred and sixty-two children before he died, the
youngest whereof was . . . born eleven days before
his death."
One cannot help noting the significance of the fact
that the descendant of these fathers of New England
Puritanism became in due course of time the man
selected tp be the first bishop in the very territory
which they supposed would be ever free from such
intrusion. What would John Alden have thought of
such logic of history ? If we may judge of his pos
sible opinions on this subject by a reference to those of
his fellow-immigrant and townsman, William Bradford,
Governor, we may be sure that he would not have taken
the matter so seriously to heart. For Bradford in his
quaint " Dialogue betweene some Young-men borne in
New England; and some Ancient-men which came out
of Holand, and old England concerning the church
* Elisha Thayer, Family Memorial, Part I. p. 52.

EARLY LIFE. 3
and the government therof," makes the "Ancient-
men " speak thus of " Episcopacie : " "It will be need
ful before we speake to this poynte that some thing be
premised to prevent mistakes. And first we accknow-
ledg that bishops, such as are mentioned in the holy
Scriptures, are of divine institution and ordinance of
God. 2'y But lord bishops, invested with sole spiritual
power and government and exercising sole authority
and power and government over the churches, without
their choyse or consent is Strang from Scripture, no
institution of Christ, but a humane devise and intru
sion." ^ The principal reason for the antagonism to
bishops on the part of the Puritans is here distinctly
stated at the very beginning of the Plymouth Colony,
in this contrast between the bishops that "are men
tioned in Scripture " and " my lord bishops." These
last were ministers of the state, heads of " the estab
hshment," princes of the realm, who knew how to call
in aid the secular arm. The opposition of Wilham
Bradford and John Alden to these prelates, active in
scenting heresy, is no indication that they would have
been disturbed by the saintly life of the humble-minded
Edward Bass, who was first bishop, after apostohc fash
ion, in the Commonwealth.
Edward, the son of Joseph and Ehzabeth Bass, being
directly connected vrith the Aldens, was born in Doi^
Chester, Massachusetts, November 23, 1726, and was
baptized four days thereafter in the old First Church.
Two affidavits make this plain, being the ones he doubt
less took to England vdth him when he applied for
J Mass. Hist. Soc. Proceedings, vol. xL. p. 428.

4 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
ordination m 1752. They have both been preserved,
and are good evidence of the truth of the above asser
tions : —
" Edward, the son of Joseph Bass and Elizabeth his
wife was Born Nov. 23, 1726.
" True extract from the Records of Bu-ths in Dor
chester. Attest, Noah Clap
Town Clerk of Dorchester "
Also this certificate of baptism : —
" This may certify that Mr. Edward Bass was bap
tized m the Church of Dorchester Nov. 27, 1726.
As attest, Jonathan Bowman Pastor "
Dorchester, 11, 1751.
Of the boyhood life of Edward we know nothing
until he emerges into the full hght of his coUege course.
Being a member of a large family, the fourth of eleven
children, he must have received the training that
comes from the daily intercourse of many brothers and
sisters, and especially so in his case, when others of
the children were being prepared with him, at home
and in the schools, for professional careers. He entered
Harvard College in 1740, when he was thirteen years of
age, his class being the one of 1744.^ The first refer
ence to him in the college records is made when the
freshmen of his year were "Plac'd," — arranged ac
cording to their standing : " At a meeting of the Presi
dent & Tut^ May 1^* 1741 The Freshmen were Plac'd
1 Catalogus Harvardianus, 1809.

EARLY LIFE. 5
in the following order ; " * then follow the names of the
thirty-three members of the class, with Bass as twenty-
first. The class was a notable one, for it had among
its number Thomas Cushing, who was afterwards
Speaker of the House in Massachusetts for ten years ;
Jonathan Mayhew, whose sermons stirred up the flames
of revolution, and whose polemical tracts caused the
churchmen much annoyance; and Samuel Bird, who
defied the overseers of the college, and was expelled.
It was a fortunate youth in those days whose name was
not mentioned in the Faculty records. If he was a
good student and not guilty of offenses against disci
pline, there was no reference to him throughout his
whole course, but if he offended, he found a place in
recorded history. Bass seems to have passed success
fully through the temptations which assailed with disas
trous results certain of his classmates, viz. : " Fetching
Rum ; " " firing squibs ;" " steahng fowls ; " " lying in
examination ; " and profanity. He, however, did not
escape mention, though for a very mild form of offense.
It was the custom to fine the students who did not re
turn on time after vacation was over, or, as it was then
expressed, "after the vacancy was up." The college
revenue was substantially increased by the levying of
this fine, at one time forty-seven students being fined
a total of £23 0 8. Owing to this custom, we have
two references to Bass, who otherwise might have
escaped all notice in the official documents of his col
lege. Such silence would have been a proof of his
"virtue, but less picturesque. In accordance with the
1 Harvard, MSS. Records, vol, i. p. 149.

6 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
" Punishment of such as were absent from college after
the vacancy, according to the Law provided," Bass was
fined at one time five shiUings, and at another thirteen
shillings, four pence.'
Bass studied the usual subjects required by the col
lege at this period, the classics, the Greek Testament,
and Hebrew. He also enjoyed a wider range of read
ing, for the curriculum was enlarged in 1742, taking in
text-books which gave a much more extended scope to
the studies. On March 2, 1742, the faculty " agreed
that besides the classics and Greek Testament usuaUy
recited at College the books here following shall also
be henceforth recited here, viz. : Compendium Logica
extracted from Le Grand ; Locke on Humane Under
standing; Gordon's Geographical Grammar; Euchdes
Elements ; Gravesande's Natural Philosophy ; D'^.
Watts' Astronomy."^ This collection of books indi
cates a decided step forward in the educational develop
ment of the college ; and Bass was fortunate in being
a student when the change was made. The influence
of these authors can be traced in his sermons years
after. When he received his first degree, at the time of the
graduation of his class in 1744, he decided to continue
his studies and remain at the institution for three more
years in order to obtain his Master's Degree. This he
accomplished in 1747, teaching meanwhile in the schools
near by. The subject that he took for his thesis strongly
reflects the spirit of the time, and shows that his mind
1 Harvard, MSS. Records, vol. i. pp, 171, 191.
s Ibid., vol. i. p. 178,

EARLY LIFE. 7
was turning to the discussion of theological questions.
Like most of the subjects selected by the students for
their Master's Degree, it was of a purely speculative
character. The men seemed to get as far away from
anything scientific or normal as was possible. Josiah
Quincy had discoursed learnedly in the negative the
question that " When Balaam's ass spoke, was there
any change in its organs ? " Another youth inquired
whether a shadow moves, while another enterprising
investigator determined to learn if Samson was guilty
of suicide. Bass was moved to ask, " WUl the blessed
in the future world, after the last Judgment, make use
of articulate speech and wiU that be Hebrew ? " ^ His
decision in the affirmative, that the blessed wiU speak
Hebrew in the communion of the saints, would have
dehghted the soul of Cotton Mather, who argued that
the Hebrew points were of divine origin, and would
have given joy to poor old Michael Wigglesworth, who
taught in the coUege in 1653, and made his lament
that the pupils did not care for Hebrew, in the foUow
ing pathetic words : —
" Aug 29 : My pupUls all came to me y^ day to desire
yy might ceas learning Hebrew : I w*''stood it w**" all ye
reaso I could, yet all wiU not satisfy y" thus am I re
quited for my love ; & thus little fruit of aU my prayers
& tears for y' good."^
It is difficult to say how much this decision of young
Bass concerning the importance of Hebrew influenced
him to become a preacher, but after receiving his degree,
* Mass. Hist. Soc. Proceedings, vol. xviii. p. 160.
2 Ibid., vol. xviii. p. 122.

8 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
this was his determination. Not wishing to sever his
connection with the coUege, he contmued to hve in
Cambridge, studying and preparing himself for his
future work. His first idea was to become a Con
gregational minister ; indeed, he received a license to
preach, and frequently supphed vacant pulpits in the
neighborhood. It is known that he preached in Box
ford, when the Rev. John Rogers of that place was
having such difficulty with his parish that the pastor's
services were not acceptable. The disagreement arose
because of the buUding of a new church and the desire
of the people to have a new minister. The Rev. Mr.
Rogers was equal to the emergency, and refused to give
up the title to the parsonage and land until " the par
ish paid the balance of his salary, and the parish was
contrary the other way." What the parish clerk calls
" our long perplexed and distressed circumstances "
continued for some time, and "the parish hired mis
ceUaneous ministers to preach for a few Sundays
only, though some of them continued here a number
of months. Prominent among them were Rev. Jacob
Bacon, Rev. Aaron Putnam . . . Rev. Moses Hale of
Byfield . . . Rev. Mr. Bass.'" It is said that Bass
was caUed to be permanent minister in Boxford, but
this he declined. This refusal is an indication that he
was beginning to change his views on the subject of
the church which he intended to serve, for, when preach
ing in Maiden, he received overtures from the Wardens
of St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, — the offer which
he finally accepted. > Sidney Perley, History of Boxford, p. 190.

EARLY LIFE. 9
It is difficult at this late date to assign reasons for his
change from the Puritanism of his fathers to the Church
of England, which had unceremoniously intruded itself
into the colony. No hope of preferment could have
attracted him, for the church was very weak in the
places where it had become estabhshed. Its ministers
in the colony were almost aU, with the exception of
those at King's Chapel, Boston, missionaries of the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Parts. Such a change made necessary a dangerous and
expensive journey to London for ordination, there being
no bishop in America ; and his career was sure to be
beset after his return by prejudice and uncaUed-for
attacks. His change must, therefore, have been due to
conscientious convictions, to some realization of the
true meaning of the English Church, and to a moral
bravery that was in every way admirable.
There are, however, some side lights which may be
shed on the matter. Defections from Puritanism to
the English Church had by no means been unknown ;
and illustrious examples had occurred in the American
coUeges. Timothy Cutler, President of Yale College,
and his friends, Mr. Daniel Browne and Rev. Samuel
Johnson, the pastor at Westhaven, Conn., had aston
ished New England by their apostasy from Congrega-
tionahsm. Concerning it Samuel SewaU, the judge,
who always kept his diary and letter-book, wrote to
Governor SaltonstaU in 1722 that " the noise of Yale
College came to us gradually ; at first we heard some un
certain Rumbhngs ; at last the plain and loud Thunder
Claps astonished us. It quickly brought to my mind

10 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Rev. xvi. 15.' Methinks he could not easily have ht
upon a Subject so indefensible as that of Enghsh Epis
copacy which seems to be absolutely dvOpaTtivri xrioLg.^
I am f uUy aware that Episcopacy is that upon which the
Fifth Vial is poured out & he wUl have hard work that
shall endeavor to controU that Angel. The Bishops
drove the renowned Planters out of England, I hope
God wUl not suffer the Bishops to drive their chUdren
out of New England." *
Though Cutler and his friends knew that such criti
cisms would be made against them, they had arguments
to fortify themselves, for they had read the books sent
over to Yale by the Venerable Society, — a coUection
that included Barrows, Lowth, Sharp, Scott, Whitby,
and Sherlock.* By reading simUar books, we may be
sure, Bass came to change his views. This is not a
mere supposition, for it happened during his coUege
course that Bishop Berkeley, who, when Dean, had
made his visit to America, hoping to aid the church,
and remembermg the needs of the coUeges, had made a
donation of books to the library of Harvard CoUege.
In 1747, the Bishop of Cloyne wrote a significant letter
to Dr. Bearcroft, secretary of the society, in which he
said, " If the Society thinks fit I believe fifty pound of
it [of two hundred pounds he was contributing] might
be usefully employed in purchasing the most approved
writings of the divines of the Church of England, to
• "Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and
keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."
' A human creation.
' Mass. Hist. Soc. Proceedings, vol. xii, p. 378,
* Hawkins, Missions of the Church of England, p. 175.

EARLY LIFE. 11
which I would have added the Earl of Clarendon's His
tory of the Civil Wars, and the whole sent as a bene
faction to Harvard College, at Cambridge, near Boston,
New England, as a proper means to inform their judg
ment and dispose them to think better of our church." '
Appended to another letter, the bishop gives the titles of
the books to be sent, which included : " Hooker, Chil-
lingsworth, the Sermons of Barrows, TUlotson, Sharp
and Clarke, Scott's Christian Life, Pearson on the Creed,
Burnett on the Thirty-nine Articles, Burnet's History
of the Reformation, Abp. Spotwood's History of the
Church of Scotland, Clarendon's History, Prideaux's
Connections, Cave's Historia Literaria Ecclesiae, Ham
mond's Annotations, Pole's Synopsis Critic, the Patres
Apostohci pubhshed by Le Clere." ^ That these books
were sent appears from the list of the volumes destroyed
by the fire, January 24, 1764, that consumed the Har
vard Library : " Tracts upon all the branches of polemi
cal divinity : — The donation of the Venerable Society
for propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts." ^ When
it is recaUed that Bass resided at the college as a stu
dent for over ten years, it is not difficult to imagine
that this hterature guided his thought, and prepared
him for the radical change he was about to make.
The coming of Whitefield, and the consequent dis
turbances in the New England churches, was the occa
sion for many to leave the old Congregational way and
seek a refuge in the English Church. The effect of
1 Hawkins, Missions of the Church of England, p, 173,
2 Ibid., p, 174,
* Quincy's History of Harvard University, vol, ii, p, 481.

12 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
" the great awakening " lasted for many years ; and the
people were kept awake by the powerful preaching of
Whitefield and his followers. Granting that good
resulted from this preaching in its permanent effect,
yet one cannot be sure of the value of the methods
which produced such frenzy " that chUdren from 8
years old to 12 or 13 assembled in bodies to vent the
imaginary profusions of the Holy Spirit in disorderly
praying and preaching ; " " nay," writes the Rev. Mr.
Brockwell from Salem, " the very Servants and Slaves
pretend to extraordinary inspiration, and under the veU
thereof cherish their idle dispositions, and in heu of
dutifuUy minding their respective businesses, run ram
bhng about to utter their enthusiastic nonsense." '
When the excitement caused by Whitefield's methods
was increased by a natural phenomenon hke an earth
quake, the violence of the converts was unbounded ;
they kissed crosses that they had made in the dust, and
then licked up the dust in token of humility, and as
" a badge of their esteem for the Holy Trinity," drank
a health to it in cold water.^ In consequence of these
disorders, the Rev. Timothy Cutler wrote the secretary
of the Venerable Society that many dissenters attended
Christ Church in Boston, "who generally think the
better of our church under Mr. Whitefield's Invectives
against it, and many of them take it as a Refuge from
those corrupt principles and those disorders he has
spread among them."* The churchwardens of St.
Paul's Church, Newburyport, add their testimony to
1 Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 357.
2 Ibid., p, 383. 3 2jj(i,, p. 404.

EARLY LIFE. 13
the increase of the church from the appearance of " the
enthusiasm : " " The present Distraction amongst the
Dissenters occasioned by Whitefield and his foUowers
Induces great numbers of the Discreetest amongst them
to Declare for the Church." '
Remembering Bass's weU-known dislike of practices
dictated by the emotions, and his student hfe among
the books in the university, we are able to trace some of
the steps that led him to declare for the church. His
final decision was made when St. Paul's Church, New
buryport, asked him to become its assistant minister.
This assistance was not needed by the rector, Rev.
Matthias Plant, because of the rapid growth of the
parish, — one man could have attended to the work :
but Mr. Plant was getting old ; and, if he should be
disabled or die, it was important to have a clergyman
ready to take his place. Such contingencies had to be
thought of years ahead, for there were no ministers
without parishes ready to be called in those days ; and,
if there was no one especiaUy prepared, the parish might
be vacant for a long period. The need of an assistant
minister in this formative stage of the church's life was
clearly set forth to the Bishop of London by the war
dens of King's Chapel when they sent for an " assistant
to Mr. SamueU Miles ; " " for should any sickness or
distemper happen to him we should run adventure of
being dispersed, which would overthrow in an instant
what we have been this ten years endeavoring, — the
firm establishment of a Church of England congrega
tion in this place." ^
' Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 379.
* Foote's Annals of King's Chapel, vol, i, p. 132.

14 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
The parish conditions in Newburyport were some
what comphcated by the erection of a new church
buUding. The old Queen Anne's Chapel, built in
1711, had served its purpose as a house of worship for
many years, but it was situated on " the Plains," some
distance from the new centre of the town-hfe by the
" Water-side." The people by the " Water-side " had
buUt a church caUed St. Paul's ; and this new edifice
was the cause of a long dispute between the rector of
Queen Anne's Chapel and the wardens of St. Paul's, —
the latter preferring that the new assistant be rector,
with fuU authority, of the new and stronger parish.
Mr. Plant objected to the plan proposed by the pro
prietors of St. Paul's Church, and yielded to their desire
for a new minister only on the condition that he him
self be inducted into the office of rector, the newcomer
being his assistant. When Mr. Plant won the day, and
was legally inducted as minister of the new parish, he
expressed his wiUingness to rehnquish £20 of his salary
to the assistant. The choice feU upon young Bass, who
had acquired a reputation as a preacher, and whose
sentiments toward the Church of England were knowna.
Another reason for his selection may be found in his
gentlemanly bearing, which was amusingly described by
Mr. Atkins, one of the wardens, who reported, after
due inspection of the young man : " WeU, gentlemen,
he pares an apple and lights a pipe more like a gentle
man than any of the other candidates you have brought
to me." The following letter from Mr. Plant to Dr.
Bearcroft, secretary of the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, explains the whole
situation : —

EARLY LIFE. 15
MK. PLANT TO DE. BEAKCROFT. Dec, 23, 1751,
Rev. Doctor, — In a letter I received from you
bearing date October 21"' 1746, sent by Mr. M'^GU-
christ and received by me March 25, 1747, I am there
recommended upon my being the chief minister of
the whole Parish of Newbury, to make good my pro
mise of paying annuaUy £20. sterling to some young
candidate when admitted into Holy Orders to be my
assistant at St. Paul's Church in Newbury. The pro
prietors of St. Paul's Church having given me induction
into the said church June 24th, I, to comply with the
Society's directions, have made choice of Mr. Edward
Bass, the bearer hereof, to assist me in the said office,
when admitted into orders ; promising to pay said Mr.
Bass annuaUy £20. sterhng, according to the true pur
port and meaning of the Society's directions in that
affair ; humbly prajing the Society to recommend Mr.
Bass to my lord bishop to be admitted into orders
that he may as soon as possible return to my assistance,
who now labor under a weak disposition. Mr. B. came
to me so weU recommended that I verily beheve he wUI
be of service in the church, and especially in Newbury,
the place designed for his residence.
This indorsement Bass took with him to London,
whither he went in AprU, 1752, to be ordained. Before
proceeding on his journey, he was examined by certain
of the clergy, who passed him, but opposed the idea
of his preaching in Newbury whUe waiting to take
passage to England. This he did with the consent of
Mr. Plant, and earned the titie of " the forward young

16 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
man," bestowed upon him by the Rev. Mr. BrockweU
in this interesting letter : —
MB. BEOOKWELL TO THE BISHOP OF LONDON.
Boston, N. Engl", Jan' 21, 1752.
My Lord, — These are to acquaint your Lordship
that the Church at Newbury has chosen M'. Bass, late
a dissentiug teacher, but now a proselyte to the Church,
to be assistant to the Rev*^. M'. Plant, Missionary to the
Said Church ; who, thro' age & infirmity, is rendered
almost incapable of his Ministry. The Gentleman has
a general good character & fuU testimonials, which he
wUl produce to your Lordship from their Seminary of
Schism. When he appeared before the Clergy here in
order to his examination something was intimated as to
the reading of the service & a sermon to them in their
Church, during the interval he should be among them,
before he could proceed on his intended voyage. D'.
Cutler & I strenuously opposed & utterly forbad any
such advances ; but, however, the forward young man
did proceed, and M"". Plant, thro' age & infirmity, was
weak enough to countenance the irregularity, by the
loan of his Gown, &c. How much such proceeding
may conduce to the contempt of rehgion & the Min
istry, I humbly submit to your Lordship. . . .
My Lord,
Your Lordship's
Most Dutiful,
Most obedient Servant,
Cha® Brockwell.*
To Edmund, Lord Bishop of London.
1 Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 441.

early life. 17
Equipped for his voyage, Bass took with him a
formal recommendation from the President and Profess
ors of Harvard CoUege, and a letter from the Rev.
Mr. MiUer, minister at Braintree. Both letters contain
so much biographical material that they are given in
fuU: — Harvard College in Cambridge,
Nov. 27, 1751.
This may certify whom it may Concern, That M'.
Edw^. Bass the Bearer of this who hath resided w**" us
for the four last years viz. Since he received here his
Degree of Master of Arts, is weU known to us & hav
ing applyed to us for a Testimony respecting his moral
character, We can ChearfuUy declare, that He hath
behaved himself during his abode w**" us uprightly &
blamelessly as to his Life and Conversation ; in Witness
whereof we Sign our names. Edw. Holyoke.
Henry Flynt.
Belcher Hancock.
Joseph Mayhew.
Tho^. Marsh.
MB. MILLEB TO THE SECEETAET.
Braintree in N. Engl", Feb. 1, 1752.
Rev" Sir, — The Bearer, M'. Bass, is a young gentle
man bred at Harvard CoUege and has preached for
some time among the dissenters to good acceptance,
but now upon mature consideration, thinks it his duty
to conform to the Church of England, & comes over
for Holy orders and to be appointed to the new Church

18 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
in Newbury ; both M'. Plant and the people are highly
pleased with him, and, indeed, he is universaUy weU
spoken of as a man of Piety and sense, a good Preacher
and of an agreeable temper. He brings fuU testi
monials from the CoUege, where he has hv'd, I think,
about 10 years, which are confirmed by the Clergy of
Boston, &c. A person so qualified and recommended
can never want your favor and assistance. There is
one thing in particular wherein he desires your assist
ance, viz., that you would do what you can to dispatch
his business speedUy, because he has never had the
smaUpox, which he is fearful of, it having proved fatal
to many New EngP* men in London, & besides, M'.
Plant's Ul state of health is another reason for his
returning as soon as may be.
M'. Bass is a distant relation of mine, and I shaU
esteem the favors shewn as an addition to those already
conferred on. Dear S', Your affectionate B"^, &c.,
F. Miller.*
In addition to the great expense attending a journey
to England for ordination, — for it cost about £100, —
the fear of smallpox, above referred to, was not an
imaginary one. Young Browne, who accompanied Dr.
Cutler, was seked with the disease a week after his
ordination, and died under sad circumstances in Eng
land. The smaUpox and shipwreck dealt severely with
those who went to the mother country to receive their
ordination. A writer in the " Gentleman's Magazine "
1 Historical CoUections of Colonial Ch. Mass,, p. 442.

EARLY LIFE. 19
refers to these disasters by saying truly that " out of
52 or 53 who have come hither for holy orders, 42
only have returned safe. There never was a perse
cution on earth that destroyed a fifth part of the
clergy." *
Bass, arriAang safely in England, presented his letters
to the Society. They were regarded as satisfactory ;
and the favorable action in his case was thus recorded
in the Journal of the Society, an extract from which
reads : —
" 17 AprU 1752. Read A Leti;er from the Rev^. D'.
MiUer, Missionary at Braintree in New England, in
Favour of M'. Bass, Dated Febry 1. 1752, setting Forth,
that M'. Bass had been Bred at Harvard College, and
had Preach'd for some Time among the Dissenters with
good Acceptance, but upon mature Consideration had
thought it his Duty to join himself to the Church of
England; and M". Plant and the Proprietors of St.
Pauls Church in Newbury having heard him universally
weU spoken of, as a Man of Sense, and Piety, a good
Preacher, and of an agreeable Temper, had agreed to
invite him to be Assistant to M'^. Plant, in the Care of
St. Paul's Church, if he could obtain Holy Orders, for
which D'^. Miller recommends him to the Favour of the
Society. " Whereupon it was Agreed as the Opinion of the
Committee to recommend M'. Bass to the Lord Bishop
of London for Holy Orders, and also to recommend
him to the Society, for a Gratuity of £10. towards the
Expences of his Voyage.
' Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xxxix. p. 262.

20 LIFE OP BISHOP BASS.
" Resolved to Agree with the Committee." ^
The Bishop of London received Bass with great
kindness, examined him, and, requesting him to trans
late the Thirty-nine Articles into Latin, proceeded to
ordain him in the httle chapel in Fulham Palace. If
there is one place more than another in England that
should interest American churchmen, it is the Bishop's
residence at Fulham, for here the young clergy of
the colonial church were received with hospitahty, and
here they took upon themselves their ordination vows.
The first genuine glimpse of Enghsh life they got in
the well-kept grounds and low-lying buildings of Ful
ham. Even the shrubbery and trees had a homelike
look, for Bishop Compton had planted in the gardens
trees from North America, as a token of interest, per
haps, in his remote diocese across the seas. There
were here growing in the Enghsh soil " the ash-leaved
maple and the scarlet-flowered maple, the Virginia red-
cedar, the black walnut, the white oak and the ever
green oak, the triple thorn acacia." "^ In the midst of
these delightful surroundings, Edward Bass was ordained
Deacon on Sunday, May 17, 1752, by Bishop Sherlock,
and Priest on May 24, in the same year. His declara
tion of conformity and the bishop's license, together
with the other ordination papers, have been preserved.
They are of value as showing the methods pursued by
the English Church in the ordination of young men
from the colonies.
' Journal, vol. xii. pp. 132, 133.
" E. Venables, Episcopal Palaces of England, p. 66.

EARLY LIFE. 21
OATH OF CONFORMITY.
I do declare that I wUl Conform to the Liturgy of
the Church of England as it is now by Law Established.
Edward Bass.
This Declaration was made and subscribed before us
hy the said Edward Bass, Clerk — to be Licensed to
perform the ministerial office in the Province of New
England in America — this 24*'' day of May, 1752, and
in the fourth year of our Translation Tho. London.
[Seai] ordination to the PRIESTHOOD.
Thomas — by divine permission Bishop of London to
aU to whom these Presents shaU come or whom they
may in any wdse concern.
Know ye that at an ordination holden by us vnth the
Aid and Assistance of Almighty God on Sunday the
twenty fourth Day of May in the year of our Lord one
thousand seven hundred and fifty two — in the Chapel
within our Palace of Fulham — we did admit and pro
mote our beloved in Christ Edward Bass to the Holy
Order of a Priest according to the Rites and Ceremonies
of the Church of England in that behalf published and
provided He having been well recommended to us for
his Good Life and virtuous Attamments and proficiency
in Learnmg with a sufficient Title and having been
also first examined and approved by our Examiner In
Testimony Whereof We have caused our Episcopal Seal
to be hereto affixed.

22 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Dated the day and year above written and in the
fourth year of our Translation Tho. London.
[Seai,] bishop's license.
Thomas by Divine Permission Bishop of London To
our beloved in Christ Edward Bass, Clerk — Greet
ing. We do by these Presents Give and Grant to you in
whose Fidehty, Morals, Learning, Sound Doctrine &
DUigence, We do fuUy confide our Licence & Authority,
to continue only during our pleasure to Perform the
Office of a Priest in the Province of New England in
America in Reading the Common Prayers & Performing
other Ecclesiastical Duties, belonging to the said office
according to the Form prescribed in the Book of Com
mon Prayer, made & published by Authority of ParUa
ment & the Canons & Constitutions in that behalf,
lawfuUy estabhshed & promulgated and not otherwise,
or in any Other manner (you having first before Us
subscribed the Articles & taken the Oaths which in
this Case are Required by Law to be Subscribed and
taken) In Witness whereof We have caused our Seal which
We use in this case to be hereto affixed, Dated the
Twenty fourth day of May in the Year of our Lord
1752 and in the fourth Year of our Translation Tho London.
[Seal]

EARLY LIFE. 23
The young clergyman having been successful in the
object of his visit, and being appointed missionary
by the Venerable Society, waited upon the Archbishop
of Canterbury to receive " Paternal Benediction and
Instructions." The instructions were those usuaUy
given to the missionaries of the society, and they
reveal such a true spirit and aim in the spread of the
church that a young man at this sacred period of his
life must have been deeply impressed by them. Their
dignity and Christian feehng are sufficient answer to
those in New England who afterwards attacked the
society with such persistence. Bass, on his way back
to America, had with him to read these strong words
of appeal : —
" That they always keep in view the great Design
of their Undertaking, viz. To promote the Glory of
Almighty God, and the Salvation of men, by propa
gating the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour.
" That they often consider the Quahfications requisite
for those who would effectuaUy promote this Design,
viz., — a sound knowledge of and hearty belief of the
Christian rehgion ; an Apostolic zeal, tempered with
Prudence, Humihty, Meekness, and Patience ; a fervent
charity towards the souls of men ; and finaUy, that
Temperance, Fortitude, and Constancy, which become
good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
" That in order to the obtaining and preserving the
said Qualifications, they do very frequently in their
Retirements offer up fervent prayers to Almighty God
for his Direction and Assistance ; converse much with
the Holy Scriptures ; seriously reflect upon their Ordi-

24 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
nation Vows ; and consider the account which they are
to render to the great Shepherd and Bishop of our
Souls at the Last Day.
" That avoiding aU names of distinction, they en
deavor to preserve a Christian agreement and Union
one with another ; as a Body of Brethren of one and
the same Church united under the superior Episcopal
order, and aU engaged in the same great Design of
Propagating the Gospel." ^
Such were the motives that prompted and encour
aged the young servant of God as he entered upon his
chosen work in the New World.
I Hawkins, Missions ofthe Church of England, p. 424.

CHAPTER II.
origin of the church in newburyport.
All attempts to found a parish of the Church of
England in the Puritan Commonwealth failed untU the
coming of Governor Andros, who brought with him
on board the Rose the Rev. Robert Ratcliffe, A. M.
This clergyman of the English Church succeeded, after
much opposition, in holding the services of his church,
first in the Town HaU of Boston, then, to the conster
nation of its members, in the Old South Meeting-House,
and lastly in his own church buUding, Kuig's Chapel,
which thus became the first organized parish of the
Anghcan Church on the soil of Massachusetts.
Though the Prayer Book had been used as early as
1607 by Richard Seymour in the httle chapel at the
mouth of the Sagadahoc, and the Rev. WUliam MorreU
had visited the Colony at Plymouth in 1623, and the
Rev. WUham Blaxton was the first resident of Boston,
yet none of these men left any permanent record of
their visits by the establishment of a mission. They
found the conditions unpropitious. MorreU had to con
tent himself by writing a poem in Latin, and Blaxton
was treated with some contempt because of his " Ca
nonical! Coate." The churchmen who came to New
England and claimed any rights were treated like the
Brown brothers, who very soon after landing in Salem

26 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
were forthwith banished, as the simple account reads :
" The two brothers [Samuel Brown and his brother]
gathered a company together, in a place distinct from
the pubhc assembly, and there, sundry times, the
book of common prayer was read unto s-uch as resorted
thither. The governour, Mr. Endicot, taking notice of
the distiirbance that began to grow amongst the people
by this means, he convented the two brothers before
him. . . . The governour told them that New England
was no place for such as they ; and therefore he sent
them both back to England, at the return of the ships
the same year ; and though they breathed out threaten
ings both against the governour and ministers there, yet
the Lord so disposed of aU, that there was no further
inconvenience followed upon it." ^ The " no further
inconvenience " is very well understood by a reference
to one of the colonial laws which proved very useful
and was generaUy effective in such cases ; this provided
for any return on the part of the person banished in
the following phraseology : " And if after this, he or
she shall return again ; then to be proceeded against as
Incorrigible Rogues and Enemies to the Common
Peace, and shall be immediately apprehended, and Com
mitted to the Common Goal of the Country, . . . and
proceeded against ... for their punishment on pain
of death." ^
This grim statute was seconded by another that
sought to keep out of the commonwealth in the first
instance aU undesirable persons, and was thus quaintly
1 Morton's New England's Memorial, pp. 147, 148.
* Colonial La-ws, p. 63.

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 27
put : "Noe pson being a member of any churche which
shall hereafter be gathered without the approbagon of
the magistrates, & the greater pte of the said churches,
shalbe admitted to the ffreedome of this Comon-
wealth." *
Though many estimable traits of character have been
contributed to the hfe of America by the Puritans, it
is certain that tolerance was not one of them. Reli
gious hberty came in due time, but it was born under
other skies than those of New England, and adopted
not without resistance on the part of those who looked
upon uniformity as one of the essentials of their faith.
Persecution, whether under Charles I. and Archbishop
Laud, or in Salem or Boston, was the logical result of
a violent plea for uniformity, and the consequent idea
that a novel opinion was a crime against the State.
It is no excuse for the Puritans to point to the persecu
tions that they suffered in order to justify simUar acts
on their part ; such acts simply show that they had not
learned the value of true hberty, and when they found
themselves in power, they resorted to the same means
they had condemned. Their legislation was not directed
specially against churchmen, but against all who dif
fered from them, the Quakers receiving more serious
handhng than did any of the English Church. The
indictment of Cotton by Roger WUliams cannot easily
be answered, in which he expresses his astonishment
" That [the Spirit of Persecution, Cruelty, and Mahce]
should predominate in those who had loudly cried out
of the Tyranny and oppression of the Bishops in Old
1 The Records ofthe Colony of Mass. Bay, vol. i, p, 168.

28 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
England and from whom they fled; but when they
settled in a place, where they had liberty to Govern,
made their little Finger of Cruelty bigger than ever
they found the Loyns of the Bishops."
The founding of King's Chapel in Boston was per
mitted because of the pohtical necessity of the situation,
rather than on account of any temperate yielding on
the part of its opponents. The hand of New England
had in a measure been forced. Those who thought
they could enjoy the circumscribed life of an exclu
sive community found that they could not be shut off
in a corner. The movements of history are always
greater than the selfish decrees of states; and the
dream of an isolated commonwealth was dispeUed by
the influx of a more cosmopolitan life from the world
outside. In these early days of the church in Massachusetts,
next in importance to the estabhshment of King's
Chapel was the beginning and the growth of the parish
at Newbury.^ There were many questions connected
with the planting of this latter mission that were of
' It is more than probable that the mission in Newbury was second to
King's Chapel in point of time as well as of importance. Occasional ser
vices were held before this time in such places as Braintree, Salisbury,
and Marblehead, but no organized work existed in any of them. The
impression that the Marblehead parish antedates that of Newbury re
ceives its foundation from the letter of John Talbot, missionary, in which
he writes, 1708, that " I preached the Gospel at Marble-Head, where the
people offered to subscribe some hundreds of pounds to build a church ;
but I have resolved to build no more churches till there are more minis
ters to serve the churches built," (Collection of the Protestant Episcopal
Hist. Society, vol, i, p, 61,) The letter, however, shows clearly that
nothing was done to organize the parish at this time.

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 29
sufficient significance to attract the attention of the
governor and the General Court, and had a direct bear
ing on the treatment of the other missions that were
afterwards founded. A sketch of the starting of Queen
Anne's Chapel at Newbury, which developed into St.
Paul's Church, Newburyport, is not only interesting as
an episode in Massachusetts history, but is also appro
priate, since Edward Bass was minister of the parish
for the long period of fifty-one years.
As we have seen before, in the previous chapter, in
the case of Boxford, there was not always harmony in
the congregations of New England. Difficulties arising
from various causes often culminated in open rupture
and the buUding of a new meeting-house. The Epis
copal Church in Newbury sprang in part from such
confusion among the Congregationalists.
In order to understand the details of the matter, it is
necessary to remember that, in what is now known as
Newburyport, there was one principal street running
for some mUes from the water, " the port," into the
interior through " the plains," to a more distant point,
" Pipe-stave hUl." There was a settlement at each of
these places ; and as early as 1685 there were enough
people at " the plains " to buUd a meeting-house for
their own use. Later, in 1695, the population having
increased in the region of " Pipe-stave hUl," the town
voted that this locahty should be the place for the new
meeting-house, which was accordingly buUt ; and fur
ther it was voted, at another time, " to take the seats
and boards and glass out of ye old meeting house to
be improved in the new meeting house and sett it up

30 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
att Pipe-stave hiU to be improved for a barn for the
ministry in convenient time."^ The people at "the
plains," however, did not agree to the taking down of
their meeting-house. They opposed the whole project
in 1706, and in 1710 signed their names to an agree
ment " to oblidge ourselves to each other to mayntain
the pubhc ministry at the old meeting house in ye West
precinct in Newbury although we are forsed to pay els-
whare what shall be lavid upon us." This agreement
and opposition incensed the " Pipe-stave hill " people,
and they made a midnight raid on the old building,
tearing it down. This act of violence did not end the
controversy, for old Deacon Joshua Brown, Abraham
MerrU, Joseph Bartlet, Skipper Lunt, a carpenter, and
others from " the plains " immediately determined to cut
and haul timber to replace with a new building the one
so unceremoniously destroyed. They were carrying this
project into execution when an order from the General
Court, in answer to a petition from the "Pipe-stave
hUl" people, commanded them to cease operations.
They, in their turn, petitioned the court, November 2,
1711, to grant them leave " to goe on with their meet
ing house," and this was answered by a more peremp^
tory order " that the buUding of the said house be not
on any pretence whatever further proceeded in." At
this stage of the fight certain of the west precinct resi
dents, not being opposed to the Church of England,
and encouraged by Mr. John Bridges, " Surveyor Gen
eral of aU her Magesty's Woods on the Continent of
America," and a churchman, determined to build their
1 Coffin's History of Newbury, p. 179.

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 31
house of worship and apply to the Bishop of London
for a minister.
There were various reasons for this radical move. In
the first place, the men at "the plains" were wearied
by the treatment they had received at the hands of the
remonstrants ; and, knowing that both the precinct and
the General Court would prevent, by force if necessary,
the buUding of their church, they decided to introduce
a much larger issue and claim the protection of her
Majesty by forcing their neighbors and the authorities
to stand aside while they exercised their right of hberty
of conscience. There was no inherent reason why those
who desired it should not have had a place for worship
without the interference on the part of the civU author
ities, but as Mr. Brooks Adams has clearly shown, " The
congregation, not the town, was the pohtical unit in
Massachusetts ; " ^ in other words, the town meeting
was a meeting of the parish, — since every voter must
be a communicant ; so if the parish was opposed to any
religious undertaking, the town was sure to enforce its
decrees. Every undesirable movement of independence
could be checked by the levy of a tax on the people, to
be paid for the support of a meeting-house to which
they did not care to belong. In the provincial days,
the whole discussion would have been quickly decided
by drastic measures, but the change had come, having
been forced upon Massachusetts by conditions that
could not be overlooked. This question, agitating the
inhabitants of Newbury, was more than of mere local
concern ; it attracted wide attention, and the result was
1 Brooks Adams, The Emancipation of Massachusetts, p. 2.

32 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
of the utmost importance to the growth of religious
hberty. The Episcopal Church had been grudgingly
permitted to hve in Boston when King's Chapel was
buUt, but this success by no means insured its perma
nent hold elsewhere. The planting of the church in
Newbury was a distinct gain in opening the way for
greater freedom.
There is always some leading spirit in any successful
enterprise. In this case the honor belongs to Mr. John
Bridges, her Majesty's surveyor, whose business carried
him into different parts of the country. He, hearing
of the trouble at Newbury, wrote letters of encourage
ment to the disappointed church-members, and appeared
among them, ready to assist by wise suggestions, actu
aUy undertaking grave responsibihties. Mr. Bridges's
assistance is described in a petition sent to the Bishop
of London, January 28, 1712, signed by John Bartlet,
Joshua Brown, and others : " This [the order from the
Court] put an entire stop to our proceedings tUl John
Bridges Esq, Surveyor General of her Majesty's woods
and Land, &c heard of our troubles & sent us several
letters & encouraged us to proceed, but he is now come
to our relief & has put us in this way of Petitioning
your Grace from whom wee by M' Bridges are fuUy
persuaded & pray a satisfactory and speedy ans"^, being
without any Parson to preach to us. We have made
M' Bridges our agent & have given him the Land for
our Church & have enabled him with workmen & mate
rials to finish the Church . . . and to go on in that
work against all opposers whatever, & as he has, so he
will stand in the Gap for us." ^
' Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 86.

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 33
Bridges acted as the agent of the petitioners, and
signed a contract with them " to finish and compleat "
the buUding "for the performance and worship of
Almighty God according to the estabhshed Church
of Great Britain." ^ He also interested the clergy of
King's Chapel, Boston, in the new work, securing the
services of the Rev. Henry Harris, a graduate of Jesus
College, Oxford, the assistant minister to the rector.
Rev. Samuel MUes. So soon as the buUding was ready
for occupancy, Mr. Harris went to Newbury, and stayed
with the people fourteen days, visiting among them, and
instructing them " in ye doctrine and worship of God
in the Church of England." He distributed books of
Common Prayer and over a hundred copies of " Doctor
King's Book of the Inventions of men in the worship
of God and Doctor William's defence of the Common
Prayer."^ On Sundays Mr. Harris preached to over
three hundred persons.
Made bold by these evidences of success, the leaders
determined to make public their adherence to the Epis
copal Church, and to secure protection from his Excel
lency, Governor Joseph Dudley. Accordingly, on Feb
ruary 27, 1712, they sent to the governor their humble
petition : —
Whereas, your ExceUency's Petitioners have de
clared themselves Members of the Episcopal Church
of England as by law established and have raised a
buUding of Almighty God according to ye manner
of worship prescribed in the said Church. We humbly
1 Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 104,
2 Ibid., p. 105.

34 LIFE OP BISHOP BASS.
desire your Excellency's protection and encouragement
in our just and laudable undertakings. We are con
vinced that the Church of England is a pure orthodox
church and are resolved to continue no longer in that
separation which has so unhappUy prevaUed among the
mistaken and prejudiced Inhabitants of this Country.
This resolution has occasioned the iU-wiU of our Dis
senting Brethren who lay upon us more than ordinary
rates for the maintenance of their minister and other
purposes of that nature, which act of theirs is a very
great hardship and grievance to us since we have
addressed our Right Reverend Diocesan the Bishop of
London to send us a Minister whom we shaU most
gladly receive, but think ourselves under no obhgation
to any other, it being a thing unknown in her Majesty's
dominions that the members of the Church of England
should be forced to contribute to the support of the
tolerated dissenting Teachers. We therefore pray your
ExceUency that we may not be molested for the future
upon this ace', and beg leave to subscribe ourselves
Your Excellency's most obedient
humble servants^
John Eyre Tho' Bartlett
John Bartlet Tristram Brovtn
Sam'' Bartlet Sam'' Sawyer
Rich" Williams Joshua Brown Jr
Robert Rogers Abraham Merrill
Tho' Brown Joshua Brown, Sr
John Bartlet Josiah Sawter
Joseph Bayley Nath"' Bartlett
Will" Huse Joshua Sawyer
John Merrill John Bartlet
Joseph Annis Sam'' Bartlet
Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 107.

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 35
This document setting forth the views of the peti
tioners is temperate and wise. It does not condemn,
but states that they are convinced that the Episcopal
Church "is a pure orthodox church," and on this
belief they ask for hberty to worship as they see fit.
In accounting for this expression of opinion, it must
not be forgotten that many of the petitioners were
either Enghshmen or descendants of Englishmen, and
though they may have worshiped in New England in
the only way possible, yet they were not necessarUy
violent in their hatred of the church of their fathers.
One of the historians of Newburyport, answering the
charge against them that they were " utterly ignorant
of the church they declare for," says justly, " The very
troubles which afflicted the parish were a means of
turning their attention to the forms, disciphne, and
faith of other churches, and the supposition that the
materials of information were not to be found among
them is absurd. Many of them were emigrants or
immediate descendants of emigrants from England,
and as persons of ordinary intelligence could not faU
to be acquainted with its faith and formula." ^
Governor Dudley's answer which he sent to "Her
Majesty's Justices of Peace for the County of Essex,
Massachusetts Bay," marked a great step forward
toward religious tolerance. Though it was only an
opinion, not an order, yet it could not faU to have
some effect. Its conclusion reads as follows : —
"I am therefore of opinion that the said Petition"
and others that join with them ought to be peaceably
1 E. Vale Smith's History of Newburyport, p. 300.

36 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
aUowed in their lawful proceedings therein for their
good establishment, and ought not to be taxed or im
posed upon for the support and maintenance of any
other public worship in the said Town, of w''"' I desire
all persons concerned to take notice accordingly." ^
Opinion differed widely as to the vrisdom of Governor
Dudley's course; some thought it a shame that he
should have encouraged in any way the apostasy, and
others, though sad enough over the affair, felt that
no other course was open to him. Christopher Toppan
wrote to Cotton Mather that there "would be httle
reason to be afraid if our Rulers had the Courage to
stand by our Established Laws ; " ^ but Judge SewaU,
though greatly distressed over the situation, showed
his growing tolerance by frankly commending Gov
ernor Dudley's action in the striking words : " This
seems to me best for the Precinct, & best for New
bury, & for the Province, and most for the interest
of Religion ; and we should stick at nothing for
Christ." '
We are indebted to Judge SewaU's letter-book * for
the foUowing deeply interesting letters bearing on the
case of the church in Newbury. The town was Judge
Sewall's birthplace, so he writes to those whom he
knows intimately. His pathetic attempt to turn the
tide is an evidence of the earnestness of his convictions
and his behef that persuasion is better than force.

1 Hist. Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p, 108,
" Mass. Hist. Soc. Proceedings, first series, vol. xii, p, 378.
' Ibid., flrst series, vol, xii, p. 375.
* Ibid.

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 37
TO COLONEL THOMAS NOTES. March 3, 1711-12,
Honored Sir, — The 29'" of Febr^ last I saw the
certainty of what I could hardly believe before, namely
Deacon MerrU, Deacon Brown, John Bartlett and
others, 22 in aU, Presenting a Petition to the Governour
by Joseph Bayly one of the 22 subscribers, Prayiog his
ExceUency's protection of them, as being of the Epis
copal Church of England ; That they might not be
oppressed with Rates, whereas they did not any longer
continue in the Separation of their mistaken dissenting
Brethren. This was done Feb. 27. But the Govern
our showed it to the CouncU the 29"'.
Now, though 't is weU enough known what was the
Spring of their motion ; & notwithstanding their Aprons
of Fig Leaves they walk naked & their Neighbours see
their Shame ; yet I apprehend it wUl be most advisable
for those of the West Precinct not to meddle with
them, or forcibly take anything of them towards de
fraying any of the Charges of the Precinct. This
seems to me best for the Precinct & best for Newbury
& for the Province, and most for the Interest of Reh
gion ; and we should stick at nothing for Christ. I
am, Sir, your friend & humble serv*.
S. Sewall.
to MR. JOHN WEBSTER AT NEWBURY.
March 12, 1711-12.
Loving Landlord, — Go to him [Joshua Brown] in
your own name and mine, but especiaUy in the name of
God ; Give him M'. Higginson's sermon ; teU him I

38 THE LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
have sent it to him as a Token of my Love. Demand
of him, whether that which M'. Higginson & the New
England Worthies accounted the Cause of God, he
does advisedly to account it the Cause of the evU one,
& to desert it accordingly ? Ask him whether it be
Best to have the Sign of the Cross in Baptisme?
Whether it be best to have a great number of days in
the year placed as high as the Lord's day, if not
above it ? Your friend & serv*. s. s.
TO MB. NATHAN COFFIN.
March 12, 1711-12.
Sir, — I have thought on your Words relating to
the West Precinct of Newbm-y mentioned in your letter
of 22 of January last. It came to my mind that my
Landlord Webster was a near neighbour to Joshua
Brown for many years. You are a younger Man & a
Deacon. I would have you goe to M'. Webster &
accompany him to your brother Deacon Brown & speak
to him with that Seriousness & Solemnity as the Case
requires; & see if you can reclaim him & recover
him. ... Be not discouraged with having yourself &
Ancestors Reproached with the Slander of being Mis
taken dissenting brethren. The Godly New England
Planters pretended no Separation, but what the 2 Cor.
No. 6, 17, 18 did Command & justify & Encourage.
I take that portion of the Divine Oracles to be New
England's Magna Charta.
Your humble friend and servant,
s. s.

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 39
Christopher Toppan wrote to Cotton Mather in an
entirely different vein, ridiculing the new church and
condemning the opinion of Dudley. It is not unlikely
that Toppan's words represented the general feeling of
the people throughout the colony, for they were
angered by the success of the new venture, and fear
ful of the consequences that might foUow an increase
in the number of parishes of the Church of England.
CHEISTOPHEE TOPPAN TO COTTON MATHER.
Perceiving that some of the Ceremonies were Camels
too big for them at first to swaUow, [he] told them that
they should be left to their Liberty ; as to kneeling at
the Sacrament, Baptizing with the Sign of the Cross
&c. This hath wonderfully taken with them & a
great means to encourage them in their factious pro
ceedings. His Excellency's Opinion in this point has strangely
elated the Spirit & Courage of our Apostat Brethren ;
& by this means they expect their number will be
greatly increased. Of which there would be httle
reason to be afraid if our Rulers had the Courage to
stand by their own Estabhshed Laws, in standing by
which they may expect that God will own, bless, &
prosper them. But if through a Spirit of Cowardice,
they Shrink in their Shoulders & are afraid to appear
for Christ & the Interest of Religion among us, then, —
Why does he direct it to the Justices unless he meant
his Opinion should be a Law to them? But is his
Opinion the Law of the Province ? God forbid that it
should.

40 THE LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
The letter of the worthy Dr. Benjamin Coleman to
his friend. Dr. White Kennett, Dean of Peterborough,
and afterwards bishop, written from Boston in Novem
ber, 1712, gives another account of the Newbury
matter. His interpretation is not whoUy in accord with
the documents that have been preserved. Dr. Coleman
remonstrates against the sending of missionaries into
New England by the Society for the Propagation of
the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and argues that there is
no need for such missionary work. The letter as a
whole is written in a good spirit. It is brotherly and
courteous, a pleasant sign of the lifelong friendship
that existed between the bishop and his Congregational
brother. Such instances of friendly respect were not
common. Whenever they occurred, they were a dehght
ful prophecy of better times ahead. After thanking Dr.
Kennett for a sermon which he had preached recently,
Dr. Coleman says : —
" This last year a Difference happened in the Town
of Newbury about placing their Meeting House : The
matter was brought before our General Court who deter
mined it according to the free Vote and Act of the
Precinct, whereby they had obhged themselves to each
other; Whereupon a Number of them declare them
selves for the Church of England; Many of them I
wUl suppose Persons of Sobriety and Virtue, only in
a Pett, and to save their Rate to their aged and worthy
mmister, Mr. Belcher ; uti;erly ignorant of the Church
they declare for, nor offended in the least with the
Form of Worship or Disciphne which they turn from ;
and as wide herem from theu- old Pastors Spirit and

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 41
Principles, which are as Cathohc as can weU be found
among other Ministers of any Denomination." ^
Having received a favorable judgment from Governor
Dudley, and a satisfactory answer to their petition from
the Bishop of London, who wrote from Fulham, April
19, 1712, that " you need not doubt of all due en
couragement so far as the difificulty of the times wUl
aUow," ^ the churchmen of Newbury continued their
religious services, aided by Rev. Mr. Harris of King's
Chapel, Boston, and the Rev. John Lambton, chaplain
to her Majesty's ship Phcenix.* The mission found
also a friend in his Excellency Francis Nicholson,
governor of the Province of Nova Scotia, who acted
in the interests of the Venerable Society by sending
twenty pounds to help in paying the salary of Rev.
John Lambton whUe he temporarily officiated iu Queen
Anne's Chapel. Owing to the efforts of Rev. Mr.
Harris, who in the mean time had gone to London,* the
Venerable Society transferred Mr. Lambton from his
chaplaincy on board the Phoenix to the position of per
manent missionary in Newbury, he thus becoming on
November 14, 1712,® the first minister of the parish.
Mr. Lambton appears to have been a man of sound
learning and wisdom in the management of his new
work. One of his early letters, dated February 12,
1713, to the secretary of the society, describes the con
ditions as he found them : " Upon my arrival at New-
1 E, Turrell's Life of Benjamin Coleman, p. 124.
° Coffin's History of Newbury, p. 183,
' Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p, 94.
* Foote's Annals of King's Chapel, p, 241,
* Historical Collections of Colonial Ch, Mass,, p, 89.

42 THE LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
bury I found a handsome buUding raised & finished at
the sole cost and expence of the inhabitants in that place
for the service of Almighty God according to y® way
of worship prescribed in our exceUent Church. There
is a considerable auditory every Sabbath Day to the
number of 200 & upwards and would daily increase
only they are imposed upon by y' neighborhood to
pay to the Independent Ministers by us. Our adver
saries here insinuate that they are a frivolous and in
considerate Ul people w* is quite otherwise as Rev* M'
Harris who has hved among them and myself now
present w"* them can testifie. They are a sober good
people & were settled in their principles by reading
D' King's books & others w"'' have been dispens'd
among them by y° Minister of y° Church of England
here." '
The worshippers in Queen Anne's Chapel were not
to remain unmolested. Governor Dudley's opinion
protected them for a whUe, — long enough for them to
organize. The spectacle, however, of regular Epis
copal services was too much for the authorities of
Newbury, and they decided to coUectsfrom the Church
of England people the rates which they considered
their due for the support of the Rev. Mr. Belcher of
"Pipe-stave" meeting-house. The wardens and vestry
of the chapel resisted this unfair taxation, for they did
not see why they should be caUed upon to support two
ministers. The result was that Thomas Brown was
carried to prison, and John MerrU, summoned before
Justice Jewett, the local judge, was seized " just when
1 Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 90.

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 43
we were about to receive the blessed sacrament." ^
WiUiam Huse had a parcel of cloth taken from him
for the taxes. In this emergency the wardens sent an
earnest appeal to Governor Nicholson saying that they
were accused of being " Popish and Superstitious," and
that their enemies were forming " plots and machina
tions to check the growth and wholly to extirpate
the Church of England." Nicholson responded nobly,
sending a lawyer, whom he paid, to argue the cases
which had been appealed from Justice Jewett to the
Court of Common Pleas at Ipswich. After a heated
contest, the judgment against them was reversed. There
was quiet for a season, but, as one of them expressed it,
"these poor persecuted Churchmen are subject to the
menace terrour and execution of that Judicial Warrant
(tho' at present freed from it whilst under the Patron
age of Col' Nicholson but when he leaves this country
they wiU be left in some distress)." ^
Mr. Lambton's ministry continued until 1714, when,
his health becoming poor, he was obliged to resign.
Mr. John Bridges again came to the aid of the mission
by securing while he was in London the services of the
Rev. Henry Lucas, the second missionary appointed by
the society. Bridges wrote to the churchwardens in
Newbury on May 20, 1715, that " Mr. Lucas has given
me his word that he will do aU that in him hes to pro
mote true religion by a strict and vertuous hfe, whereby
the Church wiU be much increased I am sure." * Mr.
Lucas arrived at his post of duty on September 17,
^ Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass. , p. 88.
2 Ibid., p. 110.
* Records, St, Paul's Church, Newburyport,

44 THE LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
1715, to find that the interregnum had not been favor
able to the interests of the church. Its enemies had
taken possession of the buUding and removed the " Or
naments Vestments and Books," and one of the Con
gregational teachers had preached in the pulpit every
Sunday, giving up the practice only when Mr. Lucas
arrived, but continuing to preach for two months in a
house so near that his voice disturbed the worshippers.
Mr. Lucas began his work with much success and ear
nestness, and for a time was able to maintain hunself
undisturbed, preaching and baptizing not only in his
own parish, but in the neighboring towns. He relates
an incident of picturesque interest when he went to
Salisbury, a few mUes distant, to baptize two chUdren :
" This wag the cause of great appearance of People who
deny water and Infant Baptism. There were a great
many Quakers, Annabaptists, and Presbyterians or In
dependents which came out of curiosity to see the per
formance. Upon this having read the Common Prayer
and Baptized the children I preached a Sermon upon
John the 3"^ & the 5"" which had such influence (by the
blessing of God) upon some of them that they were
resolved to have their chUdren baptized." ^
Whatever the reason may have been, and it is diffi
cult to find out, the church did not prosper under Mr.
Lucas. He was disappointed because he did not have
the conveniences of a suitable home for his famUy, and
he was not by temperament fitted to withstand the
annoyance of little daUy persecutions. He writes that
his house had "no manner of conveniency for the
1 Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass,, p, 128,

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 45
keeping any hving creature & it has but two habitable
rooms." Matters grew worse in 1720 ; and after five
years of service, he died, August 23, 1720.^ His death
must have been sudden, for it gave his enemies a
chance to slander his memory. Judge Sewall has per
petuated the slander in his diary by recording that on
"Aug* 20 1720 : 'T is said Mr. Lucas, the Church of
England Minister, cut his own throat at Newbury.
However, the Minister of Marblehead set a good face
on it had the Corps carried into the Church, preached
a Funeral sermon and buried him therein. A rufuU
consecration of the chapel." ^ It is to be noted that
this record of SewaU's contains an error in date. It
purports to have been written August 20, 1720, but
could not have been, for this would be three days
before the death of Mr. Lucas, not to mention his
funeral. SewaU must have " written-up " his diary
some time after the events happened, and thus made
his mistake in dates. He manifestly takes a grim satis
faction in recording the rumor which is apparently
founded on hearsay, as is indicated by the expression,
"'Tis said." It is further made improbable by the
fact that it is not mentioned in Mr. John Bridges's
letter to the secretary of the Venerable Society, an
nouncing the death of Mr. Lucas. If Mr. Lucas had
committed suicide, the Rev. David Mossom of Marble
head would not have used the full service at the funeral,
nor had him buried in the church building. Perhaps
1 Historical Collections of Colonial Ch, Mass,, p, 134,
2 Diary of Samuel Sewall, Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., 5th series, vol, vii,
p. 260.

46 THE LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
it was because of this report that Mr. Mossom made
every effort to contradict it by the funeral service and
burial within the church buUding.
The next missionary appointed was the Rev. Matthias
Plant, of Staffordshire, England. He was the immedi
ate predecessor of Edward Bass. He seems to have
been in every way a worthy man, who went to Newbury
with the intention of entering into the life of the com
munity and buUding up his parish for the glory of
God. His long and faithful ministry, from AprU, 1722,
to AprU 2, 1753, thirty-one years in all, was marked by
the steady growth of his church ; and he won the re
spect and honor of the citizens. From the beginning
he met with courtesy from his neighbors who differed
from him. So marked were their kind attentions that
his letters contain expressions of appreciation which
contrast refreshingly with the complaints of unjust
treatment often employed by the missionaries. In one
letter he says, " I find both my people and other in
habitants very civil and indeed kind unto me, several
not belonging unto my church contributing something
to me ; " ^ and again, he refers to the " extraordinary
civility besides kindness " shown him. These evidences
that neighborliness and brotherly kindness were not
absent in the treatment of the Church of England min
ister by those who differed from him could be multi
plied not only in the case of Mr. Plant, but in those
of the ¦ other Massachusetts missionaries. Sometimes
there was a signal example of friendship, as when Mr.
Plant was asked by Deacon Archelaus Woodman, of the
' Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass,, p. 141.

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 47
"Pipe-stave hill" meeting-house, to pray by the bed
side of his sick wife.^ Though Mr. Plant thus dwelt
on terms of intimacy with his neighbors, he could not
yield a point in his opposition to their rehgious methods,
and when writing a petition to the General Court on
the subject of Episcopahans being taxed for the sup
port of the lawful minister of the town, he received a
wise rebuke from William Dummer, Jr., governor, who
advised him as to the wording of his petition thus : " I
advise you when you mention ministers in the Towns
that you give them the character the Law of this prov
ince vests them with, viz., ministers not Dissenting
Teachers for that gives offence to the Court." ^
Mr. Plant regularly exercised his literary skill by
keeping a diary in which he noted events of passing
interest, and sometimes used the parish record-book to
relate, on the same page with records of marriages,
births, and deaths, such an uncommon occurrence as an
earthquake, his words being suggestive of the attend
ant violence : " It was terrible, sudden, and amazing.
It continued very terrible by frequently bursting and
shocking our houses, sometimes breaking out with loud
claps sis times or oftener in a day untU Thursday. A
new spring was opened in a meadow, and in the lower
grounds several loads of white sand were thrown up." ^
The secretary of the society was sometimes informed of
such unecclesiastical happenings as the " smaU rains,"
causing such a drought that " our Creatures were either
sent out of the Country or else killed & barrel'd up."
^ Historical Collections of Colonial Ch, Mass,, p. 431.
" Ibid., p. 206. 3 October 29, 1727.

48 THE LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
However, the worthy missionary seemed to feel that
these secular accounts were not in the line of profes
sional statistics, so he generally added : " Pardon me for
this out of the way narration."
The growth of the vUlage at " the water-side " becom
ing large, certain of the influential parishioners of Queen
Anne's Chapel removed from " the plains," and finaUy
erected a second Episcopal Church, which they named
St. Paul's. This was in the year 1742. The new par
ish introduced a question of some importance to Mr.
Plant. It was whether he should be the minister of
both Queen Anne's Chapel and St. Paul's Church.
Certain of the proprietors of the last-named church
desired a new minister, for Mr. Plant was getting on in
years, and they thought he had enough to attend to in
his chapel. Mr. Plant, however, had no doubts in his
own mind as to the question. He considered himself
the " Chief Minister " of the parish, and would agree
to the calling of another minister only on condition that
the newcomer should be his assistant. This contro
versy continued for many years, Mr. Plant demanding
" induction " into the office of rector of St. Paul's
Church, and promising that if this was granted him, he
would relinquish £20 of his salary to the assistant that
should be selected.
There was a good deal of opposition, but Mr. Plant
was successful in his contention, and secured his "in
duction " into the rectorship of St. Paul's Church on
June 24, 1751, thus winning for himself the commen
dation of Bishop Bass's successor. Dr. Morss, who said
of him in his "Century Sermon:" "Mr. Plant appears

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN NEWBURYPORT. 49
to have been a man of strict integrity, of a high sense
of decorum and of the distinctive rights of the Clergy
and Laity. He was exact and methodical ; punctual in
the discharge of the duties of his station ; and anxious
that the Clergy and Laity should move in their distinc
tive sphere without interference."
In spite of aU objections he carried his point, and
answered even the trivial charge that he officiated in
church with a colored handkerchief round his neck
instead of a band, by stating that " I never once in my
whole time of preaching here went to church to officiate
without a band, nor do I remember the time when I
wore a spreckled handkerchief, nay I never buried an
infant in the most tempestuous weather without a band
though I rode several miles to perform it." ^
It was by means of the peaceful settlement of this
dispute that an assistant minister was caUed to St. Paul's
Church. Young Edward Bass was selected to occupy
this important position, and, with the object in view of
becoming a minister in Newburyport, this "forward
young man" had gone to England to secure ordina
tion, and, returning in 1752, he entered upon his duties
in what proved to be the work of his life, as the suc
cessor of John Lambton, Henry Lucas, and Matthias
Plant, ministers of the Church of England in Massa
chusetts Bay. 1 Coffin's History of Newbury, p. 381.

CHAPTER III.
EARLY ministry OP EDWARD BASS.
Soon after the return of Edward Bass as assistant
minister and resident in Newburyport, the wisdom of
his ordination became apparent. Mr. Plant did not
hve long enough to enjoy the pleasure of having a con
genial co-worker with him in his parish, for he died on
AprU 2, 1753, in the siKty-second year of his age, and
was buried in the churchyard of Queen Anne's Chapel,
the edifice in which he had preached for so many
years. The fact of Mr. Plant's death and the state of the
mission were communicated to the society in England,
from the manuscript journal of which we obtain impor
tant information concerning the character of Mr. Plant
and the appointment of Bass as his successor : —
" 19 October 1753. Read A Letter from the Church
wardens of S' Anns Chapel in Newbury Dated April
6"* 1753. acquainting the Society with the Death of
M' Plant, whereby to Use their express Words they
are depriv'd of a worthy Minister, whose Labours have
by Gods Blessing succeeded not only in Newbury, but
Ahnsbury, Sahsbury, and adjacent Towns, and their
Number of Communicants is 40. tho' by Reason of M'
Plants long Illness, they had had Divine Service per-
form'd but thrice in their Chapel from Decem' 1750,

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 51
and at his Funeral, when the Rev^ D' Cutler Preached
to them ; they maintain Peace and Union among them
selves, and labour to Keep up the good Understanding
subsisting between them, and their Brethren of the
new Church, whom they wish much Happiness in their
worthy Minister M' Bass, and they hope the Society
will please to send them a new Missionary in the Room
of M' Plant, there being a Glebe of 10 Acres of good
Land near the Church, and they wiU endeavour to raise
up their present Subscriptions to £20 Sterling p An
num, and hope to be able to Build a Parsonage House.
" Whereupon it was Agreed to recommend to the
Society that M' Bass may succeed M' Plant in the
Mission to the new Church at Newbury, and that he
officiate hkewise at least once in a Month at S' Ann's
Chapel. " Resolved to Agree with the Committee, and that
M' Bass's Salary be <£50 a Year to commence from
Lady Day last." ^
" 19 October 1753. Read A Leti;er from the Rev^
M' Bass Dated Newbury AprU ll"" 1753, acquainting
with the Death of M' Plant, and that from the Societys
Directions to M' Plant concerning him to pay him £20
Sterhng p Annum, as his Assistant, when in Orders, he
expected to receive it from the Day of his Ordination,
but M' Plant was for Dating it from the first Sunday
of his officiating for him, which was not tUl sis Months
afterwards, by Reason of his being detain'd by Sick
ness in London at a very great Expence, and they
Agreed in M' Plants Life Time to refer the Matter to
> Journal, vol. xii. pp. 277, 279.

52 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
the Society, which he hopes wUl be pleased to deter
mine ; and M' Bass adds that the new Church is hke
to flourish and increase very much.
" Whereupon it was Agreed as the Opinion of the
Committee that M' Plant should not pay M' Bass any
Salary, 'tUl he actuaUy began to do Duty for hhn.
" Resolved to Agree with the Committee." ^
" 17 Feby 1755. Read A Letter from the Rev* M'
Bass the Society's Missionary at Newbury in New Eng
land dated Octf^ 7'" 1754 returning his humble Thanks
to the Society for his appointment to that Mission in
which there are about 700 Families, 70 of which are of
the Church, & the rest Independents, Except one Con
gregation of Presbyterians, & a small Society of Qua
kers. He had baptized in his Ministration there 35 In
fants, whites, & 3 Adult Negroe Slaves, who behave
Soberly and he hath 40 Communicants some of them
new Ones of a blameless & Christian Behaviour." ^
Young Bass thus entered upon the rectorship of
St. Paul's Church, beginning his long ministry of over
fifty years. These years were to be crowded with inci
dent, signalized by faithfulness in the discharge of his
duties, made happy by the growing love of his people,
and broadened by a large interest in the affairs of the
church in Massachusetts and in the nation. Passing
through the severe experience of the Revolution, he
was destined to gain an increasing influence, as years
accumulated, to be honored in the closing days of his
life by being consecrated bishop, and tenderly beloved
in his town and diocese.
* Journal, vol. xii. p, 279. ^ Ibid,, vol. xiii. p. 26.

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 53
Coffin, in his " History of Newbury," devotes more
space to Mr. Plant than to Mr. Bass, for the obvious
reason that Plant was one of those men who kept a
diary, which became easUy accessible as material from
which to draw interesting facts. The historian seemed
more interested in copying the epitaph of Bass than in
giving any exact information about him. This ministry
of fifty-one years is passed over in a sentence, the leap
being made from the ordination to the inscription on
his tombstone. Perhaps Coffin had some justification
in the length of the inscription, which is full enough to
contain almost all the desired information.
When Bass became rector, he was only about twenty-
seven years of age; young, strong, and healthy, of
medium height, weU proportioned, having a pleasing
face, with blue eyes and fair complexion and light hair.
The only defect in the face was the length of the nose,
the most marked feature. The two portraits painted at
a much later date give, however, the general shape and
contour of the head ; from these we can form some
idea of the appearance of the young missionary.
Whether because of his personal attractiveness, or his
persistence, he did not have to wait long before he won
the heart of young Sarah Beck, whom he married in
1754. The increase in his domestic needs may have
been the occasion of the first appearance of his name
on the records of the parish. The salary of each mis
sionary, paid from England, was about £50, but this
sum was supplemented by contributions from the mis
sion. An addition to the missionary's stipend was made
soon after his marriage. The generosity of the propri-

54 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
etors is exhibited in the record, that " At a meeting of
the Proprietors of S' Pauls Church AprU 21, 1755,
" Voted, That the Said Proprietors pay unto the
Said Rev" Edw" Bass Two Hundred & Twenty-five
Pounds Old Tenor to be raised by Subscription from
Easter last tiU Easter 1756.
" That if this Subscription Should fail of making up
the afores* Sum the Non-Subscriber Pews to be rated
by the Committee above chosen Last Easter to make up
that deficiency."
Two hundred and twenty-five pounds seems hke a
large sum for an increase in the salary of the young
minister, but the qualifying words are " Old Tenor ; "
these recall the financial difficulties of the colonies when
new issues of money were constantly made to take the
place of a depreciated currency. There was " old
tenor, middle tenor, new tenor first, new tenor second,
etc." ^ In reality, therefore, payment was being made
to Bass in a currency that had greatly faUen off in value.
One Joseph Green of Boston had already written his
celebrated song to the tune of " Chevy Chase " on the
death of " Mr. Old Tenor : " —
" The merchants too, those topping folks,
To him owe all their riches.
Their ruffles, lace and scarlet cloais.
And eke their velvet breeches,"
In the same year, 1755, an event occurred to make
the services in St. Paul's Church more attractive. The
rector must have been as much interested in it as the
parishioners ; it was nothing less than the purchase of
1 Horace White, Money and Banking, p. 128.

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 55
the organ of King's Chapel, from Charles Apthorp,
Esq., treasurer, and the setting of it up in Newbury
port. This celebrated organ, the first used in any New
England church, had been received by King's Chapel
as a bequest from Thomas Brattle, treasurer of Har
vard College, who had left it in 1713, in the first place,
to the Brattle Square Church, and, in case of its refusal
to accept it, to King's Chapel. The wUl of Thomas
Brattle declared that " I give, dedicate and devote my
organ to the praise and glory of God in the S'* Church,"
adding that a " sober person " must be procured that
" can play skilfuUy thereon with a loud noise." ^ The
bequest was refused by the Brattle Square Church for
the reason that " it was not thought proper to use the
same in the public worship of God." An organ in a
private house was a curiosity, and people used to visit
Mr. Brattle in order to see it. Thomas Green's diary
refers to such a visit in 1711 : " Was at Mr. Thomas
Brattle's ; heard ye organ and saw Strange Things in a
microscope." ^ But to supplement the traditional five
tunes with a " boisterous organ " was looked upon as
a sin and interference with worship. If such music
was admitted, Cotton Mather could not see why aU the
instruments used by the ancients could not also be used,
with " Dancing and several other Judaic actions."
In spite of ridicule and denunciation of the sinful
character of instrumental music, the rector and wardens
considered themselves fortunate in procuring the organ
from King's Chapel. This action brought them under
1 Foote, Annals of King's Chapel, vol. i. p, 209.
* Essex Institute Proceedings, vol. x, p, 96.

56 LIFE OP BISHOP BASS.
the condemnation of the strikingly ironical pamphlet,
caUed " Real Advantages which ministers and People
may enjoy by Conforming to the Church of England,
in a letter to a young Gentleman." One of the advan
tages was thus set forth : " Wonderful also is the im
provement our Church has made in our worship by
organs. How inspired was the music of the primitive
Christians compared with what is now used in most of
our Churches ? The organs charm the ear, they ravish
the heart and carry the souls of the churchmen in rap
ture to heaven. And what is of more importance they
sometimes allure some of the more musical sorts of dis
senters to come to Church." ^
Owing to an important rule of the Venerable Society
which required its missionaries to send to London an
nual reports of their work, — a " notitia parochialis," —
we are able to give a series of letters from Bass written
to the secretary of the society. The reports of some
of the missionaries were often too sanguine ; and desir
ing to make a fair showing, they indulged in extreme
statements, which made the authorities at home feel
that the work was growing faster than it really was.
Dr. Caner, rector of King's Chapel, was moved to write
to the archbishop on the subject, saying that " the un
guarded accounts of some of our younger missionaries
sent home to the Society are too literally pubhshed in
their abstracts. These accounts are so very sanguine
that I, who well know their several missions and the
state of them, have myself been really grieved that their
letters had not been conceived in more modest terms." ^
1 Real Advantages, p, 27.
^ Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p, 488,

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 57
There was no difficulty in arriving at the true state
of his religious work in the temperate letters of Bass.
His earliest letters have not been preserved, but we
have references to them in the Journal of the society.
Many of his communications were mere formal state
ments of his official acts, with the usual receipt for his
salary, the frequent reference to the latter being part
of his report. OccasionaUy there are matters of great
interest referred to ; when this is the case, the letters
are of special value. The letters and records have aU
been copied from the manuscripts in London for use
in these pages.
EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY.
" 17 Decembr, 1756 Read A Letter from the
Rev" M' Bass Missionary at Newbury in New England
dated Sep' 1°' 1756, in which he writes that since his
last he had baptized 5 Infants ; & he desires to know
the Society's pleasure concerning their Library which
is stiU in the hands of the late Rev" M' Plant's
Executors. " Agreed to recommend to the Society to direct the
Secretary to write to M' Plant's Executors to deliver
up the Library for y^ use of the Mission." ^
" 20 Jan^ 1758 Read A Letter from y" Rev" M'
Bass, Missionary at Newbury in New England, dated
Sep' 23" 1757, acquainting, that since his last he has
baptized 11 Infants, & one Adult, (a Woman near 70
years of age,) & also received one new Communicant.
By reason of y^ prevalence of Antinomian Principles,
^ Journal, vol. xiii. p. 197.

68 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
y" Church does not encrease so fast as might be wished,
but however it rather gains ground." ^
" 16 March, 1759 Read A Letter from the Rev"
M' Bass, Missionary at Newbury in New England,
dated the 29"' of September 1758, in which he writes,
that since his last he has Baptized six Infants, and
one Negro Child about 5 or 6 years old; and has re
ceived to the Communion, upon proper examination, an
Elderly Negro Man, who appears to be a very good
Christian." ^
COPIES OF AND EXTRACTS FEOM OEIGINAL LETTEES.
In the jpossessioTi of tlie Sooiety for the Propagation of the Gospel
in Foreign Parts.
Newbuky, N. England 25" March 1759.
Rev'' Doct^, — I have nothing to write relating to
y" Church, which remains in much ye same state it hath
been in for some time past but only that I have bap
tized eight Infants since my last in the preceding half
year. I have drawn for my last half years Salary,
which please to order to be paid.
I am Sir, yr most obed' hum'° serv* Edward Bass.
To ye Rev? D" Bbakcroft
At ye Charter house
London. Newbuky N. England Sept. 29"" 1769.
Rev'' Doct^, — Since my last I have baptized six
Infants, and there hath been some addition to the
Church. I have nothing further to write, but that I
'¦ Journal, vol. xiv. p. 21. 2 Ibid., p. 145.

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 59
have drawn for my last half years salary, which please
to order to be paid.
I am yr most obed* hum'° serv' Edward Bass.
To the Rev? D" Bearcroft
At the Charter-house
London. Newbtjet, N, England 24"" March 1760,
Rev'' Doct^, — Since my last I have baptized only
three Infants, & received one new Communicant, a
person of very good character. I have the pleasure of
informing the Society that there is a good prospect of
the Church's increasing here, several of the Dissenters
of repute & Substance having of late very constantly
attended our pubhck worship. I have drawn for my
last half years salary which please to order paid, &
you 'U obhge Yr most obed* hum'° serv'
Edward Bass.
To the Rev? Dr Bearcroft
At the Charter-house
London. Newbtjrt, N. England 29" Septembr 1760. '"
Rev"? D^, — I have nothing new to write relating to
the Church here, which stUl continues to increase tho'
very gradually. Since my last, I have baptized five
Infants. I have drawn for my last half years Salary,
which please to order paid & you '11 obhge
Yr most obed* hum'° serv'
Edward Bass.
To y" Rev? D" Bearcroft
At y* Charter-house.

60 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Newbury, N. England 25" March, 1761.
Rev" Doct''', — Since my last I have baptized seven
infants here, and six, together with a Negro Woman
and her three chUdren, at the vacant Mission of Hop
kinton, whither I made a journey last faU, and preached
to a considerable congregation in the Chureh, who
seem to be earnestly desirous of a Missionary. I also
preached, two or three months ago, at Amsbury, five or
six miles from hence, over the river Merrimack, to a
considerable number of people in a private house —
but they are now preparing to buUd a Church, which
they design shall be fit to perform divine service in,
within this twelve month, and they are in hopes of
the Society's favours in due time, upon comphance with
the terms required. I have drawn for my last half
years salary which please to order paid and you'U
obhge Yr most obedf hum serv'
Edw. Bass.
To the Rev? Dr Bearcroft
At the Charter-house.
Three items in the above letter are worthy of notice :
the mention of the " negro woman and her three chU
dren," "the vacant mission at Hopkinton," and the
services at Amesbury.
The Venerable Society, being a direct descendant of
an earher society founded during CromweU's time,
which sent out John Eliot, the apostle to the Indians,
was anxious that its missionaries shoiUd not neglect
the heathen in their ministrations to the colonists. In
accordance with this desire on the part of the society.

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 61
its missionaries always reported with special emphasis
any offices performed for the Indians or negroes. In
Massachusetts at this time there were a number of
negro slaves, who frequently were not permitted by
their masters to join the Church of England. Mr.
Plant reported a case of such refusal in 1727 :
" Negroe slaves, one of them desirous of Baptism, but
denied by her master, a woman of wonderful sense and
prudent in matters, of equal knowledge in Religion
with most of her sex, far exceeding any of her own
nation that ever yet I heard of." ^ It is difficult to
ascertaiu the extent of slavery in the commonwealth
prior to the Revolution, but references are frequent
enough to show the commonness of the custom.
Judge SewaU has recorded his attempt to prevent
"negroes and Indians being rated wdth horses and
cattle, but could not succeed." In the inventories of
two estates in Newburyport, the following items teU
theu- own story : —
Item, three negroes  £133 6s. 8d.
Item, flax  12 2. 8.
Item, Fifteen Sheep, old & young ... 3 16.
Item, an old negro man  10.^
It was a satisfaction to the young rector when he
succeeded among the slaves, for he reports with evident
pleasure whenever he baptized any of them.
Bass's preaching at the mission of Hopkinton gives
us a chance to see him away from his own parish,
coming in contact with the cultured and charming hfe
' Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p, 233.
2 Coffin's History of Newbury, p. 188.

62 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
of Hopkinton. The story of Hopkinton is like a
romance, as indeed it has figured in a novel of much
historical value, — Bynner's "Agnes Surriage." The
town became the summer resort of the more wealthy
churchmen of Boston, especiaUy those who worshiped
in King's Chapel, the rector of which. Dr. Price, the
bishop's commissary, had started the mission near his
own summer home. It was his delight to leave the
more active duties of the city for his quiet home in
Hopkinton, surrounded by his congenial parishioners.
Handsome residences had been buUt in the town;
and, so the tradition has it, the life of the people was
stately, luxurious, and sometimes frivolous. At any
rate, there was gayety in the vUlage when Charles
Henry Frankland, descendant of Cromwell, and heir
of large estates in England, brought to Hopkinton the
beautiful Agnes Surriage, his mistress and afterwards
his wife, whom he had discovered scrubbing the floor of
the inn at Marblehead, as the daughter of an obscure
fisherman. The worthy Dr. Price, who could not be held respon
sible for the eccentricities of his parishioners, had died,
leaving the mission vacant ; and since the society had
not seen fit to supply Hopkinton with a permanent
missionary, the residents secured the kind offices of
the neighboring clergy, among whom Edward Bass
was numbered.
This interest in church work outside the bounds
of his own parish was further illustrated by the active
cooperation of Bass in the upbuilding of the mission
at Amesbury. The growth of the church throughout

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 63
the commonwealth was that of expansion from one
weU-established centre to localities where no services
had been held, — a very natural method of progress.
For years, the attempt had been made to have regu
lar services in Amesbury, the people even raising a
temporary buUding for worship, in which undertaking
they were assisted by Mr. Plant to the extent of his
providing " a calf towards a dinner for the men
who raised it and £5, this currency for nails toward
shingling it." References to Amesbury are frequent
in Bass's letters, indicating that the rector lost none
of his interest in the affairs of his neighboring church
men. For many years the relations existing between the
Church of England ministers and the Puritan divines
had changed from the antagonism of the early period
of New England history to that of friendly intercourse
and courtesy. What was true of the ministers was
also true of the people. The very general assumption
on the part of certain historians that there was a per
petual vendetta between the worshipers of the various
churches is erroneous. The asperities of criticism were
often softened ; and Anghcan and Puritan learned to
respect one another. There are abundant evidences
that this peaceful state of affairs continued until the
year 1763, when conditions that will be referred to
changed again the forbearance to open hostility. It
is, however, well worth while to emphasize this interim
of peace, extending over many years. The Anglican
missionary in Salem, Mr. McGUchrist, wrote in 1761,
with evident pleasure, that "differences of opinion at

64 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
present cause no division of affection between the
members of the Church of Englaud and the Dissenters.
Even the vulgar have learned by experience that there
is neither idolatry nor popery in our Service, and the
church is always crowded when any of their meetings
is unsupplied." ^ This statement is corroborated by
the clergyman at Marblehead, Rev. Mr. Weeks, who,
after stating that two of the Congregational ministers
of the town frequently attended the services of his
church on the special festivals held on days other
than Sundays, adds that "I cannot help mentioning
the satisfaction with which I view the peaceable and
charitable disposition which reigns among Persons of
aU denominations. I scarcely ever preach but I can
number several Dissenters among my Hearers; and
upon the great Festivals of our church they generally
make no scruple of attending our worship and that
with becoming seriousness." ^ These sentiments are
not unhke the noble words of Cotton Mather himself,
who, after age had softened him and he no longer
feared diversity of opinion as in his youth, said : " And
let the Table of the Lord have no raUs about it that
shaU hinder a Godly Independent, and Presbyterian
and Episcopalian and Antepedo-baptist and Lutheran
from sitting down together. In the church that I
serve I have seen the grateful spectacle." ^
What has been just said about the intercourse of
churchmen and Puritans wUl help to explain the two
1 Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 466.
2 Ibid., p. 515.
8 Foote's Annals of King's Chapel, p. 106.

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 65
following letters of Bass. At this time, and speciaUy
later in his hfe, he was very gracious to aU who dif
fered from him, and lived on terms of intimacy with
his feUow-townsmen. The incident that caUed forth
a remonstrance was the unlawful use of the old Queen
Anne's Chapel at " the Plains," which had been super
seded by St. Paul's Church. A new parish of Congre
gationalists had been incorporated April 5, 1761, and
some of the members had taken forcible possession of
the buUding. The spirit shown by them was what
aroused the good rector to send his note of disapproval.
It was the specific act of intrusion that disturbed him.
The property belonged to the society, and he felt that
if he gave a right to the new parish to use it, it might
finally be confiscated. June 9, 1761.
Gentlemen, — I am informed that you with a num
ber of people whose Committee I hear you are broke
into the old Church the other day. I shall be very glad
to find that I am misinformed, for if it be reaUy so, I
think you have used me in a very uncivU and ungen
tlemanlike manner and without any provocation and
not a httle exposed yourselves. If you had business to
transact, or any grave matters to talk over near the
Church and it was thought necessary or convenient that
you should go into the Church, for that purpose, I don't
know of anybody that would have been against it, but
certainly you ought to have done it in an orderly man
ner by asking leave of me who am the proper guardian
of that Church.
Edward Bass.

66 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Newbury N, England, Sept 29" 1761,
Rev? D^, — I am sorry I have occasion to complain
of any of the Dissenters, with whom, generally speak
ing, I hve in very good harmony, but a number of
them, lately made a Parish by our general Court, have
had the insolence to intrude themselves, with two of
their Teachers into the Old Church, viz Queen Anne's
Chapel, in this Town, and to hold a fast in it. They
had once or twice before broke into the Church, to
transact their parish affairs, without asking any body's
leave ; and, I have reason to think, have been endea
vouring to undermine & ruin the interest of the Church
in that part of the Town. Notwithstanding which they
came to me, about two months before their late intrusion,
with a request that I would suffer them to hold their
rehgious meetings in the Church, tUl they could buUd
a meeting house for themselves, which I thought proper
by no means to grant, however understanding after
wards that they designed to go in, without my leave,
being countenanced by some few of the people who
usually worship at that Church I wrote a hne forbid
ding any Dissenting Teacher to officiate in the Church,
and gave it to the churchwardens, who delivered it to
the two fore-mentioned Teachers, as they were going
into the Church, but it did not stop them. I immedi
ately wrote an account of the matter to Mr. Bernard
the Governour of the Province, who was pleased to re
commend it to me and the churchwardens to grant their
request, they disclaiming all right to the Church, and
disavowing the force that has been used by them. But
I wrote back to his exceUency, that as the Rev* &

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 67
Hon'"'® Society had a right in the Church, as having
supported it for many years and entrusted it to my care,
I thought myself obliged to wait for their approbation,
and I do now earnestly request a line from the Society
as soon as may be, directing me how to conduct in this
affair. Since my last I have baptized four Infants,
whites, and three Blacks, viz, a man & wife with their
chUd. I have drawn for my last half years Salary which
please to order paid, & you 'U obhge yr most obedt
hum'^ servt Edw° Bass.
The Ret" Dr Bearcroft.
[Extract from Society's Journal,]
19 Feb'' 1762. Read A Letter from the Rev"* M'
Bass, Miss"^ at Newbury in New England, dated New
bury, Sep' 29'" 1761. . . . Read A Letter from the
Church Wardens of Queen Ann's Chapel, dated New
bury in New England October 10"* 1761, begging the
Society's advice and assistance in the affair of Intru
sion lately made on their Church, as represented in M"
Bass's Letter.
Agreed as the opinion of the Committee, that M''
Bass be directed to foUow Governor Barnard's advice
in permitting the Dissenters to make use of his Church,
for a limited time, (such as the Governor shall recom
mend) provided they disclaim all manner of right to his
Church, & provided their assembling there does not
interfere with the hours of his performing divine Ser
vice & other occasional Duties of his Parish.
Resolved to agree with the Committee.^
^ Journal, vol. xv. p, 89,

68 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS,
Newbury N. England, March 25" 1762.
Rev? D^, — I have nothing new or remarkable to
write you, all things relating to the Church here are
peaceable and quiet, as they have ever been, saving that
intrusion of the Dissenters of which I gave you an ac
count in my last. Since my last I have baptized eight
Infants, whites. I have drawn for my last half years
salary which please to order paid, & you 'U obhge yr
most obed' hum'" servt
Edward Bass.
To the Rev" D" Bearcroft
at the Charter-house.

Newbury N. England, Sept. 29" 1762.
Rev" Dr, — I must beg leave to remind the Rev**
and Hon'^ Society of the request lately sent them from
the Amsbury people, praying them to let said people
know their determination as soon as they conveniently
can. Since my last I have baptized five Infants, whites.
I have drawn for my last half years Salary which please
to order paid, and you'U oblige yr most obed' hum'°
Servt
Edward Bass.
To the Rey" Dr Burton.
[Extract from Society's Journal,]
19 Nov"' 1762. Read A Letter from the Inhabit
ants of Amesbury in New England, dated Amesbury
May 28 : 1762. Representing that there have been
Professors of the Church of England among them more
than 20 or 30 Years ; that a Church was built there

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 69
many Years ago ; and as their Numbers are consider
ably increased, they have lately buUt another Church
more convenient, named King George the third's
Chapel ; and being earnestly desirous of the publick
Worship of God and Administration of the Sacraments
according to the Church of England, for the benefit of
their FamUies, who have never yet enjoyed them, and
of themselves who do sometimes enjoy them by travel
ling a great way and over a River, which makes it very
difficult, and a great part of the Year impracticable to
get to Church, they earnestly desire to have a Minister
among them. They have in view a young Gentleman
educated in their CoUege who is of a good FamUy and
can be weU recommended, whom they beg leave to send
over for holy Orders, unless the Society think more
proper to send them one. They engage to build their
Miss7 a convenient Dwelling House, and provide him
a Glebe, and to pay him 20 pounds sterhng '^ Aiin
and hope in time to be able to do more, as there is a
prospect of the Church's increasing greatly.'
ME. BASS AND ME. BEOWNE TO THE SECEETAET.
Newbury, New England, 22 Sep. 1762.
Rev. D^, — We take the hberty to second the re
quest of the Amesbury people, who are begging the
Society's Assistance towards the support of a Minister,
& to recommend them as proper objects of Your char
itable Notice. Altho' at present they are not numerous,
yet divers of them are some of the most substantial men
of the Town; & the circumstances of the adjacent
> Journal, vol, xv, p. 276,

70 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS,
places render it more than probable that the Church
wUl grow very fast among them, and that, in the course
of a few Years, they will be a large and flourishing
Congregation ; especiaUy as at this time there is a Dis
senting Society just by them, which is very hkely to be
dissolved, thro' enthusiasm, & the more sober and con
siderate of them wUl take refuge in the Church. Be
sides the Petitioners who have subscribed their names,
there are many Others, both in Amesbury and the
neighboring places, who stand ready to join with them
in case of a favorable Answer from the Society.
Your most obed', humble servants,
Edward Bass,
Arthur Browne.
[Extract from Society's Journal.]
19 Nov",' 1762. Read A joint Letter from the
Rev"* M' Arthur Browne, the Society's Miss"^ at Ports
mouth in New Hampshire, and the Rev"* M"" Bass
Miss'y at Newbury in New England, dated the 22"^ of
September 1762. seconding the Request of the Peo
ple of Amesbury, and recommending them as proper
objects of the Society's charitable Notice, as theirs and
the circumstances of the adjacent Places render it more
than probable that the Church will grow very fast among
them, and produce in a few Years a large and flourish
ing Congregation.
Agreed, as the Opinion of the Committee, that it
is not convenient to estabhsh a new Mission at Ames
bury, but that some neighbouring Clergymen be desired

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 71
to officiate there occasionally, as often as they can con
sistently with their own Duty.
Resolved to agree with the Committee.*
Newbury N, England, March 25" 1763.
Rev° Dr, — I have received the Societys Instruc
tions relating to the Affair of Queen Anne's Chapel in
this Town, and have conformed thereunto. Although,
as I perceive, the Rev^ and Hon'' Society do not think
it convenient to grant the Amsbury people a Mission
ary at present, yet if they should think proper to send
them a few smaU books and pamphlets tending to re
commend the service of the Church, such as are usuaUy
sent by the Society, I am perswaded it would do great
service. Since my last I have baptized eight Infants,
whites. I have drawn for my last half years Salary,
which please to order paid, & you 'U oblige yr most
obed' humble serv' Edward Bass.
To the Rev? Dr Burton — London.

Newbury N. England, Sept 29" 1763.
Rev° Dr, — Since my last I have baptized ten infants ;
and have also performed divine service and preached
twice at the church in Amsbury, as the Rev'' Mr
Browne of Portsmouth has done once. There was each
time a large and attentive congregation, especiaUy at
the opening of the Church, when two or three of the
dissenting teachers were present. If the Rev'' & Hon''
Society should think fit to send the Amsbury people
1 Journal, vol. xv, p, 277.

72 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
some proper books to remove their objections and pre
judices against the Church of England, I am perswaded
it would tend much to its increase in that place. I
have drawn for my last half years salary, which please
to order paid, and you 'U obhge yr most obedt hum'*
servt Edward Bass.
To the Rev° Dr Burton. Newbury N, England, March 25" 1764.
Rev? Dr, — Since my last I have baptized four In
fants. The Church here does not decrease, nor can I
say that it increases so fast as it could be wished.
Methodism prevaUs much among us; more I believe,
than in any other town in the country. That enthu-
siastick spirit is lately revived to an uncommon degree,
and appears in a manner almost incredible, rehgious
meetings are frequent, mostly in the night, at which y"
people, not only grown persons of both sexes, but even
little children, cry out, utter very stiange (some that
have been present say blasphemous) expressions, and
faU into raptures and trances. None of my church are
at aU infected with these things. I have the pleasure
to acquaint you that the Church at Amsbury is in a
very good way. They have had a young gentleman,
who is designed for holy orders, reading prayers and
sermons to them for two or three months past. They
duly attend the Church and are extreamly desirous of
a setled Minister. If the Society should think fit to
send some proper books to Amsbury to recommend the
Church service, and three or four dozen of common
prayer books for the use of the poorer sort, I am per-

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 73
swaded it would tend much to the growth of the Church
in that place. I have drawn for my last half years
Salary, which please to order paid, and you 'U oblige yr
most obed' hum'* servt Edward Bass.
To the Rev? Dr Burton. Newbury N. England, Sept 29'.'' 1764.
Rbv'? Doctr, — Since my last I have baptized ten
Infants & have also received the pamphlets for the Ams
bury people, who are greatly obliged to the Society
for this kindness. These people are so very desirous of
having a Minister setled among them, that they lately
did aU that lay in their power to raise a Salary of
50 or 60 pounds sterhng among themselves, but could
not effect it, tho' they subscribed hberaUy, even to the
very extent of their abUity, & some of them, I believe,
beyond it. I have drawn for my last half years
Salary, which please to order paid, & you '11 obhge yr
most obedt hum'° servt Edward Bass.
To the Rev? Dr Burton. Newbury N. England, March 25" 1765.
Rev? Doctr, — Since my last I have baptized four
infants, and one adult person, a married woman who
was bred among the Anabaptists. She is a sober per
son, and intends to communicate with us the first
opportimity. The Amsbury people are much pleased
with the pamphlets sent them by the Society, and are
very thankful for them. I believe they vriU have a
good effect not only upon the people of the Church in
that place, but upon others also. They are now ex-

74 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
pecting Mr. Griffith, a clergyman who came from
England about half a year ago, and hath been preach
ing at Cambridge the most of the time he hath been
in the Country, to come and officiate in their Church
a httle whUe. I have drawn for my last half years
Salary, which please to order paid, and you 'U obhge yr
most obed' serv* Edward Bass.
To the Rev? Db Burton. Newbuky port New England, Sept. 29" 1765.
Rev? Dr, — Since my last I have baptized sixteen
infants and two adult persons. I have also within the
last half year preached two Sundays at Amsbury to
very large congregations, (I am perswaded that on one
of the Sundays there were not many less than five
hundred persons) and administered the sacrament to
four or five and twenty communicants each time. I
beg leave once more to recommend these people to the
Society's charitable notice, as soon as it shaU be able to
do any thing for them. I have drawn for my last half
years salary, which please to order paid, & you 'U obhge
yr most obed' serv*
Edward Bass.
To the Rev? Dr Bitbton. Newbury port N, England, March 25'.'' 1766.
Rev? Dr, — Since my last I have baptized eight
infants ; also a master of a family with his chUdren,
five in number, aU grown up. Having nothing new or
uncommon to write pertaining to rehgion, or to my
Church, I have only to teU you that I have drawn for

EARLY MINISTRY OF EDWARD BASS. 75
my last half years salary, which please to order paid,
and you 'U obhge yr most obed' serv' Edward Bass.
To the Rev? Dr Burton.
N. B. port is lately added to the name of my town.
Newbury Port N. England Sept 29'!' 1766
Rev? Dr, — Since my last I have baptized six
infants. I have nothing new to write pertaining to re
hgion, save that the principles of the Anabaptists begin
to get footing in this part of the country, for which
reason some such books as the Society shaU think a
proper antidote against them would be a very acceptable
present, and would, I am perswaded, do much good
among the people. I have drawn for my last half
years salary, which please to order paid, and you'll
oblige your most obed' serv' Edward Bass.
To the Revd Dr Burton. Newbury Port N. England, March 25'? 1767.
Rev? Dr, — Since my last I have baptized eleven
Infants. My church here increases, though but mod
erately. The Church in Amsbury, which is also under
my care, would grow very fast, were it supplied with
a clergyman. I must beg of the Society two or three
dozen of common prayer books for the poorer sort of
people there, also some proper Tracts against the Ana
baptists, who begin to get footing around them. I
have drawn for my last half years salary, which please
to order paid, and you '11 oblige
Yr most obed' serv' Edward Bass.
To the Rev" Dr Burton.

76 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Newbury Port N. England, Sept 29'? 1767.
Rev° Dr, — Since my last I have baptized nine
chUdren in my own church, and four in the Church at
Amsbury, the last Sunday of the last month, when I
performed divine service and preached there to a very
large number of people, many of whom are very
desirous of having a clergyman setled among them,
but are at present unable to support the charge. I
return the Society thanhs for Dr. Wall's history of
Infant baptism, and the smaU Tracts to the same pur
pose. Some of these latter I have distributed, and
shaU do the same with those I have stUl in my hands,
as occasion shaU offer. I have drawn for my last half
years salary, which please to order to be paid, and
you 'U oblige your most obed* serv* Edward Bass.
To the Rev" Dr Burton.

CHAPTER IV.
CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLE FOR A BISHOP.
In 1763, the peaceful attitude toward the Episcopa
hans in Massachusetts, on the part of the ministers and
people, suffered a rude disturbance at the hands of one
of the most violent controversialists in the common
wealth. Dr. Jonathan Mayhew, the classmate of Bass
in college days, and at this time minister of the West
Church in Boston, was a strong preacher, a hberal
thinker, and a man who seemed never happy unless he
was in the midst of a fight. His hatred of the English
government was aroused before the other colonists had
suspected that there niight be trouble ahead ; and his
dissatisfaction with the traditional theology of his
coUege and his brother ministers led him to advocate
many of the views which afterwards gave rise to Uni-
tarianism. From both political and rehgious motives
Dr. Mayhew was ready to use his wit and trenchant
style against that church which was the representative
of ideas that were abhorrent to him. He could not
think of the Episcopahans otherwise than as emissa
ries of the British government. When the churches
grew, it seemed to him that the hberties of the people
were in danger.
The occasion for the beginning of the attack was
the death of one of the missionaries of the Venerable

78 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Society, — the Rev. Mr. Miller, of Scituate. This
newspaper outburst against Mr. Miller and the society
appeared in one of the Boston papers, and was said to
have been written by Dr. Mayhew. It was of such a
violent nature that the Rev. East Apthorp, rector of
Christ Church, Cambridge, felt called upon to write an
answer, which he did in a pamphlet on the " Institution
and Conduct of the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel m Foreign Parts." Mr. Apthorp, as a man of
culture and ability, defended the motives of the society
in sending missionaries to America, and spoke with
some dignity of the position of the Episcopal churches
in Massachusetts. Dr. Mayhew seized his chance, and
wrote a very lengthy reply of one hundred and seventy-
six pages, in which he arraigned the society, the church,
the ministers, the bishops, and indeed everything con
cerning their practices and worship. He tried to show
that the society was false to its original intention of
sending preachers to the Indians, by the fact that it
supported clergymen in settled New England towns
already supplied with ministers. He had no objection
to the conversion of savages who might become mem
bers of the Church of England, but " the Episcopizing
of the descendants of the Puritans " was a process that
he could not stand ; especially when he thought of
churchmen being appointed to the lucrative offices of
the colony. A characteristic passage from Dr. May
hew's attack wUl make this plain : —
" When we consider her enormous hierarchy ascend
ing from the dirt to the skies ; when we consider the
visible effects of that church prevailing among us;

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP. 79
when we consider the narrow, censorious, and bitter
spirit that now prevails in many of the Episcopalians
among us, and what would be the sad consequence if
this party should once get the ascendency here, and
a major vote in our house of assembly — in which
case, the Church of England might become estabhshed
here, tests be ordained, as in England, to exclude aU
but conformists from posts of honor and emolument,
and aU of us be taxed for the support of bishops and
underlings, — when we consider these things we cannot
weU think of that church's gaining ground here to
any extent, and especially of seeing bishops fixed among
us without much concern." '
The attack of Dr. Mayhew was sarcastic, violent, per
sonal, and, in some instances, vituperative. Every
argument that had appeared against the Church of
England since the rise of Puritanism was reiterated : its
doctrines were ridiculed ; its system was condemned ;
its motives impugned ; and to make the case stronger,
the struggling missions of the English Church in
America were described as dangerous hot-beds of a
tyranny that was seeking to undermine the exist
ing religious institutions and enslave the colonies by
forging new political chains. The supposed secret
attempt to send a bishop to New England, which was
continuaUy used as political war-cry, was turned against
Mr. Apthorp with a personal apphcation. Referring to
Mr. Apthorp's attractive residence in Cambridge, Dr.
Mayhew insinuated that " It is supposed that a certain
superb edifice in a neighboring town was designed
1 Bradford's Life of Mayhew,^. 258.

80 LIFE OP BISHOP BASS.
from its foundation for a palace of one of the humble
successors of the apostles." ' This insinuation was
more clearly put in a poetical quotation: —
" His reverend mind
Begins to grow right-reverendly inclined." ^
Such a vehement attack as this opened the way for
a prolonged controversy, in which pamphlets appeared
first on one side, then on the other. The Rev. Arthur
Browne, of New Hampshire, entered the hsts vrith
" Remarks on Dr. Mayhew," and Dr. Caner, of King's
Chapel, Boston, defended his church by writing " A
Candid Examination." There were anonymous pam
phlets, one containing verses by " A Gentleman of
Rhode Island Colony," and further contributions from
both Dr. Mayhew and the Rev. East Apthorp. The
debate attracted the attention of the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Dr. Seeker, who, as his opponents ad
mitted, wrote the most important and wise paper of the
whole series.^
After an extended review of the aims of the Ven
erable Society and a candid statement of the motives
of the Enghsh Church in estabhshing its missions,
Dr. Seeker proceeded to combat the sweeping charges
against both. Though temperate in the main, the
archbishop could not resist a httle sarcasm at the
expense of his antagonist, whose performance he
referred to in one place as " so pathetic a rant on so
' Bradford's Life of Mayhew,'^. 266.
2 Ibid., p. 267,
3 Thomas Seeker, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, An Answer to Br.
Mayhew's Observations, London, 1764.

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP. 81
darling a subject." As to a certain matter of fact, he
succinctly corrected a false impression, by remarking on
the epithet used by Dr. Mayhew, " The mitred lordly
successors of the fishermen of GalUee," — " they have
none." In admitting that the Church of England had
been guUty of persecution, he neatly turned the
admission on Dr. Mayhew thus : " The Church of
England was but hke others ; and the dissenters from
it had not the least degree more of a tolerating spirit,
perhaps not so much." ' The archbishop fortified his
position by a reference to the platform of Disciphne
agreed upon in Cambridge, 1648, when over eighty
heretical opinions were proscribed. The pith of the
answer, however, was contained in the account of the
actual pohcy of the society in granting missionaries to
New England towns only when there was a sufficient
number who could not "in conscience comply with the
worship and instruction of the other congregations in
their neighborhood," the clergy being " settled nowhere
untU a competent number of our people inhabiting
near request it." ^ The case of Amesbury referred to
in the previous letters of Bass is an evidence that even
after there were many worshipers of the Enghsh Church
in a town, no missionary was sent to them, much to
their disappointment.
After this Apthorp-Mayhew-Secker controversy had
attracted general attention, it was impossible for the
kindness and tolerance, which for a time had existed
between churchman and dissenter, to continue. A
battle royal had begun, and this was made fiercer by
1 Seeker's Works, vol. vi. p. 422. ^ jj^c^.^ p. 429.

82 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
the mischievous assertions of some on each side, not
ably, by the Bishop of Llandaff on the one hand,
and Governor Livingston, of New York, on the other.
Political events were also not of a nature to pacify the
contestants. The Stamp Act was not far off. Every
unwise move on the part of the British government
was visited on the heads of the Episcopalians. Pam
phlets and books, attacking the English Church in every
possible way, succeeded one another with such rapidity
that no answer could be written to them. Dr. Caner
helplessly .wrote to the archbishop in a strain that has
a decided pathos about it for one who can look at the
situation without prejudice : " Your Grace wUl not ask
why we take no measures to oppose these proceedings ;
for besides what I hinted before the reasons are too
obvious, — we are a Rope of Sand ; there is no union,
no authority among us ; we cannot even summon a
convention for united Counsell and advice whUe the
Dissenting ministers have their Conventions to advise,
assist and support each other in any measures which
they shaU think proper to enter into." '
Bass felt the seriousness of these attacks, for they
interfered with his ministerial work in Newburyport.
In despair he wrote to the secretary, asking for appro
priate books, the circulation of which might correct the
misapprehension about the church : —
" The enemies of the Church of England are doing
their utmost to prejudice the people in these parts
against Bishops and the church ; for this purpose they
are not only daily publishing their invectives in the
1 Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass,, p, 490.

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP, 83
newspapers, but have taken the pains to reprint De-
laune's plea & the Dissenting Gentleman's answer to
the Rev'' M' White's Letters. These being popular
books, I beg of the Society to send me some of the
answers that have been written to them, in order to
obviate the Ul influence they may otherwise have among
weak and unstable people."
That the society answered his request favorably is
proved by the foUowing records taken from the
Journal : —
" A Letter from the Rev'' M"^ Bass, Miss'^ at Newbury
Port Sepf 29, 1766. . . . Agreed to recommend to the
Society to send M' Bass one Copy of WaU's History of
Infant Baptism, 50 Copies of his Conference on Infant
Baptism, & 25 of B^ Bradford on Baptismal & Spirit
ual Regeneration." ^
Also, at another time, it is stated : " He [Bass]
renews his request for a number of Hart's answer to
Delaune and of some proper answer to the Dissenting
Gentleman, which wiU be of pecuhar service to him at
this time." ^
The literature of opposition, besides containing such
books written in New England as Dr. Charles Chauney's
" A Compleat View of Episcopacy," " managed as that
it may be readUy understood by vulgar capacities," *
included reprints of offensive books originaUy pubhshed
in England many years before. Bass refers to two of
these reprints in his letter : " A Plea for the Non-
* Journal, vol. xvii. p. 193.
2 Ibid,, vol, xix, p, 431, 432,
* Boston Weekly News-Letter, September 22, 1768,

84 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Conformists " by Thomas De Laune, and " A Dissent
from the Church of England FuUy Justified, Being the
Dissenting Gentleman's Three Letters in answer to Mr.
John White's on that Subject."
Thomas De Laune, a poor schoolmaster, had written
his book as far back as 1683, in answer to Dr. Benja
min Calamy's sermon, " A Scrupulous Conscience ; "
and for his pains was sent to Newgate Prison and
fined one hundred marks, the copies of his book being
burned before the Royal Exchange in London. His
vrife and two smaU chUdren were with him in prison,
where they " dy'd by Lingering Sorrow, and Sickness."
The pathetic incidents of De Laune' s imprisonment
gave a double interest to his book, which was in the
usual violent style of the controversial tracts of the
period. His experience certainly justified the accusa
tion against his enemies, that " to dispute by the Goal
and the Hang-man, to debate by the Prison and not by
the Pen ; these have been Pecuhar of the Party." ^
Dr. Calamy contended that the dissenters were too
scrupiUous about not accepting many minor rites and
ceremonies of the Enghsh Church, that they were
" things indifferent," and that the dissenters " fly from
them as they would from a Tyger or a Bear, and avoid
them as they would the Plague or Poyson. Just thus
do some men run out of Church at the sight of a sur-
phce, as if they had been scar'd by the Apparition of
a Ghost." ^
But De Laune answered that, though these simple
1 De Laune's A Plea for the Non-Conformists, Preface.
2 Ibid., p. 12.

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP. 85
customs may be spoken of as indifferent, as small as a
" fly," yet the authorities insist on " knocking the Fly
on the neighbor's Head with a Hatchet to the knocking
out his Brains, destroying them in their hberties. Es
tates, yea, Lives also, which surely must not be for
Trifles, but necessary Things." '
Bound in the same volume with "A Plea " was an
additional pamphlet caUed " The Image of the Beast,"
in which it was contended that the Church of England
was like the Church of Rome. A comparison between
" The Dragonical or Pagan Church," " The Beastly
Papal Church," and " The Christian Church " was very
fuUy set forth, much to the advantage of the last
named. The identity between the Church of England
and that of Rome was proved by a series of questions
and answers, — the answers supposed to be made by
Enghsh churchmen : —
"' Do they on the Rehearsal of the Ten Command
ments, kneel, asking mercy and Grace after every com
mand ? So we.
"Do priest and people read the Psahns alternately
Verse by Verse ? So we.
" Do they sit at reading the Lessons ? So we.
"Do they uncover themselves in the Churches?
So we." ^
The second book mentioned by Bass was written in
1748, in answer to one by the Rev. John White, B. D.,
fellow of St. John's CoUege, Cambridge. It was in
the form of three letters written to a " Dissenting
Gentleman," urging him to return to the Enghsh
1 De Laune's The Image of the Beast, p, 15, ^ Ibid., p, 48.

86 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Church. This caUed forth the book in question, " A
Dissent Fully Justified," by Micajah Towgood, in
which the gentleman launched forth vigorously to
assert his position that " to every impartial judge our
dissent from the Church of England wiU appear no
thing but a protest which we pubhckly make against
A new Edition of Christianity with Corrections and
Amendments which our brethren of the Estabhshment
have taken upon them to set forth." ^
These books were freely circulated in Massachusetts,
together with other pamphlets, hke the sarcastic one,
" The Real Advantages which Ministers and People
may enjoy especially in the Colonies by Conforming to
the Church of England," and " A Sure Guide to HeU,
In Seven Sections," by Belzebub. One of the real
advantages was that " the god-fathers and god-mothers
may be chosen out of the most fashionable famUies
who can afford to dress gayer many times than the
parents of the children. Now good cloaths adds a
great deal of Splendor to plain Christian ordinances." ^
Another advantage was that it was not necessary for an
offender to make public confession in the meeting-house
of any peccadUlos as was the case vrith the dissenters.
" You have observed," the pamphleteer states, " that
the Dissenters have a discipline that is very shocking
to many fine gentlemen and ladies too. If a gentle
man drinks a little too freely or happens ta love a
pretty girl somewhat too warmly they must stand in
the hroad-alley and make a whining confession." *
^ Towgood's A Dissent Fully Justified, p. 5,
^ Real Advantages, p, 25, ' Ibid., p, 28.

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP. 87
Belzebub addressed the bishops thus : " You Gentle
men of the Reverend order who have through luck
been raised to Bishopricks, etc., you may set your hearts
at ease, look big and bowl along in your coaches ; Your
Dioceses are rich Pastures ; but let your Flocks starve,
both soul and body, rather than stir one Finger to help
them." '
It is not difficult to imagine the impression made
upon the minds of the citizens of the commonwealth
by the constant reading of the books which have been
quoted ; and these being enforced by sermons from the
opposition pulpits add to the wonder that the Episcopal
churches continued to exist at aU.
The clergy and the missionaries, however, attended
to their duties in their parishes as patiently and
courageously as they could under the circumstances,
but they felt the need of mutual sympathy and counsel.
This need naturally led them to seek occasions for
periodical conferences ; and when, in 1765, they in a
body attended the funeral of Dr. Timothy Cutler, Rec
tor of Christ Church, Boston, they agreed to have an
annual convention, "to promote mutual love and har
mony amongst ourselves and to assist each other with
advice in difficult cases." The first of these pre-
revolutionary conventions ^ was held in King's Chapel,
Boston, in the early part of June, 1766. The Rev.
Mr. McGUchrist, of Salem, gives an account of this
first meeting. He says : " We met, 14 in number, and
1 Belzebub, A Sure Guide to Hell, p, 44,
^ Conventions had been held occasionally before this, but withont any
regularity.

88 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
made something of an appearance for this Country,
when we walked together in our Gowns and Cassocks.
D"" Caner acquainted us that our Convention was ap
proved of by the Bishop of London, was chosen Moder
ator and Secretary & gave us an exceUent discourse in
Kings Chapel, and we were honored by the Governor's
Company at Dinner. As this Convention wiU make us
acquainted together, so I hope its hke to be of service
to the Church."
These conventions were well attended, not only by
the clergy of Massachusetts, but by those from Rhode
Island and New Hampshire. Though territorially scat
tered, the missionaries felt that they belonged to the
same family ; and when they came together in a body
on these special occasions, they enjoyed the companion
ship of their brethren, and received inspiration from the
support of their friends. The matters they discussed
were various : sometimes the condition of distant mis
sion stations ; sometimes the needs of their own parish
churches ; but often the affairs of the church at large
in its relation to the political and rehgious events
through which they were passing.
Bass seems always to have been present at these
annual meetings, joining heartily in the discussions and
wilhngly signing any report or petition that may have
been prepared. At the very important convention held
in Boston on June 17, 1767, when the state of the
churches and the desire for a bishop were communicated
to the society in England, Bass, as usual, was among the
signers. This document is of such importance in giv
ing an insight into the affairs of the churches in the

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP. 89
commonwealth, and in showing the difficulties under
which they labored, that it wUl be of interest to quote
it in full : —
THE CLERGY Or BOSTON, ETC. TO THB SECRETARY.
Boston, June 17, 1767.
Rev. Sir, — The Clergy of this and the neighboring
Government of Rhode Island, both Missionaries and
others, being now together at their annual Convention,
beg leave to mention to the Society some few things
relative to these Churches. In general the Missions of
these Governments are in laudable state, but we are
sorry to say that Christ Church in Boston is stiU
affected & suffers greatly by the divisions that prevail
in it.
The Church at Cambridge, which has been in an un
settled condition ever since Mr. Apthorp's resignation,
is now happUy supphed by the arrival of the Rev. Mr.
Sargent. At Taunton Mr. Lyon is labouring very diligently &
not without good success, supported only with the small
encouragement of £30 Sterling, per annum, and his
Parsonage. His labors are hkewise extended to Bridge-
water the distance of ten miles, and sometimes in Mid
dleborough about 15 miles. The Glebe of Taunton may
be worth about £6 sterhng per annum, & the people
have lately built a new and very decent Parsonage
House, and in other respects have faithfidly exerted
themselves towards Mr. Lyon's support. We cannot
therefore but hope the Society, will encourage their at
tachment & his industry & usefulness by making some
further provision for his subsistence.

90 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
We understand by the Rev. Mr. BaUey that the So
ciety have agreed to establish a Mission at George Town
upon Kennebeck River when the people can find a suit
able person to recommend for that purpose. They con
ceive they have now found such an one & have accord'^
recommended Mr. WUlard Wheeler the bearer of this,
who is well known to several of us, and deservedly
bears the character of a person of sound morals and
good principles, firmly attached to our Government and
Constitution both in Church and State, and from whom
we conceive the Society may promise themselves a faith
ful and prudent Missionary, if they shall think proper
to employ him.
It is however a great discouragement to those who
would offer themselves to the service of these American
churches that they are stiU obliged to submit to the
danger and expence of a voyage 1000 leagues long to
qualify themselves for that service.
Since the first Settlement of Christianity so large a
Continent as this was never known without a resident
Bishop. We flattered ourselves that such an extensive
territory as was heretofore possessed and hath since
been added to the British Dominions by the last war
would certainly have been foUowed by some provision
of this kind, but especiaUy the late popular tumults in
these colonies we imagined would have strongly pointed
out the necessity of such a step towards the uniting and
attaching the colonies to the mother Country, and have
sUenced every objection that could have been raised
against it.
We are too remote and inconsiderable to approach

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP. 91
the Throne, yet could her Majesty hear the voice of
so distant a People, the request for American Bishops
would appear to be the crye of many thousands of Her
most faithful subjects.
We do however think ourselves happy in this, that
the Society wiU omit no favorable opportunity of re
presenting the advantages that may accrue to these Col
onies to rehgion and to the British Interest by conde
scending to this our request.
We bless God for the great and good effects of the
Society's care and attention to these colonies and hope
it vriU please God that they may become instrumental
in obtaining this further invaluable blessing of resident
Bishops for America.
We are, with great veneration.
The Society's dutiful and obedient, and, Rev. Sir,
Your most humble Servants,
W. Walter, Jacob Bailey,
John Lyon, J. Wingate Weeks,
W. Serjeant, H. Caner,
Jas. Greaton, Jno. Usher,
Ed WD. Bass, Ebenr. Thomson,
Edvstd. Winslow, Will McGilchrist,
S. Fayerweather, Jno. Troutbeck.
The most important part of this petition is the oft-
repeated cry sent up year after year for over a hundred
and fifty years for the appointment of an American
bishop. " The invaluable blessing of resident Bishops
for America " had been the subject of numerous peti
tions from the stiuggling Episcopalians in most of the

92 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
colonies, in Maryland and Virginia, New Jersey, New
York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts,
but the earnest request had never been granted. The
refusal, at least in the days when a bishop might easily
have been appointed, is a sad evidence of the short
sighted and time-serving policy of the Enghsh Church
and government. The weak and scattered churches
throughout America were left to themselves without
any controlhng hand, and without any head to advise
or construct any consistent policies. The fiction that
the churches were under the jurisdiction of the Bishop
of London, who never set foot within his pretended
American diocese, was in many cases a disastrous make
shift, which Bishop Sherlock was frank enough to admit,
when he disclaimed the authority which had become a
sort of pious tradition. Writing to Dr. Doddridge, on
May 11, 1751, Bishop Sherlock, speaking of his juris
diction over the American churches, sensibly remarked :
" I am sure that the case is improperly lodged : for a
Bishop to live at one end of the world and his church
at another must make the office very uncomfortable to
the Bishop and in a great measure useless to the
people." ^
Though every plan for sending out a bishop had
failed, the Episcopalians were so constantly reminded
of the need, by the daily limitations forced upon their
notice at every turn, that they continued to ask for
one, both in private letters and public memorials. The
growth of the churches was in spite of this drawback,
which, had it been removed, would have made the con-
' Hawkins, Missions of the Church of England, p. 391.

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP. 93
gregations both numerous and strong. Since the office
of bishop is a part of the system, its absence prevented
many young men in the colonial colleges from seeking
ordination, the journey to England being expensive
and dangerous. Also, it was not possible to obtain
confirmation ; the church buUdings could not be con
secrated, and no ecclesiastical discipline could be admin
istered, — the active use of which was often needed.
Frequently this lack of discipline was the cause of
scandal, for clergymen who had been disgraced in Eng
land came over to the distant colonies, hoping to secure
recognition. The churches were thus easily deceived,
and impostors secured a footing, as in the case of a Mr.
Griffith in Boston, who took the Letters of Orders of
Rev. Mr. Mieux, and erased the name, putting in his
own. His true character was discovered when he
turned thief, and stole from his parishioners " sUver
spoons, books, rings, a Tweezer, case of silver, a Girdle
Buckle." 1
The churches were maimed from the start ; in fact,
the Episcopal Church in its integrity did not exist in
America untU after the Revolution. There were frag
ments of it, but, as in the case of a dehcate machine, it
could not do its work as a complete thing until all its
parts were fitted together. This imperfectly formed
organization was like a defective organism, struggling
for existence among strong rivals and hostUe conditions.
This incompleteness explains the weakness of the colo
nial Episcopal Church and the unwisdom of some of
its acts, as much as the antagonism of its foes.
^ Historical Collections of Colomal Ch. Mass., p, 519.

94 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
No persons realized this defect more than the clergy
in America, and it was because of this knowledge that
they were persistent in their demands. Had the same
realization been so keen in England, a way would have
been found for obviating the difficulty. There had
been men in England, however, who occasionally, and
sometimes with a good deal of inteUigent interest, had
made strenuous efforts to provide a bishop for the colo
nies. The story of such attempts is suggestive and at
times romantic, but it always ends in a record of faUure.
The first effort was made not very wisely by Archbishop
Laud in 1638, who conceived the idea of sending after
the exiled Puritans a bishop who might carry out a
policy which could hardly be caUed successful in his
own land. In 1713, soon after the establishment of the
Venerable Society, a plan was formed to provide an
Episcopate for America, but the death of Queen Anne,
together with the opposition of the ministry, frustrated
the design. A succession of simUar attempts was made,
long intervals of time elapsing, almost up to the Revolu
tion. Whenever there seemed to be any special chance
of success, the New England clergy always made their
voices heard in a memorial of some kind ; in 1713, a
petition was sent from King's Chapel ; and later, in an
swer to the requests of the Massachusetts churchmen,
the Rector of King's Chapel, Dr. Price, was appomted
commissary, — an officer whose powers were vaguely
defined as a representative of the Bishop of London.
Again, in 1750, the New England clergy sent " Pro
posals relating to American Bishops " which attracted
the attention of Bishop Butier. But after aU these

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP. 95
protests and requests, the Massachusetts clergy were
sending again in 1767 the above petition, which of
course could not have been granted at the time when
events were hastening on toward the Revolution, which
Bass and his brethren dimly foresaw.
There are many reasons that may be assigned for
this failure on the part of the English Church. The
two principal ones are indifference in England, and the
opposition of the Puritans, both in England and Amer
ica. Hawkins, in his " Missions of the Church of Eng
land," put the matter in a nutsheU when he says, " The
truth is that whUe the dissenters in the colonies and
at home were united in opposition to the measure, the
mass of English Churchmen, ignorant and indifferent,
gave themselves no trouble about it." ^ The same truth
is confessed by Archbishop Seeker, in a letter to Dr.
Caner, when he wrote that " little hath been said on the
subject of Bishops to the Kings Ministers and less by
them. The Dissenters indeed give out that we are very
busy upon it and have made a great progress, and thus
they endeavor to raise an alarm." ^ There was certainly
an " alarm " among the people of Massachusetts, and it
was increased at every opportunity, either by those who
were actuated by genuine fear, or by the politicians who
aimed to stir up the colonists by a popular battle-cry.
In trying to understand the fear that many of the
people in Massachusetts had on account of the Epis
copal Churches among them, it must be remembered
that these missions represented a church which was
1 Hawkins, Missions, p, 391,
^ Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p, 495.

96 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
estabhshed by law in England, which had used its
power, often with violence, — the bishops of which
were functionaries of the State, with palaces, retinues,
and large emoluments, increased by taxation. If the
Episcopal Churches had been spiritual organizations
solely, there might have been opposition to their
methods on the part of individuals, but there never
would have been the same general antagonism. When
a sense of injustice grew among the people at the
acts of the British government, and active means were
taken to thwart its decrees, the churches which were
associated with the government came in for their
share of distrust. It could not have been otherwise.
The missions in America were the victims of unfortu
nate pohtical conditions. It was their parentage, not
their own act, which was condemned. While, on the
one side, the missionaries were asking for a bishop to
complete their organization, and to enable them to do
their work of preaching and ministering to their con
gregations more effectively, and thinking of the spirit
ual interests of their parishioners ; on the other side,
the Puritans overlooked this religious intention, and
saw only the possibUity of having among them an
additional Enghsh official, whose revenues might be
raised by a new taxation. The point of view was so
different in the minds of those on each side that
neither could appreciate the position of the other.
Samuel Adams, in his letter to the London agent of
the Assembly, Dennys Deberdt, wrote in 1768, refer
ring to an American bishop, that the Assembly " hopes
in God such an estabhshment wUl never take place in

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP. 97
America. . . . The revenue raised in America for
aught we can teU may be as constitutionally apphed
towards the support of prelacy as of soldiers and
pensioners." ^ That this sentiment was general is indi
cated in a letter of the Rev. Mr. McGUchrist, where he
described certain discussions in the General Court by
saying that "They maintained that Spiritual courts
with such jurisdiction as they have in England would
necessarUy foUow them and that their maintenance
would be raised by a tax upon America." ^ This behef
was doubtless in the minds of those who in 1772 voted,
" We think therefore that every design for establish
ing ... a bishop in this province is a design both
against our civU and rehgious rights." ^
While there were many who honestly feared aU these
dire results from the appointment of a bishop, it cannot
be denied that there were leaders who knew the harm
less nature of the plan for a bishop which had been
outhned by Bishop Butler as far back as 1750. The
suspicion is therefore aroused that the leaders made
just as much as they could, for political purposes, out
of the unthinking timidity of the multitude. This
suspicion is confirmed when one finds Elbridge Gerry
writing to Samuel Adams from Marblehead, on Novem
ber 10, 1772, that " I should have been glad had the
word Christian in your resolutions been omitted [mean
ing the town-meeting resolutions of Boston] that the
Clergy may be engaged in our cause, and open the eyes
^ Hosmer's Life of Thomas Hutchinson, p, 130,
^ Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p, 519.
" Votes and Proceedings of Boston, November 20, 1772.

98 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
of the people to oppression. It may not he amiss to
hit at the church inno'oations and the establishment
of those tyrants in religion — Bishops." ' Samuel
Adams answered from Boston in a few days, showing
that he understood perfectly "the scheme," and had
wisely provided that this perennial grievance should be
aired, thus laying to rest Gerry's apprehensions that
so important a subject should have been aUowed to
slumber, in these words : " I am sorry when any of our
proceedings are not exactly according to your mind ;
the word you object to in our resolves was designed
to introduce into our state of grievances the church
innovations and the estabhshment of those tyrants,
Bishops." ==
It is impossible, here, to go into the question of how
much of a factor, in bringing about the Revolution,
was the opposition to bishops. There were so many
larger and more vital questions shaping the progress of
events that any attempt to raise this one into the first
rank of determining causes must be an exaggeration ;
that it had an influence no one doubts, but the most
interesting point in the whole matter is to discover
whether the fears of the colonists were weU founded,
and whether there was ever any danger, such as was
imagined, of a bishop simUar to those in England
being sent to America. The evidence goes to prove
that the type of bishop proposed was different from
the bishops in England, and that at no time, at least
after 1750, was there any plan of raising the bishop's
salary by taxing the colonists. The idea was to coUect
1 Updike's Narragansett Church, p. 241. 2 Ibid., p. 241.

CONTROVERSIES AND STRUGGLES FOR A BISHOP. 99
funds for this object in the same way that the stipends of
the missionaries were provided, — by gifts and lega
cies. The society in 1710, with its own money, went
so far as to purchase for a proposed bishop a house in
Burlington, New Jersey ; and Archbishop Tenison be
queathed by vriU in 1715 the sum of £1000 towards
the appointment of a bishop for America.^ No fuller
statement of the powers of the proposed bishop can be
made than the wise outline made by Bishop Butler in
1750, the principles of which were the guide for all
the succeeding dehberations on the subject by the
English Church : —
" 1. That no coercive power is desired over the laity
in any case, but only a power to regulate the behaviour
of the clergy who are in Episcopal orders, and to
correct and punish them according to the laws of the
Church of England, in case of misbehaviour or neglect
of duty, with such power as the commissaries abroad
have exercised.
" 2. That nothing is desired for such bishops that
may in the least interfere with the dignity, or authority,
or interest of the Governor, or any other officer of
State : Probates of wiUs, license for marriage, etc., to
be left in the hands where they are ; and no share in
the temporal government is desired for bishops.
" 3. The maintenance of such bishops not to be at
the charge of the colonies.
" 4. No bishops are intended to be settled in places
where the government is left in the hands of dissenters
as in New England, etc., but authority to be given only
^ Hawkins, Missions of Church of England, p, 383,

100 LIFE OP BISHOP BASS.
to ordain clergy for such Church of England congre
gations as are among them, and to inspect into the
manners and behaviour of the said Clergy, and to
confirm the members thereof." '
When the New England clergy tried to make this
plan clear to the people, they were either distrusted, or
the English idea of a bishop was so firmly fixed in
their minds that they could not forget it ; at any rate,
they did not abate their opposition. The strained
relations just before the outbreak of hostilities, even in
1768, were too great, and no proposition would have
been given a hearing. Bishop Butler's idea was an
swered like this : " You will see how we are cajoled.
A colony bishop is to be a more innocent creature than
ever a bishop was, since diocesan bishops were intio
duced to lord it over God's heritage. . . . The arrival
of a bishop would raise them (the people) as much as
any one thing. ... I may be mistaken, but I am
persuaded the dispute between Great Britain and her
colonies wUl never be amicably settled." ^
Bass and his friends had to wait until the dispute
had been settled by war before they could have their
bishop; and when the time came for the election of
one there was no opposition, because it was not the
spiritual idea of a bishop that was obnoxious, but " my
Lord Bishop " with civil power.
' Perry's American Episcopal Church, vol. i. p. 408.
' Eliot to Hollis, January 5, 1768, Mass. Hist. Coll., 4th series, iv.
p. 422.

CHAPTER V.
the state of the CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION.
The Enghsh churches in Massachusetts during the
decade preceding the Revolution were by no means so
weak as might be imagined. For many years the
parishes had been growing in numbers and influence ;
and in the communities where their work was done there
are records that iadicate a good measure of spiritual
life. Though sorely tried and often unjustly accused,
ministers and people performed their duties in " a
spirit of peace and patience." The foUowing message,
sent from New England to the church in the mother
country, gives an insight into their troubles, and the
way in which they sought to bear them : —
THE CLERGY IN CONVENTION TO THE SECRETARY.
[Extract,]
Boston in New England, Sept 22 1768.
Rev Sir, . . . The general state of the Churches
in this part of America are indeed in as good a condi
tion as can reasonably be expected under the present
troublesome state of these Colonies. All that we are
able to do in these times is only to cultivate among the
people committed to our care a spirit of peace and
patience under the various insults to which they are
exposed for refusing to join in the popular clamors

102 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
which now prevaU. We are neither aUowed to speak
nor scarcely to be sUent unless we join with those who
we beheve to be laboring the destruction of our con
stitution, civU & rehgious. The civU Government is too
weak to afford us protection ; & ecclesiastical superior
we have none on this side the Atlantic, from whom
we may receive timely advice or direction under our
present trials. We can only look up to God and cast
ourselves upon the divine providence for protection and
for a happy issue to our distress. . . .
We are, with all duty & respect.
The Society's ob^ & most h'ble Servants,
H. Caner, W. Serjeant,
Arthur Browne, Jacob Bailey,
Ebenezer Thompson, Joshua W. Weeks,
Will. McGilchrist, W. Walter,
John Troutbeck, John Lyon,
Edward Bass, Moses Badger,
Marn. Browne, Willard Wheeler.
Edw'^ Winslow,
The number of the Episcopal parishes at this time
in the Massachusetts colony was about fourteen, most
of them situated in the eastern, and two only being in
the western part of the colony. In Boston, there were
three churches, — King's Chapel, founded in 1669;
Christ Church, founded in 1722 ; and Trinity Church,
estabhshed in 1735. These, with the foUowing, made
up the full hst of the parishes : Christ Church, Brain-
tiee (1704) ; St. Michael's, Marblehead (1707) ; St.
Paul's Church, Newburyport (1711) ; St. Paul's Church,

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 103
Dedham (1731) ; St. Andrew's Church, Scituate (1731,
now Hanover) ; St. Peter's Church, Salem (1733) ; St.
Thomas's Church, Taunton (?) ; St. Paul's Church,
Hopkinton (1743) ; Christ Church, Cambridge (1759) ;
St. James, Great Barrington (1760) ; and St. Luke's
Lanesborough (1767).^
There were other points where services were occa
sionaUy held, like Plymouth, Marshfield, Amesbury,
and Stoughton, — the Episcopahans in these towns
looking to the nearest rector for ministerial offices.
In aU of these parishes there were church buUdings,
some architecturaUy beautiful, and others simple wooden
structures, with no pretence to dignity. The Boston
church edifices were the most important : King's Chapel,
buUt of stone, was an ornament to the city, and Christ
Church, buUt after plans by Sir Christopher Wren,
was noted for its graceful spire ; whUe Trinity was
considered equaUy effective. Christ Church, Cam
bridge, designed by Mr. Peter Harrison, the architect
of King's Chapel, was thought by Dr. Abiel Holmes to
be worthy of special mention in his history of Cam
bridge, where he aUuded to it as being " considered by
connoisseurs in architecture as one of the best con
stiucted churches in New England." On the other
hand, St. Paul's Church, Dedham, was a wooden buUd
ing, forty feet by thirty feet, for many years enclosed
with rough boards and rough flooring, until contribu
tions from Boston and Newport enabled the worshippers
1 These dates are taken from the Diocesan Joumal, 1896 ; it is likely
that a fuller investigation into the origin of the parishes may cause some
changes to be made in the dates assigned.

104 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
to finish it and buUd the tower, — a process of so many
years that a popular song made a joke of the long
delay in the couplet, —
" When you and I these things shall see
Then Dedham Church wiU finished be." i
St. Peter's, Salem, and St. Michael's, Marblehead,
both had handsome buUdings. St. Paul's parish, New
buryport, having grown in strength under the efforts
of Bass, had been using exclusively its new buUding
since the period when Queen Anne's Chapel had fallen
into decay.
The interior arrangement of the buildings was more
ornate than the meeting-houses, because the' Episco
pahans proceeded on the theory that beauty in the
house of God was an aid to worship rather than a
hindrance. The pulpit, sometimes sustaining a brass
rod holding an hourglass, and the reading-desk and
the communion-table, with their hangings of sUk, vel
vet, and brocade, were often rich pieces of furniture ;
and an artist sometimes wrought in color the creed and
commandments, as symbols of "faith and works," on
the wall back of the communion-table. These colored
decorations are stUl to be seen in many of the churches,
notably King's Chapel, Christ Church, Boston, and St.
Michael's, Marblehead; in St. Paul's, Newburyport,
there is preserved the original " Creed and Command
ments," painted on a dark ground in yellow letters, —
the whole framed by fluted pUasters and a Greek
pediment at the top. The organ with its gilt pipes
added to the variety of the effect, when permission was
' S. B. Babcock, Historical Sermon, 1846, p. 12.

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 105
granted to use one in the service, as in St. Peter's,
Salem, " by a vote of the Town." On Communion
Sunday the rich sUver flagons and chalices, in many
cases presented by different kings and queens of Eng
land, helped to make the worship beautiful as weU as
devotional. The prayer-books in use in the chancel
were often masterpieces of the bookmaker's art, one in
Taunton being the gift, in 1742, of the Hon. Arthur
Onslow, Speaker of the House of Commons. Christ
Church, Boston, possessed silver flagons, a chalice, a
patten, an alms-basin, bearing the royal arms and an
inscription : " The gift of his Majesty King George II.
to Christ Church at Boston in New England at the
request of the governour Belcher, 1733." One of
the flagons in Newburyport had for its inscription
" The gift of K. WUliam and Q. Mary to the Reverend
Samuel Myles for the use of their Majesties Chappel
in New England, 1694 ; " also a chahce marked " Ex
Dono Johannis MUls 1693." The parishes also pos
sessed other sUver communion services, given from
time to time by grateful parishioners. The walls were
often decorated with the royal arms and heraldic de
vices of the leading members, especiaUy if they were
of high rank and in official positions. The scene on
Sunday morning in the churches must have been pictur
esque, when, amid these surroundings, the men, dressed
in their colored coats, with ghstening buttons and
laces, the women in their brocades, and the officers of
the king's troops in their red uniforms, were led in
worship by the clergyman in his white surphce, or,
more often, in his black gown.

106 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
The worshippers were often summoned to church by
the peal of chiming bells, that sent out their invitation
through the stiU air of the Sabbath day. The bells
of Christ Church, Boston, were the most famous.
Eight in number, each with its appropriate inscription,
swung in the belfry and sounded afar their messages
of joy or sorrow. The legend on the seventh beU
expressed the spirit of them aU : " Since generosity has
opened our mouths, our tongues shaU ring aloud its
praise, 1744 ; " the eighth beU told the story of their
parentage in the simple phrase : " Abel RudhaU of
Glouster cast us aU, Anno 1744."
The foUowing gleanings from some of the record-
books of the old parishes Ulustrate the condition of the
churches. The first letter, preserved in St. Michael's
Church, Marblehead, is suggestive of the way in which
the parishes were named. The wardens asked Governor
Nicholson to give the name to their parish : " We
pray your ExceUency to give it a name and continue
your care of us." These letters and records, though
written at an earlier date than the time immediately
preceding the Revolution, refer to possessions of the
parishes of a permanent character.
letter to general NICHOLSON.
May it please Your Excell^, — Your ExceU^
being our Patron & first benefactor at our laying the
foundation of the Church here in Marblehead, & ever
since as Occasion has offer'd you have been doing Us
all the kind Offices that we could think of or desire

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 107
more especially on your encouraging the Hon"* Societys
sending the Rev'' M' David Mossom to be our Minister,
in whom we are very happy having the pleasure and
profit of giving us a gen' Satisfaction. We take this
Opportunity, (tho late) to Express our Thankfulness
(in behalf of the Church & by a vote of the Congrega
tion last Easter Monday,) for the aforesaid favours &
to Congratulate Your ExceU^' safe arrival to the Gov
ernment of South Carohna; which we hope & doubt
not is greatly to the advantage of those people. Your
Excelly having the Honour of Setthng them in peace
at a time when They were almost Resolved to ruine
each other, the just & due Esteem Your ExceUy
deserves & the Experience we have of your Love to
our Church, encouraging Us to pray your Excelly to
give it a Name, & Continue Your Care of Us, &
that God would be pleased to bless your ExceUy with
health & happiness is the hearty prayer of your Ex'ys
most Obedient & most Obhged hum'' Servants
D Mossom Minister
Charles Wheden) Church
Jos Majory 1 Wardens
Marblehead, July 27: 1722
RECORDS OF TRINITY CHURCH, BOSTON.
Boston Feb 8 1739/40
Cap^ N V Neal
S^, — As you are bound to the Bay of Honduras we
would Beg you would undertake to ask for us of the
Good Gentlemen there — their kind assistance towards
furnishing a New Church lately buUt in this Town called

108 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Trinity Church (where we have often the pleasure to
see you). The kind Gentelm" of the Bay have been
very hberaU towards Christ Church at y® North End of
this Town and We doubt not they wUl be pleased to
have ye credit of Contiibuting towards ours and to
have their Names enrolled amongst the Benefactors and
to have a Seatt set apart for them, it certainly wUl be
a Charitable Act. Our Church is large and costly and
the undertakers very few, its likely to be a growing
Church, could we get some assistance to enable us to
finish it it would be a very commodous handsome one.
Pray use y' best Interest for us and in our Name assure
the Good Gentelmen (who shall be so charitably dis
posed as to give us any help) of our hearty Thanks
& uttmost wishes for their prosperity. We wish you a
good voyage & safe return & are in behalf of Trinity
Church Sr y' Hum Serv" ^L^l Gh W<""
should ye be so prosperous as to gett anything for us
we pray you take care to have it sent us in the best
manner y" can, please to take the Names of such Gentel
men who may be disposed to serve as that they may be
EnroUed in Our Books as Benefactors. Boston Oct 6 1741
Mr Tho^ Sandford
S^, — The Wardens of Trinity Church in behalf of s^
Ch. wrote y" Jan 8 last retturning y" their hearty thanks
for your good offices for them and we now take this
opportunity (by the bearer who is a member with us of
s* Ch.) to repeate the same.

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION, 109
His Except our Gov' who is by his maj*'' royal favour
advanced to the cheaf seat of Government here, to the
great pleasure of aU of the Ch: of EngP and we doubt
not wiU tend to its prosperity he has pleased to say he
would write for a Sett of plate and other furniture of
a Chapp*' the usual Bounty of his Majesty to his
Governours which when obtained he designed for the
use of Trinity Church which affair he committs to the
care of M' Christ* Kelby to SoUicitt with the Duke of
Grafton y* L'^ Chamberl" of y" Hous'^'^ — He would
presume to ask of you your assistance in this afair.
The charge arrising from this affair Mr. Simpson wUl
furnish in our Behalf. Wee have only to add at present
Our hearty wishes for y"^ health and prosperity and are
in behalf of Trinity Church S'
Y"" most Obed most Hum' Servants
Jos: Dowse \ ri -m-
P^ Kenwood j
Boston Octob 8'" 1741.
M^ Christ'' Kelby
S^, — His Excel"'' y* Gov' just now acq'' us that he
designed to give y° y* Trouble of Soliciting y* Duke of
Grafton as Lord Chamberlan of his Maj*'' Household
for y* usual present of plate & Linnen for y* Commu
nion Table, a Bible & pray*' Books & vestments allways
granted from y* Crown to the Gov" predecessors and
his Excel:*'' intending them when obtained for the use
of Trinity Church which at present being very much
under our immediate care we earnestly desire that you
would use your best Interest and Endeavors for y*

110 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
speedy procuring them which wiU ever be esteemed as
a perticular favour by us and aU our Brethreen and as
we have y° pleasure of hearing you had no smaU share
in the great but very agreeable Revolution that has
lately happened amongst us we make no doubt you wUl
in this instance be very zealous that our present Gov'
as he deserves so that he shaU want no mark of Royal
favour which others have received. . . .
We wish you aU possible prosperity and are &c
Your most Hum. Serts. A. Davenport
Jos Dowse
P^ Kenwood
"August 27 1742. At a meeting of the vestiy at
y* Church August 27 1742 Present Joseph Dowse &
P' Kenwood Wardens ; Mess' Benj" FaneuU Rufus
Greene Th°^ Aston, James Bouteneam Tho' Greene
Jon**" Simpson vestry men. The wardens report : that
his Excelency Gov' Shirley had dehvered to them
for the use of this Church a Sett of plate & furniture
he received from his Maj*'' K George 2'^ viz Plate 2
flaggons, a chahce a patten & a receiver of Linnen 2
p ' al ' 20 yd* Tabling Dyaper & 2 Surplices, of Books
a larg & Royall Bible 2 Royall Common prayer Books
& 12 f*"* common prayer Books an Altar Cloth, a Table
Carpett pulpit Cloath pulpitt Cushion 2 Deap Cushions
of Crimson Damask.
" Voted that the Wardens retturn the thanks of this
vestiy to his Excel*'' for his procuring the aforesaid
from his Maj'y

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION, 111
" Voted, that a pew be fitted up for his Excel®''* accom
modation when he pleases to come to this Church, that
the two pews N° 69 & N° 70 be made into square
pews one for to accomodate his Excel*'' the other for the
Wardens. Voted that Dan^ Rea have the pew no 100
for £55.00"
" September 20 1742 sent home the Surplices we had
borrowed of y* King ChapeU —
" Lent his ExceUency Gov' Shirley three f oU° Common
prayer Books for his own use at y" ChapeU. he saying
he would be accountable for y* same.
" Returned to Christ Church Th* things we had bor
rowed of them viz Two Velvet Cushions & cover 2 foil*
prayer Books a Bible 2 Dyaper Table Cloath 2 Napkins
borrowed 8, 1737 & receipt recorded foU 42 Church
Books." The members of the churches were from some of
the best famihes in the colony. They were by no
means the ragbag and bobtail among the vicious who
desired to practice their ungodly customs outside the
jurisdiction of puritanical censors. This severe view
might be entertained by those who read the violent
denunciations that were constantly hurled against the
churchmen. The vestrymen of the several churches
and the leading parishioners were generally men of
standing in the business and social world of the day,
and in more than one instance were pubhc benefactors.
So far back as 1704, it was CampbeU, of Queen's
Chapel, Portsmouth, that published the first newspaper
issued in Boston.^ WiUiam BoUan, who secured the
^ Foote, Annals of King's Chapel, vol. i, p. 173.

112 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Louisburg reimbursement, thus rendering an important
service to the colony, was an Episcopahan ; and also
Peter FaneuU, who gave Boston its market-house,
which became the " Cradle of Liberty." Thomas
Coram, the great philanthropist, first began his career
of generosity in Taunton, and then on his return to
England founded the " Foundhng Hospital," which is
to this day one of the great charities of London. The
names that appear and reappear on the records of the
different parishes are those of men who were identified
wdth the best interests of Massachusetts in the early
and later days, names like Sohier, Brimmer, and Deblois,
Dalton, Atkins, Price, and Greene ; and in the neigh
boring colony of Rhode Island, Malbone, Hazard,
Olney, Goddard, Brown, and Gardiner. The words of
Mr. Thomas C. Amory are very true when he speaks
of these early Episcopahans as being " the compeers
of any of their contemporaries in character, education,
public service, or practical piety." ^
The love for the Church of England, on the part
of many of these men, was a deep affection, inherited
through many generations. Their adherence was no
whimsical decision of the moment. When they came
together to found a parish or to sustain it, their pur
pose was not to offend their neighbors, but to minister
to the spiritual needs of themselves and their famUies.
Others preferred the dignity of a liturgical service,
though perhaps reared under different customs; and
when they worshipped with the Episcopahans it was
because of a genuine preference, not a perversity born
1 Perry's American Church History, vol, i, 643.

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 113
of discontent. It is an interesting testimony of loy
alty when we learn that Episcopahans ten mUes away
from Boston drove to service every Sunday to the
distant city, and returned, bringing with them a cer
tificate signed by the rector that they were not Sab
bath-breakers. It is difficult now to get at the exact figures about
the number of communicants and famUies in the dif
ferent parishes, but the scattered references in reports
to the society in England give one some idea of the size
of the congregations. The Rector of Christ Church,
Boston, Rev. Mather Byles, the younger, writing in
1769, says that there are one hundred families on his
hst.^ In St. Thomas Church, Taunton, in the year
1765, there were thirty-two communicants and twenty-
seven baptisms.^ The church at Braintree had thirty
famUies, and in Dedham there were fourteen, while
at Stoughton eighteen.^ In Scituate, Hanover, Marsh
field, "the number of those who profess themselves
of the Church of England are 50 famUies," thus wrote
the Rev. Mr. Thompson in 1763.* There were fifteen
famihes in Bridgewater.^ Christ Church, Cambridge,
had in 1763 so many as twenty-six famihes, and
these were added to up to 1774.^ St. Peter's, Salem,
had increased in membership to such an extent that
in 1772 the building was widened twenty feet, and an
assistant minister was provided.
^ Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 545.
2 N. T, Bent, History of St. Thomas Church.
' Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p, 493.
4 Ibid. 6 iiicL,.^ p. 564. 6 lUd., p. 502.

114 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
The clergy who ministered to these people were
for the most part men of scholarly attainments and
virtuous life. Many of them were either graduates of
English universities or of Harvard College ; some being
native-born Americans, others having come over to the
colonies as missionaries from England. The attitude
of loyalty to the British government that many of
them assumed may easily be accounted for ou the
ground of their early Enghsh trainmg, together with
an inability to appreciate the needs of the colonies,
as viewed from their own standpoint. But Dr. Henry
Caner, of King's Chapel (1747-1776), was born in
New Haven and graduated from Yale College; Dr.
WiUiam Walter, Rector of Trinity Church, Boston
(1764-1776), was the descendant of a long line of
Puritan divines, and took his degree at Harvard in
1756 ; Rev. Mather Byles, Rector of Christ Church at
the beginning of the Revolution, was the son of his
famous father bearing the same name, an American,
and a man of great abUity ; and Mr. Weeks, of Marble
head, and Mr. Clark, of Dedham, were both Harvard
men. The other clergy in the colony were men of good
character and influence in their respective towns ; one
of them was referred to as " a painful preacher and a
good hver," meaning thereby that he was a careful
sermonizer and of virtuous conduct.
It is sometimes supposed that the churches were sup
ported entirely by money sent from the society in
England, but this is by no means true. The society
usuaUy sent to its missionaries the sum of £50. This,
however, would not have beeu a sufficient support for

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION, 115
the clergy. An additional amount was contributed by
the congregations. They also had to provide for the
other running expenses of the churches ; and when a
buUding was to be erected, the people subscribed for
the purpose. The Puritans did not have the same
difficulty in raising funds for their ministers, because
the towns were regularly taxed according to law, and
the revenue thus obtained was applied to the support
of their rehgious services. For many years the Epis
copalians were also taxed to pay the Congregational
ministers, and thus, having a double responsibility, they
were not able to give so largely as they wished to their
own clergy. But before the Revolution, the church
men succeeded in having their taxes, coUected for reli
gious purposes, appropriated for the use of their own
ministers. The method of such distribution of the
taxes is interestingly set forth in a letter written by the
Rev. WUliam Clark, of Dedham : " Whatever number
of church people live in any parish are rated by their
assessors in the same proportion as the Dissenters —
these rates they ai-e obhged to pay. The money is
carried into their tieasury ; but then according to a
Law passed some yeai-s since the Episcopal minister and
his Wardens give a certificate that such persons are
' Members of the Church of England and do usuaUy
and frequently attend pubhc worship with them on the
Lords Days.' This certificate so given, the Treasurer is
obliged to pay the Episcopal minister the rates of the
persons thus certified." ^ When there were only a few
Episcopalians, the sum of money was not large. There
' Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p, 660.

116 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
is a record in the First Parish of Dedham which gives
the amount for one year : " Voted to grant the sum of
£2. 10s and 5d-3^ to make good the deficiency which
paying over the taxes of the members of the Church
of England to the Rev. Mr. Winslow has occasioned in
the Rev. Mr. Haven's salary." ^
A method of adding to the stipend of the clergy by
means of the offertory was in use in St. Paul's, New
buryport, for on the records of the parish is preserved
the foUowing vote, AprU 1, 1771 : " Voted that aU the
Loose Money being unmark' and coUected in s'^ Church
should be delivered to the Rev'* Mr Bass as his Perqui
site. Also to address & Solicit the Governor to Grant
the Plate (given by his Majesty) for use of said Church."
The reference to " money being unmark* " suggests a
system not unlike the modern custom in some parishes
of placing their contributions in envelopes, though of
course the worshippers found other means of designat
ing the object for which their gifts were intended.
Another vote of the same parish may indicate that
Mr. Bass was given the income from the rent of certain
pews spoken of as " his." As the pews were rated at
£4, this custom must have added to his salary very
materially. It was voted on March 3, 1769, " That
Mr. Bass has Liberty agreeable to his Petition to buUd
a Vestry Room on the North Side of the Church behind
the Pulpit to have a Door go out through the Pew now
Improved by Mrs. Barriet, Provided He wiU accomodate
Mrs Barriet with the use of one of his Pews in Lieu of
hers." * S, B. Babcock, Historical Sermon, Dedham, 1846, p. 11.

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 117
The churches often received legacies from devoted pa
rishioners. Thomas Coram's gift of land to the church
in Taunton was not the sole example of such generosity.
WiUiam Price in 1772 bequeathed his estate to King's
Chapel and Trinity to provide lectures, sustain char
ities, and for other parochial purposes. Thomas Greene,
from Narragansett, estabhshed at Trinity what is called
the " Greene Foundation " to pay the salaries of the
assistant ministers. Nor were the claims of the poor
forgotten, for in 1724 the " Boston Episcopal Char
itable Society " began its long and honorable career.
When special emergencies arose, the churchmen were
equally hberal. There is a record of a coUection of
over £24 taken in King's Chapel " towards the redemp
tion of Anthony Heywood, Thatcher and Bull from
captivity on galley." Bass was large minded enough
to think of the needs of those outside his own parish
who were caUed upon to suffer by sudden calamity. A
new evidence of his sympathy and public spirit is con
tained in two receipts that time has spared for the credit
of the rector at Newbm-yport. There are not many
items concerning his parish life at this time, but these
following notes make up for the loss : —
Boston September 20, 1768
Received of the Ch. of Christ at Newbury-Port under
the Pastoral care of the Rev. Mr. Bass Six: Pounds,
Seven ShUlings and Eleven pence being a Contribution
for the Sufferers by the Fhe at Montreal.
H. Grey.

118 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
The second receipt, dated two years later, indicates
that the former gift to " the Sufferers by Fire at Mon
treal " was not the result of a sporadic sympathy, but
seems to have been the weU-understood pohcy of his
parish : — Marblehead July 9, 1770
Received of Mr. Benj. Balch Treasurer of the Church
at Newbury Port, Five Pounds & four Pence being said
Churches CoUection for the Widows and Fatherless of
this Town for which we return them thanks.
Per order of the Committee.
The baptisms, marriages, and funerals recorded in
the legible and well-formed handwriting of Edward
Bass prove that he was faithful in his duties as pas
tor ; and his amiabUity and good sense must have made
him a welcome visitor in the homes of his parishioners.
Certainly he was a charming host to any of his clerical
brethren who happened to pass through his town ;
they always were hospitably entertained. The Rev.
Jacob BaUey, missionary, more than once teUs in his
diary of his visits to his brother at Newburyport : —
"1767 Sept 25. Arrived at Newbury and slept
at Rev Mr Bass's ; " ^ and though Mr. Bailey has
not given a detailed account of these visits, one may
perhaps catch a ghmpse of the worthy rector by means
of a description of a brother of his who was hviug in
New Hampshire, to whom Bailey often carried letters
from Newburyport. He says : " About eleven o'clock
we arrived at the dweUing of my old friend Mr. Bass,
1 Collection of the Episcopal Historical Society, vol. ii. p. 339.

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 119
brother to Parson Bass of Newbury. Here we met
with a cordial reception and had a very good dinner in
the primitive style. Figure to yourself a New Eng
land farmer twenty years ago about ten mUes from
Boston able with his own industiy to make a com
fortable hving, besides discharging his tax bill, pay
ing the midwife and providing a plentiful and greasy
dinner on Thanksgiving sufficient to feast an hun
dred ploughmen. Produce such a person to your im
agination, and you wUl obtain an idea of Mr. Bass,
his honesty and accidental wit which he scatters abroad
in his conversation." ^ " This accidental wit," accord
ing to aU the tiaditions, was a characteristic of the
sprightly conversation of Edward Bass, as well as that
of his brother. One of his witty remarks has come
down to us. In answer to a question why he left
Dorchester, he said " that the streams in Dorchester
were not deep enough for bass to swim in." He was,
however, unhke his brother in the matter of " midwife
fees," for his home was never made happy by the
presence of chUdren.
An event of some importance occurred in Newbury
port in September, 1770, when the great preacher,
George Whitefield, died. Whitefield had often been in
Newburyport, and his efforts had been very successful
in stirring up the rehgious interests of the town. At
first the Episcopal clergy had not been opposed to
Whitefield, but when he drifted further and further
away from the methods of the Church of England, they
had not given him their sympathy. Bass had previ-
1 Collection of the Episcopal Historical Society, vol. ii. p. 190,

120 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
ously remarked on the iU effect on the community of
certain excesses of Whitefield's followers, but this criti
cism did not apply to the preacher himself, nor to the
genuine religious growth which often signahzed his
arrival in the towns of the colonies. Bass's tolerance
for those who differed from him on rehgious matters
became more and more one of his leading traits. It is
not therefore surprising to find his charity emphasized
by an act of Christian courtesy which he was caUed
upon to perform when he was appointed one of the
chosen pall-bearers at the funeral of Whitefield. That
he was asked to be of the number of those who were
to perform this tender office for the dead, and that he
accepted the trust bestowed upon him, showed both the
esteem in which he was held by the early Methodists,
and his own courteous bearing toward them. White-
field, after his exciting labors for his Master, was laid
to rest in Newburyport in 1770, and his paU-bearers
were, " Rev D' Haven of Portsmouth and Rodgers of
Exeter, Jewet and Chandler of Rowley, Moses Parsons
of Newbury and Bass of Newburyport." ^
Bass's ministiy was not always confined to his own
parish. He frequently preached for his brethren in the
neighboring Episcopal churches, sometimes going so
far as St. Paul's Church, Narragansett, the records of
which parish contain the interesting item : " Sep. 1765.
The two last Sundays in this month the Rev. Mr. Bass
of Newbury preached in Sf Paul's Narragansetts for
Mr. Fayerweather." On other occasions he preached
in the same church.^ 1 Belcher's Life of Whitefield, p. 442.
2 Updike, Narragansett Church, p, 261.

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION, 121
Bass was honored by an invitation to preach the spe
cial sermon at the instaUation of Grand Master John
Rowe of the " Society of Free and Accepted Masons,"
part of the ceremonies of which were held in Trinity
Church, Boston, on November 23, 1768. The sermon
preached at this time proved very acceptable, and was
acknowledged by a complimentary vote, "that the
thanks of this Grand Lodge be given to the Rev'* Bro
ther Bass for his excellent sermon, preached before the
Fraternity on the 23'* instant, and to desire a copy of
said sermon for the press; and that the Grand Sec
retary signify to him the Resolutions of this Lodge."
To this resolution Bass replied in a characteristic
manner : — TO ABRAHAM SAVAGE. Newbury Port Dec. 8" 1768
Dear Sir, — I received yours by the last Post, and
am obhged to the Brethren of the Special Grand Lodge,
lately held at the Bunch of Grapes, for the compliment
they were then pleased to pass upon my Sermon, and
the honour they seem disposed to do me by Pubhsh-
ing it.
I am not much used to standing upon ceremony,
especiaUy with a Brother. Whenever, therefore, I shall
chance to find a Friend going to Boston, who is wiUing
to take the trouble upon him, I will send you the Ser
mon or wUl deliver it to any Brother, or other person
whom you shaU desire to call at my house for it.
Your Affectionate Brother & humble Servant,
Edward Bass.

122 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
The sermon was never sent, nor caUed for, so it was
not printed at this time. Later, it was delivered before
St. John's Lodge at Newburyport, and then printed.
His turn as preacher to the clergy assembled in con
vention came in 1771, when, on September 18, 1771,
he dehvered his earnest message from the historic pul
pit of King's Chapel, Boston. A local newspaper thus
refers to him : " On Wednesday the 18*'' instant a Con
vention of the Episcopal Clergy was held in this Town,
when a Sermon was preached at Kings Chapel on the
occasion by the Rev'd Mr. Bass of Newbury." ^ He
was also caUed upon to preach the funeral sermon of
his dear friend, the Rev. Arthur Browne, of Ports
mouth, New Hampshire, who died in June, 1773. Se
lecting his text from Zechariah i. 5, " Your fathers
where are they," he spoke of his deceased friend in fit
ting words : " This man of God came into our country
a young man. Soon after entering into Holy Orders,
and for more than forty years vrith very httle interrup
tion, he laboured in the work of the ministry which he
executed with great reputation, having been all along
esteemed an exceUent preacher and orator and a faith
ful parish minister." ^ This eulogy is of value as show
ing the current ideals of the office of a minister ; and
as Bass describes his friend as " an excellent preacher
and faithful parish minister," we are led to see that
what he considered a faithful clergyman was not dif
ferent in any marked degree from the ideals to-day so
far as they relate to the specific duties of a clergyman.
1 Mass. Gazette and Boston Post-Boy, September 30, 1771.
2 Sprague, Annals, vol. v. p. 79.

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 123
Bass himself was by no means an ordinary preacher ;
his style was simple and direct, his sermons being emi
nently practical, often scholarly and forcible. Though
an analysis wUl be made later in this study of the
characteristics of his sermons, it may not be out of
place here to quote the remarks of Mr. Edward Sprague
Rand, who has written at some length of his abUity as
a preacher : " His manner was simple and plain, carry
ing with it an air of deep sincerity that made up for
what might have seemed to some a lack of animation.
And his discourses were quite in harmony with his
manner ; and of these I can speak with more confidence
from the fact that I have had the opportunity of read
ing many of them in manuscript. They partook almost
of the simphcity of childhood ; whUe yet they were by
no means destitute of the more substantial quahties of
good preaching. No matter what his subject might be
he was sure to find something in it practical — some
thing suited to make men better and happier. He
rarely, if ever, preached controversial sermons, and
seemed to delight especiaUy in those themes which
brought him more immediately in contact with men in
their daUy obhgations and duties." ^
WhUe the colony was distracted by the pohtical agi
tations just precedmg the Revolution, the clergy of the
Episcopal Church, though looked upon with suspicion,
were attending to their daUy ministerial duties with
faithfulness and patience. If one regards the situation
from their standpoint, one must be impressed with the
fact that they were earnest men, seeking to buUd up
1 Sprague, Annals, vol. v. p. 145.

124 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
the spiritual kingdom of God; and there is no evi
dence that they were plotters against the best interests
of the colonies. But they were representatives of the
English Church, alhed by virtue of establishment with
the British government ; and their Prayer Book con
tained petitions for the royal famUy and government.
Thus identified vrith British rule, they shared the hatred
and opposition of the patriots. Many of the clergy
were Tories, and they considered that loyalty to the
existing government was their duty, though many of
their parishioners sided with the patriot cause. Mr.
Clark from Dedham wrote : " The church at Dedham
is in as good a state as can be expected in these trouble
some and distracting times. Several have withdrawn on
account of what is called the Toryism of the Church
of England though they own they respect me." ^ The
Rev. Mr. Winslow in July, 1774, said : " The present
miserably distracted state of this province does and
wUl require the steadiness and circumspection of the
Clergy of the Church of England. I trust they wUl
not at such a time be slothful in business but endeavor
to approve their conduct to the confidence of their
Superiors. For my part I am not much in pain from
my Parishioners ; they should regard their duty to God
and the King." ^
Harassed in the colony, the clergy also were in
danger of not receiving their usual support from Eng
land. The uncertain political conditions were the cause
of diminishing the receipts of the Venerable Society
> Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 577.
2 Ibid., p. 573.

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 125
for mission in America, so that a discontinuance of
the stipends was threatened. Dr. Caner and Mr. Byles
wrote in a despondent strain in 1772 : " The clergy
are extremely mortified not only on account of the dis
appointment of the good people of Almsbury, who
must now remain without even the prospects of a
settled ministry, but chiefly on account of the melan
choly representation you give of the Society's inabUity
to provide for any further missions. Cut short in our
hopes of a Bishop to reside among us, should we also
lose the Society's support the affairs of the Church
must soon wear a gloomy aspect."
The ministry of Edward Bass immediately preceding
the Revolution is further Ulustrated by his letters and
extracts from the Journal of the society : —
EXTRACTS FROM THE JOURNAL OP THE SOCIETY.
" 16 Decemb. 1768. Read A Letter from the Rev?
My Bass Miss'.^ at Newbury Port 29 Septemf 1768. . . .
" Agreed to recommend to send Mf Bass the pam
phlets desired.
" Resolved to agree with the Committee." ^
" 18 May, 1770. Read A Letter from the Rev* M":
Bass Miss7 at Newbury Port, Massachusets N. E. dated
Jan'; 4, 1770, signed also by M' Arthur Browne, to recom
mend Mr John Bass who was educated at the coUege
in that province, as a fit person to be Schoolmaster
at Annapolis, having taught school for several years past
with approbation." "^
" 19 July, 1771. Read A Letter from the Rev'^ Mf
1 Journal, vol. xviii. p. 64. ^ Ibid., p. 369.

126 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Bass, Miss'T at Newbury Port, Massa: N. E. dated March
25, 1771. . . .
" Agreed to recommend that some copies of Hart's
answer to Delaune be sent to M'. Bass.
" Resolved to agree with the Committee." ^
EDWARD BASS TO DR. BURTON.
Newbury Port N. England, March 25'!' 1771.
Rev? D?, — Since my last I have baptized eleven
chUdren. I have nothing extraordinary to write, but
only that I am hke to have a law suit with the Dis
senters who hve around our old church. Queen Anne's
Chapel, so caUed, where I used to officiate one Sunday
in a month, but it hath for some years been unfit for
use. About a twelvemonth ago the steeple, containing
a bell given by a former Bishop of London, blew down
in a storm. My Antagonists have got said bell & some
other things belonging to the church in their posses
sion, & refuse to deliver them up, under a pretence
that they have a right to them because some of their
Ancestors assisted in getting the frame of the house.
If the Society wUl be so kind as to send me a number
of Hart's answer to Delaune, I shaU be able to dispose
of them to advantage in this part of the country. I
have drawn for my last half years salary, which please
to order paid, & you will oblige
Yr most obed* hum'? serv*
Edward Bass.
To the Rev? Dr Burton. 1 Journal, vol, xix, p, 60,

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 127
" 16 July. 1773. Read A letter from the Rev' Mf
Bass Miss'? at Newbury Port Massa: N. E. March 25*1'
1773, acquainting the Society that since his last he has
baptised 14 children, has had some addition made to
his Church, & buried several of its principal Members.
He renews his request for a number of Hart's Answer
to Delaune, and of some proper answer to the Dissent
ing Gentleman, which wiU be of pecuhar service to him
at this time.
" Agreed that Mf Rivington be enquired of, whether
some Copies of Hart's Answer to Delaunet were not sent
to Mf Bass, agreeably to an Order of the Board in
1771. " Resolved to agree with the Committee." *
" 19 Nov*;' 1773. Read A letter from the Rev' M'
Bass, Miss': at Newbury Port, Massa: N. E. Sep*.' 29*?
1773. That since his last he has baptised 12 children,
& received 2 new communicants. He renews his re
quest for a number of Hart's answer to Delaune, and
some proper answer to the Dissenting Gentleman, which
are frequently called for by the people around him.
He begs leave to mention the Society's interest in
Lands in N. Hampshire — Which if neglected much
longer, he thinks the Society may by prescription be
turned off with lands of httle or no value. But if
taken care of in season, may produce a considerable
income soon. He knows of no person so proper to be
consulted as Governor Wentworth, who is friendly to
rehgion, and disposed to promote the interest of the
Church." ^
1 Journal, vol. xix. pp, 431, 432, ^ HM., vol, xx. p. 18,

128 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
EDWARD BASS TO DR. HIND.
Newbury Port N. England Sept 29'.'' 1774
Rev? Dr, — Since my last I have baptized nineteen
chUdren, and one Adult, a negro Woman, belonging to
my own parish : and eleven chUdren in various parts of
the province of Newhampshire. I have also received
two new Communicants. There being nothing material
to communicate concerning the state of my church, I
have only to add, that I have drawn for my last half
years salary, which please to order paid, and you wUl
obhge Yr most obed! hum*,* serv! Edward Bass.
To The Rev? Dr Hind.
Newbury Port New England, March 25" 1775.
Rev? Dr, — Since my last I have baptized one Adult
& thirteen children in my own Parish, and one Adult
& three chUdren in the Province of Newhampshire,
where there is at present but one Missionary (Mr Cossit)
and he in one of the extremities of the Province. In
these times of civU confusion my church hath suffer'd
as little, indeed less, than might have been expected,
considering the prevaihng notion among us of the
Church of England's too great attachment to Govern
ment. I have drawn for my last half year's salary,
which please to order paid, and you vrill obhge
Yr most obed! hum'f Serv! Edward Bass.
The Rev? Dr Hind.

THE CHURCHES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 129
EDWARD BASS TO DR. HIND.
Newbury Port N. England, Aug. IS* 1775
Rev*? Dr, — I have received your very land and
obliging letter of May 3'*, which is the first I have
had the pleasure of receiving from you. Your Corre
spondence, I am sensible, must be large & extensive,
and therefore, as you justly observe, no Missionary can
take it amiss if you do not write merely to acknowledge
the Receipt of his Notitia. Your letters wUl, however,
be extreamly agreeable to me, whenever you shall be
able to make it convenient to yourself to write. The
Society, you teU me, wish to have an account of the
Glebe belonging to each of their Missions. There
never was any such thing provided for this place:
instead of it the People here aUow me ten pounds
sterling to hire a House & Garden. You express a
Compassionate sense of the Distresses of your Ameri
can Brethren : indeed their present situation is enough
to excite the compassion of every humane man. The
Country in general is in great Distress, which, I doubt,
is rather likely to increase than otherwise ; and the
Missionaries wUl not fail to have their full share. For
my part, (not to mention other things) having, very
nearly, half a year's salary due to me, I have no prospect
of an opportunity to seU my BUl at any rate ; but if an
opportunity should offer, I must sell at such a loss as
I cannot afford. From the People here I have received
little or nothing for some months past, & know not
when I shall. God send us better times.
I am yr most obed* hum'* Serv*
Edward Bass.
The Rev" Dr Hind.

130 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Newbury Port N. England May 3^ 1776.
Rev? D^, — After having been put to my Shifts
and run much ia debt, I have at length an opportunity
of seUing a BUl to a very worthy Gentleman, William
MiUer Esq, preventive officer of this Port, who, thro'
the turbulence and infehcity of the times is obliged
to quit his place and go home. I need not teU you of
the sad situation of this Country, and that America is
such a scene of war and tumult as never was known be
fore. I fear things will grow worse and worse. God
bring them to a speedy and a happy issue ! I stand
greatly in need of the Society's Counsel & advice.
Since my last I have baptized Thirty & two chUdren
and one Adult, a Negro, and have married six couple.
My Church hath suffered as little as could be expected,
nay, much less, considering the nature of the times. I
have drawn for one year's salary, which please to order
paid, and you wiU obhge —
Yr most obed* hum** serv* Edward Bass.
Rev" D» Hind.

CHAPTER VL
THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION.
The English historian Lecky has paid a just tribute
to the American loyalists when he refers to their ability
as men and their sincerity as Tories, and their great
ness of thought in striving for " the maintenance of
one free industrial and pacific empire, comprising the
whole English-speaking race." * That the Tories had
in mind the strengthening and perpetuation of a great
empire is clear enough from their wUhngness to accept
submissively legislation which seemed to many of them
unjust. The Whigs refused to submit to the decrees
of the estabhshed government, but even extreme par
tisans had little idea, previous to 1776, of separating
absolutely from Great Britain and setting up an inde
pendent government. There were the two weU-defined
attitudes of the great parties prior to independence,
both wUhng to recognize the British government, —
one ready to accept its parliamentary legislation, the
other refusing to accept that legislation, without, how
ever, introducing the question of the total overthrow
of British rule. The issue between the two parties is
well put by Sabine in his " Loyalists of the American
Revolution : " " The Whigs were wiUing to remain
colonies, provided they could have had their rights
* History ofthe Eighteenth Century, vol. iii, p, 454,

132 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS,
secured to them ; whUe the Tories were contented thus
to continue, without such security." * John Adams
said, in confirmation of this aUeged difference between
the two parties, that " There was not a moment during
the Revolution, when I would not have given every
thing I possessed for a restoration to the state of things
before the contest began, provided we could have had
a sufficient security for its continuance." ^ Mr. John
Fiske reiterates the same important fact: "No one
who is familiar with the essential features of American
political life can for a moment suppose that the Decla
ration of Independence was brought about by any less
weighty force than the settled conviction of the people
that the priceless treasure of self-government could be
preserved by no other means. It was but slowly that
this unwelcome conviction grew upon the people ; and
owing to local differences of circumstances it grew more
slowly in some places than in others." ^ The growth of
the idea of independence could not be said to have been
rapid and inevitable untU England practicaUy declared
war against the colonists by passing in December, 1775,
the " Prohibitory Act," and by sending over the Hes
sians, hired from the Landgrave of Hesse, to reduce
the rebellious state to submission. Lexington was a
revolt against an unjust government, but after the
passage of the " Prohibitory Act " the revolt became a
revolution, with its object complete independence, which
issued in the Declaration of Independence.
These stages in the development of the idea of inde-
* Sabine, American Loyalists, vol. i. p, 64, 2 Ibid.
° J. Fiske, The American Revolution, vol, i, p, 207, illustrated edition.

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 133
pendence must be recaUed if one desires to understand
the position of the Tories. When they argued for
loyalty to the government, they were not directly
antagonizing what afterwards became the patriots'
cause. The " patriots' cause " did not completely exist
before 1776, as the question before this was the accept
ance or non-acceptance of certain legislation of the
government. There was no pubhc objection to prayers
for the king, which were offered by Dr. Pemberton,
the Congregational minister in Boston, as well as by
Dr. Caner, Rector of King's Chapel. Governor Hutch
inson, in his conversation with King George, speaks
of Dr. Caner as " a very worthy man who frequently
inculcated upon his hearers due subjection to the Gov
ernment and condemns the riotous violent opposition
to it." ^ Many of the Episcopal clergy who dehvered
the address to Governor Hutchinson in 1774 felt that it
was their duty to be loyal to the existing government,
having taken vows of aUegiance to its institutions : —
Sir, — The Ministers of the Episcopal Churches in
Boston and the neighboring Towns, with as many of the
Wardens as could conveniently attend, hearing of your
intention to embark in a short time for England, beg
leave to express our unfeigned gratitude for your
generous attention and unwearied application to the
important interests of this Province, in which your
wisdom and integrity have been equaUy conspicuous.
If any of our feUow citizens have viewed your Admin
istration in a less favorable light, we are persuaded
1 Diary and Letters of Thomas Hutchinson, ch, v.

134 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
it must be owing to some misapprehension of your
Excellency's intentions. But that which faUs more
immediately within our province, is the regard you
have always paid to the interests of Religion, and the
favourable notice you have taken of the Church of
England within your Government. Be pleased. Sir, to
accept this sincere testimony of our Respect and Grati
tude, together with our earnest Prayers, that the Dirine
Blessing may attend you, through the remaining stages
of your hfe, and reward you with an eternity of happi
ness in the life to come.*
It is a mistake to suppose that all the Tories were
Church of England men. Numbers of them were
Congregationalists. Judge Curwen's Journal abounds
in references to refugees in England who were dissent
ers, the editor stating, " I have no doubt that of the
Massachusetts Loyahsts ten were of this persuasion and
one of the Episcopal Church."
On the other hand, when the issue of Independence
was made, there were many of the leading Episcopa
hans who were foremost as patriots and influential in
the formation of the new government. The Rev. WU
ham White, afterwards bishop, was the Chaplain of the
Continental Congress, while it is doubtless a fact that
a majority of the signers of the Declaration of Inde
pendence were Episcopalians.^ The Episcopal Church
has the honor of claiming as her sons such noble
1 Evening Post, May 30, 1774.
^ Updike, Narragansett Church, p. 246. Also proved in Perry's pam
phlet, The Faith ofthe Signers.

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 135
Americans as Alexander HamUton, Gouverneur Morris,
Patrick Henry, MarshaU, Madison, and Washington.
Many of the clergy were active in the Revolutionary
movement; they were able to see that loyalty to the
Church of God was in no wise dependent upon any
temporary connection with the Enghsh government.
They loved the methods of the church, her order and
services, and they were too inteUigent to identify their
spiritual interests with political complications. In Mas
sachusetts, though the majority of the clergy fled from
their parishes, the strongest of the laymen were patri
otic. This difference of opinion between the clergy
and their parishioners was emphasized by a dramatic
incident at Christ Church, Boston, on Easter Tuesday,
AprU 18, 1775, when, on the evening of the very day
that the young Mather Byles resigned the rectorship of
the parish, the signal lantern in the belfry started Paul
Revere on his midnight ride through Middlesex.* In
Newburyport, WUham Atkins and Tristram Dalton
were members of the Committee of Safety and Cor
respondence. Early hi 1775, it being evident to the clergy that
hostihties might begin at any time, Dr. Caner had
prepared himself by asking for instiuetions from the
secretary of the society in England as to the best
course for the clergy to adopt when a state of war
should exist. He wrote that " The advice which that
letter contains I have the pleasure to find is nearly the
same with what I had before given to Sundry Country
1 Rev, Henry Burroughs, " Christ Charch, Boston," in American Epis
copal Church History, vol. i. p. 585.

136 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Clergy who consulted me. I have promised to notify
them if the Kings troops sho^ find it necessary to move
forward in a hostUe manner that they may retire to this
town lest possibly they shoidd be seized as hostages
if no worse." * This adrice was foUowed by many of
the clergy, but Edward Bass had made up his mind
how he would act when occasion requhed him to decide.
His attitude during the Revolution was the result of a
weU-defined pohcy which he had adopted after most
serious thought. In June, 1776, he had a conversation
with the Rev. Mr. Clark, in which he stated what he
intended to do. Mr. Clark says, "We soon entered
into Conversation on the di£B.culties the Clergy of the
Church of England were exposed to by the RebeUion
when I was a httle surprised to find him differ in opinion
from the united sentiments of the clergy of that prorince
(except Mr. Parker of Boston) on the conduct that was
proper for us to adopt if we should be required by the
Rebel authority to omit the prayers for the Kings
Majesty. ... I remember that he spoke his mind to
be for comphance with the people in aU omissions that
they should require in order to keep up public Worship,
using the vulgar proverb, 'Half a Loaf was better than
no bread.' He also observed that the Episcopal Clergy
in the time of the Grand Rebelhon in England did the
same." ^ This plan, which Bass outhned to his friend
Clark, was carried out to the very letter when the times
demanded it.
Immediately after Concord and Lexington, the church
1 Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 579.
2 Ibid., p. 612.

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 137
to feel first the effects of the Revolution was Christ
Church, Cambridge. Its rector, the Rev. Mr. Sar
gent, had to flee for his life, his church building being
taken as barracks for the company of Captain Chester,
of Wethersfield, Connecticut. The organ-pipes were
melted into bullets, and the sacred edifice was defaced
by the inconsiderate soldiers. A service, however, of
special interest was held in it on the last day of the
year 1775, when, " at the request of Mrs. Washington,
Col W™ Palfrey performed Divine service at the church
at Cambridge." *
This interesting serrice in which General Washing
ton participated was one of the earliest incidents to
show that in the minds of the wisest churchmen the
Prayer-Book serrices were no longer identified with
loyalty to the Enghsh government. The simple change
here made when Colonel Palfrey " read the serrice and
made a prayer of a form different from that commonly
used for the King " was prophetic of the larger changes
that were to be made when the Episcopal Church was
to become a complete and independent American insti
tution. This special service in Christ Church, Cam
bridge, is described in the most interesting imaginary
diary of Miss Dorothy Dudley : " General and Mrs.
Washington, Mrs. Gates, Mrs. Morgan, Mrs. Mifflin,
Mrs. Custis, and many others, including officers, were
present. The general is loyal to his church as to his
country. . . . There was something grand and yet
incongruous in the service in this church, which has so
lately sheltered the rolhcking soldiers. Doors shattered
1 Hoppin in American Episcopal Church History, vol. i. p, 591.

138 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
and windows broken out, organ destroyed, and the ele
gance and beauty of the buUding greatly marred. It
had been imperfectly repaired at the request of one
whom its former aristocratic worshippers hold in su
preme contempt as a rebel against His Majesty's most
righteous rule. How different was the scene from that
in the days before the war. The general's majestic
figure, bent reverently in prayer, as with devout earnest
ness he entered into the service ; the smallness of the
band of worshippers, and the strangeness of the circum
stances and the surroundings. There was nothing but
the contrast to recall the wealth and fashion which were
wont to congregate there." * After this the church
was neglected for fifteen years, its doors being broken
down, and its windows shattered.
There was consternation among some of the other
clergy : Weeks, of Marblehead, accompanied by his
famUy, left his parish, and WiswaU, of Falmouth, was
taken prisoner, but escaped to Boston, leaving his fam
Uy behind him. The other ministers remained at their
posts for a time, but when the British troops evacuated
Boston, Dr. Caner, of King's Chapel, embarked on one
of the ships that bore them away ; Dr. Walter, of Trin
ity Church, foUowed his example. Caner speaks thus
of his flight : " I continued to officiate to the small re
mains of my parishioners, though without a support tiU
the IO**" of March (1776) when I suddenly and unex
pectedly received notice that the kings troops would
immediately evacuate the town. It is not easy to paint
1 Published by the Ladies' Centennial Committee in The Cambridge
of 1776.

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION, 139
the distress and confusion of the inhabitants on this
occasion. I had but six or seven hours allowed to pre
pare for this measure, being obhged to embark the same
day for Hahfax where we arrived the 1** of April. This
sudden movement prevented me from saving my books,
furniture, or any part of my interest, except bedding,
wearing apparel and a httle provision for my smaU fam
Uy during the passage." *
The Rev. Mr. Winslow, of Braintree, continued to
hold serrices until January 1, 1777, but as he insisted
upon using the prayers for the king, he was arrested
and brought before the court: " When I was admitted
to audience," he says, " I found a magistrate, a dissent
ing minister and about ten or twelve coadjutors con
vened. The magistrate having a Common Prayer Book,
recited to me the petition in the Litany and then the
two prayers in the Evening Serrice for the King and
royal famUy, and told me they aUeged against me the
using of these prayers." ^ After this examination he
was pronounced " a contumacious fomenter of ahena
tion and an avowed enemy of the country." Rev. Mr.
Clark, of Dedham, had his house ransacked, was arrested,
denied counsel and condemned to banishment and
confiscation of his estates. Before he was transported,
he passed ten weeks in jaU, on the walls of the cell of
which, much to his disturbance, there hung a portrait
of CromweU. Others of the clergy like Mr. Greaves,
of Rhode Island, shut up their churches, but continued
to baptize chUdren, visit their sick, bury their dead,
1 Hawkins, Missions of the Church of England, p. 247.
^ Historical Collections of Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 695.

140 LIFE OP BISHOP BASS.
and frequent the respective houses of their parishioners
vrith the same freedom as usual. The only clergyman
who died was Rev. Mr. Thompson, of Scituate, his
death being due, it was freely said, to " some uncivU
treatment from the Rebels in his neighborhood."
During the long period of the Revolution, however,
from the Declaration of Independence to the Treaty of
Peace between Great Britain and the United States in
1783, the two clergymen of the Episcopal Church who
stand out in bold rehef in Massachusetts history are the
Rev. Samuel Parker, of Trinity Church, Boston, and the
Rev. Edward Bass, of St. Paul's Church, Newburyport.
They both remained in their parishes, and faithfully
ministered to their people during the prolonged strug
gle. Their attitude is in marked contrast with that of
the other ministers, who deserted their posts, not being
large-minded enough to realize the significance of the
struggle and the need at all hazards of maintaining the
services of their churches, not merely as clergymen of
the Church of England, but as ministers in the Church
of God, that larger universal church which is independ
ent of aU human conditions.
At the outbreak of the Revolution, the Rev. Samuel
Parker was the assistant minister on the Greene Foun
dation at Trinity Church, serving under the rector, the
Rev. William Walter. He was a young man, only
thirty-two years of age, born in 1744 in Portsmouth,
New Hampshire, his father being the Hon. William
Parker, an eminent lawyer and judge. After graduat
ing from Harvard College in 1764, he engaged in teach
ing school in Roxbury. When he decided to take

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION, 141
orders in the church, he pursued his theological studies,
both at his home in Portsmouth and in Newburyport,
where, under the guidance of Bass, he studied, laying at
the same time the foundations of a lifelong friendship
vrith the rector of St. Paul's Church. It is interesting
to note that Bass and Parker, who together were to
exercise so important an influence on the church in
Massachusetts, were companions in their studies, the
older man doubtless impressing upon the younger his
scholarly and amiable personahty. Parker was ordained
in England in 1774. He therefore had been in his
position of assistant minister only a very short time
when he was caUed upon to assume the duties of rector
of Trinity Church, Dr. Walter having fled from his
parish. Parker continued to use the Prayer-Book un
changed untU after Independence had been declared.
Then, the serrices of the church being interrupted by
noisy demonstrations, he commimicated to the vestry
the fact of his inabUity to continue unless certain
changes were made in the prayers. To this request of
Mr. Parker, the wardens and vestry of Trinity Church
responded by taking the following important action : —
" At a Meeting of the Minister Wardens & Vestry
of Trinity Church on Thursday the 18 Day of July
1776 " The Rev'* M' Parker informed the Wardens & Ves
try that he could not with Safety perform the Service of
the Church for the future ; as the Continental Congress
had declared the American Prorinces free and inde
pendent States, had absolved them from aU Allegiance
to the British Crown and had dissolved aU pohtical

142 'LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Connection between them & the Realm of England —
That he was publickly interrupted the Lords Day pre-
ceeding when reading the Prayers in the Liturgy of
the Church for the King, & had received many Threats
& Menaces that he would be interrupted & insulted
in future if the Prayers for the King should be again
read in the Church ; & that he was apprehensive some
Damage would accrue to the Proprietors of the Church
if the Serrice was in future carried on as had been
usual — and therefore desired their Counsel & Advice
— Wherefore the said Wardens & Vestry taking the
matter into consideration after maturely debating
thereon, it appeared evident that the Temper and
Spirit of the People in this Town was such that they
would not suffer any Prayers for the King to be pub
lickly read in divine Service, & that there was no other
Alternative but either to shut up the Church & have
no public Worship ; or to omit that Part of the Liturgy
wherein the King is prayed for. And as there are
many persons of the Episcopal Persuasion who cannot
conscientiously attend the Worship of Dissenters, & to
whom it would be a great Detiiment & Grief of Mind
to have no Place where they can attend the Worship of
God according to their Consciences ; The Wardens &
Vestry conclude that it would be more for the Interest
& Cause of Episcopacy & the least EvU of the two to
omit Part of the Liturgy than to shut up the Church.
And hoping in this sad Alternative it will not be
imputed to them as a Fault or construed as a Want
of Affection for the Liturgy of the Church, if under
these Circumstances they omit that Part of it in which

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 143
the Kling is mentioned. Tiierefore Voted That the
Rev* M' Parker the present Minister of this Church be
desired to continue officiating, & that he be requested
to omit that Part of the Liturgy of the Church which
relates to the King & that the Omissions be as follows
— In the Petitions & Responses after the Lords Prayer
in the Morning & Evening Service, the following be
whoUy omitted, O Lord save the King, and mercifully
hear us when we caU upon thee. The two Prayers for
the Kings Majesty & the Royal FamUy in the Morn
ing & Evening Service be omitted, & that the Prayer
for the whole Estate of Christ's church militant be
used at Evening Prayer instead of the three Prayers
for the King, Royal FamUy & Clergy, omitting these
words of it. And especially thy Servant George our
King, that under him we may he godly and quietly
governed, unto his whole Counsel and to all that are
put in Authority under him. That the 15*'', 16**",
17*^ 19*" & 20*^ Petitions of the Litany & the CoUects
in the Communion Service for the King be omitted, &
that no other Alterations be made, nor any additions
be substituted." *
The changes in the hturgy of Trinity Church were
among the earliest signs that the independence of the
colonies was also to bring about the independence of
the church, and that upon the remains of the English
Church, as upon the ruins of the British government,
there was to be buUt the American Episcopal Church.
Perhaps Parker did not realize at the time the signifi
cance of the changes he had made any more than the
1 Records of Trinity Church, Boston.

144 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
signers of the Declaration of Independence realized
what was to be the future Constitution of the United
States, but up to his hght he was acting in a spirit
of loyalty to his parishioners, who by his wisdom were
to have the uninterrupted services of worship during
the long period of the struggle for freedom.
Parker, by remaining in Boston, was the means of
not only ministering to his own people, but to others
throughout the city and neighboring towns. When
the American government gave permission in 1778 to
the French congregation to use Christ Church, which
had been closed since 1775, Parker opened it on Sun
day afternoons, preaching to the people there, thus
keeping that venerable structure as a place where the
Prayer-Book was used.
The following letter, written by Parker to the sec
retary of the Venerable Society in England, gives an
exceUent account of the condition of the parishes dur
ing the Revolution, and the part he played in caring
for them : —
MR. PARKER TO REV. VTILLIAM MORICE.
Boston, New England, January 9, 1781.
Rev'd Sir, — Tho' unknown to you & perhaps to
most of the venerable Society, I think it is a Duty
incumbent upon me to acquaint that venerable Body
of the State of their Missions in this & the neighbor
ing Prorinces, especiaUy as there are scarce any of the
Society's Missionaries now resident here, at least none
that have so good an opportunity of acquainting them
selves with the State of the Episcopal Churches in this

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 145
Country as myself. My Situation in the principal Sea
port of this Provuice has naturally led the few of the
Society's Missionaries that remain here to transact their
Business with the Society thro my hands, the Mode
of Communication being attended with many Difficul
ties. At the Evacuation of the Town of Boston by
the British Forces in March 1776 all the Clergy of the
Episcopal Church in this town & some others who
had taken Refuge (myself excepted) accompanied the
King's Troops, & I sh'd also have been of their Num
ber, but being the youngest, it feU to my Lot to tary
behind, & endeavor in those Times of Confusion to
continue the Worship of the Episcopal Church among
those loyal Inhabitants whose Circumstances would not
admite of their leaving the Town. I was then as
Assistant to the Rector of Trinity Church, having
obtained Priests Orders from the Bishop of London
but a few Months before Boston was blockaded. As
the Motive of my continuing here was purely an Inten
tion to preserve the Worship of the Church of England,
I have ever since kept that End in View & have thro'
the Blessing of him who is the great head of the
Chh in some Measure hitherto accomphshed that End
tho' not in that compleat Manner I could wish. The
Question was long agitated in my own Mind whh would
be most expedient or eventuaUy promote the Interest of
the Chh, to omit the Prayers in the Liturgy for the
King & royal FamUy or to shut up my Church & have
no pubhc Worship. There was no other Alternative
after the Declaration of Independence. At length at
the earnest Request of the Parishioners I reluctantly

146 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
consented to the former, & by that Means, without
making any Additions or Alterations in the Liturgy,
(the Omissions above mentioned excepted) I have not
only kept my own People together, but there have been
great Accessions to the Chh. Whether in the Deter
mination of this Point I shaU meet with the Approba
tion of my Superiors in the Church, I am uncertain but
considering the disagreeable Dilemma we were reduced
to, we cannot but hope our Conduct wiU be viewed
with Candour, & the Error (if such it is) imputed to
the Head & not to the Heart. This prohx Account
of myself may appear to savour of Egotism & need
an Apology. But as I am utterly unknown to that
venerable Body to whom I am addressing myself, I
thought proper they sh'd be acquainted with my Cir
cumstances & Conduct. My principal View in this
Letter is to inform the Society of the State of some of
their Missions in this Country. The Churches at Scitu
ate & Marshfield where the late Rev'd Mr Thompson
was the Society's worthy Missionary are strongly at
tached to the Chh of England & immoveable in their
Loyalty to their Sovereign. They have most of them
suffered greatly in their Persons & Estates for their
Adherence to Government, whh has rather tended to
increase than diminish their Loyalty. Mr Thompson's
Death was imputed to the unkind & hard Usage he
met with from the Com'tees. He has left a Widow &
seven Daughters in distressed Circumstances without
any Estate for their Support. At the earnest Request
of those Churches I have undertaken to visit them at
least four times in a year & have for more than two

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 147
years past preached to them as often as my other Duties
would admit, have constantly when there administered
the Lord's Supper to between thirty & forty Communi
cants & have at different Times baptized about 40 In
fants. Was there a Missionary appointed there, there
would doubtless be great Additions to those Churches.
The Church at Scituate meet every Lord's Day & have
the Serrice & a Sermon read by one of their Number
whose Name is EUis. The Churches at Bridgewater
& Brainttee I have also frequently officiated at since the
late Rev'd Mr Winslow left them. The latter continue
to meet every Sunday & the Serrice is performed by
Mr Cleverly. The Churches at Stoughton & Dedham
have but few of their Number now remaining & those
of the latter commonly attend at Boston.
The People at Salem since the Death of the Revd Mr
McGUchrist have opened their Chh & employed a Gent:
of an unexceptionably good Character whose Name is
Steward & who has been a dissenting Preacher to read
the Service & a Sermon & have a very decent Congre
gation ; & at Marblehead also the Serrice is performed
by a Layman. Both these Churches I occasionaUy
visit to baptize their ChUdren & administer the Lord's
Supper. The Number of Communicants about thirty
in each. The People at Portsmo' New Hampshire have
repaired the Church in that Place whh had suffered
great Delapidations from the Rage of the Times &
have also employed a young Gentleman by the Name
of Adams, who was educated at Dartmo' CoUege to
read the Serrice & a Sermon & have a decent Con
gregation. WhUe I am mentioning the State of the

148 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Churches to the Eastward of this Town, I would beg
leave to take notice of the Misfortune of the Rev'd
Mr Bass of Newburyport in being dismissed from the
Society's Serrice, whh I apprehend must have been
owing to some Misrepresentations respect'g that worthy
Gent : Scarce a Person in New England has supported
a more uniform loyal Character & Conduct siuce the
Commencement of the unhappy Revolt than he. His
Attachment to the Laws & Constitution of England
both in Church & State has drawn upon him the
Resentm't of the disaffected, & he has suffered much
for his Loyalty. He has indeed omitted the Prayers
for his Majesty & royal Family in pubhc, but this he
did from Compulsion & not from Choice. This, he
apprehends could not be the Reason of the Society's
discontinuing him in their Serrice, but some unfavour
able Reports whh he has reason to think were not only
untrue but mahcious. Christ Church in this Town is
now supplied with a Clergyman who was deputy Chap
lain to Gen'l Burgoyne's Regim't of hght Dragoons
& made Prisoner here about three years ago. He was
detained in Captirity about a year, was then exchanged
& went to N York ; from thence in August 1778 came
to this Town & offered to take the Oath of AUegiance
to the United States. In the faU of the same year he
was employed to preach at that Chh & has since made
such Alterations in the Liturgy as to accomodate to the
present Rulers. This no other Episcopal Clergyman in
the New England Prorinces has done. His Name is
Stephen Lewis & is a Native of England. The Church
at Cambridge is forsaken by most of its Members as

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 149
well as its Missionary. The few that are left usually
attend at Boston. Among the Rev'd Mr Sarjeant's Ef
fects whh I had the care of at his learing this Country
were a Number of Books in whh was written, belong
ing to the Missionaries Library at Cambridge ; these I
have now ia safe keeping for the Society's Use either
for that or any other Mission they shall appoint, & wUl
deliver them to their Order. I also received & gave a
Receipt to the Rev'd Mr Sarjeant for the Plate belong'g
to that Church contain'g 112 Ounces. It was deposited
in my Hands by that Gent: as Security for an Arrear
age in his Salary for the Year 1774. Whether Chh
Plate is the Property of the Society or the People or is
subject to an Attachm't for Debt due from the People,
I leave to the Determination of the Society & wish to
know their Sentiments respecting this Matter. The
Churches at Providence & So' Kingston in Rhode Island
Colony are aU shut up. Mr Fayerweather, the Society's
Missionary at So' Kingston has lately written to the
Society & from his Letter they will be informed of the
State of his Mission. I am informed the Chh at New
port is made use of by the Baptists who meet in it
every Sunday. The Rev'd Mr Cossit Missionary at
Claremont & HaverhUl has lately been in this Town
& has written to the Society. His Letter I have the
Honour to forward by this Opportunity. I have also
purchased his two Setts of BiUs drawn upon the
Society's Treasurer one of £65 the other of £17. 10
St'g the last of these BiUs I shall also forward by this
Opportunity, the other I cannot at present dispose of
with't great loss. The Society are vested with a Right

150 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
of Land g't 112 Acres in the Town of Hopkinston
about thhty MUes from Boston whh was purchased in
the Society's Name by the Rev'd Mr Price a former
Missionary there. There is now but one family in that
Town that profess to be of the Chh of Engl'd & they
of no Note. The Chh whh is also the Property of the
Society has been converted into a DweU'g House & the
Land whh is well timbered & very valuable has been
wrongfully entered upon & great Strip & Waste made
thereon. As there was no Person here empowered by
the Society to take Care of & prevent Damage accruing
to it, I have taken Advantage of a Law lately made
here giring Power to the Judges of Probate to appoint
Agents to take Care of the Estates of the Persons
absent & have obtained the Agency for all the Soci
ety's Lands in this Province & have commenced a Suit
ag'st four Men for cutting & destroy'g the Wood &
committ'g Waste upon this Land. This Suit is now
pending in the Courts here, whether I shaU recover
Damages is yet uncertain, but as I have taken Pos
session of the Land in the Society's Name, I shaU be
able to prevent for the future any Damage accruing
to the Land & reserve it for the Society's Use This
Land is subject to a quit Rent of £1 St'g pr Acre pr
Ann. to Harvard College & several Years now due.
This & the Expense of the Action already commenced
I shaU advance for the Society, tUl they take some
Order respect'g it. I hope my Conduct wUl meet with
their Approbation.
Thus Sir I have taken the Liberty of vrriting to you
for the Society's Information as exact a State of their

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 151
Missions & Affairs here as I could, & I think I may
safely add that the Prejudices of the People of this
Country ag'st the Chh have so far subsided that could
the several Churches be supphed with Ministers, there
is no doubt that it would iacrease & flourish to a
Degree it has never yet arrived to. As this Letter is
intended to be entirely confidential, I must beg the
Society not to pubhsh from whom the Information
comes, & if any thing here said is so far worthy of
Notice as to have any Order past thereupon, I shaU
esteem myself happy in executing their Commands,
and promoting their Interest to the utmost of my
Power. I have the Honour to be Sir yours & the
Society's most obed't humble Serv't S Parker.
Rev'd Wm Morice Secretary.
When Dr. Caner left Boston, the serrices in King's
Chapel were discontinued, but the proprietors endeav
ored to persuade Parker to abandon his serrices at
Trinity, so that regular worship could be held in King's
Chapel, all the Episcopalians in the place uniting in
this parish, because as the proprietors wrote to the
authorities of Trinity : " King's Chapel by being situ
ated nearly in the centre of the Town will accomodate
each Church better than either of the other Churches
would." * The wardens of Trinity answered in the
negative, stating their objections to this plan : " We
feel ourselves disposed from all the Ties of Christian
FeUowship to accomodate you so far as hes in our
' Records of Trinity Church, Boston.

152 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Power & sincerely vrish to join in Communion with you.
But the Shutting up our own Church & remoring our
stated Place of Worship would be attended with so
much Inconvenience to Individuals ; & as we apprehend
Detriment to ourselves as a Society that we hope we
shaU not be judged by you as chargeable with a Breach
of the Laws of Christian Charity & Kindness, if we
refuse to comply with your request " *
King's Chapel was opened for an impressive service
on AprU 8, 1776, when the last burial rites were per
formed for Dr. Joseph Warren, whose body was taken
from his temporary soldier-grave on Bunker Hill, and
his memory fittingly honored by Rev. Dr. Cooper in
his prayer and Perez Morton, Esq., in his " ingenious
and spirited oration." The church was not opened
again until 1777, when the congregation from " the
Old South " used the edifice for weekly services during
the repairs in the old time-honored meeting-house,
made necessary by the use to which it had been put
by British soldiers as a riding-school for Burgoyne's
cavalry. The repairs were not promptly attended to,
so " the Old South " people continued to use King's
Chapel untU 1783. When they left, the wardens of
the chapel sent to them an amicable note, saying " that
they esteem themselves happy in haring had it in then-
power to accomodate them with a place of Worship,
agreeable to their liking,' when they had been so wan
tonly & crueUy deprived of their own." ^
Practically the same omissions as those made in the
1 Records of Trinity Chureh, Boston.
* Foote, Annals of King's Chapel, vol, ii, p, 335.

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION, 153
Prayer-Book at Trinity were made by Bass in Newbury
port. After Independence was declared, Bass, having
outlined his pohcy months before to Mr. Clark, decided
to comply with the wishes of his parishioners in order
to keep his church open for the worship of Almighty
God. He intended to stand aloof from the political
conditions of the time, not airing his own views, nor
indeed taking any pubhc part in the discussions or
events of the Revolution, but rather emphasiring the
spiritual character of his work as a minister of Christ.
His position was a pecuhar one. He was a missionary
of a foreign society connected with the English Church
and the British government, but he was also the spirit
ual guide of many men and women whom he loved, and
to whom he had stood in the sacred relations of min
ister and pastor for almost twenty-five years. A pohti
cal revolution was in progress, which was to decide
the pohtical relations between England and America.
There were two courses for him to pursue, either to
flee from his parish, as the other ministers had done,
and destioy the rehgious influence which he had built
up during a quarter of a century, and wreck his church
and aU that pertained to it ; or, without doing any overt
act of disloyalty to the English king or church, con
tinue qmetly in his parish abiding the issues of war.
This latter course he adopted ; and by reason of his
action he kept his church open uninterruptedly during
the Revolution, and at the end of it his parish was
strong and able to take a prominent part in the organ
ization of the American Episcopal Church. If many
of the other ministers in Massachusetts had done the

154 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
same thing, and placed their rehgious duties above
the political ones, the scattered missions and churches
would not have dwindled away, and in many instances
ceased to exist. From the American standpoint, the
attitude of Bass was the wisest on all accounts, whUe
of course from the English standpoint, viz., to the mem
bers of the society, unfortunately not being able to dis
connect loyalty to the government and loyalty to the
church, his course seemed reprehensible.
Ten days after the promulgation of the Declaration
of Independence he received the foUowing letter from
his wardens and vestry : — July 14, 1776.
Rev. Sir, — The representatives of the United Colo
nies in America haring in Congress declared said Colo
nies free and independent States, and disavowed all
aUegiance to the King of Great Britain — and the ser
rice of the Churches to which we belong, prescribing
certain prayers, and so forth, to be used for said King
and his government, we find ourselves under the neces
sity of requesting you to omit, in your use of the ser
vice, aU prayers, collects or suffrages which relate to
the King, royal family, or government of Great Britain,
both as we would avoid very great inconsistency, and
as we value the welfare of the Church, being assured
that without such omission the existence thereof would
immediately cease
With great respect and esteem.
We are. Rev. Sir, your most obed't servants
[Signed by Wardens & Vestry.]

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 155
The part of the letter that had the most weight with
Bass, as vriU be seen from his reply, was the reference to
the continued existence of the church : " As we value
the welfare of the Church, being assured that without
such omission the existence thereof would immediately
cease." This request elicited from him a dignified
compliance : — July 16, 1776,
Gentlemen, — As it is your opinion, that it is neces
sary to the existence of the Church in this place, that
aU prayers in our liturgy relative to the king, and royal
famUy and British government be omitted, and there
fore request me to omit those prayers in my future
ministrations, I think it incumbent on me for so impor
tant an end to comply with this request during the
present state of our pohtical affairs; and remain with
great esteem and affection, yours to serve in every rea
sonable respect,
Edward Bass.
The key to the whole position of Bass, which vrill be
made amply clear as we proceed, is contained in the
words : " I think it incumbent on me for so important
an end (the existence of the Church in this place) to
comply with this request during the present state of
our political affairs."
His comphance in political matters was governed by
the possible danger to his church. When it seemed
wise to open the building for serrices on Fast days and
Thanksgiving days appointed by Congress, he never
refused, though in no way did he aid the cause of the

156 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Revolutionists. In politics he was undoubtedly a Tory,
not of a very ardent type, however ; his mild disposi
tion making it difficult for him to become a vigorous
partisan. His two wardens bear testimony to his con
duct at this period by saying that "Temperate and
Uniform in the discharge of the duties of his Mission,
his conduct has been such as could give just cause of
offence to no party." * He recognized two duties
equally binding on him : the duty, to the society whose
missionary he was, of not being guUty of acts disloyal
to it, and the duty to his parishioners, most of whom
were vigorous patriots. So by wisely abstaining from
pohtical acts that would have given offence to either
party, he carried on the work of the ministry un
hindered. He did not escape persecution from the unthinking
rabble in Newburyport. Occasionally he was treated
with some indignity by those who associated him with
the English interests. Bailey, the active missionary,
whose diary is a fund of information concerning the
times, teUs of a dramatic scene in which Bass was the
chief actor : —
" I was one evening just upon my arrival at his
house, witness to a scene equaUy ludicrous and indecent,
for as he was returning from an entertainment with his
wife he was pursued along the street by near two hun
dred persons who pelted him with dirt and stones and
treated him vrith the most indehcate language ; " then,
explaining Bass's attitude, Bailey adds a bit of important
evidence to bear out the preriously given reasons for
' Historical Collections qf Colonial Ch. Mass., p. 638.

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 157
his position : " I am persuaded that Mr. Bass was con
ducted into his deriations, not from inchnation to the
cause of the revolters, but from a mistaken zeal for the
church which he imagined in some measure would
justify his comphance." '
As one would naturally expect, a man taking the
lofty position of Bass must suffer from both sides.
In the minds of some in Newburyport, he was identified
with the British government, and hence the scene above
related; on the other hand, the society in England
would be likely to look upon him as a traitor for
remaining at his post, and drop him from the hst of
missionaries. This the society did, and cut off from
him a large part of his income, which he could ill
afford to lose, especiaUy since, in addition to his usual
expenses, he had reduced his avaUable money by gifts
of charity, as pointed out by Dr. Morss, his friend and
successor : " The benevolence of Mr. Bass and his
readiness to perform deeds of charity had not conduced
to ease of circumstances, although his family was small ;
he was therefore severely pinched by the change." ^
His parishioners, however, understanding his position
and approving it, ralhed to his support by giving
special contributions towards his salary : —
Newbury, Port. Nov! 25*, 1776.
We the Subscribers of St. PaiU's Church in this
town being truly sensible of the Distress which our
worthy minister must suffer vrithout some Rehef in
^ Collections Protestant Episcopal Historical Society, vol. ii. p. 313.
* Morss, Succinct History ofthe Episcopal Ch. Newburyport, p. 30.

158

LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.

Lieu of that Part of his Salary received annuaUy from
England, and which the present unhappy Times prevent
his obtaining, do promise to pay on Demand to Mr.
John Vinal the several sums affixed to our Names —
to be by him delivered to the Rev. Mr. Bass.

Tristram Dalton

£10 0 0

Jno. Tracy . .
Tho. Thomas . .

10 0 0
8 4 0
Tho. Jones . . .
5 0 0
Benj. Balch . . .
Joseph. Ingersol
Wm. Morland . .
3 12 0
2 8 0
2 10 0
Abram Galhsham .
0 18 0
Capt. T. Barb . .
14 0
The attitude of Bass during the Revolution has been
the cause of no little controversy both in England and
America. It was, indeed, famous in its day, the society
investigating it on no less than three separate occa
sions ; and Bass himself published in London a defence
of his position. Fortunately most of the evidence,
letters and private memoranda of the society, is now
accessible, so that an unbiassed examination may be
made into the matter.
It appears that the first accusations against Bass
were made to the society by the refugee ministers, who
had forsaken their parishes in Massachusetts. They,
from conscientious motives, doubtless, but in some
instances from cowardice, had deserted their posts of
duty, and were unable to understand the motives of
any clergyman who did not desert his parish. In a
THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 159
measure to justify themselves, they were vrilling to
give credence to every rumor affecting the motives and
acts of Bass. The society was informed, principaUy by
Dr. Caner, Mr. Weeks, and Mr. Clark, drawing their
inferences from vague reports given by captains of
vessels that had been in the harbor of Newburyport,
that Bass was an active participant in the Revolution.
These accusations influenced the society in withholding
the salary of the missionary at Newburyport and con
sidering the place vacant. Bass and his friends, know
ing that these reports were false, endeavored time after
time to conrince the society that they were untrue, and
that, though he had remained in his parish, he had
vrisely abstained from any participation in political
affairs, except in so far as a state of revolution de
manded. The principal charges were : first, that as a chaplain
in one of her Majesty's regiments, he endeavored to
seduce the soldiers from their allegiance.
Second, that he was part owner in a privateer vessel
that depredated on English commerce.
Third, that he read the Declaration of Independence
in his church.
Fourth, that he preached a sermon in favor of a
coUection for rebel soldiers.
Fifth, that he kept all the Fasts and Thanksgivings
appointed by Congress.
Concerning the first two charges, there is not a
particle of eridence. They were mere vague rumors
originating from nowhere.
Concerning the third charge, it is admitted that Bass

160 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
did not read the Declaration ; but possibly the clerk of
the parish may have read it.
The origin of the fourth charge and its refutation
is given by Mr. BaUey, the missionary who happened
to be present on the occasion when the collection in
question was taken up. He says : " Mr. Bass deshed
me to preach, but I refused, assuring him that I would
never dehver a charity sermon for clothing the rebel
soldiers. This I repeated to Mr. Weeks, but as nearly
as I can remember Mr. Bass gave us a general discourse
without descending to particulars, or even mentioning
the occasion of the Solemnity."
The last charge was true, for Bass always opened his
church on the occasions referred to.
The charges were refuted over and over again by
competent witnesses, men who were on the ground and
knew what they were talking about, but the society
never so much as notified Bass that there were any
charges made against him, but abruptly refused and
continued to refuse, to recognize him as a missionary.
Parker, of Trinity, wrote in refutation : " The Report
you mention you may depend upon it is groundless.
If the Society have dismissed him because he carried on
the service by omitting the Prayers for the Eang they
have as to that been rightly informed, if for any other
reason their information has certainly been groundless
and must have been given through mahce or envy." *
His own wardens wrote : " We can assure the Society
that there is not the least Ground for any such reports,
and that his political Character is the reverse of what it
hath been represented to them." ^
1 Historical Collections of Colonial. Ch. Mass., p. 615. ^ Ibid., p. 620.

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 161
Bass felt very keenly the misrepresentation of his
accusers and the injustice of the action of the sooiety,
not only because of the loss of his salary, but because
he had not been duly informed of the state of his case.
His letters wiU make clear these points that have been
discussed. EDWARD BASS TO DR. MORICE.
Newbury Port N. England Octob. 30"i 1781
Rev° Dr, — I am just return'd from a journey of
about an hundred miles into the Province of New
Hampshire, and tho' I find by an Abstract of the
Society's proceedings printed two or three years ago
that I am cut off the List of their Missionaries, (for
what reason I am stUl to learn) yet I cannot resist the
inclination I feel to give that venerable & Charitable
Body the agreeable information that our Church in
creases much in credit & reputation among the gener
ahty of the People where I have been, tho' consisting
of a variety of Sects, some of them very wild & enthu-
siastick. Besides other ecclesiastical Duties in my
above mentioned Town, I baptized about sixty children
& Adult Persons, near half the number at Holderness,
a new Town consisting of Church of England People,
where in the course of a very few years there wUl be a
sufficient Living for a Minister. The People long for
the time when they may be supply'd with one, & are
disposed to do every thing in their power for his sup
port. Since my last of June 1780 I have baptized
Fifty three chUdren, married Twenty seven couple, &
buried eleven Persons. I beg, Sir, to learn from the

162 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Society the occasion of my being discarded by them,
that if it be owing to a disapprobation of my Conduct
these unhappy Tunes ; I may have an opportunity of
vindicating myself, & of endeavouring at least to make
it appear to their satisfaction that I have been misre
presented to them. The times have made it very expen
sive hring here, & tho' some few of my People who
have it in their power have shewed me much kindness,
yet I find it difficult to subsist, indeed not possible,
vrithout running in debt.
I am yr most obed* hum*° serv* Edward Bass.
The Rev"? Dr Morice. TO THE SAME.
Nevtbury Port N. England Feb. 27'? 1782.
Rev? D^ — Since my last of Octob. 30*." 1781 1 have
seen a Letter from the Rev'! M"". Walter of New York
to a Friend in Boston containing the f oUomng Para
graph. " I wrote M'. B some time ago & flatter'd him that
his affairs were in a good way with the Society, but
by Letters lately received, I find the Society has been
informed of some matters so much to his injury, that
they do not appear disposed to restore him at present.
They have been informed that he should say in the be
gianing of these troubles, that it was a matter of indif
ference whether he pleas'd them or not, for whatever
they could deprive him of, would be amply made up by
his Parishioners."
This is as false as God is true. I find I have secret

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 163
enemies (God knows how they came to be so) who are
set upon ruining my character & reputation with those
upon whose good opinion I set the highest value. As to
the loss of the Society's salary's being made up to me
by my Parishioners, I was always sensible it could not.
Some of them indeed have shewn me much kindness ;
but the Times are very hard upon them. Taxes exceed
ing high, Trade weU nigh ruined &c so that, in short,
I plainly find I cannot subsist here much longer with
any tolerable decency without the Society's usual aUow
ance. But were my Parishioners ever so able & wiUing
to support me, this I can sincerely and solemnly affirm,
that I have no principles either civU or rehgious which
lead me to displease the Society : and this has been too
weU known here these Times for my quiet or comfort.
If, however, the foregoing or any other Reports should
continue to influence the Society to my prejudice, I
make not the least doubt but they vriU be so just to me
as to let me know, who my false Accuser is. So, con
scious of my innocence, I vriU be bold to caU him who
ever he is.
I remain, y"^ most obed* hum*^ serv* Edward Bass.
Rev? D^ Morice London, TO THE SAME.
Newbury Port N. England March 15'!' 1782.
Rev? Dr, — Since the seahng of the Letter which
accompanies this, I have seen another Letter from New
York in which the writer says vrith respect to me as
foUows,

164 LLFE OF BISHOP BASS.
" Some Person pretending to be well acquainted vrith
him has represented him to the Society in such a man
ner that it is almost hazarding one's reputation to ap
pear for him. However as the cause of truth & rirtue
wUl in the long run commonly prevail, I do not mean
to be intimidated by opposition, & tUl I can be con
vinced he is the Person he has been represented to
them, I shall not cease endeavouring to convince them
that he has been misrepresented. It has been affirmed
to them that he has been a favourer of  that he
received (i. e. as I suppose the meaning to be, read) the
declaratory Act of Independence in his Church, that he
preached a sermon for the cloathing a certain Battahon,
& opens his church on aU Days appointed by  "
AU these charges against me are absolutely false,
except the last, viz opening the Church on Days ap
pointed by the present Powers. This I have done at
the repeated Request of my Parishioners, who re
presented to me the danger the Church, if shut up on
Such Days, would be in of being demohshed : & consid
ering the spirit, or rather frenzy of the People, I reaUy
believe that was too hkely to have been the consequence.
I therefore tho't it prudent to comply with their Re
quest, & opened it ; & I flatter myself that upon those
occasions I did no harm at aU to good order & govern
ment. However, I did nothing in opening the Church
on said Days, but what, if I am not much misinformed,
other Clergymen & Missionaries who remain in the
country have done without being found fault with, as
far as I have been able to learn. If the Society shaU
think proper to caU for them, I am ready to produce

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 165
Witnesses in abundance of the falsity of all those
charges that, I hear, have been exhibited against me,
which are of that pubhck nature as to be capable of
being proved to be false, except that one which I have
now mentioned, &, I hope, in some measure at least,
apologized for. I should be exceeding happy to know
the Society's mind as to this matter.
I remain, Rev^ Dr, yr most obed* hum'^ Serv*
Edward Bass.
Rev° Dr Morice. TO SAMUEL HALE.
Newbuky P? N, England Nov, 6'? 1782,
Dear S**, — You see what trouble your kind atten
tion to my affairs has brought you into ! it emboldens
me to ttouble you this once more at least. Since my
last (wi" I presume you have rec'!) I have heard it men
tioned as a complaint exhibited against me to the So
ciety, that I had preached a charity sermon in favour
of the American soldiers, exciting them to Acts of hos
tihty against his Majesty ; the meaning of which I am
utterly at a loss to know, not being able to recoUect
any circumstance or occurrence that might give occasion
to such a report, unless it be the following. In a year
or two after the beginning of these troubles, when the
distresses of the poor among us began to be very great,
many of them almost naked, it was proposed here to
have a Collection for the poor of the Town in general,
among whom were probably included the Families of
some Persons in the American Army ; (probably, I say,
for I am not now certain as to that circumstance) and

166 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
the Ministers of the Town were desired to acquaint
their respective Parishioners when the CoUection was to
be made. I did accordingly mention to my People, in
the course of a charity sermon preached the next Sun
day morning, the said proposal for a coUection & the
time when it was to be made, but without saying a
word either then or at any other time concerning Amer
ican Soldiers. This is the whole of the matter, & it
might possibly be misrepresented & misreported from
one to another tUl it got to be a very criminal affair.
Your Benevolence wiU lead you to make a proper use of
this, if there should be occasion.
I am yr very obhged hum'® ser* Edward Bass.
Sam¥' Hale Esq^
P. S. Be so kind as to dehver the inclosed to the
Society unless Governor Wentworth has dehvered one
of the same Tenor. —
Bass did not let the matter drop untU he had ex
hausted every resource. He even wrote a letter to Mr.
Weeks, asking for a definite statement from him : —
Sir, — I learn that you have been my accuser to the
Society, and beg it as a favour that you would let me
know the articles of the charge as you aUedged against
me and the eridence you produced in support of these
aUegations. Your obedient servant Edward Bass.

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 167
To this note he received a curt reply that is by no
means favorable to Mr. Weeks's character when it
is known now how prominent a part he took as an
accuser : —
Rev*' Sir, — I had a hne from you a few days ago.
If you think so meanly of me as that I should turn
accuser, or so highly of me as that I should have more
credit with the Society than yourself you greatly wrong
me. I assure you I am not admitted to any of their
secrets. I am Sir, your humble servant
J. WmcATE Weeks.'
Bass, desiring to have his final word, and to expose
to Englishmen the secret methods of the society, and
to justify himself before the world, published a pam
phlet in England caUed "A Brief Account of the
Treatment which Mr. Bass, late Missionary from The
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Parts at Newburyport, New England, Hath Received
from said Society, Drawn up by Himself with Remarks
upon particular Parts of it and addressed to the impar
tial pubhc." He selected an apt text from Ecclesiasticus
xix. 13, 14, 15 : " Admonish a Friend, it may be he
hath not done it. Admonish thy Friend it may be he
hath not said it. Admonish a Friend for many Times
it is a Slander and beheve not every tale."
The " Brief Account " sets forth his principal griev
ance as foUows : —
1 CoU. Prot. Epis. His. Soc, vol. ii. p. 201.

168 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
" After having been employed by the Society for
more than twenty years as their Missionary, I found
myself, some time during the late troubles and confu
sions in America, cut off their hst of Missionaries, the
reason of which I have never been able to learn with
any kind of certainty.
" The reports concerning me were various. Divers
articles of charge against me of a pohtical nature, were
brought to my ears from various quarters; some of
them too absurd and improbable to deserve notice.
Among other things it was said that I manifested a
disrespect to the Society, by saying I did not care
whether I pleased or displeased them by my pohtics,
for that I could be supported without them — that I
read the declaration of independence publicly in my
church — that I preached a sermon exhorting my hearers
to contribute hberaUy towards clothing the American
army, and that I kept the fasts appointed by the con
gress. ... I never denied that I generaUy opened my
church on the forementioned fast days, though not in
consequence of the orders and commands of any unlaw
ful powers whatever ; none of whose papers or procla
mations I ever once read in public but at the desire of
my congregation, who represented it as necessary in
order to preserve the church from destruction. In
taking the pains already mentioned to vindicate myself,
I went upon the supposition of my standing charged
vrith some pohtical misdemeanor, but whether this were
the case or not I am still to learn ; for ought I know
to the contrary I may have been accused to the Society
of some gross and scandalous immorahties which made

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 169
them judge me unworthy of being continued in their
service." *
"It must be no small surprise to Britons to hear
that an Enghsh Society should condemn and punish a
man in this clandestine manner, and remind them of a
certain odious court in some parts of Europe, to which
the Society would I suppose, think it a disgrace to be
compared ; but it is a certain fact, that by concealing
from me what I was accused of, they never gave me an
opportunity, or put it in my power to make any defence
that I could rely upon as being to the purpose. Had
they had the power of inflicting some greater penalty
upon their Missionaries, even capital punishment, what
could have hindered their proceeding in the same secret
manner against any person so unfortunate as to have
faUen under an accusation before them ? " ^
Since old traditions are very persistent and eneinies
have descendants who take dehght in repeating exploded
accusations, it may be weU to show how Bass's attitude
was appreciated by his contemporaries and others ca
pable of judging. Dr. Morss says : " He suffered on
account of a conscientious adherence to what he con
sidered his duty. The consequences of this compliance
on the part of the minister were the quieting of un
easiness among dissatisfied members, and the uninter
rupted performance of public worship agreeably to the
rites and ceremonies of the Episcopal Church during
the turbulent scenes of the revolution." ^ One of the
accomplished historians of Newburyport advances the
' Bass, A Brief Account, pp, 4, 5,
a Ibid,, p. 9,
8 Morss, Succinct History of the Episcopal Ch, Newburyport, pp, 22, 30.

170 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
opinion that " fortunately for the church worshipping at '
St. Raid's the arguments of his enemies prevaUed, and
the Society refused him aU further aid, and he was
thus thrown on the generosity of his parishioners who
rightly estimated his character as a man, a scholar and
a dirine, and gave him a cordial support." *
During the stirring times of the Revolution, Edward
Bass was faithful to the regular duties of his office and
occasionaUy took part in matters of more than parochial
concern. In 1779, he was invited to preach before
St. John's Lodge of Masons of Newburyport on St.
John Evangelist's Day. He, being a Mason, accepted
the inritation, and dehvered the sermon in St. Paul's
Church, which was afterwards pubhshed with this dedi
cation : —
To the Right Worshipful Nath* Tracy Esq : Master
The Worshipful George Jenkins and John Tracy War
dens ; and the rest of the Brethren of the Ancient and
Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons, of St.
Johns Lodge in Newburyport. This Sermon preached
and published at their request is inscribed,
By their affectionate Brother
And humble servant Edward Bass.
The sermon contains many passages of beauty, some
of epigrammatic power, and others which reveal some
thing of the heart of the preacher. Appropriate to
the day and the company to be addressed he took as
* Smith, History of Newburyport, p. 373.

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 171
his subject, " The Character of the beloved Disciple,"
and based upon it a stiong plea for Christian love.
The following selections are worth preserring as
specimens of the spirit and mind of Edward Bass, and
are messages across the century to those who care for
spiritual things. EXTRACTS PROM SERMON.
Were I to express the sum and substance of the
rehgion of Jesus Christ by any one word, that word
would be love ; and Jesus would bear me out in it, . . .
and so would his Apostle who says, that love is the ful
fiUing of the law.
This noble, this Godhke principle it was which in
duced the grand architect to make the world that he
might diffuse and communicate happiness to the num
berless inhabitants thereof, rational and irrational,
according to the different tastes and capacities.
The Apostle says, " For a good man some woidd
even dare to die," — for a good man : i. e. for a humane,
kind, and obliging man.
He did enjoin it upon his foUowers to love one an
other, making love the very badge by which they
should be known to belong to him.
When we consider his (God's) necessary existence,
his eternity, his immensity, and some of his other
attributes, we are amazed and confounded. But love
removes the superstitious awe and dread we are apt to
have of him.
It is impossible for those who walk in darkness, i. e.

172 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
ignorance and rice, to have feUowship with that light.
No spiritual jargon this ! No enthusiastic, uninteUigible
cant, but a piece of sound, substantial divinity, which
is weU suited to our nature, whether considered as
human, social, or spiritual ; and which he hath reduced
to most plain and obvious principles of social virtue,
referring it to the main Christian precept of brotherly
love. Can you, my brethren, be content only to pass among
the crowd of Christ's disciples without aspiring to be
his favorites ?
We must be uncommonly hind, benevolent, and good-
natured. Some men there are who cannot be denied to have
many virtues, and yet they have a so disagreeable way
of exercising them, that they do not appear at aU to
advantage. They are good, but not amiable.
You may as weU expect to get acquainted with the
world only by reading books of travels and voyages as
to learn the lesson of love from books of morahty, or
even from that dirine book, the Bible.
There are means to be used in order to produce it
(love) ; one of which, and that a principal one, I take
to be society and conversation. Love must grow from
frequent intercourse and fellowship. There is many
times nothing wanting to remove prejudice and ill-will
but an opportunity for men to see and imderstand each
other ; by which they wiU quickly perceive that they
are not such monsters as perhaps they have been repre
sented to one another at a distance.

THE CHURCHES DURING THE REVOLUTION. 173
Bass, hke his predecessor Plant, noticed the pecuhari
ties of natural phenomena, and found a solace, doubt
less, in turning from more serious duties to record the
strangeness of what has been known in New England
history as " The Dark Day," May 19, 1780, when the
darkness was so dense that candles had to be hsfhted in
every house, and the cocks in the hen-yard set up a
crowing, thinking that midnight had come : —
May 19, 1780.
This day, the most remarkable in the memory of
man for darkness. For a week or ten days the air had
been very thick and heavy, which made the sun look
uncommonly red. On the morning of the nineteenth
the sun was visible for a short time very early, but was
soon overcast, and very black clouds were seen to rise
suddenly and very fast from the west, the wind, what
there was of it (tho' hardly enough to move the leaves
on the trees), at the southwest. The forementioned
clouds mixing with the vast quantities of smoke, occa
sioned by a general burning of the woods, caused, in
the opinion of many, this unusual alarming darkness,
which began about twenty minutes before eleven o'clock,
A. M., and lasted the whole day, tho' not equally dark
aU the time. It was the darkest from about twelve to
one o'clock. Afterwards there was a larger glim at
the horizon, which made it somewhat hghter. It was,
however, at the hghtest, darker, I think, than a moon-
hght night. The sky had a strange, yellowish, and
sometimes reddish appearance. The night following
was the darkest I remember to have seen, tUl about

174 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
midnight, when a small breeze sprung up from the
north or northwest, upon which it soon began to grow
hght. At Falmouth, Casco Bay, it was not dark at aU.
Upon Piscataqua River, Berwick, Dover, and so forth,
it was very rainy (very little of which we had seen
here, which feU a little before it began to grow dark),
but not uncommonly dark, as I am told by a person
who traveled there that day. I hear of the darkness
as far as Danbury, in Connecticut. It did not extend
to North River. The forementioned darkness was no
doubt occasioned by an unusual concurrence of several
natural causes, but to pretend fuUy and clearly to
account for it, argues perhaps too great confidence.*
Thus, with much anxiety and privations, but, withal,
assured of the affection of his people, Edward Bass
passed through the stormy days of the Revolution, and
preserved his church as an important corner-stone on
which to buUd the Episcopal Church in Massachusetts.
Samuel Parker, at Trinity Church, Boston, had pursued
the same wise pohcy, and he also was prepared to take
a noble part in the organization of the parishes in the
Commonwealth and of the church at large throughout
the independent States.
1 Bishop Bass's Manuscripts; Coffin's History of Newbury, p. 257.

CHAPTER vn.
ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION.
The documents bearing upon the attitude of Edward
Bass during the Revolution, and his attempts to gain a
fair consideration of his case by the society, are pre
served in London in the archives of the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. They
have been specially copied for these pages ; and, being
of historical value, are reproduced here in f uU : —
TO DR. MORICE.
Newbury Port N, England Jan, 9'? 1784
Rev" Dr, — I am sorry to trouble you with any more
of my letters, but cannot help obserring to you the
singularity of my Fate in being a sufferer on both
sides, here for my Loyalty, vrith you for the contrary,
without being a Trimmer. When the late rebellion
commenced, I preserved as firm & unshaken loyalty to
his Majesty & attachment to the British Government as
was consistent with my remaining in the country,
whereof I have given to the Society aU the proof that
I thought to be requisite, haring exhibited ample Testi
monials in my favour, not only from my Wardens, but
also from some of the most respectable characters &
noted Loyalists in the Capital of Newhampshire about
twenty mUes distant from me, who, without any solhci-

176 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
tation of mine, made me a voluntary tender of their
Serrice, not to mention the testimony of Sundry refugee
Loyahsts now in London who resided in this town &
perfectly knew my character & conduct : Notwithstand
ing which the Society has thought proper to distinguish
me by uncommon marks of neglect & displeasure.
When they were pleased to strike me off their hst of
Missionaries, they left me to vindicate myself against I
knew not what, & to pick up the Articles I was charged
with here & there, by accident, & from common report ;
& I took much pains to exculpate myself before I was
accused, which, I flatter myself, was the only sign of
guilt I had. The articles against me which have come
to my knowledge in the above mentioned way, are, that
being a Chaplain in one of his Majesty's Regiments I
endeavoured to seduce the soldiers from their aUegiance,
that I have said, I did not care whether I pleased or
displeased the Society, for that my Parishioners were
able & wilhng to support me, that I read the Declara
tion of Independence in my Church, that I preached a
sermon exhorting my Hearers to contribute hberaUy
towards cloathing the rebel Army, and that I observed
the Fasts appointed by the Congress. AU these Charges
I absolutely deny except the last, for I do not, nor ever
did deny that I did generally open my Church on those
Fasts, tho' not in consequence of the Orders or com
mands of an rebel Powers whatever, none of whose
Papers or Proclamations I ever read in pubhck but of
the apphcation & earnest desire of my congregation
who represented it as necessary in order to preserve the
Church from destruction, such was the spirit or Frenzy

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 177
of People in general at that time. It was, I can truly
say, with reluctance that I complied, nor was I singular
in this practice, several Missionaries who remained in
the Country, & who stand weU with the Society, having,
if I am not much misinformed, done the same. Some
of the Missionaries & others who quitted the Country
were extreamly prejudiced against us who staid behind
& kept our churches open, & were, I doubt, too ready
to hearken to any reports against us. Mr. Weeks of
Marblehead, I remember, charged me to my face with
praying pubhckly for the Congress, which with the
strictest truth I absolutely deny'd. I know not however
whether he beheved me, or made this an Article of
charge against me to the Society. You will aUow me.
Sir, to express my feelings of the Society's neglect of
me. Had there been no means of correspondence dur
ing the War, I should not have thought much of it, but
I had the mortification of knowing that others were
noticed, & particularly of hearing a letter from the
Society to the Rev'! Mr Parker of Boston who is no
Missionary, read. Thanking him for looking after some
Interest of theirs in his Neighbourhood. If there be
any merit in this I can lay claim to the same, being
able to shew the Society's letter of thanks to me for
my attention to their landed Interest in Newhampshire.
I have had two protested BiUs lately returned upon my
hands, of fifty pounds each, the one drawn upon Mess"
Hoare & C° whereof I gave adrice to the Society, the
other upon the Society's Treasurer; the Disappoint
ment great, not to mention the charges of Protest to
one who has nothing to pay. Two lines of advice to

178 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
me would have prevented this. I am not ignorant that
the Society has power to relinquish any Mission when
ever they judge proper, but that they should discard a
Missionary upon an allegation of misdemeanor, a Mis
sionary of long standing, depending upon their salary,
& daily incurring expences upon a fuU expectation of
continuing to receive it, without giving him the least
Notice, or any chance of vindicating himself, is, to say
the least of it, an unexampled method of proceeding, &
such as must imply some very atrocious crime fuUy
proved. I must beg it of the Society either to let me
know what proof of my innocence wUl be sufficient,
or that no proof whatever will avail me ; or, if they
refuse me this, at least to do me the common act of
justice to let me know who are my Accusers, & what
the nature of my crime or crimes, for whatever becomes
of my Liring, I am determined to clear up my charac
ter in point of loyalty to my late Sovereign, which,
thank God, I can easily do, as the forementioned things
charged against me (if indeed they are the things)
could not be done in a Corner. I hope that by a
speedy answer to this you will prevent the necessity of
my giving you or myself any further trouble in this
way. Such an answer concerns me much also as it is
high time for me to look out for myself. When the
late Mr Serjeant of Cambridge fled from his DweUing
on account of the Tumults in that part of the Countiy,
with such of his effects as he could carry with him,
Cudworth's System, part of the Society's Library at
that Mission came to my hands, where it now remains ;

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION, 179
it shaU be disposed of according to the Society's
directions. I remain. Sir, yr most obed* hum*° serv* Edward Bass.
TO the same.
Newbury Port N. England June 21" 1784
Rev? Dr, — Presuming that you are not at hberty to
answer my letters as Secretary to the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel, I apply myself to you as to
a private Gentleman. In a letter of yours which I have
seen of July 12*? 1782 to theRev^ Mr Parker of Boston
is the foUowing paragraph,
"I had almost forgotten to add that you are mis
taken about ]Mr. Bass, there were sufficient grounds
for what the Society have done, which I need not now
explain, but only assure you that it was not in conse
quence of any mahcious reports from enemies to him."
Now, Sir, as you are perfectly acquainted with the
grounds of the Society's proceedings against me, &
know who is my Accuser, it is my earnest request to
you that you would communicate these things to me,
which I wish to know for no worse purpose than to be
able to exculpate myself, & to make the way clear for
a Settlement, should an opportimity offer, among those
of his Majesty's Subjects with whom my character now
labours on account of my disgraceful dismission from
the Society's Serrice. in fuU expectation of your com
pliance with this request
I remain yr most obed* hum'f serv' Edward Bass.

180 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
TO THE SAME.
Sir, — I have lately received the inclosed Letter and
Certificate, and in conformity to the request of Mr.
Bass, who I beheve to be a very worthy Missionary, I
request your favor in presenting them to the venerable
Society. Mf Wentworth and Mf Jaffray, the Gentlemen who
sign the certificate, have been steady & uniform mem
bers of the Church of England, from its first estab
hshment in New-Hampshire, and are unexceptionably
respectable in their whole Characters, that their testi
mony may safely be rehed on.
I am with due respect
Sir, your most obed? serv*
J. Wentworth.
Hammersmith, June 11'? 1783.

TO JOHN wentworth, ESQ., LONDON.
Newbury Port N. England
Nov 7'} 1782.
SiB, — This begs the fav' of you to present the
inclosed to the Society for the propagation of the
Gospel in foreign parts, which vriU be adding a fresh
obligation to the many that you have heretofore con
ferred upon Yr most obed* hum*.* serv*
Edward Bass
Who wishes aU health & happiness
to you & yrs.

attitude of bass DURING THE REVOLUTION. 181
[Certiflcate,] Portsmouth New Hampshire
New England Octob; 22". 1782.
Whereas it hath been represented to the Subscribers,
that in these times of confusion & tumult, various
reports have been carried to the society for the propaga
tion of the Gospel in foreign parts, dis-advantageous to
the Character of the Rev'? Mf Bass their Missionary at
Newbury-Port, respecting his Loyalty. We do chear
fully embrace this opportunity of assuring the Society,
that there is not the least ground for any such reports,
hut that on the contrary, he hath demeaned himself in
aU respects as became a good subject of the King,
unless his omitting his Majesty and Royal Family in
the Liturgy be reckoned an exception. We live in the
Neighbourhood of Mf Bass & are acquainted with him
and his affairs, & are therefore in this respect weU
quahfied to give our Testimony in his favour. What
our qualifications are in other respects, & what credit is
due to our testimony, the Society may learn from
Governor Wentworth who is one of their Body & now
resides in London.
Mark H". Wentworth.
Geo : Jaffrey.
[Certificate,]
Whereas we the Subscribers have been informed, that
in these Times of trouble & confusion various reports
have been carried to the Society for the Propagation of
the Gospel in foreign parts dis-advantageous to the
Character of the Rev'? Mf Bass their Missionary in this
place, respecting his Loyalty, We can assure the Society

182 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
that there is not the least ground for any such reports
and that his political Character is the reverse of what it
hath been represented to them.
John Wall \ Wardens of St. Pauls
>¦ Church, —
Wf Morland J Newbury port
Newbury port New England October 14'.'' 1782.
[Certificate.]
I WUham MiUer, late Deputy Collector of his Ma
jesty's Customs at Newbury port in New England, de
clare that I have been personaUy & intimately acquainted
with the Rev**. Mf Bass of Newbury port aforesaid, the
Society's Missionary there, from the very beginning of
the revolt in North America, tiU the month of May
1776, when I left that countiy — that I have had fre
quent & repeated conversations with Mf Bass on the
subject in dispute between Great Britain & her Colo
nies, & that I have always found him a steady friend
to his Majesty's government — that he was notoriously
& universally so esteemed — and that he has suffered
insults for such attachment — That his sermons breathed
such a spirit of moderation & obedience to government,
that he lost some of his most wealthy parishioners
thereby — That if he had had the least inchnation
towards the Rebels or their cause, hving in his house as
I did for above a year before I left the country, I must
have discovered it. On the contrary, I always found
him zealously attached to the King's person & Govern
ment ; and I have every reason to conclude he stiU con
tinues in the same disposition —
William Miller.
Glasgow May 5* 1783.

attitude of bass DURING THE REVOLUTION, 183
Sworn to before me One of His Majestys Justices of
the Peace for the County of Lanark.
John Alston Jun^ J. P.
[Certificate,]
I Henry Atkins, late Weigher & gauger of His
Majestys Customs at Newbury Port in New England,
declare that from the year 1772 to Apr? 1778 during
which time I was intimately acquainted with the Rev? Mf
Bass of said Newbury Port, and am weU satisfied tUl said
AprU 1778 when I left said Newbury Port that the said
Mf Bass was firmly attacht to the Constitution and Gov
ernment of Great Britain, and so Universally Esteemed
by aU that knew him, and on that account was obnox
ious to the people, and often Insulted which I was eye
Witness too a httle before I left the place, and that
several of his most Wealthy Parishioners left him on
account of his preaching moderation and Obedience to
Government, and on the day I left Newbury the 11*?"
AprU as above I had some conferrence vrith him, and it
appear'd to me he was strongly attacht to Governm? as
he always had been, and upon parting he express'd a
great desire to be with me, and have no other reason
but to think he stiU remains in the same Opinion.
Henry Atkins.
to dr. morice.
Rev? Sir, — Haring been called upon to say, what
was the public Report in the Massachusetts bay, about
the Loyalty of the Rev^ Edward Bass of Newbury port
an Episcopal Clergyman & a Missionary of the Society
for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign Parts —

184 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
I hereby inform you and all whom it may concern,
that from the beginning of the late Trouble in America
till the year 1777, when I left Salem, it was common
Fame, that the said Rev*? Mf Bass had complied with aU
measures of Congress and of the various Committees ;
That in consequence of it he had kept the Church open,
that he was applauded by the Rebels for his Conduct,
while the Rev'? Mf M": Gilchrist of Salem was condemned
for his, in not reading the Proclamations of the Con
gress and other rebel power Had his Church shut up,
and the People forbid aiding or assisting him with even
the necessaries of Life; That the s*? Mf Bass was
blamed by the Loyalists, and called a perjured man, and
a Rebel to the Church & King. Salem is twenty mUes
from Newbury port ; in the same county ; there my
FamUy was; but I resided chiefly at Ipswich, only
eleven miles from Newbury port, because I was in great
trouble myself, at Salem, on account of Loyalty, which
however prevented me of all personal Knowledge &
Intercourse vrith the said Mf Bass. I also believe it to
be certain that no Clergyman could open his Church in
the Massachusetts bay, who did not first satisfy the
Committees that he was friendly to the American grand
Cause ; and who did not by Words & Deeds prove him
self an Enemy to the Brittish. King & Nation — It was
said that Mf Bass and Mf Parker of Boston were the
only Clergymen who could open their Churches and I
believe it to be a truth — it was also said by the People
of Newbury port, after the Death of a CoU*! Framham,
the Town was purified ; and had not one Tory left in
it ; that it had not a Loyahst in the Town — said, Mf

ATTITUDE OP BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 185
Bass however was at that time living in that Town
without any Insults, or molestation, that I ever heard
of, in those times ; and tUl I arrived in England.
I am Rev'? Sir your most obedient & most humble
Servant P. Frye.
Suffolk Street, Middlesex hospital
May 24. 1783.
[Endorsed — Colonel Frye, about Bass May 24. 1783.
Committees of Safety
 of Inspection
 of Correspondence.
at Newbury port.
Mf Frye Regf of the Court of Probates at Salem, in
Mf M-: GUchrist's Mission. Brother in law to Df Hol
yoke, Mf Fisher has now possession of Salem, & has got
the Societys hbrary & Mf M? GUchrist's. Col Frye
assured me that N. port was the most rebeUious place
even worse than Salem, and as M": G. could not hve in
quiet there, Mf Bass c'? not at N. P.
Mf Frye informed me that Mf Jaffrey — was a
Merchf & one of the CouncU in the interest of the
Congress. Peters assured me that this Jaffrey came down with
three boats in search of him, at Fort Wilham in N.
Hampshire, on the river Pis-cataquay —
Morland, a Scotch Pedlar, took an high part on Con
gress side — says Mf Frye —
George Meserve Esq : N"! 72 or 73 Union St. middle-
sex hosp? formerly CoUf of the port of pis-cataqua.
Wf Torrey Esqf late of Pis-cataqua now resident at
White horse Shepherds Bush.]

186 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
[Statement.]
To the Venerable Society for propagating the Gos
pel in foreign Parts —
Samuel Hale on behalf of Edward Bass one of the
Society's Missionaries settled at Newbury Port in New
England beg leave to state to the Society that he con
ceives the said Bass was dismissed from their service &
his Salary withheld upon representation made to that
Body that the said Bass had been disloyal & guUty of
acts manifesting disaffection to the British Government
& this Memoriahst further begs leave to add that after
being informed that the society had suice taken into
consideration Mf Bass's Case & have resolved that they
see no reason to rescind their first resolution respecting
Mf Bass or to that amount he would not trouble the
Society so far as to desire them to reconsider Mf Bass's
Case was he not conrinced he now can, & he flatters
himself that the present documents wUl carry irresistible
conriction not only of his Innocence respecting par
ticular charges brought against him, but also of his con
tinued & uninterrupted Integrity loyalty & sufferings
during the whole course of this unfortunate contest with
America & also that far from deserring Censure or pun
ishment Mf Bass merits reward. Mf Hale therefore
submits to the consideration of the Society the following
Testimonies & he does it with the more alacrity as some
of the Witnesses are on the spot & ready to answer any
Questions he therefore prays the Society would recon
sider Mf Bass's Case & He doubts not but the Society
wiU agree vrith him that Mf Bass ought to be restored.
Sam^. Hale.

attitude OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 187
[Account given me of Mf Hale. He was a Native
of Massachusetts near Salem. Educated at Cambridge
College Designed for a Dissenting Teacher ; but marry
ing an old rich Maiden, named Parker, Sister to the
Rev? Mf Parker of Boston, he became a Lawyer in
New-Hampshire. Headed & harangued the Mobs in the beginning of
the ti'oubles. Stood Candidate to be a Member of Con
gress in the years 1774, 5, 6, but lost it, SuUivan (after
wards a General) being chosen. Then he went Commis
sary from Congress to N. York for providing for Rebel
Prisoners. Then he went to France to Df Frankhn ex
pecting some place, but one Jonathan WiUiams, a cou
sin of Df Frankhn's was preferred. Then H  came
to England professed himself a Loyahst, & obtained a
pension from the British Government.]
REASONS FOR WITHDRAWAL OF SALARY.
Reasons humbly offered why those missionaries who
have left out the prayers for the King, Royal family &c
should not receive any Salary from the Society from
the time of their first doing it 'till they return back to
their duty & use the hturgy as they promised to do at
their ordination.
1. Because those people at whose request this was
done are generaUy rebels, both in principle & practice
& having amassed large fortunes by privateering are
able to give those clergymen that comply vrith them
very ample salaries & do actuaUy give them more than
they ever before received from the Society & people
boih together —

188 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
2. Because the people themselves at whose instance
this was done have not the least expectation & I beheve
not much desire that their Clergymen should be assisted
by the Society — And those Clergymen who have been
so compliant have told me, they did not expect the con
tinuance of the Society's bounty.
3. Because the loyal part of the episcopal Congrega
tions in America who ought chiefly to be consulted in
such cases chose rather that the Churches should be
entirely shut than that the service should be performed
vrith such a material omission as that of the prayers for
the King &c &c & than their minister vrithout express
leave from his Bishop should incur the reproach of act
ing contiary to his engagements at ordination.
4. Because altering the Serrice so materially is con
trary to their pubhc declaration at ordination ; contrary
to the 3 articles in the cannon which they subscribe ; &
in some respect contrary to their oath of allegiance ; for
if they own a King they ought to pray for him & for
aU that are in authority under him. And publickly
using the book of common prayer without using the
prayers for the King in their proper place is publickly
renouncing aUegiance to him —
5. Because unless the Society shew some disapproba
tion of those who have swerved from the plain path of
loyalty in their pubhc ministrations, others who have
refused to deriate from the path marked out by the
Church wUl be looked upon with an eril eye, as being
weak in their judgment & inattentive to the desires of
their people —
6. Because it wiU prove a very bad precedent, &

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 189
there is, I beheve, no Missionary, who if these things
are aUowed wUl not desire leave to return back to his
cure & be induced to carry on the Service as weU & as
profitably as he can —
It may be said.
They do not pray for the Congress — But on sup
position they leave out the prayers for the King, they
ought to pray for the Congress — because they ought
to praye for the higher powers, & there are none such
known in America except the King & the Congress —
But may they not publickly leave out a part of the ser
rice as justifiably as omit the whole ? By no means —
For we declare at ordination that whenever we are
caUed pubhckly to minister in the Church we wiU use
the hturgy &c. we do not promise to use it when we are
sick, when we are in prison, or when death is before us.
But may they not do much good by such compliance,
by keeping their people together &c &c Why a rob
ber may in the same manner justify the taking money
from a Miser, that he may do good with it — & the ril-
lain who swears falsely to save his friend may justify
his perjury on a hke principle of doing much good &c.
And if we once admit that we may do evil that good
may come, there is an end of all moral obhgation ; for
every moral duty may be explained away on this prin
ciple — In short, any person of common reflection wUl
look on those Clergymen & those Churches who have
omitted the prayers for the King & royal famUy as re
nouncing their dependence on the Society & as able to
support themselves.*
1 The unsigned document, of which this is a copy, is bound up with
the original correspondence relating to Mr. Bass.

190 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
State of the Eridence against Mf Bass who was dis
missed the Society's serrice on charges of improper &
disloyal beharior which originaUy gave offence to his
brethren. 1. The several Orders of the Board respecting Mf
Bass. At the Board of Jan. 1779 — Ordered that no more
bUls of Mf Robert BlackweU, Miss^ at Gloster & Water
ford be accepted, nor of Mf Bass, Missf at Newbury in
N. England.
N. This was grounded upon simdry representations
of the Clergy, Df Caner, Mf Troutbeck, Mf Weeks, Mf
Clarke & others.
2. At the Board Septf 1781. Agreed ia Opinion
that there does not appear to be sufficient evidence as
yet in favor of Mf Bass to induce the Society to reverse
their former decision. Resolved to agree with the
Committee. See Jo. 22. 350 Walter's Letter.
N. B. Mf Walter had given contradictory evidence.
Col. Gardiner & Peters had given me verbal proof of
Bass's disloyalty.
3. At the Board Novf 1782. Whereupon the
Comm^° having considered all the evidence respecting
Mf Bass they find that of the three charges alleged
against him that he had read Ye Declaration of Indep.
— preached a Sermon in favor of a Collection for rebel
Soldiers, & continued to keep all the Fasts & thanks-
girings appointed by Congress he has disproved the
First — that he preached generally without descending

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 191
to particulars, & the third he is stiU to be charged with.
They desire therefore to leave the decision of his case
to the Society
Resolved to postpone the consideration of this busi
ness respecting Mf Bass to a future Meeting
N. This was done by desire of the late ABp of
Cant? who was not present, & I was directed to apply
to Col. Gardiner.
At the next Board Decf 1782. M!^ Bass' Case was
again taken into consideration, & two authenticated
charges of disloyalty signed by persons of respectable
character, were read to the Board. Whereupon it was
Resolved that there does not appear to the Soc'! any
reason for rescinding the Resolve of a former Board,
respecting Mf Bass's dismission —
[Observations.]
Df Caner in a letter of July 15. 1775. writes thus.
Mf Bass has comphed perhaps too far with the Orders
of the Rebels.
Compare this with Col. Gardiners Letter. At this
time Mf Serjeant & Mf WiswaU were driven from their
Missions & Mf Weekes.
No notice was taken of this tiU Jan7 1779 when Mf
Bass was struck off the hst, after repeated assurances
from Clergy who came over from America of his dis
loyal principles
Mf Bass' Letters to the Soc^ He wrote Septf 29.
1773. March 25. 1774 in which he observes that nothing
material had occurred.

192 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
March 25, 1775. In which he says that his church
has suffered less than might have been expected.
Compare this with Df Caner's letter, as above.
Aug. 11, 1775. Mentions the general distress of the
country. He wrote May 3, 1776 by a Mf MiUer, to whom he
had sold his draft on the Society.
From that time the Society had no letter from him
tiU Novf 15, 1779. Two letters of that date came to
the Society, In which he takes no notice of his dismis
sion, which he probably knew of, — Writes that he had
omitted the prayers for the King & Royal family,
nothing having been required of him but that omission.
He likewise adds that he had drawn for no biUs for
three years, as he had no opportunity of disposing of
them, & knew not how soon the times might oblige him
to come to England. See page 61 — Mf Bass wrote
June I'f 1780, & affects a total ignorance & asks adrice
of the Soc''. See it among my papers,
2. How could Mf Bass have remained quietly in so
rebellious a place, (the other Miss'" in the Massachusets
being driven away) if he had made no other com-
phances ?
And why did aU the Clergy differ from him on that
account ?
When the abstracts of 1779 were received on the
other side, in which Mf Bass was left out, there was not
a single intimation of dissatisfaction. Df Inghs wrote
Novf 1779, & Mf Walter another letter of the same
date, & no mention of Bass. Mf Walter had wrote in
his favor & contradicted it soon after. See my papers.

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 193
N. The apphcation to get evidence in favor of Mf
Bass was from this country, not by order of ye Society.
See my Letter-book — to Col. Sheriff p. 78; to Mf
Walter p. 97.
Weekes & Clarke told me that they had personal con
versations with Bass, & that if their principles were
right & loyal, his were otherwise. Mf Troutbeck the
same. TO DR. MORICE. 23 Feb 1781
Reverend Sir, — In answer to your Request to be
Inform'd concernhig the Rev? Mf Bass, I must pre
viously observe to you, that his Residence in Massachu-
sets-Bay was about 50 miles from me, and therefore I
can't be suppos'd to be perfect in any InteUigence I can
give you of him or his Conduct.
What I have mention'd concerning him to my private
Friends, is partly founded on a Conference I had with
him, and partly on Report.
He did me the Honour to caU on me in the month of
June 1776, as he was passing that way; We soon
enter'd into Conversation on the Difficulties the Clergy
of the Church of England were expos'd to by the
RebeUion, when I was a httle surpriz'd (from the
Character he had hitherto sustain'd) to find him differ
in opinion from the united Sentiment of the Clergy of
that Prorince, (except Mf Parker of Boston) on the
Conduct that was proper for us to adopt, if we should
be requir'd by the rebel authority, to omit the Prayers
for the Kings Majesty &c.
It is impossible for me to recoUect the particulars

194 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
that pass'd, but this in general I remember, that he
spoke his mind to be for comphance with the People, in
all omissions that they should require, in order to keep
up pubhc worship, using the vulgar Proverb, that half
a Loaf was better than no bread. He also observ'd,
that the episcopal Clergy, in the time of the grand
RebeUion in England, did the same.
I rephed that whatever Instances were to be found
of that in those Times, it was to be consider'd that they
had their Bishops vrith them, from whom they might
receive Instructions from time to time, as the Exi
gency of affairs might require ; Which Circumstance,
I thought, made some Difference in the Case, and that
as the state of things was then with us, I did not think
we had a right to make any, the least alteration or
omission in the Liturgy, without the Direction of our
Diocesan. — What he said in reply I no not remember,
but I am sure it was nothing that satisfied me.
I told him, moreover, that I was engag'd the then
next Sunday to officiate at Scituate, where I intended to
read the Prayers for the Kings Majesty, vrith as distinct
and audible a voice as I could speak, tho' Mf Winslow
had been very roughly handled there by the Committee,
a few weeks before, for the same thing — He seem'd
to think that I was rather fool hardy than otherwise. —
However something different from Fear of the People
hinder'd my going there at that Time. —
It was sometime after this, if I do not mistake, that
Mf Graves of Providence, (who himself was fond
enough in aU Conscience of humouring the People, tiU
matters came to extremity) told me that he had receiv'd

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 195
a Letter from his Brother Bass, which surpriz'd him
very much, (because it appear'd so contrary to that
Spirit of Loyalty, which breath'd in his /ormer Letters,)
viz. that he, (Mf Bass,) at the Desire of the Wardens
and Vestry of his Church, had omitted the Prayers for
the Kings Majesty, Royal Family &c throughout the
Liturgy. Mf Graves made some pertinent Remarks at
the same time, which discover'd his own Firmness to
adhere to the Liturgy, without any Alteration or Omis
sion. —
" I also heard by various other Means that Mf Bass
omitted the Prayers obnoxious to the Rebels, read their
Proclamations, kept their Fasts, &c, &c, and finaUy, was
in all things Compliant, as far as requested."
Many things may have happen'd since the Time I
now refer to, to give Mf Bass other sentiments of the
matter, & to increase & confirm his Loyalty ; And I
wUl add, that from all I have heard or observ'd, I did
not, and do not imagine that he has any fixed principle
of Disaffection to the hritish Government, but that he
was inchn'd to secure an interest in popular Favour, in
case of a Revolution, with which perhaps he would be
equaUy easy ; And consequently, that he has, or had,
not that attachment to the aforesaid Government, and
Constitution of the Church of England, in all its parts,
as to endure the Loss of his Liring, or any suffer
ings in support of them. This was the opinion I had
form'd of him when I left Massachusets-Bay in the
year 1778.
And withal declare, that I have a very friendly feel
ing for Mf Bass, inasmuch as he has always conducted

196 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
himself laudably in his station, (unless what I have now
wrote should be thought an Exception,) and has been
always weU respected by his Parishioners, and his
Brethren in general. —
I am, Reverend Sir,
With Veneration & Esteem,
Your most Humble
and Obedf Servant W¥ Clark.
P. S. I have been very much engag'd since I re
ceiv'd your Commands, or I would have answer'd them
before, or have broken thro' all, had I conceiv'd it a
matter of immediate necessity. —
Furnival's Inn Coukt,
N?12.— Feb?23'?178L TO THE SAME. New Tokk Sep! 20? 1779
Reverend Sir, — You have greatly obhged me by
your kind Letter of March 20*? . . .
Permit me before I close to advert to a very interest
ing part of your Letter, you say that Miss''! BlackweU,
Bass, Macgaw are left out of this years Abstract for
their Disloyalty, two of these I only know by hearsay
& believe the Society have judged very rightly in their
Determinations to dismiss them, but the Other I know
too weU to suffer his Enemies to attempt his Ruin with
out exerting aU my Influence to hold him up. Mf Bass
is an old and intimate friend of mine, & from long
acquaintance I am bold to say, tho' the Society may
have Servants of more splendid Talents they have not
one more faithful or more devoted to their Interest;

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 197
nor our Sovereign a warmer well wisher in all his King
doms nor a better Subject. He cannot be a Rebel ; his
mind is too strong & his heart too good to be perverted
even by these viUainous & contagious Times, & yet
appearances may be agf him. WiU you permit me to
explain them ; as they have been explained to me ?
He has remained in the Rebel Country — his Church
is open — & he omits the Collects for the King & Royal
FamUy — But he has adopted no Prayer for the Powers
that be — he has taken no Oath of Fidelity to the
States — he has done no one thing in aid of the Rebel
hon — on the contrary, he opposed the Rebellion in its
first Rising with all the Steadiness that coud be ex
pected from a man of his mild & pacific Disposition —
when he was no longer permitted to use the Royal
CoUect he closed his Church, and it was closed for I
beheve a twelve month or more. At length impatient
under the long continuance of the War — distressed at
seeing his Parishioners weekly attending the Discourses
of the Dissenting Ministers which was generally of the
most treasonable kind — & at the same time soUicited
by many of his best Parishioners & Friends to resume
his Ministry & open his Church on the best Terms he
coud, that the Loyal, the peaceable, & the moderate
might enjoy the Sabbaths & the Service of Our Church
as near to its perfection as the Times woud permit. He
on the whole thought it justifiable to comply vrith his
Friends soUicitations ; & he has at present a small but
respectable Congregation chiefly of Loyahsts who keep
themselves pure & wait w*? patience for the happy Time
when they shaU see the authority of their Sovereign

198 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
restored & w'f it, the Church serrice intire. This is aU
his Crime ; & this it seems his Enemies have represented
to the Society in such Colours as to induce a Behef of
his Disloyalty, & to occasion their Treating him as an
Enemy, but I flatter myself this Representation that I
have given wUl restore him their favour ; & an equal
knowledge of JfT Earl of North Carohna be the cause
of removing him for ever from their serrice.
I am Sir Your Obedf Serv* & Friend
W. Walter.
TO THE SAME.
Dear Sir, . . . had I not said so much on the Sub
ject of Mf Bass I woud just add that haring stated to
Mf Parker of Boston the whole Charge lying ag? Mf B.
he assures me that the whole is false scandolous &
malicious. & a Gentleman of perfect Veracity (Cap*
Packer) is now here who teUs me that he is intimately
acquainted w?" Mf Bass, is astonished to think that any
Intimation can be given agf him of Disloyalty, &
respecting that part particularly of his reading the
Declaration Act of Indepency he was at Newbury port
just after that Act was Circulated & Mf Bass told him
that he had been requested to read it in his Church but
that he had positively refused it saying he was no
Herald to publish the Proclamations of War, if the
ffigh Sheriff or the Clerk of the Church were dis
posed to read it he coud not prevent it, but woud have
nothing to do w^ it himself, & Cap* Packer is positive it
never was read there by any one.
This Evidence is so pointed that I coud not without

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 199
Injustice to my valuable friend omit laying it before
you for the Information of the Society whose wish I
am sure it must be to get all the Information they
possibly can respecting their Servants in America. . . .
With great respect I am
Dear Sir
Your most Obed* Serv.'
& faithful Brof W. Walter.
THE STATE OF THE EPISCOPAL CHUROHES
In the Province of Massachtisetts-bay, NewJiampshire, &c.
The Church at Newbury-port is much in the same
state in which it hath been for some years past. Upon
the declaration of Independence M" Bass was persuaded
to leave out the prayers for the King &c &c. By this
comphance hef expected to make great acquisitions to
his flock but he was disappointed. For this indeed his
people have greatly increased his salary, but he hath by
it lowered himself in the esteem even of the rebels
themselves. There is scarcely one loyal person in that
rebeUious town.
[Endorsed. State of Churches 1778
Weeks complains of Bass
Not one loyalist in Newbury Port.]
TO DK. MORICE.
Reverend Sir, — Being desirous to give you aU the
information I can concerning the Missionaries abroad, I
now acquaint you from my own knowledge, that Mf
Bass of Newbury Mf Parker of Boston & Mf Wheeler

200 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
of Providence (the two last not in the Society's serrice)
have in their public ministrations constantly left out the
prayers for the King, Royal Family &c since the declara
tion of Independence.
Mf Bass went so far as to preach a sermon exhorting
his hearers to give their money hberaUy for cloathing
the rebel Soldiers &c Mf Baily Missionary at Pownal-
boro' my Brother in law was present on the occasion &
heard the sermon; I did hkewise hear & have good
reason to believe that he prays hkewise for the Congress
but I cannot assert this from my own knowledge having
never conversed vrith him upon the subject.
I am Rev? Sir
Your most obhged & faithful servant
Jo. Wingate Weeks.
London, Jan? 21, 1779. TO THE SAME. Newbury poet May 3? 1784
Rev? D^, — By the Abstracts of the Society for the
propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts it appears
that the Venerable society for a Number of years past
have Considered their Mission in this place as Vacant,
Mf Bass has been constantly resident here since his first
appointment, and not withstanding the difficulties to
which the Churches in general have been subjected in
America during the late Tumults & Troubles — The
Church in this place has been open during the war
vrithout interruption.
Mf Bass'! parishioners have been at a Loss to Conjec
ture why this Mission hath been Considered as Vacant
with a Resident Mission'y. But have lately to their no

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 201
small Surpriz been inform'd that the venerable Society
have been induced to this measure in consequence of
the foUowing Charges alledged against Mf Bass — Viz,
1"? That at the Commencement of the dispute between
Great Britain & the Colonies, Mf Bass practised with
the Bang's Soldiers to seduce them from their aUegiance
and to perswade them to join the Colonists.
2^^ That he has manifested a disregard for The
Venerable society hy declaring that the Societys SaUary
was not an object with him as he could Depend upon
his parish to support him.
3diy ^]jat he read in his Church the Declaration of
Independence pubhshed by the American Congress.
^thy fpjjat he preached a Charity Sermon to Cloath
the American Army — 5^'^ That he Discovered a readi
ness to Open his Church on the Fast days appointed by
the ConoTess.
To aid the representation of truth and to Vindicate
the Character of Mf Bass from such groundless imputa
tions, we the subscribers Wardens of his Church do for
ourselves & also in the name of the Church, declare
that so far as it is possible to know a Negative, we are
certain that the four first of these Charges are TotaUy
groundless & false ; the General & particular deport
ment of Mf Bass so far as we have been Able to
Observe haveingf alwavs been such as in no desree to
warrant Either of the said imputations. Temperate
and uniform in the Dis-charge of the Duties of his
Mission, his Conduct has been Such as could give just
Cause of Offence to No Party, As for the last Article
of Charge Mf Bassf readiness to Observe the Days

202 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
appoint? as Pubhck Fasts, the fact is in a degree true &
his Parishioners have conceived him justifiable as a
Servant of the society in so doing, Prayers were usuaUy
read in his Church upon Those Occasions & unless
this had been done the Church must have been Broken
up Immediately. Mf Bass has been for a long time
here in the Service of the Venerable Society & hath
sustaine* many of the difficulties connected with the
late Revolution, The Annual AUowance of the Venera
ble Society heretofore was the Principal Part of his
Living, the AbUity of his parish to support him instead
of increasing, hath been considerably Diminished we
were heretofore greatly reheved by the Assistance of
the Society, for which we do now heartily thank them,
& shall ever retain a greatfuU Remembrance of their
Goodness —
If in bearing Testimony to the above stated facts we
can remove the Charges made against Mf Bass, we
conceive we shaU Serve the Venerable Society, who in
no Case can be contented under a false information.
And to the end they may know the Truth on this sub
ject of their faithful Servant Mf Bass, we request it of
you Sir, that you wUl embrace the earhest Opportunity
to Communicate this our Testimony to the Venerable
Society. We remain Sir, with aU due Respect & Con
sideration Y' Very Hum'« Serv*.'
Joseph Cutlers Wardens of St. Paul's
y Church, Newbury-port
Lewis Jenkins J (iV. England)

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 203
EXTRACTS FROM THE JOURNAL OF THB SOCIETY.
" 15 Septf 1775. Read Two letters from the Rev?
Df Caner of Boston N. E. dated June 2? & July 15,
1775. ... In the 2? letter he writes. Mf Bass has
complied, perhaps too far, with the Orders of the
Rebels." 1
" 15 Jan^ 1779. Ordered, that no more of the BUls
of Mf Robert BlackweU, Miss'^ at Glocester & Water
ford, be accepted ; nor of Mf Bass, Miss''' at Newbury
in New England." ^
" 21 Jan^ 1780. Read Two Letters from the Rev?
Mf Edward Bass, late Missionary at Newbury, New-
England ; dated Newbury-Port, New-England, Novf
15*? 1779 ; lamenting that several attempts he has made
to write to the Society have been unsuccessful, and
hoping that this may be more fortunate.^
" When the Colonies first declared themselves inde
pendent, he was much at a loss how to conduct himself ;
and should have thought himself happy in the advice
and directions of the Society. However, being impor
tuned by his parishioners, who were very earnest to
have the church kept open, he consented to continue
the serrice, under the disagreeable chcumstance of
being obhged to omit the prayers for the King and
Royal Family ; in the hope of doing some good in bad
times, and of preventing the dispersion, if not even the
annihilation of his church. In this way he stiU goes
1 Journal, vol. xx. pp. 416-417.
^ Ibid., vol. xxi. p. 415.
3 Ibid., vol. xxii. pp. 60-62.

204 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
on, nothing haring hitherto been required of him but
the above omission ; and for that he hopes to have the
Society's indulgence.
" Since his last, which was March 25*1" 1776, he has
baptized about 100 children, mostly in his own parish ;
besides numbers at Portsmouth ; and married 40 couple.
Not long since, he made an excursion of an hundred
mUes into the Province of New-Hampshire, where he
preached divers times, and baptized 60 children, chiefly
in two towns, one of which consists almost whoUy of
members of the Church of England.
" It is more than three years and an half since he
has drawn for any Salary : not, he says, because he has
not wanted it, but partly for want of good opportuni
ties of disposing of his bills; and partly because he
knew not how soon the times might obhge him to
remove to England, where he would have had occasion
for it aU."
" 15 June. 1781. Read From the Rev? Mf Ranna
Cossitt, Missionary at HaverhUl and Claremont in the
Prorince of New-Hampshire, dated Claremont, January
10*!" 1781 : . . .
" In his tour to Boston he visited, he says, Mf Bass,
whom he esteemed as one of the most worthy and loyal
of the Society's Missionaries ; but, to his great surprize,
found that he had been dismissed from theh serrice. He
apprehends the Society must have been moved to this by
misrepresentations respecting that Gentleman ; as, from
what he himself knows, and from informations he can
depend upon, he has, through the whole of these dis
tracted times, maintained his loyalty uncorrupted by

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 205
the prevailing spirit ; and has been much abused and
insulted for his attachment to the King's Government ;
which he has borne with Christian patience. This Mf
Cossit thought himself bound to mention from duty to
the Society and esteem for a worthy brother." ^
" 21 Sepf^' 1781. Read a letter From the Rev? Df
Inglis and M' Walter, dated 5*? June 1781 : acquaint
ing the Society, that apphcation haring been made to
them to know, if the charge of disloyalty, for which it
was supposed the Society had dismissed Mf Bass from
theh service was weU grounded, or not ; they are exceed
ingly happy to assm-e the Society that, from the best
information which, in the present state of the countiy,
they have been able to collect, they firmly beheve the
charge to be groundless. He omits the coUects for the
King, and opens his church on the days appointed by
Congress for pubhc fastings and thanksgivings : but in
this he does no more than many other valuable Clergy
men, who suppose themselves justified by the principle
of necessity. They do not find that he has adopted
any prayers for the ruling powers of the country, or in
any measure countenanced the rebelhon. His private
life is unexceptionable ; his most intimate acquaintance
are the acknowledged Loyahsts of that country ; and
his labours, as they heretofore have been, are devoted
to the improvement of his flock in rirtue and pure
rehgion. " On the whole, they think the charge of disloyalty
not apphcable to Mf Bass ; and that in aU respects, he
is worthy of the Society's favour ; and theh wishes are,
1 Journal, vol. xxii. pp. 269, 270.

206 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
that he may be restored to his place and pay, as a valu
able Missionary.
" Agreed in opinion that there does not appear to be
sufficient evidence, as yet, in favour of Mf Bass, to
induce the Society to reverse their former decision." *
" 21 Dec".' 1781. Read A Letter from the Rev? Mf
Bass, to the Rev? Mf Walter, dated Newbury-Port, New-
England, July 2? 1781 : stating to him, that, having
understood from several quarters, that the Society's
principal complaint against him was, that he had
preached a charity sermon in favour of the American
soldiers, exciting them to acts of hostility against his
Majesty, he was at a loss to know the meaning of it,
not being able to recoUect any circumstance that might
give occasion to such a report ; nor could any of his
friends, to whom he mentioned the matter, give him
any hght concerning it. At length, looking over some
of his papers, he found what he supposes must have
been the occasion of it. In a year or two after the be
ginning of these troubles, when the distresses of the
poor began to be great and clamorous for rehef, it was
proposed to have a collection for the poor of the town
in general. Among them were included the families
of some men then in the American army. The Min
isters of the town were desired to acquaint theh respec
tive parishioners, when the collection was to be made.
In consequence of this, he mentioned to his people, in
the course of a sermon which he preached the next
Sunday morning, the said proposal for a coUection, and
the time when it was to be made ; but without saying
' Journal, vol. xxii. p. 308-310.

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 207
a word of American soldiers, either then, or at any
other time, in his preaching or pubhc services. This
was the whole of the matter ; which, probably, was mis
taken by some ignorant, or prejudiced person, who was
present, merely from the proposed charitable collection's
being mentioned in a sermon, and the declared inten
tion of bestowing a part of it on the wives and children
of some who were in the service." ^
" 25 Janr 1782. Read Two Letters from the Rev?
Mf Bailey, Missionary at CornwaUis in Nova Scotia,
both dated 9'? November 1781.
" At the earnest request of Mf Bass, he presumes to
lay before the Society the foUowing representation of
his case. Two Gentlemen, on whose veracity and hon
our Mf BaUey can entirely depend, affirm to him that
Mf Bass is undoubtedly a friend to the British Govern
ment ; that though he was forced to omit the usual
prayers for the King, yet he could never be brought to
pray for any of the Revolters ; that he has always
refused to read the Declarations, Resolves, and Man
dates of the Rebel Authority ; that he has been of
great service in moderating the violent, in confirming
the doubtful, and in making converts of those who
would hsten to his arguments ; and that it is his most
sincere desire to promote the interest of the Church and
the supremacy of Great Britain. Mf Bailey says, he
can attest the greatest part of the above account; add
ing, that he always considered Mf Bass as a worthy,
honest man ; and that he is authorized to add, that Mf
Bass is more deeply affected at haring forfeited the
* Journal, vol. xxii. p. 360-352.

208 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
esteem and favour of the Society whom he has served
so long, than at the loss of his Salary, though he is
wholly subsisted by charity." ^
" 15 March 1782. Read a letter From the Rev? Mf
Walter, dated New- York, 8*? December 1781 : acknow
ledging, that he feels, with all its force, the justice of
the imputation of inconsistency, as to his eridence given
by him at different times for and against Mf Bass,
brought against him in the Secretary's letter of the
29*.'' September. It concerns him much, he thinks, to
clear up the matter, if he can ; that he may preserve
that credit with the Society, which he is so sohcitous
always to obtain.
" His first Letter was a mere effusion of friendship,
on finding a brother Clergyman whom he loved, and of
whom he had then heard no Ul, dismissed from the So
ciety's service. He could not but beheve, that some
enemy had done him wrong. And in this behef he
remained, till he saw Mf Weekes, on his return from
England. He mentioned several matters, of which he
seemed to be so weU informed, that Mf Walter could
not question their authenticity. And then he was
sorry, that he had ever thought of rindicating Mf Bass.
Under this impression he wrote a second time : since
which the evidence has been continuaUy rising in favour
of Mf Bass. All this confusion has been entirely ovring
to Mf Weekes ; who, when he comes to hear of aU that
has happened, Mf Walter is persuaded, wiU be among
the deepest mourners for his own conduct.
" For himself, Mf Walter laments, not that he has
1 Journal, vol. xxii. pp. 382, 383.

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 209
been one among the advocates for Mf Bass ; for he be
lieves him to be, what he knew him to be before these
troubles, an innocent man, a loyal man, and (what is
more) a good man. He therefore laments only, that
Mf Weekes should have fallen in his way so mal-oppor-
tunely, and that his great respect for Mf Weekes's vera
city should have induced him to give up his own opin
ion, and for a moment to think unfavourably of his
friend. " The Society's great caution in determining against
one of theh Servants, and their steadiness in adhering
to one opimon, tiU completely informed, cannot be too
highly approved. Yet notwithstanding the unfavour
able hght in which, he apprehends, he must aheady
appear to the Society, he cannot but again press the
interest of his friend. He does not believe, that ever
Mf Bass preached a sermon for cloathing a Rebel Bat
tahon ; or ever read the Declarative Act for Independ
ence in his Church ; or at all altered in his sentiments
of loyalty, since his dismission. That he opens his
Church on the days appointed by Congress, as publick
days, is most certain. And if this is criminal, then
every Clergyman within the Rebel Lines is criminal ;
and, amongst others, Df Inglis, who did the same, when
Washington's Army was in New-York. To err is inci
dent to humanity : and great aUowances are due to the
difficult chcumstances of the Clergy of the Church of
England, in the revolted Provinces. And though the
Society have aheady had far too much trouble about
this unfortunate business, yet he is persuaded, they wiU
think no trouble too great for the investigation of

210 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
truth ; and that they wUl be infinitely more happy to
find a respectable man proved innocent, than guilty of
any criminal charge." ^
" 19 AprU, 1782. Read a letter From the Rev? Mf
Walter, dated New-York, January 2? 1782. . . .
" in October last, he wrote to Mf Parker, of Boston,
requesting his candid sentiments of Mf Bass; in an
swer to which, Mf Parker assures him, that the report
of Mf Bass's haring preached a sermon for the cloath
ing of a Rebel battahon is entirely groundless ; and
that, if the Society have dismissed him from their sei^
rice, because he has carried on the Serrice, by omitting
the prayers for the King, they had authority for what
they did : but if for any other reason, their information
must have been erroneous, and given through envy, or
malice. " In addition to this testimony, Mf Walter gives that
also of Mf Winthrop of New-London ; who has been
often at Newbury-Port during the troubles, and never
heard any thing injurious to the loyalty of Mf Bass.
On the contrary, Df Smith, a Physician of that Sea
port, and a Parishioner of Mf Bass's, had expressed
much astonishment at his dismission ; which, he was
confident, was unmerited.
" These evidences in Mr. Bass's favour, with many
others which might be adduced, he trusts, wUl weigh
with the Society ; who, he hopes, had rather that ten
guUty should escape, than, that one innocent man
should suffer; and that, of course, Mf Bass wiU be
restored to their favour. And Mf Walter promises,
* Journal, vol. xxii. p. 420-423.

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 211
that, as it is his duty, so it wiU be his greatest pleasure,
to be more careful in future, from time to time, to give
the Society such information as they may assuredly
rely on." ^
" 15 Nov"' 1782. Read Two Letters from the Rev?
Mf BaUy, both dated CornwaUis, 4*." May 1782 ; . . .
" With respect to Mf Bass, & the information which
Mf BaUy gave to Mf Weeks, he states the matter as
foUows. Being compeUed to leave his family, to avoid
confinement on board a Guard-Ship, he wandered about
the Country : and about the middle of November 1777,
came to Newbury-Port, and was at Church on a day of
public thanksgiving appointed by the Congress. Mf
Bass deshed Mf Baily to preach ; but Mf BaUy de
clared that he would never dehver a Charity Sermon to
coUect money for cloathing the Rebel Soldiers. This
Mf BaUy soon afterwards reported to Mf Weeks. As
nearly as Mf Baily can remember, Mf Bass's sermon
was general, without descending to particulars, or even
mentioning the occasion of the solemnity. After ser
mon, the coUection was made. Many refused to
contiibute; and a Lady of some distinction declared,
vrith a sphited voice — ' I wiU not give a single penny
towards the support of Rebels.'
" Mf BaUy adds, he is very confident, both from the
repeated assertions of Mf Bass himself, and other cir
cumstances that he refused to read the Declaration of
Independency, and he became, on that account, ex
tremely obnoxious to the vhulent party. Mf BaUy is
certain, that Mf Bass was pubhckly reproached for a
' Journal, vol. xxii. p. 434-436.

212 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Tory ; and just after his arrival at his house, he was
one evening a witness to a scene equally savage, ludi
crous and indecent : for as Mf Bass was returning from
an entertainment with his wife, he was pursued along
the street by near 200 persons, who pelted him with
sticks and dirt, and treated him with the most indeh
cate language.
" In the universal tumult and confusion, which pre
vaUed in the beginning of the War, many persons were
driven by the impulses of fear, to act both against
conscience & inclination. On one hand, men had to
stiuggle with the most dreadful threats of vengeance :
on the other, were the intreaties and tears of their
friends, to practise a httle comphance (though, by the
way, whenever this was done, it only made their enemies
the fiercer) : moreover, it was a constant derice confi
dently to tell the Loyalists, that their brethren, in other
parts, had fuUy yielded to the requisitions of Congress,
and the spirit of the times. Mf BaUy himself had
aU these diEB.culties to struggle with, and knows their
force : and if, in some not absolutely essential respects,
Mf Bass was less firm, and gave way a little, it was no
more than what many good men have done, and he
humbly thinks, he is entitled to pity and forgiveness,
rather than to censure and rejection. His errors, such
as they were, certainly arose not from any attachment
to the Rebel cause, but to a mistaken zeal for the
Church." 1
" 15 Nov"' 1782. Read a Letter From the Rev* M'
Walter, of New- York without any date. . . .
* Journal, vol. xxii. pp. 483-486.

ATTITUDE OF BASS DURING THE REVOLUTION. 213
"Whereupon the Committee haring considered all
the evidence respecting Mf Bass, they find, that, of the
three charges aUedged against him, — that he had
read the Declaration of Independency, — that he had
preached a sermon in favour of a coUection for Rebel
Soldiers, — and continued to keep aU the Fasts and
Thanksgiring-days appointed by Congress ; he has dis
proved the first ; that he preached generaUy, without
descending to particulars ; and the third he is still to
be charged with. They deshe, therefore, to leave the
decision of his case to the Society.
" Resolved to postpone the consideration of this busi
ness, — respecting Mf Bass, to a future Meeting." ^
" 20 Dec"' 1782. Mf Bass's Case was again taken
into consideration, and two authenticated charges of
disloyalty, signed by persons of respectable character,
were read to the Board :
" Whereupon it was Resolved, that there does not
appear to the Society any reason for rescinding the
Resolve of a former Board, respecting Mf Bass's dismis
sion."^ " 16 May, 1783. Sundry Testimonials in favour of
Mf Bass of Newbury Port, having been laid before the
Board by M' Hale, the same were read :
" Agreed, that this Business be postponed to the next
General Meeting ; when all the former Papers relative
to it may also be produced." ^
" 20 June, 1783. The Board having, agreeably to
1 Journal, vol. xsdi. pp. 519-621.
2 Ibid., vol. xxiii. pp. 34, 36.
8 Ibid., p. 78.

214 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
the Resolution of the last Board, again taken into
consideration Mf Bass's case; and having very fully
considered the same,
" Resolved to abide by their former decision." ^
1 Journal, vol. xxiii. p. 97.

CHAPTER VHI.
organization of the episcopal CHURCH.
So soon as the Treaty of Peace was signed and actual
independence was recognized, the former parishes of
the Church of England began to plan for a closer
union among themselves with the object of advancing
the interests of the Episcopal churches, by securing
uniformity of hturgy and government. At first the
efforts toward such uniformity were often Ul-judged and
feeble, the churches being reduced in membership, and
the clergy and parishioners by no means being of the
same mind. The churches in the different colonies
were, hke the colonies themselves, independent of one
another, owing allegiance to no cential authority, and
uncertain as to the nature of the relationship that
existed between them. The question of organizhig a
complete Episcopal System was an embarrassing one,
because of the need of securing a bishop ; and the
changes in the hturgy, made by the several parishes,
principaUy by leaving out prayers for the Enghsh gov
ernment, presented the further problem before the
Colonial churches, whether they should make more
decided changes and substitute new forms in place of
the old ones. Again, since there was no royal author
ity to appoint, and no methods for the election of
clergymen or bishops, and no traditions of representa-

216 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
tive bodies of churchmen legislating for the whole
church, the very important question of the rights of
the laity naturaUy came to the front. Democracy in
the government was assured; was there also to be
democracy in the church ?
There was a variety of opinions on aU of these sub
jects. The Rev. WiUiam White of Christ Church,
Philadelphia, who was the true father of the American
Episcopal Church, its wise counselor and statesman, —
a man whose Christian character and constructive abihty
were potent influences in these early days of organiza
tion, — at first adrised the starting of the three orders
of the ministry de novo without any further recourse
to England. The churches in the South did not want
a bishop. Those in Connecticut advocated strongly the
need of an Episcopate, but were vehemently opposed to
the proposition that power should be given to the
laymen. Massachusetts maintained the importance of
the Episcopate, but differed from Connecticut on the
question of the rights of the laity.
Out of this conflict of opinion, making itself heard
in personal letters, in meetings of the clergy in the
various sections of the country, in friendly debates and
in formal conventions, — a conflict always carried on
earnestly and sincerely, — there grew into being the
fuUy organized Episcopal Church of America with its
orders, its hturgy, and its constitution. The period
immediately succeeding the acceptance of the Treaty of
Peace was the formative era of the United States, in
which, after many struggles, was born the Constitution,
binding together the scattered States in the Federal

ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 217
Union. The years between 1783 and 1789 have been
named very appropriately by Mr. John Fiske "The
Critical Period of American History ; " in the same
way these years might be caUed " the critical period of
American church history."
The part that Massachusetts played in the organiza
tion of its own parishes and in the church in America
is worthy of study, and should be a matter of pride to
a diocese that has always contributed its share of men
and measures in the development of the Episcopal
Church in the United States. NaturaUy the two names
that stand out most prominently are those of Parker
and Bass ; and the two parishes that had the most
influence are Trinity Church, Boston, and St. Paul's
Church, Newburyport. Parker was the young and
active man, occupying the vantage ground in Boston ;
Bass was the older man, wise in suggestion, and the
trusted adviser and correspondent of Parker, and was
surrounded by vigorous laymen whose letters and
other papers are documents of the highest importance.
Parker and Bass had frequent discussions with each
other, had numerous interviews, served on the same
committees, and, though differing at times, joined forces
for the good of the church.
The first meetings held to consider the condition of
the parishes and to outline future policies were held in
Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Connecticut ;
and letters of advice passed between the prominent
clergymen in different parts of the country. Parker
and White corresponded with each other as to the
best method of dealing with the questions at issue.

218 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
In a letter written to the Rev. WUham White, Parker
weU describes the state of the churches in Massachu
setts : —
..." We are indeed but five in number, for when
the British Troops evacuated this town in March 1776,
all the Episcopal Clergy in this Tovra except myself and
many from the other Towns accompanied them and
have never since returned. Indeed, but two others
remained in the whole Government, these were the Rev.
Mr. Bass of Newburyport, who was a Missionary from
the Society, but now for reasons imknown dismissed
from theh serrice, and Rev. Mr. Wheeler, who was an
assistant to the Rector of Trinity Church in Newport
Rhode Island ; the latter being a native of this Pro
vince, upon the breaking out of the war retired to a
smaU patiimony in the Vicinity of this Town, and did
not officiate at aU until a twelve-month past he was
inrited to the churches in Scituate and Marshfield in
the County of Plymouth. Since the war two Clergy
men have settled in this State, Rev. Mr. Lewis, who
was Chaplain in Burgoyne's Regiment of Light Dra
goons, and left that serrice and came to this Town in
1778 and settled in Christ Church.
"The other, the Rev. Mr. Fisher, who came from
Annapohs in Nova Scotia in 1780 and settled in Salem.
The oldest Church in this Town, formerly known by
the Name of King's Chapel is now supphed by a Lay
Reader who is a Candidate for Holy Orders. There
are five or six other Churches in some of which Lay
Readers now officiate. In the State of New Hampshire
there are but two Episcopal Churches, one at Ports-

ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 219
mouth, the metiopohs of the Government, where there
has been no Clergyman since the War, the other in a
new Settlement in the western part of the State, where
a Missionary from the Society in England is now
resident. In the State of Rhode Island are three
Churches only, exclusive of one at Bristol which was
burnt by the British. In neither of these is there a
Clergyman in Holy Orders, but in two of them there
are Lay readers who are candidates. Mr. Graves Mis
sionary from the Society, stiU resides at Proridence, but
has not officiated since the commencement of the War.
The State of Connecticut contaius the greatest number
of Episcopal Churches of any of the New England
States. There are fourteen Missionaries from the So
ciety besides seven other Clergymen not in their serrice.
This, Sh, is a brief State of the Episcopal Church in
the four Northern Governments which are contained in
what is caUed New England. I flatter myself this
account wiU not be disagreeable nor perhaps useless to
you in your future Consultations respecting the Epis
copal Church in America."
On the very day when Parker wrote the above letter,
Bass was sending him an important one, which is given
below. The chief points in it are : 1st, that aU legis
lative power should be placed in the hands of " the
clergy and laity conjointly," and that at the proposed
meeting of the Massachusetts churchmen, " a layman
of each church should meet with us ; " 2d, the need of
securing a bishop " that we may have his concurring
voice in such matters." Bass did not approve White's
suggestion of constituting the " three orders de novo"

220 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
nor did he think that the church consisted solely of the
clergy, exclusive of the laymen. This last opinion
Bass defended against the opposition of some of the
Massachusetts clergy ; whUe the vigorous contention of
the laymen in Newburyport for theh rights sharply
separates the Massachusetts attitude from that of Con
necticut, what has generaUy been referred to as " the
New England attitude" is simply the ecclesiastical
stand taken by Connecticut. There was a Massachu
setts attitude as well as a Connecticut attitude.
TO REV. SAMUEL PARKER.
Newbury Port. June 21, 1784.
Dear Sir : — I have received yrs. of the 15th inst.,
enclosing the Minutes of the PhUadelphia Convention and
their design appears to me to be very good, not to say
very important, riz., the continuance and preservation of
uniformity among the Episcopal Churches, at least from
their State to the Northern extremity of the United
States. I fully agree with them that the Authority to
make Canons or laws should be placed in a represen
tative Body of Clergy and Laity conjointly, and hope
that in due time a suitable place for their Meeting vrill
be appointed. That the Service and Discipline of our
Church are capable of improvement vrill, I apprehend,
be deny'd by few of her intelligent Members ; and such
improvement or amendment may without doubt be
more easily effected now than heretofore when we were
connected with Great Britain. But stiU reformation of
almost any kind is a nice and delicate affah, and not to
be touch' d or attempted by rough hands. I also look

ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 221
upon it to be highly expedient that proper CoUects be
made for the Government we hve under. You propose
a Meeting of the Episcopal Clergy of tliis State, —
Juhes renovare dolorem ! Alas ! to what are we re
duced ! I know of but fom-, two in Boston, one in
Salem, and p- humble serv't. H then we should meet,
Salem I think would be the proper place, and why
should not a respectable Layman of each Chm-ch meet
with us ? After all I cannot help thinking it would be
proper to wait for the arrival of our Bishop before we
proceed to any ecclesiastical consultations of impor
tance, that we may have his concurring voice in such
matters. According to the accoimt I have had from
you we might have expected the arrival of such a per
son before this time. Pray, what is become of him ?
(Mr. Seabury, I think you told me was the man who
went to England last year for Consecration.) What
hath been his success ? Is anything like to be done
towards the regular continuance of our Succession, for
I hope Messrs. White and Brethren have it not in con
templation to constitute theh three orders de novo.
Have you seen and conversed with Mr. Badger ? If
so, what is his plan ? Where does he mean to fix, etc.
I hear he was some time ago at HaverhUl, but he did
not caU upon me. I should be glad of your Answer as
soon as may be convenient to you, as also of anything
else you may have to communicate to
Yr. Affectionate Brothr. and humble Serv't,
Edward Bass.
As a result of the above correspondence, the first

222 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
formal meeting of the clergy in Massachusetts took
place in Boston, on September 8, 1784. Seven clergy
men were present : Rev. John Graves, of Providence ;
Rev. Edward Bass ; Rev. Moses Badger ; Rev. WUliam
WUlard Wheeler, of Scituate and Marshfield ; Rev.
Stephen C. Lewis, of Christ Church, Boston ; Rev.
Nathaniel Fisher, of Salem ; and Rev. Samuel Parker,
of Trinity Church, Boston. The affairs of the church
were discussed at this prehminary meeting, and though
no constructive legislation was attempted, resolutions of
great importance were passed and a circular letter sent
to prominent clergymen throughout the country. A
committee was appointed to arrange for a convention
of the parishes in Massachusetts, to be held in 1785.
Bass, Parker, and Fisher were the members of this
committee, vrith Bass as chairman.
The resolutions passed by the meeting were six in
number : — RESOLUTIONS.
At a meeting of the Episcopal Clergy of the States
of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, held at Boston,
Sept. 8, 1784,
Voted. That the Episcopal Church in the United
States of America is & ought to be independent of aU
foreign Authority ecclesiastical & ciril. But it is the
Opinion of the Convention that this Independence be
not construed or taken in so rigorous a Sense as to
exclude the Churches of America separately or collec
tively from applying for & obtaining from some regular
Episcopal foreign Power an American Episcopate.
Secondly. That the Episcopal Church in these States

ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 223
hath & ought to have in common with all other reli
gious Societies full & exclusive Powers to regulate the
concerns of its own Communion.
Thhdly. That the Doctrines of the Gospel be main
tained as now professed by the Church of England &
Uniformity of Worship be continued as near as may be
to the Liturgy of the said Church.
Fourthly. That the Succession of the Ministry be
agreeable to the Usage which requheth the three Orders
of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, that the rights and
Powers of the same be respectively ascertained & that
they be exercised according to reasonable Laws to be
duly made.
Fifthly. That the Power of making Canons & Laws
be vested solely in a representative Body of the Clergy
and Laity conjointly ; in which Body the Laity ought
not to exceed or theh votes to be more in Number than
those of the Clergy.
Sixthly. That no Powers be delegated to a general
Ecclesiastical Government except such as cannot con
veniently be exercised by the Clergy & Vestries in their
respective Congregations.
The circular letter is a strong assertion of the need
of a complete organization of the churches before any
effective work can be done : —
CIRCULAR LETTER.
Reverend and Honored Brethren, — Haring
been favoured with the Minutes of the Meeting of the
Clergy & Lay Delegates from sundry Congregations of

221 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
the Episcopal Church in the State of Pennsylvania held
at PhUadelphia the 25*" of May last, communicated to
us by your Chairman, We the Clergy of Episcopal
Churches in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts &
State of Rhode Island, met in Convention at Boston
Sept. 8th 1784, have duly considered the same and
have unanimously adopted the fundamental Principles
or Instructions to which you are bound, and think the
same not only unexceptionable but such as the Epis
copal Churches in the United States ought to adopt.
We have indeed thought proper to add a Resti-iction or
an explanatory clause to the first and fifth Article,
more for the Sake of avoiding any Mistakes hereafter
than because we suppose we differ from you in Senti
ment. But it is our unanimous Opinion that it is beginning
at the wrong end to attempt to organize our Church
before we have obtained a head. Our Churches at
present resemble the scattered Limbs of the body with
out any common Centre of Union, or Principle to
animate the whole. We cannot conceive it probable
or even possible to carry the Plan you have pointed out
into Execution before an Episcopate is obtained to dhect
our Motions, & by a delegated Authority to claim om-
Assent. It is needless to represent to you the absolute
Necessity of adopting & uniting in some speedy mea
sures to procure some reputable Person who is regu
larly invested with the Powers of Ordination, &c., to
reside among us, without which scarce the Shadow of
an Episcopal Church wUl soon remain in these States.
Many are the Congregations here destitute of a Clergy-

ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 225
man, & we must be left to the disagreeable Alternative
of having no Church in many of our Settlements where
there would probably be a respectable one, or of haring
Clerical Powers conveyed in an irregular manner.
As to the mode of obtaining what we stand in such
need of, we wish above aU things to procure it in the
most regular manner & particularly from our mother
Church in England. Whether any of the Bishops in
England or Ireland would consecrate a Person chosen
among ourselves & sent there for that Purpose without
a mandate from the King of England or the authority
of his Parhament, we are at a loss to determine ; but
we have no doubt that a regular Apphcation made by
a representative Body of the Episcopal Churches in
America would easUy obtain a consecrated head, & in
order to this we earnestly wish a mode of applying
in some such way may be immediately adopted by the
American Churches.
We are of Opinion that we ought to leave no means
untried to procure a regular Succession of the Episco
pacy before we think of obtaining it in an irregular
Manner. To accomphsh this we have chosen a Com
mittee of our Body to correspond vrith you upon this
subject & adopt such Measures for the same as may
be expedient or necessary. And in case a Meeting of
a representative Body shaU be agreed upon, we have
delegated a Power to one of our Number to represent
us and our Churches in such a Meeting. We are ex
tremely anxious for the Preservation of our Communion
& the Continuance of an Uniformity of Doctrine and
Worship, but we see not how this can be maintained

226 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
without a common head, & are therefore desirous of
uniting with you in such Measures as shaU be found
expedient & proper for the common good.
We are Gentlemen
your affectionate Brethren & Friends,
Signed in behalf of the said Convention,
J. Graves, Modr.
Boston, Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
Sept. 8, 1784.
The Committee of the Episcopal Churches )
in the State of Pennsylvania. >
Many of the parishes not having any clergyman de
pended upon a lay-reader, who conducted the serrices,
but others secured occasionaUy a minister of some
other denomination, as in the case of the Rev. WiUiam
Rogers, a Baptist, who in 1782 officiated in St. John's
Church, Proridence, at the request of the wardens.^
On one occasion a Roman Catholic priest was given the
right to hold a funeral serrice in Trinity Church, Bos
ton, as appears from the records of the parish : —
" An apphcation was made by Rev'* Mons' L de
Rousselet minister of the Cathohc Church for the use
of Trinity Church to read the prayers of the Cathohc
Church over the body of Mons' de Larive Treasurer
general of the Island of Guadeloupe & its dependen
cies who had been entombed under said church.
" Voted unanimously that Rev. Mons' L de Rousselet
have hberty to perform the funeral Serrice according to
the Rites of the Cathohc Church in Trinity Church on
1 Updike, Narragansett Church, p. 416.

ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 227
Thursday next or at any other time he shaU see con
venient." Trinity Church was even used for a concert, as was
also King's Chapel : —
At a Meeting of the Minister, Wardens & Vestry
of Trinity Church on Monday Evening, Aug^ 26,
1782: —
The Wardens acquainted the Vestry that Apphcation
had been made to them by the Overseers of the Poor
of the Town of Boston for the use of said Church to
perform some Pieces of Music for the Benefit of the
Poor in the Almshouse. . . . Whereupon —
Voted That Liberty be granted for the use of said
Church for the Purpose aforesaid —
Provided That the Music to be performed be only
sacred Music & not intermixed with Songs or any
Pieces leritous or unbecoming a Place appropriated
solely to the worship of the Deity. Provided also
That if any Damage should accrue to said House by
Means thereof, that it be repahed out of the Money
raised by the Sale of the Tickets. And as it wUl be
necessary that the Prayer Books & Cushions be re
moved out of the Pews, which wiU be no smaU Labour
& Trouble, it is expected that the Sexton of said Church
be paid for removing & replacing the same.
A true Entry of said Votes,
Attest, Samuel Parker, Minister.

228 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
King's Chapel, Boston, not haring a clergyman of
its own, had secured the serrices of Mr. James Free
man, who, as a young man studying for the ministry,
conducted the services and preached sermons of his
own composition. When Mr. Freeman began his work
the members of the chapel who had been worshipping at
Trinity Church sent their words of appreciation to Mr.
Parker for his kindness to them : —
At a Meeting of the Minister Wardens & Vestry of
Trinity Church, October 13, 1782 : —
The Rev* M' Parker communicated the following
Letter from the Wardens of the Chapel addressed to
the Proprietors of Trinity Church, riz.. The Proprietors
of the Chapel haring engaged a Gentleman to officiate
for them in the Capacity of a Reader & designing soon
to return to their former place of Worship cannot but
express their warmest acknowledgments to theh Bre
thren of Trinity Church for the kind accommodation
which they have afforded them during their attendance
on divine Serrice at their Church. This Testimony of
Love & Friendship towards them when they were des
titute of a Pastor & thereby otherwise deprived of
worshiping in a way most agreeable to them, wUl
leave the most lasting Impressions upon theh Minds.
They cannot sufficiently testify theh Sentiments of
Gratitude & Respect to their worthy Pastor the Rev*
M' Parker for his many agreeable, useful & instructive
Lessons —
They hope to preserve a friendly Intercourse &
Exchange with them & that they may be favoured

ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 229
occasionally vrith his Assistance in administering the
Ordinances of Baptism & the Lord's Supper —
They vrish Grace Mercy & Peace may be multiplied
unto them & subscribe themselves theh Brethren in the
Faith & FeUowship of the Gospel —
Thomas Bulfinch 1 Wardens of the
James Ivers j Chapel.
Boston, Oct" 13, 1782.
The Proprietors of Trinity Church.
Mr. Parker answered this courteous letter of thanks
in one of equal fehcity : —
To the Proprietors op the Chapel. —
Gentlemen : Having communicated your Letter to
the Vestry of Trinity Church as you will perceive by
the above votes I am desired in the Name of said
Church to inform you that they are happy in the Re
flection that they have been able to accommodate in
some measure according to their Wishes their Brethren
of the Chapel during the time they have been destitute
of a Minister and thereby deprived of worshipping
God in a Way most agreeable to them. —
The Proprietors of Trinity Church unite their Wishes
with those of their Brethren of the Chapel that a
friendly Intercourse & Correspondence may be main
tained & preserved between the two Churches & as an
Eridence of theh Desire hereof they have freely given
their Consent to admit the Gentleman they have en
gaged in Capacity of a Reader to read the Serrice & a
Sermon in their Church whUe their Minister occasionally
officiates vrith you. —

230 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Be kind enough Gent, to accept my Acknowledgment
for the Sentiments of Gratitude & Respect you are
pleased to entertain for me, for the Candour and kind
ness with which you have received my ministerial In
structions & for the pohte & obhging manner in which
you have testified the same —
Be assured Gent. I shaU always esteem myself happy
in being instrumental in promoting the Prosperity of
your Church & shall vrith the greatest Alacrity assist
you in any offices pecuhar to the ministerial character
as well as in all other Respects —
With my earnest Prayers to the great head of the
Church that your Society may be abundantly watered
vrith divine Influences & be buUt up in our most holy
Faith, I subscribe myself Gentlemen your
devoted Servant in the Gospel
S. Parker.
Boston, Oct. 16, 1782.
The Wardens ofthe Chapel.
The friendly relations between the two parishes did
not continue, for when an exchange between Mr. Parker
and Mr. Freeman was proposed, Parker could not per
mit the unordained reader to perform the office of Holy
Communion. This request and refusal was the forecast
of the radical changes that were soon to be proposed
at the chapel. The two letters are valuable as marking
the first difference of opinion between the people of
the chapel and the other Episcopal churches.
To the foregoing letter the following answer was
made : —

ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 231
Rev° Sir, — Your Favour of the 16 of October was
laid before the Proprietors of the Chapel & very grate
fuUy received. They esteem themselves happy in your
ready Comphance with their request of administering
the Ordinances of the Gospel occasionally to them.
Hope it wiU be convenient & agreeable to you to make
an Exchange on Sunday next when M' Freeman wUl be
prepared to officiate with you.
I am Rev* Sir with very great Respect & Esteem
Your most obed' & very hum"'° Servant,
Tho® Bulfinch.
Boston, Nov. 12, 1782.
Rev" M* Parker. TRINITY CHURCH RECORDS.
On Sunday Nov 10 the Rev* M' Parker gave Notice
to the Congregation of Trinity Church that he should
officiate the Sunday foUowing at the Chapel & that M'
Freeman the Person engaged as a Reader there would
read the Serrice & a Sermon at Trinity Church — But
the Wardens of the Chapel insisting that M' Freeman
sh* be permitted to read the Communion Serrice in the
Altar at Trinity Church, & the Rev* M' Parker not
consenting thereto, the Proprietors of the Chapel voted
that the proposed exchange be postponed. And at a
Meeting of the Min' Wardens & Vestry of Trinity
Church Nov 17 1782 M' Parker laid before them the
above correspondence & the Reason of postponing said
Exchange, Voted that his Conduct herein be approved of.

232 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
St. Michael's Church, Marblehead, was one of the
parishes served by a lay-reader, Mr. Woodward Abra
ham, who was assisted occasionaUy by Edward Bass and
Nathaniel Fisher. Bass had baptized as many as four
teen persons in one day at St. Michael's Church. The
proprietors, deshing a resident clergyman, opened a
correspondence vrith an English minister, the Rev. Mr.
WUhamson ; and though the parish selected another
man, the letter to Mr. WUhamson is worthy of preser
vation because of its historical interest : —
TO THE REV. MR. WILLIAMSON.
Marblehead, 21" Marcli 1785.
Rev° S^, — We received your favour dated Nov. last
some time since, and haring taken time to Consult the
Minds of the Proprietors of S* Michaels Church, and of
other persons who usuaUy worship there. We in Answer
inform you, of the Present State of the Parish, and of
the encouragement they are able and Desirous to offer
to any Candidates of good reputation : This Church
was formerly Considered by the Society for the propa
gation of the Gospel, as one of their Missions, and the
Minister was aUowed by them a yearly salary of £50
Sterlg. This Salary the Parish made equal to about
£100 Sterl* by Taxes upon the Proprietors and the
Rent or Improvement of the Glebe, Consisting of a
Neat Tenement within the Town & there Estimated at
£25 Sterl^ pr. year. At present the Parish Consist of
nearly sixty famUies, a few of whom are in very easy
circumstances and perhaps all are able to pay something
towards the support of a Minister. The Donation from

ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 233
the Society with the advantage of a Glebe, rendered
our charges formerly very hght ; so that with less
abihty (many Rich Proprietors haring left us) we Com
pute that the sum of £40 Sterl*' might now be raised
by a yearly Tax without much difficulty. The Glebe
we estimate at £15 Sterl'' pr year in the Present Chcum
stances of the Town which is much impoverished by
the late war, and upon the whole, a Salary of £55
Sterling is the utmost we can offer as certain. In Con
sequence : S' of your Letter, Subscription has been
opened, for an additional encouragement to the first
minister, who shaU be regularly settled by a vote of the
Proprietors, to be paid upon the Settlement, and near
£50 Sterling is already subscribed. But whether it
wiU be possible to supply the Deficiences of future
years in a like Method, is altogether precarious our
hope is however, that if a Gentleman of popular Talents
should engage with us, there wUl be a Considerable
increase of the Society, and no want of abUity or In
chnation to give him a Competent Salary : your very
frank and agreeable offer has induced us to Consider
the utmost of our abihties for the Support of a Min
ister and in justice to you, we have not to exceed the
Truth. We readUy promise in return, to wait the
space of six months for an Answer from you before we
inrite any other Gentleman, and if our proposals and
the prospect of a Salary which we have Disclosed,
answer your expectation, and induce you to visit us, we
engage to afford you every Suitable preference as a
Candidate, and we aheady hope that a future acquaint
ance wUl end in our mutual Satisfaction. We shaU in

234 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
the Meantime, S' make proper enquiries of the Gentle
men to whom you Refer us for theh knowledge of you,
that we may not be wanting in the caution becoming a
Christian Society, in a case of this Nature. We beg to
hear from you by the first opportunity, and are, Sh in
behalf of the Proprietors of S' Michaels Church with
all due respect —
Your most obedient serv*' Wardetis of S'

John Weber
Edward Bowen

Michael's Church
by Order of the
Proprietors

[Copy of Letter Directed to the Rev* M' WUhamson
In ChUdwaU near Liverpool, in answer to his of the
16*" of November last.]
The records of the Marblehead parish contain an
other document which shows how the churches without
ministers during the Revolution were compeUed to seek
legal aid before they could organize for regular rehgious
work : — PETITION.
To Isaac Mansfield Esq., one of the Justices of the
Peace within and for the said County of Essex : —
We the Subscribers more than five of the Proprietors
of the Church called S* Michaels Church and the Lands
under and adjoining thereto and the Glebe and Parson
age belonging to the said Church aU situate in Marble
head in the County aforesaid pray your Honour to
grant a Warrant whereby aU the said Proprietors may

ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 235
be Duly Notified to Meet at the said Church on Wednes
day the fifth Day of July next at the hour of Ten in
the forenoon then and there to choose a Moderator of
such meeting, a Clerk for the said Proprietors a Com
mittee for Mannaging their affahs and such other
officers as shaU be found necessary : To Determine
upon some Convenient Method of CaUing Meetings of
the said Proprietors in future. To take into Consider
ation the Present State of the said Proprietary and if
thought needf uU to " adopt Consent to and Confirm all
such Acts and Proceedings as shaU be found pursuant
to the Pious uses and Instructions of the same, and
which have heretofore done or agreed to by the occu
pants of the Pews in the said church or by those to
whom such Pews have from time to time aUotted and
conveyed and further to Determine whether the said
Proprietors together with the Occupants of the said
Pews wiU agree to engage and settle a Minister for the
said Church and wUl make suitable provision for the
Support and Maintenance of any Minister who shall be
agreeable to a Majority of the said Proprietors that
shaU be then assembled or at any future legal Meeting.
Also to Order any NeedfuU Repairs to said Church and
Parsonage House and to grant and vote such sum or
sums of money as shaU be needfuU for those Purposes
and to agree upon some means of raising the same and
any other sums which shaU be wanting in future for
the support of the Ministry and other charges necessary
for Maintaining Pubhc Worship and for the Repahs
of the House and Church aforesaid and also if thought
needfuU to grant and Confirm to the Church Wardens

236 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
and Vestiy of the said Church for the time being and
to theh successors in said office aU the Right and State
of the said Proprietors in the said church and land
under and adjoining the same together or with the said
Glebe and Parsonage thereto belonging and the appur
tenances to hold and Improve by them in succession for
the Maintenance of Pubhc Worship and Support of
Ministers forever according to the Intentions of the
Donors and Purchasers of the said Premises and to
take such other Measures as may be necessary for
effecting the Purposes aforesaid and as in duty bound
&c. Benj. Bowden Jun. John Weber
Will** Andrews Edw. Bowen
Tho. Jarvis Israel Foster
Tho. Procter Samuel Chamblet
Tho. Porter Sam^ Hooper.
Makblehead, 20, June, 1786.

CHAPTER IX.
changes in the prayer-book.
The most serious problem before the churches in
Massachusetts was the adoption of a definite pohcy of
government and the careful rerision of the Prayer-
Book. WhUe Massachusetts was assisted greatly by
the dehberations of churchmen elsewhere, the clergy
receiring copies of the proceedings of the conventions
held in PhUadelphia and Middletown, Connecticut, the
churches maintained an independent attitude, reserving
to themselves the right of local government. As in
the other States, in Maryland, Vhginia, Pennsylvania,
New York, and Connecticut, the churches held theh
conventions, giving expression to their own views, so
especiaUy in the commonwealth was this the case ; and
as in Philadelphia the churchmen from neighboring
States met for conference, so in Boston the clergy and
laity from Rhode Island and New Hampshhe met with
those from Massachusetts.
In order to secure the best possible adrice in these
dehberations, the active and far-seeing Parker, at great
inconvenience, traveUed to New York, and was present
at the important convention of October 6 and 7, 1784.
As a delegate appointed by the Massachusetts conven
tion that met a month earlier, " to meet and act with
said representative body," Parker took his seat vrith the

238 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
other delegates from New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl
vania, Delaware, and Maryland. He was a member of
the committee appointed " to essay the fundamental
Principles of a general Constitution for this church ; "
and it is not too much to say that he was one of the
most influential members of the committee, — always
judicious and temperate in his views, conservative, but
with a readiness for change when it seemed to be de
manded by the new life of the churches. With the
Rev. William White and others, Parker aided in draw
ing up the " fundamental Principles " which con
tained the germ of the future legislation of the united
churches ; the principles adopted, provided that there
should be a general convention vrith deputies of clergy
and laymen, that bishops be consecrated, and that the
essential doctrines of the Church of England be main
tained. Parker attended, also, the convention held in
Middletown, Connecticut, which assembled to welcome
Bishop Seabury, he haring been consecrated in Aber
deen, Scotland, on November 14, 1784. Parker did
not go to Middletown as a delegate with power, but
only in answer to the courteous invitation of the clergy
of Connecticut, and at the request of Bass and Fisher
" to learn what measures they mean to adopt," as indi
cated in the following note : —
to rev. MR. PARKER. Salem, July 28'" 1785.
Rev'd Sir, — We request you to attend the ap
proaching Convention of the Episcopal Clergy to be
holden at the Town of Middletown, in Connecticut, then

changes in the PRAYER-BOOK. 239
and there to learn what measures they mean to adopt ;
in order to the maintaining of divine worship in the
Episcopal Church, &c. &c. &c.
We are
Rev'd Sir,
Your very H'ble Ser't
Edward Bass,
Minister of S* PauTs Church Newbury Port
Nath'el Fisher,
Minister of S' Peter's Church Salem ^
In a personal letter to Parker, Bass shows his great
interest in the affahs of the church at large, and
expresses his opinion vrith frankness about the neces
sary changes to be made in the hturgy and the need
for a general council of the churches. In the opening
of the letter he is doubtless referring to the Middletown
Convention, though he also may have had in mind the
approaching Massachusetts Convention which was to be
held September 7, 1785.
to rev. MR. PARKER.Newbury Pt. July 7tli. 1785.
Rev'd and Dear Sm, — I was hindered by certain
untoward accidents from paying you a short visit in
my way to and from Proridence, which I intended to
do, as for other reasons, so particularly to talk with you
upon the approaching Convention. Is it like to be
universal ? Are we this way like to have any hand in
it ? If so in what manner ? Is a Delegate, or more,
* Perry, Historical Notes and Documents, p. 70.

240 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
to be sent from hence, to represent our scatter'd Congre
gations ? Are aU the vacant Churches among us to be
sent to ? Do you learn by any means what is Uke to
be done with the Liturgy either in the way of addition
or diminution? I should like your answer to these
questions, or any others which you may think I ought
to have asked. As to the Liturgy, I have thought we
might part with the Athanas'n Creed, one or two Lord's
prayers, and leave the use of Sponsors to the option
of those who have chUdren to christen ; which, in my
opinion, would be much better than to let it remain a
Law of the Church and at the same thne unobserved by
the greater part of her Members, as I am told, is, and
has been the case in the Southern Colonies and in Con
necticut. Proper prayers must be substituted for the
American Government in the room of those for the
King and Royal FamUy. We ought to have a code of
Ch'ch laws or Canons, plain and simple. Some power
should be given to the Bishop or Bishops, but our
Dernier resort must be in a general CouncU, which
should be supream and have the power of censuring or
depriving Bishops as there may be occasion. Such are
some of the thoughts that have occurred to me upon
this Subject. But tho' we have a happy opportunity of
making our Liturgy appear in some points to greater
advantage, yet for my part I had much rather remain as
we are than break into Parties, or run into a thousand
little schisms to the destiuction of aU harmony and
uniformity, as I cannot help fearing, is too likely to be
the case if once we begin to alter or to make innovations.

CHANGES IN THE PRATER-BOOK. 241
The Communication of your Sentim'ts upon the Subject
would be very agreeable to
Yr affectionate Bror. and very hum'le Serv't
Edward Bass.
Parker attended the "Middletown Convocation,"
which was held on August 3 and 4, 1785. The meet
ing was principaUy taken up by addresses from Bishop
Seabury to his clergy, and congratulations on the part
of the clergy to the bishop. Certain changes in the
hturgy were proposed, as Parker says : " At my request
the Bishop with his clergy agreed to make some altera
tions in the Liturgy and offices of the Church."^ But
the changes were very few, and these so alarmed the
people of Connecticut that Seabury thought best not to
adopt them, for, he says, writing to Parker a little later :
" Between the time of our parting at Middletown and
the Clerical meeting at New Haven it was found that
the Church people in Connecticut were much alarmed
at the thought of any considerable alterations being
made in the Prayer Book ; and, upon the whole, it was
judged best that no alterations should be attempted at
present." ^ This unwilhngness to make alterations indi
cated the conservatism of the churchmanship of Con
necticut ; and the opposition to the granting of power
to the laity became a marked characteristic of the
people. When the Connecticut clergy met at Wood
bury to elect Seabury, the whole proceeding was kept
"a profound secret even from their most intimate
1 Perry, Notes and Documents, p. 90.
2 Ibid., p. 308.

242 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
friends of the laity." * Seabury expressed himself rig
orously in opposition to lay influence in the church
when he said : " I cannot give up what I deem essential
to Episcopal government, by admitting laymen into any
share of it, farther than the external or temporal state
of things may require. To subject a Bishop to the
censure of a consistory of Presbyters and Laymen even
with a Bishop at their head, I cannot consent. From
that thraldom the Church in Connecticut must, if it
please God, be preserved." ^
There is nothing that so sharply differentiates the
attitude of Massachusetts from that of Connecticut as
this opposition to alterations and fear of the laity. At
the convention, about to be held in Boston, a month
later than the Middletown Convention, there were more
laymen present than clergymen, and the alterations
accepted were in many instances radical. Massachu
setts had a vigorous set of laymen who considered
themselves an integral part of the church, and whose
voices were heard on all the important measures that
were proposed. To speak of a " New England atti
tude " is to ignore these very significant facts, which
gave an impetus to Massachusetts at the outset and
estabhshed her traditions, that have since been so per
sistent. The interest of the laymen in the affairs of
the churches seems to have been most intense in New
buryport, where, under the guidance of theh rector,
Edward Bass, Tristram Dalton was elected to represent
the parish at the Boston Convention, and a set of
1 Beardsley, History ofthe Church in Connecticut, vol. i. p. 346.
a Ibid., p. 401.

CHANGES IN THE PRAYER-BOOK. 243
instructions to theh delegates was drawn up by John
Tracy and Dudley Atkins. These " instructions " have
never been printed in full, but as they are of great
value in showing the temper of the Massachusetts men,
they can hardly be omitted here. As a state paper,
they have few equals in the history of the early Amer
ican Church. While loyal and reverent, the writers
see the need of decided changes in the offices of the
church to make them more suitable for the new condi
tions of the churches in America.
instructions to TRISTRAM DALTON.
You being elected as a Delegate for this church in
the Convention which is to meet in Boston on the
seventh day of September next ; we think it best as well
for our own satisfaction as for your ease in the busi
ness which will be before you at that time, to express to
you our sentiments on the subject of some alterations
we wish should take place in the Liturgy now in use
with us.
Laying it as a Basis of all your deliberations and
Resolutions, which is by no means to be departed from,
that the church is to continue Episcopal and that
if Possible a Connection may be obtained with Some
Bishop of Apostohc Succession from whom we may in
future expect ministers duly ordained to supply the
churches in this Country. We deshe that devout col
lects & responses for the different Departments of the
Government under which we now have the happiness to
live may be inserted in the Book of Common Prayer in
the stead of those now contained therein for the King

244 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
and Government of Great Britain. The Federal Gov
ernment of these United States, the Municipal Govern
ment of our sister States in general and the Several
branches of legislative, judicial, and executive authority
in this Commonwealth, we wish always to remember in
our Pubhc addresses to that God " By whom Kings
reign, and Princes decree justice."
We think it convenient (as the venerable Reformers
of the Liturgy of the English Church have taught us),
" that every country should use such ceremonies as they
shaU think best to the setting forth of God's honour
and glory and the inducing the people to a more perfect
and Godly living, without error or superstition; and
that they should put away other things which, from
time to time, they perceive to be most abused, as in
men's ordinances it often chanceth diversely in divers
countries." The Creed used in our Divine Serrice, com
monly caUed the Creed of Athanasius, although it may be
founded in the Scriptures, and at the time of its Intro
duction might have been necessary to favour very vrise
and good purposes — at this day affords great offense,
as it contains (to say the least), many things hard to be
understood, which give pain to many persons and weU-
disposed Christians in the Repetition. It is our opinion,
therefore, that it would be vrise if it were entirely omit
ted out of the Book of Common Prayer.
But if you find your brethren thoroughly opposed to
this, we do not wish you to press it eagerly, but to
endeavor that a clause may be inserted in the Rubric
empowering the minister and Vestry of each Church to
direct the reading or omission of it, — as should seem

CHANGES IN THE PRAYER-BOOK. 245
to them most expedient, and we cannot but think that
it would have a very great tendency to the Union &
Happiness of the Churches if a general authority were
lodged vrith the same Body respecting every other part
of the Service to which it is conceived objections may
be made.
Of the Thirty-nine Articles of Rehgion you will
observe that many of them were made to guard against
heresies of which at this day we trust there is httle
danger. Several of them are entirely foreign to our
present Situation as an independent Church ; and these
we wish expunged. While we are upon this subject we
cannot but express our earnest Desire that no particular
Confession or behef should be requhed of Clergy or
Laity other than such as the Christian world unite in
maintaining. In this age men wiU form theh own
opinions, and it is not to be expected that the Declara
tion of any body of men (be they never so respectable),
can prevent them. It seems hardly necessary to add
that the Exacting these Declarations wUl debar many
worthy characters from our Communion.
The use of Sponsors in Baptism was undoubtedly at
its original Institution of great serrice in the Christian
world, and is at this day if pursued in the true Inten
tion and Sphit of it, highly to be esteemed. But like
everything of human appointment, it is liable to degen
erate ; and it gives us pain to observe that the obli
gations taken upon them by the Godfathers and God
mothers on that occasion, have too Httle influence on
theh future conduct. It is to be wished therefore and
we deshe you to use your influence to obtain that

246 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Parents may be permitted (if they be Persons of Sober
Life and Conversation), to offer their own chUdren for
Baptism, and to enter into those engagements which are
prescribed, to Godfathers and Godmothers; on them
have the laws of Nature, the revealed laws of God, and
the laws of human society laid the obligations, and we
wish to act in conformity to those laws stUl leaving it
at the option of parents to prefer others to the office
as they shall see fit, and as it is generally true that at
the time of their Ministering the Ordinance one of
the Parents is unable to appear at the Font, it would
be convenient that in that case or for other necessary
causes to be made known to the minister. Proxies might
be permitted to represent them. As the frequent Repe
titions of the Lord's Prayer in our service we conceive
tends to take from that awe and reverence which ought
ever to accompany the use of it ; we should be glad
that it may be in some places omitted, leaving it for
the Convention to determine in what particular parts of
the service it may best be done. Inasmuch as the Ab
solution contained in the Order for the Visitation of
the Sick, has, and we fear ever wUl give offense to
many worthy professors of our Rehgion ; without going
into an examination of the Power or Right of the
Clergy to forgive the sins of their FeUow-creatures, we
wish to see that part of our service utterly expunged.
The same is our Desire respecting the use of the sign
of the Cross in Baptism ; and the charge given by the
minister to the Godfathers and Godmothers to see the
chUdren that are baptized brought to the Bishop to be
Confirmed ; the former for the offense it gives to many

CHANGES IN THE PRAYER-BOOK. 247
weak minds, and the latter as it is in most cases impos
sible, or extremely inconvenient to be complyed with.
We do not however in proposing the foregoing altera
tions, deshe to disturb the Freedom of disquisition
which ought to take place in your Convention, or to
press them so far as in any Degree to interrupt that
enthe Harmony which we hope wiU always attend the
Profession of our Worship ; nor are we willing for the
sake of minute differences in opinion to separate our
selves from the Episcopal Church in these States. But
as in matters which concern our tenderest interests we
cannot be too attentive, nor can we as we conceive,
delegate to any one Power to Bind us until we are
made acquainted with those things to which we are to
be bound ; we expect that you do not determine finaUy
on any other matters than are above suggested untU you
shaU have made Report to us of the Proceedhigs of
Convention and we have an opportunity to consider
them ourselves. Finally, sir, our general Deshe of you
In the Conduct of this Undertaking is not to gratify
this or that Party, in any of theh unreasonable De
mands ; but to do that which to your best understand
ing you shall conceive may most tend to the preservation
of peace and Unity in the Church, the procuring of
Reverence, and exciting of piety and devotion in the
Public Worship of God ; and the cutting of Occasion
from those that may seek occasion of Caril and Quarrel
against the Liturgy of the Church ; and we wish you
to foUow the example of the CompUers of that Liturgy
by keeping the mean between the two extremes of too
much stiffness in refusing and too much easiness in

248 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
admitting any Variations from it. For as on the one
side common experience showeth that where a Change
hath been made of things adrisedly estabhshed, (no
evident necessity requhing) sundry inconveniences have
thereupon ensued and those many times more and
greater than the erils that were intended to be reme
died by such Change, so on the other side the par
ticular forms of Divine Worship and the Rites and
Ceremonies appointed to be used therein being things
in their own nature alterable, and so acknowledged, it
is but reasonable that upon weighty and important
occasions such changes should be made therein as to
those duly authorised by the Church should from time
to time seem necessary or expedient.
And we sincerely pray that the Supreme Head of the
Church wUl be graciously pleased to afford his Heavenly
Guidance and Direction to you and your Brethren in
the important Concerns that shaU be under your Con
sideration ; that your Deliberations may be accompanied
with that spirit of Charity, candour, & Liberahty, which
is a distinguishing mark of real Christianity ; and that
the result of them may be such as to satisfy your own
consciences, and conduce to the general welfare of the
Churches, and tend to the Promotion of Piety, Virtue,
and true Rehgion in our Land.
John Tracy,
Dudley Atkins.
Newbuktpobt, August 19, 1785.
The influence of these instructions is plainly seen
in the acts of the Massachusetts Convention, held in

CHANGES IN THE PRAYER-BOOK. 249
Boston, September 7 and 8, 1785. There were present
four clergymen and ten laymen. The clergy were :
Rev. Edward Bass; Rev. WUham Willard Wheeler,
Rector of the united churches at Scituate, Marshfield,
Braintree, and Bridgewater ; Rev. Nathaniel Fisher, of
St. Peter's Church, Salem ; and Rev. Samuel Parker
of Trinity Church, Boston. The most prominent lay
men were Hon. Tristram Dalton, Stephen Greenleaf,
and Benjamin Greene of Trinity, Boston ; John Usher,
from Bristol, Rhode Island ; John Bours, from New
port, and Dr. Francis Borland of Queen's Chapel,
Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Edward Bass was honored by being elected president
of the convention, a fact which shows the position he
occupied in the minds of the clergy and laymen alike.
It was at the outset voted that the clergy and laity
dehberate in one body, though voting separately ; and
that a concurrence of both orders should be necessary
to give vahdity to any measure.
While the alterations in the hturgy made at
Middletown formed the basis for their dehberations,
the members of the convention made other decided
changes. The first necessary revision was in the
prayers for the British king and government. AU
references to both were stricken out, and prayers for
the governor and councU were inserted instead. The
Te Deum, was altered ; and, in the Apostles' Creed, the
expression "He descended into HeU" was omitted.
The Athanasian Creed was entirely omitted ; and any
congregation was given the right to use or omit, as it
saw fit, the Nicene Creed. In the office of Holy Com-

250 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
munion, the word " damnation " in the first warning
was changed to " condemnation." Parents were per
mitted to become the sponsors of theh own children.
The baptismal office was further altered by learing out
the phrase, " AU men are conceived and born in sin ; "
the use of the sign of the cross was left discretionary.
The absolution in the Order for the Visitation of the
Sick was expunged. It also was declared immaterial
whether the Communion Service was read "in the
Reading Desk or in the altar."
The changes in the state prayers were adopted at
once by the congregations, but the other alterations
were not to go into effect until it was seen how far
the other churches " wiU conform to said alterations."
Copies of the Massachusetts proposals were sent to the
different influential parishes in the several States.
This rerision of the hturgy is a clear indication of
the trend of the Massachusetts men toward formu
laries simplified in structure and with less doctrinal
definition than is to be found in the English Prayer-
Book. There is also an evident tendency away from
ecclesiastical pretensions, as is seen in the action on the
absolution in the Visitation of the Sick, and a direct
attempt to make the worship capable of greater elas
ticity, by giving a discretionary power into the hands
of each congregation. Parker, who afterwards grew
more conservative, went so far as to say that " Some of
the Doctrines held up in the 39 Articles I think are
not founded in Scripture." ^
At this convention Bass was appointed on a commit-
' Perry, Notes and Documents, p. 91.

CHANGES IN THE PRAYER-BOOK. 251
tee to form a coUect to be inserted among the occasional
prayers for those " who have lost their friends, for
persons sick, and for persons bound to sea."
In aU these deliberations for the organization of the
churches, one of the strongest parishes in Massachusetts
was not represented. King's Chapel, Boston, the old
historic church in the commonwealth, held aloof from
the conventions and the attendant discussions. The
proprietors of the chapel made their own parochial
changes in the liturgy, and considered themselves
justified by the fact that the separate parishes after
the Revolution owed no allegiance to any central au
thority. The reasons for this independent attitude were well
known. King's Chapel had been used during the war
as a place of worship by the Old South congregation,
but toward the close of hostUities the Episcopahans
used their own serrice for one half of the day, and
then at length resumed complete possession of the
buUding. On September 8, 1782, the senior warden.
Dr. Thomas Bulfinch, acting for the proprietors, called
Mr. James Freeman, a graduate of Harvard College, to
be lay-reader of the parish. When Mr. Freeman ac
cepted the position, he was told that he would be
expected " to read the service of the church every Sun
day, and also on Saints'-days ; to deliver a sermon of
your own composing as often as is convenient. . . .
The proprietors consent to such alterations in the Ser
vice as are made by the Rev. Mr. Parker, and leave the
use of the Athanasian Creed at your discretion." ^
1 Foote, Annals of King's Chapel, vol. ii. p. 380.

252 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
These simple alterations did not long satisfy Free
man. His studies and reflections had led him to en
tertain grave doubts concerning the doctrine of the
Trinity. The Unitarianism that had been making its
way in New England, especiaUy in Congregational pul
pits, had greatly influenced the young " reader " of
King's Chapel. Forthwith he preached a series of
sermons dealing with Christian doctrine, in which he
made such a bold statement of his opposition to what
had been considered orthodox beliefs, that he was
surprised when the congregation upheld him, and re
sponded promptiy to his suggestion that very decided
changes be made in the Prayer-Book. A committee
was appointed to make the alterations ; and on June
19, 1785, it was voted " that the Common Prayer, as it
now stands amended, be adopted by this church as a
form of prayer to be used in future by this church and
congregation." The vote stood twenty yeas to seven
nays. All references to the Trinity were omitted, the
substitution in the doxology being, " to the King eter
nal, immortal, inrisible." The Nicene Creed was also
omitted, and two clauses in the Apostles' Creed were
not retained : " He descended into HeU," and " The
holy Cathohc Church." Prayers to Christ and through
Christ were expunged. The whole tendency of the
book, as amended, was intentionally away from any
Trinitarian behef. The motives that actuated the
King's Chapel proprietors were thus described by Mr.
Charles MiUer in the course of his correspondence with
Dr. Wilham White, of PhUadelphia : " The object of
our Society in the new liturgy was to leave out aU such

CHANGES IN THE PRAYER-BOOK. 253
expressions as wound the conscience of a Unitarian,
vrithout introducing any which should displease a Trin
itarian. A multitude of dififerent opinions may be
entertained by Christians who conscientiously use the
same liturgy."'^
When these changes were made, the parish of King's
Chapel had no intention of separating from the Epis
copal churches in America. It had exercised its right
of local government further than other parishes and
without joint cooperation with them. It was this
persistent parochial independence that Wilham White
objected to when he wrote to Mr. MUler that " I took
the hberty to object to your making of your hturgy a
congregational act. . . . This would be foreign to every
idea of Episcopal government. ... So fully am I in
this sentiment, as to believe that in case of perseverance
in your present plan, you cannot long continue to pro
fess yourselves Episcopahans, unless in a sense in which
the word is not customarily used." ^
The development of the affairs of King's Chapel
showed how necessary was the warning of White. An
apphcation was made to Bishop Seabury, soon after his
arrival in Connecticut, for the ordination of Mr. Free
man, who was stUl a lay-reader. This application was
denied ; and a second request in June, 1786, was also
refused. Then a further attempt was made to secure
Freeman's ordination by soliciting the aid of Bishop
Provoost, of New York, who said he must defer the
matter untU he could present it before the General Con-
1 Wilson, Memoir of Bishop White, p. 334.
2 Ibid., pp. 325, 326.

254 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
vention. Since this convention was not to meet before
1789, and the constant refusals had shown the hopeless
ness of further attempts, the leaders at King's Chapel
were ready for decided action. They wanted to have
theh minister ordained ; and if they could not secure
ordination in one way they must obtain it in another.
The suggestion of obtaining Congregational ordination
was not long entertained, because this would involve
serious questions concerning the rights of property in
the church buUding, as was clearly seen by Parker of
Trinity, who said : " Should he (Freeman) have recourse
to the Congregational clergy and be ordained by them,
aU pretence of theh being an Episcopal Church must be
at end, and a way will be opened to the minority to
recover the house." ^ Shut off thus in each dhection
from the deshed object, the only other method open to
them was to ordain theh own minister by laying their
own hands upon him. This last escape from the diffi
culty the proprietors decided to avaU themselves of.
The day set apart for this pecuhar and interesting
serrice was November 18, 1787. The minority, how
ever, representing in addition twenty-nine pew-owners,
who had fled during the Revolution, but whose pews
had been declared legally forfeited to the church in
the general confiscation of the property of the loyal
ists, — these made a vigorous protest against the con
templated ordination : " We therefore the subscribers,
in behalf of ourselves and other original proprietors of
this Church, who have authorized us to act for them,
do hereby enter our most solemn and serious protest
1 Wilson, Memoir of Bishop White, p. 342.

CHANGES IN THE PRAYER-BOOK. 255
and dissent against all such proceedings and particu
larly against the settlement and pretended ordination of
the said James Freeman, declaring our utter abhorrence
of measures so contrary to the doctrine, discipline, and
worship of an Episcopal Church, and which will include
in them a total ahenation of the property of said house
from the use intended by the original donors or
founders." ^
In spite of aU protests, on the day appointed, the
ceremony of ordaining Mr. Freeman took place. After
the reading of evening prayer, the senior warden,
Mr. Bulfinch, dehvered an address setting forth the
object of the serrice and the approbation thereto of
the proprietors of the chapel. When Mr. Freeman
signified his wiUingness to accept the ordination as
" valid and apostolic," the senior warden, laying his
hand on Mr. Freeman's head, pronounced the following
words : —
" I do, then, as the Senior Warden of this Church,
by rirtue of the authority delegated to me, in the
presence of Almighty God and before these witnesses,
declare you, the Rev. James Freeman, to be the Rector,
Minister, Priest, Pastor, pubhc Teacher, and teaching
Elder of this Episcopal Church ; in testimony whereof
I deliver you this book, containing the holy oracles of
Almighty God, enjoining a due observance of all the
precepts contained therein, particularly those which
respect the duty and office of a minister of Jesus
Christ. And the Lord bless you and keep you, the
J Greenwood, History of King's Chapel, p. 183.

256 LLFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Lord lift up the hght of his countenance upon you, and
give you peace now and for evermore." ^
Without entering into any question concerning the
meaning or vahdity of this act of ordination, nor the
further question concerning the right of the proprietors
to ahenate the property, it is at once erident to any one
famihar with the chcumstances that by this act King's
Chapel ceased to be an Episcopal Church. There is no
sense whatever in which it could be caUed an Episcopal
Church ; even when one considers the unorganized con
dition of the post-Revolutionary churches, such an act
was at variance with every law and tradition of the
Episcopal Church. There were bishops from whom
ordination could have been rightfuUy received, if the
minister and people had been vrilling to submit to the
requirements of the Church ; theh insubordination was
a dhect means of separation and schism by which
King's Chapel became " the first Unitarian Church in
America." However, the senior warden insisted on
ordaining Mr. Freeman as " priest of this Episcopal
Church." It was the assertion of this assumed fact
that sthred up the clergy of Massachusetts and caused
them to send abroad a pubhc protest. Edward Bass,
who headed the hst of subscribers to the protest, and
his friends were not protesting so much against the
schism as against the retention of the name Episcopal,
when aU claims to the titles had been cast off. The
foUowing protest was printed in " The Massachusetts
Centinel," January 2, 1788 : —
' Greenwood, History of King's Chapel, pp. 192, 194.

CHANGES IN THE PRAYER-BOOK. 257
THE PROTEST.
Whereas a certain congregation in Boston caUing
themselves the first Episcopal Church in said town, have,
in an irregular unconstitutional manner, introduced a
Liturgy essentiaUy differing from any used in the Epis
copal Churches in this Commonwealth, and in the
United States, not to mention the Protestant Episcopal
Church in general, and have also assumed to themselves
a power unprecedented in the said Church, of separating
to the work of the ministry Mr. James Freeman, who
has for some time past been their reader, and of them
selves have authorized, or pretendedly authorized him
to administer the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's
Supper ; and at the same time most inconsistently and
absurdly take to themselves the name and style of an
Episcopal Church. We the ministers of the Protes
tant Episcopal Church whose names are underwritten,
do hereby declare the proceedings of said congregation
usuaUy meeting in the Stone Chapel in Boston to be
irregular, unconstitutional, diametricaUy opposite to
every principle adopted in any Episcopal Church, sub
versive of aU order and regularity, and pregnant with
consequences fatal to the interests of rehgion, and we
do hereby and in this public manner, protest against
the aforesaid proceedings, to the end that aU those of
our communion wherever dispersed, may be cautioned
against receiving said reader or preacher, Mr. James
Freeman, as a clergyman of our church, or holding
any communion with him as such, and may be in
duced to look upon his congregation in the light, in

258 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
which it ought to be looked upon, by aU true Episco
pahans. Edward Bass, St. Paul's, Newburyport.
Nathaniel Fisher, St. Peter's Church, Salem.
Thomas Fitch Oliver, St. Michael's Church, Mar
blehead.
William Montague, Christ Church, Boston.
Samuel Parker, Trinity Church, Boston.
John Cousens Ogden, Queen's Chapel, Portsmouth,
N. H.
The protest was answered by the rhetorical exuber
ance of Dr. Belknap in such a manner that the conric
tion is soon formed that the wardens and other members
of the congregation of King's Chapel knew very weU
that the word Episcopal was " used in other than the
customary sense," as Bishop White had wisely re
marked some time before. Dr. Belknap, in an article
with the interesting title, " A Roland for your Ohver,"
exclaimed, concerning the effect of the ordination act,
that "then was cut the aspiring comb of prelatical
pride, — then was undermined the pompous fabrick of
hierarchical usurpation ; — then was pricked the puffed
bladder of uninterrupted succession ; while the eye of
liberty sparkled with joy, and the modest face of primi
tive, simple, unadulterated Christianity brightened with
the conscious smUe of a decent, manly, substantial
triumph." ^
It was supposed by the King's Chapel congregation
that their defection would lead to other similar deser
tions from the Episcopal Church, as Mr. Charles MUler
informed Dr. White when he said that " there is also
reason to apprehend that other congregations, besides
1 Greenwood, History of King's Chapel, p. 195.

changes IX THE PRAYER-BOOK. 259
that of which I am a member, wUl, should they become
L'nitarians in doctrine, separate themselves from the
Episcopal Church, aud form themselves into independ
ent societies." ^ Nothing of this sort occurred ; and
King's Chapel is the only instance of an Episcopal
Church bodUy transferring itself to Unitarianism. The
other churches in Massachusetts made such alterations
in the hturgy as theh convention permitted ; and though
the "Proposed Book," the work printed and edited by
the labor of Dr. White and Dr. Smith, of Marvland,
had been sent to Boston, — a box of them, — it neither
had a ready sale nor was adopted by the congregations.
The Massachusetts Convention of July 20, 1786, did
not adopt the alteration in the •• Proposed Book," but
the general senthnent was -• to leave it optional with the
several churches to adopt what they like best, or even
to continue the use of the old Liturgy (the State prayers
excepted) until we become complete in our officers."
At Trinity Church, Boston, the Psalms were printed by
themselves and used as altered ; as Parker said, -¦ We
cannot expect to be united in one common Liturg-y
tiU the several States shaU have obtained Bishops and
they have agreed upon one that shaU be calculated for
general use and ratified by theh authority." -
The Massachusetts churches were wise enough to
wait for a regular General Convention before they were
ready to accept the final American Book of Common
Prayer. In the mean time, they exercised theh own
judgment and continued theh religious serrices with
remarkable uniformity.
1 WUson, Memoir of Bishop White, p. 335.
' Perry, Notes and Documents, p. 325.

CHAPTER X.
election of bass to the episcopate.
Dr. Samuel Seabury, haring obtained his conse
cration to the Episcopate through the Scotch hne of
succession, was enthusiastically received by the diocese
of Connecticut. His reception in other quarters, how
ever, was not so marked. Dr. Provoost, of New York,
openly denied the vahdity of his consecration, and
further opposed him because of his loyahst attitude
during the Revolution. The churches further south
objected to any recognition of his authority, for they
were making every effort to secure the Episcopate from
England ; and instead of rejoicing in the fact that at
last an American bishop had been secured, resolutions
were offered in the General Convention of 1786, " that
this Convention will resolve to do no act that shall
imply the validity of ordinations made by Dr. Seabury."
Fortunately the resolutions were not adopted, but they
indicated a decided feeling among the members of the
convention of antagonism to the bishop. The more
conservative men were not so outspoken, but they were
unwiUing to make any official overtures to the new
bishop. Dr. White, however, in his letters, addressed
Bishop Seabury as " Rt. Rev'd Father in God."
This feeling of opposition was not aUayed by the
attitude of Bishop Seabury toward the churches in the

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 261
other States. He, first of all, objected to the fifth
fundamental principle adopted in New York in 1784,
providing that " a Bishop shaU be considered a member
of the Convention ex officio." Seabury interpreted this
to mean that a bishop was excluded from presiding at
the convention ; but, as Dr. White remarked, there was
nothing in the principle against having a bishop as a
presiding officer : it was simply sUent on this point.
The opposition on the part of Seabury to the granting
of power to the laity — which power the laymen of
Connecticut refused to accept, for, when it was offered
to them, " they dechned every interference in church
government or in reformation of hturgies " ^ — tended
to ahenate those who had made it a matter of deep
conriction that aU members of the church should be
represented in its dehberations. Another reason for
the widening of the breach was the alterations that had
been made in the liturgy. Seabury objected to " the
mutUating the Psalms ; " " discarding the word absolu
tion ; " excluding the Athanasian Creed ; leaving out
" the descent into HeU " from the Apostles' Creed ; the
omission of the sign of the cross in baptism, and other
changes that had been incorporated into the " Proposed
Book." These objections marked with emphasis the
churchmanship of Bishop Seabury and his diocese.
In Massachusetts there was never any doubt concern
ing the validity of Bishop Seabury's consecration, but,
on the contrary, it was a cause of regret to Bass and
Parker that the question should ever have been raised.
Bass was indignant, and wrote very severely of the
1 Perry, Notes and Documents, p. 385.

262 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
opponents of Seabury. " I have always been of the
opinion," he said, " that we should never coalesce vrith
these gentry, and that it was much more natural for us
to endeavour to come to a uniformity in these four
Northern States. Dr. White appears to be deshous of a
member from hence at their next convention. I could
never learn that in any of their meetings and debates
they have ever taken the least notice of Bishop Sea
bury, which I look upon as a great neglect, if not
even a disrespect to and contempt of the Episcopal
order. They have indeed resolved to endeavour to obtain
an Episcopate among themselves, but it is, in my
humble opinion, unpardonable, in the mean time, not to
place the Bishop, who is upon the spot, at the head of
theh Convention. Truly very unepiscopal conduct ! " ^
At another time Bass wrote to Parker, "I have pe
rused your enclosed papers, and find that our Southern
brethren are like to obtain consecration for theh Bishops
elect ; and also, by a motion respecting Dr. Seabury,
that they are nearly ripe for making a schism in the
American church. Wiseacres ! What a ridiculous
figure must they make in the eyes of every sectary
or anti-Episcopahan ! In the name of wonder, what
objection can be raised against the validity of Dr. S's
ordinations, that may not as weU be made against those
of the English Bishops ? " ^ Parker was equally out
spoken in a letter to Dr. White : " I am very sorry to
see with what coolness and Indifference some of the
Gentlemen in your Convention speak of Bishop Seabury,
because I foresee that this Conduct must create a Schism
1 Perry, Notes and Documents, p. 309. ^ 2j^_^ p_ 325.

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 263
in the Church. However Eligible it may appear to
them to obtain Succession from the English Church, I
think there can be no real objection to Dr. Seabury's
Consecration or to the vahdity of the orders received
from him ; and I am firmly of opinion that we should
never have obtained the Succession from England, had
he or some other not have obtained it first from Scot
land." ^
Though the churchmen in Massachusetts took this
just riew of Bishop Seabury's consecration and wel
comed him into theh State, they maintained their inde
pendent attitude, which was decidedly strengthened by
an unfortunate act of the Bishop of Connecticut. He
had been invited to preach the annual sermon before
the Episcopal Charitable Society of Boston ; this he
declined because of the changes in the hturgy that had
been made by the Massachusetts conventions. His
refusal was regretted, but the churches in Massachu
setts had no idea of abandoning their position to
accommodate him. The prevailing sentiment was ex
pressed by Parker in a very frank letter to the Bishop
of Connecticut : " I am very sorry to find that you
have any reluctance to pass the festival of Easter at
Boston, on account of any irregular or unprecedented
conduct in our Church. . . . The gentlemen of the
Charitable Society would think themselves honoured
with your company at their annual festival ; but I can
not feel myself at liberty to promise a recession from
our present mode of carrying on the Service, as I appre
hend it would be attended with great convulsions in
our Church." ^
1 Perry, Notes and Documents, p. 325. ' Ibid., p. 364.

264 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
The whole period between the so-caUed General Con
vention of 1786 and the first actual General Convention
of 1789 was occupied by a triangular discussion and
correspondence between the southern churches, those
in Connecticut, and those in Massachusetts. Various
suggestions and plans were considered for bringing
about harmony, and uniting the different dioceses in
one organic body. Massachusetts without any bishop
of its own, and yet haring annual conventions, was
looked upon as an important factor in any conclusion
that was to be reached. At one time when the rela
tions were strained between the southern churches and
Connecticut, the suggestion was made by the latter
that Massachusetts secure a bishop from the Scotch
line of descent, and it is very probable that Parker was
the person whom it was intended should secure the
consecration. At another time the proposition was
made by Bishop White that the church in Massachu
setts should send some one to England to be conse
crated,^ thus securing to America three bishops of the
English line ; and they could then consecrate other
bishops without the assistance of Bishop Seabury.
Neither of these propositions commended itself to the
churchmen of Massachusetts. The clergy were divided
in the matter, some desiring to adhere to Connecticut,
others to join with the southern churches, but aU most
anxious for the union of all the churches.
The opinion expressed by Parker indicating his de
sire for the union of the whole church became a watch
word in Massachusetts. " The clergy of this State,"
i Perry, Notes and Documents, p. 378.

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 265
he said, "are very deshous of seeing an union of the
whole Episcopal Church in the United States of Amer
ica take place ; and it wUl remain with our brethren at
the Southward to say, whether this shall be the case or
not ; whether we shaU be an united or dirided Church.
Some httle difference in government may exist in dif
ferent States, without affecting the essential points of
union and communion." ^ It was also seen how impor
tant it was to bring the question of " union " to a focus
during the important convention to be held in Phila
delphia in 1789. The suggestion was made that the
" union " could be effected if the two bishops of the
English line would but unite with Bishop Seabury in
consecrating a fourth bishop, — thus joining the two
stteams of descent. This had been spoken of in Massa
chusetts as early as 1787, but then as a vague possi
bUity; however, as the PhUadelphia convention drew
nearer, the clergy of Massachusetts determined to act
rigorously and put before it a definite proposition upon
which it would be necessary to take dehberate action.
The plan was to elect a bishop of Massachusetts, and
then to ask the General Convention to permit his con
secration by the three bishops resident in America, —
Bishops White, Provoost, and Seabury.
Accordingly, the clergy of Massachusetts and New
Hampshire met in Salem on June 4, 1789, and after a
careful consideration of the whole situation proceeded
to elect their bishop. The choice very naturaUy feU
upon the oldest and most respected of the clergy,
Edward Bass, who had spent his long ministry in the
I White, Memoirs, p. 337.

266 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
diocese and was widely known for his piety and Chris
tian manliness. The official information of the election
was conveyed to the General Convention in the follow
ing act : —
AN ACT OF THE CLERGY OF MASSACHUSETTS AND NEW
HAMPSHIRE.
The good Providence of Almighty God, the fountain
of all goodness, having lately blessed the Protestant
Episcopal Church in the United States of America, by
supplying it with a complete and entire Ministry, and
affording to many of her communion the benefit of the
labours, advice, and government of the successors of
the Apostles ;
We, Presbyters of said Church in the States of Mas
sachusetts and New Hampshire, deeply impressed with
the most lively gratitude to the Supreme Governor of
the universe, for his goodness in this respect, and with
the most ardent love for his Church, and concern for
the interest of her Sons, that they may enjoy aU the
means that Christ, the great Shepherd and Bishop of
Souls, has instituted for leading his foUowers into the
ways of truth and holiness, and preserring his Church
in the unity of the spirit, and the bond of peace ; to
the end that the people committed to our respective
charges may enjoy the benefit and advantage of those
offices, the administration of which belongs to the
highest Order of the Ministry, and to encourage and
promote, as far as in us lies, a union of the whole
Episcopal Church in these States, and to perfect and
compact this mystical body of Christ, do hereby nomi-

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 267
nate, elect, and appoint the Rev. Edward Bass, a
Presbyter of said Church, and Rector of St. Paul's in
Newburyport, to be our Bishop ; and we do promise
and engage to receive him as such, when canonicaUy
consecrated, and invested with the Apostohc office and
powers, by the Right Reverend the Bishops hereafter
named, and to render him aU that canonical obedience
and submission, which, by the laws of Christ and the con
stitution of our Church, is due to so important an office.
And we now address the Right Reverend the Bishops
in the States of Connecticut, New York, and Pennsyl
vania, praying theh united assistance in consecrating
our said brother, and canonicaUy investing him with the
apostohc office and powers.^ This request we are in
duced to make, from a long acquaintance with him, and
from a perfect knowledge of his being possessed of that
love to God and benevolence to men, that piety, learn
ing, and good morals, that prudence and discretion,
requisite to so exalted a station, as well as that personal
respect and attachment of the communion at large in
these States, which wiU make him a valuable acquisition
to the Order, and, we trust, a rich blessing to the Church.
Done at a meeting of the Presbyters, whose names
are under written, held at Salem, in the County of Essex,
^ The first suggestion of the possibility of securing the united action of
the three bishops appears to have been made by Bishop White himself.
He wrote in his Memoirs, page 167, that " he had some time before writ
ten to Dr. Parker, of Boston, that he considered the clergy of Masssachu-
setts as peculiarly situated, ... so that they had it in their power to act
the part of mediators, iu bringing the clergy of Connecticut and those of
the other States together."

268 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the fourth day of
June, Anno Salutis, 1789. Samuel Parker,
Rector of Trinity Church, Boston.
T. Fitch Oliver,
Rector of St. Michael's Church, Marhlehead.
John Cousens Ogden,
Rector of Queen's Chapel, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
William Montague,
Minister of Christ Church, Boston.
Tillotson Brunson,
Assistant Minister of Christ Church, Boston.^
It wUl be noticed that no laymen participated in the
election of Bass. Why they were excluded it is diffi
cult now to understand, since they had been present
at the prerious conventions. Doubtless, some of the
clergy were in agreement with Connecticut on the right
of the laity to have a voice in the election of a bishop,
and others feared that, if the laymen were in attend
ance, Bishop Seabury might not be wiUing to assist in
the consecration. The exclusion of the laymen was a
high-handed act, further emphasized by the election of
a clerical delegate only, Samuel Parker, to the General
Convention. It was this secrecy and denial of power to
the laymen that stirred up the laity of Massachusetts
to open rebelhon in order to gain their rights. They
determined to be recognized ; and went to such lengths
even as to call a meeting of laymen in convention to
choose a delegate to the General Convention of 1789.
1 White, Memoirs, p. 333.

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 269
The fight that they made is a striking chapter of
church history, and though theh immediate point was
not gained, theh efforts were abundantly rewarded in
the permanent rights secured by the laymen of Massa
chusetts. The laymen of Sti Paul's Church, Newburyport, were
the leaders in the movement for caUing a "laymen's
convention." Though they had great respect for theh
rector, who had been chosen bishop, they were unwiU
ing to submit to the election, because laymen had had
no voice in it, and were not to be represented in the
convention that was to consider it. The foUowing
documents exhibit the earnestness of the laymen in the
contention for theh rights ; they are preserved in the
records of St. Paul's Church, Newburyport : —
notification.
The Vestry of St. Paul's Church are requested to
meet in the Church immediately after Evening Serrice
to-morrow, to consider of the Propriety of procuring
one or more Lay Deputies to be appointed from the Epis
copal Churches in Massachusetts and New Hampshhe,
to represent them at the ensuing Convention of the
Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of
America to be holden at PhUadelphia on the 29th Day
of September next — and — To consult and agree upon
Measures to effect the same. Samuel Cutter ) Church
Dudley Atkins j Wardens.
Newbtjkt Port, August 29, 1789.

270 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
RECORD OF meeting.
At a Meeting of the Wardens and Vestry of St.
Paul's Church held in said Church on Sunday the 30th
Day of August 1789 pursuant to the foregoing Notifi
cation —
Present, the Wardens and
Abraham Gallishan Abraham Jackson
William Morland Edward Rand
John Jenkins John Fletcher
David Cutter Tristram Coffin
Wyatt St. Barbe Lewis Jenkins Vestrymen.
The foUowing Draught of a Letter proposed to be
sent to the Episcopal Churches in Massachusetts and
New-Hampshire was read and considered — riz : —
To the Wardens and Vestry of  Church
in  .
Gentlemen — We have been favoured with the Jour
nal of a Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church
in the States of New- York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and South-Carohna
holden at PhUadelphia from the 28th of July last to
the Sth of the current month. We cannot but lament
that the Churches in these Eastern States had no repre
sentation therein, especially as it appears that an affair
of the highest consequence to us came under their
Consideration : We mean the Election of a Bishop to
be set over the Church in this and our Sister State of

ELECTION OP BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 271
New-Hampshire. The Manner in which that Election
was conducted, and the profound Silence and even
Secrecy which has been maintained by the Reverend
actors in it, have given us great Concern. Disposed as
we are to give every Proof in our Power of our Vener
ation and Esteem for our Spiritual Teachers, we cannot
refrain from expressing our Opinion that in a Matter of
that high Moment it would have been but a Piece of
Condescension, becoming Ministers of Christ, to have
admitted their Brethren of the Laity to a Participation
of theh Counsels. Neither can we divest ourselves of
an Apprehension that a System of Ecclesiastical Gov
ernment is contemplated in these States not perfectly
consistent with that Freedom with which it hath
pleased a merciful God to bless us, and which has been
so assiduously supported and cultivated by our Sister-
Churches in the Southern Governments.
Impressed with these Sentiments we have assembled
and deliberated on these Subjects ; and, in the Result,
have determined (though young and few in Number)
to propose to the several Episcopal Churches in these
two Eastern States to elect one or more Lay Deputies
to attend in our Behalf at the Adjournment of the fore-
mentioned Convention to be holden at Philadelphia on
the 29th Day of September next. This Measure has
appeared to us weU-calculated, if not even necessary to
preserve that Union of our Church in these United
States, which is so earnestly to be desired. We are
inrited to it by the Convention. The Business to be
then transacted is of the first Consequence to us.
Canons are to be established ; The Book of Common

272 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Prayer is to be revised and altered ; and other interest
ing Concerns to come before that Body. We would
not for our own Part wiUingly lose our Voice on the
Occasion ; and we fear it vriU be thought disrespectful
to neglect it.
Should our Ideas on this Subject meet yours, we beg
leave to propose that a Convention of Lay-Deputies
from the several Churches in these States assemble at
Salem in the County of Essex and Commonwealth of
Massachusetts on Wednesday the Sixteenth Day of
September next before-noon, to elect one or more Lay
Deputies to represent the said Churches at the Conven
tion to be holden by Adjournment at PhUadelphia on
the twenty-ninth Day of September next ; to give the
said Deputy or Deputies such advice and Instructions
as may be thought necessary or proper, and to consider
of and recommend any Measures they may think pro
motive of the Welfare and Improvement of these
Churches. If this Letter should by any Means be delayed on its
Passage ; so that Time be wanting, or should any other
Cause prevent your Society from adopting our Proposal,
we beg Leave to mention that there are now in New-
York three respectable Members and we beheve sincere
Friends of our Churches, viz. The Hon. Mr. Dalton,
the Hon. Mr. Gerry and the Hon. Mr. Livermore.
We cannot doubt that any of these Gentlemen would
readUy undertake the charge of representing us in
Convention ; and we hope it will not be deemed too
assuming in us to recommend that these Societies, who
shaU not join in the proposed Convention at Salem,

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 273
furnish one or more of those Gentlemen with the
Powers to represent them in the Convention at PhU
adelphia. We beg the Favour of you to inform us of your
Receipt of this vrith an Account of your Proceed
ings ; and shaU at all Times gladly receive from you
any Communications tending to the Benefit of the
Church. We are. Gentlemen, your respectful Friends and
Brethren —
Signed by the unanimous Deshe of the Vestry of S'
Paul's Church, Newbury Port.
Samuel Cutter ) Wardens of
Dudley Atkins j said Church.
Newbuky Port, Aug* 30, 1789.
Whereupon, voted unanimously,
That the Wardens be and they hereby are desired to
send copies of the same signed by them in behalf of
the Vestry to each of the Episcopal Churches in Mas
sachusetts and New-Hampshire.
Voted, That the Wardens be and they hereby are
requested to caU a Meeting of the Proprietors and
others usuaUy attending Pubhc Worship in this Church
on some convenient Day prerious to the 16th Day of
September next, for the purpose of electing one or
more Deputies to attend at the Convention proposed to
be held at Salem on the said Day —
Attest Sam? Cutter "I Church-
DuDLEY Atkins J Wardens.

Massachu setts

274 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
[A Copy of the foregoing Letter was sent to the fol
lowing Churches. Queen's Chappie, Portsmouth 1 New
Church at New Holderness J Hampshire.
St. Peter's Chmch, Salem
St. Michael's Chappie, Marblehead
Christ's Church, Boston
Trinity Church, Boston
United Churches, Scituate
Marshfield, Braintree and Bridge-
water
Church at Portland]
The rephes to the foregoing circular letter, received
from the various churches to which it had been sent,
contain important material bearing upon the early his
tory of the Episcopal Church in Massachusetts : —
TO THE WARDENS OF ST. PAUL'S CHUECH.
Portsmouth, Sep! 2, 1789.
Gentlemen, — We have to acknowledge the receipt
of your Letter of August 31".* by the hand of Ohver
Whipple Esq! In Consequence we, with the Vestry of
Queen's Chappie met together on the Occasion, and
consulted upon the Subject you propose, and are author
ized by a Unanimous voice to say : That we thank you
for your friendly communication and most sincerely
wish to see a Compleat Union of the Protestant Episco
pal Church in America. But as the General Convoca
tion (so caUed) have twice met in Philadelphia, and
never honoured us with a copy of theh Proceedings, or

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 275
in any form whatever given us any Invitation to attend
it, or ever afforded us the smallest information of their
doings ; and the time of their meeting being too soon
for us to gain any wished instruction on so important a
Matter, and (as far as conjecture alone can help us)
the Business of the General Convention, being drawn
to a close, so far as places us at too late a Day, to
expect that our Agent (if we should think proper to
chuse one) could accomplish anything that might on
our part appear Necessary for us or the body of the
Church ; Upon these Considerations we cannot Join in
the Measure of electing a Person to Meet the Repre
sentatives, that may collect from the Several Churches
in your State & this, at Salem on the 16th cur*, or
appoint either of the Gentlemen, you mention, to repre
sent us in the Convention at Philadelphia, which is to
Set the 29"' Ins! WhUe we rejoice in the liberality of
Sentiment that pervades this Continent, between various
religious Denominations, while we experience the ben
efit of our wise & general toUeration, & from thence
see the Church gaining her proper Station & the benefits
therefrom, increasing ; We shaU ever gladly Join in
every prudent Just & necessary measure that shall be
devised to make her happy & respected. We are &c.
Geo. Turner, Warden
In behalf and by order of the Vestry, Geo. Jaffrey.

276 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
TO THE SAME. Salem, 6th Sept. 1789.
Gentlemen, — We are indebted to you for aU the
information we have, respecting the Convention which
has been lately held at PhUadelphia : how that Body, as
you observe, " could take under their consideration the
election of a Bishop to be set over this, & our Sister
State of Newhampshhe, when they were not repre
sented in the Convention, we are at a loss to deter
mine," and shaU only observe for the present, that we
suppose none of their doings can or ought to bind us,
nor any other Society, but which shall approve them.
You say " the Manner in which that Election was con
ducted & the profound sUence & even Secrecy which
has been maintained by the Rev. actors in it, have
given you great concern," but as neither our Minister,
nor we ourselves, do yet know when, where, nor by
whom that Election was made, we have only to observe,
that we do not suppose that Election of even the least
consequence to us, however, to shew our disapprobation
of aU such unchristian & surreptitious measures, in
these our Spiritual Guides & teachers, & " from whom
we had a right to expect better things," we do hereby
protest against the equity of it. You intimate your
fear "that a System of Ecclesiastical Government is
contemplated in these States, not perfectly consistent
with the freedom assiduously supported & maintained
in the Southern Governments." We are sorry to
hear a Suggestion of this kind & hope it is not a Just
apprehension, but even should it be well founded, we

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 277
apprehend no great danger from the Authors of it.
You say " that we are invited to the Convention ad
journed to the 29*^" inst ; when Canons are to be
estabhshed. The Book of Common prayer revised &
altered." These to be sure are transactions of conse
quence to the Episcopal Churches throughout the
United States, & we pray God to give wisdom and
discretion to those who shall engage in this very im
portant work. If theh doings meet our approbations,
no doubt we shaU adopt them, — Upon the whole, we
acknowledge vrith aU gratitude, the great concern you
have shewn for the good of the Episcopal Church in
these States ; for the hberties of the Laity ; & for the
respect shewn to us in your pohte & friendly communi
cation. But as we see no present necessity for a Bishop
for the Government of the few, scattered & in general
very poor, yet orderly Churches in these Eastern States ;
and as we enjoy peace & harmony within ourselves,
therefore we have voted unanimously, not to attend the
Convention of Lay delegates, proposed to be holden at
Salem on the 16th of this month. We are. Gentlemen,
Your respectful Friends & Brethren
Signed By the Desire of the Wardens & Vestry of St.
Peter's Church, Salem. Joseph Bowditch, Clerk.
to the same.
Boston, Sep' 9'" 1789.
Gentlemen, — We acknowledge the receipt of your
letter of the 31'* August 1789, dhected to the Wardens

278 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
& Vestiy of Christ's Church Boston. Setting forth " the
apprehensions you have that a System of Ecclesiastical
Government is contemplated in these States, not per
fectly consistent vrith that freedom with which it hath
pleased a merciful God in his proridence to bless us."
These apprehensions or Suggestions, we suppose is
from the Convention held at Salem on the 4th Day of
June last, by the Revd the Episcopal Clergy of this,
and the State of New-Hampshire, if there was any
foundation for such an apprehension, (we commend
your Zeal) and should readily concur with you in the
same. But as nothing of this nature appears to us, we
would hope and believe that those Gentlemen by whose
dhection said letter was written have been misinformed
of the Motives and Design of the Proceedings of the
Rev? the Episcopal Clergy of this & the State of New-
Hampshire, as aforesaid.
In our opinion their proceedings was Intirely to bring
about a Union of the Several Bishops & Episcopal
Churches in the whole United States, which object we
are Informed, is now in a fair way & an agreeable
prospect of being accommodated so that an Union of
the whole Episcopal Churches in the United States, wiU
be accomphshed, for which blessing every Episcopahan
must rejoice : — According to your desire we now
acquaint you with our proceedings on your Letter,
which by the Votes of the Church is as foUows —
At a meeting of the Wardens & Vestry of Christs
Church in Boston, holden at the Vestry room Sep'7, 1789.
A Letter from the Wardens & Vestry of S! Paul's
Church, Newbury Port, directed to the Wardens &

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE 279
Vestiy of Christ's Church Boston, was presented by
the Wardens & read, and after due Consideration had
thereon ; do not think it necessary or expedient, to
send any Delegate to the Convention proposed to be
held at Salem, on the 16th Ins!, as there is aheady a
Clerical Delegate chosen and appointed to represent the
Clergy of this & the State of New Hampshhe in the
adjourned general Convention to be holden at the City
of PhUadelphia on the 29*'' Ins! We are of opinion,
that it is totally unnecessary for us to Nominate or
request any Lay Delegate to represent us in said gen
eral Convention at PhUadelphia aforesaid, but are wilhng
to trust the conserns of this Church with the Clerical
Delegate already appointed. Therefore Voted Unani
mously — That a Delegate be appointed to represent us
in the General Convention of the Episcopal Churches
to be holden at PhUadelphia the 29*'' Ins* Voted,
unanimously — That the Rev'^ Samuel Parker D. D. be
deshed, as a Delegate, to represent us in said Convention.
We have now given you our Determination on your
Letter and although we dissent from you as to the
Convention we hope that no uneasiness wUl arise there
from, for as we are Brethren of the same Church, let
us hve in Love and Unity, then may we beheve & hope
that the God of Peace & Love may Dhect and Guide
us in the way of our Duty.
We are. Gentlemen
Your respectful Friends & Breth :
Signed by the Unanimous Deshe of the Vestry of
Christs Church Boston James Sherman ) Wardens of
Charles Williams j said Church.

280 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
TO THE same. Boston, Sep' 9? 1789
Gentlemen, — Your Letter of the 31. Uito addressed
to the Wardens & Vestry of Trinity Church was laid
before them on the S**" Inst. We were happy to find
that the Interest and Welfare of the Episcopal Church
in these States were so warmly espoused by such a
respectable Body as the Wardens & Vestry of St
Paul's Church in Newbury Port ; But at the same time
we cannot but express our apprehensions that the
Wardens & Vestry of St Paul's Church, were either not
fully informed of, or have mistaken the riews & designs
of the proceedings of the Rev? Clergy of this and the
State of New Hampshire at their Meeting held at Salem
on 4th June last : To us it appears that " the profound
SUence & even Secrecy which has been maintained " in
respect to the transactions of that meeting was neces
sary to effect the design they had in view, otherwise
they would no doubt have admitted their Lay Brethren
to " a participation of their Counsels." Our esteem
for our Spiritual Teachers induce us to think thus
favourably of theh Conduct. And as it appears evi
dent by theh act that one, and this a principal end
they had in riew, was to encourage and promote a
Union of the whole Church in the United States, in
doctiine, discipline & worship, we can have no appre
hension that " a System of Ecclesiastical Government
is contemplated in these States, not perfectly consist
ent vrith that freedom with which it hath pleased a
Merciful God to bless us," but being the same, it must

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 281
be as free as that " which has been so assiduously
supported & cultivated by our Sister Church in the
Southern Government." A Clerical Delegate being
already appointed to represent, in the Adjourned Con
vention, the Clergy of this State, whose Interests are so
nearly connected with that of the Laity, upon whom
they depend for their Support, we feel perfectly safe in
trusting the concerns of the Church with them, &
therefore are of opinion that it is unnecessary to give
any Gentleman the trouble of appearing at the Ad
journed Convention as a Lay Delegate on our behalf.
Impressed with this Sentiment we must beg you Gent :
to excuse our not complying with your proposal, but
declining to send any Delegate to the Convention pro
posed to be holden at Salem the 16*'' Inst. Such a
Step, we are apprehensive, would only tend to excite a
Jealousy & dirision between the Clergy and Laity,
which we wish at all times to avoid, but more especiaUy
at the present, when there is so fah a prospect of a
Compleat, & enthe Union of the whole Episcopal
Church in the United States. We thank you Gent :
for your attention to the Interests of the Church in
General, & are very sorry we are obhged to disagree in
Sentiment upon the Subject of your Letter.
We are Gentlemen, your
respectful friends & Brethren
By order of the Vestiy of Trinity Church Boston
Richard Green) ^^^^,^,,
Henry Smith j

282 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
TO THE SAME.
New-Holderness, Sep' 12"' 1789.
Gentlemen, — We have been honoured with the
receipt of your's of the 30!?' of August last, altho' it
came to hand some days latter than perhaps you ex
pected : and Join with you in lamenting that the
Churches in the Eastern States were not represented in
the late Convention at PhUadelphia and that any mat
ters of Importance relative to them were transacted
vrithout & think the alarm which you have taken upon
the occasion altogether justifiable.
We doubt not your veneration for your Spiritual
teachers, and we are sorry to say that theh inattention to
theh Brethren of the Laity in matters of the greatest
Importance savours little of that Condescention & meek
ness so emphatically inculcated by their dirine master ;
stUl would humbly hope that they have not in contem
plation any system of Ecclesiastical government subver
sive of the freedom & true Interest of our Church.
We are pleased with the result of your deliberations
and Judge that the sending one or more Lay-Deputies
to the Convention at the adjournment is a measure well
calculated to promote the Union of our Churches, so
ardently to be wished for ; and that the Invitation
from the Convention renders the measure still more
eligible. Your proposal with respect to the Convention at
Salem we gladly adopt ; and have made choice of John
Porter Esq! as our representative ; but least he should
not arrive in season to Join them, we have authorized &

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 283
impowered those respectable Gentlemen by you pointed
out to us, in a Joint & Seperate Capacity, to represent
us in the Convention at PhUadelphia and as we have no
reason to doubt the sincerity of their friendship for our
churches, have the confidence that one or other of them
wiU undertake the Charge.
We thank you for your attention to this Infant
Society ; for your rigilance and good Intention towards
our Churches in general ; and shall ever be happy to
meet you in any measure promotive of their true In
terests. We are, Gentlemen
Your respectful friends & Brethren
AndT Smyth "j Wardens of the
V Church in New-
Sam.^ Sheperd j ffolderness.
When it became evident to the wardens and vestry
in Newburyport that the " laymen's convention " could
not be held, they determined to elect their own dele
gates and send them to PhUadelphia to represent their
own parish. The records of St. Paul's Church con
tain evidence of their further deliberations : —
notice.
The Proprietors and others usuaUy worshipping at
S' Paul's Church are hereby notified to meet in the
Church on Wednesday next at four "Clock in the after
noon — Then and there after a Moderator is chosen —
To see if the Congregation wiU elect one or more
Lay Delegates to represent them at a Convention of the

284 LLFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States to be
holden by adjournment at the City of PhUadelphia on
the 29!'' Day of September current —
To give Such Delegate or Delegates such Instructions
as may be thought necessary. — By Desire of the
Vestry Sam'^ Cutter ) .^^ ,
T\ ' \ y Wardens.
Dudley Atkins j
Newbury Port Sep'. 12f 1789.
RECORD OF meeting.
At a Meeting of the Proprietors and others usuaUy
worshipping at St. Paul's Church held in said Church
on Wednesday the 16*'' Day of September 1789 pur
suant to the foregoing Notification; John Tracy
Mod": Voted, that it is the Opinion of this Congregation
that the Doings of no Ecclesiastical Convention can
bind the Churches unless there be therein a Representa
tion of the Laity as well as of the Clergy and a Con
currence of a Majority of both Orders.
Voted — that the Wardens and Vestry of this Church
have taken every Step in theh Power to procure a
Representation from the Laity of the Churches in New-
Hampshire and this State in the General Convention to
be holden at Philadelphia the 29*'' Instant.
Voted — That the Rev. Samuel Parker D. D. (al
though, if chosen a Delegate by the Clergy of this
State and of New-Hampshire, he may be sufficiently
authorized to represent them in the General Convention
of the Episcopal Church) can in no manner be con-

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 285
sidered as the Representative of the Laity of the several
Churches, wherein the Clergymen who elected him
officiate. Voted — That as the Clergy of this State and of
New-Hampshire have elected Dr. Parker to represent
them in the General Convention, it is the Duty of this
Congregation to endeavor likewise to be represented
therein. Wherefore Voted, that this Congregation proceed to
elect two Delegates to represent the Laity of this Church
at the said Convention —
The Hon. Tristram Dalton and the Hon. Elbridge
Gerry Esq! were unanimously elected the said Dele
gates —
Voted — that the Hon. Jonathan Jackson Esquire,
Dudley Atkins and John Tracy Esquires be a Commit
tee to prepare a Draught of a Letter to the said Dele
gates informing them of their Election, stating to them
the Proceedings that have been had relative to this
subject, and requesting them to accept of their Delega
tion, and that the said Committee report at the Adjourn
ment of this Meeting.
This Meeting was then adjourned to Friday the 18th
Inst. RECORD OP meeting.
Met pursuant to adjournment on the 18th Sept.
1789 —
The Committee appointed for that Purpose reported
a Draught of a Letter to be forwarded to the Delegate
chosen at this Meeting, which being read and duly con
sidered was unanimously accepted and is as follows —
viz.

286 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Newbuky Port, Sep' 18, 1789.
Gentlemen, — We, the Congregation usuaUy wor
shipping at S! Paul's Church in this place, beg leave to
address you on a Subject highly interesting to us, and,
as we conceive, of no trifling concernment to the
Churches in these Eastern States. Having unani
mously elected you to represent us in the Convention
of the Protestant Episcopal Church to be holden by
adjournment in the City of Philadelphia on the 29!''
Instant, it is our Duty to State to you our reasons for
taking a Step, which may possibly from its Singularity
need some Explanation. In order to which we must
give you a short recital of some Circumstances which
have induced us to adopt this measure.
The Journal of the General Convention, which was
held at Philadelphia from the 28*1- of July to the 8!"
of August last, having been published, is undoubtedly
in your hands. To that Journal we refer you for the
Doings of a Meeting of Sundry Clergymen of this
State and New Hampshire held at Salem on the 4*?"
June last, observing at the same time, that neither
before their meeting, nor afterwards, did we or any
other of the Churches in these States, receive from
those Gentlemen the smallest information of their In
tentions or proceedings ; Except that, on the Succeed
ing Lord's Day, several new prayers were introduced
into the Serrice of the Church, which, as we afterwards
learned, had been agreed upon at that meeting. When
that Journal came to our hands, we confess we were
not a little astonished at the Proceedings of the Meet
ing, to which we have referred.

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 287
That the Clergy alone of our Church have a right to
elect a Bishop, whose Authority shaU extend over the
Laity, is a Principle we can by no means accede to ;
and, from the very Scrupulous Secrecy observed by our
Ministers upon this occasion, we are led to believe that
it is a Principle they do not feel themselves intirely
founded in.
We find ourselves therefore bound solemnly to pro
test against the late election at Salem being drawn into
Precedent on any future occasion ; and at the same
time we declare that nothing but our personal know
ledge of, & most intire Esteem and veneration for the
Rev? Gentleman, who was the object of that Election
prevents our entering the like Protest against its
vahdity. In the Journal before-mentioned, we observe the Con
vention resolved that the Eastern and other Churches
not included in theh Union, should be furnished with
Copies of theh Proceedings, notified of the time &
place to which the Convention should adjourn, and
requested to meet them for the purpose of effecting a
general union of, the Protestant Episcopal Church in
America ; We observe too that a Committee was ap
pointed to carry that Resolution into Effect ; And we
have Satisfactory Information that Communications from
that Committee on the Subject, containing the request
of the Convention, were received at an early day by
the Ministers of the Churches in these States. These
Communications have not yet been made known to us ;
and we are even indebted to a private Correspondent
of one of our Number for the Copy of the Journal
which we have.

288 ' LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Finding by that Copy that our Clergy had chosen an
Agent to represent them at any future Convention, and
seriously wishing to further, to the utmost of our
abilities ; the very laudable & Christian designs of the
Convention, our vestry assembled and agreed upon a
Circular Letter to the Several Churches in Massachu
setts & New Hampshhe proposing to them to Join us
in a Lay-Convention for the purpose of electing one or
more Deputies to represent the Laity of these Churches
in the adjourned general Convention. Of this Letter
& of the answers thereto, which have been received we
forward you Copies, to which we beg leave to refer you,
at the same time suggesting that these answers are all
from the Vestries only of the several Churches. Had
our letter been communicated to their Congregations, it
is not improbable it would, in some Instances at least,
have received different replies.
Thus finding that our proposal had taken no effect,
and that we were alone in our desires to procure an
extended Representation of the Laity of these Churches
in the General Convention, we have conceived it the
only Measure left us, to endeavour to procure this
Congregation to be represented therein. We have
therefore elected you, Gentlemen, our Delegates to
appear in our Name & Behalf at the General Conven
tion of the Protestant Episcopal Church to be holden
in the City of PhUadelphia on the twenty-ninth Day of
September Instant by adjournment from the eighth day
of August last. We hereby impower you and each or
either of you in our Name to consent and agree to any
Constitution and Canons for the Government and Dis-

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 289
ciphne of the Church, and also to any alterations in the
Book of Common Prayer, which you shaU think may
have a Tendency to promote the Union of the Church
& the true Interests of Religion & Virtue —
We give it you as our decided opinion that in
every Ecclesiastical Convention, a representation of the
Laity as weU as of the Clergy is necessary to give
Vahdity to the Acts of such Convention. We intreat
you that you wUl not dechne this burthen, engaging
to acknowledge with all gratitude your good services
herein. We beg of the Right Reverend, Reverend and
worthy members of the General Convention to receive
you into their Body. And finaUy we sincerely pray
the great head of the Church, who is the giver of every
good gift, to endue you and the whole Convention
vrith aU needed vrisdom and grace, and that the result
of your doings may promote the Union of the Church,
and the real Interests of pure Christianity. We are,
Gentlemen, with perfect Consideration and Esteem, your
most ob? Hum. Ser*" JoN^ Jackson "j
Dudley Atkins V Committee.
John Tracy J
Signed by the Unanimous desire of the Congregation.
Attest Sam^ Cutter 1 Church
Dudley Atkins j Wardens.
The Honourable Tristram Dalton and the Honourable
Elbridge Gerry, Esquires, New- York,

290 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
There is no record that Tristram Dalton and Elbridge
Gerry were admitted to the General Convention as
delegates, but from a sentence in Bishop White's " Me
moirs " it appears that they were present and tried to
gain admission.
The " Act of the clergy of Massachusetts and New
Hampshire " was favorably received by the Convention ;
and it was instrumental in bringing about the union so
much desired. Bishop Seabury was received with
graciousness ; and the University of Pennsylvania con
ferred upon Edward Bass the degree of Doctor of
Divinity. The convention in a series of resolutions
expressed itself as being of the opinion that the three
bishops could unite in consecrating a fourth ; and
requested the bishops so to consecrate Edward Bass.
RESOLUTIONS.
Resolved, 1st, That a complete Order of Bishops,
derived as weU under the Enghsh as the Scots line of
Episcopacy, doth now subsist within the United States
of America, in the persons of the Right Rev. William
White, D. D., Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal
Church in the state of Pennsylvania ; the Right Rev.
Samuel Provoost, D. D. Bishop of the said Church in
the state of New York ; and the Right Rev. Samuel
Seabury, D. D. Bishop of the said Church in the state
of Connecticut.
2nd, That the said three Bishops are fully competent
to every proper act and duty of the Episcopal office and
character in these, United States, as well in respect to
the consecration of other Bishops, and the ordering of

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 291
Priests and Deacons, as for the government of the
Church, according to such rules, canons, and institu
tions, as now are, or hereafter may be duly made and
ordained, by the Church in that case.
3rd, That in Christian charity, as weU as of duty,
necessity, and expediency, the Churches represented in
this Convention ought to contribute, in every manner
in theh power, towards supplying the wants, and grant
ing every just and reasonable request of their sister
Churches in these States ; and therefore,
4th, That the Right Rev. Dr. White, and the Right
Rev. Dr. Provoost, be, and they hereby are, requested
to join with the Right Rev. Dr. Seabury, in complying
with the prayer of the Clergy of the States of Massa
chusetts and New Hampshire, for the consecration of
the Rev. Edward Bass, Bishop-elect of the Churches in
the said States ; but that, before the said Bishops com
ply with the request aforesaid, it be proposed to the
Churches in the New England States, to meet the
Churches of these States, with the said three Bishops, in
an adjourned convention, to settle certain articles of
union and discipline among all the Churches, prerious
to such consecration.
Sth, That if any difficulty or delicacy, in respect
to the Archbishops and Bishops of England, shaU
remain with the Right Rev. Drs. White and Provoost,
or either of them, concerning theh compliance with
the above request, this Convention wiU address the
Archbishops and hope thereby to remove the diffi
culty.^ * Perry, Notes and Documents, p. 401.

292 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Though these resolutions were passed, it was felt by
Bishop White that he ought not to unite with Bishop
Seabury until he had received permission from the
archbishops in England, for he had tacitly, if not
explicitly, agreed not to unite with the Scotch hne of
succession. The address to the archbishops, containing
all the important papers concerning the election of Bass
and the resolutions of the convention, stated the case
thus : —
EXTRACTS FROM AN ADDRESS TO THE MOST REV. THE ARCH
BISHOPS OP CANTERBURY AND TORK.
. . . The business of most material consequence
which hath come before us, at our present meeting,
hath been an apphcation from our sister Churches in
the Eastern States, expressing their earnest desire of a
general union of the whole Episcopal Church in the
United States, both in doctrine and disciphne ; and, as
a primary means of such union, praying the assistance
of our bishops in the consecration of a Bishop elect,
for the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshhe.
We therefore judge it necessary to accompany this
address with the papers which have come before us on
that very interesting subject, and of the proceedings we
have had thereupon, by which you wUl be enabled to
judge concerning the particular delicacy of our situa
tion, and, probably, to relieve us from any difficulties
which may be found therein.'^
The union of the churches was effected dhectly by
^ Perry, Notes and Documents, p. 399.

ELECTION OF BASS TO THE EPISCOPATE. 293
means of the election of Bass. His consecration was
delayed by the need of obtaining permission from
England. If Bishop White had been wUhng to act
at once, the consecration of the Bishop of Massachu
setts might have taken place immediately. As it was,
the whole matter was postponed, at first temporarUy,
then indefinitely. The reasons why the consecration
of Bass was not proceeded with are various, and have
been variously stated. It has been said that his elec
tion was not made reaUy with the idea of having him
consecrated, but as a test case to influence the conven
tion and bring about the deshed union. It is, however,
highly improbable that the clergy of Massachusetts
were not serious in theh election of a bishop ; if it had
been merely a test case, the laymen would not have
been so disturbed by theh exclusion from the conven
tion. There can be httle doubt that the election was
genuine in every particular. The delay must be ac
counted for in other ways. Bass himself speaks of his
unwiUingness to be consecrated because of his feehng
of unfitness for the office and the expense which would
be necessary were he to be consecrated. The small
number of parishes in the diocese doubtless made it
seem less necessary for Massachusetts to have a bishop
of its own ; but a stiong reason which would have been
kept constantly before him by the laymen of his parish
must have been the fact that no laymen assisted in the
election, and his unwUhngness to assume the duties of
his office without their consent. That this last reason
was an important one is shown by the fact that when

294 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
his consecration really was decided upon, eight years
after his election in 1789, it was found necessary to
elect him to the office of bishop a second time ; and on
this occasion the laymen were present and voted for
him unanimously.

CHAPTER XI.
THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOP BASS.
During the period between the first election of Ed
ward Bass to the Episcopate, in 1789, and his second
election to the same office, in 1796, the rector of New
buryport was naturaUy the foremost clergyman of the
Episcopal Church in Massachusetts. His brethren came
to him constantly for advice; and in the annual con
ventions held in Boston he rendered important serrice
to the church. He was regularly elected as presiding
officer. In the critical convention of 1790, when the
draft of the constitution for the diocese was made, he
was a member of the committee " to frame a Plan of
an Ecclesiastical Constitution for the Government of
the Episcopal Churches in the Commonwealth and such
other Churches as may be admitted and accede to the
same." The constitution resulting from the delibera
tions of this committee was unanimously adopted in
1791. It contained the germs of the organic law of
the diocese, which afterwards developed into the present
constitution. It prorided for a convention of clerical
and lay deputies, each order to vote separately ; aud for
a standing committee. It also prorided that no elec
tion of a bishop should be held unless three months'
notice of the proposed election be given, and that the
election should take place at the annual meeting. This

296 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
article was inserted so that there might never again be
the danger of a secret meeting for the election of a
bishop. Bass was elected a member of the standing
committee, and was appointed with others to arrange
for the printing of the Prayer Book.
The question of the election of a bishop came up
again and again in the conventions of 1794 and 1795,
but it was deemed inexpedient to hold an election untU
May 24, 1796. The meeting was held in Concert HaU,
Boston. The clergy and laymen who took part in the
election were : — CLERGY.
Rev. Edward Bass, D. D.
Rev. WUliam Walter, D. D.
Rev. Wilham WiUard Wheeler, A. M.
Rev. Nathaniel Fisher, A. M.
Rev. Samuel Parker, D. D.
Rev. WUham Montague, A. M.
Rev. Joseph Warren, A. M.
Rev. John SUvester John Gardiner, A. M.
Rev. WUham Harris, A. M.
Rev. Daniel Burhans, A. M.
LAY DEPUTIES.
Doct. Thomas Kast, Perez Morton, Esq., and WUliam
Walter, Jr., Christ Church, Boston.
Mr. Richard Green, Mr. Henry Smith, and WUham
Tudor, Esq., Trinity Church, Boston.
Dudley Atkins Tyng, Esq., St. Paul's Church, New
buryport. Samuel SewaU, St. Michael's Church, Marblehead.

THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOP BASS. 297
Ebenezer MiUer, Esq., Christ Church, Quincy.
Mr. George Clark, Christ Church, Dedham.
Mr. WUham Bradley, St. Luke's Church, Lanes-
boro'. In the Journal of the Convention of 1796, the vote
for bishop is thus recorded : " A Vote being called
for by baUot, for a Bishop elect, there appeared seven
votes of Clerical members, and six votes of the Laity,
(the latter being unanimous,) for the Rev. Edward
Bass, D. D., and he was accordingly chosen Bishop
elect." In answer to the formal announcement of his elec
tion. Dr. Bass wrote a letter to the members of the
convention explaining his attitude towards his previous
election and his reason for acquiescing in the wUl of
his brethren : —
TO THE MEMBERS OF TH& CONVENTION.
Newburyport, Sept. 8, 1796.
Reverend and Honored, — When you elected me
your Bishop, I declined accepting your choice, in which
I was perfectly sincere and as much in earnest as ever I
was in my hfe. It was a surprise upon me, a thing
totally unexpected as well as undesired. Since that
time so many things have been said to me by various
people, urging me to comply with your election, and
having duly considered our critical situation, the alter
cations, and the contiariety of opinions and sentiments
at our late Convention, tending to delay, for how long

298 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
God knows, if not enthely to prevent the organization
of our Church, I think myself bound in duty to ac
quiesce, and to make a beginning in this business, which
it is probable, according to the course of nature, I
shaU shortly quit, and leave the election of a succes
sor more easy. I suppose I must, in consequence of
this my determination, proceed to Philadelphia, which
wUl make it necessary for me to be furnished not only
with your credentials but also with the unum, neces
sarium for traveUing. If I must go -this journey, I
should choose to set out as early as possible, perhaps
the day after the first Sunday of next month; and
must beg the favor of you. Gentlemen, to learn from
Bishop White whether I may depend upon the other
Bishops. I remain, with aU due regards, your faithful,
affectionate brother, and humble servant,
Edward Bass.
The election being accepted by Dr. Bass, it became
necessary for the convention to arrange for his conse
cration. A committee was appointed to raise by sub
scription the sum of two hundred dollars to defray the
expense of the journey to PhUadelphia, where the
consecration was to be held. Another committee was
selected to correspond vrith the consecrating bishops
who had been chosen, the bishops of Pennsylvania,
New York, and Maryland. The time appointed for
the consecration serrice was the fourth Sunday of Octo
ber, 1796; but ovring to delays which the following
correspondence wUl make clear, and the difficulty of

THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOP BASS. 299
bringing the bishops together, the consecration had to
be postponed until May 7, 1797 : —
TO BISHOP WHITE. Boston, 11, August, 1796.
Right Reverend Sir, — The Clergy & Delegates
of the Protestant Episcopal Churches of this Common
wealth having at theh annual Convention in May last
made Choice of the Reverend D'' Edward Bass to pre
side over them as theh Bishop, and the Doctor haring
after due dehberation declared his Readiness to accept
the Choice, it now becomes necessary to present him
for Consecration, and We the Undersigned request of
you, sh, to be informed whether it wiU be agreeable to
you and two other of our Right Reverend Fathers
nearest to you viz., the Bishops of New York & Mary
land to attend the Business of Consecrating our said
Bishop Elect in the Course of the approaching Autumn ;
or whether the Rules & Customs of the General Con
vention wiU render a Delay necessary tUl such Time as
the Members of the General Convention shaU come
together again, which wiU be at no Shorter a Period
than two years from the present Date. If it is possible
to abridge this Period, and to have this Holy Office
conferred at an earher Day it wiU be a Condescension
very grateful to the Members of our several Churches,
and we then request of you to give us by the earhest
opportunity your Opinion upon the Subject.
We are sensible this is giving you a great Deal of
Trouble for which we should be induced to apologise
did we not know that whatever tends to the advance-

300 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
ment of the Interest of our common Church must be
among your principal Pleasures. With the most re
spectful Esteem we subscribe ourselves
Right Reverend Sir
Your most obed!
& very faithful Servants
W. Walter
S. Parker
Henry Smith
Perez Morton

Standing Committee
Pr: Epis: Church
Massachusetts.

TO the committee.
Aug. 22, 1796.
Gentlemen, — I rec'^ your Letter of the 11 Instant ;
& after assuring you that no Attention on my part shaU
be wanting for the accomplishing of the Object of it,
proceed to caU your Attention to the following particu
lars. By the 1. C" of the last Convention it is prorided
that the Church in any State shall not proceed to the
Election of a Bp ; unless there be at least 6 Presbyters
residing & off^ therein, a Majority of whom shall con
cur in the Election. I take for granted that the Late
Act of the Ch: in Massachusetts comes within this
Description ; & therefore shall not remind you of the
Testimonial to be signed by the Members of the state
Convention, agreeably to the 2'^ Canon of 1789, with
the Latitude for those who cannot sign on personal
knowledge, as provided by the 4*'' Canon of 1792 :
The Testimonial, thus signed, should be sent to the Gen
eral Convention, if in Session ; but dur'g theh Recess

THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOP BASS. 301
may come before their Standing Committee, as a Foun
dation for the Members signing, in their respective
States, the Testimonial required on their part by the
C. of 1789 in hke manner as was done in the Case of
Bp. Madison. The latter Testimonial shd be commu
nicated to the prescribed Number of Bp's, who, I hope
vriU not dechne the Trouble of a Meeting, for the ac
comphshing of so good a purpose —
It is probable, that I have referred to some Points
weU known to the Gentlemen I am addressing ; yet, as
they have asked Information of me in one particu
lar, I thought there might be a use in referring them
to whatever else is requhed to be noticed on the Occa
sion. Lest the Co" Journal of the last Cono" should not be
in your hands, I shall subjoin to this letter the Names
of the Gentlemen of the Standing Committee.
With my Prayers & best Wishes for the Ch. in Mass:
for yourselves in par: & for the Sucess & the good
effects of the Measure in which you are engaged
I am Gentlemen
Your Broth & very humble Servt
W. W.
to bishop white.
Boston, 15, Sep' 1796.
Right Rev. Sir, — We take the Liberty of ac
quainting you that since the Standing Committee of
this Commonwealth had the Honour of receiving your
Letter on the Subject of Consecrating our Bishop Elect
a Special Convention of our Church has been held
when it was agreed to apply to the Right Rev* the

302 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Bishops of New York & Maryland to know if it would
be agreeable to them to meet you in PhUadelphia on
the fourth Sunday in October next being the 23'* Day
of that month for the purpose of conferring that holy
office on our said Bishop Elect, we have accordingly
written to those Gentlemen on the Subject & hope it
wUl be convenient & agreeable to them & to yourself,
& if it is D"" Bass vriU be present with the proper Testi
monials & you vriU greatly obhge the Churches of this
Commonwealth & particularly
Right Rev* Sir
Your most obed! Serv!
W. Walter, "j
Samuel Parker, ' > Committee.
John Silvester J. Gardiner, J
P. S. We have taken the Liberty to enclose our
Letter to the Bishop of Maryland in yours, as not
knowing the place of his Residence nor the readiest
mode of conveyance, requesting at the same [time] the
favour of an Answer as soon as possible & that you
wUl take the trouble to convey the Letter to him & sol-
hcit his Answer. bishop white to the committee. Philad^ Sept. 23* 1796.
To the Rev* W. WaUer D. D. Rev* S. Parker & Rev*
John Sylvester Gardner, the Committee of the Prot,
Ep. Ch. in Massachusetts.
Gentlemen, — I received your Letter of the 15*'
Inst. & have forwarded that enclosed in it to Bp.
Claggett. On the Subject of your Application I have

THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOP BASS. 303
only to say, that I shall hold myself in Readiness for
the Occasion in Contemplation. But as it will require
the Part of Bp. P. and that of Bp. Claggett, it wiU lie
on them to declare to you how far such Journeys wUl
be consistent with theh Engagements.
Give me leave. Gentlemen, however, to express my
Apprehensions, that there may have been some Mistake
in this Business. They are grounded on the Shortness
of the Time, in Connection with the Circumstance that
I hear of no Application yet made to the Members of
the gen. 00™"°^ resident in this City. Now as Appli
cation must be made to Gentlemen in aU the different
States concerned, there seems room to doubt whether
the Measure can be accomplished in due Time. Be
sides, I fear the Bps may apprehend an Impropriety in
makg Journeys on the meer Presumption of the neces
sary Signatures being obtained ; however little Reason
there may be to doubt of the Success of your Apphca
tion for them — I have mentioned the Subject to the
clerical Members of the Gen. Comm®^ living in the City
& to the Presid: of the late House of clerical & lay
Deputies, who, as you wiU see in p. 20 of the Journal,
is the Chairman of that Comm°^ — These Gentlemen
expressed the greatest Readiness to forward your Views,
but thought they could do nothing untill applied to.
I take the Liberty therefore of suggesting the Pro
priety of making such an Apphcation, which vrill be
best done through the Chairman. You wiU understand
any Freedom which I take of this sort, to be in Conse
quence of your doing me the Honor of haring Recourse
to me for Information. Because I ought not to be

304 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
presumed to know any thing officiaUy on the Subject,
untiU the Papers are duly signed. I suppose that when
complete they should be sent to me, who, I beheve, by
the established Rotation of the Presidency, am to be
considered as holding it until the next General Conven
tion. I remain Gentlemen Yours &c w. w.
draft of a letter to bishop claggett, SEPT. 23, 1796.
R'' Rev° & Dear Sir, — It is proper that in for
warding the enclosed I should communicate to you aU
the Information I am possessed of on the Subject.
Not long ago, I rec* from the Comm'.® of the Ch in
Mass. Information of their Election of a Bp. with the
Deshe to be furnished with Particulars to be attended
to, for the forwarding of his Consecration. In my
Answer I pointed out to them aU the Places in the
Journals, which could throw Light on the Subject : in
doing which I did not fail to advert to the Testimonial
to be signed by the General Convention or theh
Comm''' ; & for the Names & Powers of the Comm®* I
referred them to the latter end of the last Journal of the
H. of C. & L. Deputies with it's Reference to Page 19
of the Journal of 1789 — And I acquainted them that
in the Case of Bp. Maddison, the Paper was signed by
the Members in their respective States.
The Comm'° of Massachusetts have now requested
Bp. P. you & me, to consecrate D" Bass on a Day not
very distant. But as there is not, as yet, any Apphca-

THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOP BASS. 305
tion to the Members of the Gen. Comm®' liring in this
City who make a considerable Proportion of the Body,
I am not without Apprehension of some Misunderstand
ing in the Business.
On a Question of our Meeting for the Purpose, I
have Nothing to say, as it happens that I reside in the
Place which has been proposed; & which I suppose
also, would be the most convenient ; altho if any other
shd be thought of as more so for Bp. P. & you, I shd
be happy to accomodate to you. As the Matter rests,
it vriU he on you two Gentlemen to declare what is to
be done. In the mean Time, I shaU write to Boston to
express my Apprehensions ; & if it should appear, that
the preparatory Business cannot be expedited before
the Time proposed, which is th* wUl be the case by the
Members of the Comm'' in this City, I shaU not faU to
inform you In the mean time, I remain
&c &c w. w.
TO BISHOP WHITE. Boston, 10, Oet. 1796.
Right Rev" Sir, — Not haring received any Letter
from Bishop Clagget in answer to the one we wrote
him to know if it would be convenient for him to
attend at PhUadelphia to assist in the Consecration of
the Rev? D' Bass, we are left in such uncertainty re
specting the Possibihty of his attendance at the Time
proposed riz., the fourth sunday of this month and the
Season so rapidly advancing when the Traveling wUl be
bad & the weather unpleasantly cold that we have

306 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
judged it best under aU these Chcumstances to defer
the Business tiU next Spring when we shall hope aU
difficulties wiU be removed & the event will take place
under kinder auspices.
Of this Alteration of Measures we take the Liberty of
acquainting you that you may not expect the Gentle
men at the Time proposed, you wUl please to accept
our grateful acknowledgements for your Readiness to
comply with our wishes & for the Information which
you so obligingly gave us & are with every Sentiment
of Respect & Esteem
Right Rev* Sir
Your most obed!
& very faithful Serv*°
W. Walter, \
S. Parker, V Committee.
J. S. J. Gardiner, J

[Note to the above letter.]
Not knowing whether the Post passes the Place
of Bishop Claggets Residence we take the hberty of
inclosing his to you requesting that you wiU take the
earliest opportunity of forwarding it to him that he
may be acquainted with the alteration of our Measures
& the reasons for it.

testimonials.

We whose Names are underwritten, fuUy sensible
how important it is that the sacred office of a Bishop
should not be unworthily conferred, & firmly persuaded
that it is our duty to bear Testimony on this solemn

THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOP BASS. 307
occasion without partiahty or affection. Do, in the
presence of Almighty God testify that the Reverend
Edward Bass Rector of S* Pauls Church in Newbury
port & Doctor in Dirinity, is not so far as we are in
formed justly liable to eril report, either for Error in
Rehgion or for viciousness of hfe ; and that we do not
know or believe there is any Impediment or notable
Crime, for which he ought not to be consecrated to
that holy Office.
We do moreover jointly & severaUy declare, that
having personally known him for three years last past,
we do in our Consciences beheve him to be of such
Sufficiency in good Learning, such soundness in the
Faith, & of such rirtuous and pure manners, & godly
Conversation, that he is apt and meet to exercise the
Office of a Bishop, to the honour of God, & the edify
ing of his Church, & to be an wholesome Example to
the flock of Christ —
Done at a special Convention of the Clergy & Lay-
delegates of the Protestant Episcopal Churches in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts holden at Boston the
fourteenth Day of Septem" in the year 1796 —
clergy.
W Walter, D. D. Rector of Christ Chh Boston
S Parker, D. D. Rect"^ of Trinity Chh Boston
J S J Gardiner Assistant Minister of sd Church
W" Montagu Rect of Christ Church, Dedham
W*' Harris Rector of S* Michaels, Marblehead

308 LLFE OF BISHOP BASS.
LAY DELEGATES.
Perez Morton ^ Lay Delegates of
Tho^ Kast ^ Christ Church
W? Walter, Jr. j Boston.
Henry Smith "I Lay Delegates
> Trinity Church
Richard Green J Boston.
Dudley A. Tyng Lay Delegate S' Paul's Newbury
Port Eben Miller Lay Delegate Christs Church, Quincy
George Clark, Christ Church Dedham
Samuel "Sewall, Lay Delegate S* Michael's Church
Marblehead. On May 7, 1797, Dr. Bass was consecrated to the
office of a bishop in the Church of God in Christ
Church, Philadelphia. The buUding was crowded with
devoted churchmen who had come to see a chief pastor
set over the diocese in Massachusetts. The sermon,
preached by the Rev. WUliam Smith, D, D., was from
the text found in 2 Timothy iv. 1-5. The preacher
dwelt upon the spiritual conception of a bishop's office
and urged apostohcal simplicity as the ideal of the
Episcopate in America. "Moreover, Brethren," he
said, " standing, as I think we may consider ourselves,
nearly on the same primitive foundation of Purity and
Simplicity in the Church government, and a free Order
of Things among ourselves, (under our happy Ciril
Constitution), as the Apostles and first Christians stood ;

THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOP BASS. 309
when they neither courted human authority, or human
splendour, nor were courted by them ; let us I say
again, be bold and dihgent in the name of the Lord to
hear the Apostle's charge." * The significance of the
consecration was brought out by the preacher in an
other passage of the sermon, in which he rejoiced in
the complete organization of the American Episcopal
Church : " Glory, Thanksgiring and Praise to God of
Heaven and Earth, who in his own good time hath
been pleased to reheve Our Church in this American
land, from distress under which She hath so long
mourned and bewailed herself ; by supplying us with a
Complete Episcopate, without having recourse to any
distant or foreign land ; being now enabled under God
on Sound Evangehcal principles, to ordain Elders in
every City, to send them forth to preach Spiritual Lib
erty to miserable Captives held under the Powers of
Darkness." ^ CONSECRATION PAPERS.
Know aU men by these presents, that we, William
White, D. D., Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal
Church in the State of Pennsylvania, presiding Bishop,
Samuel Provoost, D. D., Bishop of the Protestant Epis
copal Church in the State of New York, and Thomas
John Clagget, D. D., Bishop of the Protestant Episco
pal Church in the State of Maryland, under the protec
tion of Ahnighty God, in Christ Church, in the City of
PhUadelphia, on Sunday, the seventh day of May, in
the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and
1 William Smith, Sermons, vol. ii. p. 562. ^ Ibid., p. 567.

310 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
ninety seven, being the third Sunday after Easter, did
then and there rightly and canonicaUy consecrate our
beloved in Christ, Edward Bass, Rector of St. Paul's
Church, in Newburyport, in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, of whose sufficiency in good learning,
soundness in the faith, and purity of manners, we were
fully ascertained, into the office of Bishop in the Protest
ant Episcopal Church in the Commonwealth of Massa
chusetts, to which the said Edward Bass hath been
elected by the Convention of said State.
In testimony whereof we have signed our names,
and caused our seals to be affixed. Given in the city
of PhUadelphia, this seventh day of May, in the year
of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-
seven.
William White, [Seal]
Samuel Provoost, [Seal]
Thomas John Clagget, [Seal]
When Bishop Bass returned to Massachusetts he was
received with welcome by his clergy and laymen, as
sembled in Trinity Church, Boston, on May 30, 1797.
" The Delegates being seated in the front pews in the
Church," reads the Journal of the Convention, "the
Clergy conducted the Bishop, clothed in his Episcopal
robes, from the Vestry-room to the Altar, where he took
his seat on the north-side, the Clergy standing in front."
Then the Rev. Dr. Walter delivered to the bishop the
following address : —
Right Reverend Sir, — It having pleased the Di
rine Wisdom, in condescension to the vrishes and prayers
of that portion of the Protestant Episcopal Church

THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOP BASS. 311
which is planted in this Commonwealth, to place an
Episcopate at its head, and thereby, for the first time,
to give to it a complete organization, we felicitate our
brethren and ourselves that this appointment has fallen
upon one who possesses in so eminent a degree the
requisites which insphation points as essential in one
who is to fill so important a station, one who excells
in meekness, gentleness, grarity, justice, purity, and
ardent piety, a lover of God and good men, tenacious
of and zealous for the truths that we are to be taught,
one who is reaching forth and advancing fast towards
the heavenly prize, the high caUing of God in Christ
Jesus, and both by his exhortations and example lead
ing the flock committed to his charge in the same
joyful and happy track. For ourselves, we receive you
with exultation as our common friend and father, and
engage to render you aU that affectionate respect and
submissive attention which is due to your place and
rank, and flatter ourselves that beneath your parental
care we shaU be united as a band of brothers, and
walking together in peaceful fellowship, shall have the
great pleasure to see our Church, the Church of the
Redeemer, increase and multiply.
Long may you possess your honors ; long may we
enjoy your presence ; and late, very late, may He who
holds the keys of the inrisible world remove you from
this seat of dignity on earth to a seat of eminence pro
portionate among the sphits of the just made perfect in
the kingdom of his Father.
In the name and by the order of the Convention.
W. Walter.
Boston, May 30, 1797.

312 LIFE OP BISHOP BASS.
To which the Bishop, standing, dehvered this affec
tionate answer : —
My dear Brethren, — It is with much pleasure that
I meet you upon this occasion, especiaUy as it gives me
an opportunity of congratulating with you upon the
complete organization of our Church. God Almighty
grant that it may grow up into Him in aU things,
which is the Head even Christ : from whom the whole
body, fitly joined together, and compacted by that
which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual
working in the measure of every part, maketh increase
of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love. Eph.
iv. 15, 16.
I thank you for your affectionate address ; and as for
the favorable expressions in it concerning me, so much
beyond what I have any pretentions to, the use I shaU
make of them wUl be to remind myself of what I ought
to be — thoroughly sensible of my incompetency for
the important station in the Church which you have
assigned me, I shaU greatly rely on your advice and
assistance upon aU occasions, as the exigence of cases
may require.
In our endeavors to promote the interest of the
Church of Christ in this Diocese, something wUl de
pend upon me, and much. Reverend Brethren, upon
you ; and, give me leave to observe, that much also wUl
depend upon our brotherly correspondence and cor
dial harmony and agreement among ourselves. Besides
the great pleasure of hring together in unity, it wUl
be holding forth a good example to others, and it is

THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOP BASS. 313
enjoined upon us, that we be examples to the flock.
That our united efforts may be happUy successful, for
the edification of the Church and rendering it tiuly
respectable and flourishing, shaU ever be the wish and
prayer of your faithful servant and affectionate brother.
E. B.

CHAPTER XII.
THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS.
Full of years, and with a ripened experience, the
good bishop returned to his parish in Newburjrport.
The duties of the Episcopate were added to those of
the parish minister ; and though the former were
neither numerous nor arduous the bishop performed
them with his accustomed precision and courtesy.
These years of his bishopric were happy ones, for
he was freed from the annoyances and party strife of
his earher days ; and his loyal friends made him the
welcome guest in their hospitable homes. The pro
sperity of Newburyport, after the Treaty of Peace, was
phenomenal ; and as the wealth of the people increased
they became more liberal to the church. Dr. Morss,
the successor of Bishop Bass to the rectorship of St.
Paul's Church, has described the changed circumstances
of his hfe : " When peace was restored his embarrass
ments were in a considerable degree made tranquil by
the kind attentions of his parishioners, and were hap
pily spent in the bosom of his friends." ^ The testimony
of those who have written concerning the bishop is
unanimous in referring to him as a scholarly and dig
nified gentleman, with courtesy toward those who
differed from him, and a nature that seemed to caU
1 James Morss, Episcopal Church in Newburyport, p. 22.

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS. 315
out the affections of the community. Caleb Cushing,
writing not long after the bishop's death, pays him a
just tribute which gives us a glimpse of him in his
daily life in Newburyport. " Bishop Bass was remark
able in private life," says Mr. Cushing, " for his urban
ity and serenity of temper, and his discharge of all
duties incumbent on him in his several social relations ;
and as a clergyman and diocesan was eminent for his
faithful attention to aU his official functions by which
he gained the affections of his people and the Venera
tion of the Community." *
The scholarship of Bishop Bass is well iUustrated by
an item from the diary of Dr. Bentley, written after
the bishop's death : —
DIARY OF DR. BENTLEY.
I received from Newburyport a catalogue of Bishop
Bass' hbrary, which is to be sold on Friday next. . . .
The catalogue contained 46 Folios & 240 volumes be
sides, including aU sorts found in his hands. This
would not be a considerable library in Europe, but it is
greater than is commonly found among our prominent
divines in America, & is more of a Theological cast
than I have seen except the hbrary of the Mathers,
D! Mather Byles, Chauncy & Cooper, or, in other
words, than ever I have seen out of Boston, no one
excepted. I could not help noticing, in going over the cata
logue, I did not find the least notice of a Greek Testa-
1 Caleb Cushing, Newburyport, p. 46.

316 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
ment ... no modern or late commentary even of his
own Church. . . . The same inattention to American
history.^ The pecuhar sweetness of his character was recog
nized by his contemporaries on aU sides, and is referred
to often by those who had a right to speak from an
intimate acquaintance with him. His Christian courtesy
and broad-mindedness have never been caUed in ques
tion except by the enemies who sought to injure him
during the Revolution, thus creating a tradition not
altogether favorable, which has come down to our own
time ; but such derogatory statements are unjust and
can only be made by those who forget the life as a
whole, and fix upon certain remarks in his earlier let
ters, ignoring the numerous acts of brotherly sympathy
which always distinguished him in his relations with
those who belonged to other branches of the church of
Christ. In this connection, the foUowing words of
a friend are interesting : " Bishop Bass in conversation
was interesting and instructive. He had a great fund
of anecdote by which he made himself alike entertain
ing to the aged and the young. He was exceedingly
affable and accessible ; his house was the seat of hospi
tality and his fireside the resort of pohteness and socia-
bUity. His hand was always open to the caU of charity,
and when sometimes deceived by impostors it was his
usual remark that ' it was better to give to two unde
serving than to drive a single deserring person from
his door,' In his domestic character he was kind and
* J. J. Currier, Ould Newbury, p. 416.

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS. 317
affectionate and never faUed of vrinning the love of
those under his roof." ^
The bishop enjoyed the friendship of the leading
men of Newburyport, many of whom were his devoted
parishioners. Tristram Dalton was his lifelong friend,
and others equaUy prominent were his daily companions
for many years ; men hke Rufus King, United States
Senator and twice minister to England ; Captain Nicho
las Tracy, the brave commander of many a privateering
expedition ; Patrick Tracy, one of the most successful
merchants of his day ; and John Tracy, who had been
aide-de-camp to General Glover. With his sense of
humor, one may imagine how he enjoyed the eccentrici
ties of the notorious Timothy Dexter, who made a
fortune by sending warming pans and woolen mit
tens to the West Indies ; and entered the company of
authors by pubUshing " A Pickle for the Knowing
Ones," — a smaU book without any punctuation marks,
having them, however, placed aU together in the last
pages, vrith the object of permitting the reader to make
his own selection. Dexter's generosity to St. Paul's
Church was marked by his usual oddity, when he con-
l ^ No serious change was made in the domestic arrangements of Ed
ward Bass when his wife, Sarah Beck, died on May 5, 1789. Six months
after her death, November 18, 1789, he married Mercy Phillips. She
was the bishop's constant companion until his death. She lived to the
age of eighty-seven years and died on January 13, 1842. The shortness
of the time that elapsed between the death of his first wife and his
second marriage gave rise to no little talk in the town. The rector of St.
Paul's Church answered these criticisms to the amusement of his parish
ioners by selecting, for his sermons on succeeding Sundays, texts that
were applicable to his recent marriage : "Mjmercy will I keep." Psalms
Ixxxix. 28 ; and " Surely the fear of God is not in this place ; and they
will slay me for my wife's sake." Genesis xx. 11.

318 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
tributed to its treasury a gift of money, which he like
wise gave to the other churches of the town, amounting,
in each case, to the unique sum of $333.33.
The bishop must have been a familiar figure in the
homes of the people ; and when any social festirity was
in progress he must have been conspicuous among
the handsomely dressed gentlemen and gentlewomen ;
the men in their long coats of many colors, made re
splendent by silver buttons, their satin waistcoasts
embroidered with floral designs, and their red velvet
breeches ; the women, in theh long waisted brocades
with flowing sleeves, tripping along in their high-heeled
shoes. The bishop wore a long black coat vrith large
pocket folds, and smaU clothes, made more dignified
by his black silk stockings. His three-cornered hat was
an annual gift from the Hon. Dudley A. Tyng, who felt
always his deep obligation to the good bishop, he hav
ing aided young Tyng financiaUy, as weU as in other
ways, through Dummer Academy and Harvard CoUege.
The gift was conferred without the knowledge of the
bishop by a surreptitious change of the old one for a
new one, the new one being hung on its peg in the
hall, when the bishop was deeply engaged in his studies.
The relations between the rector and his warden are
Ulustrated by a story about their joint shooting expedi
tions. When game was found, the warden respectfully
stood aside and said, " Reverend Sir, fire ! " The
bishop lived on such intimate terms with his people
that frequently he would meet one of them and say,
" I will take my dinner and smoke my pipe with you
to-day, and I shall bring so-and-so vrith me." Very

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS 319
little of the bishop's wit has surrived, but his contem
poraries who have spoken of his manner of conversation
agree that it was exuberant and altogether charming.
His concUiatory character is illustrated by two inci
dents. At one time he had a discussion with his next
door neighbor over a division fence that was to be
buUt. The bishop directed the workman to place the
posts on what he considered the true dirision line. The
neighbor strenuously objected ; and after some further
parley, the bishop, entering his house, turned and
quietly said to the workman, " Place the posts as Mr. X.
dhects." Mr. X. was amazed at the words of the
bishop ; and when the workman again asked for direc
tions Mr. X. answered, " Set them as Dr. Bass told you."
On another occasion, at a funeral, he was walking be
tween two celebrated preachers, neither of whom was
on speaking terms with the other, and yet each ad
dressed the bishop as " Brother Bass."
As rector of St. Paul's Church, as weU as bishop, he
continued to take an interest in the affahs of the town,
serring it on special pubhc occasions, and regularly on
the " Committee to visit the town schools." When the
memorial serrice was held in token of respect to George
Washington, the bishop was selected to make the prayer.
His service on the school committee seems to have be
gun about 1788 and continued untU the time of his
death. One of the votes recorded in the town records
reads as foUows : " 1789, March 10, Voted, that the
Select Men with the Hon^ Jon" Greenleaf, Hon^ Benja
min Greenleaf, Stephen Hooper, Micaijah Sawyer,
Theophilus Bradbury, Theophilus Parsons Esquhes,

320 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Co" Edw. Wigglesworth, Cap* Darid Coates, Rev* Mr.
Murray, Capt WiUiam Coombs, Rev* Mr. Spring, Rev*
Mr. Andrews & Rev'^ Mr. Bass, be the Committee for
visiting the public schools." A vote simUar to this was
passed at succeeding town meetings, varied sometimes
with the instiuetions to the committee " to prepare a
plan for the Education of the Female Children of the
Town." Female education seems to have progressed
slowly, for the acceptance of the plan proposed was
postponed from year to year untU finally the plan was
accepted, " so far as to hire at the Town's expense
three or four Women's Schools agreeably to said Re
port." The bishop's ordinary parochial duties were often
varied by the performance of a rehgious office of un
usual interest. This was the case when he administered
the sacrament of baptism to the professor of Natural
History in Harvard University, Professor WiUiam D.
Peck. A writer, contributing certain notes to the
Massachusetts Historical Society, says of this event :
"Mr. Peck's family were Congregationalists. From
some cause not now ascertained he was not baptized in
his infancy. In his ripe years he gave his decided
preference to the disciphne and worship of the Episco
pal Church, and when more than thirty years of age he
was baptized by the late exceUent Bishop Bass. The
writer of this note was one of his chosen witnesses and
can never lose the remembrance of the impressive
solemnity with which the holy office was administered
nor the pious humihty with which it was received." ^
1 Collections Massachusetts Historical Society, second series, vol. x. p. 167.

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS. 321
The diocese over which the bishop presided was ex
tensive territorially, but not strong in the number of
its parishes. It included Massachusetts, and Rhode
Island, and New Hampshire, though his jurisdiction
over the last named was not formaUy recognized until
August, 1803, when it was voted at a convention held
in New Hampshhe to inrite Bishop Bass " to take the
Churches in this State under his pastoral care and per
form for them such Episcopal acts as his convenience
may permit and the good of the church require."
Vermont was not included in the diocese, though in
1793 Bass had been elected to the bishopric of Ver
mont, but since his consecration was delayed untU 1797,
this former election does not seem to have been recog
nized by any formal assumption of authority.
Bishop Bass attended to the usual duties of his office
vrith the dihgence that the cases requhed. There is no
record of the number of his confirmations, but there is
evidence that he administered the rite^ whenever it
was necessary, traveling as far as Bristol, Rhode Island,
though it is doubtful whether he ever risited the west
em part of Massachusetts. Beardsley, in his " History
of the Diocese of Connecticut," says : " The first Bishop
of Massachusetts, though he exercised his office for a
period of six years, never penetrated to the distant
parishes of his charge in the valley of the Housatonic,
and the whole body of communicants in that region
was therefore left to welcome the feet of his saintly
successor " (Griswold). ^
1 Gospel Advocate, No. 71.
2 Beardsley, History ofthe Diocese of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 71.

322 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Two churches at least were consecrated by the bishop,
— the new one in Dedham, which had been erected in
1798, after the debris of the old one had been removed,
the tower and buUding of which both had faUen down
in 1797, and the new church built in Newburyport in
1800, the consecration of which took place in October
of the same year.
So far as can be ascertained, there were nine ordina
tions during the episcopate of Bass. They were as
foUows : Theodore Dehon, ordained December 24, 1797,
and afterwards bishop of South Carolina ; Amos Par
dee, ordained 1798 ; Nathaniel Bowen, June 3, 1800,
also bishop of South Carohna ; Samuel Mead, 1801 ;
Nathan Bowen's brother (?), May 24, 1803 ; Timothy
HiUiard, May 24, 1803 ; and Galen Hicks and James
Morss, July 3, 1803. In addition to the above, there
is a record to show that the Rev. James Bowers was
ordained by Bishop Bass. The record indicates the
thne and place and customs of such an Episcopal act :
"Rev. James Bowers who graduated at Cambridge,
A. D. 1794 ; and when the Episcopal Convention met
in Boston, May 25, 1802, was ordained in Trinity
Church, Boston, by the hands of Rev. Bp. Bass ; the
assistant minister of the church, the Rev. John Gardi
ner, preached upon the occasion." ^ Before the ordina
tions, the bishop himself conducted the necessary exam
inations, requhing the candidates to translate Greek
and Latin and " turn the Apostles' Creed into Latin."
The " letter of orders " that he gave was doubtless hke
the one which Rev. James Morss received : —
1 Collection Massachusetts Historical Society, flrst series, vol. viii. p. 78.

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS. 323
Edward by dirine permission, Bishop of the Protes
tant Episcopal Church of Massachusetts and Rhode
Island, to our well beloved in Christ James Morss, clerk
— greeting.
I do hereby give to you, in whose fidelity, morals,
learning, sound doctrine & dihgence I fuUy confide,
hcense to preach here and elsewhere as there may be
occasion. Newburyport, July 12, 1803.
The bishop's official relation to his diocese as presid
ing officer of the annual conventions was one which he
carefuUy observed. He always met with his clergy and
laymen for mutual counsel and legislation for the inter
ests of the church. These conventions during his
episcopate were not noted for any legislation of great
hnportance, nor the outlining of rigorous policies. The
parishes were neither strong nor numerous enough to
make themselves felt by special aggressive action. The
conventions were regularly held, sometimes in Concert
HaU, often in the Boston Library in Frankhn Place,
and frequently in Trinity Church. A sermon was
usuaUy preached by some one of the clergy, elected
preriously by the convention, or acting on the bishop's
appointment, according to a vote passed in 1803, " that
the appointment of a preacher to the Convention an
nually be vested in the Bishop." The preacher was
generaUy thanked for his " ingenious discourse," the
phrase of congratulation being sometimes varied, to
"learned and exceUent discourse," or "pathetic and
ingenious discourse." The elections of standing com-

324 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
mittee and delegates to the General Convention were
parts of the regular order of business. An important
amendment was made to the constitution in 1798,
when, in addition to the usual standing committee, a
" CouncU of Adrice " was estabhshed, composed of
three clergymen. The duties of this councU are set
forth in the words of the new article : " In order to
aid the Bishop in the discharge of the duties of his
office, there shaU be annuaUy chosen a Council of Ad
rice, consisting of three clergymen, to whom the Bishop
may resort for their opinion and adrice whenever he
shaU think it expedient, and it shall be the duty of
such CouncU upon such apphcation to give him their
best advice, in writing if requhed, on all subjects sub
mitted to them by the Bishop." These counselors
formed a cabinet or ministry, which the bishop could
consult in cases requiring judicious action, and must
have been of great service to him. They seem, how
ever, to have been more than mere adrisers, for they
were given decided power by the vote of 1801, " that
no person shall be ordained until he is approbated by
the CoimcU to the Bishop and certified under their
hands." The formal " charges " of the bishop to his con
vention were marked by strong common sense and
deep piety; though only one of them has been pre
served, it may be taken as typical of the others. In
his conception of the importance of his office and
the duties of his clergy, he showed vrisdom and pru
dence. Bishop Bass was brought dhectly in contact vrith the

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS. 325
life of the Episcopal Church in America by his success
ful effort to be present at the General Convention held
in PhUadelphia in June, 1799. The convention was to
have met in September, 1798, but this was prevented
by a serious outbreak of smaUpox in PhUadelphia and
other important towns and cities.
In June the meeting was held without interference.
Bishop Bass was an active member of the House of
Bishops, and aided in the passage of some important
canons. The bishops, concurring with the House of
Clerical and Lay Deputies, adopted " a form of conse
cration of a church or chapel ; " also a prayer was set
forth to be used at the meetings of the convention.
Bass took a special interest in the repeal of the fourth
canon of 1795, which gave great hcense to a bishop in
dispensing with certain requhements of scholarship on
the part of candidates for orders, thus permitting ig^
norant men easUy to secure ordination. So much of
the said canon was repealed " as authorises Bishops to
dispense vrith any of the quahfications requhed in can
didates for Holy Orders."
Bishop Bass aided in the consecration of one bishop.
After the death of Bishop Seabury, the Rev. Abraham
Jarvis was elected to succeed him. At first it was pro
posed to consecrate Dr. Jarris in Philadelphia, but the
final decision being in favor of New Haven, the ser
vice took place in that city on October 18, 1797. The
consecrating bishops were Bishop White, Bishops Pro
voost and Bass, — making a beautiful Ulustration of the
united church in the old diocese of Bishop Seabury.
Rev. Dr. WUham Smith, who had taken charge of St.

326 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
Paul's Church, Norwalk, preached the sermon. An
address of thanks was prepared by the standing com
mittee and presented to the consecrating bishops, with
" a gratuity for defraying the expenses."
During Bishop Bass's short episcopate, it being six
years in all, he performed faithfuUy a few of aU the
acts incident to such an office. He was the first bishop
of a smaU diocese, and, therefore, his acts were only
representative of what a bishop would have to do in a
larger diocese, but they were of double significance
because of theh uncommonness. He confirmed, or
dained, consecrated churches, attended conventions, and
assisted in consecrating a bishop, thus exercising the
whole round of Episcopal functions. His greatest wis
dom was shown in the temper and spirit vrith which he
bore himself in his diocese. He recognized that a
bishop in the Commonwealth was an anomaly, a person
reprobated and feared ; and unless he was judicious in
his words and deeds, he and his church would receive
ever greater condemnation at the hands of the people.
His pohcy, therefore, was one of concihation. He
wanted the Puritans to see that a bishop was a spiritual
head of his diocese, not an arrogant usurper of author
ity. He might have made himself obnoxious by a
proud assumption of power, and constant criticism of
his opponents, but, instead, he acted with great humUity
and removed the popular apprehension. The character
of the episcopate of Bishop Bass was suited exactly to
the conditions of the time; and the old man, by the
simplicity and quietness of his methods, won the hearts
of many who were ready to be his violent enemies.

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS. 327
Valuable testimony as to the impression made by the
bishop on the rehgious life of New England is given by
Dr. Alden Bradford, who says of him : " Dr. Bass was
a good scholar and a man of great moral worth. In
his deportment he exhibited much mUdness and benevo
lence, as well as charity for those of the Congregational
order. He assumed no new authority, and claimed no
greater power after he was Bishop than before, and
therefore was highly respected in this higher office.
His character was that of an apostohc Bishop as de
scribed by St. Paul." ' Bishop Bass had as his ideal
the " apostohc Bishop," and in his humble way he may
be said to have realized in some measure the ideal set
before him.
The bishop's life as a parish minister reached a very
fitting chmax in the erection and consecration of a new
church buUding in Newburyport. His parishioners
entered into the new project with enthusiasm, contri
buting enough money to carry out the undertaking
easUy. The list of subscribers to the buUding fund
shows that aU classes in the community were repre
sented : —
SUBSCRIBERS TO THE ERECTION OF THE NEW CHURCH.
Edward Rand, Wilham Farris, Joseph Kent, Tristram
Coffin, Samuel Allyne Otis, Abraham Jackson, James
Prince, Joseph Cutler, Samuel Cutler, Nicholas Tracy,
William Cutler, Isaac Adams, WiUiam Woart, Benja
min Balch, WUham Welstead Prout, John Pettingal,
Abner Wood, WUliam Wyer, Jr., WiUiam Moreland,
1 Updike, Narragansett Church, p. 307.

328 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
merchants ; Edward Bass, Doctor in Divinity ; Edward
Bass, Jr., painter ; George Jenkins, mariner ; Charles
Jackson, gentleman ; Abraham GaUishan, saUmaker ;
Thomas Thomas, gentleman ; Joseph NoweU, taUow
chandler ; Thomas Packer, teamster ; Thomas Hooper,
gentleman ; GUman Frothingham, leather dresser ; Na
thaniel Ash, teamster ; John Akerman, rope-maker ;
Richard Peters, cooper ; Humphrey Morse, yeoman ;
Dudley Atkins Tyng, Esq., Stephen Hooper, Esq.,
Stephen Toppan, housewright ; Jacob Little, merchant ;
Amos Atkinson, merchant; Joseph Savryer, husband
man ; Joseph Laughton, of Boston.
The corner stone was laid vrith Masonic ceremonies
on May 22, 1800. To this ceremony the neighboring
clergy, including those of other denominations, were
inrited, especiaUy the Rev. Dr. Bentley, of Salem, he
receiring a personal inritation from Mr. Dudley A.
Tyng. TO REV. DR. BENTLEY.
Newburyport, May 17, 1800.
Rev & Dear Sir, — Possibly you may know that
the httle handful of Episcopahans here are buUding a
new church for our good friend D" Bass. The excel
lent old Gentleman is so dehghted with the thing that
he must needs have a ceremony in laying the corner
stone. This ceremony is to be performed by the Grand
Lodge of Massachusetts on Thursday next. I know
your affection for the craft & I avaU myself of it to
support my request that you wUl join us in the busi-

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS. 329
ness, and particularly that you wiU make your quarters
at my house. . . .
I am, Dear Sh, &c Dudley A. Tyng.^
A characteristic note from the bishop to Dr. Bentley
mdicates the pleasant relationship existing between
them : — TO rev. dr. bentley. Newburyport, May 31, 1800.
My dear Sir, — Your heart is benevolent, your
head is hberal, as your memory may be treacherous, I
tahe the hberty to remind you of the tobacco.
Yours, Edward Bass.^
A newspaper report of the laying of the corner
stone of St. Paul's Church gives a ghmpse of the way
in which such a ceremony was conducted in the early
part of the century : —
"Divine service was performed by Bishop Bass in
the Second Presbyterian Church ; thence a procession
passed to the site of the new Church, entering under a
triumphal arch, on which was written in letters of gold.
Holiness to the Lord." An address was dehvered by
Dr. Bentley, who took occasion to emphasize the fact,
that they were aU assembled " to assist a Primitive
Bishop in the foundation of a church whose commu-
1 J. J. Currier, Ould Newbury, p. 411.
2 Ibid., p. 413.

330 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
nion can no longer provoke a fear, and which was the
glory of the Reformation."
The church was consecrated on October 8, 1800, the
parish having used as its house of worship, during the
erection of its own buUding, the Second Presbyterian
meeting-house ; for which act of kindness on the part
of the Presbyterians, " the Episcopal Church presented
to that Society a handsome piece of plate." ^
The next event of public interest in the life of the
bishop was his selection as preacher to the Merrimac
Humane Society, which held its meeting in Newbury
port on September 6, 1803. This society was organized
for the important object of rescuing those who were in
danger of being drowned, and of circulating informa
tion concerning the best way of resuscitating those who
had been under water for some minutes. It provided,
in convenient places, signal hghts, grappling irons, " in-
flators and fumegants," and had buUt three httle huts
on Plum Island for shipwrecked sailors. The good
bishop selected an appropriate text for his sermon from
St. Luke ix. 56, " The Son of Man is not come to
destroy men's hves, but to save them ; " and began by
ingeniously remarking that, " besides healing the sick
how many he preserved from perishing by water we
have no dhect information. Of this, however, we are
certain, that when his disciples were in immediate
danger of being drowned in consequence of a violent
tempest, they awoke their Master, saying, ' Lord, save
us, we perish ! ' Upon which he rebuked the vrinds
and the sea." 1 Cushing, Newburyport, p. 47.

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS. 331
There are other passages from the sermon which are
worth quoting, as being of general interest, and show
ing his style of preaching : —
Although he (Jesus) met with the most ungrateful
treatment, notwithstanding his kind attention to their
wants, yet did he never exert his power in their punish
ment or destruction.
But whatever may be the difference of opinion among
us with respect to religion, or pohtics, we should con
sider it as our indispensable duty, both as men and as
Christians, never to abate of our charity and good wiU
towards each other.
Another thing which tends to injure our kind affec
tions and brotherly love is the prevalence of party
spirit either with respect to religion or politics, — a
sphit which generaUy exists in aU free states, and
which, particularly with regard to pohtics, is at present
much too prevalent in various parts of this otherwise
happy country. The consequences of it are extremely
uncomfortable; particularly as it destroys, when pre
vailing to a high degree, all good neighborhood and
sociabUity, as weU as the peace of our own minds, by
intioducing constant vexations and disquietudes, by
exciting the most troublesome passions and by blovring
up the coals of strife and contention. It is apt to
injure our reputation, by occasioning mutual propaga
tion of slander ; by causing the fairest actions to be
misrepresented, and by rendering it almost impossible

332 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
for any man with his utmost endeavors, to give general
satisfaction, or to gain any approbation beyond the
Ihnits of his own party.
Spare your superfluities or even your conveniences.
ShaU I exert myself or make any unusual efforts to
preserve the life or health of my neighbor, when I
have enough to do to take care of my own ? This de-
stiuctive despotism, if indulged, and no care taken
to correct it by benevolent and human consideration,
wUl, in time, make us absolutely unsocial.
There is an exquisite pleasure and dehght, of which
every man of feehng is sensible, in doing good to his
feUow-creatures. These words have a pecuhar interest, because they
are the last ever uttered in pubhc by Bishop Bass ; and
the exhortation to charity and brotherly love are fitting
messages to succeeding generations, as the last words
of the first bishop of Massachusetts. The sermon was
preached on Tuesday, September 6, and on Saturday,
September 10, 1803, he laid down the burden of life.
The end came suddenly, after two days only of sick
ness. The best account of his death is given in the
unpublished notes of young James Morss, who had
been studying under him and assisting him in the
serrices : —
"He died suddenly on Saturday evening," says
Morss, " while he was making preparation for a visit
to Portland for the purpose of consecrating the new

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS. 333
Church in that place, and ordaining Mr. HiUiard, pastor-
elect. I saw him on Saturday ; and he finding himself
too sick to entertain a hope of being able to preach on
the ensuing Sunday expressed much anxiety how I
should be able to perform the whole service without
him as I had never attempted it before. But he died
before the day arrived & I read two sermons selected
by Dudley A. Tyng, Esq. from D^ Sam. Clark. His
decease took place lO*'^ Sept. 1803 in 76 year of his age
and 51 of his ministry as Rector of the Church. . . .
He was buried on Tuesday 13 of Sept. The Rev. Mr.
Gardiner of Boston read the first part of the burial
serrice at the grave. The paU was supported by D'
Parker, Rev. Mr. Gardiner, Rev* Mr. WiUard of Ports
mouth, Rev. Mr. Bowers of Marblehead, Rev. Mr.
fficks and myself."
At the funeral services the toUing of the bells, and
the reverent crowd of citizens who had come to show
theh respect for the bishop, were an indication of the
esteem in which he was held. The strong words of Dr.
Parker in his funeral sermon doubtless found a genuine
response in the hearts of the people : —
" Few men have maintained through so long a period,
a character so entirely conformed to Christian standards,
as did this venerable prelate. It is a tribute due to his
memory, and society claims of us, that we record some
faint sketch of his life and virtues.
" Bishop Bass was a sound dirine, a critical scholar,
an accomphshed gentleman, and an exemplary Chris
tian. His manners were pohshed, his disposition amia
ble, his temper mUd, his conversation improving, his

334 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
benevolence warm, his piety uniform, his charity unhm
ited. For more than fifty years he sacredly devoted all
his talents to his great Lord and Master, in the affec
tionate and diligent cultivation of that portion of the
Gospel vineyard committed to his care. Seriously im
pressed with a sense of the duties of his station, nothing
short of necessity formed in his mind an apology for
the omission of them. In his pubhc discourses he
aimed at plainness and usefulness. From subjects the
least connected vrith practical topics he rarely faUed
to draw something calculated to mend the hearts or
manners of his hearers.
" He had nothing of that candor which looks vrith
equal indifference on all opinions. With the most
scrupulous respect for the rights of conscience and of
private judgment in others, he united a firm and un
shaken adherence to that system of Christian doctrine
and disciphne which he had adopted from conviction.
In his devotions he led his people with the most win
ning example of piety, chastised in its manner with the
most temperate grarity, never relaxing into formality,
nor stiained into enthusiasm. Although from prin
ciple, as well as from habit, he was zealously attached
to the forms prescribed by the Church, yet, on extraor
dinary occasions, he exhibited in his devotional compo
sitions a talent rarely equaled, and never exceUed, by
those whose mode of worship authorizes and requires
extemporaneous addresses to the Deity.
" In private life, Dr. Bass was uniformly amiable and
respectable, and thus inspired aU his associates with
affection and reverence.

THE EPISCOPATE OF BISHOP BASS. 335
" But it was in the elevated station of a diocesan that
the character of this exceUent man was most f uUy dis
played. Anxious above all things to approve himself
to the great Head of the Church, his humility grew
with the honors conferred upon him by his brethren.
So far was he from claiming the distinctions appertain
ing to his rank, that he did not receive them without
sensible pain, and constantly exhibited a winning ex
ample of meekness and gentleness, which gave lustre to
all his accomplishments and to all his rirtues. Though
at some periods of his life he was severely tried, he
maintained a moderation and forbearance which checked
the rage of party and fortified him against sufferings
which a mind less correct must have undergone in simi
lar situations.
" Blest by nature with a rigorous constitution, which
he sedulously preserved by temperance and exercise, he
enjoyed an uncommon share of health through the
greatest part of his life. He died, as he had lived, full
of piety, resignation, and humility, and is doubtless
now receiving the rewards of a long and diligent hfe
spent in the serrices of God and his fellow men."
At a later date Dr. Morss took occasion to pay a
tribute to his old friend and bishop in the foUowing
words : —
" His amiable disposition, unassuming manners and
catholic views endeared him to his parishioners, and
secured the respect and esteem of aU denominations.
To uncommon equanimity of temper it was probably
owing that he was enabled to pass undisturbed through

336 LIFE OF BISHOP BASS.
scenes unusuaUy vexatious and embarrassing ; and to
look with composure on the fierce conflicts of theologi
cal and pohtical warfare. There was a dryness and
piquancy in his wit, which, though it might occasionally
wound, never offended ; and many of his pointed and
pithy remarks are preserved and repeated at this day.
He was grave, courteous and gentlemanly in his man
ners, dignified in his person, and in every respect the
excellent pattern of a parish priest. He was ever the
welcome guest at the fireside, free and famUiar with aU
classes, — soothing the griefs of the afflicted, easy of
access to all and able in counsel to those who were in
trouble. If there was any supposed deficiency in ar
dour and enterprize, it was amply compensated by
soundness of judgment and promptness and decision in
action." ^
Bishop Bass laid vrisely the foundations upon which
others have buUt. Throughout a long life he gave
himself to the work of the ministry of his church with
constancy and zeal. His was the day of small things,
but by his faithfulness he made possible the larger
growth of his church and the spread of Christianity
throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
1 James Morss, Succinct History of the Episcopal Church, Newburyport,
pp. 33, 34.

INDEX.

INDEX.

Aberdeen, 238.
" A Brief Account," 167.
" A Candid Examination," 80.
¦'A Compleat View of Episcopaoy,"
83.
Adams, Mr., 147.
Adams, Brooks, 31.
Adams, Isaac, 327.
Adams, John, 13:2.
Adams, Samuel, 96, 98.
" A Dissent Fully Justified," 84, 86.
" Agnes Surriage," 62.
Akerman, John, 328.
Alden, John, 123.
Alden, Ruth, 1.
Alston, John, 183.
America, Bishops in, 94; puritans in,
95 ; missions in, 196 ; revenue raised
in, 97 ; tax upon, 97 ; Bishops for,
98, 99 ; Episcopal Church in, 153 ;
soldiers of, 165 ; confusions in, 168 ;
Revolution in, 182 ; troubles in, 184 ;
contest with, 186 ; Congress in, 189.
American Bishops, 96 ; churches, 101 ;
native born, 114 ; army, 201 ; ser
mon in behalf of army of, 206.
Amesbury, 50, 60, 71,. 72, 73, 74,75,
76, 81, 103 ; church buUding in, 63 ;
request from, 68 ; letter conceming,
from Bass and Browne, 70.
Amory, Thomas 0., 112.
Anabaptists, 44, 73, 75.
Andrews, Rev. Mr., 320.
Andrews, Williara, 236.
Andros, Govemor, 25.
Annapolis, Nova Scotia, 218.
Annis, Joseph, 34.
Antepedo-baptists, 64.
" A Pickle for the Knowing Ones,"
317.
"A Plea for the Non-Conformists,"
84, 85.
" Apostles' Creed," 249, 252.
Apthorp, Charles, 55.
Apthorp, Rev. East, 78, 79, 80, 81, 89.

'• A Roland for yom- Oliver," 258.
Ash, Nathaniel, 328.
" A Scrupulous Conscience," 84.
Aston, Thomas, 110.
" A Sure Guide to HeU," 86.
"Athanasian Creed," 240, 244, 249,
251, 261.
Atkins, 112.
Atkins, Mr., inspection of Bass by, 14.
Atkins, Dudley, 243, 248, 269, 273,
284, 285, 289, 296.
Atkins, Henry, 183.
Atkins, William, 135.
Atkinson, Amos, 328.
Bacon, Rev. Jacob, 8.
Badger, Rev. Moses, 102, 221, 222.
BaUey, Rev. Jacob, 90, 91, 118, 156,
160, 200, 207, 211.
Balch, Benjamin, 118, 158, 327.
Barb, Captain T., 158.
Barbe, W. S., 270.
Barriet, Mrs., 116.
Barrows, 10, 11.
Bartlett, John, 32, 34, 37.
Bartlett, Joseph, 30.
Bartlett, Nathaniel, 34.
Bartlett, Samuel, 34.
Bartlett, Thomas, 34.
Bass, Mr., brother of Edward Bass,
118.
Bass, Edward, consecration of, iii ; ob
scurity of, iii ; general description
of the life of, iv ; heads the lists of
Bishops of Massachusetts, v ; letters
relating to consecration of, vi ; de
scent of, 1 ; birth of, 3, 4 ; parents
of, 4 ; boyhood of, 4 ; enters Har
vard College, 4 ; at college, 5 ; fined
for absence, 6 ; studies Greek and
Hebrew, 6; receives his Master's
Degree, 6 ; thesis of, 7 ; decides to
become a minister, 7 ; preaches in
Boxford, 8 ; called to Maiden and
St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, 8 ;

340

INDEX.

changes his convictions, 9 ; books
read by, 11 ; dislike of Whitefield's
methods, 13 ; assistant minister of
St. Paul's Church, 13, 14, 15 ; his
joumey to London, 14 ; preaches in
Newbury, 16 ; letters of recommen
dation of, 17, 18 ; arrives in Eng
land, 19 ; ordination of and declara
tion of conformity of, 20, 21, 22,
23 ; visits the Archbishop of Can
terbury, 23 ; returns to America,
24 ; minister of St. Paul's Church,
29 ; the predecessor of, 46 ; successor
of, 48 ; elected assistant minister to
Mr. Plant, 49 ; resides in Newbury
port, 50 ; appointed successor to Mr.
Plant, 50, 51 ; salary of, 51 ; writes
about the new church, 52 ; baptizes
chUdren and adults, 52 ; epitaph of,
50 ; personal appearance of, 53 ; por
traits of, 53 ; marries Sarah Beck,
53 ; salary increased by parishioners,
54 ; sends annual reports to Eng
land, 50 ; writes concerning the So
ciety's Library, 57 ; refers to preva
lence of Antinomian principles, 57 ;
letters to the Society, 58, 59, 60 ;
preaches at Hopkinton and Ames
bury, 60, 02 ; letters about Queen
Anne's Chapel, 65, 66, 67, 68 ; let
ters to the Society, 68 ; writes, with
Mr. Browne, about Amesbury, 69,
70 ; refers to Queen Anne's Chapel,
71 ; concerning Methodism, 72 ; let
ters to Rev. Dr. Burton, 73, 74, 75,
76 ; on attacks of Dr. Mayhew, 82 ;
requests books and pamphlets, 83,
85 ; present at Convention, 88 ; signs
request for Bishops, 89, 90, 91 ;
foresees the Revolution, 95 ; signs
a stateraent conceming the churches
in Massachnsetts, 102 ; efforts of, in
St. Paul's Church, 104 ; parish votes
to give him loose money in the col
lection, 116; his pews, 116; takes
up a collection for charity, 117 ; re
cords his official acts, 118 ; hospi
tality of, 118 ; brother of, 119 ; con
versation of, 119 ; a pallbearer at
Whitefield's funeral, 120 ; preaches
in Narragansett, 120 ; preaches to
the Masons and writes to Abrara
Savage, 121 ; preaches in King's
Chapel, 122 ; preaches funeral ser
mon of Rev. Arthnr Browne, 122 ;
as a preacher, 123 ; record of, in So
ciety's Joumal, 125 ; requests pam
phlets and recommends John Bass,
125; writes to Dr, Burton about

a bell, 125 ; visits New Hampshire
and writes to the Society, 128 ; letter
to Dr. Hind, 129 ; letter of, concern
ing the Revolution, 130, 1 36 ; re
mains at St. Paul's Church, -140;
Parker studies under, 141 ; misfor
tune of, 148 ; makes changes in
prayer - book, 153 ; American and
English opinions concerning his atti
tude during the Revolution, 154;
receives a letter frora his Wardens
and Vestry, 154 ; replies to Wardens
and Vestry, 155 ; explanation of his
attitude and persecution of, 156 ;
dismissed by the Society, 157 ; sub
scription for relief of, 158 ; con
troversy , concerning, 158 ; charges
against, 159 ; charges refuted, 160 ;
writes about his duties during Revo
lution, 161 ; writes concerning Dr.
Walter's letter, 152 ; loss of his
salary, and writes to Dr. Morice,
153 ; letter to Samuel Hale, 165 ;
letter to Mr. Weeks, 160 ; writes
"A Brief Account," 167, 168; Dr.
Morss writes of, 169; preaches be
fore St. John's Lodge, 170 ; quota
tions from a sermon of, 171, 172;
describes " the dark day," 173, 174 ;
helps iu organizing the church in
Massachusetts, 174 ; documents con
cerning, 175 ; does not read the
Declaration of Independence, 176 ;
refutes the charges, 177 ; asks to
know his accusers, 178 ; P:irker de
nies charges against, 179 ; testimony
of J. Wentworth, 180 ; certificates
concerning, 181, 182, 183 ; blamed
by Loyalists, 184 ; unmolested, 185 ;
the case of, presented by Samuel
Hale, 186 ; reasons for withdrawing
the salary of, 189 ; state of the evi
dence against, 190 ; observations on
case of, 191, 192 ; Rev. Mr. Clark
writes conceming, 193-196 ; letter
of Rev. Williara Walter concerning,
196-198, 199 ; leaves out prayers
for the King, 199 ; his raission con
sidered vacant, 200 ; long servioe in
the Society, 202 ; extracts frora Jour
nal of the Society concerning, and
bills not accepted, 203 ; marries forty
couples, 204 ; acquaintance with
Loyalists, 205 ; testimony as to his
character, 207-210 ; reproached for
a Tory, 212 ; hia case again consid
ered, 213 ; Society dismisses his case,
214 ; prorainent in the reorganiza
tion of the Church, 217 ; letter to

INDEX.

341

Tarkov, 210-ilLM ; nttonaa u Con-
vouliim, L*"J2 ; baptizes t'ourtoou per
sons, li V2 ; roqiu>sla l*;U'kor to g'o
tu Middlotown, lil IS ; writos to Pai'-
Kjr, l^.l'.t-LHl ; iutluoiu'on his lay-
luoii, 2['2 ; attomis a Oonvontion iu
H(tslon, nud olootfd its IVosiilont,
-1'.); appoiiitod on a ComiuitU'o to
form a t'ollcct, 'J.M . siii'us a prutost
ai;ai«sfc Kinii's Obapol, *J.'H)--r>8; ac-
I'l'pta l>ishop Soabuvy'a couaoi'vation.
'Jiil. LH>-_' ; oloct.od iVisIiop, 'JCm-LHIS ;
uo laymou pivsiuit at tho oUn'tion,
LMv^ ; rtH*oi\ tvs a tU\>iroo t'roui Uni-
voi-sity ot" rcvmsylvania, -I'O ; reso
lutions coucorniiiii- his olootiou, "JlHl-
L'l*!' ; union of t\ny Chuiviv olVoctod
by tlio election of, 'J'.Kl ; makes a
draft of tlio Oonstitution, 'JO.') ; sec
ond oUn'tion of, 'JlU), 1107 : lettor to
tho Tonv cution. 'J98 ; oorrospondouco
coni'oruinii- his Oouseoration, 2iHl ;
testimonials of, o02 ; requests to eon-
seerate. o04 : additional testimonials.
otMi, ;nt7 ; I'onseer.atlou of, St^S ; eon-
soeratiou papei-s of, ;>0S\ olO; re
turns to Boston, olO; aihlivsses the
Convention iu Boston, ol'J, ol.'> ; re
turns to hia Parish, ol4; library
of. i>lo ; eonvoi-sation of, oU» ; the
frionds id', ;U7 ; seeond marriaij-e of,
ol7 ; dress of, ol8; hiw a dispute
^vith a neii;hbor. inteivst in town
atVaira and sen'^es on Sohool Com
mittee, 3l!* ; nnikes a prayer at the
Washinj:;tou Memorial t>ervieo, 310 ;
liapti.-es Pvot'ossor Peek, oliO ; tJie
extent of the Diocese of. iVM ;
elected Bishop of New Hampshire
anil Vermont, .'>-l; oonseeratos two
Churehes ; ortlmns niimstoi*s, ;i-'2 ;
letter ot Ordei*s given by, o.-J ; pre
sides at xVnnuai Convention, ol.*-i ;
attends a tumeral Convention, aud
oonseerates Bisliop Jarvis, il'Jo ;
Episeojiid acts of. lV2{\ ; builds a now
ohureh aud subsevibes to its eivetion.
;VJ7 : letter to Or. Benth^y, oJO : lays
the Cornor Stouo of t>t. Paul's
t^huivh, ;>-0 ; eouseorates St. PanVs
Chnrelt aud pivaehos befort* tJie
Sleri-iuiao Humane iSoeiety. -loO ; last
pnblio addn^ss of. 0'»- : doath of.
o:\'2 ; burial of. ;'.'>;> ; his fimeral ser
mon by Pi'. Parker, ooo-oo^ ; esti
mate of. bv Morss. olW.

-Bass, Kilwanl, Jr
Bass. Kli/.abeth. 'X
Ba&Sy John, 1, 125.

;ii28.

Bass, Joseph, o.
Buss, (Sannud, I, 2.
Bayley, IU, ;17.
Beaieroft, 10 ; receives letter from
Bass, r.S, 50,(10, 07,08.
Beck. Sarah, 511, ;117.
jMdeher, (loveruiu", 105.
Belehov, Bov. Mr., 40, 4:^.
Bolknap, Ih'., Ii58.
Belzohub, 80, 87.
Heutloy, Bev. Dr., ;U5, 1^28, 329.
Bernard. Governor, 00, 07.
Borwiek. L74.
Blaekwell, Kobert. 100, IOG, 203.
Blaxton, Rev. AVilliam, 25.
Bollau, William, Ul.
Boston, 87, 08, Town hall of, 25 ; per
secutions in, 27 ; olori^-y of, 80, 03 ;
town meeting" in, 07 ; ehnrches in,
102 ; contributions from, UKI ; fij-st
newspaper in. 111 ; Sunday services,
ll;> ; F-piseopal Charitable Society,
117 ; Convention held in, 242.
Borland. Dr. Franeis, 249.
Boui-s. John, 240.
Bowden, Benjamin, 2.'Ui.
BowtUtcli. Joseph, 277.
Bowen, Edward, 2;U. 2o().
Bowen, Kathauiel, ."122.
Bowel's, Rev. Jiuues, 322, 333.
Bowman, John, 4.
Boxfoi*d, 8. 20.
Bradbnrv, Theophilus, 819.
Bradford, Ahlou, ;V27.
Bradford, Bishop, 8l>.
Bradford, William. 2, 3.
Bradlev. Williiim, 207.
Braintree, 1, 2, 28, 102, 113, 130, 147,
210, 274.
Brattle, Thomas. 55.
Bridg'es, Jolm, .'Ul, o2, o;>, 4.*^, 45.
Bridgewater. 113, 147, 240, 274.
Brimmer, 1 12.
Bristol, 210, 240, 321.
Britisli Government, 77. 82. 06; loy
alty to. 114; legislation of, VM ;
Bass omits prayei-s for, 155 ; Bass
identitied with, 157; Bass's loyalty
to. l7o ; disaffection to, 105.
Brockwell, Kev. Charles, 12. 10.
Brown, 112.
Btowu, Deacon Josbua, 30, 32, 34, 37,
;>8.
Brown, Samuel, 25, 20.
Brown, Thomas, 34, 42.
Brown, Tristram. 34.
Bi-owne, Eev. Arthur. 70, 71. 102; re
marks on Dr. Mayhew, 80 ; funeral
of, 122 ; recommends Jolm Bass, 125.

342

INDEX.

Browne, Daniel, 9, 18.
Browne, KeT. Mam., 102.
Bulfinch, Thomas, 229, 281, 251.
BuU, 117.
Bunch of Grapes, 131.
Bunker HUl, 152.
Burgoyne, General, 148, 152, 218.
Burhans, Rev. Daniel, 296.
Burlington, 99.
Burnett, 11.
Burton, Rev. Dr., 68, 71, 76, 126.
Butler, Bishop, 94, 97, 99; idea of
Araerican Bishops, 100.
Byfield, 8.
Byles, Mather, Jr., 113, 114, 125,135.
Byles, Mather, Sr., 114, 315.
Bynner's " Agnes Surriage," 62.
Calamy, Dr. Benjamin, 84.
Cambridge, 8, 74, 79, 81,89, 103, 113,
148, 178, 322.
Cambridge, England, 85.
CampbeU, 111.
Caner, Dr. Henry, letter of, 52 ; writes
" A Candid Examination," 80 ; writes
to the Archbishop, 82 ; 91, 95, 102,
114, 125, 133 ; writes for instruc
tions, 135 ; leaves Boston, 188 ; 151 ;
makes charges against Bass, 159 ;
preaches at the Convention, 188 ;
representations of, 190 ; writes about
Bass, 191 ; letters, 192, 203.
Canterbury, Archbishop of, 80, 191,
292.
Casco Bay, 174.
Caves " Historia Literaria Ecclesias,"
11.
Chamblet, Samuel, 236.
Chandler, Rev. Mr., 120.
Charles I., 27.
Chauncy, Dr. Charles, 83, 315.
Chester, Captain, 137.
Chevy Chase, 54.
ChildweU, 234.
ChUlingsworth, 11.
Christ Church, Boston, a refuge for
dissenters, 12 ; 87 ; divisions in, 89 ;
founded, 102 ; plans of, 103 ; decla
ration in, 104; coramunion service
of, 105 ; beUs of, 106 ; liberality to
wards, 108; 111; 113, 114; signal
lantern in, 135 ; 144, 148, 222, 258,
274, 278, 296.
Christ Church, Braintree, 102.
Christ Church, Cambridge, 78, 103,
113, 187.
Christ Church, Dedham, 297.
Christ Church, Philadelphia, 216, 338.
Christ Church, Quincy, 297.

Church of England, 13, 14 ; in Massa
chusetts, 25 ; preferences for, 30 ;
worship of, 33 ; orthodoxy of, 34 ;
increase of, 39 ; ministers of, 42 ;
attempts to extirpate, 48 ; treatment
of its missionaries, 46 ; slaves join
ing, 61 ; ministers of, and Puritans,
63 ; professors of, 68 ; worship of,
69 ; prejudices against, 72 ; savages
becoming members of, 78 ; Mayhew
against, 79 ; attacks upon, 79 ; the
motives of, 80, 81 ; attacks against,
82 ; ceremonies of, 84 ; like Church
of Rome, 85 ; dissent from,
policy of, 92 ; 95 ; on the subject of
Bishops, 99 ; congregations of, 100 ;
love for, 112 ; certificate of member
ship in, 11.5 ; taxes paid to, 116
Whitefield difEers from, 119 ; Tory
ism of, 124 ; attachment to govem
ment of, 128 ; Tories in, 184 ; clergy
of, 186 ; 140 ; in Holderness, 161 ;
steadiness of members, 180 ; diffi
culties of the clergy, 193 ; consti
tution of, 195 ; members in New
Hampshire, 204 ; the former parishes
of, 215; 225; doctrines of , 238 ; suc
cession from, 263.
Clapp, Noah, 4.
Claremont, 204.
Clarendon, Earl of, 11.
Clark, George, 297, 308.
Clark, Rev. WiUiam, 115, 124, 136, 139,
153, 190, 193, 194.
Clark, Dr. Samuel, 333.
Clarke, 11.
Cleverly, Mr., 147.
Cloyne, Bishop of, 10.
Coates, David, 319.
Coffin, 53.
Coffin, Nathan, 38.
Coffin, Tristram, 270, 327.
Coleman, Benjamin, 40.
Commons, House of, 105.
Compton, Bishop, 20.
Concord, 136.
Congregationalists, 65, 115, 134, 252,
254.
Congress, 154, 155, 159, 168, 177, 184,
185, 187, 189 ; Bass said to pray for,
200 ; Fast Days appointed by, 201 ;
209, 211.
Connecticut, 92, 174 ; its Churches ad
vocate having a Bishop, 216 ; 217 ;
convention in, 237, 238; lay influ
ence in, 242 ; receives Bishop Sea
bury, 260 ; discussions in, 264 ; 267.
Coombs, William, 820.
Cooper, Eev. Dr., 152, 315.

INDEX.

343

Coran, Thomas, 112, 117.
ComwaUis, Nova Scotia, 207.
Cossitt, Rev. Mr., 128, 149, 204, 205.
Cotton, John, 27.
" CouncU of Advice," 324.
"Cradle of Liberty," 112.
CromweU, 62, 139.
Cudworth, 178.
Cushing, Caleb, 315.
Cushing, Thomas, 5.
Cutler, Joseph, 327.
Cutler, Timothy, 9, 10, 12, 18 ; preaches
at Mr. Plant's funeral, 51 ; funeral
of, 87.
Cutler, Samuel, 327.
Cutler, William, 327.
Cutter, David, 270.
Cutter, Joseph, 202.
Cutter, Samuel, 269, 273, 284, 289.
Claggett, Bishop, 302, 304, 305, 306,
310.
Curwen, Judge, 134.
Custis, Mrs., 137.
Dalton, Tristram, 112, 135, 158 ; dele
gate to Convention, 242 ; instructions
to, 243 ; attends a Convention, 249 ;
272, 285, 289, 290, 317.
Danbury, 174.
Dartmouth CoUege, 147.
Davenport, A., 110.
Deberdt, Dennys, 96.
Deblois, 112.
Dedham, 103, 113, 115, 116, 127, 139,
147, 297.
Dehon, Theodore, 322.
De Laune, Thomas, 83, 84, 126, 127.
Delaware, 238, 270.
Dexter, Timothy, 317.
Dissenters, attitude tovrards Church of
England, 64 ; use Queen Anne's
Chapel, 66 ; discipline of, 86 ; raise
an alarm, 95 ; 126.
Doddridge, 92.
Dorchester, 3, 119.
Dover, 174.
Dowse, Joseph, 109, 110.
Dudley, Dorothy, 187.
Dudley, Govemor, 33, 35, 36, 41, 42.
Dummer Academy, 318.
Ecclesiasticus, 167.
Eliot, John, 60.
EUis, Mr., 147.
Endicott, Govemor, 26.
England, journey to, 93; Puritanism
in, 95 ; 96 ; spiritual courts in, 97 ;
bishops in, 98 ; missionaries from,
114 ; representatives of, 124 ; pam

phlets published in, 167 ; Grand
Rebellion in, 194 ; securing Episco
pate from, 260; Archbishops in,
292.
Episcopacy, Dr. Chauncy on, 83.
Episcopal Charitable Society, 263.
Episcopal Church, the starting of, in
Boston, 32 ; adherence to, 33 ; peti
tion of the raerabers of, 38 ; 37 ;
services in Newbury, 42 ; before the
Revolution, 93 ; 95 ; orders in, 99 ;
parishes of, 102 ; clergy of, before
the Revolution, 123 ; independence
of, 187 ; loyal congregations of, 188 ;
origin of, 143 ; state of, 144 ; rites
and ceremonies of, 169 ; advancing
the interests of, 215 ; Bishop White's
influence on, 216 ; development of,
217 ; uniformity of, 220 ; separation
from, 247; King's Chapel in rela
tion to, 253 ; King'rf Chapel separates
from, 256; protest against King's
Chapel, 257 ; union of, 265 ; Con
ventions of, 270 ; vestries of, 273 ;
Uberties of, 277 ; lay convention in,
288, 289 ; Constitution of, 295.
EpiscopaUans, taxed, 47 ; 64 ; in Massa
chusetts, 77 ; spirit among, 79 ; 82 ;
limitations of, 92 ; 103 ; theory of
worship, 104 ; early, 112 ; taxed,
115 ; patriots among, 134.
Episcopate, 94, 222.
Essex, County of, 35, 267.
EucUd's Elements, 6.
Exeter, 120.
Eyre, John, 34.
Falmouth, 138, 174.
FaneuU, Benjamin, 110.
FaneuU, Peter, 112.
Farris, WUliara, 327.
Fayerweather, Rev. S., 91, 120, 149.
Fiske, John, 132, 217.
Fisher, Rev. Nathaniel, 185, 218, 222
232, 238, 289, 249, 258, 296.
Fletcher, John, 270.
Flynt, Henry, 17.
Fort WiUiam, 185.
Foster, Isaac, 236.
"Foundlings Hospital," 112.
Framham, CoUector, 184.
France, 187.
Frankland, Charles Henry, 62.
Franklin, Benjamin, 187.
FrankUn Place, 328.
Freeman, Eev. James, 228, 230, 231,
251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 257.
Frothingham, GUman, 328.
Frye, P., 185.

344

INDEX.

Fulham, 20, 41.
Furnival's Inn, 196.
GaUishan, Abram, 158, 270, 328.
Gardiner, 112.
Gardiner, Eev. J. S. J., 296, 302, 306,
307, 322, 333.
Gates Mrs. 137.
General Convention, 253, 259,264,268.
General Court, case of Newbury be
fore, 29; command of, 30; opposi
tion of, 89 ; petition ou taxation to,
47 ; 97.
Gentleman's Magazine, 19.
Georgetown, 90.
Gerry, Elbridge, 97, 98, 272, 285, 289,
290.
Glasgow, 182.
Gloucester, 106, 190, 208.
Glover, General, 8l7.
Goddard, 112. "
Gordon's Geographical Grammar, 6.
Grafton, Duke of, 109.
Grand Lodge, 121, 328.
Graves, J., 139, 194, 195, 219, 222, 226.
Gravesand's Natural PhUosophy, 6.
Great Barrington, 103.
Great Britain, 100, 182.
Greaton, Rev. Jas., 91.
Green, 112.
Green, Joseph, 54.
Green, Richard, 281, 296, 308.
Greene, Benjamin, 249.
Greene Foundation, 117, 140.
Greene, Eufus, 110.
Greene, Thomas, 55, 110, 117.
Greenleaf, Benjamin, 319.
Greenleaf, Jonathan, 319.
Greenleaf, Stephen, 249.
Grey, H., 117.
Grifath, Mr., 74, 93.
Griswold, Bishop,'321.
Guadaloupe, 226.
Hale, Eev. Moses, 8.
Hale, Samuel, 165, 187, 213.
Halifax, 139.
HamUton, Alexander, 135.
Hammersmith, 180.
Hammond's Annotations, 11.
Hancock, Belcher, 17.
Hanover, 103, 113.
Harris, Eev. Henry, 33, 41, 42.
Harris, Rev. William, 296, 307.
Harrison, Peter, 103.
Hart, 83, 126, 127.
Harvard CoUege, 4, 10, 11, 17, 55, 114,
140, 150, 187, 318, 320.
Haven, Eev. Mr., 116, 120.

HaverhiU, 204.
Hawkins, 95.
Hazard, 112.
Henry, Patrick, 185.
Heywood, Anthony, 3, 117.
Hicks, Rev. Galen, 322, 833.
Higginson, Mr., 37, 88.
HUliard, Rev. Timothy, 322, 333.
Hind, Rev. Dr., 128, 129.
Hoare & Co., 177.
Holderness, 161, 282.
Holmes, Dr. Abiel, 103.
Holyoke, Edward, 17.
Holyoke, Dr., 185.
Honduras, Bay of, 107.
Hooker, 11.
Hooper, Sarauel, 236.
Hooper, Stephen, 819, 328.
Hooper, Thoraas, 828.
Hopkinton, 60, 61, 62, 108, 150.
Housatonic, 321.
Huse, WUliam, 34, 43.
Hutchinson, Govemor, 133.
Independence, Declaration of, 132, 134,
140 ; signers of, 144 ; effect on
churches, 154 ; Bass charged with
reading, 159 ; Bass does not read,
176; 198; effect of, 200 ; 209, 213.
Independents, 44, 64.
Indians, 60, 61, 78.
Ingersol, Joseph, 158.
Inglis, Rev. Dr., 192, 205, 209.
Ipswich, 43.
Ivers, James, 329.
Jackson, Abraham, 270, 327.
Jackson, Charles, 328.
Jackson, Jonathan, 285, 289.
Jaffrey, George, 181, 185, 275.
Jarvis, Rev. Abraham, 325.
Jarvis, Thomas, 236.
Jenkins, George, 170, 328.
Jenkins, John, 270.
Jenkins, Lewis, 202, 270.
Jewet, Rev. Mr., 120.
Jewett, Justice, 42, 43.
Johnson, Rev. Samuel, 9.
Jones, Thomas, 158.
Kast, Thoraas, 296, 308.
Kelby, Christopher, 109.
Kennebeck River, 90.
Kennett, Dr. White, 40.
Kent, .Toseph, 327.
Kenwood, Peter, 109, 110.
King, Dr., 33, 42.
King, George, 133.
King George II. , 105

INDEX.

345

King George III., 69.
King, Rufus, 317.
King's Chapel, Boston, missionaries at,
9 ; buUding of, 25 ; founding of, 28 ;
elei^;y of, 33 ; organ of, 55 ; wealthy
churchmen of, 62 ; conventions in,
87, 88 ; petition from, 94 ; founding
of, 102; church buUding of, 108;
decoration of, 104 ; loans surpUces
to Trinity Church, 111 ; Dr. Caner
at, 114 ; coUection taken for cap
tives, ll7 ; gets part of the Price
estate, 117 ; Bass preaches in, 122 ;
133, 151, 152 ; concert in, 227 ; lay
reader at, 228 ; not present at con
vention, 251 ; Freeman minister of,
252 ; makes changes in the Uturgy,
253 ; leaders at, 254 ; ceases to be
an Episcopal Church, 256 • defec
tion of, 258.
Kingston, South, 149.
King, WUliam, 105.
Lambton, Rev. John, Chaplain of the
Ship Phoenix ; appointed to New
bury, 41 ; resigns his parish, 43 ;
49.
Lanark, County of, 183.
Lanesborough, 103, 297.
Larive, Monsignor de, 226.
Laud, Archbishop, 27, 94.
Laughton, Joseph, 328.
Lecky, 181.
Le Grand, Compendium Logica, 6.
Le Clere, 11.
Lewis, Rev. Stephen, 148, 218, 222.
Lexiugton, 136.
Little, Jacob, 328.
Livermore, 272.
Liverpool, 234.
Livingston, Govemor, 82.
Llandaff, Bishop of, 82.
Locke, 6.
London, 84, 96, 112, 158, 175.
London, Bishop of, receives letter from
Wardens of King's Chapel, 13 ; re
ceives letters conceming Bass, 19 ;
ordains Bass, 20, 22, 28 ; appUed to
for a minister, 31 ; petition to, 32 ;
answers the petition, 41 ; jurisdic
tion of, 92 ; 94 ; gives a bell to New
buryport, 126 ; 145.
Louisburg, 112.
Lowth, 10.
Loyalists, 1-34, 176, 184, 187, 205.
"Loyalists of the American Revolu
tion," 131.
Lucas, Rev. Henry, appointed mission
ary, 43 ; arrives in Newbury, 44 ;

baptizes chUdren in Salisbury, 44 ;
death of, 45 ; 49.
Lunt, Skipper, 30.
Lutheran, 64.
Lyon, Rev. John, 89, 91, 102.
Macgaw, Rev. Mr., 196.
Madison, Bishop, 801, 304.
Madison, President, 135.
Majory, Joseph, 107.
Malbone, 112.
Maiden, 8.
Mansfield, Isaac, 234.
Marblehead, 28, 45, 62, 64, 97, 102,
104, 106, 118, 138, 147, 177, 234,
258, 274.
Marsh, Thomas, 17.
MarshaU 185.
Marshfield, 103, 113, 146, 218, 222,
249, 274.
Maryland, 92, 217, 237, 238, 259, 270 ;
bishop of, 298 ; 302.
Massachusetts, pamphlets printed in,
86 ; clergy of, 88 ; Episcopalians in,
92, 94, 95 ; people of, 95 ; Enghsh
churches in, 101, 102 ; loyalists in,
134 ; attitude of ministers during
the Revolution, 153 ; forsaken par
ishes in, 1 58 ; Episcopate in, 174 ;
closed churches in, 184 ; Bass re
mains in, 192 ; Mr. Clark leaves,
195 ; maintains the importance of
the Episcopate, 216; differs from
Connecticut, 220 ; convention in,
222 ; clergy of, 224 ; churches in,
237 ; convention in, 239 ; attitude
of, 242 ; temper of the meu of, 243 ;
revision of liturgy in, 250 ; King's
Chapel in, 251 ; opinion of Bishop
Seabury, 263 ; discussions in, 264 ;
convention held in Salem, 265 ; an
act of the clergy of, 266 ; laity of,
268 ; deputies from, 269 ; letters
sent to churches in, 270 ; 292 ; dio
cese of, 321.
Massachusetts Historical Soeiety, 320.
Masons, 170.
Mather, Cotton, 7, 36, 55, 64, 315.
Mayflower, 1.
Mayhew, Jonathan, at CoUege, 5 ; at
tacks the church, 77 ; writes about
Mr. MUler, 78 ; quotation from, 78 ;
79; 80,81.
Mayhew, Joseph, 17.
McGUchrist, Rev. WUUara, 15, 68, 87,
91, 97, 102, 147, 184, 185.
Mead, Sarauel, 332.
MerriU, Abraham, 30, 34, 37.
MerriU, John, 34, 42.

346

INDEX.

Merrimack, 60.
Menimac Humane Society, 330.
Meserve, George, 185.
Methodism, 72.
Middletown, 237, 288, 239, 242, 249.
Middlesex, 135, 185.
Mieux, Eev. Mr., 93.
Mifflin, 187.
MUes, Samuel, 13, 33.
MiUer, Charles, 252, 253, 258.
MUler, Ebenezer, 297, 308.
MUler, Rev. F., 17.
MUler, WUUam, 132, 182.
MiUs, Johannis, 105.
" Missions of the Church of England,"
95.
Montague, Rev. WUUam, 258, 268,
296, 307.
Montreal, 117.
Morgan, Mrs., 187.
Morice, Rev. Dr., 144 ; Bass writes to,
161, 162 ; letter to, 175 ; receives
letter frora P. Frye, 188 ; receives
letter from Dr. Walter, 196.
Morland, WUUam, 158, 182, 185, 270,
327.
MorreU, Rev. WUUam, 25.
Morris, Gouverneur, 135.
Morse, Humphrey, 328.
Morss, Rev. James, preaches " Cen
tury Sermon," 48; writes of Bass'
charity, 157 ; on Bass' attitude, 169 ;
tribute to Bass by, 314, 822 ; gives
an account of Bass' death, 332 ; trib
ute to, .335.
Morton, Perez, 152, 296, 300, 308.
Mossom, Rev. David, 45, 46, 107.
MuUens, Priscilla, 1.
Murray, Rev. Mr., 320.
Narragansett, 120.
Neal, Captam N. V., 107.
Negroes, 61.
Newbury, parish of, 15 ; origin of
parish of, 28 ; question disturbing
the inhabitants of, 31 ; the planting
of the Church ia, 32 ; Mr. Harris
preaches in, 3.3 ; best interests of,
37 ; Dr. Coleman writes about, 40 ;
authorities of, 42 ; 50, 58, 67 ; collec
tion for charities in, ll7 ; BaUey at,
118; death of Whitefield in, 119; 190,
203.
Newburyport, St. Paul's Churoh, 8,
12 ; parish conditions of, 14 ; his
torians of, 35 ; ministerial work in,
82 ; 83, 102, 104, 105; Whitefield
buried in, 120 ; St. John's Lodge in,
122 ; letter from, 125, 127 ; Com

mittee of Safety in, 135 ; 141 ; rab
ble in, 156 ; harbor of, 159 ; mia
sionary in, 167 ; historian of, 169 ;
missions in, 170 ; loyalty of Bass in,
181 ; Wether of Customs in, 183 ;
distance from Salem, 184 ; no 'Tories
in, 184 ; 186 ; Declaration of Inde
pendence in, 198 ; no loyalists in,
199; laymen of, 220, 242; 258; lay
men's Convention in, 269 ; rector
prominent in Church, 295 ; Bass re
turns to, 314 ; new church in, 327 ;
Humane Society in, 330.
New England, clergy of, 94 ; 100 ; " Ma
jestie's Chappel " in, 105 ; a farmer
of, 119 ; "Dark Day" in, 178 ; dis
senters in, 199 ; attitude of, 242.
Newgate Prison, 84.
New Harapshire, 70, 80, 88, 118, 122,
127, 128, 140, 147; Bass travels
in, 161 ; Loyalists in, 175 ; landed
interests, 177 ; 185 ; Bass goes into,
204 ; 218, 287, 249 ; clergy of, meet
at Salem, 265 ; an Act of the clergy
of, 266 ; lay deputies from, 269 ;
a letter sent to churches in, 270 ;
Churches in, 274; Bishop for, 276;
Bass invited to be Bishop of, 321.
New Haven, 114.
New Holderness, 274, 282.
New Jersey, 02, 99, 217, 238, 270.
New London, 210.
Newport, 103, 149, 157, 249.
New York, 82, 92, 162, 163, 187, 237,
238, 267, 270; Bishop of, 298, 302.
Nicene Creed, 249, 252.
Nicholson, Govemor, 41, 43, 106.
North River, 174.
Norwalk, 325.
Nova-Scotia, 41, 207, 218.
NoweU, Joseph, 828.
Noyes, Thomas, 37.
Ogden, Rev. J. C, 258, 268.
Old South Meeting-House, 25, 152, 251.
OUver, Rev. Thomas Fitch, 258, 268.
Olney, 112.
Onslow, Honorable Arthur, 105.
Otis, Samuel A., 327.
Oxford, Jesus CoUege, 83.
Packer, Captain, 198.
Packer, Thomaa, 328.
Palfrey, CoL WUliam, 137.
Pardee, Rev. Amos, 322.
Parker, Rev. Samuel, 136, 140, 143,
144, 151 ; refutes charges against
Bass, 160 ; the wise policy of, 174 ;
receives thanks from the Sooiety,

INDEX.

347

177 ; receives letter from the So
ciety, 179 ; report concerning, 184 ;
sister of, 187 ; disagrees with the
clergy of the province, 193 ; leaves
out prayers for the King, 199 ; pro
minent in reorganizing the church,
217; writes to Bishop White, 218;
attends a Convention in Boston, 222 ;
attests au entry in the records of
Trinity Church, 227 ; receives letter
from King's Chapel, '2'2S; writes
a letter to Proprietors of King's
Chapel, 220 ; concerning an exchange
of pulpits with Mr. Freeman, 230;
refuses to exchange, 231 ; activity
of, 287 ; attends a Convention in
New York, 238 ; goes to Middle-
town, 23S ; makes alterations in the
Liturgy of Triuity Church, 251 ;
writes concerning Freeman, 254 ;
protests against ordination of Free
man, 258 ; accepts Seabury's conse
cration, 261 ; receives letter from
Bass, 262 ; writes to Bishop Sea
bury, 263 ; suggestion that he be
made Bishop, 264 ; desires union of
the churches, 264; signs the Act
of the Massachusetts clergy, 268 ;
a Delegate to General Convention,
268, 279 ; not accepted as Delegate
by St. Paul's Church, Newbury
port, 284; attends Convention in
Boston, 296 ; writes to Bishop
White, 300 ; 302 ; letter to Bishop
White, 306 ; signs testimonials of
Bass, 807; preaches funeral ser
mon of Bishop Bass, 333, 334;
885.
Parker, WilUam, 140.
Parsons, Eev. Moses, 120.
Parsons, TheophUus, 319.
Pearson on the Creed, 11.
Peck, Professor W. D., 320.
Pemherton, Dr., 133.
Pennsylvania, 217, 224 ; convention in,
237 ; delegates from, 238 ; request
to the Bishop of, to consecrate Bass,
267 ; bishop of, 298.
Peters, Colonel, 185, 190.
Peters, Richard, 328.
Pettingal, John, 327.
PhUadelphia, 220, 224, 325; conven
tion in, 237, 265, 269, 286 ; expense
of journey to, 298.
PhUlips, Mercy, 317.
Pipe-Stave HUl, 29,30, 42.
Piscataqua, 174, 185.
Plant, Eev. Matthias, needs an assist
ant, 13 ; has difficulties with the

Proprietors of St. Paul's Church,
14 ; letters to Dr. Bearcroft, 14,
15 ; permits Bass to preach, 16 ; iU
health of, 18 ; appointed raissionary
in Newbury, 46 ; keeps a diary, 47 ;
a friend of Archelaus Woodman,
47 ; 48, 49 ; death of, 50 ; Coffin
writes about, 58 ; executors of the
estate of, 57 ; 61, 63, 173.
Plum Island, 330.
Plymouth, Rock, 1 ; colony, 3, 25 ; 103 ;
218.
Pole's Synopsis Critic, 11.
Porter, John, 282.
Porter, Thomas, 236.
Portland, 274, 332.
Portsmouth, 70, 71, 111, 120, 122, 140,
141, 147, 204.
Pownalboro, 200.
Prayer Book, first used in Massachu
setts, 25 ; petitions for Royal family,
124 ; services in Cambridge, 137 ;
objections to use of, 189 ; changes
raade in, 141 ; changes made in, at
Trinity Church, Boston, and New-
biuryport, 153 ; revision of, 287 ;
revision of, in Connecticut, 241 ;
changes made in, at King's Chapel,
252.
Presbyterian, 44, 64, 330.
Price, 112.
Price, Rev. Dr., 62, 94, 150.
Price, WUliam, 117.
Prideaux's connotations, 11.
Prince, James, 327.
Proctor, Thomas, 236.
Prohibitory Act, 132.
"Proposed Book," 259, 261.
Prout, WUUam W., 327.
Providence, 149, 194, 200, 222.
Provoost, Bishop, appUed to for the
ordination of Freeraan, 253 ; opposes
Bishop Seabury, 260 ; 265, 290 ; re
quested to consecrate Bass, 291 ;
signs consecration papers, 310 ; con
secrates Bishop Jarvis, 325.
Puritans, traits of, 27 ; 78, 79, 94 ; op
position of, 95 ; 96, 114, 115.
Putnam, Rev. Aaron, 8.
Quakers, persecution of, 27 ; at church
service, 44.
Queen Anne, 94.
Queen Anne's Chapel, Newbury, 14,
29 ; Mr. Lambton officiates in, 41 ;
worshippers in, 42 ; removal of par
ishioners from, 48 ; Mr. Plant buried
in church - yard of, 50 ; unlawful
use of, 65 ; 66 ; 67, 194.

348

INDEX.

Queen's Chapel, Portsmouth, 111, 249,
258, 274.
Queen Mary, 105.
Qumcy, 297.
Quincy, Josiah, 7.
Rand, Edward, 270, 327.
Band, E. S., 123.
RatclifEe, Rev. Robert, 25.
" Reasons for withdrawal of Salary,"
187.
" Remarks on Dr. Mayhew," 80.
Revere, Paul, 135.
Revolution, The, 94 ; drifting towards,
95 ; factors in bringing about, 98 ;
before the, 101 ; beginning of, 114 ;
distractions preceding, 123.
Rhode Island, SU, 88, 89, 92, 112, 139,
149, 2IS, 219, 222, 224', 234, 249.
Rivington, Mr., 127.
Eogers, Rev. Mr., 180.
Rogers, Rev. John, 8.
Rogers, Robert, 34.
Rogers, Rev. W., 226.
Rouselet, Rev. Monsignor de, 226.
Eoxbury, Hog Bridge, 1, 2 ; 140.
Eowe, John, 121.
Eowley, 120.
Royal Exchange, London, 84.
EudhaU, Abel, 106.
Sabine, 131.
Sagadahoc, 25.
Salem, persecutions in, 27 ; mission
aries at, 63; 87, 103, 104, 113, 147;
distance from Newburyport, 184 ;
report in, conceming Bass, 184 ;
Court of Probate, 185 ; Mr. Hale
from, 187 ; Mr. Fisher in, 218 ; 222,
249, 2.JS, 267, 272, 274, 275, 277, 281.
SaUsbury, 28, 44, 50.
Saltonstall, Governor, 9.
Sandford, 108.
Sargent, Eev. W., 89, 91, 102, 137, 149,
178, 191.
Sawyer, Joseph, 328.
Sawyer, Josiah, 84.
Sawyer, Micaijah, 319.
Sawyer, Samuel, 34.
Scituate, 78, 103, 113, 146, 147, 149,
194, 218, 222, 274.
Scotland, 238.
Scott, 10, 11.
Seabury, Bishop, 221 ; welcomed by
his diocese, 238 ; addresses to, 241 ;
opposes lay influence, 242 ; Free
man applies to him for ordination,
253 ; reception of, by church at large,
260; objects to the fifth funda

mental principle, 261 ; Bass writes
about, 262 ; 264 ; suggestion that
he unite with the Bishops of the
English line, 265 ; fears that he
inight not consecrate Bass, 268 ; re
ceived in PhUadelphia, 290; re
quested to consecrate Bass, 291 ;
death of, 325.
Seeker, Archbishop, 80, 81, 95.
SewaU, Samuel, writes to Govemor
SaltonstaU, 9 ; letter book of, 36 ;
letter to 'Thomas Noyes, 37 ; letter
to John Webster, 37, 88 ; letter to
Nathan Coffin, 38 ; writes about the
deatb of Mr. Lucas, 45; refers to
slavery, 61 ; 296, 308.
Seymour, Eichard, 25.
Sharp, 10, 11.
Sheriff, Colonel, 198.
Sherlock, Bishop, 10, 20, 92.
Shepherd, Samuel, 283.
Sherman, James, 279.
Shirley, Govemor, 110, 111.
Simpson, Jonathan, 109, 110.
Smith, Henry, 281, 296, 300, 308.
Smith, Eev. WUliam, 259, 308, 825.
Smyth, Andrew, 283.
Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel in Foreign Parts, 9, 11, 14 ;
Dr. Coleman remonstrates with, 40 ;
letter to, from Wardens of Queen
Anne's Chapel, 60, 60 ; attacks
against, 77, 78 ; aims of, 80 ; re
quest for Bishops, 88 ; plan of,
for Bishop, 94 ; gives money for
Bishop's house, 99 ; reports to, 113 ;
money sent by, 114 ; receipts of
diminished, 124 ; Parker writes to,
144 ; missionaries of, leave Boston,
145 ; dismisses Bass, 157 ; proceed
ings of, 161 ; the accusers of Bass,
166 ; Bass publishes a pamphlet
concerning, 167 ; Bass twenty years
a missionary of, 168 ; archives of,
175 ; neglect of Bass, 177 ; letter
to, 179 ; reports carried to, 181 ;
Ubrary of, in Salem, 1S5 ; Mr. Hale
makes statement to, 186 ; evidence
of, against Bass, 190 ; considers the
mission at Newburyport vacant, 200 ;
Bass' long service in, 202 ; Bass un
successful in his attempts to con
vince, 203 ; loyal missionary of, 204 ;
refuses to reverse its decision, 206 ;
its caution, 209 ; 232.
Society of Free and Accepted Masons,
121.
Sohier, 112.
South CaroUna, 107, 270, 322.

INDEX.

349

Spotwood's History of the Church in
Scotland, 11.
Spring, Eev. Mr., 320.
Staffordshire, England, 46.
Stamp Act. S2.
Standish, ilUes, 1.
St. Andrew's Church, Scituate, 103.
St. John's Church, Providence, 226.
St. John's CoUege. Cambridge, 8.5.
St. John's Lodge, 122. 170.
St. Luke's Church, Lanesborough, 103,
2y7.
St. Michael's Church, Marblehead,
founded 102; 104; decorations in,
104; letter to Governor Niebolson,
106 ; Bass baptizes in, 232 ; lay
reader at, 232 ; 2.5S ; 274 ; 296.
St. Paul's Church, Dedham, 108.
St. Pauls Church, Hopkinton, 103.
St. Paul's Church, Xarragansett, 120.
St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, letter
of the Wardens, 12 ; buUdiug of,
14; origin of, 29 ; 4S, 49, 54 ; pur
chases au organ, 54, 55 ; 65, 102, 104 ;
offertory at, 116; 140, 141, 157;
masonic service in, 170 ; 217, 258,
267 ; laymen's convention in, 269 ;
meetings of Wardens and Vestry,
270 ; letter from Christ Church,
Boston, 277 ; receives letter from
Salem, 276 ; receives letter from
Trinity Church, Boston, 280 ; re
ceives letter from New Holderness.
282 ; records of, 2S3, 2S4, 285, 286 ;
writes to its delegates, 286 ; 296 ;
317.
St. Paul's Chureh, Norwalk, 325.
St. Peter's Chnrch. Salem, 103, 104,
105, 113, 249. 258, 273.
St. Thomas' Church, Taunton, 103,
113.
Stoughton, 103, 113, 147.
SuUivan, General, ISi.
Talbot, John, 28.
Taunton, 89, 103, 105, 112, 118, 117.
Tenison, Archbishop, 99.
Thatcher, 117.
" The Character of the Beloved Dis
ciple," 171.
" The Critical Period of American His
tory,'' 217.
"The Dark Dav," 173.
" The Image of the Beast," 85.
" The Massachusetts Centinel," 256.
" The Eeal Advantages," 86.
Thomas, Thomas, 158, 328.
Thompson, Rev. Eben, 91, 102, 113,
140, 146.

TiUotson, 11.
Toppan, Christopher, 36, 39.
Toppan, Stephen, 328.
Tories, 124, 181, 132, 133, 156, 184,
212.
Torrey, WiUiara, 185.
Towgood, Micajah, 86.
TracY, John, 158, 170, 243, 248, 284,
2S5, 289, 317.
Tracy, Nathaniel, 170.
Tracy, Nieholas, 317, 327.
Tracy, Patrick, 317.
Treaty of Peace, 140, 215.
Trinity Church, Boston, founded, 102 ;
church building of, 103 ; records of,
107 ; wardens of, 108 ; plate for,
109 ; receives part of the Price es
tate, 117; Masonic ceremonies in,
121 ; 140, 143, 145. 151, 217, 222;
CathoUc service in, 226 ; concert in,
227 ; 249, 258, 259, 274, 280, 29« ;
Bishop Bass welcomed in, 310;
ordination in, 322 ; convention held
in, 333.
Trinity Church, Newport, 218.
Troutbeck, Eev. John, 91, 102, 190.
Tudor, WUliam, 296.
Tumer, George, 275.
Tyng, Dudley A., 308, 318, 328, 333.
Unitarianism, 252.
Usher, John, 91, 249.
Vermont, 321.
Vinal, John, 158.
Virgmia, 92, 237, 270.
WaU, John. 182.
WaU's "History of Infant Baptism,"
76.
Walter, Eev. WUUam, 91, 102, 114,
138, 140, 141 ; writes concerning
Bass, 162 ; evidence of, 190 ; letter
of, 192 ; 193, 205, 206, 208 ; letter
of, 210, 212 ; attends convention in
Boston, 296 ; signs letter to Bishop
"White, 300, 302, 306; signs testi
monials, 307 ; address to Bishop
Bass, 310.
Walter, WUUam, Jr., 296.
Warren, Dr. Joseph, 152.
Warren, Eev. Joseph, 296.
Washington, General, 185, 137, 209,
319.
Washington, Mrs., 137.
Waterford, 190, 203.
Watts' Astronomy, 16.
Weber, John, 234, 236.
Webster, John, 37, 38.

350

INDEX.

Weeks, Rev. J. W., 64, 91, 102, 138
makes charges against Bass, 159
hears of Bass' charity sermon, 160
receives letter from Bass, 166 ; char
acter of, 167; charges Bass to his
face, 177 ; representations against
Bass, 190 ; driven frora his mission,
191 ; converses with Bass, 193 ; letter
to Dr. Morice, 199 ; writes charges
against Bass, 200 ; talks with Dr.
Walter, 208 ; 211.
Wentworth, Govemor, 127, 166, 180,
181.
Wentworth, Mark Hy., 181.
West Church, Boston, 77.
West Haven, Connecticut, 90.
West Indies, 317.
Wethersfield, 137.
Wheden, Charles, 107.
"Wlieeler, Eev. W. W., 102, 199, 218,
222, 249, 296.
Whigs, the, 131.
Whipple, OUver, 274.
"Whitby, 10.
White, Rev. John, 83, 84, 85.
White, Bishop WUUam, 134; influ
ence on the church, 2i6 ; writes to
Parker, 217 ; suggestions concem
ing the organization of the churoh,
219 ; plan of, 221 ; draws up funda
mental principles, 238 ; writes to
Charles MUler, 252 ; objects to the
poUcy of King's Chapel, 258, 258 ;
works on the Proposed Book, 259 ;
addresses Bishop Seabury, 260 ; ex

plains the fifth fundamental prin
ciple, 261 ; makes suggestions to
Massachusetts Churches, 264; sug
gests union of churches, 267 ; Me
moirs of, 290; requested to conse
crate Bass, 291 ; hesitates about
consecrating Bass, 293 ; letter to,
299 ; writes to Massachusetts Church
men, 300 ; letter to, 301 ; writes
to the Committee, 303 ; writes to
Bishop Claggett, 304 ; letter to, 305 ;
signs consecration papers, 310 ; con
secrates Bishop Jarvis, 325.
'Whitefield, 11, 12, 13, 119, 120.
Wigglesworth, Edward, 319.
Wigglesworth, Michael, 7.
WUlard, Rev. Mr., 333.
WiUiams, Charles, 279.
WUliaras, Dr., 38.
WiUiaras, Jonathan, 187.
WUliaras, Richard, 34.
Williams, Roger, 27.
WilUamson, Rev. Mr., 232, 234.
Winslow, Rev. Edward, 91, 102, 116,
124, 139, 147, 194.
Winthrop, Mr., 210.
WiswaU, Eev. Mr., 138, 191.
Woart, 327.
Wood, Abner, 227.
Woodbury, 241.
Wren, Sir Christopher, 103.
Wyer, WUUam, 327.
Yale CoUege, 9, 114.
York, Archbishop of, 292.

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