sentences:  As the British fleet approached New York Bay in August, 1776, Seixas preached an emotional sermon in English, warning that that day's services might be the last held in the historic edifice.His Patriot loyalties provoked Shearith Israel to seal its entrance as the British approached, and Mendes Seixas left New York rather than remain under British rule.He rescued the scrolls of the Law and other ceremonial items as he fled for Stratford, Connecticut, where several members of the congregation joined him.