The Beginning of Universalism in America

c. 1951
Gloucester

The Beginning of Universalism in America

[Editor’s Note: This undated, unsigned sermon was found in Rev. Westman’s files. Based on the quality of type, or lack thereof, and the subject matter, it appears to belong to the 1950-54 period in Gloucester. The style of writing is generally characteristic of Rev. Westman’s writings, with a few exceptions, which are easily explained since the sermon was given early in his ministerial career. Few readers will miss that the portion dealing with the constitutional question of taxation for churches is said to have occurred before 1787, the year the United States Constitution was adopted. The particular constitution in question, however, appears to have been the Massachusetts state constitution, which explains the discrepancy. An 1892 article from the New York Times echoes many of the themes in this sermon, and offers interesting additional details on some. See:
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9401E2D71331E033A25751C2A96E9C94639ED7CF or click here for the PDF of the article.]

In 1770 Gloucester, Massachusetts was a seaport in touch with all the world. Before the advent of railways, seaports were always centers of liberal thought, the first places to receive the new ideas. In 1769 a man named Gregory, whether officer, sailor, or passenger on one of the Gloucester merchant ships no one knows, had brought to the town a book written by Rev. James Relly of London, entitled, “Union, or a Treatise on the Consanguinity Between Christ and His Church.” The arrival of this book in Gloucester was the beginning of Universalism in America. The printed page preceded the spoken word. This book had been read, and made converts at least three years before Murray came to the city. Murray’s preaching for the first three years was itinerant. Welcomed at first as a popular preacher, it was before long discovered that he was a heretic. In Boston the Rev. Andrew Croswell denounced him in the papers as a disciple of Relly. This was true. After some years of friendship with John Wesley and Whitefield, he had some months before coming to America come under the influence of Rev. James Relly and had been converted to his ideas. The Gloucester converts to Relly read Croswell’s accusation in the paper and were very much interested. They asked the most influential member of the group, Mr. Winthrop Sargent, to go to Boston and invite Murray to Gloucester. Mr. Sargent was undoubtedly at this time the leading citizen in the city. In response to Mr. Sargent’s invitation, Mr. Murray came to the city and preached nine times on nine successive days. For the first time in his three years in American he here found a group of influential people already in sympathy with his ideas.

From this time on for twenty years, with the exception of eight months, when he was a chaplain in the Army of the Revolution, and the part of one year when persecution drove him to England, and when away on missionary journeys, Gloucester was his home. Here he found the support which made his career possible.

At first he was given the use of First Parish Church. Shortly after coming here the second time this privilege was denied him and thereafter services were held in the homes of his converts, on Sundays, usually in the spacious parlors of Winthrop Sargent’s hospitable mansion.

Congregations grew, converts increased, and opposition became more bitter and determined....

Shortly after he (John Murray) resumed preaching, after his return from the Army, his followers ceased to attend the services in the First Parish Church. Then the storm broke – a mob assembled before the house of Winthrop Sargent, where Murray was living, determined to ride him out of town, and on being dissuaded from their purpose, warned him to leave on the threat of violence if he remained. An effort was also made to have him expelled from town as a vagrant, anyone not a land-owner having no legal status in any place at that time. This danger was avoided by one of his supporters making him a gift of some land, thus constituting him a free holder....

He was summoned before the committee of safety and ordered to leave town within five days. The town at its annual meeting, by a vote of 54 for and 3 against, approved the action of the committee of safety. Curses followed him and stones were thrown at him as he walked the streets. Through it all Murray and his company of brave supporters stood firm and unwavering. In spite of all this, perhaps because of this, the number of Murray’s followers increased, and little by little threats and dangers of physical violence ceased. The difficulty of his followers, however, in establishing their right to a faith and form of worship as they desired was only beginning.

On February 11, 1777, fifteen people, five of them members of the Sargent family, absented themselves from worship at First Parish Church. In these people we find the beginnings of what is now the Independent Christian Church (Universalist) in Gloucester and the Universalist Church of America. There was, however, no legal organization. They simply agreed to meet together for religious worship and to “appoint Mr. Murray their religious teacher so long as he preaches the gospel as we now understand it....” Shortly after they drew up what are now known as the “Articles of Association” in which they call themselves the Independent Christian Church in Gloucester, declaring it to be their purpose “in so far as possible to live peaceably with all men.” The articles were signed by thirty-one men and thirty women, or if Murray’s name be omitted, by thirty men and thirty women.

A year later the society built a meeting house in one corner of Winthrop Sargent’s garden, near where the Bradford Block now stands on Main St. Gloucester. It was 32 x 48 feet with 30 box pews and was the first church building erected by Universalists in the United States, or for that matter, in the world....

The members of the First Parish held that by law members of the Independent Christian Church were still obligated to pay taxes for the support of the established order. The Universalists refused to pay, basing their refusal on the Bill of Rights, which they held guaranteed to each person liberty to choose his own religious teacher. The First Parish claimed the Independent Church “was not a religious organization, or if so, was not incorporated, and that Murray was not a religious teacher, or if so, was not ordained.”

The easiest thing would have been for the members of the Independent Church to apply to the Legislature for an Act of Incorporation. They felt, however, that they were being denied rights secured them by the Constitution and that in fighting for their rights they were fighting for the rights of others.

For this public-spirited reason they refused to pay and they refused to incorporate. The First Parish in 1782 in an attempt to enforce its demands seized and sold at auction the goods of three prominent members of the Independent Church.... It was found that in order to establish their rights Murray as their religious teacher must bring action against the First Parish for the recovery of money which had been wrongly diverted from his use. This Murray refused to do for some time as he never had taken any salary for preaching. In time, however, the came to see that by refusing he was doing an injustice to friends who had loyally stood by him, and so suit was brought.

Both in the importance of the issues and the eminence of the legal lights engaged in the case, this was one of the great legal battles of America. Murray’s counsel was Hon. Rufus King, who, however, removed to New York before the case came to trial, and Judge James Sullivan, nearly, f not quite his equal in legal lore, took his place; while the First Parish of Gloucester was represented by Theophilus Parsons. The judge instructed the jury to bring in a verdict adverse to those bringing suit. This the jury refused to do. This meant a second trial. This took place a year later, and this time the judges reversed their earlier opinion, in part perhaps influenced by public opinion, in part perhaps convinced by a very able pamphlet written by Mr. Epes Sargent entitled, “An appeal to the impartial public by the Society of Christian Independents, congregating in Gloucester.” Any way this time the verdict was in favor of the Independent Church, judges and jury concurring. This long trial, in which the ablest lawyers in the United States were employed, must have been very expensive for the little group who realized well they were fighting not only for themselves alone, but for the right of all freedom of worship. Before this decision Episcopalians, Baptists, Presbyterians, Quakers, Universalists, nor other heretics had any right to a church of their own faith.

While the suit in court was pending a number of Universalists congregations which had been gathered together in different parts of the state planned to meet in Oxford, Massachusetts for encouragement, counsel and instruction. In anticipation of this event the Universalists in Gloucester adopted a charter of Compact to provide for carrying on of religious societies by voluntary subscriptions. This Charter of Compact is notable for its absence of any theological or doctrinal creed, statement, or requirement. It is still more challenging by virtue of several articles:

Second Article: “That funds shall be provided by voluntary subscription for the purposes of supporting a teacher or teachers, of piety, religion and morality; the repairing of the public edifice, and the relief on poor and distressed brethren.”

Ninth Article: “Whereas the privilege of choosing and professing one’s own religion is inestimable: And in order to maintain that privilege unimpaired, in case any person associating with us should suffer persecution from the undue exercise of power, we do agree and resolve to afford him all legal means of extricating himself from difficulty, and of enjoying that freedom which is held forth by the Constitution.”

Concluding sentence “AND BE IT KNOWN UNIVERSALLY, That we who have signed our names to this CHARTER OF COMPACT for the purposes heretofore cited, compose and do belong to the Independent Christian Society, Gloucester, Sept. 6, 1785.”

One of the signers was Gloster Dalton, a Negro. Upon the occasion of his death and church funeral, April 11, 1813, the then minister “Father” Jones made this notation: “April 11, 1813, Gloster Dalton, an African. In this country from a youth. Supposed to be 90 years old. The said Gloster Dalton was an honest, industrious man. He had been infirm about two or three years ... belonged to the Independent Christian Society for many years. He was a native of Africa, and brought away as a slave (so-called). For there were no slaves! All men are born free! T. Jones.”