able considering the attitude of the Roman Catholics in the mother country, particularly during the reign of Queen Mary, and it is a curious side-light on the mutations of human affairs that the only religious persecution that occurred in the colony was directed against the Roman Catholics, following the Puritan Revolution.

At some time previous to 1638 the governor of the province had issued a proclamation prohibiting "all unseasonable disputations in point of religion, tending to the disturbance of public peace and quiet of the colony, and the opening of faction in religion," but when this was issued is not known, for, as Bozman states, the proclamation does not appear in the records. In 1648, in commissioning William Stone as governor, Lord Baltimore included in the oath of office to be taken by the governor a provision that he would not molest or discountenance for his religion any person professing to believe in Jesus Christ and, in particular, no Roman Catholic, if he were neither unfaithful to the Lord Baltimore, nor conspired against the civil government; that he would not make a difference of persons in conferring office or favors, because of religion, but would regard the advancement of Baltimore's interests and the public unity and good of the province most laudable motives-the liberal indulgence of all men in their religious opinions. But, whoever is acquainted with the history of Europe, during the seventeenth century, must know that no genuine Roman Catholic at that time could entertain these liberal sentiments, or at least openly avow them. All Protestants were deemed by them heretics, and liable to the strong arm of persecution for their impious and presumptuous doctrines. We must, therefore, unavoidably confess that this liberal and tolerant measure of Lord Baltimore wears very much the appearance of that policy of conduct, just herein before alluded to, which the English Catholics are accused of having pursued, that is in joining the two great fanatic sects -the Presbyterians and the Independents, in their united endeavours to effectuate the destruction of the Church of England.-Bozman's "History of Maryland," Vol. II., p. 336.

without partiality; and that if any person in the province should molest any Christian for his religion he would apply his power to protect the person so molested and punish the person troubling him.62

In 1649 the assembly enacted a law providing for religious toleration which was in force for nearly half a century. During this time there was no established church; each sect or denomination conducted its affairs as it saw fit, and all support of churches and ministers was voluntary. But in 1692 the assembly passed an act making the Protestant Episcopal church the established church of the province, and imposing an annual tax of forty pounds of tobacco per poll on all taxables for the purpose of building churches and maintaining the clergy. This law was very unpopular and many of the Dissenters, Quakers and Roman Catholics paid their taxes in the poorest quality of tobacco, so that the few ministers who came to the colony under the provisions of the law received very light support. This law remained in force until the Revolution, but there was always more or less opposition to it so that there was great difficulty in obtaining competent ministers.

The German settlers were a pious God-fearing set of people, and their first thought, after settling in a locality, was to provide means for the public worship of God. After securing shelter for themselves the first public improvement was the erection of a building to be used as a church. A history of these churches would be a history of the people, but, unfortunately, in many instances the early records of the churches have been lost or destroyed, so that the history of these congregations has to be constructed from a few fragments, as well as it can be. The settlers were chiefly members of the Lutheran and German 62 Steiner, "Maryland during the Civil Wars," Part II., p. 106.

Reformed churches, although there were a few Moravians and other sectarians among them. Their greatest trouble came from their inability to secure ministers. There were very few regularly ordained ministers in the country and those who were sent over from Germany, as a rule, remained at the older settlements, where their services were more in demand; and for many years the religious wants of the outlying settlements were looked after by travelling ministers, or missionaries, who were able to hold services, baptize the children, and perform the marriage ceremony at any given point only at long intervals. Then, too, the people were often imposed upon by dissolute intemperate men who posed as regularly ordained ministers, who, in this capacity, secured control of the congregations. Some of them were indeed such: men who had at one time occupied positions of honor in their churches, and had fallen from their high estate; but many of them were unprincipled adventurers who, in the dire needs of the different congregations, saw a means of securing a livelihood with the least possible expenditure of energy. A great deal of the trouble which subsequently arose in the various congregations was caused by men of this sort. It was not only among the German settlers that these pretended ministers were to be found, sowing their seeds of discord; they were equally common in the English settlements. In the absence of regular ministers religious services were usually conducted by the schoolmaster, who would read sermons. The church buildings erected were for many years used jointly by the Lutheran and German Reformed congregations, services usually being held by each congregation on alternate Sundays.

Dr. Schmauk says that the first Lutheran church in

63 "A History of the Lutheran Church in Pennsylvania," in Proc. and Add. of the Pennsylvania-German Society, Vol. XII., p. 381