CHAPTER  yj^nc;
 

Religions—^Fxeabytemn.
 

History of the Freahyterian Chnroli in New Tork—"The Apostle of Presby-

terianism in America," Bev, Francis BonghtT^-Anest of

Ministers   by  Order of Lord  Gombnry.

"The arm of the civil government was conatantly employed in support
of the denunciations of the Church, and, without its forms, tbe Inquisition
existed Ln substance, with a full share of Its terrors and Its violence." So
wrote Justice Story of the religious Intolerance iu the New England settle*
ments In tbe middle of the seventeenth century, and to this religious Intol¬
erance Is due the advent of Presbyterlanlsm in New York City in 1642, when
tbe Rev. Francis Doughty, dragged from an assembly at Cobasset for saylns
that "Abraham's children should have been baptized," was obliged to Dee,
and found a refuge on Manhattan Island. Doughty was, therefore, tbo flrst
Presbyterian minister of New York City, and, according to Dr. Charles A.
BriggB, "the Apostle of Presbyterian ism In America." To be accurate,
Doughty*B flrst place of refuge was Maspeth, Long Island, where he purposed
cscabllsblng a Presbyterian colony, hut Indian wars broke out and tbe
colonists wore forced to flee for safety to Manhattan. Here he ministered
for five years as tbe pastor of a congregation which later became tbe First
Presbyterian Church.

The Rev- Francis Doughty had his own troubles with Governor Kieft,
for tho record says that "a dispute having arisen between the minister and
his associates re^rdlng the control of the Maspeth colony, the director and
Council decided the case against the minister and took tbo control of the
colony out of his hands, and upon his threatening to appeal to the court
of Holland flned him twonty-flve guilders and imprisoned him twenty-four
hours for contumacy," This conflict with the Dutch Governor made It nec-
CRsary for him to leave the city. He went to Maryland, where be labored
until his death.

The second Presbyterian minister to preach In the colony was the Rev.
niohard Denton, an Englishman, who arrived In 164S from the Presbyterian
settlement at Stamford, Conn. He divided bis tlmo between Hempstead,
l^ng Island, and New Amsterdam, and seemed to have been persona grata
with tho Dutch mlntstcrs, as they permitted him to occupy tbe building In
which thoy worshipped—hut twice only- He returned to England In 16&S.
Religious tolerance existed In tho colony at this time, and tended to pro¬
duce greater breadth of view and liberality ot sentiment than was £o be
found In the New England colonies.

At the time of tbe cession Qt the province to the English in 1664 there