pense, and that I would give a bond, with good and sufficient security of ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS, to be well and truly paid to the said convention, if I did not abide by their decision.

To confess that they had persecuted me for seventeen years, without hearing or trial, merely because I was a republican and fully believed in the equal rights of all mankind, that there was no civil authority in this country which was not derived from the people, and which ought not, at short periods. to revert back to them; and because I was a Protestant Episcopalian, and did not believe that there was any ecclesiastical authority which was not derived from God, and must be regulated according to his word and the canons of the church, otherwise it was not his authority, and was of no force; that the civil and ecclesiastical anthorities were separate and distinct in their own natures, and ought not to be united; that the religion established by the civil law in Connecticut, was an infringement upon the equal rights and privileges of all the citizens, and was in itself wrong. Το confess all this, and that they had robbed me of my testimo ny. (See Mr. Leeds' letter, page 54.)--That they had altered and forged the journal of the House of Bishops in 1808, (see page 63;) that they had endeavoured to ruin me as a clergyman, without the previous steps required by the authority of God's word, and the constitution and canons of the church, contrary to the direction of the House of Bishops, and to every principle of justice and orality --(See the decisions of our courts of law, page 50, and the bishop's pastoral letter page 62;) and that they had given official information to the church in Glastenbury which was palpably false, (see a letter to the Rev. Tillotson Bronson, page 56.) To confess all this, they were absolutely ashamed, and I now appeal to the reader, and to the whole world, if they could deny the facts with truth. They had injured me too much ever to forgive me; and not to comply with these most just and most reasonable requests, would be unchristian like and disgraceful. My faithfulness as a minister, and my strict morality as a man, were fully attested in every place where I had reided, and by every parish of which I had the charge, and ac

knowledged by the bishop himself. I now gave a challenge to investigate all matters relative to me, and offered a Lond of $1000. with good security, to abide by it. The secretary announced to the convention, in Bridgeport, (June 1818,) that he had such communications. Neither the requests nor the proposal was granted or rejected; but another plan was

operation which was designed to justify Bishop Hobart and themselves, and would effectually rid them of all further trouble on the subject. This plan, it is not claimed, was formed or known by the convention, or by all the clergy, but one of them declared to Doct. Samuel Simous of Hebron, that he knew something which was private, and which he was not at liberty to disclose, but which would certainly drive me out of Hebron in less than one year. How could he know this,if it had not been agreed upon? Would Bishop Hobart? would the clergy of Connecticut? would any people in the world, if they sincerely loved God, and their fellow men for his sake, have treated any human being as I have been used? Would they reject all overtures of peace and reconciliation ?--(see my letter, page 67;)--would our blessed Saviour and his apostles have refused aud neglected more than four thousand precious and inmortal souls? Would they have conducted as Bishop Hobart did in Hebron, (see page 77 ;) and a still more dreadful plan was now projected.

My mind for some years has been, at times, greatly distressed, from an apprehension that the inward disposition of my heart was not right before God. I could not but feel that I was injured and persecuted, and a resentment would sometimes arise. It was and has been for more than twenty years iny custom, on each night, before I slept, to call myself to an account before God, and to note down the particular transactions of each day; and it is a fact that I have not eat a meal, nor staid a night in any house, nor performed any ministerial duty, for more than twenty years, which, by turning to my journal, I cannot tell when and where it was.

"O Almighty and Everlasting God, the protector of all that put their trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, increase and multiply upon me thy mercy; that thou being my ruler and guide, I may so pass through

things temporal, that finally I may not lose the things eternal; ingraft and continue in my heart the love of thy name, increase in me true religion, nourish me with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep me in the same through Jesus Christ our Lord-Amen."

"Our Father who art in Heaven." &c.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE BEGINNING OF THAT PERSECUTION BY WHICH I WAS IMPRISONED AND RUINED AFTER MANY YEARS

UNAVAILING ATTEMPTS.

In the year 1816 Bishop Hobart was invited to take Episcopal charge of the church in Connecticut--I addressed a letter to him. (See page 67,) begging for peace and reconciliation. In 1817 by his direction, the Rev. Mr. Blakeslee visited my parishes, (Sce his letter. page 70 ;) on the 20th of August in that year Bishop Hobart came to the door of the church in Hebron, and because I would not submit to an indignity in my own parish, turned his back upon more than 1500 people, assembled for public worship, and disappointed more than 4000 in the neighboring towns and counties. (See page 77.) In 1818 a conference mecting of the Episcopal churches in the northeast part of Connecticut was held in Windham, at which they voted unanimously, that they were perfectly satisfied with me. (See page 79.) In 1818 I proposed that the convention of the Episcopal church in Connecticut should accede to the request of the churches convened in Windham ; or appoint a committee of all the Episcopal clergymen in the eastern part of Connecticut where I lived, with full power to call the wardens and vestries and congregations together, of all the parishes where I had ever resided or preached and to decide upon all matters relating to me; that I would go with them myself, that I would pay all the expenses, and then offered a bond of $1000, with good and sufficient security, to be

well and truly paid to said convention, if I did not abide by their decision. But no, a plan was known to some of them which was a secret, and which they were not at liberty to disclose, and which was kept from me as the hour of death, but it would certainly answer all their purposes, and drive me out of Hebron in less than one year. What this plan could be no one could devise. Imagination was all alive--something was in conteinplation--what could it be? One of Bishop Hobart's clergymen from the state of New York came into my neighborhood, but did not call upon me. He visited Dr. Avery Downer, in Preston, who was of no religious persuasion, and who had quarrelled with almost all the clergy in that neighborhood, of every denomination, and who then, and never before then, became my enemy; falsely representing me as unworthy and degraded, and that I should not preach there. It was then reported, that Asenath C. Smith, a single woman about 20 years of age, within about one mile of Jewitt City, to whom Dr. George Downer had been paying particular attention for about two or three years, the year before had been likely to have a child by him and had lost it. AND

THEIR PLAN WAS TO INDUCE HER TO SWEAR IT FALSELY UPON

ME, after all-other means, from 1802, when I proposed to unite with the republicans, [see page 37, 38.] to the year 1818, had proved ineffectual. This plan would certainly drive me out of Hebron in less than one year.

THIS REALLY IS ONE OF THE MOST ABOMINABLE CONSPIRACIES THAT EVER WAS FORMED AGAINST ANY MAN IN ANY COUNTRY

Who formed this plan I do not know, but the testimony of their own witnesses will prove who executed it. And it certainly is promoting truth and justice; and it is suppressing perjury, wickedness and vice, to expose it to public animadversion and contempt. My religion, my principles, and my inclination, forbid me to speak evil of any one, any further forth than a sacred regard to truth and justice compel me. How much soever I may have done and suffered for the Episcopal church, and how much soever I believe the authority, admire the doctrine, and love the worship of God in that church, and how reluctantsoever I may feel in exposing the real faults of my brethren, who are of the clergy; yet to be silent

in this case, would be upholding perjury, subornation of perperjury, and the highest injustice to myself, to my children and friends, and to the church of Christ. So soon as this PLAN was known, the vestry of the church appointed a committee, who went to the house where the said Asenath resided, and diligently inquired into the truth of the report, of her, of her mother, and sister, and grandfather, with whom she lived; and of her uncle Perry Clark, of his wife, Sophia Clark, and of all the family of said Clark, who resided in the same house with them; and of the neighbors; and after the said fair examination and a diligent inquiry; they reported that the charges against me were wholly without any foundation in truth, and ought not to be regarded, and produced the following CERTIFICATE from the family, viz.

Griswold, January 5th, 1818.

We, the subscribers, hereby certify, that the Rev. Ammi Rogers has occasionally visited our family for these two or three years past, when we had sickness and death in the house, and at other times, that we have always considered him a worthy gentleman, an exemplary man, and a faithful and good clergyman, and not justly liable to reproach for any impropriety of conduct.

'Asenath Smith,' the girl, Elisha Geer,' her grand father, Auna Smith,' her mother. Maria A. Smith her sister.

We, the subscribers, hereby unite in the foregoing certificate, and declare that we do not know any impropriety of conduct of Mr. Rogers.

Perry Clark,

Sophia Clark,

Lester Clark;

her uncle, aunt and cousin ; who lived in the same house with her, and this was about six months after the said Asenath lost her supposed child. She, and all the family, declared that I never had courted her, or kept her private company, and that I never had given them reason to believe that I would marry her, and that the whole story was a falsehood: whereupon, in St. James' church, in Poquatanic, it was voted unanimously, that they were perfectly satisfied with me, and with my

conduct.

Mr. Enoch Baker and Mr. Peleg Fry were a committee of St. George's church, in Jewitt City, who also went to