they lived, and the spirit of that religion which had made them and their fathers, in England, the defenders of the rights of the people, and their tribunes, as it were, against the domination of the throne and the altar, caused them, at last, to admit the claims of conscience in their full extent. The Fathers of New-England were no mean men, whether we look to themselves or to those with whom they were associated in England-the Lightfoots, the Gales, the Seldens, the Miltons, the Bunyans, the Baxters, the Bates, the Howes, the Charnocks, the Flavels, and others of scarcely inferior standing among the two thousand who had laboured in the pulpits of the Established Church, but whom the Restoration cast out. elegance of manners. Nor has time yet effaced this original diversity. On the contrary, it has been increased and confirmed by the continuance of slavery in the South, which never prevailed much at any time in the North, but has immensely influenced the tone of feeling and the customs of the Southern States. If the New-England colonies are chargeable with having allowed their feelings to become alienated from a throne from which they had often been contemptuously spurned, with equal truth might those of the South be accused of going to the opposite extreme, in their attachment to a line of monarchs alike undeserving of their love, and incapable of appreciating their generous loyalty. We might carry the contrast still farther. If New-England was the favourite asylum of the Puritan Roundhead, the South became, in its turn, the retreat of the "Cavalier," upon the joint subversion of the altar and the throne in his native land. And if the religion of the one was strict, serious, in the regard of its enemies unfriendly to innocent amusements, and even morose, the other was the religion of the court, and of fashionable life, and did not require so uncompromising a resistance "to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." Such were the men who founded the New-England colonies, and their spirit still survives, in a good measure, in their descendants after six generations. With the exception of a few thousands of recentlyarrived Irish and Germans in Boston, and other towns on the seaboard, and of the descendants of those of the Huguenots who settled in New-England, that country | is wholly occupied by the progeny of the English Puritans who first colonized it. But these are not the whole of their descendants in America; for besides the 2,234,202 souls forming the population of the six New-England States in 1840, it is supposed that an equal, if not a still greater number, have emigrated to New-York, the northern parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, and into all parts of Michigan and Wisconsin, carrying with them, in a large measure, the spirit and the institutions of their glorious ancestors. Descendants of the Puritans are also to be found scattered over all parts of the United States, and many of them prove a great blessing to the neighbourhoods in which they reside. How wonderful, then, was the mission-the mother, in some sense, of the rest, of the founders of New-England! How gloriously accomplished! How rich in its results! CHAPTER V. Not that from this parallelism, which is necessarily general, the reader is to infer that the Northern colonies had exclusive claims to be considered as possessing a truly religious character. All that is meant is to give a general idea of the different aspects which religion bore in the one and the other. Virginia was the first in point of date, as we have already stated, of all the colonies. Among its neighbours in the South it was what Massachusetts was in the North and the dominant colony. Not that the others were planted chiefly from it, but because, from the prominence of its position, the amount of its, population, and their intelligence and wealth, it acquired from the first a preponderating influence which it retains as a state to this day. The records of Virginia furnish indubita RELIGIOUS CHARACTER OF THE EARLY COL-ble evidence that it was meant to be a ONISTS. STATES. FOUNDERS OF THE SOUTHERN Christian colony. The charter enjoined that the mode of worship should conform WIDELY different in character, I have al- to that of the Established Church of Engready remarked, were the early colonists land. In 1619, for the first time, Virginia of the Southern from those of the Northern had a Legislature chosen by the people; States. If New-England may be regarded and by an act of that body, the Episcopal as colonized by the Anglo-Saxon race, Church was, properly speaking, establishwith its simpler manners, its equal insti-ed. In the following year the number of tutions, and its love of liberty, the South boroughs erected into parishes was eleven, may be said to have been colonized by and the number of pastors five, the populamen very much Norman in blood, aristo-tion at the time being considerably under cractic in feeling and spirit, and pretend 3000. In 1621-22, it was enacted that the ing to superior dignity of demeanour and clergy should receive from their parishion ers 1500 pounds of tobacco and sixteen barrels of corn each as their yearly salary, estimated to be worth, in all, £200. Every male colonist of the age of sixteen or upward was required to pay ten pounds of tobacco and one bushel of corn. at the instance of their treasurer, Sir Edwin Sandys, the Company granted 10,000 acres to be laid off for the new" University of Henrico;" the original design being at the same time extended, by its being resolved that the institution should be for the The Company under whose auspices Vir- education of the English as well as the ginia was colonized seems to have been Indians. Much interest was felt throughinfluenced by a sincere desire to make the out England in the success of this underplantation a means of propagating the taking. The Bishop of London gave £1000 knowledge of the Gospel among the Indi- towards its accomplishment, and an anonans. A few years after the first settlement ymous contributor £500 exclusively for was made, in the body of their instructions the education of the Indian youth. It had they particularly urged upon the governor warm friends in Virginia also. The minand Assembly "the using of all probable ister of Henrico, the Rev. Mr. Bargave, means of bringing over the natives to a gave his library, and the inhabitants of the love of civilization, and to the love of God place subscribed £1500 to build a hosteland his true religion." They recommend- ry for the entertainment of strangers and ed the colonists to hire the natives as la-visiters.* Preparatory to the college or bourers, with the view of familiarizing them university, it was proposed that a school to civilized life, and thus to bring them should be established at St. Charles's City, gradually to the knowledge of Christianity, to be called the East India School, from that they might be employed as instruments "in the general conversion of their countrymen, so much desired." It was likewise recommended "that each town, borough, and hundred should procure, by just means, a certain number of Indian children, to be brought up in the first elements of literature; that the most towardly of these should be fitted for the college, in building of which they purposed to proceed as soon as any profit arose from the estate appropriated to that use; and they earnestly required their earnest help and furtherance in that pious and important work, not doubting the particular blessing of God upon the colony, and being assured of the love of all good men upon that account."* 66 Even the first charter assigns as one of the reasons for the grant, that the contemplated undertaking was a work which may, by the providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the glory of His Divine Majesty, in the propagating of the Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God."† the first donation towards its endowment having been contributed by the master and crew of an East Indiaman on its return to England. But the whole project received its deathblow by the frightful massacre perpetrated by the Indians on the 22d of March, 1622, when, in one hour, 347 men, women, and children were slaughtered, without distinction of sex or age, and at a time, too, when the Indians professed perfect friendship. For four years, nevertheless, they had been maturing their plan, had enlisted thirty tribes in a plot to extirpate the English, and might have succeeded in doing so but for the fidelity of a converted Indian named Chanco. The minds of the colonists were still farther estranged from the idea of providing a college for the Indian youth by the long and disastrous war that followed. At a much later date a college for the education of the colonial youth was established at Williamsburg, which was for a long time the capital of the colony.† * Holmes's Annals, p. 173. This was the College of William and Mary, established in 1693, and, in the order of time, the secThe Company seem early to have felt ond that was founded in the colonies. It owed its the importance of promoting education in existence, under God, to the great and long-continthe colony. Probably at their solicita- ued exertions of the Rev. Dr. Blair. It ought to be mentioned, that in the former part of the last centution, the king issued letters to the bishops ry a number of Indian youths were educated at it. throughout England, directing collections The celebrated Robert Boyle presented it with a to be made for building a college in Vir- sum of money to be applied to the education of the ginia. The object was at first stated to be Indian tribes. At first, efforts were made to procure for this purpose children who had been taken in the training up and educating infidel (hea-war by some victorious tribe; but during the adminthen) children in the true knowledge of istration of Sir Alexander Spottswood, which comGod." Nearly £1500 had already been menced in 1710, that plan was relinquished for a far collected, and Henrico had been selected better. The governor went in person to the tribes as the best situation for the building, when, to the school, and had the gratification of seeing in the interior to engage them to send their children 66 * Burk's "History of Virginia," p. 225, 226. † 1 Charter.-1. Hazzard's State Papers, 51. This work of the late Mr. H. contains all the charters granted by the sovereigns of England for promoting colonization in America. 1 Stith's "History of Virginia," p. 162, 163. some arrive from a distance of four hundred miles in compliance with his request. He also, at his own expense, established and supported a preparatory school on the frontiers, at which Indian lads might be prepared for the college without being too far removed from their parents.-See Beverly's "History of Virginia." V In proportion as the population began worship was at one time required under to spread along the large and beautiful severe penalties; nay, even the sacrament-streams that flow from the Alleghany al services of the Church were rendered Mountains into the Chesapeake Bay, more obligatory by law. Dissenters, Quakers, parishes were legally constituted, so that and Roman Catholics were prohibited in 1722 there were fifty-four, some very from settling in the province. People of large, others of moderate extent, in the every name entering the colony, without twenty-nine counties of the colony. Their having been Christians in the countries size depended much on the number of they came from, were condemned to slatitheable inhabitants within a certain dis- very. Shocking barbarity! the reader will trict. Each parish had a convenient justly exclaim; yet these very laws prove church built of stone, brick, or wood, and how deep and strong, though turbid and many of the larger ones had also chapels dark, ran the tide of religious feeling among of ease, so that the places of public wor- the people. As has been justly remarked, ship were not less than seventy in all. To" If they were not wise Christians, they each parish church there was a parsonage were at least strenuous religionists." attached, and likewise, in almost all cases, I have said enough to show that, in the a glebe of 250 acres and a small stock of colonization of Virginia, religion was far cattle. But not more than about half, from being considered as a matter of no probably, of these established churches importance; its influence, on the contrary, were provided with ministers; in the rest was deemed essential to national as well the services were conducted by lay read-as individual prosperity and happiress. ers, or occasionally by neighbouring cler- Maryland, we have seen, though origigymen. When the war of the Revolution nally a part of Virginia, was planted by commenced there were ninety-five parish- | Lord Baltimore, as a refuge for persecues, and at least a hundred clergymen of ted Roman Catholics. When the first of the Established Church. its colonists landed in 1634, under the guiWe shall yet have occasion to speak of dance of Leonard Calvert, son of that nothe Church establishment in Virginia, and bleman, on an island in the Potomac, they its influence upon the interests of reli- took possession of the province "for their gion, as well as of the character of the Saviour," as well as for "their lord the clergy there during the colonial period. I king." They planted their colony on the cannot, however, forbear saying, that al-broad basis of toleration for all Christian though the greater number of the estab-sects, and in this noble spirit the governlished ministers seem, at that epoch, to ment was conducted for fifty years. Think have been very poorly qualified for their what we may of their creed, and very dif-great work, others were an ornament to ferent as was this policy from what Rotheir calling. I may mention as belong-manism elsewhere might have led us to ing to early times the names of the Rev. expect, we cannot refuse to Lord BaltiRobert Hunt and the Rev. Alexander Whit-more's colony the praise of having estab aker. The former of these accompanied lished the first government in modern the first settlers, preached the first Eng- times, in which entire toleration was lish sermon ever heard on the American granted to all denominations of Chriscontinent, and by his calm and judicious tians; this too, at a time when the Newcounsels, his exemplary conduct, and his England Puritans could hardly bear with faithful ministrations, rendered most im- one another, much less with "papists ;" portant services to the infant colony. The when the zealots of Virginia held both latter was justly styled "the Apostle of "papists" and "Dissenters" in nearly equal Virginia." At a later period, we find, abhorrence; and when, in fact, toleration among other worthies, the Rev. James was not considered in any part of the ProtBlair, whose indefatigable exertions in the estant world to be due to Roman Catholics. cause of religion and education rank him | After being thus avowed at the outset, tolamong the greatest benefactors of Ameri-eration was renewed in 1649, when, by the ca. Nor were there laymen wanting death of Charles I., the government in among those who had the cause of God at. England was about to pass into the hands heart. Morgan Morgan, in particular, was of the extreme opponents of the Roman greatly blessed in his endeavours to sustain the spirit of piety, by founding churches and otherwise, more especially in the northern part of the Great Valley. In later times Virginia has produced many illustrious men, not only in the Episcopal, but in almost every other denomination of Christians. Catholics. "And whereas the enforcing of the conscience in matters of religion," such is the language of their statute, "hath frequently fallen out to be of dangerous consequence in those commonwealths where it has been practised, and for the more quiet and peaceable government of this province, and the better to In point of intolerance, the Legislature of preserve mutual love and amity among the Virginia equalled, if it did not exceed, that inhabitants, no person within this province of Massachusetts. Attendance at parish | professing to believe in Jesus Christ shall be any way troubled, molested, or discoun-, tenanced for his or her religion, or in the free exercise thereof." Meanwhile, Protestant sects increased so much, that the political power of the state passed, at length, entirely out of the hands of its founders, and before the war of the Revolution, many churches had been planted in it by Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Baptists. New-York, as well as with emigrants from England. The Earl of Shaftesbury, when committed to the Tower in 1681, begged for leave to exile himself to Carolina. ducted thither a company of them from Somersetshire. Thus the booty taken from New Spain helped to people South Carolina.* A colony from Ireland, also, went over, and were soon merged among the other colonists. Nor were they Churchmen only who emigrated thither from England. Many Dissenters, disgusted with the unfavourable state of things in that country, went out also, carrying with them intelligence, North Carolina was first colonized by industry, and sobriety. Joseph Blake, in stragglers from Virginia settling on the particular, brother of the gallant admiral rivers that flow into Albemarle Sound, of that name, having inherited his brothand among these were a good many Qua-er's fortune, devoted it to. transporting his kers, driven out of Virginia by the intoler- persecuted brethren to America, and conance of its laws. This was about the middle of the seventeenth century. Puritans from New-England, and emigrants from Barbadoes, followed in succession; but the Dissenters from Virginia predominated. Religion for a long while seems to have received but little attention. William Edmunson and George Fox visited their Quaker friends among the pine groves of Albemarle in 1672, and found a "tender people." A Quarterly Meeting was established, and thenceforward that religious body may be said to have organized a spiritual government in the colony. But it was long before any other made much progress. No Episcopal minister was settled in it until 1703, and no church built until 1705. Such was the character of what might be called the substratum of the population in South Carolina. The colonists. were of various origin, but many of them had carried thither the love of true religion, and the number of such soon increased. Poor To Georgia, of all the original thirteen colonies, ranks latest in point of date. The good Oglethorpe, one of the finest specimens of a Christian gentleman of the Cavalier school, one who loved his king and The Proprietaries, it is true, who obtain- his Church, led over a mixed people to ed North as well as South Carolina from settle on the banks of the Savannah. Charles II., professed to be actuated by a debtors, taken from the prisons of England, "laudable and pious zeal for the propaga- formed a strange medley with godly Motion of the Gospel;" but they did nothing ravians from Herrnhut in Germany, and to vindicate their claim to such praise. In brave Highlanders from Scotland. their "Constitutions" they maintained, that Georgia, also, were directed the youthful religion and the profession of it were in- steps of those two wonderful men, John dispensable to the well-being of the state and Charles Wesley, and the still more eland privileges of citizenship; vain words, oquent Whitefield, who made the pine foras long as no measures were taken to pro-ests that stretch from the Savannah to the mote what they thus lauded. But we shall Altamaha resound with the tones of their yet see that, little as true religion owed in fervid piety. In Georgia, too, was built North Carolina to the first settlers, or to the "Orphan House," for the erection of the Proprietaries, that state eventually ob- which so much eloquence was poured tained a large population of a truly reli- forth, both in England and in the Atlantic gious character, partly from the emigra- cities of her American colonies, by the tion of Christians from France and Scot-last-named herald of the Gospel, but which land, partly from the increase of Puritans from New-England. was not destined to fulfil the expectations of its good and great founder. South Carolina began to be colonized in Thus we find that religion was not the 1670 by settlers shipped to the province by predominating motive that led to the colthe Proprietaries, and from that time for- onization of the Southern States, as was ward it received a considerable accession the case with New-England; and yet it of emigrants almost every year. Its cli- cannot be said to have been altogether mate was represented as being the finest wanting. It is remarkable, that in every in the world under its almost tropical charter granted to the Southern colonies, sun flowers were said to blossom every "the propagation of the Gospel" is menmonth of the year: orange groves were tioned as one of the reasons for the plantto supplant those of cedar, silk-worms ing of them being undertaken. And we were to be fed on mulberry-trees intro- shall see that that essential element of a duced from the south of France, and the people's prosperity ultimately received a choicest wines were to be produced. * Bancroft's "History of the United States," vol. Ships arrived with Dutch settlers from ii., p. 172, 173. In proportion as the population began | worship was at one time required under to spread along the large and beautiful severe penalties; nay, even the sacramentstreams that flow from the Alleghany al services of the Church were rendered Mountains into the Chesapeake Bay, more obligatory by law. Dissenters, Quakers, parishes were legally constituted, so that and Roman Catholics were prohibited in 1722 there were fifty-four, some very from settling in the province. People of large, others of moderate extent, in the every name entering the colony, without twenty-nine counties of the colony. Their having been Christians in the countries size depended much on the number of they came from, were condemned to slatitheable inhabitants within a certain dis- very. Shocking barbarity! the reader will trict. Each parish had a convenient justly exclaim; yet these very laws prove church built of stone, brick, or wood, and how deep and strong, though turbid and many of the larger ones had also chapels dark, ran the tide of religious feeling among of ease, so that the places of public wor- the people. As has been justly remarked, ship were not less than seventy in all. To" If they were not wise Christians, they each parish church there was a parsonage were at least strenuous religionists." attached, and likewise, in almost all cases, a glebe of 250 acres and a small stock of cattle. But not more than about half, probably, of these established churches were provided with ministers; in the rest the services were conducted by lay read-as individual prosperity and happiress. ers, or occasionally by neighbouring clergymen. When the war of the Revolution commenced there were ninety-five parishes, and at least a hundred clergymen of the Established Church. I have said enough to show that, in the colonization of Virginia, religion was far from being considered as a matter of no importance; its influence, on the contrary, was deemed essential to national as well Maryland, we have seen, though originally a part of Virginia, was planted by Lord Baltimore, as a refuge for persecuted Roman Catholics. When the first of its colonists landed in 1634, under the guiWe shall yet have occasion to speak of dance of Leonard Calvert, son of that nothe Church establishment in Virginia, and bleman, on an island in the Potomac, they its influence upon the interests of reli- took possession of the province "for their gion, as well as of the character of the Saviour," as well as for "their lord the clergy there during the colonial period. I king." They planted their colony on the cannot, however, forbear saying, that al- broad basis of toleration for all Christian' though the greater number of the estab-sects, and in this noble spirit the governlished ministers seem, at that epoch, to ment was conducted for fifty years. Think have been very poorly qualified for their what we may of their creed, and very dif-great work, others were an ornament to ferent as was this policy from what Rotheir calling. I may mention as belong-manism elsewhere might have led us to ing to early times the names of the Rev. expect, we cannot refuse to Lord BaltiRobert Hunt and the Rev. Alexander Whit-more's colony the praise of having estabaker. The former of these accompanied lished the first government in modern. the first settlers, preached the first Eng lish sermon ever heard on the American continent, and by his calm and judicious counsels, his exemplary conduct, and his faithful ministrations, rendered most important services to the infant colony. The latter was justly styled "the Apostle of Virginia." At a later period, we find, among other worthies, the Rev. James Blair, whose indefatigable exertions in the cause of religion and education rank him among the greatest benefactors of America. Nor were there laymen wanting among those who had the cause of God at. heart. Morgan Morgan, in particular, was greatly blessed in his endeavours to sustain the spirit of piety, by founding churches and otherwise, more especially in the northern part of the Great Valley. In later times Virginia has produced many illustrious men, not only in the Episcopal, but in almost every other denomination of Christians. In point of intolerance, the Legislature of Virginia equalled, if it did not exceed, that of Massachusetts. Attendance at parish times, in which entire toleration was |