THE TOWN OF RYE, 1 67 



The first religious society of Rye was Congregational, at that time the 

 established religion of the colony of Connecticut. By authority it had 

 been enacted that " no person within the colony should embody them- 

 selves in church estate, without the consent of the General Court." The 

 law also prohibited any ministry being attended by the inhabitants in 

 any plantation district, and separate from that which was established 

 in the place, except by the approbation of the General Court and the 

 neighboring churches. 



" One object of these laws was, doubtless, to prevent Baptists, Epis- 

 copalians and others from gaining a foothold."" 



"As early as 1660," says the historian Trumbull, " Rye paid taxes for 

 the support of religion, although no church was formed nor pastors or- 

 dained " "Greenwich and Rye," continues the same authority, "were 

 but just come under the jurisdiction of Connecticut, and not in circum- 

 stances for the support of ministers ; they had occasional preaching only 

 for a considerable time." 3 



In October, 1669, the General Court are 'informed that the people of 

 Rye are yet destitute of an orthodox minister.' It appears, too, that 

 ' they doe not take due care to procure such a one as might carry on the 

 work of the Lord on the Sabbath.' This is not owing solely to the 

 weakness of settlement. Rye now numbers some fifty families, and is 

 considerably stronger than Greenwich, its neighbor. 



In some of the new plantations, says Trumbull, thirty families sup- 

 ported a minister, and commonly there were not more than forty when 

 they called and settled one." What is the matter with the planters at 

 Rye ? They do not show an utter indifference to religion, but they are 

 getting into loose and disorderly ways. 'John Coe and Marmaduke 

 Smith,' persons who are ' represented to this Court as unsound and het- 

 erodox in their judgments, if not scandalous in their lines,' are under- 

 taking to teach or to conduct religious services among them. Their 

 labors, too, are acceptable, it would appear ; for the people ' seem to 

 rest satisfyed without ' a lawful pastor, ' in the approuement ' of these 

 teachers; who are thus 'put in a capacity more to prejudice then farther 

 the edification of the people there.' The Court, therefore, ' upon these 

 considerations, doe authorize and impower Mr. Nathan Gold, and any 

 three of the Commissioners,' of Fairfield county, 'to require the afore- 

 said persons, John Coe and Marmaduke Smith, or any others of that 

 towne, to appeare before them, and if, upon examination, things doe 



a Lambert's Hist. New Haven, p. 189. 



b Trumbull's Hist, of Connecticut, p. 300. 



c Trumbull's Hist, of Connecticut, vol. i, p. 287. 



