The Isaac Foster Manuscript Collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: SCM 235

Staff Only

Scope and Content

This collection consists of sermon manuscripts of the Reverend Isaac Foster (1725-1807).

Dates

1763-1814

Language of Materials

English

Access

There are no special restrictions to access of this collection. It may be examined by library patrons under the normal rules and conditions of Special Collections.

Chronology

1725 February 19
: Born
1747
: Married Elizabeth Emerson
1764-1779
: Pastor of the Congregational Church in West Stafford, Connecticut
1747
: Dismissed and excommunicated from Congregational Church in West Stafford, CT
1807 March 24
: Died

Biographical Information

Isaac Foster was a leader in the movement toward individual church autonomy and Universalism in the eighteenth century. He famously opposed the conservative Saybrook Platform, which proposed that a hierarchy of associations of pastors and elders rule over Congregational churches. It was a tumultuous time in colonial religious history. Foster preached the controversial doctrine of universal restoration, the assertion that all people will eventually receive salvation by the love and mercy of God. Foster’s views led to a split in his church in West Stafford, Connecticut, that ended in his removal and excommunication.

Extent

2 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Additional Description

Arrangement

The sermons are arranged chronologically. Toward the end of the collection there are written pieces from after Foster’s death by an unidentified author.

Related Material

See also the following manuscript materials in Special Collections:

The Daniel Foster Manuscript Collection

The Luke Foster Manuscript Collection

Processing Information

These papers, along with the papers of Daniel and Luke Foster, were given to the Seminary in January of 1979 by Colonel and Mrs. Merle L. Carey, parents of the Reverend Jonathan Sinclair Carey of Brookline, Massachusetts. The collection was first organized in March 1997 and was reviewed and processed further in May 2010.