630 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



enemies would be his judges, but to bear all with patience and to represent it to 

 the Society. If the chief of the ministers of the French Congregational Churches 

 could be persuaded to write to Monsieur Molinar to forbear intruding where he 

 has no lawful call, as his colleague has hitherto done, I believe that would 

 answer all the ends Monsieur Bondet has in view, and keep things quiet there. 

 I am with respect, Sir Your most obedient humble servant, 



Robert Hunter."* 



Monsieur Roux, in a memorial to the Governor, dated New York, 

 Feb. 18, 1724-25, says: — "In opposition to this National Church, they 

 (Moulinars and friends) have entertained and fomented for several years 

 a scandalous schism at New Rochelle, where the incapacity of providing 

 for a minister, obliged the inhabitants to establish an Episcopal Church 

 through the bounty and protection of the Society in England, and they 



would still support this schism if their M was not taken up in the 



custody of our Church, of which he keeps the keys, in order to keep me 

 out unjustly." Wonderful to say, throughout this dispute, Moulinars 

 and his party not only undertook to defend their independency from the 

 discipline of the French Church, but labored to prove their attachment 

 to the Church of England. In answer to the first, Mr. Roux very justly 

 observes, (in the above mentioned memorial) " that if he is not mis- 

 taken, the true principles of the Independent are expressly condemned in 

 our discipline," As to the second, he says : — " They have always been 

 enemies of the Church of England as by law established ; they have al- 

 ways railed at her liturgy, her service, her Church government, and her 

 ceremonies." This strife continued for some time, until at length, the 

 New York seceders " being fearful of a decree, that might expose their 

 own estates to the payment of Mr. Roux's salary, thought it advisable to 

 drop their debates, reinstate the minister and leave the Church." 5 



In New Rochelle the seceders erected a meeting house, styled them- 

 selves " The French Protestant Congregation," and remained violently 

 opposed to their lawful pastors ; and not only so, but in opposition to 

 their own founders, prescribed the Church of England in her doctrine, 

 discipline, ordinances, usages, rites and ceremonies, as popish, rotten 

 and unscriptural. How different this from the views of their great re- 

 former Beza, who addressing Queen Elizabeth, says: — "But you, O 

 Queen, and your people, by your means, enjoy what perhaps no other 

 kingdom does — the complete profession of the pure and sincere doctrine 

 of the Gospel. To which, if you add (what all good men hope for, 

 and the most faithful Bishops of your kingdom have long desired,) the 



a New York, MSS. from archives at Fulham, vol. i., pp. 504-5. (nawks.) 

 h Smith'* Hist, of N. T a pp. 166, 16T. " About the middle of the last century," the Historian 

 of New York says, '■ the French Church of New York by the contentions, in 1724, and the dis- 

 use of the French language is now reduced to an inconsiderable handful." 



