History of the South Congregational Church, New Haven; From Its Origin in 1852 Till January 1, 1865 (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. MINISTRY OF REV. MR. CARROLL. After Mr. Noyes left the South Church, its pulpit continued vacant for about a year. In the course of that period, forty-four different clergymen occupied it successively, some of them very able men, including several pastors of churches. For a number of months, neither wing of the Church seemed disposed to make any movement towards the settlement of another minister. All knew that there was a lurking- antagonism among the members, which would be likely to show itself whenever a suitable occasion should occur to bring it out. Some of them hoped that time would reconcile differences, and for that reason were willing to wait. At length, on the 24th of October, 1861, at a meeting of the Church, a proposition was made to invite Eev. J. Parsons Hovey, D. D., (since deceased, ) of the Eleventh Presbyterian Church in New York, to become our Pastor; and on the following day, at an adjourned meeting of the Church, the motion was adopted. A large majority of the Church and Society were in his favor; but a few individuals objected, on the ground that he was disloyal, a pro-slavery man, and a Secessionist; or to that effect. The Church took the trouble to test the truthfulness of these allegations, by sending their two Deacons down to New York, to inquire into the facts.The Deacons called upon Rev. Dr. Thompson, formerly of the Chapel Street Church in this city, Rev. Dr. Hatfield, Kev. Dr. Asa D. Smith, and Eev. Mr. CToe, of the Am. Home Missionary Society, all of them strong anti-slavery men, from whom, and from, other sources, they learned that Rev. Dr. Hovey was one of the most estimable ministers in the city; that he was not a Secessionist, nor in any proper sense a pro-slavery man, nor disloyal to the government. And when another Committe...