The Accidental Revolutionary: George Whitefield and the Creation of America

XII. Reprisal from the Church of England

141 Reprisal from the Church of England XII CHAPTER On October 25 of 1760, George II, king of England, collapsed from an aneurysm while sitting in his water closet and died within minutes. Whitefield had praised this king as the “nursing father of the church.” His reign had empowered Parliament to a large extent and provided a stable climate in which Whig interests influenced British politics. His support of religious freedoms had allowed Protestant denominations in the British Empire to flourish, unmolested by Church of England actions against them. His twenty-two-year-old son George III succeeded him to the throne, the same King George from whom the colonists would declare their independence in 1776. Over the next decade, the young George instituted sweeping changes in the government’s management of both America and Britain. Determined to regain control of the country from Parliament and the Whigs, George III instigated division within the Whig ranks and bought off key people through appointments and pensions. He also cultivated and used a class of administrators lovingly called “sycophants”—self-seeking, parasitic yes-men, who often abused the powers of their offices. The “reform” efforts of George III were successful, and Whig influence in the nation declined. The American colonists, who had grown used to managing their own affairs under a Whig-run system, began to suspect the new Tory-led administration of plotting to undermine their liberties. But to extend power over the colonies, the Tories needed the Church of England to regain supremacy from the other denominations, which The Accidental Revolutionary 142 XII were increasing their numbers through the series of revivals. The mind of the people was the grand prize. By regaining supremacy in religion, Tory leaders felt they could increase their influence in the larger society. Whitefield stayed loyal to George III, but flattering acclamations and praise he had declared for his father George II were conspicuously absent. He spoke of loyalty to George III out of obligation, rather than love. By 1764 he would be opposing the Tory plots against liberty, especially where the church was involved. He had plenty of opportunities as the Church of England tried to slow methodism in England and increase their presence and power in the colonies. Up to this point, the Church of England missionary organization, known as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, or the SPG, focused its missionary efforts on settlers of the American frontiers and toward converting Native Americans. They largely steered clear of the towns founded by New England Puritans and areas settled by other Protestant groups. The Church of England’s desire to bolster membership in America was hampered by the lack of leadership— namely, an American bishop with the power to ordain new ministers and make other high-level decisions. Talented young men seeking ministry positions within the Church of England had to travel to England for ordination. Occasionally, aspiring priests were lost at sea. All important decisions had to be made in England as well. The distance and time to send letters back and forth slowed down everything they tried to accomplish. The SPG was seriously handcuffed. After George III ascended to the throne, Thomas Secker, the powerful archbishop of Canterbury, decided the time was right to bolster their formal organization in America. The Church of England began to press the issue of appointing an American bishop. By design, the SPG turned its efforts increasingly away from the Native Americans and back toward established areas, welcoming excommunicated Puritans and converting people from all denominations to the Church of England. Understandably, the Puritan ministers became alarmed. * * * The Church of England arrived in America a bit later than the others church groups. They had been tolerated in the colonies as long as the institution was weak. Puritans and other groups had originally 143 XII Reprisal from the Church of England immigrated to the colonies to escape their oppression. But these new aggressive actions brought back bad memories of England before the Act of Toleration was put into law. The Church of England intruded into the colonial world with SPG missionary activity right in their midst. Colonists feared the establishment of an Episcopal system. Their chief objection was that the church would become empowered through a marriage with the colonial governments. American ministers from all denominations believed that the Church of England was grasping for control of colonial affairs in both civil and...