The Development of Religious Liberty in Connecticut | Page 2

of Presbyterianism.--Three Cambridge men, Robert Browne, Henry Greenwood, and Henry Barrowe.--Brownism and Barrowism.--The Puritans under Elizabeth, her early tolerance and later change of policy.--Arrest of the Puritan movement by the clash between Episcopal and Presbyterian forms of polity and the pretensions of the latter.--James the First and his policy of conformity.--Exile of the Gainsborough and Scrooby Separatists.--Separatist writings.--General approachment of Puritans and Separatists in their ideas of church polity.--The Scrooby exiles in America.--Sympathy of the Separatists of Plymouth Colony with both the English Established Church and with English Puritans.
II. THE TRANSPLANTING OF CONGREGATIONALISM
English Puritans decide to colonize in America.--Friendly relations between the settlements of Salem and Plymouth.--Salem decides upon the character of her church organization.--Arrival of Higginson and Skelton with recruits.--Formation of the Salem church and election of officers.--Governor Bradford and delegates from Plymouth present.--The beginning of Congregational polity among the Puritans and the break with English Episcopacy.--Formation and organization of the New England churches.
III. CHURCH AND STATE IN NEW ENGLAND
Church and State in the four New England colonies.--Early theological dissensions and disturbances.--Colonial legislation in behalf of religion.--Development of state authority at the cost of the independence of the church.--Desire of Massachusetts for a platform of church discipline.--Practical working of the theory of Church and State in Connecticut.
IV. THE CAMBRIDGE PLATFORM AND THE HALF-WAY COVENANT
Necessity of a church platform to resist innovations, to answer English criticism, and to meet changing conditions of colonial life.--Summary of the Cambridge Platform.--Of the history of Congregationalism to the year 1648.--Attempt to discipline the Hartford, Conn., church according to the Platform.--Spread of its schism.--Petition to the Connecticut General Court for some method of relief.--The Ministerial Convention or "Synod" of 1657.--Its Half-Way Covenant.--Attitude of the Connecticut churches towards the measure.--Pitkin's petition to the General Court of Connecticut for broader church privileges.--The Court's favorable reply.--Renewed outbreak of schism in the Hartford and other churches.--Failure in the calling of a synod of New England churches.--The Connecticut Court establishes the Congregational Church.--Connecticut's first toleration act.--Settlement of the Hartford dispute.--The new order and its important modifications of ecclesiastical polity.
V. A PERIOD OF TRANSITION
Drift from religious to secular, and from intercolonial to individual interests.--Reforming Synod of 1680.--Religious life in the last quarter of the seventeenth century.--The "Proposals of 1705" in Massachusetts.--Introduction in Connecticut of the Saybrook System of Consociated Church government.
VI. THE SAYBROOK PLATFORM
The Confession of Faith.--Heads of Agreement.--Fifteen Articles.-- Attitude of the churches towards the Platform.--Formation of Consociations.--The "Proviso" in the act of establishment.--Neglect to read the proviso to the Norwich church.--Contention arising.--The Norwich church as an example of the difficulty of collecting church rates.
VII. THE SAYBROOK PLATFORM AND THE TOLERATION ACT
Toleration in the "Proviso" of the act establishing the Saybrook Platform.--Reasons for passing the Toleration Act of 1708.--Baptist dissenters.--Rogerine-Baptists, Rogerine-Quakers or Rogerines, and their persecution.--Attitude toward the Society of Friends or Quakers.--Toward the Church of England men or Episcopalians.-- Political events parallel in time with the dissenters' attempts to secure exemption from the support of the Connecticut Establishment.-- General Ineffectiveness of the Toleration Act.
VIII. THE FIRST VICTORY FOR DISSENT
General dissatisfaction with the Toleration Act.--Episcopalians resent petty persecution.--Their desire for an American episcopate.-- Conversion of Cutler, Rector of Yale College, and others.--Bishop Gibson's correspondence with Governor Talcott.--Petition of the Fairfield churchmen.--Law of 1727 exempting Churchmen.--Persecution growing out of neglect to enforce the law.--Futile efforts of the Rogerines to obtain exemption.--Charges against the Colony of Connecticut.--The Winthrop case.--Quakers attempt to secure exemption from ecclesiastical rates.--Exemption granted to Quakers and Baptists.--Relative position of the dissenting and established churches in Connecticut.
IX. "THE GREAT AWAKENING"
Minor revivals in Connecticut before 1740.--Low tone of moral and religious life.--Jonathan Edwards's sermons at Northampton.--Revival of religious interest and its spread among the people.--The Rev. George Whitefield.--The Great Awakening.--Its immediate results.
X. THE GREAT SCHISM
The Separatist churches.--Old Lights and New.--Opposition to the revival movement.--Severe colony laws of 1742-43--Illustrations of oppression of reformed churches, as the North Church of New Haven, the Separatist Church of Canterbury, and that of Enfield.--Persecution of individuals, as of Rev. Samuel Finlay, James Davenport, John Owen, and Benjamin Pomeroy.--Persecution of Moravian missionaries,--The colony law of 1746, "Concerning who shall vote in Society meeting." --Change in public opinion.--Summary of the influence of the Great Awakening and of the great schism.
XI. THE ABROGATION OF THE SAYBROOK PLATFORM
Revision of the laws of 1750.--Attitude of the colonial authorities toward Baptists and Separatists.--Influence on colonial legislation of the English Committee of Dissenters.--Formation of the Church of Yale College.--Separatist and Baptist writers in favor of toleration.-- Frothingham's "Articles of Faith and Practice."--Solomon Paine's "Letter."--John Bolles's "To Worship God in Spirit and in Truth."-- Israel Holly's "A Word in Zion's Behalf."--Frothingham's "Key to Unlock the Door."--Joseph Brown's "Letter to Infant Baptizers."--The importance of the colonial newspaper.--Influence of English non-conformity upon the religious thought of New England.--The Edwardean School.--Hopkinsinianism and the New Divinity.--The clergy and the people.--Controversy over the renewed proposal for an American