תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

as well as the other baptifts in New-England, are chiefly upon the Calviniftic plan as to doctrines, and independents in regard to church government. There are, however, fome who profefs the Arminian tenets, and are called Arminian baptifts Others obferve the Jewish or Saturday Sabbath, from a perfuafion that it was one of the ten commandments, which they plead are all in their nature moral, and were never abrogated in the New Teftament, and muft at least be deemed of equal validity for public worship as any day particularly fet apart by Jefus Chrift and his apostles. These are called fabbatarian, or feventh-day baptifts. There are others who are called feparate baptifts. The baptifts in general refafe to communicate with other denominations; for they hold that immerfion is neceffary to baptifm, and that baptifin is neceffary to communion. Therefore they fuppofe it inconfiftent for them to admit unbaptifed perfons (as others are in their view) to join with them in this ordinance. The baptifts are encreafing in New-England; but their increase is much more rapid in Kentucky and the fouthern states. The number of their congregations in New England in 1784, was 155. Of these feventy-one were in Maffachusetts; twenty-five in New-Hampshire; thirty in Rhode-Island, and twenty-nine in Connecticut +.

The other religious denominations in Rhode-island are congregationalifts, friends or quakers, epifcopalians, moravians and jews. There is alfo a final number of the univerfal friends, the difciples of Jemina Wilkinfon. Befides these there is a confiderable number of the people who can be reduced to no particular denomination, and are, as to religion, ftrictly Nothingarians.

In fome parts of this ftate, public worship is attended with punctuality and propriety, in others they make the fabbath a day of vifiting and feftivity; and in others they esteem every day alike, having no place of meeting for the purpofe of religious worship. They pay no taxes for the fupport of ecclefiaitics of any denomination ; and a peculiarity which distinguishes this ftate from every other proteftant country in the known world is, that no contra& formed by the minifter with his people, for his falary, is valid in law. So that minifters are dependent wholly on the integrity of the people for their fupport, fince their falaries are not recoverable by law. It ought in justice, however, to be obferved, that the clergy in general are liberaly maintained, and none who merit it have teafon to complain for want of support.

Literature. The literature of this ftate is confined principally to the towns of Newport and Providence. There are men of learning and abilities fcattered through other towns, but they are rare. The bulk of the Inhabitants in other parts of the ftate, are involved in greater ignorance perhaps than in any other part of New-England. An impartial hiftory of their tranfactions fince the peace, would evince the truth of the above obfervations.

At Providence, is Rhode-Inland college. The charter for founding this Seminary of Leaming was granted by the general affembly of the fate, An. 1764, in confequence of the petition of a large number of the

+ See Backus's Church Hift. of New-England

moft

moft refpectable characters in the ftate. By the charter, the corporation of the college confifts of two separate branches, by the name of the Truftees and Fellows of Rhode-liland college +, with distinct, separate and respective powers, The number of trustees is thirty fix, of whom twenty-two are of the denomination called baptifts, five of the denomination of friends, five epifcopalians, and four congregationalifts. The fame proportion of the different denominations to continue in perpetuum. The number of the fellows (inclufive of the prefident, who is a fellow ex officio) is twelve, of whom eight are baptifts, the others chofen indifcriminately from any denomination of proteftants. The concurrence of both branches, by a majority of each, is neceffary for the validity of an act, except adjuding and conferring degrees, which exclufively belongs to the fellowship as a learned faculty. The prefident must be a baptift, profeffors and other officers of inftruction are not limited to any particular denomination. There is annually a general meeting of the corporation, on the first Wednesday in September, at which time the public commencement is held.

This inftitution was founded at Warren, in the county of Bristol, and the commencement held there in 1969, at which time feven perfons, alumni of the college, received the degrees of Batchelor of Arts.

In the year 1770, the college was removed to Providence, where a large, elegant building was erected for its accommodation, by the generous donations of individuals, moftly from the town of Providence. It is fituated on a hill to the east of the town; and while its elevated fituation renders it delightful, by commanding an extensive, variegated profpect, it furnishes it with a pure falubrious air. The edifice is of brick, four ftoties high, 150 feet long, and 46 wide, with a projection of ten feet each fide. It has an entry lengthways, with rooms on each fide. There are forty-eight rooms for the accommodation of students, and eight larger ones for public ufes. This roof is covered with flate.

From December 1776, to June 1782, the college edifice was used by the French and American troops for an hofpital and barracks, so that the courfe of education was interrupted during that period. No degrees were conferred from 1776 to 1786. From 1786 the college again became regular, and is now very flourishing, containing upwards of fixty students.

This inftitution is under the inftruction of a precedent, a profeffor of natural and experimental philofophy, a profeffor of mathematics and aftronomy, a profeffer of natural history, and three tutors. The feveral claffes are instructed in the learned languages, and the various arts and Iciences. The ftudies of the freshman year, are the Latin and Greek languages, English grammar and rhetoric. Of the fophimore, Guthrie's geography, Ward's arithmetic, Hammond's algebra, Sheridan's rhetor cal grammar, and lectures on elocution, Watt's logic, and Cicero de Oratore. Of the junior, Horace, Kaim's elements of criticifin, Euclid's elements, Atkinson's epitome, Love's furveying, Martin's grammar, Philofophia Britannica, and Fergufon's aftronomy. Of the fenior

This name to be altered when any generous Benefattor arifes, Liberal donation fball entitle bimself to the bonour of giving the cal

Lu

cian's

bo by bis

kge a name.

cian's dialogues, Locke's effay on the human understanding, Hutchin fon's moral philofophy, Bolingbroke on hiftory, and a review of all the tudies of the feveral years. Every year are frequent exercises in fpeaking and the various kinds of compofition. There are two examinations, feveral public exhibitions for fpeaking, and three vacations annually. The inftitution has a library of between two and three thoufand volumes, containing a valuable collection of antient and modern authors. Alfo a finall, but very valuable philfophical apparatus. Nearly all the funds of the college are at intereft in the treasury of the ftate, and amount to almost two thousand pounds.

At Newport there is a flourishing academy, under the direction of a rector and tutors, which teach the learned languages, English grammar, geography, &c.

Societies.] A marine fociety was eftablished at Newport in 1752, for the purpose of relieving diftreffed widows and orphans of maritime brethren, and of fuch of their fociety as may need affistance.

Curiofities.] About four miles north-east of Providence lies a small village, called Pawtucket, a place of fome trade, and famous for lamprey eels. Through this village runs Pawtucket river, which empties into Providence river, two miles east of the town. In this river is a beautiful fall of water, directly over which a bridge has been built, which divides the Commonwealth of Maffachusetts from the state of Rhode-Inland. The fall, in its whole length, is upwards of fifty feet. The water paffes through feveral chafms in a rock which runs diametrically across the bed of the ftream, and ferves as a dam to the water. Several mills have been erected upon these falls; and the spouts and channels which have been conftructed to conduct the ftr. ams to their respective wheels, and the bridge, have taken very much from the beauty and grandeur of the fcene; which would otherwife have been indefcribably charming and romantic.

Conftitution] The conftitution of this ftate is founded on the charter granted by Charles II. in the fourteenth year of his reign; and the frame of government was not effentially altered by the revolution. The legiflature of the state confifts of two branches-a fenate or upper houfe, compofed of ten members, called in the chartér affifiants and a houfe of reprefentatives, compofed of deputies from the feveral towns. The members of the legiflature are chofen twice a year; and there are two feffion's of this body annually, viz. on the first Wednesday in May, and the laft Wednesday in October.

The fupreme executive power is vefted in a governor, or in his abfence, in the deputy governor, who are chofen annually in May by the fuffrages of the people. The governor prefides in the upper houfe, but has only a fingle voice in enacting laws.

There is one fupreme judicial court, compofed of five judges, whofe Jurifdiction extends over the whole ftate, and who hold two courts anually in each county.

In each county, there is an inferior court of common pleas and general fefi. ons of the peace, held twice a year for the trial of caufes not capital, arifir within the county, from which an appeal lies to the fupreme

court.

The

The juftices of the peace, as in other ftates, have cognizance of small caufes; and fince the revolution their powers have been enlarged to an uncommon, if not to a dangerous extent.

Hiftory.] This ftate was firft fettled from Maffachusetts. Motives of the fame kind with thofe which are well known to have occafioned the fettlement of most of the other United States, gave birth to this. The emigrants from England who came to Maffachusetts, though they did not perfectly agree in religious fentiments, had been tolerably united by their common zeal against the ceremonies of the church of England. But as foon as they were removed from ecclefiaftical courts, and poffeffed of a patent allowing liberty of confcience, they fell into difputes and contentions among themfelves. And notwithstanding all their fufferings and complaints in England, excited by the principle of uniformity, (fuch is human nature) the majority here were as fond of this principle, as those from whose perfecution they had fled.

The true grounds of religious liberty were not embraced or understood at this time by any fect. While all difclaimed perfecution for the fake of confcience, a regard for the public peace, and for the prefervation of the church of Chrift from infection, together with the obftinacy of the heretics, was urged in juftification of that, which, ftripped of all its difguifes, the light of nature and the laws of Chrift in the most folemn manner condemn.

Mr. Roger Williams, a minifter, who came over to Salem in 1630, was charged with holding a variety of errors, and was at length banished from the then colony of Maffachusetts, and afterwards from Plymouth, as a difturber of the peace of the Church and Commonwealth; and, as he fays, a bull of excommunication was fent after him.' He had feveral treaties with Myantonomo and Canonicus, the Narraganfett fachems, in 1634 and 1635, who affured him he should not want for land. And in 1634-5 he and twenty others, his followers, who were voluntary exiles, came to a placed called by the Indians Moofhaufick, and by him Providence.

Here they fettled, and though fecured from the Indians by the terror of the English, they for a confiderable time greatly fuffered through fatigue and want

The unhappy divifions and contentions in Maffachusetts ftill prevailed; and in the year 1636 Governor Winthrop ftrove to exterminate the opinions which he difapproved. Accordingly a fynod was called at Newtown (now Cambridge) on the 30th of Auguft, when eighty erroneous opinions were prefented, debated, and condemned; and a court held in October following, at the fame place, banifhed a few leading perfons of thofe who were accused of these errors, and cenfured feveral others; not, it feems, for holding thefe opinions, but for feditious conduct. The difputes which occafioned this disturbance, were about the fame points as the Ave questions debated between the fynod and Mr. Cotton, which are thus defcribed by Dr. Mather: They were about the order of things in our union to our Lord Jefus Chrift; about the influence of our faith in the application of his righteoufnefs; about the ufe of our fanctification in evidencing our juftification; and about the confideration of our Lord Jesus Chrift by men yet under a covenant of works; briefly, they were about the

P

points

points whereon depend the grounds of our affurance of bleffednefs in a better world f.

The whole colony of Maffachusetts, at this time, was in a violent ferment. The election of civil officers was carried by a party fpirit, excited by religious diffention Those who were banished by the court, joined by a number of their friends, were in quest of a new fettlement, and came to Providence, where they were kindly entertained by Mr. R. Williams, who, by the affiftance of Sir Henry Vane, jun. procured for them, from the Indians, Aquidnick, now Rhode-Iland. Here, in 1638, the people, eighteen in number, formed themselves into a body politick, and chose Mr. Coddington, their leader, to be their judge, or chief magiftrate. This fame year the fachems figned the deed, or grant of the island; for which Indian gift, it is faid, they paid very dearly, by being obliged to make repeated purchases of the fame lands from feveral claimants.

The other parts of the ftate were purchased of the natives at feveral fucceffive periods.

[ocr errors]

In the year 1643, the people being deftitute of patent, or any legal authority, Mr. Williams went to England as agent, and by the affiftance of Sir Henry Vane, jun. obtained of the Earl of Warwick (then governor and admiral of all the plantations) and his council, a free and absolute charter of civil incorporation, by the name of the incorporation of Providence Plantations in Narragansett Bay.' This lafted until the charter granted by Charles II. in 1663, by which the incorporation was stiled, The English colony of Rhode-Ifland and Providence Plantations in New-England. This charter, without any effential alteration, has remained the foundation of their government ever fince.

As the original inhabitants of this ftate were perfecuted, at least in their own opinion, for the fake of confcience, a moft liberal and free toleration was established by them. So little has the civil authority to do with religion here, that, as has been already hinted, no contract between a minifter and a fociety (unless incorporated for that purpose) is of any force. It is probably for these reasons that fo many different fects have ever been found here; and that the Sabbath and all religious inftitutions have been more neglected in this, than in any other of the New-England ftates. Mr. Williams is faid to have become a Baptist in a few years after his fettling at Providence, and to have formed a church of that perfuafion; which, in 1653, disagreed about the rite of laying on of hands fome holding it neceffary to church communion, and others judging it indifferent; upon which the church was divided into two parts. At Newport Mr. John Clark and fome others formed a church, in 1644, on the principles of the Baptifts; which church was afterwards divided like that at Providence.

In 1720, there was a congregational church gathered at Newport, and the Reverend Nathaniel Clap was ordained as paftor. Out of this church another was formed in 1728. The worship of God according to the rites of the church of England was inftituted here in 1706, by the Society for propagating the gofpel in foreign parts; and in 1738 there were feven worshipping

[ocr errors][merged small]
« הקודםהמשך »