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Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole -h^ signifie "A SUiVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent §tre film^s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6. il est filmd d partir de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droite. et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 A HISTORY OF PRESBYTEMAI^ISM IN NEW ENGLAND. ITS INTRODUCTION, GROWTH, DECAY, REVIVAL AND PRESENT MISSION. ! I BY Alexander Blaikie, D.D., FOR THIRTY-THREE YEARS PASTOR OF THE (u.) FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, BOSTON. AUTHOR OP "the philosophy OF SECTARIANISM," ETC., ETC. "T/iy saints talte pleasure in her st07ies, Her very dust to them is clear. ^^ T-wo 'voiiTJiMiES xisr onsTE. BOSTON : PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR BY ALEXANDER MOORE, No. 3 School Street. » 1881. Prloet2.00. Sold by subsoription. SentbymaU. 0"4- of the exact sciences, Avhile it stands out in contrast with the iiKxh'rn ideas, that, "" tho manner in which Congret^ationalism took its rise in New Knjf- land renders it sutliciently divine," and thai these two systems of clmrcii polity are all l)nt tiie same. " Merely a <]uestion of ciinrch government, where no substantial [)iiiicipl() of religion is involved" (Hon. W. Willis). The manly utterance of the editor of "tl-.e ('i>)>fnr(i(itinval!xf^^ of I)e(;ember, 1880. is'' wort liv of a 11 accept at ion : ""'such talk as that Conffregjitionalism and Presbyterian ism ar<' l)ut twins, only to be separately identilied liy blue and red riblions, is exceed- ingly superficial and unworthy tlie diunily of serious and candiil minds." In honor to the truth, he dist in:.juishes thinijs that d'ffer, he has a full right to his own opinions, is able to express them, and in so far as this work maybe in o]»i)osition to liis views, it is trusted that he will have only honorable eom])e- tition, while the writer endeavors to shew the " more excellent Avay." The task undertaken is one of vast diflfioidty. If it were sim- ply to write the history of Presbyterianism iii any other part of the Union, so far as fa(;ts could be presented that might be easily done. Take Virginia for example. In it also Presbyterians were ostracized by (uvil law. " In 1642alaw was passed forbiddinganyotherthan an Episco- pal ministerto othciate in thecolony." The restraininginllnences of tlie civil ])ower were for generations fell . (Joiisequently, says the Itev. Dr. Miller, when the Rev. Messrs. Tennant and Find- ley were sent for, in 1745, to ])reacli to a com])auy of sii;ners, who l)ad been awakened by reading tlie liible and practical religious books, they must obtain license of tlie governor, before' they could, to them, "jn-each Christ." Tliere also, the governor could, only with great dilhculty, ])revail on the com-t not to re- voke the license wliicli lu^ had granted to the eminent Kev. Samuel Davies, and send him out of the colony, and there also, the venerable Rev. John RogiMS, 1). 1)., who died so recently as 1811, was forbidden to ])reacli, "under jjcnalty of i;oOO, and a year's imprisonment, without bail, or main prize.'' Prelacy, however, did not "take its rise in Virginia," and while in its three divisions there, it has lil'ty perc -nt. of tln^ chnrches. yet, all the different forms of religion found in that State, are alike, under the eye of the civil law, abreast of each other, and Pres- byterians are not badgered by the dominant sect, while if any new ones appear, they are almost wholly, if not altogether imported. PREFACE. By tracinpc records and from other sotirces of information a liistory of Prcshytcrinnism in that State could without much dilliculty Ik* iircsmtcd. tor tlie population are not religiously "driven to chanijfe-."' wliile (exceptiuij amonjj the some lio,UOO,- 000, iu Kii;flau(l and Wales, there are oiu' hundred and thirty- three sects), we have ainouj; the 4,100.4118 peojile in New Euli- liind, tiie most sliiftinti (piicksands of relijjious opinion in doc- trine and worshij) to he found in Christendom, Conjir(%'ationaiism, spiiut,'in<,' up within the Northern Virgi- nia i)iautatious as a colonial reliixion, had from its infancy an ex'clusive theociacy. " He (tlie Rev. Jolin Cotton) found tht^ wiiole country in a perplexed and divided state as to th^'ir civil constitution, and was lecpiested. from the laws wherewitli (t(uI governed his ancient peo])li', to form an nhstrdct of such as wero of moral and lastinjz eqwify, which he did acceptably and judi- ci(uisly. Hut ina.^mui II as an Athfuinn Demovrfdii was in tho mould of tiie (ioveruuuut hy tlie KoyalCharter, whicii was then acted upon, Mr. (Jotton effectually recommended it unto them, that none should !)(» electors, nor elected therein, except such as were visilile subjects of our Lord Jesus Christ, ])ersonally con- federated in onr churches. In these and many other ways, he propounded unto them an endeavor after a theocracy, as near as mi}j:lit be to that of Israel." (Mather, Miif,'., vol. 1, pp. 265, 6.) It was tiieuceforth, widle the charter was in force, "the sword of the Lord and of Gideon." When, in after fjenerations, this was partially set aside, by " half way covenants " aiul other customs, from her ecclesiastical ord(U', there sjirang forth not a few sects, which by division and combination are still being multii)lied. These, when combined by the tie of species, to Presbyterian- ism and Ei)iscopacy, present a very formidable opposition, whicli extensively compels them, in New England, at least, to conform to her usages, customs, logic, and vocabulary. Hence, their "church order," being ''sutliciently divine by the maimer in which it took its rise in New England," has so far permeated Presbyterianisrn itself, as to subsist at times im- der its shadow and to increasingly revolutionize all that was formerly reliable : iu)t only by its spurious effects upon govern- ment, but extensively in doctrine and especially in the matter and manner of praise in divine worship. Here tlien, beyond i)aucity of material, a limited field and local hostility, while the writer cannot harmonize with the largest portion of the Presbyterian family in the United States, who, from the standpoint of their own ecclesiastical constitution for the first fifty years of their l)istory (the Westminster Stand- ards), especially in tlu^ matter and manner of divine praise in religious worship, have become not a little Congregationalized — his task is still much more difficult. Sir, by " thus saying thou reproachest us also. " (Luke xi. 45.) 8 PREFACE. This offencplm would dosiroaacrodlyto avoid, did truth pormlt. *' It is im|)()ssibh', but that olToiicrs will come " (Luke xvii. 1), and while" woe is unto him throuKh whom they come" yet, by presenting those symbols of Uw eonunon I'lcsbyterian I'iiith, which have stood the test ot tune lor cenluiies, jind n(»tinf? (h'- partures from them as they hav(! arisen, the diversity of secta- rian divisions domiciled by the elasticity of conscience in our iijT*', under the Jiame can be thus more iutelligently arranged and correctly valueresence) promise and bind ourselves to walk in all our ways, according to the rule of the gospel, and in all sincere conformity to his holy ordiiuinces, and m mutual love aud respect to each other, so near as God shall give us grace." This " Covenant " remains unchanged, although the church is now Unitarian, as is also the first church of their order, that of Salem, Mass. (Dr. 11. Ellis.) Secondly. The following clear statement is given 235 years after " Congregationalism took its rise in New England," and to it the writer trusts, no exceptions v/ill be taken, as tue sys- tem is, he believes, here in theory fairly i)resented. It is from the '' Ev. 7Vac,," of April 23d, 18(i4, which says : " A writer in the liecorder of this week thus defines Congrega- tionalism : " The indei)endent churches of this country who adhered to the faith aud worship of the Puritans, were early driven l)y their isolation to congregate together for mutual encouragement and counsel. This necessity originated Congregationalism, or at least first gave it currency. If it is not an American term it came into general use first in this country, and to this day is but little used among our English brethren. PREFACE. 9 o ir •' Its tlioory is that the local diuroli i^arts with nnno of its rijjlits to .s('lt'-()rj?ani/iiti«)ii and scll'-^jovcniiiiciit l)y cons*'!!!,!!!^ to tho usajjje of set'iviii^ ii(lvi(U' i'lom in iu,lilH>i in;; (•huiclics, in (■(■rtaiu <;iis(S, Wiicn tln^ pastors iind dclc^falcs oT invited chnrciu'S ass('inl)le, tlic convocation is called an Kcclesiaslical ('tutin-il, whose jn'ovince is to jjfive advice only on the subjects leleired to in the letter missive. It has no judicial or le^Mslative functions. It can bind nobody by its decision without the c<>nsent of tliu jiarty. It has no authority to try, or punish, or to perpetuates its doiups by lu-rinauent records." IL has no Manual of Discip- line, no Kules and Orders t > ;;oveni its proceedinj^s. It is sini- l»ly a transie;it convocation, which expires forever when it ad- journs without day. How such a body can be coidonmled with an Ecclesiastical (Joint, it isditlicnltto understand; and yet there has scarcely been an important council, from the days of Cotton Mather to tlu' present time, which has not piit on judicial airs and assumed to appropriate to itself the terms of established couits. ''It is a beautiful exhibition of Christian liberty and cliurch order when brethren, or local chui'ches. • heir jierplexities or their important movements, call to;j;ether their sympathizing neighbors, who are i)erliai's as well informed of the facts in tlio case as the parties themselv(>s, and bett«'r (lualilied to judge, simply to ask their fraternal (M)unsel, without the forms or pleading or of trial. Advice, when so given, in the spirit of the system, is more truly i)otent than any decision.s of (ieneral Assemblies, or orders (d' the Bishop, or bulls of the Pope. " In these times of progressive lil)erty, it is vital to the exist- ence' of the Congregational jiolity that the simplicity of its theory should be i)erpetuated in its jyractice. Pure Congregationalism will not bear the least mixture of authority from without the independent church. The touch even of Const)ciatioJi soils it. If the churches do not like the action of councils, the remedy is always easy ; they have only to fall back upon their Independence. If a code of laws is thought to be needful for ;heir government, they may well take one of the numerous sy.s- tems already <'xtant in other denominations— it matters little which. David would probably have lived about as long if he had gone out into the valley of Elah, with Saul's armor on, to meet Goliath, as Congregationalism can at the pr(!sent time, with a code of statutes and precedents and ecclesiastical lawyers to enforce them." That these polities are distinct s|)ecies, which can never be transmuted, the subse(pient historical statements will verify, while their specific intluences upon the welfare of man maybe extensively learned ; where the one has had the full oi)i)ortunity of developing its entire nature and tendencies, of which the other, on the same soil, has been by it deprived. " The question is always, not whether accomplisliments, and virtues and piety exist within this or that system, but simply whether the system itself be good or evil'' (Isaac Taylor). Hoping, that imperfect as it necessarily is, it may stimulate the 1 1 10 PREFACE. inquirer after truth, in distinguishing things that differ, to " earnestly contend for the faith whicli was onee delivered unto the saints ; " in subserviency to the honor of her King and the glory of the Head of the Cliurch, this work is submitted to tlie candor of the reader, by The Author. Philadelphia, 1881. T INTRODUCTION. Pilgrim Fntlicrs — Tlicir Cliiirch order defective — Presbyterianisra — W;il(leiises — Calvin — Knox — (Scotland — England — Puritans — Ireland — Comparative Notice — Sliawmnt— Tlie Pnritans — Biaek- .stoiie— lu'presentalion — Mr>. Hnleliinson — A Synod — Wood bridge — ILrv'tic-i — TJie" J'^agle Wing" — A Providential Return — Clarke's ^Vlla^^ — Kirst Stoves — Scotch Bondmen — Scot's Charitable So- ciety. Ox tlio mere mention of Now En!];land, onr thoughts are immediately direeted to " Plymouth Hock." Tliere, not only was the civil i)oiity, but, also, the "church order" of" tlio old colony " adopted ; and what- (^ver mii^ht liiivo heen "the form of sound words " chosen by earlier emiirrants, if there were any, to neighboring localities, " the Pil.nrim Fathers " on landing at tliat spot, selected and determined their future ecclesiastical govern- ment. Notwithstanding the influences, to some extent, of the specific religious views of their previous pastor, the Rev. John Koi>inson, l>eing a people extensively familiar with the Bible in its varied ndajitations, in doctrine, worship and d!scij^line, tiiey i)rej)ared for themselves a code of church [ol'ty almost wholly in unison with the teachings of the word of (iod. For their views of sound doctrine and their scriptural order of j^overmnent, they were previously on the Conti- nent extensively indebted to the labors of John Knox in a. former general !(.)n. I refer to this, tlunr chosen system, as the fir.st tangible outline of doctrine, worshij) ami of ecele- siastieal or-.ler adoptt'd in those colonies, which eventually formed New l'jv:land — the history of Presbyterianism in which I undertake { D. V, ) to write. First, "As to faith and the holy siieraments — they believed the Doctrinal Articles of the Church of England, as also of the lt(dbrmed Chr.r;'hes of Scotland, Ireland, France, the Palatinate^ ri:r.-'.eva, Switzerland and the United Provinces, to be agreeable to the holy oracles: allowing all the pious mera- (11) TT 12 INTRODUCTION. i I bors of the cliurchcs commnnion with them, find differing from them onlv in matters imrehj ecclesiastical.^^ — {Prince^ K K. Chron., vol i., p. 91.) The successor of Mr. Francis Johnston as pastor in Am- sterdam in 1594-5, was " the learned Ainsworth." He prepared a version of the Psalms in metre. These the Pilgrims in all their pilgrimage used. In their "perils in the deep and perils in the wilderness" they gave to "God the fruit of their lips," and "let the word of Christ dwell in them richly," not in the sickly sentimental tones of modern organ-lofts, but from the fulness of hearts made joyful by the Rock of their salvation. In their adopted version tlie poetry was very defective, yet for sixty years it continued to be the psalmody of the First Church in Ply- mouth. In the utterance of their praise to God as an act of worshi[), they sang by note ; and while the version of Ainsworth continued to be used, tliey sa'^g without reading the line. Their church order is thus recorded: " Rule 3d, of church government: sec. Gth. " That the oflicers appointed by Christ for this imbodied church are, in some respects, of three sorts: in others but two, viz.; 1. Pastors, or teaching elders, who have the power both of overseeing, teaching, administering the sacraments, and ruling too, and being chiefly to give them- selves to studying, teaching and the spiritual care of the flock, are, therefore, to be maintained. "2. Mere ruling elders, who are to help the pastor in over- seeing and ruling; that their offices be not temporary, as among the Dutch and French churches, but continual. And being also (pialified in some degree to teach, they ara to teach only occasionally, through necessity, or in the- pastor's absence, or illness ; but, being not to give them- selves to study, or teaching, they have no need of mainte- nance. That, the elders of both sorts form the presbytery of overseers and rulers, which should be in every particu- lar church, and are in Scripture sometimes called presby- ters or elders, sometimes bishops or overseers, sometimes guides, and sometimes rulers. 3. Deacons, who are to take care of the poor, and of the church's treasure, to dis- tribute for the support of the pastor, the supply of the needy, the propagation of religion, and to minister at the Lord's table." {Prince, N. E. Chron., p. 92.) In this, so INTRODUCTION. 13 far as It extends, we find pure Presbytcrianism defective only in two essentials, that of supplanting tlie ministra- tions of the ruling elders at the I^ord's table by the inferior order of deacons, who in this arrangement are thrust into the office of tiieir superiors, and in consequence of which, as the elders were thus shorn of their most solemn official duty and honor, the office was eventually by the same in- trusion, totally superseded in New England. This otherwise scriptural order of government was also defective from its isolated ])osition, having no court of reference, review, appeal, nor of iinal decision — nothing be- yond mere advice. It consequently bore within itself the seeds of dissolution, the germinating of which caused Jon- athan Edwards to declare, " I have long been out of con- ceit of our unsettled, independent, confused way of church government in this land." Presbytcrianism, while it has been extensively retained in much of its early scrij^tural simplicity from apostolic times till to-day, by tiie faithful Waldenses, had, at tiie commencement of the seventeenth century, in those lands, which then enjoyed the labors of the Reformers and their successors, but partially recovered from its oblivious sleep during '' the dark ages." As early as a. d. 1585, the immortal Calvin had, in his " Institutes of Religion " (including doctrine, worship, and discipline), presented the scriptural form of church gov- ernment; and from a. d. 1541 till a. d. 1564,^ he successfully labored to apply this ecclesiastical polity in the scene of his ministry. John Knox returned from Geneva to Scotland in April, A. D. 1559, and the First Reforming General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland met in Edinburgh on Dec. 20th, A. D. 1560. In their First Book of Discipline, "the great lines of Presbyterian government and discipline were marked out," It was '' ratified and established by an act of Parliament in A. D. 1567 — as the public and avowed Confession of Faith of the Church of Scotland," and afterwards further established and confirmed by acts of Parliament, and by lawful General Assemblies — until, in that realm, it was superseded by the Confession of Faith agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, as examined and ap- m I II i <4^ 14 INTRODUCTION. proved in a. d. 1G47, by tlio Church of Scotland,, and rati- fied by act of Parliiiniont in a. d. ]()49. En;ited them," Previous to ^anding and while they were engaged in pre- ])aring places if habitation, the less objectionable portions of tlie Ei)iscopal prayer book were in use on each Sabbath among the lifteon hundred persons on board of the four- teen ships in wliich they had at different times arrived. Now, a cliasm ensues — and we find them some time after landing, no longer Episcopalians, but Congregationalists. A wide remove was soon made from tlie form, under which tliey had been trained in their native land. Blackstone, who (so far as is known) was the first white man Avho slept on Shawmut, and who claimed the whole i)eninsula, for thus upon it obeying the demands of nature, although a stern E])iscopalian, was not a thorough Conformist, and he told the newcomers, "that, he came from England, because he did not like the Lords Bishops; but, he could not join with them (the Governor and colon- ists) because he did not like the Lt)rds Brethren." To avoid their "theocracy," he retired to a life of solitude on its banks and g ive his name to the Blackstone river. (Hutch- inson''s Hist, of ]\[a.<^., p. 26.) On the arrival of the Rev. John Cotton (with the Rev. Messrs. Hooker and Stone) in 1633, "the Governor and council and elders in Boston received him for their teacher, in which office he was ordained and installed October 17th, in the same year. " Mr. Thomas Leverett,an ancient member of Mr. Cotton's church in P^ngland, Avas at the same time ordained ruling Presbyterian element of rejiresentation was forced upon thorn in their civil allairs, as a necessity, but, no provision "had been made for it in their charter." (//>., j). 40.) A similar necessity was soon forced upon them in their ecclesiastical matters also — "for which, no provision had been made in their charter," When "Mrs. Hutchinson set up meetings of the sisters and sixty or eighty prin- cipal women attended them," it was found necessary to resort to Presbyterial order (at least in part) and to ignore a usage of our modern (.'ongregational churches (then unknown) " the result of council." Mere advice and recommendation, 'ministers and elders knew from the Scriptures, were not the order " in the house of God, which is the church of the living (Jod, the pillar and ground of the truth," and " in a. d. 1637, a synod was called and held, before which, Mrs. Hutchinson was charged with two errors. 1. That the Holy Ghost dwells personally in a justified person — and 2. That nothing of sanctifica'tion can help to evidence to believers, their jus- tification." illuL, p. 57.) In that synod (which was commenced on the 30th day of August and continued three weeks) above eighty points or opinions were condemned as erroneous. The "de- crees " of this synod were signed by all the members ex- cepting Mr. Cotton. He maintained, that union to Christ preceded faith in him. (//>., p. ()8.) Ministers and elders (not deacons) constituted that synod ; and in their whole polity, as thus founded, "the elders had great influence with the pcoi)le. When the great influence of Mr. Cotton inclined Mr. Hooker to go to Connecticut, to be out of his reach, they, the people, by aid of the elders carried the point." {lb., p. 47.) Presbytcrianism crei)t so closely into all their church and educational matters, that the civil power alone could at times prevent its influ(Miccs. " On February 22d, 1633, the Rev. Messrs. Roger W'illiams and Skelton, of Salem, were afraid, lest an association of ministers in and about Boston, who met once a fortnight at each other's house, may tend to promote Presbyterian- n' ^| INTUODUCTIOX. 19 iism and so cn(lan<]:or the liberty of the ehnrchcs." (Felty JIi.- I 24 INTRODUCTION. Donald Roye, Jas. Moore, Walter Jackson, Daniel Sim- son, John Rosse, Daniel Hogg, Hugh McKay, John Mc- Donnel, Wm. Stewart, Alester Grant, David Patterson. These were "Registered at Gravesend, at the Search office, on Nov. Sth, 1651, by John Bradley, Sealer, with the arms of the Commonwealth," and entered in Boston as stated above by " F. Edward Rawson, Recc^rder." " Captain Greene had orders to deliver them to Thomas Kemble, of Charlestown, who was to sell them, and with the proceeds to take freight for the West Indies." (iV. E. H. and O. R., vol. i., p. 377.) " By order of the ' State of Eng- land,' many Irish Presbyterian people were also sent to New England. On their arrival they were sold by those at whose expense they had been brought over to any of the inhabitants who were in want of slaves or servants. There arrived in 1654 a ship called tlu; ' Goodfellow," Captain Geo. Dell, with a large number of emigrants of the above description, two of whom were thus sold." (Froni an ori- ginal paper of the time, in possession of Frederic Kidder, Esq.) "May 10th, 1654, I, George Dell, master of the ship called ' Goodfellow,' have sold to Mr. Sanmel Symonds two of the Irish youthes I brought over by order of ' the State of England ' — the name of one of them being William Dal- ton and of the other Edward Welch — for the sum of six and twenty pounds, in corn, merchantable or live cattle, at or before the end of Octol)er next. Geo. Dell." (In Salem Court File-'^, p. 77 ; vol. viii., //. and G. li.) " It is probable-that some, or many of these Scotch were sent to Barbadoes, as all their names do not seem to app(\ir in any other way in this country excei)ting on this list." Governor Hutchinson's collection of original papers gives an extract of a letter from the Rev. John Cotton to the Lord-General Cromwell, dated at Boston in New England, 28th of 5th month, 1651, respecting some prisoners of the same class of persons included in the above list, sent over before these arrived. "The Scots, whom (Jod delivered into your hands at Dunbar, and whereof sundry were sent hither, we have been desirous (as we could) to make their yoke easy. Such as were sick with scurvy or other dis- INTRODUCTION. 25 eases, have not wanted pliysic or chyrurgcry. They have not lieen sold for slaves to perpetual servitude, but lor six, seven or eight years, as we do our own — and he that bought the'most of them (I hear) buildrth houses for them, lor ev(.ry four a house, and layeth some acres of ground tlureto, which he giveth them us their own, requiring three days in the week to work for liim by turns and four days for themselves, and j)romiseth, as soon as thev can re[)av him the money he laid out on them, he will set them at liberty." (//>., p. 38U.) As these Scotch and Irish were considered "dissenters," their religious o])inions could not be tolerated under tho charters of any of the New England colonies.* Consetjuentiy, when their years of servitude expired, thev found themselves in a position of much trial. They were expatriated from their families, from the places of their fathers' sepulchres, and from tlieir chosen form of religious worship. They had entlured defeat, oppression, toil and poverty, and now when "strangers in a strange land," they still set their trust upon the Lord, and endeavored (according to their o])p()rtunity ) to do good. Their trials taught them to '' know the heart of a stranger," nnd their charity promjited the adoption of a])i)ropriate means of relief on behalf of those wlio might in future come from their native land and require as- sistance. Consequently, tliey obtained the honor of establishing the oldest eleemosynary society in America — "the Scots' Charitable Society " of JJoston. Of it, the llrst nu'eting was held on Januar}' Gth, IGoT, when the following preamble was adopted and signed : " We whose names are underwritten, all in tho most part ])resent, did agree and conclude for the relief of ourselves, and any otlier for the which we may see cause, to make a box, and every one of us to give as (iod shall move our •ff * Plynioutli and MnssacluisottH colonies contiiiiKMl separate iinlil Oc- tober Till, 1(J!)1, wlieii tlu'v were united bv Kini; William and (^neen jMarv as tlie I'rovinee of Massachusetts liay. Conneetient and New ]I;iven colonies were- st'parate governinents till April 'JiM, ]()t!2, wiien KiiiLj Charles made tiieiu C'onnectit;ut Colony in New England. (Hint. 17-14, p. 73.) ^il 26 INTRODUCTION. II hearts, whose hlessinf? and direction wi- do from our hearts desire to have iVoni liiiii wiio is able tod') i'lmndantly above all that we are able to ask or think, both in the be<,dnninj5 and inanaj^in}^ of that which Ave do intend; and therefore that we may express our intention and become our own in- terpreters (jeavinji; those that shall come after us to do l)et- ter than we havt; begun) hojjing that by the assistance of the great God, who can bring small beginnings to greater perfection than we for the present can thiidc of, or exjjcct, and likewise we h()[)(^ that (!od, wiio hath tlie hearts of all men in his hand, and can turn them which way soever ho pleaseth, will double our spirits upon tiiem and n)ake them more zealous for his glory, and the mutual good one of an- other, and therefore knowing our own wi>akiu>ss to ex])ress ourselves in this particular, we leave ourselves and it both to God and to the word of his grace, and do desire to declare our intentions about which we have ajxreed. " That is to say, that we whose names are inserted in this book, do and will, by God's assistance, give as (iod will move us and as our ability will bear at our first entering. " 1. But it is agreed that none give less at their first en- tering than twelve jjencc^ and then quarterly to pay six pence. " 2. And, that this our benevolence is for the relief of ourselves, being Scottish men, or for any of the Scottish nation whom we may see cause to lielp (not excluding the prudential car^' of the respective prudential townsmen whose God shall cast away any of us or them) but rather as an addition tliereunto. " 3. And, it is agreed that there shall nothing be taken out of the box for the first seven years for the relief of any (the box being yet in its minority). "4. And it is agreed that there shall be one chosen (one of good report, fearing God and hating covetousness) quar- terly to receive the duties of said box, likewise what lega- cies may be left unto it. "5. And that the first box-master shall give up all the revenues of said box unto the next one that is chosen, and so continue until the company may see any inconvenience in it or cause to alter it. " 6. And it is further agreed, that our children shall have the same privilege with ouraelves; they entering (when they are grown up) orderly. INTRODUCTION. 27 Icga- "7. And it is further agreed that those who doth wilfully neglect to pay their duty, and have entered for the s])aco of a twelvemonth, together, shall have no benefit hereafter by said l)ox, " The names of those who first began to enter the l)ox, sixth of January, 1657: Rol)ert Porteous, first chosen l.ox- niaster; William Cosser, Alexander Simson, George Thomj)- son, James Moore, Janus (Jrant, Thomas Dewer, William CJil)son, Alexander (Irant, Andrew Jameson, William IJal- lantyre, William Speed, James Inglisli, John Clark, Peter (irant, John Knccland, Thomas Palsous, A\'i]liam Ander- son, James M'ehster, Thomas Shearer, John McDonald, George Trund)le, Alexander Boyle, John Hennet, James Adams, Malcolm Maktallome, John Mason." I present this long instrument, not only to show their manner of doing good, l)Ut especially that the reader may discover from its tone and sj)irit what manner of men they were ; men " fearing God and hating covetousness." By an ex})ression in their preamble to " rules and laws," adopted in 1G84, it may be inferred that to many of them their wives and families had not come, and that others had married in the land. The surname of three or more of these expatriated men exist in their descendants in Boston after a lapse of two centuries. What efforts they made to obtain public or re- ligious worship in the Presbyterian form and a ])astor, if any, we know not, ])Ut in 1(5()2 the Rev. James Keith can)e from Ab(;rdeen to Boston, and it is reasonable to conclude that, considering the '' clannishness of the Scotch," he nmst liave done what he could to have gathered together these " dispersed of Israel " here, who, although they were then slaves, were by birth his countrymen. The record of his labors previous to 1664 ap])ears to be lost. At that date he was settled as pastor at West Bridg- water, where he died in 1719. {Barb., p. 531.) il 1 il the 1, and lience have kvheii 'I ! 28 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIAMSM 'It i I CHAPTER I. Huguenots, 1686 — First Presbyterian Cluirch — Their Lot in 1704 — Forbidden to build for eleven years — 1716, first I'resbyterian Meeting House built in Boston — Prayers in P>ench — House sold in 1748 — LeMercier — Bought by enemies of Whitetield, and it became a Muss House — French Presbyterian ism extinct. No ecclesiastical orjxanization being permitted to the Scotch, these fletached Presl)yterians in due time either re- turned to their native land, went to other provinces, or be- came absorbed by the churches of the colony. "Absorbed." Thus, of the one hundred souls given by tiie " Privy Coun- cil" to the Laird of Pitlochie, who sailed with them in September, 1685, from Leith road for New Jersey, and of the surviving one hundred and forty |)ersons, out of two hundred others (three hundred in all), wlio in the same vessel left Scotland voluntarily to escape persecution — • when pursued by Mr. Johnston (the son-in-law and sur- vivor of Pitlochie) for their four years' service, the most part came to New England. In Waterbury, Connecticut, the Rev. John Eraser, one of these exiles (and afterwards minister of Alness, in Scotland), married Mrs. Jean Motfat, who had sufiered prosecution in the same manner as her husband did, and for whom, her father had j)aid at sundry times one thou- sand merks of fine, on account of her absenting herself from the parish church, and frequenting field meetings, prior to her transportation. They continued in New Eng- land until they heard of King William's accession to the throne. Tlien they returned to Scotland." (Acct. of Rev. Jax. Frnse'r, of Pitcalzian.) Those speaking the English language were not allowed to introduce Presbyterianism into either of the New Eng- land Colonies. It, however, was brought in, in *' an un- known tongue." IN NEW ENGLAND. 29 ''I >, one 5S, in ffored |1, and thou- rsolf tin^rs, En.ti;- () the f Rev. lowed En^r- |i un- "About the middle of the 16th century Tsays Mosheim) all tlie French churches without exception, entered into the honds of fraternal communion with the church of Geneva," and on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Oc- tober 24th, 1685, nearly a million of tiiese Preyl)yterians were obliged to escape from their native land. The term Huguenot, by which this people were known, has puzzled etymologists, but, "on November 11th, 1560, the Count de Villars, Lieutenant-General in Languedoc, in a letter to the King of France, calls the rioters, Calvinists, Hu- guenots, and this is the first time the term is found in the Registers of that province applied to the Protes- tants." {lb.) As " godliness is profitable for all things, having prom- ise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come," and as Calvinism is the most perfect embodiment of " the truth which is according to godliness," so, those who consistently profess it, are always " diligent in busi- ness," maintaining " good works for necessary uses," and are "not a whit behind tiie chiefest of any sect in subdu- ing the earth, obtaining subsistence, stimulating commerce, promoting convenience, and jiroducing trafiiekers, who ' are among the honorable of the earth.'" Consequently, this masterly characteristic stroke of policy of the Jesuits and of "the prince of this world," drew from the arteries of the nation, a large portion of her vitality. *' During the ])ersecution which ensued above 800,000 lied from France. England gained innnensely by this : at least 50,000 arti- sans souglit refuge in London and introduced the manu- facture of silk, crystal glasses, jewelry and other fine works, many of them before unknown, but ever since successfully prosecuted in England." (Andersoii's Hist, of Commerce.) " They carried with them a vital faith, frugal habits, and the knowledge of new sources of useful and elegant indus- tr3\ Their ])osterity are living witnesses of what France lias lost by the atrocious cruelties with which she forced them from her soil." While most of those who fled to America went to the colonies which now form the South- ern and Middle States, still, not a few of them came to New England. I mention first those who came to Rhode Island, where, by law then, it was supposed, it is said, every Christian sect 4 I i I 80 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM iiiiilit f III IB l! I excepting Roman Catholics, should enjoy all the privilogeg of freemen. "On Oct. 12th, 108(5, an agreement was made by the Rev. P]zekiel Carre and P. l^>ert()n -with the Narra- gansett pro])rietors for a place called Newberry plantation, but, this being too far from the sea, (Rochester) now Kingston, was selected and a new agreement made at 4s. ])('r acre, payable in three years at six ])er cent. Each family were to have one hundred acres if they desired it, and a ])ro{)ortion of meadow. The Rev. Mr. Carre was to have 150 acres gratis, 100 were assigned for a glebe and fifty acres to su))port a Protestant schoolmaster. "Forty-five families commenced the settlement; built a church and twenty-five dwelling-houses." Of the dimen- sions t)f their church and its appearanee, we have no re- cord, but, as their soil Avas lawfully o])tained, probably they were not unduly hindered in building it on their own land by their surrounding religionists. As Presbyterians, after tlreir distress as fugitives from persecution was relieved, they fovmd no sympathy on New England earth, and even as early as "1687, the Atherton company petitioned for the Refugees' land to be sold to them." If not "the filth of the earth," they appeared to be in the colony as " the ofiscouring of all things." In 1689 (England being at war with France) a French fleet appeared off the coast, and for fear they should aid their countrymen in their native land, to whom they had been so drrpli/ ivdchlcd in 1685, for banishment, and slaughter and loss, the refugees were required to present themselves to John (Jreen, Esq., at Warwick, and take the oath of allegiance to the British crown. In consideration of which, they were to remain undisturbed, behaving peaceably." (Arnold. ) "They prospered for some years until they were dis- persed by the lawless conduct of their neighbors." (76.) Contests for jurisdiction among the plantations made their surroundings disagreeable, and while they were for peace, they had to abandon in a few years their wilderness homes on account of the distress to which they were sub- jected. By or before Sept., 1699, all the forty-five families but about two had left for New York or elsewhere, excepting a few who had removed previously to BosliOn. " In 1705 I 1 m IN NEW ENGLAND. 31 dis- (Ih.) ;iuidc for rncss sub- but iing a 1705 (Aup;ust 20th) Dr. Pierre Ayrault represented the outrage oil the FreiK'h setthn's coniinittcd tsomc years before, to (lov. Dudley in a retnonstranee with great minuteness." " It was the most iiagrant case that could be brought aL^ainst the p(!0})le," but it was considered to be, "one of those acts of l)order violence with which the histories of all new countries abound, for which the government could not b(; held fairly responsible." {Am., vol ii., ]>. 21. ) "' In J>r. S. P. b.. New England, vol. xiii., is a ])lot of the French town, containing the names of all the families on their separate lots." {Jh.) While their ])lantation was being abandoned by border violence and distress occasioned by factions contending for jurisdiction; of them, individuals emigrated to New- port, and when an effort was made to establish an Episco- pal church in Rhode Island, the petition asking aid from the home government (through the Earl of Pellemonte) was signed by sixteen ]jersons, headed by two of the Hugue- nots, Gabriel Jiernon and Pierre Ayrould. Though they were Presbyterians, they became Prelatists for the means of grace. They a])pcar then {8e])t. 2Gth, 1699) to Imvo been the only individuals of the race remaining in the colony. With what results Ayrault represented the md- rage on the French settlers to the Governor we have seen. For them, as Presbyterian settlers, the Gongregationalist sects, of Anabaptists and Quakers, as well as the others, had no sympathy — and the fruits of their labors, for some thirteen years, in "subduing the earth,"' were abandoned to their oj)pressors. Their habitations, hund)le in structure, which had been dwellings of the righteous, in which had bqen daily heard the voice of joy expressrd in the melody of thanksgiving, were now left desolate, and their " little sanctuarv," which had on Sabbaths echoed en rime Francoise, " the word of Christ in the book of Psalms," became now to them of less value than "a lodge in a gar- den of cucumbers." The oidy further vestiges of their connection witli the soil of Rhode Island is thus stated by Arnold (vol. ii., p. 55). About "June 13th, 1715, the Yemassee war desola- ting South Carolina caused many of the j>lanters to remove. Several females, whose names indicate their Huguenot origin, lied to Rhode Island, bringing with them a few m II I ::ll 32 III.STOIIY OF PUKSBYTKUIANISM Indian slaves. These ladies petitioned the assembly for relief from the import duty upon their slaves, wliich was granted." So far, for Rhode Island ; we now turn to Massachusetts. As this edict was not revoked till October 24th, " few or none of those against whom it was directed (says S. Drake) arrived in Boston until the following year. Contributions on their behalf were made in Salem in September, 1()SG." With those who came to this colony were Mr. Daniel Bondette, Mr. Laurie and Pierre Daille. ministers. Among the first thirty families who arrived in IJoston in 1()86, was Mr. Daniel Johonnette, with liis uncle, Mr. Andrew Sigourney, from Roclielle, said to have b( ( n with Admiral Coligny. Of those who arrived in KiS? was Mr. Baudouin, progenitor of the Bowdoin family. lie fled from France to Ireland, thence he removed to Maine, and thence to Boston. At this date there a})])ear to have arrived too many persons of this class for conve- nient location in Boston, and to improve their condition, not a few of them removed to the towns of Oxford and ])ouglass, Mass. There, their minister, was the Rev. Daniel Bondette. In tlieir settlements neither the native forest, the sterility of the soil, nor the ungenial climate compared favorably with their native land, and they must have lieen exten- sively ignorant of the manner in which, and reluctant to spend the labor by which, the earth must be met and en- couraged to yield her strength for their comfortable sub- sistence. Still they toiled on under many ])rivations until August 25th, 1G96, when, by an incursion of Indians, not a few of them were killed, their homes destroyed and their settlements broken up. The survivors removed to Boston, and afterwards aided their brethren in the erection and support of the French church in that town. (Barh.) There, maintaining their Presbyterian forms of church government, worship and discipline in a language not generally understood by the Puritans, who had, in sympa- thy for them as exiles from Papal fury, allowed them to occupy, as a place of worship, one of the two school-houses in the town, not silenced by civil law — and increased by the remnant who fled for life a second time from similar instruments of desolation and death, the Huguenots here for a season prospered. I IN NEW ENGLAND. 83 erility 3rably exteii' ant to d en- sub- until not a tlu'ir oston, antl Althoii,2;h their existence was in so far viewed as an in- trusion on " the church of the i)arish " in the school-house on School street, one; or more ot' tlieir ministers })reached fur many years rctiularly to them, and they were organized into a. Presbyterian church l»y the 'election, ordination and installation ofruliuLT elders and the settlement of a ])astor. What became of the llev. Messrs. J3ondette and Laurie is not ascertained, find whether the Rev. Pierre Daille was tjieir first minister does not ai»i)ear, as the first notice of him as the ])astor of the French church in Boston is found in l()'-)(j. lie was at this date tlie twentieth minister settled in that town. it is probable that he had then officiated there for sev- eral years, and he continued in oflice until his death. He luul been thrice married, and was represented {Bost. Notion, p. 101) as "pious, charitable, courteous and correct in life." As a fjlance at the customs of " the times " then, and a little more extensive acquaintance with the man, I detail an account of his will and burial. In his will Mr. Daille l)rohibited the use of wine at his funeral and directed that srloves should be given only to his wife's relatives. To the ministers of the town and to Mr. Walter, of Roxbury, he gave gloves and scarves. His French and Latin books he gave to form a library for the; church ; for the benefit of the minister the interest of CKK), and £10 to be put at interest till a meeting-house should b(! erected, "if one ever should be built," and then that sura was to go towards its erection. To old man .Fohn Rawlings, the French school-master, £o; to loving wife, Martha Daille, ,i!'2o(), my negro man, Kifiy, and also all my })late, clothes, furniture, etc., etc. The res- idue of estate to " loving brother Paul Daille, Vaugelade, in Amsfort, in Holland." "Good friend Mr. James Bow- doin, executor." It was dated 2()th April, ITlo, and proved on May 31st, the same year. Mr. Daille was interred near the centre of the Granary Burying Ground, opposite to Horticultural Hall, Boston, and upon the headstone of his grave (which, D. v.), we will have to notice one hundred and forty-five years afterward (in June, 18G0), is this inscription: " Here lies ye body of ye Rev. Mr. Peter Daille, minister of the French church in Boston. Died the 21st of May, 1715, in 3 m : ■ Ml n "■fll ft i 34 HISTORY OF rUKSBYTEUIANISM the C7th ypur of his ajie." Near him is tlio prnvo of a for- mer wife, "Seyrc Dtiille, wife of tht! Rev. IVter Daille, ajred about GU." She died August .'iUtli, 1712. His first wife, Kstlier Latonice, died 14tli December, IGUG. (I)r((k(', p. 48S.) Notwithstanding that the application made by '" Mr. Toutonn for himself and other e.\i)elled Iluj^uenots to tiie General Court to inhabit here was granted," and that tliey were by courtesy allowed to worship in a town school- liouse, still "the iron entered into their souls;" they had not then, as Presbyterians, liberty of conscience. Hoi)ing to obtain a })ermanent settlement, they, on Januii.rv 4th, 1704,* purchased a lot from one of their own people for a church site. The transfer of which, as stated on Sullblk Records, Fol. 22, pj). 102-3, reads thus: "From James Meures, of Boston, hatter, for £110, current silver money of New England, to John Tartarien, Francis lircdon and Jean Dei)uis, elders of the Frinich church, and to their successors and assigns in the same oflice forever — in the behalf of themselves and the rest of the congregation of the French church aforesaid, the lot northerly on Schoolhouse Lane 43 2 feet, easterly 30 feet, westerly 3SJ feet, and south- erly 35 J feet, on the lands of Sarah Robbins, to build a meeting-house on for the worship and service of Almighty God, according to the way and manner of the Ileformed Churches of France." Owing to the individuality of Roger Williams, IMassa- chusetts was then and is now far astern of Rhode Island in liberty of conscience. While no English-speaking people were then allowed to sell to them land on which to build a Presbyterian church, they manifested their submission to the laws and petitioned the select men of the town for liberty to erect a meeting- house (thirty-five by thirty feet) of wood upon their lot. But this prayer was refused to them on the plea that " the new school-house would well accommodate them, as the * In this year, 1704, the first paper, railed the Nfwa Letter, was pub- lished in Boston by John Campbell. The name indicates him to have been a Scotchman, and by implication a Presbyterian, and if so, our modern New England enterprise was then dormant, and beaten by the tartan. IN NEW ENGLAND. 35 iliont'd ;ir lot. at " the as the ivas pub- to have f KO, our n by tlie old one had done for some years past," and that it would accommodate tor the time to coiue "a far ^M'eater nuuibcr of persons than hclon'jcd to their contrretiation." " Fivt'doni to worship (lod " like tiiose movinji; mys- teries, the meridian of "no variation," and "the star of empire" havin;«;, aI)ove eighty ye.n's suice, taken its way westwanl, was sui)posed to Imve crossed the Atlantic and to have perched on I'lyniouth Rock, yet it had not at this (hite arrived so far west as iioston. The facts that they wen^ njfui^ees, and that they conduct(Ml their religious wor- siiip in an unknown ton,;^ne, ])rotecte(l them from seourtx- in^ and eroppinjr, yet it took twelve years (after they had l)urchased and paid for their lot) of humhie supplication to allow them to erect a Preshyterian church on the soil of Massachusetts. By their " continued coming " they in so far wearied the select men and innovated on the estahlished reli^^ion as to obtain lihcn'ty, civil and reliLdous, to carry out their ])ray- (>rs nnd pur})oses, and about a. d. 1710 'a brick church thirty-live by thirty feet, was erected. From and after tliat year Presbyterianism had at least one roof, under which it found '' ;i ])lac(^ of habitation for the mighty God of Jacob" in tiie province. Being in "fraternal communion with the church in Geneva," their Articles of Faith, forty in number, have the clear Calvinistic ring. Among them there is no "'(/'" sal- vation. A " form of sound words," which could, under Divine grace, educate, strengthen and sustain these " sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty " to suffer wiiat supersti- tion, bigotry and fanaticism had intlicted upon their fore- fathers under Charles the Ninth of P^rance, or to endure the atrocious scenes of horror, cruelty and devastation which they had witnessed among their native homes, and which had inspired them witii an endurance which made themselves also under the fiendish cruelty of the priest- hood during the reign of Louis the Fourteenth a spectacle to God, angels and to men, such a creed ought to be ])er- petuated in time, as it will be " in spirit and in truth " in eternity, and I here present it to the reader as an appendix, translated by my daughter, the late Mrs. Joseph Stone. — Appendix B. ' H A: 1 ..i- i * 'a. ;1 ! c5 I 86 HISTORY OF rHKsnYTEIUAMSM ^ I :i I Their riilocliisms, otlior minor " forms of sound words" nnd directory for worship iire all wi'ilten on the same key- note, while the JhioL of Psars pastor over them until, owinf; to the death of the ajred and the assimilation of the young to those by whom they were surromuled, the French language was no longer by tliem cxclusivt.'ly spoken. From these causes the society became too much dimin- ished lor self-support ; the church was broken up, and on May 7th, 174r('sorving alivo any mari- ners who mifzht esca))o from wrecks. His ])otition was granted, and through liis rfibrts and ])ersevoranco, tin; lives of many were saved. Yet evil- disposed lishormen stole his cattle and his goods; and iu 17-14 he oflorod through the Boston newspapers a reward of £-U\ for the discovery of the depredators. ]lo contin- ued in full occlesiasticMl standing with his Presbytery un- til his death, which occurred aliout theend of Marcli, A. D. 17()4, at Dorchester, in the 72d year of his age. Thus ended the second introduction of I'reshytcrianisni into New Kngland, and .although with its extinction tho decay and change of their language^ had much to do, yet, why, it was not more permanently engrafted ui)on that, which was for some years co-existont with it, and whicli immetliately .'uiccccded it — in other words, why thoy did not ])erscvcringly retain and maintain their Pr 'shyteriau principles, sealed hy the blood of a martyred ancestr\ — does not quite fully ai)pear. To Boston and the whole region, they were materially, morally, and spiritually an accjuisition — not "an increase of sinful men." Yet, by the overshadowing influences of the Colonial religion, these Presbyterians liad not "freedom to worship God," by holding and enjoying their church estate, and even when Mr. Croswell was to have been installed, on October 5th, A. I). 174vel()ped in Boston, was sold in violation of the deeds both of ITC-i and 174S, by Trinitarian ('oniiregation- nlists to the Roman Catholics. The mass, which was made it is said for the tirst time in Boston, on (ir(>en street, and afterwards on Nov. 2d, 17SS, on l)()arage of history. Of them, we see nothino; left. Their limited ])rivileconie a foothold for their blood- thirsty i)ersecutors; and the first s))ot on whieh Papal su- ])erstition should i)ennanently adorn the soil of Massachu- setts with a mass house! The French Presbyterian church in New England as an instrumentality had fulfilled its mission, and the Master was now by, or before 1753, pleased to lay it away until the day of final leckoning. Esq. : Bos- froni I in of had I T 40 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM ill CHAPTER II. 1718-1743 — Scotch Irish — Loft Home for Consclcnrc Sake — Puritans — Siege of Londonderry— Dissenters — An o|)en IJihle — I'aldacliins — • Grievances set fortli — (.Vaij^iiead — Fiveship-ioads in 1718— Me(ire<.'or and otliers — An address to tJovernor Sliute — I'otatoe: — Caseo l>ay — Jsuttield — First Sortiion in Londonderry — lulioes — First Pa-^tor — ■ Kzekiel xxxvii. 2G — Four Schools —Worcester — Meetinii-llonso liewed down — Kev. Wni. Joluisoii — Tax — Presliyterian Property Destroyed — Say brook Platlornl — A l're>l)ytery — I'drpoodiic — A ease referred to the Synod in Ireland — I'.liler's Admission of— Palmer — • Duniraer's Indian War — lioston — Mtjoreiieail — J lis People Poor — ■ A Vigorous Tradition — John Little — Ciuirch ()r;;anized — Barn — Five Eiders — Miss i*arsons — A Tru.-t — A Barn Converted — "Two Wings"— A Pew— "Sinidry Disputes "—An Award— A Deed— A Compact — A Second Church Built — Little's Will — The Londonderry Emigration 1718— James Doake — Aid to Clarke in ransoming liis son from the Indians — A C(jllection also for Wni. M., who lost two cows by a tree — Tiieir Code of Morals — Dea'ii of Plev. Jan)es Mc- Gregor — How he went toCiiurch — Zach Walker — Three Sermons and two Indians on one Sabl)ath — Rev. M. Clarke, a Vegetarian and a "DerryBoy" — Pastor's Salary in Derry £110, < Jovernor of Colony then £100— Rev. Thos.Tlionii>son, Installation and Death— "Tokens'' —Tables— West Parish— Rev. D. McGregor— Rev. W. Davidson— A Strife — "Tenents" — Tlie .\ wakening — Residts in Londonderry — Enthusiasm — Settlement^ — Assimilated — Colonies — Parish Tax — Hireling — Presbyterian Ministers — Voluntown — Rev. S. Dorrance — Kev. Jas. Hillhouse, he split the Presbytery — Rev. J. Ilarvey sus- pended, Mooreiiead rebuked — Rev. D. Mctjrregor's Ordination — A Sorrowful Spectacle — Rev. R. Rutherford — Temple's Colony — A Town Sued — Colonies — Colonel Dunbar's Colony — Waldo — The "Grand Design" — A Quarrel for two years — Rev. W. McClenahan — Porpooduc — Early decay of Presbyterianism near Casco Bay — "The Oppressed Irish Brethren" — Xo Svnod — Johnston and Worcester — ■ "The Old (Jarrison House"- A Prolilem Solved— Distinct Species- Chester — Two Presbyterians who would not pay the Congrejrational Tax, imprisoned — Rev. John Wilson — The New Fnglaiid Primer — Worsliip — Rouse — Ainsworth — Bay State Version — The lirst i'rinting Press — Tiie Imitations— Matter of Praise, an Iniiex — A (piaint title page — Mental luhlability — Edwards had lo.st ''conceit" — Radical Landmarka. I I IN NEW ENGLAND. 41 )iis niul ami a Colony okens'' son — irrv — Tiix— rancL' — :vy sus- iii — A )iiv — A ,-The (hail — I—" The t'stor — • lecies — ,ratiuii:il illUT— 'liiitiiig lit title Kudicul We must now revert to that division of Presbyterianism "wiiicli was coexistent with the French Church for some vears, and which iniino(Uately succeeded it " in New Eng- land. Tliis was introduced by the Scotch Irish in a. d. 17 b-}. IJeforc enterino; more fully on their arrival and its con- scciuences, "" it may Ije useful to advert brieily to some of the circumstances and occurrences in tiieir native land, which constituted the great and leading cause of most of their New England settlements." In doing this, 1 shall extensively jiresent the statements of the late llcv. Edward L. Parker,' in his history of the town of Lonflonderry, iu New llamjishire — a work of great interest, connecting with these extracts illustrative matter drawn from collateral sources. " It will clearly appear, that it was religious principle which brought our fathers to this land ; that it was for conscience sake they left their country and their homes, and 'souglit a faitii's pure shrine' upon our bleak and unhospitable siiores."' As we have seen, although at the Reformation Protes- tantism IxK'ame the-^^stablished religion in England, yet it was not fully ch)thed in the simplicity and jiurity of the g()sj)el, whili; it was by law enforced with sucii rigor that many, rather than endure it and conform, preferred self- banishment and voluntary exile. The fires of Smithfield, which liad raged violently during the days of "bloody Alary,"' had, it is true, been <]uenched b}' the accession of Elizabetii, ''but toleration (it has been justly remarked) was a virtue beyond her conception and beyond her age. She left no example of it to her successor. James the First, and it was not to be expect(Ml tiiat a sentiment so wise or so liberal could have originated with him." During their reigns acts were passed requiring, under certain ])enalties, (hat all should ado])t the established religion in its articles of lielief and modes of worship. These aroused resistance b(;i!i in Scotland and in England, and as we have seen, tliose who resisted the invasion of their rights of conscience Avere called " Puritans." This term, designed as a stigma, deterred all but those of true Christian principle from uniting with them, while they on whom it rested gloried in it, withstood the iM :i Sonie of their ])roniinent traits of character arc thus })resented by a member of that estab- lishment — Macaulay : ''We would sjjeak," says he, ''of the Puritans as the most reinarkal)le body of men which the world has ever produced. The odious parts of their character lie on the surface. Nor have there been wantinji; malicious observers to point them out. For many years after the Restoration they were the theme of unmeasured invective and derision. Most of their absurdities were external badges, like the signs of Freemasonry, or the dresses of friars. We regret that these badges were not more attractive. But the Puri- tans were men whose minds had derived a peculiar char- acter from tiie daily contemplation of superior beings and of eternal interests. *' Not content with acknowledging in general an over- ruling providence, they hal)itually ascribed every event to the will of that Great Being, for whose power nothing was too vast, for whose insi)ection nothing was too minute. To know him, to serve him, to enjoy him, was to them the great end of human existence. They rejected with con- tempt tlie ceremonious homage whicli other sects substi- tuted for the pure worshi)) of the soul. Instead of catch- ing occasional glimpses oi" the Deity through an obscuring veil, they aspired to gaze full on the intolerable brightness, and to connnune with him face to face. " Hence originated their contempt for terrestrial distinc- tions. They recognized no title to sn})eriority but the divine favor, and, confident of that favor, they despised all the accomplishments and all the dignities of the world. If they were unaccjuainted with the works of philosophers and poets, they were dee])ly read in the oracles of (_Jod. On the rich and eloquent, on nobles and priests, they looked down with contempt, for they esteemed themselves rich in a more precious treasure, and elcK^uent in a more sublinK^ language — nol)les by right of earlier creation, and priests by the im])ositi()n of a nnghtier hand. Those had little reason to laugh at them who encountered them in the hall of debate or in the field of battle. " These men brought to civil and to military affairs a ?? IN NEW ENGLAND. 43 itness, istmc- 1 ut the '^ world. !; ophers < t' (lod. 1 S they 1 iiselves 1 I more | m, and f )se had | hem in .I flairs a coolness of judgment and an immutal)ility of ])urpose which were the necessary efiect of tlieir zeal. The inten- sity of their feelings on one siihject made them tran(iuil on Cvery other. One overpowering sentiment had suh- jeeted to itself j)ity and hatred, amhition and fear. Death liad lost its terrors, and })leasure its charms. They had tJK'ir smiles and their tears, their raptures and their sor- rows, hut not for tlie things of this world. They had tlicir minds cleared of every vulgar passion and prejudice, and raised above the influence of danger and corruption. " Such were the Puritans, and such were they made by th(Mr religion. Not always faultless, and their logic at times unsound, they 'fell into extravagances occasionally — the effect of the age in which they lived ; yet, in tlu> excel- lence of their principles, and in the wisdom and result of their lal)ors, they formed a no))le race ol" men, sujx-rior to the ancestors of any other nation.' To this class belonged the Scotch Irish Presbyterians. Although, as we have seen, they differed from 'the Pilgrims' on two ])oints, and in government were entirely diilerent from that Congrega- tionalism which sprang up in the colony, still (as C'alvin- ists), in their other views of divine truth and rijligious duty, in zeal and iirmness to resist civil and ecclesiastical domination, th(>y were in harmony with them, and were their fellow-suiferers for conscience sake. "'The Scotch Irish' are dc-scendants of a colony Avho migrated from Argyleshirc? in Scotland about the year 1(112, and settled in the Province of Ulster in Ireland. In suppressing a rebellion of his Roman Catholic sulijecls in that Province, two millions of acres of land, almost the whole of the six northern counties, including Londonderry, fell to the king, James the First. l>y liberal grants he encouraged his Scotch and English subjects to leave their homes and settle there, as an increasing ])ower to awe and control the natives. This fact accounts extensively for the enmity with which the natives regard the Protestants, and intensities their sectarian rancor — the echo of which is still heard in 'Ireland for the Irish.' " In this animosity tlie great Irish rebellion, thirty years afterwards, in the reign of Charles the First, originated, in which, according to .some historians, one hundred and titty thousand persons were massacred. The settlers of 1612 w 44 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERTANISM ! 'II ' il received accessions in succcedinf.!; years, and near the end of that centnry tlio nilHtary and barharous cxc cutions of Graliam of C'laverhouse, in the r('i,u;n of James the Second, in Scotland, drove njany more thither. These l^rotestants were (Un*ing the time of Cromwell and for a few years sub- sequently protected from the bitter enmity of the Pa{)ists; hut they had afterwards to undergo privations and sufl'er- in^'s almost unj)aralleled. This monarch, supi)osing that ho could subdue the con- sciences of his peo))le and l)ring them again under papal su])erstition, was the cause of the siege of Londonderry, 1GS9, a citv containing then about ten thousand inhabi- tants. Just as his soldiers were about to enter, "the 'Pren- tice Boys," thirteen in number, drew up tlie bridge and locked the water gate. The other three gates were soon securely fastened. Famine, bombshells and destitution scattered death within, while, under the intrepid Walker, Puritans (of the stamp above described by Macaulay) held their position for one hundred and three days, until relief arrived from England. In the course of the night the Irish army — hav- ing lost eight or nine thousand men and one hundred of their best officers, in their abortive attempts to reduce the city — ran away. Although James, during the summer of 1690, received supplies from France, yet he was soon after defeated by the Protestants under king William in person on the banks of the Boyne. At Aghrim, the next year, his army was again com})letely routed, and by the capitulation of Limerick, which soon followed, his last stronghold in Ireland was lost, and an end put to all his hopes of the recovery of his crown. "The protracted siege of this little city in all its connec- tions and consequences, when duly considered, will coni- ])are favorably with the battle of Bunker Hill, as a stand made in the cause of ireedom. And yet, im})ortant as it was, how few comparatively even of the descendants in this country of the brave defenders of the place, who had even- tually to subsist on dog-tlesh, cat-tiesh, rats, mice, tallow, salted hides, horse blood, etc., are familiar with the history of that event upon which was susjiended the rich inheri- tance which they have received from their fathers, and which they are to transmit to future generations! So IN NEW i:N(iI,AND. 45 important did tlic king and Parliament consider the defence of this city, and so hi^dily did they appreciate the vah)r, the endurance and the worth of its defenders, that, in atldi- tion to certain grants, an act was passed exemi)tir.,<; from taxation throuj^diout the Jiritish dominions all who liad Itorne arms in the city durinti the sie.^e." !Such t?'ied spirits when they emi^^rated to America, such lovers of Christian liherty, were well prepared to encounter the hardshijjs and endure the trials of forming new settle- ments. ^\'e here also see the result of the labors, in com- mon with others, of lilair and Livingstone, who were provi- dentially hindered in IG.'iO from coming on the " Eagle's Wing" to the jNIerrimac. The grandchildren of their hearers and iieojjle in {]uo time fultilled the mission which they and their one hundred and forty fellow-passengers had attempted in vain. Notwithstanding their firm allegiance to the crown, the Irish Presljyterians found themselves after the downiall and departure of James to France, in unpleasant circum- stances, which continued under William the Third, Queen Ann and (leorge the First. They were dissenters from the Church of England, and had to exj.)eri(_'nce many embarrassments. " They were indeed permitted to maintain their own forms of worship unmolested ; still, they were compelled to aid in su})port- ing a minister of the established religion — and a tenth part of all their increase was rigorously exacted for this i)ur])Ose. Thev also held their lands and tenements bv lease h'om the crown, and not as projirietors of the soil. With an inex- tinguishable thirst for liberty, they could not bear to be thus trammelled in their civil and religious rights." They •were surrounded l)y the native Irish, and " on the same soil (says Macaulay) dwelt two })opulations locally inter- mixed, morally and politically sundered. The ditlerence of religion was by no means the only difference, and was not perhai)S even the chief difference which existed be- tween them. They sprang from different stocks. They S})oke different languages. They had different national characters, as strongly o])posed as any two nations in Europe. They were in widely different stages of civiliza- tion. There could, therefore, be little sympathy between them ; and centuries of calamitios and wrongs had gener- ated a strong antipathy." ^0 iSiHi m I ;! 1 1 f' 46 HISTORY OF PHESBYTERIANISM ,' I "Tlio n]')p(']lation of Irish was tlicn trivcn to tlio Celts and to those I'aniilies Avliich, tht)ULrh not of (VUie oriirin had in the eourse of a^ies doLfenerated into Cckie niainie»" These |)eo))le, ])i'ohahly somewhat mider a million in n' her, luid with few exc(^])tions adhered to the ("hnre. Home. Amon.i!; them resich'd ahont two hundred th(>us;u..i eoh)nists, proud of tlieir Saxon hlootl and of tiieir i^rotes- tant faith. "The f^n'eat superiority in intelliirenr(>, viLfor and orirani- zation of the minority over the others more than eompeii- sated for their excess in nunihers." The one ])eople had an ()j)en liihle and faitliful ex- ])ounders of its truth — the otlier. tlieir holy watei'. origans, haldaehins, heads and erucitixes. Mental nourishment, so varied, necessarily produced lives, manners and intlu- ences of a totally ditlerent nature, it was in view of these associations, emliarrassments and evils experiencf-d in their native land, that emii^n'ants to Anieriea, and esjieeialiy the first colony of Preshyterians who came to New En;,dand, were disposed to leave toeir homes and the many coin forts there enjoyed, for an untried reirion and the lal)ors and suirerin., ]). UG.) Beside this, '' they were chartred with persecuting; their Ei)iscopal countrymen, forced to submit to the 'sacramental test,' blamed with ]>erverting the royal l>ounty from the jHU'poses for which it was designed, and were accused of uniting with 'the disgusted i)arty ' of the Established Church, and with Deists, Socinians and all other enemies of revealed religion, anv^ even with the Papists themselves, in order to destroy the constitution of the kingdom." For these false charges they sought redress. In November, 171o, three Presbyterian ministers, the Rev. Mr. Kirkpatrick, of Belfast, the Rev. John Abernethy, of Antrim, and the Rev. Mr. Iredell, of Dublin, laid before the Lord-Lieutenant "a re))resentation of the state of their cliurch, setting forth the grievances under wdiicli ministers und people were still aufiering, and they state how discour- IN NEW ENGLAND. 47 tlio C'clts ic origin inniiiK"' I in IV hnrc. Llu)Usu...i r Proterf- 1(1 DririHii- c()nii)L'n- tliful ex- ■\\ organs, rishinciit, 11(1 iii[hi- ,v of these ;(1 in tlu'ir cially the England, ' comforts ibors and trv. , {ho Par- ;o called), nal Arti- Prosby- mg their 'a mental Vom tlu! used of ahlished enemies emselves, m. For .tors, tlic )ernethy, id before e of their ministers discour- i I I aiiod tliev were by tbe frequent disapi)ointment of tbeir liopes ofVelief; and they assure his jiraee that 'the nielan- chdlv a|)|irehensions of these thin<:s have put several of us upon the thouuhts of transplantintj; ourselves into Anu'rica, tiiat we may there in a wilderness, enjoy, by the hlessiui;- of (Jod, that ease and (piiet to our consciences, jxtsohs and fauiilies which is denied us in our native country.'"' ( Jicid, vol. iii., |). '.)•').) Although after the accession of Gcorfje the First to the throne.' in 1714, some of their .). urging them on the sus])(Mision of their ])astor to unite with them, but neither dependence nor control re- suhed from bis solicitations. No connection was ever formed between the Boston congregation and that Synod. »Soon after being installed pastor of Upi)er and Lower lIoj)ewell, now Big Spring, be died in 1789. No associated, nor considerable number of tbis people ai)i.)ear to have come to New England Ix'foro 17 IS, when live shiploads, about one bundred and twenty families, arrived in Boston on August 4th, in that year. A young man, a son of a Presbyterian clergyman, called Holmes, had visited New England^ and of it had taken to 48 HISTORY OF PRESnYTEUIANLSM Ireland a very favorable nccoiint, Consoquontly his fatlior ami tlircH! other Presl>y(erian ministers, Jain(>s McClrei^or, William Connvcll and \\'illiam JJoyd, with a jjortion of their resi)ective con;i;ro.<]i;ati()ns, determined on a removal to these colonies. To jjreparc tiie way and secure a recep- tion, they early in the year 1718 sent tii(^ I'ev. Mr. P>oyd Avith an address to (iovernor Shute of Massaehnsclts, oxpressinj; a strong desire to remove to N(!W lMii,dand if lie should afibrd to them suitable encouracremcMit. They also em])loyed Mr. IJoyd to make all the necessary arrangements with the civil authority for their reception. This address, concise and appropriate, is signed by two hundred and seventc^en ])ersons. Nine of them were min- isters of the gospel, three of the others were graduates at the University in Scotland, and all but seven (who made their marks) subscribed their names. Tiiis fact shows tiiat they were su))erior to the common class of emigrants. ]Mr. Boyd received from the (lovernor the desired encour- agement, and so soon as his friends in Ireland were thus informed by him, they converted their ])roperty into money, and embarked in five shi))S tor I)Oston. Their motives for colonization and removal we gather not only from the facts above stated, but lUso from a manu- script sermon of the Rev. James McGregor, one of the four jiastors wdio accomjjaniinl their Hocks to America. It was addressed to them on the eve of their embarking, from those very ap])ro])riate words of Moses when conducting the chosen tribes to the promised land : '* If thy presence go not with me, carry us not u]) hence." In the a])plica- tion of the subject to tlieir emigration, he states the follow- ing as reasons of removal to America: 1. To avoid o})j)ression and cruel bondage. 2. To shun persecution and designed ruin. 3. To witlidraw from the communion of idolators. 4. To have an opportunity of worshi[)])ing God according to the dictates of conscience and the rules of his inspired word. The fir.st minister of Aghadoey (sui)])0sed to be the Rev. Thomas Boyd) was dej^osed in 10(11 for non-conformity, but continued to minister to the ])eoi)le for years. He re- tired to Derry, and remained in tlie city all the time of the siege, and he died in that charge in IGDU. He was suc- I IN NKW ENGLAND. 40 cccdcd by tho Rov. James ^rrGrcfior, wlio wfis ordained in A.u'hadocy on Juno 27tli. 17U1. In 1718 he -esigned the clKirL'O und cainc to Anicric:!. Sixteen fiunilies of these eniijirnnts left Boston and went to Cusco Bay, now I'ortland, in Maine, to found a settle- ment. They arrived tiiero late in autumn. Many of the families had to remain on the ship all winter, and they sud'ered mueh. Before ^'oing in sprinp; to select their territory, to which they had been directed by Governor SiuUe, as they disem- barked (aceordinLC to tradition), they united in acts of re- liiiious worshij), devoutly aelv.no\vledj:;in^ the Divine good- ness in preservintj; tiiem from the danijers of the sea and durhiL: the unusually severe winter. No one of their num- ber had suffered by sickness or was removed by death. fStandin;x on thi; shore of the ocean which separated them from their native land, they offered their devout praises in that " most touching of all songs," the lu7th psalm in the Presbyterian metrical version : "By Bahel's fitreams we sat and wept When Zion we tliouprht on." neting resence )plica- follow- le Rev. ormity, He re- e of the as suc- "Oli. liow the Lord's sons: shall we sing, Witliin a foroij;;!! land ! If thoo, .lonisaioiii, 1 forfrct, Skill part from my rigiit hand." Although the arrival of the shij^s at Boston on August 4th, 1718, was duly noticed, yet not a favorable word is said of tlie passengers. They Avere called "a parcel of Irish." / ^ Nay, the story is more than tradition, that they were not favorably received by the inhabitants. They were not pelted with rotten potatoes on leaving the wharf, for there were none in New England until they then brought them, but with other missiles. They were Irish and not English ; and although they, as Presbyterians, esca})cd better than the Quakers and Anabaptists, who preceded them, had done, yet their pres- ence was not agreeable to those who had hitherto dwelt so nearly alone, under the union of the government of the colony with their ^peculiar ecclesiastical regimen, which -n .1 Ml [ • i 60 HISTORY OF PKESnYTEUIANISM " had tnkon its rise in New England." rf)nsoqiicntTv, tlioy goncrally wont to the interior, to t)i(^ wilderness, and less cultivated parts of the country, while individuals of then), by indemnifying, obtained a residence in BostcMi and other prosj)erous towns. As wo hav(! seen, a part of them went to Casro Bay. They were informed hy Governor Shute, that there was good land in that vicinity which they mi^dit have. This was to them ])leasant intelliu'enee, as they desired to carry into effect, as a community, their particular dositrn and secure the enjoyment of relijj;ious ()rdinanc(>s under the ministry of their favorite teacher, the Kev. James ^Fc- Gregor. In the meantime he, Avith the remaininti families, retired from lioston into the country; some to Andover, others to Dracut, until a suitable tract of land for perma- nent settlement should be found. On the openino; of sprlnfr, they commenced an examina- tion of their territory in the wild(M'ness. After havinn; ex- plored the country for some distance eastward from Casco Bay, finding no tract that pleased them, they returned, went westward and ascended the Merrimac to Haverhill, where they arrived on the 2d of A))ril, old style. While at Haverhill they heard of a line tract of land, about fifteen miles distant, called Nutfield, on account of the abundance of the chestnut, butternut and walnut trees, which grew in its forests. Leaving their families at Haverhill, the men examined .the tract, and, ascertaining that it was not api)ropriated, they at once decided to here take up their grant, wliich they had obtained from Governor Shute, of a township twelve miles square. Having selected the spot on which to commence their settlement, and having built a few temporary huts, which they left in charge of two or three of their number, they brought from Haverhill their families, provisions, im])le- ments of labor, and what little household furniture they could collect. A ])art returned by way of Dracut, where !Mr. McGregor had spent the winter in teaching, that they might bring him with them. As tradition says, the two parties arrived about the same time, April 11th, old style, 1719. Mr. McGregor made to them an impressive address on IN NKW ENGLAND. 51 1(1 less ' tlicni, I ollii'r o V>ny. re was This o carry Lin and ler the OS Mc- iniilios, ndovcr, pernni- camhia- n Casoo L'turncd, xverhill, of land, onut of wahiut aminod priaU'd, which ownship ice their , which )er, they s, im])le- Lire they I, where hat they the two )ld style, dress on 1 tlio s]")ot so happily selected, conirratulatin? Ihoni on tho propitious teriiiinatioii of their wan(U'rinu'S, their siixnal pi'iscrv.ition as a company while crossinL' the ocean, and sinci' their arrival in this country, and exhorted them to continued eonlidenee in (iod, planted as they now wen; iu tile wildi'rness, and " strangers in a sfraniie land." On April rJth. under a larj;e oak. he preached to them (from Is. x.wii. 2) his first sernu)n in the town. Then, for tin; lii'st time, did th it wildt'i'ness and solitary j)lace, over which savage trihi'S had for cects, is nearly, if not (ptite, a lost virtue. Tinar rude dwelliuiis were erected on the two hanks of W'estrunninu; hrook, called '' tiie common Held," and stood thirty rods apart. \\'hen the intervening; forests had heen (as they soon were) cut down, in sunnner evcnintis "the voice of rejoicinLr and salvation " was heard ascendint!; from these " tahernacles of the righteous," and few scenes this side of heaven tould he found more touch- injx than the echoes of the surroundintx forests to the voices of these devout worsluppcrs, as they lifted up their even- inn; sonujs to their Father in heaven, iis\ally a])()nt tho .'^ame liour, sometimes in the same tunes, •' Dundc^c's wild AVarhlin,npnitions, pro- plietic words. IlavinLi; shown that it is t!ie Lord who places a jx'ople in a huid, multiplies tluMu therein, and affords to them the ordinances of religion, he reminded liis hrethren that ' they should devoutly aeknr)wled,u;c the providence of God in all j)ast chan<:es, particularly in their emigration to this new world ; that they should live hy faith in what was before them ; fervently ])ray that CJod would continue to bless them ; be firnily united with one another; walk in the fear of God, and keej) his cluuye.'" These discourses show that their removal and settle- ment was from religious principle, and in reliance on the divine ijuidance and protection. God in his jjrovidence multi})lied them, so that from this settlement many others were early formed, even in some towns where they met with legislative as well as ecclesiastical opposition. Having; thus the opportunity of dwellinre.' " settle- on tlie vidence : others ley met in their I troll inn; 1 moral hriving, 23 they yearj-Ji lools in ir — and ry paid few of nursery, d estab- ally, or, nal one, we now tlie his- Vom the orcester, n, Esq., iherally ■^cots, in Ireland) with the tythes of the harvest, and with lands held by tenancy under exorbitant rents, they embarked for a coun- try, where " (they supjiosed) " rc'liear that they arc actuated by just principles of conscience, as should necessitate their forsak- ing us. Wo hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith, *Tii 172() tlicrc was due by the town "to the Rev. Mr. Fitzgerald je2." (Town Kecordri.) IN NEW ENGLAND. 55 left M I which, thoy sny. thoy promised to adhere to. We do not snl)stantialiy diirer from the divines at Westminster as to the worsiiip, di.seij)line and government* of the church. They may enjoy their way, which they call Presbyterian- ism, witii us and their consciences not be imposed upon in anytiiing. A number of those now withdrawing were jointly concerned in settling Mr. Burr and in our fellow- ship. " We know not why they should not continue with us, 3dly. We look on the matter as disorderly, not to men- tion that the ordination of their minister they speak of was disorderly even with respect to the ])rinciples by whicii they pretend to act by, as well as with us, up to whom they stand related, and they enjoy with us all proper social, Christian, and civil rights. Their separating from us being contrary to the ])ublick establishment and laws of this j)rovince and contrary to their own covenant with us, and also very unreasonably weakening to the town, whose numbers and dimensions, the north ])art, being ex- empted by the vote of the town from })aying to Mr. Burr, will not admit of the honorable support of two ministers of the gospel, and tending to breed division, destructive of our peace, and u])on which and other accounts, the town refuse to comply with the request of dismissing said peti- tioners." (Tova Records.) "Many unable to endure the insults and bitter preju- dices they encountered, removed to Otsego county, N. Y. ; others joined their brethren of the same denomination, who had now commenced the settlement of the town of Pelham, Mass., and were se)me years afterward under the pastoral care of the Rev. Halj)h Abercrombie." "About thirty " (it is nuieh to be regretted that ^Ir. Lin- coln does not say which, persons, or families) "remained in Worcester atter the dispersion of the rest."t Their pas- tor, the Rev. Wm. Johnston, was settled in Windham, N. H., early in 1747. '" Their settlements in other places were ap- I 4 ii Ii ( ■-. If 1 ti III I 14 * \h to "government," this is simply imtnie. + Tlie ancestry of tlie Hlairs of political fame In Washinj^ton, D. C, •ind in Missonri, as well as of those in Tniro, Nova Si't)lia, and Doston, after the middle of the lUth century, were buried in Worcester before tiie dispersion. ,-, men ordained to the Avork of the ministry, whicli among Presbyterians is done always and only by Presljytery. This Presbytery at its organization was called the " Presiiytery of London- derry," and nicknamed, "the Irish Pr^-sbytery." We are not to understand, however, that all who were Presbyterians in their native land, upon their arrival in New England, united with it. Where a particular denom- ination liave the ascendencv in a region, thev absorb not a little and often contrt)l large ])ortions of tin; mmor sects, who dwell with them. This a))plies extensively to the ministry, who are "men of like passions with t)thers; " es- l)ecially, where tenacity of principle might demand re- moval, a lower social position, or a gra])i)ling with poverty. Consequently there were those who came to these colonies, "who departed from " their avowed principles, who "went not with " the Presbytery "to the work," and who hired themselves out to serve Congregational parishes ; such as the Rev. John McKinstry, from Brode, who settled in Sut- ton, Mass., in 1721), the Rev. .James liillhouse, at New Lon- ilon, Ct., in March, 1722, the Ivev. John Campl)ell (said to be a Scotchman), at Oxford, Mass., on October od, 1722, the Rev. John Graham, in Stafl'ortl, Ct., on May 21)th, a. n, 1723, and the Rev. Samuel Dorrance, who w;is settled at Voluntown, Windham county, Ct., in a. d. 1723. Others again, on surveying the field oc<'U]ii('d by their brethren, returned home. In 171S the Rev. Wm. Boyd, who had been minister of McCaskey, in Ireland, was among the -IJ \ : 5> Vl li i t ! ; t i V I \l '% 58 HISTORY OF PRKSBYTERIANISM I emiffrants. Ho ofiTipiated onro at "tho wockly Incturo" in Boston (on March IDth, 1719), and of him th(» Rev. Increase JNIathcr, on Man^li 2.',th, 1710. says : ''Tiic Rev. Mr. IJoyd arrived hist summer. He was educated in Edinhuruh, studied in (fhisirow (i)rohal)ly divinity), and was ordained at McCaskey, in Ireland. The issue of this aHiiir, the com- ing to America, lias a (jreat dependence on his conduct — and since the Rev. author (of the sermon delivered at tlio lecture aforesaid) is returning to his native country, let the grace of Christ he with him." This " prayer of a righteous man " was prohahly at lea.st as "fervent" as it wouhl have l)een on his behalf if Mr. Boyd had remained in New England. He returned, settled at Taboyne, and lived to a good old age. At the same time the Rev. William Cornwell arrived. He formerly belonged to the Presbytery of Monaghan, and settled, witli a number of families, in Porpooduc. on Casco Bay. While there 4ie probably lielonged to said Presby- tery, but how long he continued or to what i)art he re- moved is not known. A Mr. Woodside, who came from Ireland, succeeded him in taking charge of that peoj^le, but he, exposed to many privations and discouragements, soon (it is l)elieved) returned home. fStill, so far as numbers were concerned, there remained among the emigrants min- isters enough to form and sustain a Presbytery, and, as we have seen, this was not long delayed. We su|)i)ose it to have been organized l)efore the death of the Rev. James McCJregor, on ^Nlarch 5th, a. d. 172'.). Who were, or how many were members of it in its early existence, cannot be fully known, i)ut within twenty-five years of their first settlement at Ivondonderry, it is be- lieved that LeMercier, James McCJregor, Edward Fitzger- ald, William Jolmston, John Moorehead, William Mc- Cltjnahan, Matthew Clarke, John Harvey, John Caldwell, Thomas Thompson, Clarke, of Kingston, N. H.. I)alrym])le, Wilson, Morton, Rutherford, Davidson, probal)ly Urciuhart, and, it may be, others, were members of said Presl)ytery. We glean some items of their manner of ])roce(iure from existing documents, by which we ascertain their strict ad- herence to Presi)yterian ])rinciples. lu the Synod of Ulster in 1705 all candidates were IN NEW ENGLAND. 59 re " in M crease « . Hov.l 1 l)uru;li, :1 daincd e coin- T duct— at tho 1 let the '^V at least if Mr. .J 00 d old arrived. I an. and n Casco Presby- t be re- iie from pie, but its, soon lumbers Us min- d, as we )se it to James ts early nty-tive t IS be- FitzL^er- un Mc- aUlwell, yni])le, rcjubart, )ytery. lire from trict ad- tes were required to subscribe the Westminster Confession of Faitli. To these standards they expressed a firm adherence in 17"J2. Tills, those now in New England did not as yet abate. On Marcli 2d, 1721)-30, James Reed was ajipointed as the ruling elder from the sessiori of I.ondonderry to the Presbytery at Boston, by wliich Mr. John ^h)orehead was ordained to the ministry on the 8()th of tliat month. The session also ordered "that his (Mr. K.'s) expenses for man, horse and time be paid by a collection," which, when taken, amounted to £3. 8,s. We gather from his own record that, in order to larger usefuhiess in gathering the people prepjiratory to their or- ganization as a church, Mr. Moorehead was then ordained without charge. The liev. Mr. Clarke, of Kingston, was invited by the Rev. Mr. McCregor and his session to assist at the dispen- sation of the Lord's .Sui)per at Londonderry on the loth day of October, 1727. April T^th, a. d. 1731, T. S., who had by previous appointment of session, " ah'eady appeared three several yal)bath days before the congregation, and had also appeared belbre Presbytery," was on tliat day be- fore and b}' the session " absolved of the heinous sin of adultery." At tiie communion, on the first Sabbath in June, 1732, Mr. ^Moorehead and the Rev. Mr. Wilson, of Chester, N. IL, were invited to assist, and on a similar occasion said sessional record states : " October Uth, 1732, liaving had the sacrament yesterday, we had of communicants GOO. Our collection was £li). ll.^'. 1()(/. All charges being })aid, there remain £7, which is given to the Rev. Mr. M'ilson." To install the Rev. Thomas Tliomi)son, who was or- dained by the Presbytery of Tyrone, in Ireland, for Lon- donderry, N. PL, and who arrived October 3d, 1733, the said Presbytery met on October 10th. The session make this record in their minutes of October 5th: ''There being a Presbytery to be here on Wednesday next. Justice Duncan and Mr. McKeen are to attend them." " October loth, session met. There being a col- lection for tlie Presbytery, there were; £10 5., of which was given to Mr. LeMercier and Mr. Moorehead and their elders £8, and the rest for man and horse to bring them from Haverhill, and to take them there again." (lb.) '•I ).| ill !h 60 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM November 11th, 1733, a case of severe discipline " was recommended to the Presbytery.'' Another similar case, Fel)ruary 19th, 1734, which session were requested to review, they resolved " it should go to the Presbytery." " October 7th, 1734, Thomas Wallace and John Craim the in ten d Pres- V. John nod in irly and church lip abo ational ollater- 36, the uul the d heloro the ses- b-nanied \ir thein eiration, 23d of he min- . Joseph in Ire- r, Mass., lie Lon- i4. The 1 f i records- of that town show tliat it was settled by emip^rants from KuL'land and the north of Ireland in 1727, and the church was formed in 1780. Thu Kev. Mr, Kil[)atrick first visited them, and preached there live Sabbaths. He was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Weld, who ])reached to them for three months, and was then succeeded hy the Kev. licnjamin Dickenson for six months. We then learn also from tiie " Troprietor's Records" that "after preachin<]t to them for four years, the liev. Jose])h Harvey was, on the 5th day of June, 1734, ordained and installed the iirst minister of the church in Klhow settle- ment hy the Rev, the dele!;ates of the Presbytery of J.on- donderry upon a scaflbld standing on a plain on the east side of the meadow, called Cedar Swamp Meadow, within Mr, Harvey's lot. The Rev. Mr. Tiiompson, from London- derry, ])reached the sermon, and the Rev. Mr. Moorehead gave the charges." Thus, although its records are lost and the steps taken in (and the date of) its formation are unknown, yet we liave the original Presbytery of Londonderry mentioned by name in existing records, and we can speak of it with certainty. It continued, as we may subsequently see, for about forty years. We now ])roceed to trace the origin and progress of what was probably the third church formed by "the oi)pressed brethren from the north of Ireland," in New England. Londonderry having civil })rivileges, and no rival, nor overshadowing sect to whose church funds it must contrib- ute, was not, for the same number of years which it had then thus existed, surpassed, if ever equalled in New Eng- land, for the ])rosperity, civil and religious, of its people. Consequently, it was now preparing by its sources of in- crease to send out, even in the first quarter of a century of its existence, its offspring as colonies. The Church of Worcester, on the contrary, was pros- trated in the dust before the bitter influences of sectarian- ism, and those of its members who were possessed of strong gospel principles had to remove to the deeper toils and dangers of the wilderness, for '' freedom to worship God." After the departure of the Rev. Wm. Johnston, parents were obliged to take their children to distant towns for baptism, and after the destruction of their church edi- 'I ■ I jl ^■f^ 62 HISTORY OF PRKSBYTERIAMSM fico a hiv^e proportion of tliem rcmovod to Otsonro county, New York, us well us to diilVrent tt)wns in Massachusetts, Bucli as lYilliani. llesidcs those Scotch and of Scottisli ])arenta;j:e who resided in Jioston, enii.:rants of the Freshyterian ])ersna- sioii api)ear to have eoine annually in these years from Jreland* and Scotland to N.-w l']nj.ian(l; and notwithstand- in<,' tlie in-ejuiHecs with which they had to contend, in view of the accid(!nt of hirth, not a few of them, as artisans, ohtained hondsmen, irave security to the authorities that they would not lie disortierly, and estahlished themselves in that town. As Jh-itish suhjects in a P>ritish colony, they supposed tliemselves entitled to liherty of conscii-nce. This was, liowever, only with trri'at reluctanc(>, or rather as a matter of necessity, accordi^l to tlieni at all. The overshadowing influences of "the Church of the I'arish." which had cast no encoura^inu; smiles on tlie I'ri'ueh I'reshyterians, viewed the collectin<>: of an Irisii Church as an almost unwarrant- able interference. Boston contained about KJ.OOO inhahitants, and had five cliurchcs of the estahlisiied oider, when, a. n. 1727, an eil'ort was commenced to collect a second l*res1)yterian Church. This was done hy Mr. .h)hn Moorehead, a native of Newton, near Belfast. He was hoiMi of pious })arents in 17(t'3, received the rudiments of his education in In.'land, and linished liis collegiate course of study in Edinburgh. *It is stated by tlic Hon. Win. Willis (Mass. II. (i. EoRr. p. 'J.'^G, July, l.S."),S) that "in 171'.» and 'L'O Hvi- .sliips ntider Captain Rohort IVin- ))!e landed several hinidred families on tlie shores of the Kennebec; tliat J>innuier's Indian war broke ii]) the colony, and that the larjjier part of them went to Pennsylvania, while some fragments of it settled in Tops- liam, Brnnswiek, lioothbay, IV'macpiid and the Waldo Patent." "Sir Robert Temple landed at Hoston in 17'20, looked at Connccticnt, went to Maine and settled Corlc, Maine; bront^ht over three ship-loads of the children of the Kirk of Si-olland, and f)lanter part of in Tops- Ill nocticnt, lip-loads hundreds for Dun- ^>ttlement.' Ulster in :ll He was licensed to preach before lie came to America. Some families of his ac(iuaintance, it is said, about or before that vear, canje over, and bein<.' kindly wi'lcomed by their countrymen tiien living in it, settled in the idwn. Upon liis arrival here, this pe()j)lc (several of whom appear to have come with him) became attached to him and ilesired him to l)ecome their minister. As a licentiate, he labored .^otne tin-ee years to collect them and i>re|)are tiiem for or;:anization'as a church, and with this desi, a lot of land on Lonii; Lane, on which there then stood a harn. Into this *'rude and lowly structure," after some tinie, when his dw( llinhn'('li .'Jlst, ITod." "This religious socii'ty was estahhsheil hy his pious zeal and assiduity."' It recjiiired years of lal)or to coUeet the scattered fragine\its, to j^alher together even tlie few dis- persed hretlir* n of tlie I'reshyterian faith then resi(h>nt in Boston and the neiuid)()ring towns, t.'X|iosetI us those had heen who had for any len^tii of time resicU'd here to the iidhienees of jnuttiier eeelesiastieal <»(>vernnient. IV'rseveranee, under the hKssin<4 of Heaven, brought success, and in a few montlis after his or(nnation lie had the i)h'asure of seeing u eliurch organized. Having "sown in tears, his reajting time ol'.joy " n<»w began, and "the first meeting of the i)rethren with their minister, for the election of ruling elders, according to the government of the Cliurch of Scotland, was held in the house of Mr. John Little, in Milk street, on the Mtli day of .Inly. 17;-!(). The elder.s iheii chosen were ,h)hn ^'oung, Hohert I'atton, Samuel McClure, Uiehard MeClure and Thos. McMullen." (Mc- Clure's Sketches, ISOT.) ^^'e have seen the manner jnirsued by the church .session of Londonderry in a similar election, and whether each of th(! stejis there enumerated was now taken with these brethren or not, we know not; but they ''were (in due time) ordained," and the organization of the Second Pres- byterian Church in jloston was then com])leted by their installation. How soon alterwards a call was made out for Mr. ^b)orehead, on tlu> acce))tanee of which he was installed as their i)astor. we know not; but it was doubtless done at an early day. He had lahortnl among them with an increasingly nui- tual attachment, and the consummation of this oflicial spiritual relation would not be unduly delayed. He was the forty-sixth minister settled in Boston, and "soon after his induction he married Miss Sarah Parsons, an English lady, who survived him about one year." As the congregation met for the important purpose of the election of elders, when a full meeting would be desirable and almost certain, at the house of Mr. John Little, on Milk street, it is at least reasonable to suppose that they met often, if not statedly, there on the Sabbath for public m t Ml il! 66 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIAXISM worship, for montlis or for years. Indood, these " Preshy- terian stran;;ers " luul no other ])la('e in which to meet, until th(!y went to his hani. The overshadowing inllu- enees of " tiie C'hureh of tlie I'arish." ■■; we have seen in the case of the Preshytcrian Cimrcl )reester, and in the inii)edini('nts east in the way of Vi.. ^ .ench Churcii in the same jtarisii in F)Oston, when endeavorinti resjx etively to su|)i)ly themselves with phices of worshi)), wonhl ailord to these '' oppressed Irish l>retiiren '' hut little eneourajiement, Avhen they desired to find "a place of hal)itation for the mighty (lod of Jacoh." Their ease, in view of the aspect of colonial law and its tljeocracv towards them, could not have heen Mattering. C'onse(]Uently the inconvenience of a dwelling;, or the associations of a harnyard, were hy them readily home, in order that they miiiht "sini: the .A7/o/7///'.s' Bong in a foreit^n land" (Ps. cxxxvii. 4), and perjietuate those principles which had descended to them sealed hy the l)lood of a martyred ancestry. As " a man's house is " said to be " his castle," so John Little, with his faithful wife, a|)|)ears to iiave projected the idea of turninii his harn into a meetin;:-house. By makin<^ it a trust with a eharitahle use, for Presby- terians to hold and enjoy forever, he, as a Pritish subject, ■with his counsel, supi)osed that they could avoid troubling the selectmen or the j^eneral court. Trusts for the wor- ship of (lod, for education and tiie aid of the poor, they BU))posed to be sacred throULdiout tlu' British empire. At what time he heyan to '' convert" his " barn " into a meetin, and probably he soon after the 14th of July, 173U, began to "transform " his barn. Some months afterwards, these people had a buildini,' separated from former uses to the worshij) of (Jod, and liow delightful to them must have i>een their " little sanc- tuary!" According to the autobioiiraphy of the Ivev. Dr. David McClure, who was one of Mr. Moorehead's j)Uj)ils, "This little colony of Christians for some time carried on IN NKW KXCiLAND. 67 ini'C't, inlUi- i\i iho in tho in tho ;(ly to lord to I'liR-nt, for tlio uspoot lid not ■nee ol' y tlu'ni |)ctu;itu lied by ;o John ;tt'd the Prosby- subjcct, ultlinjj; le NVi>i'- or, they re. " into :i dy after urch or- ion and ) stron!^ ('(luired. y, 172'.>, l), begun )uildin'^ od, and lie sanc- Uev. i)r. j)U})ils, rried on o worship in a ])arn, and as tlie conp;rele unto whom this ])res(*nt writinjr of award shall ('OHIO, Jac(>l) Shoafc, (n-ntlciiiaii, Stephen Boutincau and IIujzli Vans, Merchants, all of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, and province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, send greeting: Whereas, upon sundry disputes and differences arisen between John Little, of Boston aforesaid, Gardner, on the one part, and Cieorge Glen, Taylor ; Edward Allen, Taylor ; Andrew Knox, Mariner; (Jeorge Southerland, Shopkeeper; William JIall, Leather-dresser; Daniel Macneal, Laborer* Samuel Miller, Gunsmith; Abraham All, Taylor; and William Shaw, Taylor, all of Boston aforesaid, of the other part, they the said partys for the determination thereof and by their mutual consents signifyed by their several obligations, dated the fourteenth day of Jaimary, Anno Domini, 1735, appoint us, the said Jacob Shoai'e and Ste- phen Boutineau, arbitrators of all their diilerences till that time, and agreed that either of us, in case of our non-agree- ment, should choose a third person — and we being willing and desirous to determine the disputes and differences between said partys, in order to effect the same, havo chosen the said Hugh Vans to assist us therein. And the said partys by the said ol)ligations further agreed, that we, making up our award of the sanu? under our hands and seals, ready to be delivered to the said partys, on or before the fifteenth day of A])ril current, should finally determine the premises as by their several obligations, with condi- tions for the performance thereof, will more fully appear. Now in pursuance of the said submission and to answer the end proj)osed therel)y, we, the saide Jacob Sheafe, Ste- phen lioutineau and Hugh Vans accept of the burthen of the said award, and having fully heard both i)artys, ])erused, examined and deliberately considered on all oapers, matters and things disclosed or jjretended to us oy either party as the cause of their variance, do make, ])ul)lish and declare this our award between them con- cerning the j)remises, in manner following, that is to say : — Imprimis, we award and order that the said George Glen. Edward Allen^ Andrew Knox, George Southerland, IN NEW ENGLAND. 69 'I William TTall. Daniol Macnoal, Samuel ]\rillcr. Abraham All and W'illiani Sliaw siiall, witliin the s])a(.'(' of two months I'roiii the date liereot", pay or cause to lie ])aid unto the said Joim Little tiie sum of one hundred and forty jtounds and five pence, in Publiek Wilh of Credit, ■\vhicli is and shall i»e in full of the claimes and demands which the said John Little had a^'ainst ye conj^rej^ation hclont,'- injz to the Presbyterian meetinij-ho'use in Long Lane, in Boston aforesaid, with respect to his attendance upon and lookinn after the building of ye sd meeting-house, and all his accounts of charixes and disbursements al)out the same, and the land whereon it stands, as also touchinf:f and con- cerriinless for a season by the feet of the camels of the pilgrims, in order to do good to himself and to future generations, surrounded it with a sale stone curb, so that tiie thirsty might drink and thank their benefactor while he lived and l)less his memory after his death — so John Little, on the Dth day of June, A. i). IToo, devoted a lot of his land, for he had other lots in town, to the worship and glory of God and to the welfare of men, in connection with a si)eciried and definite " form of sound words" indx'dded in the affeetions of Presbyterians, and sealed by the blood of the martyrs of his native realm. His deed reads thus : "This indenture, made the ninth day of June, Anno Domini, one thousand seven hundred and thirty-five, and in the eighth year of the Keign of our Sovereign Lord CJeorge the Second, by the (Jrace of (iod, of Crreat Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, tV'c. : Between John Little of Boston, in the County of Suffolk and Province of the Massaeliusetts Bay, in New England, (Jardner, on the one part, and (Jeorge (Jlen, Tailor, William Hall, Leather Dresser, and William Siiaw, Tailor, all of Bostci: albrcsaid, and Andrew Knox, of said Boston, Marini;., for themselves, and as a Connnittee chosen and api)ointed by the rest of the Congregation belonging to the Presbyterian Meeting House, in Long Lane, in Boston 'M 4 ■yt I IN NEW ENGLAND. 71 aforesaid, for mfinnGjinp; the PriKlential Affairs thereof, on the other part witnkssJ'-.th : — " Tliat the said .h»iin Little, for and in consideration of the sum One llun(h-ed and Forty Pounds and five jK'ncc, in u'ood puhlick l)ills of credit of the Province aforesaid, to liitn in Fland, at and before the ensealing and delivery of these Presents, well and truly paid by the said George ( JU'n, William Hall, William Shaw and Andrew Knox, in behalf of themselves and as a Connnittee chosen as afore- said, the recei])t whereof the said Jolm Little doth hereby acknowledge, and thiM-eof doth ac(iuit. and discharge the said (ieorL''e (Jlen, William ILill, William Shaw and Andrew Knox, in behalf of themselves, and in their ca))acity aforesaid, and their successors in said trust, and each every of them forever by these Presents, hath given, granted, bargained, sold, aliened, enfeoffed, released, con- veyed and confirmed, and by these Presents doth give, grant, l^argain, sell, alien, enfeoffe, release, convey and con- firm, unto the said George (ilen, William Hall, William Shaw and Andrew Knox, a certain Piece or Parcel of Land, situate, lying, and being in lioston aforesaid, and is bounded in the Front Westerly U])on TiOng Lane, so called, there measures one hundred and twenty-nine feet; North- erly by land of Mr. Jonathan Loring, and there measures ninety -eight feet; Easterly by land of Nathanael Green, Esh'rchants, all of Boston aforesaid, Ix'tweeu tli«.' said John Little on the one ])art, and the said (jeoriro (Jlen, William Hall, William Shaw and others, a Connnit- tee, chosen for the purposes aforesnid, on the other ]>art; l)earing date the ninth day of April, <»ne thousand seven hundred and thirty-live, was ascert;iined to the said John Little, as by the said Award, reference thereto being had, may more at large apjx'ar. " To HAVK AM) TO uoi.i) the said ])iece or parcel of T^and, Meeting House, and Premises with the aj)j)urtenances (saving and reserving as aforesaid ), unto the said (ieorgo Glen, William Shaw and William Hall and Andrew Knox, in their capacity aforesaid, and to their successors in that Trust and oflice forever, but to and lor the only ])roper use, benefit and behoof of the said Congregation (according to the Tenures and after the s^ame mann(>r as the Church of Scotland hold and enjoy the Lands whereon the Meeting Houses are erected), forever, and for no other use, intent or purpose whatsoever; with Warranty against him the said John Little, and his iieirs, and all and every other Person and Persons, whatsoever, from, by (jr under him or them. Together with the IJenelit of a Warranty in a certain Dec.'d mentioned from Theodore Atkinson, (Jentlcman, as the afore-named Nathanael (ir(H!n, ])urchased tlie same as in and by the said deed, bi'aring date the twentieth day of November, 1723, of Record in the Registry of Deeds, for tho County of Sutlblk, may a])pear, which granted Land and Premises, with the ai)purtenances before th(> said Meeting House was thereon erected, the said John Little purchased of Henry Deering, Es licrcunto set their liands and srals. tilt' Day and Year lirst aforcwritti'n. John X Little, his mark and a seal; Mary Little an7, Win. Ilall was i*resident. In his will, which was made July 'ioth, and probated September 1st, 1741, after provision for the payment of all his debts, the allotment of one-third of his real estate to his wife, a small sum to his father, to his brotliers, sis- ters and mother-ill-law, he gave two j)onnds to Charles, son of Peter Pelham, schoolmaster, for the friendship received from his father and family — and the rest of his estate, real and personal, to his two sons, his dear children, John and Moses, in efjual ])ortions — and if they should both die before thev should marrv, or arrive at twenty-one vears of age — "Then, I give all my real and personal estate and profits thereof remaining, to th(? overseers of the poor of Boston forever — for the following ])urp()ses, and no other use whatsoever, viz.: to improve the same to the best ad- vantage, and of the annual jirofits to employ some able and proper person from time to tiinc^ forever, as a school- master, to teach ])()or Protestant children whose parents are of the kingdom of Irtdand, and inhabitants of Boston, m reading, writing, and arithmetic, and j)ay hiin a proper sum ft)r the same. To provide for such (Oiildren books and utensils, with a Psalter, Testament and Bible to each of them. " None to be admitted to this charity, but such as are propt'rly recommended and seven years old, and to leave at fourteen years of aj^e. ' Their number to be regulateil by said overseers and directors f«)rever.' " He did not with this charity, as he did with the trust created on June 9th, a. d. 1785, for a vastly higher purpose, put it beyond the contingencies of human life; yet it mnnif(st? a kind, 111:111, Wll COIllirctinll 75 ristinn spirit in tlio ilc it ?;li('\vs us, to sonic extent, the inseparahli! IN NEW ENGLAND. jTonprous, and bet ween true l*res))vterianisin and the dif- l"usiit;i of elementary edueaiion. W'hetiier either of his sons eaiiie to nianliood or niar- rief (Jod ; '' hut had created a trust, (lesi<:ned, if not j)ervert"d, to subserve tiie glory of Jeho- vah, tlie honor of Christ, and the welfare of true J'resby- terians forever — and " he being dead yet sjieaketh," and serves vM'h succeeding generation, so that out; hundred and forty-six years have not yet erased his name from tlie list of I'iiristian benefactors."' A (juarter ol" a century had not given these '' o}>prosse(l Irish I'resbyterian bicthren "' civil and social free and two children, from Drunswick, "to be here next Wt'dnesday." 1741, -lune 24th. Robt. Henry indemnities tor five years as a blacksmith for i!l(JO. Green and Walker were his bondsmen. We now chronologically return for a tinui to the church of Londonderry, in view espi-cially of its early loss of its beloved friend and pastv)r, while, at the same time wo look at the ecclesiastieul usaLres of this people, in common with all scriptural I'resbyti'rians. in some of their di.s- criminating features, as tli-sliiict from Prelacy and Congre- gationalism In d< Mr. Parker )ing this, I again (|Uote extensively from the Rev, u The text from which the Rev. Mr. McGregor preached, i 1 ■ I ; I ,'t hi ; 1 { t 'G HISTORY OF PRElsnYTKUIANIPM W'hon lio look tlio ])nstf)ral rare of the infant cliiiroh in Londonderry, tlicn literally in the wilderness, was Kz. XXX vii. 'J('>. "This promise as a))]>lied to this band of oinijirants, has been strikingly fuliilled, in the permanency, onlarjro nient and prosj)erity of the settlement, then devontly eonnneneiMl. It has l>een shewn, that the leadinir motive of these colonists in comini^ to this country was the more full and free enjoyment of reli^'ious ])rivile,L'es. "Like the I'ilirrims, they S()Uii,ht a home and a place, with ' frcfMlom to worship (Jod.' The Londonderry emi- gration, in 171'^, so called (as they mostly i-ame from that citv and its vicinity,) included four I'resbvterian nunisters. Of thes(>, Mc(ire;ior was chosen pastor. The records of the church commence .June 27th, l7-'"i. The first session w;is comi)osed of ten ruling elders, and one was added in 172()." The following extracts from their records may shew how they "took heed to the Hock over whi(;h the Holy Crhost had made them overseers. The first case presented was the report that James Doake had quarrelled with his father and had beaten liim. * The session came to the conclusion: that after a great deal of pains taken, they cannot find it proven, that James Doake did beat. his father, yet the session agreeth that James l)t)ake should l»erel.)uked before them, for giving his father the lie, and to be ex- horted to respect and honor his parents in words and ac- tions." The next case of discii)line was a charge brought by John Archibald against James Moor, for using unjustifia- ble expressions of a ])rofane character, which Moor denied ; yet he was (,'xhorted by the session to be watchful and more circumspect for the future. A trait of character which distinguished this jicople was a generous sympathy for their friends in aflliction,and a readiness to tender relief, llenci' we find, that at the early jjeriod of 17-5, tlie session ordered two i)ublic col- lections on Sabbath. One was to aid a Mr. James Clarke, residing in Rutland, Massachusetts, to ransom his son taken l)y tlu; Indians; the collection, straitened as were their circumstances at the time, amounted to five pounds. The other was for the relief of William Moor, who had two cows killed by the falling of a tree ; three pounds and IN NKW KNfiLAND. 77 ninotoon sliillinprs woro roroived. It is most evident from these uneient reeonls. that, whatever iniperteetioiis ap- ))e;irt(l in the ehar.icti r ot" the ]ie(i]ih\ the ehh'rs did not sillier sin to i»ass unicpvnved. Ini)turity ofspeceh oraet; the circulation of slanilerous rej)orts, dishonesty, or, ne^rlect of social rrli;_dous duties, were suhjects of promjjt and faithful dis('i|iliiu'. Thev wen- pure I'rtshyterians, and no jteopjowcrc more distinjiuishcd for stuind Christian doctrine and order, or for a more strict and iiillexihle code of morals. On March •')th, IT"-".*, the conurciration experienced a heavy loss in the di"Uh of the lltv. Mr, Me(Jrc^M»r. lie died at the aacritice of ease and comfort ever attendant upon a new settlement. Jt was the custom at that day, and for thirty years afterwards, for all "ahle- hodied men " to ^o to chm-ch well armed, in oriler to he ]»rc])ared to repel any sudden attack from the Indians, and their j»astor always marched into his j»uli)it uith ///.•* (1(1,1 veil hxuird (iihI primed.'* The K(.'V. Matthew Clarke hecame the successor of Mi". Me( Jreuor, and on Januarv 5Hh, 1 ( .).>, married, as his third wife, his widow. He never ate of aiiytliiuji which had possessed animal life, and while a minister of the Prince of Peace, as he had served as an oflicer in the Protestant aitny, and was active in the de- fence t)f Londonderry durin.>r tlu? memorahle siejie, his martial spirit would not unfrtMjuently be revived. He died January 25th, 173.'), a,i)ns within their reach.'' (('haml)ers' Tribute, y. So.) The Norridt,o'walks were langht by tiie i'rench missionaries to believe, that the Mnirlish murdered the Saviour of mankind, and the Indians would kill all of theni they could." (Sewall, j), 317,) Wolfe's victory in 17o.) put a slop to this savage cur- nagL, and uftcr tliut date garrisuiis and bluckhouses wt^re not iiebdud. ■I I < M 1 T-r 78 HISTORY OF rriKSnYTEfUANISM camlifliitc, " Ji suit:il)l(>, \v« llwuiiiliricd. iuul iurrcditcd inin- istcr, ti» tiiUc clijir^io of tlicfu in tin- l-d to i>rev(>nt unworthy intruders. Thursday hefore the connnunion was ohserved as a sacramental fast with much strictness, while preachin;^ on Friday and Saturday and thanks^fivintr on >Ion(lay, were j»art of their stated communion servic(\s. There would sometimes he three or four tahles, alter which a short recess, then a discourse and the usual devotional ex'jrcises, which wi're often extended to sunset. '"Such scdemn and devout convocations, such assem- bling of the j)eoj)le for several consecutive ilays i'or jtrayer, praise and preachimr; if the ])ractice were revived hy the churches, would hapjtily serve, it is believed, to j)romot(* their spirituality, and hrinjj; down the \K were, liy tlic {.'cn- cral court, invrstt'd witli priviU'^M s, ami slylud the West rarisli in Londonderry. " Ui'V. David Mt'(ir('),M>r, son ol* tlic |{cv. .lames McdrcL'or, took the pastoral eliar;re (d' the ncwly-t'tirnicd conizrcLiation. lie reciived his litt-rary and iheolojiical education chietly \nidcr the Hev, Mr. Clarke, his lather's successor, and was ordaineil in IT-'IC)." The Kast Parish, in IT-'iO, cidlcd the llcv. William David- son. They jiave him one hundred and sixty p(»unds ;is ii settlement, and the sanje sum annually as his salary. Amidst all their general prosperity and the enjoyment of the means ot" fjjraee, unsanctilied human nature ltei::in to ♦ tperate, and, at an laily day, harmony hecame impaired hetween the two eon^'re^'atious. A nundier ol" families residin;r in the east one, hein;r dissatisTuMl with Mr. David- son's ministry, anast«>r. more evam^elical in his doctrinal views, and a more talented ])reacher than Mr. Davidson, united with the newly-lbrmcd jtarish. \ chancre of about a mile in the site of the West Church imlueed about the same lunnber of fandlies (about forty) to withdraw from the West and unite with the ICast. Thi.s unhapi)y tlivision. which lasted for nearly forty years, was ](roduetivi' of evils ion^ lelt in the conjire^'ations, not only oecasioninj; alienation of feelin<; and often bitter aniniosi- tii'S between the niend)ers of these two churches, but also preventinu' all ndnislerial and even social inli-rcourse Ix^- tween their pastors. The following' minute from the re(;ortls of the session (of Juno 1st, 174.'>), nuiy servo to show the want of Christian fellowship which then ex- isted : ' " James Wilson came to the session and desired to bo admitted to the sacrament, to which Mr. Davidson told him, with the si'ssion, that we admitted none that |»artook; with Mr. Mc(ireersonal (piarrel with his minister that made him decline from him. lie answered it was not, but only tho teiuiUa (, tenets; they held iij) aiuong.st them, and that he VV I Ii ' I ' > m: ii ' U -m" "" y ipi li 80 IIISTOUV OK rUlsnYTKUIANISM would not join with tlimi for tlio futnro. jnul upon tlioRo lie ^ot ii tnkrn ol ;i(lnii>>i<)n."' This alienation is Curtlirr shewn hy their resiKctivc viowH ol' th(^ preat awakenin;.' or e.\tra<>rreachin'4 they left out. as has heen justly said, the flistinctive doc- trines of the ( 'alvinistic system, dwelt chielly on moral and practical i!>liijatit)n of the law as a rule of life is strongly maintained in practice as Well as ])rofession — if this, I say, Ix- antinomian ^. they had to mrounter stronti prejudiees, were vi. wed. to sotni! extfut, as iiitrudeaeeal)ie sctth-nient and were not driven olV or rxpellrd. they wti-c in a urncration or two ol'ten assiini- latcd to ami alnorl.t I hy tin' ovt-rshadowin;; iidlnenee of the colonial religion. Hence their nieetin'.'-lntnscs in many towns lirivo passed into the |)ossession of ("onLrrc/ationalists. These i, and the church hecanH? Con!:r(\L^•ltionaI Junt; .'lOth, 177'.). Of this Prcshytery he was prohahly durinjr its existence a memhcr. I le died then; on Novem- ber 12th, 177''), in the ninetieth year of his a^'o and the forty-seventh of his nunistry. Peters ( 7/m/. dJ Citnn.) says: **lu Voluntown tliero is one Presbyterian purish. This IN NKW K.Nlil.AXD. 8B il.i port ]in.= rx)oi wllli ns littlo Cliristinn rlinrity nnd linmnnity in this liiiiiliraiiifd <'(»niiiniiiily as the Aiiahaptists, (Qua- kers and < 'liurchiiH'ii. The ' sdlur (lissciitcrs ' ly o nlv to the state of that eoniinunity in the time of liis succes- sor, llie llev. .Mr. (iihiiore. Of all the in(lueti(»iis of Presbyterian ministers to sorvo C'onL'i'eL'ationalist societies, that which as the occasion was 1 iro( hut ive ol the most extensive eonse([uenees for evil was the settlement ot' the I {ev. James II illhouse with the second ]>aiish of New London ( callcil Monlvillcj in that colony on Uctoher ;;d, 1722. Kor several years matters apjx-ar to have prospered with him, hut wlietlaT his doctrine did not suit his audience or his |>raetiee hccamo impropt-r, does not appear. For some cause, hitwever, he became iuipo|)ular with his people. Jle also proseeuteil one of his nei'^hhors anccame rite. The correspondence between the ConuMcirational and Presbyterian ndnisters of an iAW- cial and especially of a fraternal character was now i'Up- turc(l, by specific vi(!ws of church j)ow(>r. If the I'resbytery should adnut inm, while "ordered" by :i council to resiu'u bis ollice, a par value would not bo placed on their standiuL' and authority. On this (|Uestion the Presbytery divided. A majority were for rejectint,' him, but at amectiuLr held in IT'lC). when but live ministers wen; |>resress. Anion;; those, thus aliciiatecl, were the pastors of th(j IJoHton churches. Le.Mercier advocated tin! expc- ilieucy, if not the princi|»le ol' reco^ni/inL'' the action of tlu? council as valid while .Moorehead iiiainlaiiied, that its ''power (as e.\ercised in the ciise of Mr. ilillhousc) was .Jesuitical and usurped" — and that as he had rec«'ived his '>, " recc.'ivcd him as a memher ol" the Church of .Scotland. " I''n»m th(» pulpit also, cvidenn, the Kev. Mr. Harvey was siis|»enr|ed hy I'reshytery - Avhile thrv liv(! ministers —LcMcrcier, Thompson, Wilson, McdiCna- lian. and .lohnston. The ricshytery which met in I'.oston Oct., IT-'Ul ("that is, tht'Hc live clergymen with their elders;, forhade their inemheis to preach or cxtrcise any ministerial ollic*' (says J.,e.Mcrci( i) within the hounds of the other ministers, without the kuowk'dgo of tliu rrcsbytery — that is, tlicy I'M IN NEW ENOLANP. 85 woro not In proncli in tlio fiulpits of ^Tr. !\foorolic;i(l or Mr. ii.irvfv, iiii majority complained, and which made the separation final. "In tl»e IM'cshytery held in I'.oston in Oct., \~'M\, when the names of the several memliers wire called, amonji the rest was that of Mr. David Mc(lrepore. '.\s he had never sat with them hefore, the llev. Mr. Kutheilord desired to know how he hecame a memher, and who pave the or- dainers power to do it? As the major pait desired to he satisfied in this, helori' they admitted Mr. Me(ireLM)re, Mr. Moorehead, previously ora(l jMid his Strom: attachment to his i-ountryinen, while Le- Mercier's sympathies prol»ably were somewhat misled, by his early associations and then present surrounding's of church and state, i'lie un|tlcasant beariu'.: of Mr. Ilill- liouse also mado his fi'Uowship witli tiie I'resbytery to bo of a short duration, and it did not nullil'y the action of tho council in his case. Owinj; to the widely scattered position of tho members of Presbytery, and consefjuent prohai)le n(m-af)pearance at stated occasional mcH'tinirs, especially in winter, we can account for the absence (»f a majority of the ministers at the ordination of Mr. David .Mcdreuore (who had been pre- viously licensed); but why tlu^ Kev. .Mr. Rutherford, "who was ot an amiable and excellent disposition." should aim to exclude him, does not so fully appear, 'i'he younj^ man was much beloved, eminently poi)ular and useful. Per- haps the fact that he had not graduated at any colleec Mr. Rol)ert Temple, from Ireland, hail brought a colony in 171'.>or 1720. Wiiile some of them, diseoura2. He, how- ever, when in possession, had ceded to his (Countrymen tlie towns of Hristol, iNohlesboro and Boothhav. He returned to Britain in 1737. Of Andrew Reed, a principal settler in Townsend, it is paid that lor a whole winter ( that of 1780) he read iiis Bible and (;ut and piled (>ordwood alone, exposed at all times to the sava^'cs, and when asked on his return, " Were you not afraid?"' answered, "Had not 1 the Bihle with me? I was neither alone, nor afraid of the Indians." (S., p. 264.) Of the descendants of the Dmihar ciniL^ration, says Sewall, )). '2iV.\. "they are intelligent, enterprising, fearless, thrifty, peaceful and viiiorous." Waldo, who hatl. as the ajrent of Massachusetts, a]ipeared suceessfully agaiiist Dunhar in l^iigland, next hrouirht over emigrants to Maine. 'I'wenty-seven families of Scotch descent from the north of Iri'land, who in 178.') arrived under his direction, were each hy him furnished with one hundrecl ;ieres ol' land on the hanks ol" the rivir St. (leorge, in the town of W'arrt'U. Hutherford had thus from his arrival an ample field of 'He ))reached in Bristol four or live yeai's." ( W'il- lal >or. namson s M; line.! To assist him, the Rev. William Mc- Clenahan came over ahout 17'>1. Neither of them, jjow- ever, appears to have had in Maine a permanent settlement. An increase ti> tlu'ir numl)ers, in this region, occurred in this way: About 17M)the "(Jrand Desiu^n," with passen- gers for Pennsylvania, was wrecked on .M(»unt Deser*, and many of the survivo's settled in Warren, IVunujuid, 81ieepscot and Damariscotta. While, at this date, it is supposed that no part of New 'in d ; '■' ■ V i } ;i 1 . » - 1 ■J 1 ., J <'''^i lIISTOItY OF rilKSBYTKiaAMSM England was so str<>ni:ly I'ri-sliytcrinn ;is was tlio PDuntry lyinfj; between the Kciincltcc ;m(l I'ciiohscdt, yet, to etleet settlenuMits of this ehiireh order was dillieiilt, owinj; to the tenacity or ohstiiiaey of thi- ('(»ii;j:re;iati()n;dists in the (hf- ferent parishes. 'I'hey seldom heejime I'reshyterians, while the others frecpiently united with them. From 17^^4 till near 17.17 tiie IJev. K. Uutherford preached chiefly at Pemaquid, and in 17o7 he preached at lirnns- wick, where he was settled as the first minister of that town, and continued there till 171'_'. "Williamson.) In 3747 Mr. Kuthertord was clia|dain in Hendersons Fort, at Pleasant Point, lie asked a suitable sum for his table expenses and was refused. Perhaps his bein<,' a Presbyte- rian as well as a friend of (iovernor Dunbar's op(.'rated af^ainst him. (P. o*.}, Katon.j He died at Thomaston in October, 175(5, aued (J.S years. The Rev. William MeClenahan was invited in 1734 to settle at Georj^etown, but the ('onifre,i.;ationalists kept up a quarrel for the two years in wiiieh he occasionally prtached to them. On the loth of November, 17'X), he was installed at Cape Elizabeth, as apjiears by the ''Journal of the Hev. Thomas Smith, of Falmouth,'' who()|»posed his usi'fulness. His temperament was such that lie was ollen in dilliculty, and in this place "he stirred up a controV( rsy which eniled in his dismission," and he returned to (Jeorj^'ctown and vicinity. Cape Elizabeth had been partly settled by the McGrep^orc and Boyd emij;ration, and now, seventeen years afterwanls, the number (jf families which had settled at Porpooduc, on Casco Bay, in Falmouth Township, is supposed to have been about twenty, who. alihouudi tliey at lirsl enit)yed the services of the Uev. William Cornwall, antl afti-r he had left them the labors of the ivcv. Mr. Woodside— still, such were their disadvantaircs civilly as well as physically that they were unai>le lonj; to sustain ordinances. Congregationalism obtained the' ascendency in the town, and now after some twenty years of struji^de for a perma- nent existence, with the departure of Mr. Mcf'lenahan Pres- byterianism becamt' prostrated, so that when, some thirty years later, a Presbyterian cleru'yman i)reached a iSabbatli or two in the vicinity, while his teaehinfzs and usa,tj:es in worship were hailed with great delight by the aged, yet IX XF.W KNtilAND. 89 the Prrsbytfrinn flrmont Imd liccomc nrarly extinct, either liv rciiiovMl or I'V ronrnniiity tn y hotli. W'e liiive. then, the early decay v relcrcnce, t'roni time to lime carried to tlio Synod of I'lster. After Moorehead .and llarvcy were 'in l(.')7j suspendi'd and Mc(ire;,'ore's ordination uas i<_'nored, Ihitherford, LeMercier, Thomson, Wilson, McCleiiahan and .Johnston (their con^M'e^ations wdiere thcv were settled n and 17-".(t. for in IT-''* his con- irri'.Mtion ap|>ealed '"to the justice of their fellow-townsmen lor relief litxii " the parish-tax for the sujiporl of the Con- irre^rationalist niinisler, and while, instead of reei-ivini^ c(iuity, they were answered with "suhtilty and illiheral- ity," they were also told that '"his ordination was disor- (liiiicoln.' How U>n'-t he lahored there is not ersons iniaLMue that they are similar, or, as they Hay, "there is hetw«'en them only a little dill'erenee, only a iittle al)out elunch ^ovennnent — and they are so nearly identical as inutually to support each other," while in reality they an; irreconcilahly antaL'onistical. " Ohey them that have the rule over you and suhndt yourselves, lor they watch for your souls, as they that must n'wo an ac- count" — tirst to the I'rcshytery, and finally to ''the chief Shenhcrd," is essentially and totidly dillcrent from, "(Jo to, let us," or, that, "all chur(;h power resides in the church, and not in church oflicers ; and resides in each particular church directly and oritzinally, hy virtue of the express or nn| ilie.l compact ot Its memhers. .So it was then in New Knixland hetween these two form.s of church gov((rnment. So it is now, and ever must h 'I'liey ar<' distinct species, radically dillcrent and esse n- tially opposed to each other. Coiiseipicntly, so lonj; as liny (!onj;reifations were kept purely I'reshyterian, they ])rospcre(l as such, and just so soon as this form of re;„dmeii was ahated or i;.rnore(l, ('on^^regationalism controlled the j)arish. We have in Mllford, New Haven county, one of those ehurches. which came to I'reshyterianism. The Kev, Samuel Whittlesey was settled here in l)(C('mher, 17')7, and " rc;.rarde(l as unsound in docliine" hy a considcrahle minority of the people, who professe*! themselves to hi; Preshytcrians accordim; to the Church of Scotland, they left th(! State rdiuion, and the I'reshytery of New liruns- wick took them under its care. The Rev. Samuel Kind- ley, aft<'rwards ['resident of the (.'oUej^e of New Jersey, was sent to preach to tlu^m. Uut the conj;rej_'ation had not obtained recognition, either by the civil or ccclesiuisti- IN NKW KNOI.AND. 5)1 ml .'lutlinritios ns a n'liL'ioim poricty; nnnl»lic jtrMcc, out of the colotiy. In 1717 Mr. .lol) I'niddcn w.-is liy tlw simic IVosbytrry ord;iiin'd and installed their |>astor. The j)eople, however, (•ontiniu'd to he t:ixed for the sii|t|t(irt of the jiMfish minis- ter. The Stiite, while it then exempted fntm such taxa- tion eert.'iin reliirioMs societies, jjition;dists ;ind l*reshyteri;ins. In 17o.)'.>.) i'rudden was a lahorious. prudent and faithful pas- tor, sound in doctrine and experimental in his jireachm;^. His talents, metUness and ]»iety, ^ave innversal satisfac- tion to his |MMi|)le. lie died June 21th, 177-1. ( H. ) Cases of such expediency are n latively nmnerous. Not only I'orpooduc and Worcester hut also Chrstor in New Hampshire now hp;;an to manifest the truth of this position. 'I'his town, contiguous to Kondonderrv, was settled lirst hy I'reshyterians, and from 17.''>(ltill 1734 they had the sorvi(!es of the Kev. Moses Hale in the ('on^'rej.M- tional way, as the parish minister, some of the townsmen who came to it from time to time heiuL' of that order. In 17'M, however, the I'reslivtj-rians lindin;; themselves ahle to su|)|)(a't him, had the l\'V. John Wilson* s«'ttled over them, "after the rules of the Church of Scotland." In 17'I(>, after resistinj:, as far as practicahic, the settle- ment of till! Kev. Mhene/.er I'^laj/LS as a Coni^reuMtionalist minister there, the Preshyterians were c<»mpelled hy law to support him also. Many of them refused to pay tho tax for his sujtport. l''or this 'wo of them, .lames Camp- hill and Thomas Tolford, we;e put in jail at Kxeter, hy * His fatlicr, llu' Krv. .T" c^ S W- i^. i/.x fA 1.0 I.I 1.25 |5 t 1^ 1.4 |||M [20 1.6 ^ i ;> y /^ '"rf'^wwi II 92 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM the town collector. They afterwards obtained a decision in law in their favor and were released. Taking encour- agement from this, the Presbyterians, in IToS, erected a meeting-house, and persevering in sustaining the pvstor and worship of their choice, they, by im])ortuning the liCgislature, were, in 1740, allowed cor])orate powers, and after this date se|)arate congregations (one of each order) were niivintained in Chester for many years. The Rev. Mr. Wilson preached in this town for forty-five years. (N. H. Gaz.) This case also fairly illustrates the irrecon- cilable nature of these two systems of church government, and things which differ should always be distinguished. In doctrine, at this date, Presbyterianism and New Eng- land Congregationalism differed very little, as the latter was, as yet, Calvinistic in her theology. The New Eng- land Primer was the basis of instruction in the pulpits, in the family and in the daily schools. Witness Prince's Thursday lectures on the Shorter Catechism, in the Old South Church in Boston, for several years. In ivorship the difference became increasingly greater wth time. The Presbyterians, now expatriated from their r .tive homes, had for above two generations cherished with sacred affection the songs of Zion, and sang in their families and churches only the book of Psalms, in the version appointed (to the exclusion of all other poetry) by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, to be sung by her congregations. This version had been, after careful examination by her Presbyteries, adopted and ex- clusively authorized by the Kirk on May 1st, 1650. In later times, by ignorance, ])rejudice and bigotry, it has been called " Rouse," because many of the ])salms were, after revision, adopted from his metrical translation of a part of the Psalter. While the Pilgrims had brought with them to Plymouth Rock, in 1(520, Ainsworth's ver- sion ; and the Puritans had, with their Episcopal service, brought the version of Plopkins and Sternhold to Shaw- mut in l().'->0, when these last turned a soniersault ; in 1(>1*) the Rev. Messrs. Mather, Eliot and ^^'el(l were ap])()int( il to make a new version, which they c<^m))leted in lour years. To print this, the first press was brought to the colony. After the Freeman's oath and an almanac, their version 1 I I IN NEW ENGLAND. 93 try, it isiilnis '■^ latiou ■*i (m]isherl in 1640, anrl was the first hook printed in this ])art of North Arnorica, books having Ix'cn previously printed in Mexico. (Thomas.) This version^ was called "the Bay State Psalm-Book." It passed throuujh at k^ast eioston. Ikit the i)eoj)]e were nearly all Irish, and after the incorporation of the town on A})ril loth, 1741, they determined to have a Preshyterian minister. Having thus soon the condition of these "oppressed Irish brethren " during the last few years of the first quar- ter of a century of their residence in New England, we now turn to some of the religious vicissitudes through which they i)assed, induced hy their surroimdings. The country in the southern and central colonies had been visited, and in ])arts rc^visitod ])y tlie renowned White- field, and he reached Boston in Soptomhor, 1740. He was assisted in his itinerant and revival lal)ors by the Rev. Gilbert Tonnant,* and soon l)()th were followed by the Rev. James Davenport, of Southfiold, T.ong Island. On October 2yth, 1727, N(;w England had heen visited by an earthquake so powerful in its nature as to exten- sively alarm, and in connection with the moans of grace, bring not a few of the people to a more solenui i)ersonal *"He was ordained in 1727, and is supposed to have been the first candidate licensed in the Presbyterian Clmrch in America who waa educated within its limits." {Log College, p. 43.) IN m:\v ]:ngi.and. 97 ; i tough had 'hite- -vvas Rev. Ucv. 'isited }xton- rrace, i'isonal le first ho was inquiry in n^lation to their s))iritual welfare. In the course of ten or twelve years th(,'!?e ini])ression«! were hy tliat licnei'ation measurably I'ornottcMi, and ])rohiil)ly were now ainiiist lost, in such days of declension the atten- tion of many was arrested by the a])pearance of Whitctield. Tlie novehy of his manner and his i)Owerful eloquence at- tracted lar^v audien(;es, and as he visited the prominent towns and villages in the (;olonies, his influence became very extensive. lie had not yet (in 1740) separated from WeVley (which he did in the n(;xt year). It has been estimated that ])roba])ly by about one-fifth of the clergymen of Mew England he was welcomed and a])plau(led. Tlu! doctrine of the Congregationalist churches was at this date still generally Calvinistic, consequently Rev. ^Tessrs. Thomas I'rinee, Jolm Webb and A\'illiam Cooper, «)f Jjoston, who were the warm advocates of the revival, not only described it on January I'Jth, 1742, as "the wondrous work of God making its triun)phant jjrogress through the land,"' but they also declared that " in vain do its remain- ing enemies attemijt to brand it as enthusiasm." Thev then state, " We are glad that our brethren from Ireland agree with us on the Shorter Catechism." Yet at this ]»t'riod, while the doctrine of the churclies was extensively Calvinistic, the union of Cnurch and State was operating in n)any cases to jiroduce an unfruitful ministry, if not a lifeless formality, and both })astors and peoi>le were now, at least partially, aroused to in([uiry. In view of tli(> resnlts of the labors of Messrs. Whitefield, Tennant and I)aven})ort. some of the most powerful and sanctified minds in the land (such as that of Jonathan Edwards) were promi)ted to greater diligence in the work of the ministry. Not only did he " cry aloud and spare not" in his own charge in Northampton, Mass., but he to some extent itinerated. Among the many ]>laces which he visited none was more highly favored by the blessing of heaven upon his labors than Enfield, Conn., where, on July 8th, 1741, from the words, " Their feet shall slide in due time,"* he was * A ooiiforcnce of Baptist ministers in Boston in October, 1880, after discussli:,"; the .subject, euncluded that " it would not be for edification to 7 r :« J M ! i ! • i -i^l. Ill* i i j] lii i: * P 1 ;i ..i, .,^ :„ 98 HISTORY OF PRKSnYTEUIANISM instrumental in awakening hundreds from spiritual lethargy. V.'hen this revival of 1740-4 coniTnenced in New Eng- land, Mr. Moorehead was "shy of it," but, when its elle(;ts were more extensively exhibited, he, witli the Kev. D. Me- Gregore entered zealously inti) the measures adopted for jjrospering it. In his ehurch, the saerament of the Lord's supi)er was usually disi)ensed four times in the year. After his sus- ])ensi()n in 17o(), he was generally assisted by the liev. Mr. MeGregore. When the Presbyterian form is con- sidered, and it is remembered, that the services were con- tinued from Thursday forenoon till Monday afternoon (with the exception of Friday^, it will be seen that aid in the })ulpit became necessary. He availed himself of the opportunity, and had on one sacramental season, the as- sistance of the Kev. George W'hitefield. His meeting-liouse tlien was tlie old " barn,"' which John l^ittle liad "con- verted into a house of worshij)," and to which building the congregation had before this date — between 1735 and 1741 — 'added two wings." In "this rude and lowly edi- fice," (Mem. Fedl. St. Ch.,) at this date, 1740-1, even his own growing congregation could with difficulty be accom- modated. " On this occasion the house could not contain the audience, and the doors and windows were lilled with the spectators," especially on the Sabbath, when "each minister served a table in rotation." It was now a little unusual to see the position of ^loore- head and McCJregore. They had, in 1786, been suspended by the Presbytery. This had the elTect (according to Lc- Mercier) of preventing any of the Congregational ist min- isters for years from preaching in exchange with Moore- head, if they ever had done so, yet, now the majority of the ministers of the town received him as a fellow- worker in the revival — while from it, from year to year, the whole remanent members of the original Presbytery stood aloof. In this respect, as Presbyterians, taking part have any man preach such a sermon from tliat text to-day." It was nn Old Testament text, and they are in the lust iiuartcr of " the nincteeiitli century." A sermon from that text must be " dark and Jewish and cloudy." The times are changed, and such men are changed with them, while truth is unchangeable. IN NKW ENGLAND. 99 •with tliootluTS who assoc'iiitod with Mr. WhitcfiolH, Mooro- licud ;in seen, ahout one-fifth of the ministry hailed the arrival of Whitetield and Tennant ; hut of the others, at least not a few, oi)posed the " awakenini:;." In their visits to the leadinj^ towns and villa.u;es of New I'aii^land, they were i'ollowed by the Rev. James Daven- jiort. Of him tin; Rev. Mr. W — n, of FarmiuLiton, Connecrt- ieut, in which colony he labored much, says: ''Laying; yreat stress on trances, visions, revelations and impulses, speaking of the Holy Seri])turcs as a dead letter, and that it was not worth while for tlu> unconvert('(l to consult them ; encouraging negroes and the most ignorant of tho jieople to become exhorters, even in considerable assem- blies, and women to become teachers. Laying such weight on their agonies, screaming out, convulsions, faintings, etc., etc., wherein' the worship of God is disturlnid, and, suddenly, when they came out of them, with some seem- ing joy, declaring their conversion." As Mr. Davenport set light by the " Holy Scriptures as a dead letter, and that it was not wortli while for the unconverted to consult them," so he carried out his measures by introducing human ])oetry to excite appro|)riate feelings, r(>jeeting tho songs of Zion, " written not with ink only, but with and by the Spirit of the living (Jod." Hence, coivtinues Mr. W — n, "thrusting out, and bringing in a reproach uj)ou our sacred ])salmody, by bringing hymns into the worship of (Jod of a mere human composure." Up till this ])eriod the Psalms alone were the matter of ])raise used in the public formal worship of God, but now the agitation of the churches made men less careful about the Divine landmarks. Copies of the imitations of the V]\) of the Ps.alms, which the Rev. Dr. Watts had finished in A. I). 1718, were from time to time imported and used inider the grace of better rhythm and l)eautics of smoother jioetry (while he did not pretend that they were a /m>j,s'- latinn, verdon, or copy of the sacred original, but only an imitation, the Psalms of David imitated in the language M i I I! ■t 102 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM ^;l llliii^' fliiwiiiiii^ of the Now Tc'.stam('nt\ yet, as tliis autlior was an avowed (Icfeiuler and a l)()astc!(l oniaiuent of indopenclcncy, if not of ('()nLM'(';!;;itioniilisni, the Uev. Mr. Mtither said, in ad- drL'ssin^ him, '" Is this an an^cl, or a Watts that sinys?" It is prohahh; tliat, havinir drunk so lon;^ the old wino of the pure word, the New En;,dand ehurelies wouhl not yet, for years, liave said, the new wine of the l.'ii) iniita- ti<>ns is hc'tler, but they were |)roi)ahly extensively used by Mr. Whitelield, and they suited the views and aims of ^ir. Davenport and the other ''separatists." Consequently a demand was created for them, and in 1741, a Mr. Edwards puljlisiied at Dock .S(4uare in Boston, of them the first American edit' )n. His " three books of liynms"were not scriptural enour()ii'ili( into tilt' pulilic \vorslii[) of (lod. No, not the very Ix'st in the world, even tlio.se of Dr. Wntts hini.si'lf." Wo thus? sec tiM' hold which the son^s of Jehovah had for iihovc ii ('cntnry upon the Puritan mind, when the soul recoiled at the idea of plaeinj; "strange lire upon the altar of (iod " in praise, even while it mi^lit he the "very l)est mere human hynms in the world." " How has the p)ld hecome dim I J low is the most line ^old changed !" \\'e have seen that, on the eharaeter and results of the ''awakening'," the Presl)ytcrian ministers were divided. The Preshytery a|»i)ear to have, if nt»t op|)osed it, at least to have taken no positive interest in it. One of their lunnher, who a))pears to have joined them since the sus- ]»ension of Moorehead and Harvey (in 1786 ), was a Mr. John Caldwell, of whom, jwinii; to the loss of the Records of that Preshytery, we know but little, heside the fact, that he zealously op' ;ed "the awakenintj; " and its authors, and preached ht-tore the Presl)ytery in the French Church a sermon on "the marks of false prophets." l^aven])ort was at this time in a frenzy of zeal, animatinfj; and inereas- \\\\l " the soparatinc: brethren and sisters in Long Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts." "He was borne away by a strange enthusiasm in 17-10-41. He encouraged out- cries, l)y wdiich religion was disgraced. His voice he raised to the highest pitch and gave a separate tune (tone) which was characteristic of the separate preachers. In his zeal he examined ministers, as to the reality of their religion, and warned the peojile against unconverted min- isters. Davenport having denounced the Boston minis- tors was presented to the grand jury and by them declared to be insane. (W.) In 1742 the Assembly of Connecticut directed the governor to transport him from that colony to Southhold, Long Island. He i)ublished a retraction and confession in 1744 and died in 1755." On his departure from Boston, in 1742, Mrs. Moorehead wrote to him an address in })oetry, " by way of dream." In a pamphlet of eight pages 16mo., she not only praises Mr. Davenport and " censures Mr, Caldwell," but also "addresses a sinner," saying: " We merit nothing but our utmost cares, But plead the scars his human nature wears." illji • I i ;i ii I 104 HISTORY OF PKESBYTEUIAXISM ill If: 111 I }{'■*. ill 1 ^ /* 1 MliBiiiiiii In the moantiine INIr. Caldwell labored zealously to counteract wliat he l)elieved to be a wide-spreading and dangerous enthusiasm. In 1742 he i)r(;aciied and published in Boston a sermon on the "trial of the present si)irit,"' a second on "the Scripture character, or marks oi' false teachers," and a third "against uncharitable judging." In these views and l;ibt)rs he a])[)ears to have been sus- tained by the Presbytery. In June, 1742, he received by the recommendation of their ])astor, the Rev. William Davidson, I'rom the congregation of Dorry, "a little help, tin uu of eight i)0unds," (Kec. of Sess.) Letters were written to Scotland speaking dis})aragingly of "the awak- ening" and its results. Hence, sniil the Rev. Joshua Gee, of Boston, to the Rev. Nathaniel Iv'lls, "The shameful misrepresentations of the state of religion among us, whicli have been given by Mr. A. ]M. ([jrobably the Rev. Andrew LeMercier), by the famous ^Ir. John Caldwell and by tlie Rev. S. Mather, according to the accounts of the revival in England, which come to us from Scotland, seem to bo this: that since Mr. WhitelieUrs coming, antinomianism, familiaistical errors, enthusiasm, gross delusions and scan- dalous disorders have been ])revailing in the churches."' What action the Presbytery took, or what deliverances it gave to the churches under its care, in view of tlie distrac- tions which were introduced (from the loss of their Re- cords), we know not, only we see that C!aldwell laboretl at least occasionally in Londonderry, but xMoorehead and McGregor (who were not then in connection with any Presbytery) joined with others in ap[>roving the entire movement. Mr. McGregor preached in favor of the awak- ening, and })rinted one or more sermons on the subject. On July 7th, 174'3, a meeting of ministers called for the purpose of approving tlie labors of Whitelield, Tcnnant and Davenport, was held in Boston. Moorehead was present and Joined in the approval. MeC}regor could not attend, l)ut afterwards coneiu'red l)y letter, saying, "I look upon this to be the hapj)y effects of Divine inlhu'uces. 1 have seen Itut little growth of antinomi;uiism but what arises from justilication by faitli alone, and of enthusiasm only that wliich springs from the witnessing of the Si)irit."' At that moeting, or subsequently by letter, there were IN NEW ENGLAND. 105 given in nil one hundred and eleven attestations to the re- vival : one from Rhode Ishind, ein. May Ciod bless it. "James Davkni'okt." Such, then, was the state of Presb3'terianism in New England in relation to doctrine and worshij> in 174."]-4, at tlu' end of the tirst (piarter of a century afteT it had been introduced by Metiregor and his associatt^s. In some places it prospered exceedingly. This was the case in all is™ ffp 1 [ I i ■I • t' ■ i ; 1 i ; I 1 t j ' •1 1 r ■^1 ■1 1 ■. iii TTTT? 106 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM the towns where it had the ascendency and was established by civil law. In others it was worried for want of " free- dom to worship God," and in some cases, as we have seen, it succumbed to Congregationalism. . The precise number of congregations now, nor yet the exact number of settled pastors, we cannot state. Tiiere was, however, a Presbytery in full operation which had no intercourse with the ministers whom they had suspended. Emigration and domestic increase added largely to their aggregate numbers. New towns were set- tled, churches were formed, and during the next twenty- tive years Presbyterianism had an increasing vitality in New England. For the diffusion of knoAvledge or the support and vin- dication of "sound doctrine'' up till this ])eriod, the Press liad not been employed by Presbyterians in these colonies excepting by the liev. A. LeMercier in publishing his " History of Geneva." See appendix C. To it both Moorehcad and LeMercier afterwards resorted in their controversies, and the pamphlets of " John Pres- byter " and LeMercier's " review " and " answer " each betray not a little of " the wrath of man." IN NEW ENGLAND. 107 1^ :'l CHAPTER IV. 1743-1708 — An cfFicient Elderslup — Projiidicc — Formntion of a second Preshytcry — AlH'rcri)iiil)it' — Pclliani — Its Ih-II — Work ';j do — ColiMTiin — A "PreshylLiiul visitiition " — Daniel Mitriu'll lictnsc ' — Kiitland — Georf^t'towii — SliL'i'i»s('ot(.' — If ''he slionld judge sale "'— Wiscasset — Soidie^aii — Kint^^ston — < ilasgow — Boyd licensed — DifTieullies in Pel- liani — ['arsons received — Double taxes — First pro re mita, 1749— Ke- liefsouiriit l)y Parsons — Strife in Pi'liiam — Re; *''v. — A |)lea — Rea- H'His — Abercronihie suspended — "Rejoinder" — .. > precision of llie Scotcinnan -Four persons tit — His iinprndence — An exotic— The na- son — It grows — Better counsels — Palmer — Harvey — A scandal — Dis- nnssed — R. Rm-ns examined a part of two days — Installed there — Mr, Kiiihiows — C'oh'raine — The Foit precedt'd the church — Its hell from Lonl ('. purloined — Alexander McDowell — Another phast — I^aston — Rev. 8ol. Prentice— Troubles— Voted -Nov. 5, 17.")2— ".My wife at it" — Vagrant lay teachers — The millennium — Pri'sbyti'ry suspended him — He entertained not "angels unawares" — An address to " tlio Kirk"— Zeal in tlieir work — Calls — I'.oyd and Mary Ihichan — I'A'ld Psalm- -Boyd installed at New Castle— Winslow a disturber — \'olun- town — Oorrance — Pioneers — Peterboro — ,)ohn Morrison — A compro- mise — /•'(■A; dc w — The plain of Onci — Tampirs with principle— Wind- ham— Rev. John Kinkead — Rev. S. Williams — fo'.i=Sol).")U in specie in 1720 — Scarlxiro — Rev. Thos. Pierce — A specimen — London- derry Presbytery — Respectable but their Ministry died out — liev. Mr. I)unloi)^He saw his liouse and family bin-ned by the Indians — Brad- ford^Rev. John Houston — A change in a church in New York — ■ Kliects Presbylerianism — Scots — Rev. D. Mc(iregor — Animosities — Teachings — The imitations — Rev. Jolin Mason — "Incurably dissatis- fied " — " Seceders" — Overborne — If principle had prevailed, Presby- terianisiu in this land woulil have had a bright future — The blight of Socinianism — The little cloud, floods of error and division — The rancor of a century — " Time but the impression deeper makes." In cnterino; on this period, it may be useful at times to rpcii])it\ilate a little. Notwithstanditio: the isolated position of INlooreliead and ]\It(ire,ti;()r, their eoiio,re,ij;ations prospered. A hir^e and efficient eldership assisted them in their respeetive ehar;j;es. Family worship and domestic discipline were attended to. {■ ■( i ■ 1 1 . I ! I rrr i\ 1 / •j i' 108 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM Hcavinfj cntnrcd warmly into the spirit of Wlutcfield, and being in the prinio ol' niiuisterial usetulncss, they Avere caeh extensively })rosi)ered in their Ahistcr's work. Htill, they found tiieir situation relatively uni)leasant, as they were subject to and pn^teeted hy no eiiureh etjurt. To return to the original Presbytery was well nigh an impossibility. Prejudice; with other evm inferior operations of our un- sanctihed natur(>, .-^ueh as sarcasm, was at work, and cher- ished sectarian rancor. Thus they passed about or abt)vo eight years of isolation, until eventually they acconii)lished that with which they had been charged at their susi)ension Vjy licMercier — the formation of a l^resbytery. This, by themselves, they would n(jt probably have attem})ted, but Providence eventually enabled them to accomnlish it by bringing to t'lCir aid the Rev. Roljert Abercrombie. He, on being licensed, left Scotlanlder of that place, Mr. Alexander Conkcy, formerly of Worcester, and then (])robahly) of Pelliam, and Mr. James Hcnighs (probably) of Boston, they did l)y prayer constitute themselves into a Presbytery, to act, so far as their (then) present circumstances Avould permit them, according to the word of God and Constitutions of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, agreeing with that perfect rule." Mr. Abercrombie was chosen Clerk and Mr. Moorehead ^loderator. To whatever extent their conduct might, when exposed to a rigid scrutiny, meet the approbation of true Presbyte- rians, they had now placed themselves in working order as a church court, and they had work to do. Among other matters a reference from the session of Pelham was on that day laid before them — and a letter from the inhabitants of the town of Colerain, Massachu- setts, was read, requesting the Presbytery to take them under their care. At their next meeting, in Boston, on August IMth, 1745, both of these cases received attention. Mr. Abercrondiie had (as directed) visited the Presl^yte- rians of Colerain, and now i)resented a request from them for the services of a Mr. Graham, who, "having a design to remove from these parts very soon," did not a.GGede to their wishes. Pf 1 ! i ( «i'k ( i| s J V [\ r. ■ i 110 HISTORY OF PRKSBYTERIANISM |r: Mf f 1' ' « H ■^1' i "^ 1 Not only in name did those con2!;repjntions adhere to Prcshytcrianisni. Tii(,'y viewed its arrauixeinents as Scrip- tural, and the session at IVlliani re([Ueste(l a Presl)yterial visitation. Wlica'c this is laitht'idly jjerlornu'd, and no- where else, is tlie full spirit otthe (hvine injunetion hroui^ht into oi)eration — "Obey them that Irive tlie ruU' over you and sul)mit yourselves, ibr they watch tor your souls," etc. (JI(;h. xiii. 17.) To the Presbytery comiu'^: tot2;eth(M', constitutiuL', in the name and "hythe power ot" the Lord Jesus C'In-ist," tii })astor and ehlers in all spiritual matters, and th(; deacons in "tiie outward atlairs of the house of (iod,"' in answer t(; formal ollicial in(iuiries, detail tlu; deliniiuencies or faith- fulness of each other — and to these under-shepherds, sittin,<>; in jud<^nient, their ^'' accounts^'' in the highest sense on earth are "rendered with joy and not with grief," where no dere- liction of duty is found, it forms a prt'nionition of the appearing of "the (Jhief Shepherd." Without suital)le attendance to this duty, doctrine, worship, government and discipline cannot usually long be continued scripturally pure. These were not, however, the only demands made upon the court. Comi)laints were entertained and adjudicated. In 1746, Mr. Daniel Mitchell, from Ireland, was, after due examination, and on subscribing the Westminster Stand- ards, licenseil to ))reach the gospel as a jn'obationer for the ministry. In some towns, where the number of Presbyte- rians was large, althoimh not a nuijority, they made reouest at times to have the Sacrament of th(? Lord's Su[)])er ad- ministered in their form, and have the tables served by ruling elders instead of Con^regationalist deacons. From a })ortion of the church in Rutland, Massachusetts, a ])eti- tion was pres(>nted on iNIay 12th, 1747, on this subj(>ct, and before the Presb^^tery would act ui)on it, the ^Moderator was ap})ointed to confer with the Rev. Mr. Eaton, of that town, in the case. After an extensive conference the appli- cants were duly "congregated" as a Presbyterian (.'liurch. On August 11th, 1747, Mr. 1). Mitchell was ap])ointed to supply in Georgetown and Sheepscote, from wliich jilaces a])plications for his labors had been })resented. They "leave with him also a discretionary ])ower to go to any other places there {in Maine) as he should judge safe." On IN NEW ENGLAND. Ill November 11th he was also appointed to supply till !March in Wiscasset, Souhcgan and J.itclitield, and al'terwardss in Kingston and (j(las(>ow, lor the same reason that from those ])hices requests were made for his serviees. To meet these inereauin;^ demands Divine Providence now be.yan to hrinji to tliem assistance. One Mr. Alexan- der Boyd, who had studied theolo.L^y in Glasgow, was in due form, aiter suhs(;ril)ing the \\'estminster (Standards, licensed at Pelliam on June 15th, 174S, and directed '"to supply at Georgetown I'or tlie next three months, with dis- cretionary power to go to Wiscasset and to Sheepscotc, as he may judge it to be sale." There were no coaches, steand)oats, nor rail cars in Maine in those days, and to hreak "the bread of life" to the dispersed families in tlu; wilderness was often, in many ways, a ])eril()us undertak- ing. Hence the indulgence to Messrs. Mitchell and Jioyd to consult their i)ersonal safety. At this meeting another, a less pleasant phase of Pres- byterial duty, was presented. Several persons ap|)eared, expressing dissatisfaction with some parts of the conduct of the })astor of Pelham, and he also requested a release from his charge. Both parties were very suital)ly advised in relation to their respective duties to each other in the future. At Londonderry, on October 4th, 1748, "the Rev. Jona- than Parsons, of Xeuherry, with the Presbyterian congre- gation under his care, oliered tliemselves to join with this Presbytery. After impiiry, made with respect to Mr. Par- sons' testimonials as a minister of the gospel, and inquiry also into the circumstances of the congregation, so far as the Presbytery judged necessary, and sufficient satisfaction being had upon both these heads," tiiey were "unani- mously received, and he and .Mr. Thomas Pike took their seats accordingly." This was a substantial increase to the Presbytery. Their choice of Presbyterianism was partly a matter of couipulsion as well as of choice by both pastor and people. They had left the first parish, Is'^ewberry, on January 3d, 1746, had settled their i)astor on i\[arch IDth, 174(), and the dissentients from the third parish were received into their fellowship on the l()th of the following October; but still they were compelled to i)ay double church taxes until 1770. As this congregation " continues unto this day," it will receive further notice. \\\ ( J ! i id 112 HISTORY OF I'UKSHYTERIANTSM J! i III a ^ 1 •■ I |i ii 1 i i' |. ill At this meeting: (October Itli, 1718) tlio probationers, i»I('ssrs. lioyd and Mitchell, had didy to ii,'wv. an account ol' their labors ; and the ()])inion is ollicially expressed that in the vacancy of Rutland, while " the cond to none " — or. on the other hand, the less Scrii)tural belief that the Abrahamic covenant was not "confirmed of God in Christ," but ])rofess to believe that "the infants of such as are members of the visible church are to be baj^tized " — tliey will often habitually live without any connection with the church on earth, excepting the formal oflicial sprinklinii; of their infants with water, which they usually consider to be "christening," or, otherwise, giving to th(nr child a name! The criminal indulgence of careless parents in this unscri])tural and wicked whim by ministers has given more weight of argument to the o])inions of the Anabajitists than all that can be found in the volume of divine revelation. This evil had now for yenrs a])pcared in Pelham, and as the support of the min- ister was a town business, so such persons had apparently a ])lea for their demands. Hence, says Mr. Abercrombie, ]\lay 30th, 1755, in a let- ter [o a friend : " When the late remarkable Divine influ- ences were withdrawn, and religion began to decline among us, some fiiicdsine.'oniYose in my congregation, which I soon perceived would increase unless I preached smooth things, and unless I eom])lied with the Presbvterv in all their measures. This T thought I could not in faithfulness do; and therefore resolved to learr my congregation. I once and again desired IVeshylery to dl.<! me from my pas- toral charge.-' But this they would not do. He presented reasons: "1st. Ignorance and the neglect of the means of knowledge, particularly their defects in attending on cate- 8 ill -., 1 ,: 1 ■M \ r • •!4 ■! ;, ! -1 114 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANI8M mt ■ ii ii ■III! chising." "5th. The town, on January 21 st, 1747, voted that 'Mr. A. should not be allowed his next year's salary without a discharge for the former years.' "* This fifth reason the Presbytery eonsidcred "injurious to Mr. A.'s moral character, and ought tp be recalled," and " tiiey en- join him to bestir the unbaptized children in case the parents shall in some proper manner '' st'cure his necessary SU])port. This the town as such did n(jt d(», while "a great number of the town distin^niished themselves accord- ing to the >rder of rresl)ytery, and Mr. A- was enjoined to continue their minister agreeably to their request." He, however, insisted \\\un\ tiie iijjplication of the dis- cipline of the Church of Scotland (to which the Presbytery professedly held) to the parties to whom it ought, in his judgment, to apjily. By so doing he was chnrged with "insinuating things against the Presbytery, evidently false and groundless." Mr. Moorchead was "ordained to baptize the children of those whom he finds on inquiry to have a right (in P.) to that privilege." Thus matters continued from year to year, becoming continually worse, until at Boston, on May 14th, 1755, he declined their authority, and they sus- pended him from the ministry and from the ])astoral relation in Pelham, because, say they, " he refuses to retract from or make satisfaction for the false and injurious things insinuated." His friends had also, on April 15th, 1755, addressed Presbytery on his behalf, but both for himself and for them there was no redress, as they were not in connection with, nor subject to, any Synod as a court of appeal or review. In reference to this he says to Presbytery : " 'Tis plain, the sum of both my representations U])on which you build your awful procedure is to plead with you to receive the discipline of the Church of Scotland in her purest times, * " Pelham, March 2ith, 1748. "Accounted with James Coukey, Treasiinr, for my salary from tlie year 1744 to August the 30th, 1740, and received tifty pounds in hills of the new tenor, which I accept of as uiy salary for said year, and hereby discharge him and the town from all further demands of the same. " R. Abercrombie." :H:;ii; IN NEW ENGLAND. 115 find prartiPO in surh a innnnor Hint irmmnrnl and ilVitcrdlc jK'ivoiis may not ho admitted to tho sacred odicc of tho iniiiistrv, and tliat those who are unworthy atnon^' tho jicople may he kept hack iVoni seaHiiii onhnanees." •'The hite remarkahh> l)i\'ine influences '' thus apjx'ar to liave heen "withch'awn, and religion to have (h'clined " jrciicrally in tlie hounaati()n l^y the session." The select men, however, by the order of Pres- bytery, shut the meeting-house doors on tiie Kev. ^\y. A., not on Habbath, but on Monday. Thus matters continued for three years. A narrative from Parsons, Moorehead and McCiregor was issued. This was followed by " Re- marks " by Ahercromhie, and these by a '" Kejoinder " from Parsons and McGregor in 1758. As Mr. A. had declared that if he "had a superior court to which to carry his case, he could vindicate his conduct," so "at a meeting at Newberry, on May 24th, 1758 (Mr. Moorehead being Idoderator and Mr. McGregor Clerk), they agreed to let him a])peal, jK.'cording to his proposal, to the associated ministers of l^oston ov to the Synod of New York," not as having any jurisdiction over the Presbytery, hut as a friendly court, who could act as um])ire, and by vice, ])roinote ])eace. Til ev so wrote to him. Here, howi!ver, the preciseness of the iScotchnian ajipears in his answer to this proposal, dated at Pelhani on June 21st, 1758. He says : "A Synod to whom the Presbytery '■f! I : i I ! :; it ! I : m T r if t' f ^ IIG nrSTOUY OF presryterianism \i ' ^vas not joinrd could give liiin no lawful nor sntipHictory redress."' 'Die representations of tlie l're>l)ytery on the points at issue are, iiouevir, ol'ten very ilillerent I'roni those ot' Mr. Al)t'reron»bie. They appear to iiave believed that lie Kouuht to (piarrel with tiieni, say that "tiie society iiad been Ion;,' witiiout tile iiord's Supper, as lie would not clis- jiense it to them, considei'ing that only about lour persons m the town were W(M'lliy to receive il, that a considerable number ol" ehildren, whose ]tarents were; jn-rsons ol' j^^ood character, luul been loii;^ deprived ol baptism, that he could never be prevailed upon to make any addition to the session, and ballled the aggrieved when tlu-y would atti-mpt to brin^' their matters of complaint before Presbytery." W they were iiuleed ;^uilly of conformin;j; to their sur- roundinus, he did not shew prudence, much less wisdom m U])l)rai(lin,i,' them witli their (lelin([Ue th th ncies, while he de- clined their authority be'cause he viewed them as a party, tmd must have reconciliation only l.)y measures of his own j)roposinj,', which, when acceded to by Presbytery, ho •would a^ain io far as we knowj Lo olliciate among them after lie and they had ceased to be Presbyterians. A story nf jlip d(i;/s. The old .Vhererombie honse at Pelham is said to liave once l»een the scene of a praetical joke l)y Rev. Mr. Abercrombie, the original oeeiipant of the honse and minister of the town, hi his days, of course, Hip was the common beverage of eiergymen and tlio laity, and no objection was ever maile, unless iieojile became iiotorioi;-;ly over-indulgent. The elnrge was (inally brought at a chureh-meetiiig that tile minister was (irinUing too freely, and a committee was appointed to tell bini of his fault and warn him of the ilanger of continuing in it. Warned of their coming, the erring jiastor told his wife to prepare the iirst round of flip, which even this committee would expect, with e(pial jiarts of rum and waier, the next with more rum, and the next mostly rum. The committee soon after their arrival partook of the Hip, whieli their pastor ordered, after which they made known the nature of their IN NKW ENGLAND. 117 liad a pnralyzinj]; ofTcct, in f»i»rc';i(lii\Lr " roots of liittcrncss," iind of Icndinii to make I'rt'sltvti'i'iiiiiisin still inoiv cxten- eivi'ly an exotic in New Kujiland. In view of their jiusi- tion, the authors of the " llejoinder " near the dose rf it, say, "The reason why we keei) up a church government and administrations, in some things ditU-rcnt from our fellow-Christians in the country where we live, is not frtra anv fond desire of si»i;:ularity, hut l)ecaust' we are con- scientiously persuaded that these are most conlormahle to the Scripture })latform, and have the most effectual ten- dency to promote purity of faith and j)raclice." 'j'his "reason "has lm'owu manifold stronger in a century, not only in view of the growth of Arminianism, I'elagianism, Universalism, Arianism, Socinianism, Transcendentalism, Spiritism, Spiritualism, Infidelity and Atheism, hut also hy the introduction among the ])rofessed adhering Ortho- dox descendants of the Puritans of "(ierman douhts, con- jectures, negations and hypotheses "into "tlic country where we live." While the townsmen of Pelham could not ohtain, as easily as they desired, baptism for their children, tlie i)rofessing Christians among the C\)ngrega- tionalists of to-day, either have very few of this " heritage" of God, or care but little about having the seal of his cove- erran<1. The pastor admitted tlirit tluio might be need of tlie reproof, niul that he would he governed hy it. Tiien came the second round of tlij), and, as the husiness had been dispatched, the eommittee M'ere dis- ])()sid to Ije talkative and social with tlie pastor who had so humhly ad- mitted his sin at their n hiike. Tlie (lip came around the tiiird time, and it is said near sunrise the next morning two ol' the eommittee man- aged to reacii tlieir homes, hut the third lay prone on the floor, unable to stir from theefleets of the flip, until broad daylight. At the adjourned (liurch meeting, when this committee made their rejiort, it is said they made a very conci.se report of their visit to the pastor, and the kindly way in which he received the it proof", by n porting: "We liave called on the jtastor, as directed, and he gave us Christian satisfaction." As his name appears upon fiie Eecords of I'resbytcry, the Rev. Ilicliard Ciraham succeedctl Mr. Abercrombie in IVlham before 1770, and oiv May 29th, 1771, Presbyte y made a request to each congregation for aid for Mr. (Jraham's wido>N and family. Down to 1775 Pelham received supj)ly fro..i Presbytery. On Septendier 27th, 17S(i, Pelham requested .some assistance and sup- ply from the Associate Reformed Presbytery of Londonderry. On May 80th, 1792, this peoj)le re(piested suj)ply from the Associate Re- formed Presbytery of New Kngiand. September 11th, 1793, Mr. Oliver wai> installed as their pastor. i , : I i,, ii ^ II •■I il' 118 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM nant placed iipnn those whom thoy nurture, perhaps, Avithout it, " in the achiionition of the liord." For, says the CkriMiaa Jn.-rc lie will the WC ns<'- diin- nclal IN NEW KNGLAND. 119 ^^^^#ft Newhorry, on Aii,mist 14(]i. 17^3, Mr. Koherl Burnp, a licen- tiiite IVoiii the north of Ireland, was achnitted, "promising suhseription to the ,Stan(hirtls when reiiuired." From his iiimiediati^ appointment to "supjily in Palmer till next sederunt," hut, i'rom the fact, in connection with it, that the ''Rev. Mr. Ahercromhie moderate in a call lor liim in fd in a very discriminating manner, but one which might ])uzzie many a modern congregation to imitate, and ought to ])rove suggestive to the occupants of the i)ulpit. " He was charged with ]ir(>aching other men's sermons. He was to have ibur pounds sixteen shillings, which was eight shillings lawful money for each sermon." and after due exaon.iation he was paid at this rate for all, " except- ing three, whicii wo can ])rove were other men's sermons." ]\lr. Burn 3 was didv dismissed from Pahner on May 5th, 175S. ^\'e have seen that at the organization of the Presbytery ( A])ril l()th, 1715), a letter was received from tlw; inhabi- tants of the town of Coleraine, Massachusetts, requesting to be taken under their care. This parish, setthnl about 1736, was then a frontier set- tk^nent and originally called Boston Township, probably because many ot tlie pioneers were Irom that place; others were from Ireland, Londonderry, New Ilamj)shire; Wo- bin-n, Stow, Boxhury and Pelham, Massachusetts. For them, as early as 1742, Mr. James Fairservice (formerly 1 ; j ) I i ' ■■ bf 7 V i 1 5 ; t ! M •ii:t •■•It L ■i 120 HISTORY OF niESBYTKRIANISM i it from Mr. Moorohead's church), built the first grist-mill. Tlicy erected ;i iiieetiiig-hou^e in 1742. Being clisa|)Dointed, as stated, in not obtaining the ser- vices of Mr. Graham, Presbytery still gave them suj)])ly. They also occasionally experienced the dangers of frontier life, hi May, 174G, Matthew Clarke, his wiie and daugh- ter were fired upon by tiie In(Hans. He was killed, and his wife and daughter were carried to the fort. This is a specimen of what was not uncommon in re- claiming the wilderness from savage num. The fort usually preceded tiie church. This town was Presbyterian from its commencement. The name was given to it in honor of I^ord Coleraine, who handsomely and gratefully ])rcsented to them a church bell, which, "through the unfaithfulness of the agent, Avas kei)t in Boston, where (says Barber; it is believed to still exist and to be in use in one of the churches." This was one of the ways in which Presbyterianism was not promoted in the colony. The supply which Presbytery was able to afford was but limited, wbile their requests were fre({uent and earnest. At length, on June 4th, 1750, "the Presbytery a]))K)inted Mr. Abercrombie to visit tliem, and, if he find it expedient, he is to ordain elders among them," and in 1751 they had made out a call for Mr. Daniel Mitchell .to become their pastor. This, from the want of order, Avas not sustained on March 17th, 1752, and a new moderation was then granted. At the same meeting Mr. Alexander McDowell, after having satisfactorily sustained the prescribed "trials," and having subscribed his adherence to the Westminster Standards, was admitted as a probationer for the holy ministry, and was now apjiointed for some Sabbaths among other places (Rutland, Kingston and New Ilutland) to Coleraine. On August 14th, 1753, he acce])ted the call from this town, and was, on September 2Stli tbllowing, by a commit- tee of Presbytery, ordained and instalKd as tlu'ir pastor. He was a native of Ireland, and })robably the first graduate of Harvard College who entered the Presbyterian ministry. His [)astorate began with ])roniise. but the in- fluence of artificial appetite in a few years blighted his m IN NEW ENGLAND. 121 prospects of usefulness, and he was dismissed for intemper- ance in 1761. On June 30th, 1761, this town was incorporated. We now (Hrect f)ur attention to anotlier phase of ecclesi- astical development hy which Picsl)yterianism was intro- duced into the town of Easton, Mass. Tlieir second Con- ^fretrationalist pastor, the Rev. Joseph Belcher, died in 1744. During liis ministry, and, so far as he knew, during the ministry of his predecessor (the Rev. Matthew Short), the society had no church covenant. As this instrument forms the vitalizing hond of the de- nomination, Mr. Relclier declared to a committee wlio waited on him on the subject, that the society had "no records, no covenant and no ciiurch.''' On A})ril 6th, 1747, they subscribetl one. What their fellowship with surround- ini;; cliurches had previously been is not stated in their records, if they had any, but from the fact that they had had two pastors settled in the usual form, we may infer that matters in their church were no more loosely managed than in some otliers. On August 28th, 1747, they voted to call the Rev. Solo- mon Prentice, who was installed on the 18th day of No- vember following. ''August 18th, 1748, voted, that we are a Congregntional church." (Rec. of date.) In a dilliculty which arose in 1748 about who have a right to ba|)tism, it was voted that " Presl)yterian3 coming with certilicatcs may obtain it." '"Two elders were chosen June 16th, 1749." Troubles now arose about the location of a new meeting-house, in which "the select men re- quested Mr. Prentice to attend worship on November 20th, 17.')0." ^\'hy, instead of occupying this house statedly, he ] (reached tor four successive Sabbaths at two or more pri- vate houses alternately, does not fully ap])ear, but in 17')1 he met with his friends in it, while a ])arty was formed who ''charged him with inconsistency," and on May 20th, 17ol, charges against him were preferred by Deacon llayward anil others. As it exhibits the working ability of the church ])olity always prevailing in New P]ngland, I (juote from their recortls : "()ctol)er 17th, 1752, the church met. Voted aflirma- tively and unanimously ' Considering the brokenness of tho '11 jWffill!^ jar « 1 ■ 1 ■M-i- 1 t 1 *'f- ' • 1 : lU ■ : ;i , 1 f 1 , 1 i r '•' !: m w 1 1> K f| f pn 122 HISTOltY OF PUESnVTEKlANlSM If:' Constitution of the Conjiro^zational Church in New England (this ciiurcii bcintf hitlicrto profei^sedly one), because tlie churches themselves don't stand by, l)Ut occasionally, and as cases suit, break in upon their Constitution, whereby an injured church or l)rother cannot obtain rin(Ui/. It is the judgment of the Presbytery that the expiration of tiie time of the concert for ])rayer in Scotland is no argument that the millennium is commenced, and that ]\Ir. Prentice should be cautioned against advancing any such opinions aljout the millennium as may prove hurtful to the interests of true religion." " Presbytery judged that he should be rebuked, particu- larly for the first article, and restored, if humble. If not, that he siiould be suspended till next Presbytery." He would not submit and was accordingly suspended. Sup- ply was then appointed to Easton, but, as the records of Presbytery are discontinued or lost after the next meeting on April 16th, 1755, at Pelham, for fifteen years, we learn notiiing farther from them of Presbyterianism in this town. The domestic history of this man presents one curious phase. His wife had, under the influences of the '■ vagrant lay teachers" (who ai)pear to have been by him coun- tenanced for several years), without his knowledge and consent, been immersed. Hence, on his record he leaves this statement : "Sarah Prentice Ipsa Anabaptista Immersa Indignis- simo Laco, viz.: Dec. 5th, 1750, absente marito." "Sarah Prentice had herself baptized again by immersion in a small lake, viz. : December 5th, 175U, in the absence of her hushand." Whether she had returned to his views or not, she joined with his church at the communion on May 2()th, 1753, and it is probable that he had ahowed his kindness to con- quer his judgment when he had again i)articularly coun- tenanced them in his own house in December, 1753. la view of the action of Presbytery, he writes : mil if liili II (ill : t ■ ' "■ T ' ■ i '-■-a i - ^^^B ^^B r 1 ! ■ mi II ■ ' 124 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM " ii ! " Because I received a few of my fellow-creatures TancI fel- low-Christians, so far as I know ) into my house, and sufl'ercd them to pr;vy and talk about the Scriptures, and could not make any acknowledgment thereof to some of my brethren that were offended thereat, nor to the Presbytery, I have been suspended from the dischary this ULrrceinent, liowever, they manifest 7-(>al in th(Mr distinctive work and resi)ect for tiie vcncraMc kirk, as most of them were trained in her schools of the jjropiiets. They had in lier also, beside the accident of origin, oeea- siomdly an indirect interest, by the admission of individu- als from lur fellowship. As noticed, a Mr. Alexander Boyd, from Glasgow, had been by them licensed on June loth, 1748. From the infant church of Kinirston, N. If., a call lor his labors was presented .on March 14th, 1749. This was on May 2d sustained and recommended to him for acceptance, and on August 14th they "received from (leorp;etown, eastward, a call to him with an attested copy of the vote of the town, relating to his tem])oral support." DilHculties now beset him. He had to a])pear before l^resbytery at Londonderry on the first Tuesday of Octo- ber. There he " acknowledged his irregular marriage with ]Mary liuchan, confessed his sorrow for the oflence he had thereby given, and declared his resolution to adhere to her as his wife." He stated that " he had written for her, and also to the Rev. Mr. McLaurin, of Glasgow, declaring his grief for the otfence which he had given that congregation, and moreover, that he stood ready to give the Presbytery whatever further satisfaction was needful to remove the offence, eithei; for being married in a clandestine way, or in concealing his marriage from the Presbytery when taken on trials by them, etc., etc." They " rebuked him sharply," and as they could not proceed to any higher censure, they gave him employment and reserved his case for future consideration. In view of the above case, as Mr. Boyd did not appear at their meeting in Boston on the 14th of August, the Presbytery returned, to the resi)ective congregations, the <'al]s which had by them been made in his favor. Ho i'ulfillcd his ap))ointments from year to year, but "he could not altogether vindicate himself" on Mi^ 141 1:, 17'')1, when they " saw fit to give him a gentle reproof," to wliich he submitted, and they continued him as supply. A renewed call from Georgetown was by him acccjtted on November 13th, 1751, but, owing to new difficulties, his ordination was from time to time deferred, until, on Octo- M! • I h. !i r li 1 ■ [ { ' ■ ■ i t ii '1 I ' i { ( 1 i :, , 1 $ n ; 1 • t 1 if 1 !i 126 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANIPM *■ •' t( VA ber 29th, 1752, it was " dolayod till sprinjr, when tho poo- pl(> there were to lmvc li^ht to the I'reshyterv in the ease." Their li^ht does not appear to have j)r()ve(l suHieient, and we aijain find that "among the Newcastle, Elaine, pa])ers, at a meeting at Boston, on May 14th, ITM, is a call for Mr. Boyd." "The commissioners from Newcastle" in- tended to have met Preshytery on the matters of his set- tlement among them, at Newbnry on August 2()th, 1754, " hut in Brovidence they were frustrated hy contrary winds, and they had no ()l)iections against Mr. Boyd's ordination." Tiiis took place at Newhury, Mass., on tSejjtemljer lUtli, 1754, by a committee consisting of Messrs. Moorehead, McGregor and Parsons, and it is recorded that " the sol- enmity concluded by singiiig a part of the 182d Psalm." His installation was also performed by a committee of Presbytery. The community was a mixed one, and al- though the majority of the town were Presbyterians, the Congregationalists. led on by ]\[r. Winslow, so distur])ed his })eace, that he finally left New(!astlc in 175S. A similar irritation had probably prevented his settlement at George- town, which may ])ossil)ly have been aided by ecclesiasti- cal discord, as Mr. McClenahan, of the Londonderry Pres- bytery, had previously labored in that }>recinct, and his friends would form no strong attachment, either to Mr. Boyd or to his ecclesiastical connection. "The Presbyte- rian minister left Georgetown in 1752" (Willis), and when " in 17()4, the Kev. Alexander Boyd revisited Georgetown, he found that the people had left Presbyterianism." ilb.) Two distinct species of church government can never cordially dwell together. Every ecclesiastical form of thought, and every idea of governmental order forbids it. " Two cannot walk together," much less dwell together, " unless they are agreed." At their meeting in Boston, on August 14th, 1749, Pres- bytery received a petition from Voluntown, Ct., with a number of ])apers relative to it, and on the 15th they say: " Wheveas several appli(!ations have been made to this Presbytery at different times, by a number of people in Voluntown, the case concerning which appearing to us in such a light, that, if the niajt)rity comply with the late proposals of the Kev. Mr. Dorrance, the Presbytery shall then be willing to assist in settling a minister among them, : I i' :■■ 'I I IN NEW KNr.LAND. 12T agreeably to said proposal. But otherwiso, they see not at ])rps(.'nt how they can concern themselves in the affairs of Voluiitown." 'riic case was ])rohal)ly one similar to tliat of Campbell or ]\IcKinstry, or Graliam, an attempt to identify these two discordant species, by hiring a Presbyterian minister to ])erform the duties of a CV)nress his Presbyterian ten- dencies too strongly ui)on the C'ongregational portion of his clmrch, or he might have joined tiie First Presbytery since 1736, and a portion of his people might have now sought connection with the Boston Presbytery, It is more probable, liowever, that liis attachment to his early eccle- siastical principles was now not a little abated by his posi- tion and surroundings, and that consequently an increas- ing number of his ])eople might desire the settling of a Pres])yterian minister as their pastor. Hence tiiey niust comply with the late proposals of the Rev. Mr. Dorrance. This '' number of his people " were, however, for some time afterwards Pre byterians. As we have r-cen, emigration and domestic increase com- bined, induced the settlers of Derry and other towns to send pioneers into the wilderness, and we now trace briefly the settlement of the town of Peterboro, N. H. This was first attempted in 1739. In 1744, under the alarm of war, their clearings and homes were abandoned until the peace of 1749. In 1752 they built a meeting-house, and in 1759 there were forty-five or fifty families in the town, which was incorporated in 1760. The Rev. William John- ston, formerly of ^^'orcester and Windham, came to them in 1752 and remained about one year, when the Rev. Mr. Harvey supplicil them for a time. They met on July 18th, 1700, '' to see if the town would embrace the present o})- portunity of sending by the Rev. IMr. Kinkead (who was then })robably at ^\'indham, N. H.) to Philadelphia to the Synod or Presbytery there, for a su])ply or gospel minis- ter to preach. Voted ; and also voted, not to mention any certain sum for encouragement, but, that if any came, he should be treated like a gentleman." "In 1761, voted to Mi 'hi ' ■ ■I !l •I' . ■ I I ..- 11^ t) ■■ I, I } ?f 128 IIISTOUY OF PRKSnYTEPIANISM r ','1 ■: ■nt " '^ ' s ^'1 . ) ] ( J 'I 4 J' :< ^ lll i! ' ■' ;'[:! ^ ^ri • '!' f J . jJ ' ^- raise £ir)0 for tho support of tlio frospol," and a committoe Avcro aj)p()iiitc'(l ''to invite ri'.u'uliir ministers, and renew the snpplieation to the Synod ol' Philadelphia." A Mr. Towors supi)lied them in 17('»4, :ind on January 8d of that yoar the town " voted to commission tlu; Rev. Mr. Morrow to send us a minister when lie returned to Ireland, iind that lie should hiiveaf^ood new heaver hat if he would acoej^t this eommission. luirlit persons pro- tested against sendinjx to Ireland." At a snl)se(iueiit meet- intr '' it was voted to authorize tlu^ IJev. Mr. Morrow to act with full ])ower to send a laithl"ul minister of the gospel — a (' ilvinistic of the Presbyterian Constitution. Mr. Mor- row should receive ei^ht dollars for his service." He did not succeed, for none came; .'ind in March, 17()5, they "voted to commission Ilu^h Wilson to <2;o to Philadeli)hia or elsewhere on this continent, to obtain a gospel minister," In May, 17GG, a INIr. John Morrison landed in lioston. He was born in Pathfoot, in Scotland, in 1743, and ii;ra(lu- ated at Pxlinburgh in 1700. On November 2(lth, 1700, he was ordained at Peterboro by the Boston Presbytery, the original Londonderry Presbytery being then dissolved, for it may be here mentioned that "in 170o (according to M'ebster), the Dutchess I'resbytery at Cherry Valley, New York, received the Rev. Samuel liunlop, a former member of the Presbytery to the eastward of Boston," which, wlieu he left "was terminated, being incapable of sitting by rea- son of dis})ersion." Also the Rev. \\'illiam Johnston, who "was born in Dublin in 1713, educated and studied the- ology in Edinburgh (who married a Miss Cunnnins, a fellow-passenger), and labored as we have seen in Worces- ter, Mass.; in Peterboro and Windham, N. H. ; about this time moved to the region of Sch(!nectadv, bought a large tract of land near Cherry Valley, and according to docu- mental history, gathered a number of lanulies of Scotch and Irish descent about him. " Plis ])a])ers, goods, etc., were burned at the massacre at Cherry Valley." Sonie of his descendants now occupy rominent positions of usefulness in the State of New ^ ork. Thus, in a rivalry of twenty years' duration, the first Presbytery " finished its course." Such is the i)ower of Boctarian rancor, that the nearer divisions are to each •c at i\vle. The disease bet^an in tiie Ilillhouse case, and with all the undying' ^rasp of the leprosy, permeated the Presliytery, while those who stood on Presbyterian princii)les under all the disiidvanta,u;es and odium of suspension, and even at times inconsistent outbursts of passion, amidst all their difheuhies survived and trrew. Presbyterianism, from the ordination of Timothy down to the present hour, never ^^ained any ])ermauent L'ood by compromise. When it (>m- liraeed the ])rison and the stake, " the bh)od of the martyrs lieeame the seed of the church," But when the London- derry Presl)ytery liowed down to expediency, custom, to popular o})inion (the rinci})le of vitality and consistency, which, while it made those who held it "very ridiculous in the eyes of the ])eo- ple of New England," has, under ''the good-will of liim Avho dwelt in the busli"ir)eut, xxxiii. 16), extensively maintained " the truth as it is in Jesus," and perpet- 9 I'lili ♦ •> ■' s 130 IIISTOUY OF I'UKSnVTEUIANISM uatod its existenco in tho bounds of that Presbytery until to-diiy. I'rosbyteriiinisin, wberevcr or ulicnever it refuses to meet its opponents in any "of the villa;fcs in tlie i)lain of Ono," and ^'oes "up to Jerusidenj unto the apostU'S and eUh'rs al)out this (or any) (luestion," is always "stron;; in the Lord." Whentjver it tampers witii principle, and bows down at the chinior, or for tlie favor of the niullitude, it becomes like Samson, shorn of liis locks, weak as expediency itself. Its "glory is de- parted/' 'I'he history of Morrison is a lamentable one. "He wns the first settled minister in the town of I'eterboro, N. II. Althou^di he was jmssesscd of more than ordinary talent, he soon proved to be intemperate and licentious. I'res- bytery suspended him for a time from his ollice. nnd finally ternnnated his pastorate and ministry in March, 1772. He then visited South Carolina; returned and joined the American army at ('and)ri(lfre, Mass., in 177o. He soon after went over to the liritish, and remained with them till his death, which took place at Charleston, South Carolina, on Dec. lOth, 17.S2" (///W. of Pel.). "Deceitful men shall not live out half their da^'s." " Stront; tlrink is rajj;inly to the Westminsl(>r Confession of Faitli " (C/i. Rcr., p. lo). Mr. Pierce was born in Newbury, Oct. 11th, 1737, and ^^raduated at Harvard College in 17o0. He was ordained at Newbury Port on Nov. 24th, 17(;2. In 17()3, on Sept. 22d, four ruling (;lders were elected ''for the year," Mr. Pierce in a few years sunk down "as a common drunkard, although he continued to preach up to the time of his death, June 2()th, 1775. Immediately after his decease the church re- nounced Presbyterianisni " (St(nrr). This church forms a s])ecimen of several in New England, which for years had a vibratory existence between these two forms of polity, and which eventually settled down into Congregationalism — such as Chester, Ackworth and Goff'stown, in New Hampshire. During a part of this time at least (1743-1768) the Lon- donderry Presbytery was respectable in numbers — LeMer- cier, Johnston, McClenahan, Harvey, Caldwell, Davidson, Wilson, Rutherford, Urquhart, Dunlop, and probably '1 I 132 HISTORY OF PRESnYTKRIANISM I ) 11 others, as Clark, of Kiiifrston, l)clonp;e(l to it, yet it did not j)()s,se.ss vitulity. iiesido the ctauscs of its decay already stated, tliey had no means, or seem not t') liave taken any l)ain>: to instruct younti; men for tlie ministry. Some of tliem, as Davidson and IvUthertbrd, were prol)a- l)ly not a little " imsound in the faith," while the immorali- ties of others, such as Kinkead and IIarv(\v, were highly injurious to ('hristianity. In these twenty-five years the 3^'rench ("liurcli and others became extinct hy the assimila- tion of their memlx'rs and their of1''-!])rin, that he was >^]\\\)- wrecUcd on Sable Island, landed at Canso, that he taiiglit school in Draeut, Mass., removed to Nr)l)lesl)oro, in ^Taine, that he resided at Booth Bay, Sheepscott Ih'idj^e, New Cas- tle, and then in Brunswick. In 1747 he was ordained in LeMercier's meeting-house in Boston for Brunswick (l>y the Kev. Messrs. LcMercier, Morton, of Coleraine, Davidsim, A\'ilson and !McLenahan), and was pastor there until Octo- ])er, 1760, when he was dismissed (p. 05) by a council ( W.y J). 33),tliat he was never settled again, and lived in Bruns- wick until his death, June 2Gtb, 1776, that his history is in nianuscri})t, and was in the j)Ossession of th(! Dunlop fam- ily in 1821, and that he was the grandfather of the ex- Governor of Maine of the same name." It is true that the Rev. H. Dunlop of Cherry Valley per- suaded four or more families to remove from Deiry, N. H., to that place (p. 195), and that he ministered to them for nearly forty years (p. 198), and just as true that the Rev. Samuel Dunlt)p lived from 1736 till 1776 in New England, and conse(|uently never " became a member of tho Dutchess Presbytery." They were different mr-n. xVmong other towns reclaimed from tlu; wilderness dur- ing this quarter of a century was Bradford (formerly called Souhegan East), N. H. "In 1750 they gave a call succes- sively to the Rev. Alexander Boyd, Rev. Alexander Mc- Dowell, and to Mr. Samuel McClintock, but in each case without success. A meeting-house was erected in 1755, and on Se})tember 28th, 1757, the Rev. John Houston wiw ordained by the Boston Presbytery pastor of this church, which had been organized in the Presbyterian order. He was born in Londonderry, educated at Princeton, N. J., where he took his degree in 1753, and studied divinity with the Rev. David ^McGregor. He was a, conscientious and a good man." (P.) During this (piarter of a century a change, hearing most cxtensivelv u])on the Presbyterian interests in America, 11*' ^ tooiv j)la('e in New York, and as a prominent member of the P)()ston Presbytery (the Rev. D. McCregor) became an actor in it, I now brielly present the case : After the atrocious oppression of the Rev. Francia Makemie by Lord Cornbury and hid minions, An effort u \ I lii! , ii;i i ■ f ■■ 134 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM I appears to liave been made to have Presbyterian preach- ing and worshi}) in tlie Enj^lisli lanr^iiage maintained in that town. We find the case referred to by Vesey [AHxidij Documents) in December, 1709, when writing to a friend. He says " that the dissenting preaclier is likely to gain no ground." His stay was brief, but the peoi)le kept togetlici: and met for worship with few interruptions and with a gradual increase of numbers until 1716, Avhen they took measures to form a regular congregation ( IF".), the same year (W.) in wliich the French Presbyterians were per- mitted to erect a churcli in Boston. Thev called a Mr. Anderson and worshipped in tlie town hall. In 1718 they purchased a lot, and on the following year built a church.* Beside collections in the town, they were aided by the Governor, Council and Representatives of Connecticut. When they asked incor})oration from the Legislature of New York as Scots, in conseciuence of opposition made by the vestry of Trinity Church, their request was refused. Their petition was in 1724 transmitted to the " Lords of Trade." They ol^tained aid also from Philadelphia and Scotland, and in 1730 their house was finished. Two lead- ing men opposed the settlement of Mr. Anderson as pastor, and the trustees of New PLiven College sent missionaries at their request to erect a new congregation. This Congrega- tionalist effort to produce division did not eventually suc- ceed, and the missionary left them in 1726. Pembertou and Cumming served them several years. " In 1753 Peni- berton was blamed by some of the people (Scotsmen) for neglecting family visiting, Cumming and the session for introducing Watts of their own accord, and both ministers for neglecting to recommend the catechism at baptism and for praying when asked at funerals." ( W.) Both were soon after dismissed at their own request. Failing, on July 18th, 1754, to obtain the Rev. Mr. Bel- lamy from Connecticut, he, in 1755, reeonnnended to thciu "the Rev. David McGregor, of Nutiield, N. H., as likely to suit their religious peoi)le and the Scotch." They sent to him an " invitation," and even the Governor himself came * Presbyterians formed a congregfition speaking Englisli in New York in 1716, and in 1716 the French Presbyterians obtained permission to erect tlieir first meeting-house in Boston. IN NEW ENGLAND. 135 to New England to persuade him to go to New York, Imt his Prcsbyterv, when met at Boston on May 14th, 1755, declared that they luid no authority to remove a minister out of their l)ounds, and he saw no eneouragement to ach'enture himself among a people so "divided among tlicmselves." (W.) I)Ut about what should a congregation aided by gov- ernors, colleges, councillors, representatives, by the town of New York, the town of Philadelj>lna, and by North Ih-itain be divided? They had now, for above a quarter of a century, a large finished house of worship, and full effort was made to have it ])roperly i)er})etuated to its ap- propriate use. The secret was, divers doctrines, usages and worship had been hitroduced, and strife ensued. As we have already seen in the cases of Hillliouse and others, to iiarmonize the two species, Presbyterianism and Congrega- tionalism, is simply impossible, and the latter had now increasingly permeated this church. As far back as " 1724, out of seventeen ministers in a delegated Synod, six were from New England." (ir.) Early associations and cus- toms have a powerful influence upon the mind, and these men could not easily totally divest themselves of their Congregational training. Hence, when a committee was a])pointed by Synod in 1752, "the general plan of the Church of Scotland as practised by the Synod of New York " was viewed as the true standard of Presbyterian- ism, and they conclude " that as to the methods taken to introduce a new version of the psalms in the public wor- ship, the Synod judge it to be disorderly, and always to be discountenanced when the parties in matters of debate in a church do carry about private subscriptions." (Digest.') Said committee reported in 1753 that " it is not expedient at present, judicially, to recommend a change in the ver- sion of the psalms, lest the animosities in the congregation sliould be more inflamed." (Diged.) McGregor did not see his way clear to leave a devoted and confiding pastoral charge in order to dwell in a tent of Kedar among " ani- mosities." Owing to this commingling of English, Welsh and New England, as well as Scotch and Irish teachings, he at nomination had in 1728, according to the Re\ Tohii Thompson in his overture, " not any particular system of I! II* ■ I ' . . . - m ■ ( •i 1 I ! '='■ 1' < •> ■-'i ), . i 'K . -.t i ; • i ■* nm 136 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERTANISM I f I- *1 i iJ : i> '( ' 1 ) i ') iiiK ■ ' doctrines composed by ourselves or others which we by any judicial act of our churcli have a(lo])ted to be the arti- cles or confession of our faith, etc. The most that can bo said is, that the \\\'stniinster Confession of Faith is the confession of the faith of the generality of our members, ministers and people." Notwithstanding that they had, in 1736, avowed their adoption of " the Westminster ("onfession and Directory without the least variation or alteration " excepting the clauses anent niared by unseriptural customs, ought to he honored for their attachment to gospel ])rinciples. They were the continuation of true Presbyterianism in the central and soutlu>rn colonies. In conserouf,dit alniiid- ance of rain, so "tlic Ix'.uinninu; of strife," and not the "leaving off of contention " by that " majority " (on Con- grcjiationnl principles; in a sin,!j;le con^zreuation, has j)0ured floods of error and division anionti those who were (and ought to have continue(l to be) l>rethren; and after the experience and sectarian rancor of above a century — "Time but tlie improssion deeper makes, As streams tlieir channels deeper wear." •; I i i ( 1 , i • 1 ! ; : .1 ■ i 1 ■ » , 5 ±1 140 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM nil ii ii I :■ !,; 1^ CHAPTL. v'. 1768-1793 — Development — The era of growth — Prior possession — Diffi- culties — J»)]in Miirniy— " Woolers" — A dileninia — Ordained in Pliil- adelpiiia — Poothbay — Dismissed himself" — He developed Presbyte- rianism in Maine — Watched — The first minute respecting him — Pres- bytery of Hoston, twelve pastors — Yet they could iiot extinguish him — Presbytery at Eastward — Its constitution — A Fast-Day — Fiuida- nientals in five articles — Each certifies his former standing — A question — "Tiie town clerk read the contracts" — "Judged" — Anil- lustration of the ductility of Presbyterianism — Samuel AVheeler — Newmarket — Boscawen — ''Brute Beasts" — Ready to join with other Presbyteries — Send a mission to Halem Presbytery — "Various ani- mosities" — Murray at ',^2 — Loss of minutes for fifteen years — The Roll in 1770 — Division into a Synod j)roposed — Rev, Geo. Gilmore — John Eliot — Mr. Noble — Petitions — John Morrison — His case fearful — Joel ii. 17 — Parsons and Moorehead in strife — A citation — Mr. Patrick — Blaiulford — Nottingham — Hampton Falls — Gilmore or- dained in 1773 — McLean installed at Bristol — Moorehead to apologize — An expedient disapproved — Moorehend's death — Dr. AVhittaker and Salem congregation admitted — Rev. N. Merrill — Psalmody — The " felt want " — Rottenness — Valve defective— Supply — Com. to Boston reported — Voted — Presbytery at Eastward — Animosities — Strict dis- cipline — Murray rejected — r)eclinature by Long Lane — They called Murray, he promised if — A remonstrance — " Qiaun primum" — A mu- tual comi)act — Translation of M. oi)posed — Valuable congregation — • Ten years' ownership — Moonlight of Christianity — Tilt — Calls — July 4th — 1776 Presbytery met — Debate — Parsons' death — Sermon on Orig- inal Sin — Reason No. 5 — No. 8— Murray " transported " — A day of desolation. .2, ,! '■i : : Development stands prominently forward amonp; the beauties of nature from inception to maturity. This is api)licable not only to the animal and vegetable king- doms, but also to benevolent associations of men, and es- pecially to the visible churcli in all ages — in all lier de- partments — as " the pillar and ground of the truth." We have sketched the introduction of Presljyterianism into New England, and we enter upon the era of its growth. In doing this, we must remember that the field 'iilli e- Jts lid I IN NEW ENGLAND. 141 ■was not only limitod, but unj]fcnial, iindor the Procrustean domination of another species of ecclesiastieism sustained by its own civil ])ower. " Hence " the oppressed Irisli hretliren and Presbyterian strangers" had to '•contend earnestly for " their "faith" from their first coming to New En^hmd. The exceptions to this were Ibund only where, as pioneers, tliey in colonies obtained jirior i)ossession of the soil, and removed the forest, as was the case in London- derry, N. II. From 174o till ITOS, by native increase and innni<:ration from this ouv, othei- eoniirei^ations were formed in new towns, and during this (piarter of a century, under the original "'Irish" and Boston Presbyteries, some of them were ])rosj)ering and otiiers d(!clining, or, like the French Church, were dead. In tlie meantime, in entering on this period, we labor under dilHculties in not knowing in many cases what was done by the churcli courts, and how they took care of the flock as overseers ; for the minutes of the first Presbytery have perished, and the records of the other, if kept at the time from 1755 till 1770, are lost. From fragmentary sources, however, we learn not a little of what was done by way of church ex- tension. Before I revert to church courts, to congregations and families, I begin with one man who fills a large space in the history of Presbyterianism in New England. John Murray was born six ndles from I>allymena, on May 22d, 1742; united with the church at fifteen; was educated at the University of Edinburgh, where he took his degree of M. A. ; received a license (as he claimed) from the class in Wooler, England, signed by Isaac Wood, Moderator, Robert Trotter, clerk, and nineteen other ministers, and began to preach at eighteen years of age. He was soon after charged with forging his certificate of licensure, and other acts were alleged against him in connection with the matter before he was twenty-three. When the Presbytery of Ballymcna questioned his li- cense, he sent it to some in Edini:>urgh to have it attested by such as knew the hands that signed it. Instead of taking better steps, they wrote on the back of the same sheet a certificate attesting that " he had indeed gone to Northumberland ; had certainly been licensed there ; had 142 HISTORY OF PRESnYTERIANISM 8 V li ■J. preached several times in Scotland in consequence thereof, and was well aj)i)r()ved hy them ; " and then sent it to him sitrned hy themselves, with the words moderator and clerk of Prcshytery annexed to their names, winch tliey were not. This certiticatc caused him troui)le durin<^ his whole life; for heinj:; shown in the Synod of Ulster at Londonderry (allhouj^h hy another in his ahsence h(^ al- ways said), it immediately hecame an ohject of attention. He was now accused of forjzery. Meanwhile his Scottish friends had written to him, own- ing the fraud, hut heseechin^ him not to ruin them, as their i)rospects in the churcli wen? ;j;ood. Kather than ruin them and fijive his own enemies a triumph, which at that age he was too proud to endure, he (U'lended the paper as genuine. {Vc.r.} "When hardly twenty-one he came from Ireland to New York, and was in ^hly, 170-'), ordained and settled for several months as successor to the Rev. Gilhert Tennent, in Philadelphia. The charge fol- lowed him, and while the l*reshytery of Philadeljihia acted in the matter with wisdom and ])rudence, the first wrong step had j)lunged him in the mire, and each suc- ceedins; one sunk liim deeper. He wrote, "the frown of a holy CJod was on the thing, and everv mensure of defence, either pn^nised or actually taken by the authors of the])(i))cr, only increased the emharrassment of him whom they meant to defend." His whole character now hecame sus- picious. Other things were alleged, hut never judicially investigated, although inlluencing the result. ( Vcrmibjca.) He ohtained certificates from the Preshytery, from the ciders and from 115 heads of families in his congregation in Philadelphia, and removed to Boothhay ; while some months after, not appearing to defend himself, the case a})peared conclusive, and Presbytery excommunicated him on April 7th, 1767. His retrospective view of the case will (D. V.) be after- wards presented. Such is the written account of him, and without casting away current liistoric statements, I hero present the fol- lowing. The reader can judge the discrepancy, if any, in facts. We cannot at sight ap])reciate the spiritual condi- tion of the colonists who formed the Temple and Dunbar emigrations and their descendants, for many years after IN NEW ENGLAND. 143 l.'UidinL: in Maine, llcniovod from the cxtonsivo cnjoy- mcnt of the means of^raco, to liavc in tlu' wilderness only '"silent Sal»l)aths,'' their pri'vioiis knowledge, love and Tear ol' (lod could not increase, and many Ui'canie (it is he- lieved) extensi\ Iv indill'erent. They did not totallv ne. 272.) Jk)othl»ay was incorporated Decemb(T 22d, 1763, and the inhal>itants were cheered by the comin*:; of Mr. John ]\Iurray in the same year. (An imcle by marriajie) Mr. Andrew Heed, by iir were not afraid? His an- swer was ener;2;etic and to the i)oint: " JIad not 1 my IJible with me, and was not that enou-di?" Besides his influence, Robert, the father of John Mur- ray, had come to reside in 'J'ownsend. Hence, says SeW- ali (p. 34(3), "Ninety })oiinds sterling ])er annum as a salary was subscribed at once." They were to give to him two hundred ticres of land and build for him an house. As the church record has it, " The Lord s})irited up the inhal)itants so that it was (piickly tilled u]>." Still, ho left them in Fel)ruary, 17()1, and on the 17th of May the Presbytery of New York reported to the Synod " that they have received Mr. John Murray, a candidate Iron) Ireland, under their care." On a request " made from the First Philadelphia Presbytery, also from Mr. CJilbert Tennent and his congregation, praying supplies," Mr. Murray was aj)pointed there four Habi3atlis, in July, 1704. There, as his successor, he was ordained, and his labors were emi- nently blessed in building up that church. The dew of his youth was now upon him, and not a few rejoiced in his ministry, until his " sin found him out." Consequently, i I ,1 ill' i 1. I ' :i ^i 144 HISTORY OF PRESnYTKIUAMSM on Miiy 22(1, ITHd, tho first Prosbytory of IMiilndcliiliia re- ])orU'(l, " that tlu'v have ordained Mr. .lohn Murray since our last Synod ; hut that some char^zcs since that were hiid in ajzainst him rcsjicctin;: liis moral character, which arc not yet decided hy the I'reshytery/' His casf was then delerred, and (»n May 21sl, ]7<)7, said Presl)ytery report, "that they have de]iosed Mr. Murray since our last." l'crha|is the people in Jioothhay did not know all tla; uhove particulars, i)ut, it* tlicy did, tlieir connnissionors to the I'reshytery at J'hiladelpliia reported ditlerently. To liim, Andrew iU-ed wrote, '"We are lirmly resolved to in- sist upon your [iromise, to the uttermost, as we l)elieve they have . 347). Tho I^ri'sbytcry ol' rhiladelpliia did not heed their a])peal, and their commissioners went before the Synod of New York and Philadelphia. '"Tho jx^tition ot" the town set forth puch a statement of facts and documentary eviden(;e, that they did not doul)t their success, if once they came betbro so conscientious a court as the Svnod." iJh.) "Andrew Reed was at tlu; head of the commission in prosecutmg their cause. Tlie papers W(M'e all returned with the min- utes of Pr(>sl)ytery whereby ^Tr. Murray was liberated, in manner and form as full as desired." ilh. 848.) " In three months he returned. The town oflicers and people Eastward), is irregular; tluit lie (though })rofessing himself a Presbyterian minister) has not otlered to join himself to any Presbytery of New England that we know of. That he stands charged with gross immoralities, for which he is now actually under a sentence of deposition by the General Synod of Ulster, in Ireland. That some parts of his conduct in America (to say the least) are exceeding dark and doubtful. That he is living under a censure, and has been rejected by the Presbytery of Philadeli)hia, by which he was ordained. '' In consideration of these things, this Presbytery is unanimously of opinion, that it is proper to caution their members from having any communion with the said Mr. John Murray, as they would not practically renounce communion with the whole body of Presbyterians in the Synods of Ulster, New York and Philadelphia ; and as they would not expose themselves to the discipline of this Presl)ytery; "That a copy of this minute be transmitted to each of the congregations belonging to this Presbytery. "Attest, J. Strickland, " Presbytery Clerk." The Presbytery of Boston then consisted of twelve set- 10 'mI? r 1 \ ! r^ 146 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM mi ^- ii y y i 4 ■ I u tied pastors/with their elders, and tliis "minute "manifests an average " taking heed to themselves and to the ilock over the which the Holy Ghost luid made them hishops." In view of the ])ower and activity of tiie man, it was all necessary, yet it did not extinguish him ; ibr within two years we have regular records connnenced, from which these extracts are taken : "Minutes of the first Preshvterv at Eastward, crechMl June 27th, 1771, at the meeting-house in Boothhay (^now Maine).'' After jileading their destitution, in their con- stitution it is stat(!d : " It having pk'ased Almighty God in his adorahle i)roviilence hy a series of wonderful steps to bring and tix one minister of Presbyterian principles, and to convince and bring over thereto two others of the Con- gregational way, it seemed to ht^ a special and very ))artie- ular call to them to associate themselves into a Preshy- tery at this time, and they judged that they could not be safely accountable for the neglect or delay of that im- portant step." " For all these reasons, the said three ministers, after the most mature consideration and diligent weighing of this affair, did resolve to con.stltKtc themselves into a Presbytery by the name of the FirM Pm-^hi/U'rij at the Es, we, the subscribers, do, in the name of (lod, constitute ourselves into a Presbytery by solenm prayer, etc., and in conse(iuence thereof, dechire ourselves ])oss(.'ssed of all powers and rijrhts, etc., lawfully claimed by any Presbytery in the Christian Church, and therefore we take instruments. "JosKPir Phinck, ^b)derator, "JoH.N iMiLLKH, Presbytery clerk. "John Murray. " John Hkatii, rulinu: elder from the church at Roothbay. " D.vvii) l)u\MN<;, elder from the church at Brunswick. " W.M. Inks, ruling eld(T from Bristol. "John Mkrrill, ruling elder from Topsham. " 'p. To ))revent slanderous reports before they enter on any other judieial acts, each minister certifies his former standhig." Joseph Prince was ordained by a council in IToT. After laboring fourteen yenrs Ik? was dismissed by a council and recommended l)y them, appi-oved hy the church, and is now in contract with the North Parish in Pownalboro, etc. His standing was approved. . '■} 'lffll i t I ; i t19 1 • 1 \ i \ i. \ i: \ ' i \ ' i iii ..! I 148 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIAN ISM John Miller, ordained at Brunswick in 1762 by a connril, and is now the settled pastor tliere. lie is now convinced of the detects of tliat constitution, and cannot lontrer Ue- long to tluit sect, and is fully convinced of the seriptund character of the Presbyterian yjlan, and is himself a Pres- byterian from principle, and his people mostly desire to bo under this government, and have sent an elder for this purpose, etc. They then enrolled him and his church. C^ucstion. Can Congregational ordination bear these brethren out in a judicial capacit}^ as Presbyterians, act- ing in the alTairs of other churches? Answer. A distinction is to be regarded between the efsence and the circumstance. All that is essential to or- dination is a lawful call — imposition of hands of ordained Presbyters with fasting and prayer in circumstances qtiud fieri nu)i d eh u it factum valet. The ordaining to particular churches is very erroneous, as we judge ordination makes a man a minister through the whole visible church. llie Ree. John Murray presented his declaration, main- taining that in 17G5 he was ordained a minister by the first Presljytery of Philadelphia, and installed pastor of the second church there — that he was dismissed on two testimonials (intending to go to Euroj)e on account of his health) as a minister in good standing, which testimonials he produced to this Presbytery — that some time after said Presbytery suspended and then deposed him. Being con- scious of the illegality of these their acts, he took no no- tice of them — that he came here and was installed here on the first Thursdav of August, 17G6. No Presbyterian minister being near enough, he led in that work himself. The town clerk read the contracts be- tween "himself and this people, the history of which, at- tested b}' the session, he read from the session book. He has, consequently, exercised the pastoral office in all its parts. He is really sorry for the said controversy with the said Presl)ytery, and desires admission here, his church sending their elder for this end. Judged. — That, as the action of that Presbytery in Philadelphia was after his regular dismission, and therefore irregular, he be now re- ceived, and they now repone him. Resolved — to cultivate friendship with other Presbyteries by correspondence, and ffl IN NEW ENGLa-ND. 149 SO to write to the first Presbytery of Londonderry, N. H , and tluit the Rev. Mr. Murray be our delegate to meet witli the same Presbytery about the erection of a Synod. Meet- ing's to be held third Tuesdays of May and Septendjer. We have here an illustration of the ductility of Presby- terianism, almost equal to ]irelatic apostolical succession itself, and which during the lifetime of Mr. Murray mani- fested vitality. Their meetings, according to adjournment, Avere held from year to year until June 13, 1792, and tlieir records manifest at least an average amount of oflieinl faithfulness. For example: On May 19, 1772, they assigned trials for license to Mr. Samuel Wheeler, a graduate of Cambridge, whom they had taken under their care. Thuy met a second time on his trials on September 7, 1772, and again on October 6, 1772; and at Georgetown on Novemhcr 18, 1772, they met a third time pro re natn, "examined him in the usual matters — and as to his piety." In view of his "small opportunities and ver}' scanty pro- gress, they are only constrained by the urgent necessity of the churches to think of licensing him at this meeting." Surely this is a hard account of a graduate of Harvard College, but perhaps " his small opportunities " may refer to a neglected religious education, as well as to his literary disadvantages. He subscribed the formula, and M'as licensed November 19, 1772. "The charge, with many particular cautions, was given by the moderator. He was appointed to Topsham for three or four Sabbaths, and then to study in private till next meeting." From year to year, as seen by the records, they conducted their judi- cial business "decently and in order." At Topsham, ()cto- hcr, 1773, tlie Rev. Nathaniel Ewer and his church of New Market, N. H., recjuested admission. To prevent difficulty, " the moderator was ordered to go to New Market — state tlie order of this Presbytery, and see if they are willing in all things to conform." "The same to l>e done at JJos- eawen, whence a similar ap])lication is made." "Ministers to perform pastoral visitation this fall." Ordered — tliat " tile brute beasts killed by the children of one church member, belonging to another cliurcli member, be paid for by the parents." Tins was cMiuitable. After due examination, as ordered, the Rev. Nathaniel Ewer and his New Market congregation were, on May 31, w I' liifl 11^ ] mw M4II mi 1 ;• 6 150 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM 1774, received, while, for varied irregularities, Wliecler was at the same meeting suspended. As Presbytery al)hors isolation where "there is one faith," so they at Pownalhoro, on August 16, 1774, '"Jie- snlced that they stood ready to join with other Prcsbytca-ies in New England upon Christian terms, and that on tliis Kuhjcct they send a commissioner to the Presbytery at .Sahnn, for which purpose the Rev. John Murray was ap- l)ointed, and to carry witli liim a copy of their constitu- tion." Their congregations wore, on October 12, 1774, ^v■len they met in Brunswick, four, beside some vacancies, of which the Rev. Messrs. Joscjth Prince, John Miller, John Murray, and Nathaniel Ewer were the pastors. Tiieir commissioner reported that he had waited on tlie Presbytery at Salem, Mass., but various animosities still prevailing among the ministers that way, render the synod- ical union purposed a very distant object." The Presby- tery, considering that tiiey had done what they could in the matter, resolved to proceed no farther in the matter at present. We thus find the Rev. ^Nlr. Murray at tlie age of thirty- two the clerk of a Presbytery of which he could say, quorum magna pars fui — "of which I have been a great part," and we must leave him for a season, and chronolog- ically notice some of the matters now transpiring else- where connected with our subject. While the minutes of the lioston Presbytery are not re- corded from 1755 till 1770, still, in dilferent ways, from town records and other sources, we learn in i)art the pro- gress made in sustaining and ])ropagating this scri])tural church order in their bounds, or tlie gospel through it. At Pelham, April IGth, 1755, on the roll arc the names of John Moorehead, David McGregor, Alex. McDowell, Robert Burns, Jonathan Parsons, Solomon Prentice, and Alex. Boyd, and we find their records resumed thus: "A true and correct cojjy of the minutes of the reverend Presbytery, now called the Presbyterv of Boston, consist- ing of twelve congregations, whose ministers are as follows :" John Moorehead, Boston ; David McGregor, London- derry ; Jonathan Parsons, Newl)uryi)ort ; Daniel Mitchell, Pembroke; John Houston, I^edford ; Moses Baldwin, Kingston ; Richard Graham, Pclhaui ; Samuel Perley, I i n ;JF' I |i r I M IN NEW ENGLAND. 151 Sea Brook ; Thomas Pierce, Scarboro, Me. ; John Morri- son, Petersburgh ; Simon WiUiams, Windham ; John Strickland, Oakham. Met at Boston according to appointment October 24th, 1770, when it Avas unanimously resolved that a time and place be appointed for an actual division. Mr. Gilmore had fulfilled his ap])ointments of the last session, and was now appointed to Voluntown for the winter. They de- ferred presenting a call from Mcrrimac to JNIr. Noble until tht'V receive more light res])ecting a greater unanimity. Mr. John J^liot oflbnxl himself as a probationer, pre- sented testimonials very satisfactory, together with a nar- rative of the work of God on his soul, of which the Pres- bytery unanimously approve, and he was received. Finding peace increasing in their bounds, and their members scattered at inconvenient distances from Palmer, Mass., to Scarboro, in Maine, they now resolve upon pre- paring the way for the formation of a Synod with Presb}'- teries of convenient bounds ; at their meeting in London- (krry, May 29th, 1771, owing to the absence of Moorchead and Parsons, the project of forming a Synod was further delayed. Infer alia. Received the complaint of David Steele and Wm. McNee against the Rev. John Morrison, of Peterboro, and ap- ])ointcd a committee of five ministers, with their elders, to meet there and finally determine the afl"air now l)cnding. At Seabrook, N. H., August 20th, 1771, their meeting was opened with a sermon by the Rev. D. MoCiregur from Joel ii. 17. This subject might have been suggested by the attitude of Moorchead and Parsons towards each other. They had '' fallen out b}' the way,'' and whether age was or was not maturing for each of them '* a crown of righteousness,"' in them "the wrath of man was not work- ing the righteousness of God." ^^'hile Moorehcad's reasons for absence were sustained, Parsons, when asked his reasons for non-attendance for some time ])ast, stated that ''a jiersonal dilference between thorn so controlled his feelings, that he could not in con- science sit in court with INbmroluvid until it be settled." By his statements to members of l^resbytery, it was found tliat the conscience of Moorchead operated iu the same I m 152 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM n :i ^i H I way toward Parsons ; and Moorchead was enjoined to lay his grievances in a legal way before tlie Presbytery at its next meeting. The dividing of the Presbytery was po?;t- poned ; the moderation of a call to Blandford was granted ; Nottingham was received under Presbytery ; ]\Ir. Morrison was restored to full standing, and to the exercise of his ministry in Peterboro, N. 11. And in view of this, the Rev. Mr. McGregor was appointed "to write to the con- gregation a letter suitable to their circumstances, recom- mending to them a punctual attendance on the stated ad- ministration in their own parish. At Newburyport, May 13th, 1772, six ministers present and live absent. As Mr. John Morrison had left Peterboro, a citation was sent to the Rev. Mr. Sproat, of Philadelphia, to present to him, and an account of his late conduct was to be forwarded to the same. The Rev. Messrs. McGregor and Williams were ap- pointed a committee to endeavor to effect a reconciliation between Moorehead and Parsons before the next meeting. The dividing of the Presbytery was again " postponed to the next session." Mr. Patrick was recommended to take the call presented to him into his serious consideration, and the Elders of Nottingham were to be installed by the Rev. Mr. Williams before next meeting. It was voted, That the Rev. Mr. Williams engross the papers belonging to Presbytery in a book; that Messrs. McGregor, Houston and Williams direct the missionary labors of Mr. Gilmore in the vacancies under Presbytery ; and that a letter be written to the society of Hampton Falls, respecting their late conduct since they were received under our care. Mr. Patrick accepted the call from lilajulford, and his ordination and installation were a})pointed to take place on the last Thursday of June next. "Voted, that the Rev. Messrs. McLelland, Jones, Smith and Thair be invited to take part." Londonderry, May 2Gth, 1773. "Resolved, That Mr. Parsons' excuse be suspended ; that ]Mr. Moorehead be cited once more to appear before Pres- bytery to give an account of liis non-attendance, to apolo- gize for his absence several years })ast, ' and to (jxjjlain some things in his last letter wliich in our opinion need a comment.' " II ' 'l'- IN NEW ENGLAND. 153 lat :'S- lo- iu II a Definite arranj»ements were now to be made l)y ap- pointed parties for tlie erection of the proposed Synod. Presbytery now si;inified, very properly, " its disappro- bation of the expediency of an adjourned nieetin"; of an equal number of Prcs1)yterian and ('(Miurruationalist min- isters in order to settle the afi'airs ot" Oakham, and con- sider the Rev. Mr. Strickland and the Presbyterians there inadvertent in coming into such an expedient. Presby- t' ry now appointed to sit on tlie last ^^'ednesday of May next (1774), at llev. Mr. Baldwin's:" now, without statins; when or how Mr. Baldwin was removed from Palmer to Kingston, called '"Mr. Baldwin's" on their minutes. Londonderry, July 2d, 1773, Presbytery met according to adjournment. A connnittee reported that they had or- dained Mr. George Gilmore, who had landed in Philadel- phia September Dth, 1769, and installed the Rev. Alexan- der McLean at Bristol, Maine, on May 2Gth, according to appointment. Mr. Gilmore was instructed to consult Messrs. McGregor, Houston and Williams, respecting his preaching in the vacancies in their parts. The Rev. Alex- ander McLean was received on testimonials from the Pres- bytery of New Brunswick. We have seen the Rev. John Moorehead suspended by the Londonderry Presbytery, and nt)w he lias fallen under the disjdeasure of the one which he was, more largely than any other person, the agent in erecting. The opposite positions toward Murray which they took, was the par- ticular "root of bitterness " which had sprung up between them. Parsons sustained him and Moorehead oppos(.'d him. They were " men of like passions with others," and they had parted sorrowfully. Moorehead for years suffered under "a cru(^l disease," which might have somewhat alt'eeted his e(iuanimity and patience, and which at last brought him suddenly to the grave. '"On the Lord's day he preached twice, seemingly in better health than he had been for a long time before. But his disease returned that day and continued till his death, on Thursday, December 2(i; 1773."'^ *0f liim a v«rv favoiubk' iiolico is given in the MaxsuchuatUs Uazellc, DiHTinbcr 9lli, lt78. "Ill tliiity-nini' years (1730-17r)9) yiv. ^Mooreiu-ad baplized 091 per- .>-ons», and in forty-tlivce years married 447 cuiiplert. lie ceased to bap- tize (as sliown by his record) four years before his dealli, yet continued to marry until August, 1773." ) : H • "i 1 r ; M • ■ 1 j I • II 154 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM But to return to tlie Boston Presbytery. We find thnt, .•ilthoup;h Conj:]^rep;;itionalism was now 145 years old, it did not bind the churches on the spot of its birth in Salem in harmony. It was not "sufliciently divine" to do this. Hence, at a meeting at Kingston, N. H., on May 2Gth, 1774, the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Whittaker and his congrega- tion, of Salem, Mass., were admitted. Rev. John Morrison was ai^ain cited to appear for trial. Not only did tiie Presbytery take heed to the; wrong-doing of pastors, such as Morrison, but also to the membersiiip of the church, for Thomas Quintin, James Kelly and their wives, under discipline, were at this time acquitted of charges antinuptial and re-udmitted to church j)rivileges. Then the Rev. Messrs. Nathaniel Merrill and Aaron Hutchison appeared, gave good satisfaction respecting their standing, and stated their motives for embracing the dis- cipline of the Presbyterian church. In view of which they were received into full fellowship, and a committee were appointed to sit in the congregation of Boscawen, N. H., to consult matters there between the Rev. Mr. Merrill and that society, and to inquire into the propriety of receiving it under watch and care. A sin)ilar committee were ap- pointed to visit Blandford, and finally determine matters respecting the Rev. Mr. Patrick and that society. Changes are usually, or at least oftentimes, rung upon all departments of the Christian church each half century, and so it was here. Up till this i)eriod. May 2r)th, 1774, those who were trained up Presbyterians had, in worship, used the l:)Ook of Psalms, while those who were novices in Presbyterianism, or viewed it as a good ex^pedient, or adopted it as the path to thrift, brought with them what they previously used in praise as Congregationalists, pro- bably in most cases " the Bay State version " of Elliot, Mather and Weld. The fathers had passed away, and now a new generation were acting "who knew nut Joseph." The loD psalms, imitated by Dr. Watts, liad been offered in the Boston market since 1741. Thirty-three years of warfare had al- most silenced "the Bay State version," and now the Rev. Moses Baldwin has for the imitations " a felt want," and the Presbytery " having discoursed upon the atiair," give him liberty to use them at "discretion." IN NEW ENGLAND. 155 up, or ,-hat ])ro- liot, give Rottenness now ontcrod into the bones of their Prcsby- terianisni, and altlioujj;h their con,ti:re^ation.s were exten- sively increased in numbers, and expanded into a Synod, yet it only lasted for a few years, and collapsed like a bal- loon in mid-heavens when the valve became defective. The division of Presbytery was farther postponed. Hutchi- son and Gilmore were appointed to sujiply the vacancies, Pelhani, Dunbarton, Francestown and Weirtown, New Erection. Salem, Mass., September 13th, 1774, Presbytery met. Morrison was af^ain cited. It was found that a committee hud been, since Mr. !Moorehead's death, sent to Boston. They reported, their minutes were read and approved by Presbytery. "Voted unaninioii-lv, That, in consequence of his peni- tential confession, thi- Rev. Mr. Patrick l)e restored to good standinjr, and while he is jicrmittcd to exercise his minis- terial function, his dismission from his congregation is continued till next meeting. The appeal from Blandford was sustained, and it is to be tried at next meeting. "Ordered, That the Rev. John Houston be appointed to table complaints against the Rev. John Morrison at next meeting," at Salem, September loth, 1774. As noticed, the Presbytery at the Knsitrard a))])ointed at Pownalboro, on August 16th, 1774, the Rev. John Murray to go as a commissioner to the Boston Prcsl^ytery to meet at Salem at this date, and that he rejjorted that " variou.s animosities still jirevailed between the ministers that way," but he did not state that he was the cause, or, at least, the occasion of them. He had previously intimated a desire to unite with the Boston Presbytery. This Mooreliead, in view of his case, sternly opposed, while Parsons, admiring the man, and having less veneration for strict Presbyterian discipline, advocated it. Hence, during the last years of their lives, " brotherly love" between them was not per- mitted to " continue." On considering at this meeting th^ propriety or impro- priety of "receiving him in charity as a Christian brother, it was carried in the negative," Parsons, Houston, Williams, Cross, Smith and Crawford dissenting. These were for receiving Mr. Murray and probably his Presbytery. Dur- ing the past nine months, aince the death of the Rev. Mr. ^ i; ; f 1141^ h 156 HISTORY OF PRESBYTKRIANISM : V I Moorchend, tho Long Lane con<];rop;ation in Bof^ton had become anxious to call him jis their jmstor, and this could be done only by the authority of the Boston Presbytery. In order to present to him their call and install him, that court must first receive him, or reco<;ni7,e the lawful construction of his Presbytery which, spider-like, ho had ])roduccd from his own personal treasures of Presbyterial power. This they did not do. Hence, not only the "animosities," hut also the fact, that on Septem])er 20th, 1774, the [.(Onfi; Lane conprefjatioii enttn'ed their " declinature " of the authority of the Boston Presbytery, while a minority of thirty adhered to it. Hence, the succeedintr fact, that at Brunswick, on Octoher r2th, 1774, Mr. John McLean presented a call from the conjiregation in Boston to have the Rev. John Murray re- moved there. This call was by "the Prcsl)yt(M-y at the Eastward" considered regular, as the congregaiion had declined the authority of the Boston Presbytery, and it was (as such) sustained. Now " Greek met Greek," and " then came the tug of war." His host of friends in Boothbay became arouseil. When the call was presented to him, he ])romised, that if his " people first had a hearing by their commissioners, tiiat he would then submit tlie matter entirely to tiie Presbytery, and endeavor to be obedient to their decision."' On the next day Mr. John Beath (formerly from Long Lane congregation, but now), the Elder from Boothhay, presented a remonstrance on behalf of said church and town, against any m(!asure being taken for Mr. Murray's removal to Boston, which was read and ordered to be kept in rcienth and copies given to both parties. At an adjourned meeting at Jirunswiek, on Novcnd)er 23d, 1774, Mr. John McLean, as commissioner, was con- fronted by Messrs. John Beath and Paul Reed as connnis- sioners from Boothbay, and by commissioners presenting a remonstrance from the church in Bristol. The argumentation was earnest and long on both sides, and McLean, resorting to delay, adduced various reasons why his request should be granted, which, owing to tlie thinness of the meeting, occasioned by the severity of the weather and the desire of having the judgment of the full Presbytery, was agreed to, and the matter was deferred. II IN NEW ENGLAND. 1 *''■ 1>( At Bmnswiok, May 8th, 1775. Wliilo Mr. McLean (Yu] not ai>i)i'iir, still tlu.' niinuti'S and his piipiTs were ht'lori^ the court, to|j;t'thcr with a h'tter from the session of th<^ Lout,' Lane cliurch. These were read, and the I'reshytery, alter "mature cor.sich'ratioii of the case, owin^ to tho jtaucity of memhers pHv-^ent, resolved to adjourn the deci- sion of that att'air till next me(!tin;ij, and the clerk was or- dered to enclose in his answer to said letter a copy of the minute (]nutn jn'tnium.''^ Measures were now taken for some relief for Topsham eon^rreuration, which was then vacant, while Sanuiel ^\'lleei('r continued to roam ahout and preach there, hav- inir thrown off all restraint, and vexed the people so, that they refused almost universally to hear him. Any minis- ter of the hody, when recjuested hy their session, was nu- ll lorized to haptize the children of parents recommended ])y the session. An application from the Prcshyterian church in New- huryport, praying that said church and the Rev. Jonathan I'arsons, their j)ast(jr, he receiv(>d under the watch and care of this Prcshytery, was now made. Tiiey were re- ceived accordint^ly. Mr. Parsons was installed there on !March 19th, 1746, by ii mutual compact between himself, and the clerk replynifi for tho rest. His constitution was delieat*' since 1754, and in 1772 his public labors were sus- ] tended by sickness. He had years previously asked for a eelleairue, and as he had entertained friendshij) for Mr. Murray, so his cono;refi;ation now extended to him a call, and " Mr. Moses Little, their commissioner, was heard on his reasons therefore." The translation was vigorously opposed by the congregation of lioothbay, who had now for years actively endeavored to maintain their rights against those who, as well as themselves, " coveted ear- nestly the best gifts." Hence the prosecution of the case was deferred. On " Thursday, May 9th, 1776, upon reading the min- utes, as to the lioston call, it was moved and seconded, that as there was now a full meeting of members, and that the interest of that valuable congregation, of which the utmost tenderness is an especial duty in its j>resent dis- tress, might greatly suffer by our deferring judgment any longer." The call and relative papers, the i)rotest and re- , I 1 1 158 HISTORY OF PUESBYTERIANISM 'f. Si monRtranco, and tlie al)stract.s of tho reasons of })oth par- tics were read. The I'r(.'sl)ytery tlion considered tluir junvers in rei^ard to the removal of any ])ast()r within their l)ounds, and that they had now ajn|)hi li^ht in the matli r of th(! IJoston call, rc.solced as folh)Ws, ( /. r.) : "It is the jud;^- nu'iit of this Presbytery, after a serious consideration of the matter, resjjectin^ th«! removal of the Rev. Mr. Muri'ay from his pastoral relation to the chureii in Hoothhay to the ehur(;h in Boston, that it is hy no means exi)e(lient in th(.' |)r(.'sent state and circumstances of that town and jx'ople." Thus, iifter nineteen months of exertion, tho ])cople in JjOiif/ Lane were disappointed. It is true the ])eople at Boothhay had a lawful claim of ten years' ownership, and were the man's own ecclesiastical oflsprin;.', hut they were now estahlished in the faith, and miuht liave found another pastor, although not of o(iual i)ower and attract- iveness. Not only so, as Presbyterians had then and havo now no abiding hold of their church estate, so that they can under civil law enjoy the use of it; and the ])eople in Lonj; Lane held theirs, amountiufj: then to al)out one twenty-four hundreth j)art t)f the town of Boston, by a trust deed of a charital)le use and nature, Mr. Murray, with his ])owers and piety, miiiht have instrumentally retained the foothold which I'resbyterianisni then had, (ixtended widely " the doctrine of (iod our Saviour," and curtaihul exten- sively that volume of error, which eventually culminated in the moonlight of Christianity, Unitarian Congregation- alism. lie had, however, other missions to fulfil ; after taking the steps which we have noticed, the Pri'sbytery the sanii,' day heard the commissioner from Newburyport in sup- port of the call from that church to Mr. Murray. On July 8d, 1770, the Presbytery met at New Market, when the clerk reported that in obedience to the order of our last, he has transmitted the minutes rcsjiecting tho Boston call to the session of the Presbyterian chuicli there. After reading the remonstran(!e from Hoothbay, the petition from Newburyport was heard, and on Thurs- day, July 4th, 1770, Presbytery met according to adjourn- ment, when the respective reasons for and against the Newburyi)ort cull were heard in detail. After long de- IN NEW ENGLAND. 159 bate, the commissioner from Boothbiiy movo(^, nnd tlio otlitTs concurred to detV-r it. On that eventful day l*resi)ytory also ^nuitcd vacant churi'iujs the lil)irty to send each two ruliu;^ elders to each lucetiii^i of Preshytery. '' Eventful " heeausc that while tiio declaration of indc-'pendence was not sijxued until tho peeoiid day of Auyust loUowing, it was adopted on July 4tli. ITTC. At the next mcetinjj:, on Octoher Dth, at Fahuouth, it was reported ♦hat tho Kev. Jonathan I'arsons had dit'd July I'Jth, 1770, at the a<^e of seventy-one— some two years, seven nionthii and seventeen days after his former co-presbyter, Moorchead. It is matter of sorrow that they Were alienated from each other at death. As Parsons and his conj^rej^ation (at his demise) were under "the I'reshytery at the Eastward," Newburyport, now, that Boston was out of the way, desired tlu' ser- vices of this pre-eminent man. For him they persistently ap|)lied, and for years Boothhay as vigorously protested, licuce we find that at " ('ai)e Eli/aheth, on June 14th, 17>S0, after a sermon by Prince on the doctrine of original sin.'' as exj)ressed in the sixth chai)ter of the Confession of Faith, a;,'reeal)le to the order of our last, Mr. Murray's removal from Bo(jth))ay w'as oi)})Osed, and answered hy a series of reasons. Of these, number live was "for preachinjf to and kee|)inj< from desolation the larg(,'st conf2;regation in New England, where there are not less than ten times the nnm- l>er of hearers he can preach to at Hoothbay." ''Eighth, for saving that numerous society from being overrun with errors, its government overcome, and itself split untl ruin(>d." "For these reasons the Presbytery rcijuired and en- joined said congregation at Newburyport to receive and acknowledge )iim, the said Rev. Jolm Murray, as their st.ited pastor in the Lord, by virtue of their call, his ac- ceptance, and the soleum a(!t of transp(^rtation as fully to all intents and purposes whatever, as by any other sort of installation or induction thereunto, and to yield to all liis legal and constitutional acts of oflic(>, all faithful sub- mission and obedience in the Lord. And at all times to do what in them lies to strengthen his hands and en- courage his heart under the peculiar difliculties of the sit- uation in which he is hereby placed." II 160 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM This waf5 a day of desolation for the conp:rcc:ation at Bootli^av. Thov liad for nearlv lourtceii years liiinjj ^vitli tli'V(»tii>n on liis li]>s; in seasons of vast and imniincnt dandier they had sli.ired witli him perils of which he was extens'' 'v hoth the eaiise and tiie occasion; and now they )y the d(;inands of Divine I'rovi(Knu,-(! and the authoiiiv of tlieir own Pr(>shytery hereft of hini for wlioni for some six years they had witii luroic fortitude con- tended against judicious and ahie connnissioners from otlier churches. All that can now bo oflicially done is not neirlccted. For them Presbytery express and record their pro- found " sympathy." They were then " sheep having no " under "shepherd ; "'and wiiile on August 11th, 1781, Pres- bytery " received a letter from IJoothliay, re(iuesting a HUpply," tliey do not ajtpearto liave received any of a per- manent character, and they eventually in the subsequent eight years in common witli all Presbvterianisni in Maine, fell asleep in the ol)livious embrace of surrounding and assimilating Congregationaliam. i: TX NEW ENGLAND. lot CHAPTER VT. 1708-179.?— Difllciilties—Thoy kept watcli— ' Disamiexed "—Routine (liitits — " riiiiilisci'Miliiiir " — Ft'iiiiih' nii'inluM's to \)v rt'ci-ived it" tlicy ri'tiini — L 11 iiiliait"-l>;i it'll — Mfriill's (ii-.ini>>.i()ii — I'.ostoii society cittil — Noveinb(.T, I77i — '•Cdii-itli-iiiif,' liio man" — A plan lur a Syiitttl ovortmvd — Salt'in ("imrcii luirnt — Aid — I)artniontii Coilefri — Iliitiii- iii-oiis |u'!iliun — HfconiiiK'niiatioM (tf a plan ot" Synod — Tliri'f I'rcs- livti'iit. -iM.rl n'arancc a duty — I astoral visitatum and ratochisnig ni'oniiMi'ndi'd — Not too cl(wi' to tlirir iioiis in llio pnlpil — Kxp ositioi ncDinMii'ndfil — License — I'uMitalion (if Hanns reconiim-nded -Snp- lillcs- 'vnod tni'MK'd Mav 31 , 177') -Mit at ;ua. m. iinie Isl- Inpiliart oni.iiiifd at St. ( iror<,'i'"s in SipteinlKT — Mi'irill at IVlhaiu ni Sfpti-ni l>.r— T (•'"art asks lor lici-nst' II IS (.xaniination I. urn.-e Third (,'lnnrii, Salfiu — Witiidiawing invuularly — TIk- circiun- Ktanci's of tlio times— Till' siiii-ll of gun-powder —A priori — A pos- teriori — Adopted the ^Vestlllillster ( 'oiifessioii of K.aitli and fallej;ious lilieily tiiere — ( 'lurry Valley, X. V., dwelling safely — TroiiMe came- War ( olonies revolt— Ivcv. !•'. MaKemie — Meekleiibur;j;li I'onvention — I>eclaralioii of Independence- -This per- Mciition, .says Hancrofl — Hishops-Septemher 4tli, 177(>, "are any inimical? can have no seat lu'ri-"' — .lohu M(»rris((n (U'posed - K»'V. .Iiilm Houston falters and promisis t'ealty, hut does not s.itisfy Synod or I'.i'dford ei'.her^ — dismissed — I'l'ril — I'rencii war in 1741 (>!( -('a|)e i^iTiiiii — i)r. Thornton — • ,)Wii Point — Three Captains from Derry — Two StarUs and Kouer.-— No surplus of alli-etion for Hritain after the "Huston Mas.-arre" -John Stark in his Sawmill, and in ten mimitea left tor Cambrid>i;e — " Disinssini,' apprehension.s " — Future homes— Tile loyalty of the Scotch Irish dissipattd — Troops in IU)ston, 17t)S — Blood Drawn — The drama opened — Tlu- slalt- of society domestically — Home j)rothu;ts — Lartre Spinning: Wheel — Wives and mothers Worth liavin— Spinning; schools — Daughters of Liberty, in his house in one day they spun 2C>- skeins and gave it to Mr. Moorehoad — Times, anthems and liberty songs in the evening, animated by the "«{)iis of liberty" — 1(K) spinners in Mr. Moorehead's society — Notices of one man — (ieorge Keid — r.unktrllill — ^Ili;; commission January Ist^ 177(5— Colonel of the Ariuy of the U. S. in 1783 — Served during U I I i f! , > 162 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM W^ V the entire war — His wife — Their correspondence— The means of ^'ract — Not merely a nialti-r of intellect— Not yet modem "f;iisli " — " Valley Foij^e" — A eoiuiiiiiaini — 'riiese items form Imt a small pari - — Not only ill tlie bounds ol" liie Synod, Imt hy Jolm Miinay and I/h i'resliytery, was palriotisni di>played — He was known and telt in I^oii- don, and i;'«00 sterling were ollered for his person, but no man in Maine would laUe the money — His Presbytery release him from I'ooll;- bay — Aids ilie comiuillee of safely of New Hampshire at Kxeter — He Wandered lor aiioiil two years stirring nj) Hie jieople — A comparative view with Samuel Adams and Hancock — The race in America — The Key Note— Tile Scotch Version — Waxhaw — Captain I). McCleary — The iiullet — We turn to ecclesiastical matters— (,'areer of liev. .1. Murray — His power as a prcacln'r — Filled a comiiany in two hours, where tiie oHicers had labore dismission of tlio Itt'V. Mr. Merrill, the conduct ot" tlu' connnittcc is ajtprovcd/' The Ilov, Mr. McCircior was now apjxjintcd to write a let- ter to the Boston society, respeetinir their conduct in en- tering their declinature, ami to cite them to appear at tln^ next Session. Halch and Urquhart were appointed tt> sup- ply vacancies. At Xewl)uryport, Xovend)er Sth, 1774, eij:ht ministers and seven elders were pri'sent. and seven ministers were alist'ut ; ot" Mitchell, an ahsentet', the excuse was sustained, '■ considerinjj; the man." Others excused and some not. A lar^M' amount of business was transacted, and they notice that they ''are ^lad to lind so larj^e a numher of the church ;ind eoiijzregation of Lonj^ Lane, .some thirty per- sons still adhering to this Presbytery, and ji;ood order, in ojiposition to the Decliners." A plan for a Synod was now ordered to be ''laid befon; the ehlerships of every congreiiation respectively (or sent down in overture), in order to prepare matters, to adopt the same at next stated sittinL^" On behalf of the church of Salem, who have lost their nieetinfi;-house by lire, it was ordered that "their case bo recommended to the charitable contributions of each con- ureiration in this body." .As th(> founders of Dartmouth Collefro (the fourth in New Enjiland, founded in 17()tM were extensively Presby- terians, "the \lvy. Mr, Hutchinson now petitioned witli re^riu'd to forminir a Presbytery at Dartmouth. Tt was rt'c.)nnnended to him to use tlu> utmost prudent antl edec- tu:d means to carry that measure into execution, and to report his doings theret)n at the next meeting of Pres- l.ytery." November 10th, 1774. Opened with prayer. "After snleuni and serious consideration of the plan of our Synod, the following conclusion " was reached, viz. : * "That Messrs. Parsons, Whittaker, Perley, McTA\an and IVarce, with their congregations, and also tlie congregatii)U of Boston, now under their care, with the other vacancies lillfi ; t N 164 IIISTOliY or I'RESIJVTKlilAMS.M in their bounds, tojrctlior witli tho Rov. Mr. Balch, sliall (if tho plan be ail(»|)ti'(l acconlinjj; to the jjrccedin^' niinnte) be the Ka.stern Presbytery and be called the Presbytery of Ise\vburyi)(»rt. " Mes^srs. McGregor, Mitchell, Williams and Strickland, witii their conL'rcgations and the vaciancics within their bounds he called the Presbytery of Londonderry, or Mid- dle one. Messrs. Houston and J>ald\vin, with their con- gregations, together with the congregations of lilandford, Pelham and ("oleraine, also ^lessrs. Hutchinson, Merrill, Gilmore and Patrick, shall be the Western Presbytery to be called the Presbytery of Palmer. "Appointed to meet in Seal)rook, N. H., ^^ay olst, 1775, then the Synod lo h( actually formed and receive its name." It is furtiicr stated that "charital)le mutual forbearance in lesser things appears to be a plain duty."' "Yet, as uniformity, so far as it can be obtained, is V)eautiful in its nature and salutary in its conse(juences, it is reconnnendeil to every minister in this Preshyter\', that he perform a pastoral visitation and catechising of his whole flock once a year, or, at least, once in two years, or, if the adults will not at lirst suhmit to tlie latter, that lie will catechise the children and youth, and us( his best endeavors gradually to introduce it among the adults. It is also reconnnendeil to ministers, and ('specially to preach- ing probationers, that they do not too closely conlhie them- selves to their notes, but that they commit tlieir discourses to memory, at least in part." " It is recommended to all preachers that they make tho exposition of the Scriptures an ordinary part of their pul- pit work." "As much (lifTiculty arises from marrying with license, and though it seems impossible, under our present circum- stances, to ])revent this practice, yet we prefer the publi- cation of banns, as is practised l)y the Presbyterians abroad, and earnestly reconnnend to our several congregations to j)rocce(l in this matter accordingly." Dr. Whittaker, about to rebuild his church, was reconi- inended to the liberality of the public when lu; scdicits aid; and Parsons or McGregor is to preach before the Synod, on condition they agree. "Messrs. Hutchiiison and Merrill were appointed to iiiii ii n-H IN NEW ENGLAND. 1&5 supply at ?>lan(lfor(l, Pelham, Coloraino, Petersburgh and Mitldii'town, as oct-a.-^iou may lUMiuirc." "Appointed to meet in Scabrook, .'Hst of May, 1775." Soabrook, X. IL, May olst, 177''). After a sermon by tlio Rev. David McGre^ror, from Matt, xviii. 20, which was api)roved, constituted witii prayer. .Sliiiisters jiresent, MeCirefj^or, MitclicU, Houston, Ferlev, Htrickhmd, MeliCan, Merrill, Patrick and Williams. Ilul- int; Elders, James Taij:<4art, John Moulton, Es(i. ; from Canterbury, Henry Hah3 and pjzekiel Morrell, Clain Ar- mour; from Salem, Miles Ward. Absent, Parsons, Bald- Avin, Gilmore. Hutchinson, Whittaker and Balch. Kcv. D. McGretror was chosen Moilerator. They then continued for two days to act as a Presby- tery, and did much business, incinirin^ into reasons for ai»sence, post|i(tiiinl;indforil. At 8 F. M. opened with prayer. Mr. Merrill to be in- stalled at Pelham on the second Thursday of September, by MctJregor and Baldwin, with some assistance. "Mr. Sanniel Taggart applying for license, they exam- ined hi.s diplonia from Dartmouth, satis(ie.s}>erity of this court, now named 'The Synod of New En^ziand,' and all its Presbyteries and churciies, lookini^ to the great King and Head of his church, for his presence with, and bless- ing on, all its departments, that they he guided to such measures as may issue in the rxaliation of Christ to his tiirone, kingly authority and rule in these churches." '' In testimony of tiiis our covenant, consent and solemn engagement, we do, in tlie I'car of (Jod. hereunto subscribe our names, tbis 2d (Uiy of June, 177')."' Ministers — David jMc(Jrcgor. John Houston, Daniel Mitchell, Sanjuel Perley, John Strickland, Natiianiel Mer- rill, Alexander McLean, John rr(|uhart. Nathaniel Whit- taker, Benjamin Jialch, tSimon Williams, Moses iialdwin, Sanuiel Taggart. Ruling Elders — James Taggart, Miles Ward, Henry Hale, Ezekiel Merrill, John Moulton. Hubartous Miittoon. The moderators of the respective rresbyteries were now api)ointed, and the Rev. D. McGregor is, as Moderator, to open the Synod at Londonderry next year with a sermon. Closed with prayer. We have, since the opening of the French church in Boston, in 171G (in lifty-nine yearsj, some development and some decay. The means of grace were now. in their varied congrega- tions, not only enjoyed but extensively a])j)reeiated. One generation of ministers and j>eoplc bad |)a.ssed away; homes were not only increased, but they were also fur- nished more extensively with the comforts of lifi". and their churches with an increasing nundter of mendjcrs; whil<>, having church courts, sessions. Presbyteries and a Synod, an era of j)rosperity seemed now to open before them. It is wise, however, to " ndx trembling with nnrth "' in view of earthly mutations. For them the pojjulation became too dense, while the means of su))sistence were not always superabundant. Of the three crying sins of Suduni, " prich'. fulness of bicad and abundance of idleness," they were not extensively guilty. Hence, to better their condition, they not only emigrated to new portions of the forest in New England, Iff iii'.i IN NEW ENGLAND. 169 h\it to otlior roloniop. In 1700 :i thrifty company from and nciir I Jerry, X. II., rcinovcd to Truro, in Nova Scotia, got lip Presbyterian worship there, where, not bcinj? under the control of hiw, enacted by Con,sbyterians, tlieir church ))rop- erty. In tliat c(jlony they, and those associiitin;,' with ;ind succeodin}^ them, have wielded an important inllu- cncc in establishin;jr, maintaining^ and jx'rpetiiatin;^ civil and reliLMous Hlx-rty. Few spots on earth, if any, enjoy tiu'su blessin;;s more extensively tlian docs that province. This was the First Presbyterian church or^^anized in tho Dominion of Canada. It has had but three pastors — tho Ilrv. Daniel Cock, from \"2 till 17'.>S, the Rev. John Waddeli, from ITDS till IS.'JC, and tho Kev. William Mc- Culloch, D. D., from l-SotS until now. It has sent out live or six liranches, two of which arc in the cit}' propir. The orijiinal church is relatively stronii, for the Doctor maintains that '"tiie law of the Lord is i)er- fcct,'' botli for doctrine and worship. The praises of (lod are not there vitiated by machinery. For, while he fully believes the teachin;,' of his illustrious father, the late Ilev. Tiiomas McCulloch, I). I)., S. T., P., tiiat "Calvinism ia the doctrine of the Bible," he can also say, with the princt! of Arminiaiis, the Ilev. Adam Clarke, D. D., the Methodist Connncntator, " If there was a woe to them who invented instruments of music, as did David, under the law, is tiicn; no woe, no curse to them who invent them and in- troduce them with the worship of God in the Christian church? 1 am an old man and an old minister, and I lure declare tliat I never knew them productive of any •rood in the worship of Cod, and have reason to believe tlicy were productivi^ of much evil. Music, as a science, I esteem and admire, l»ut instruments of music in the house of (lod I abominate and abhor." Durin;; this(|Uartcr of a (M'litury another colony of theso iMuplc '^(■ttlcd at Cherry \'alley, I'nadilla and other towns in OtscLio county. New York, wluM-e their moral worth aided not a little in elevatinii society. Extensively for7-S, and makiii;;' him pay some seventy ))ounds for the costs of his jiroseeution, though deelareil not ^'Uilty, was the ''little eloutl not hi^'^^er than a man's liand,"' which eventually assemhled the M»'cklenl)ur;:, Kortli Carolina, Convention, in May, ITT^, and caused the Declaration of indei)endence in 1T7(), with all their untold results. ►Secondary and suhordinate matters, of course, conspire d to the jireat issue, hut this ])ersecution occupied the j)rimary ])lace, not simply claimiuf: redress, as did taxa- tion without representation, in the Stamp Act and other oi)j)ressive fornjs, Init cryinji for vengeance to the .Judge of the opprt'ssed. Hence, says the eloepK.'nt Bancroft, a Conjzregationalist, "The first voice j)uhliely raised in America to dissolve all conn(iti<»n with (Jreat Britain, came not from the Puritans of New England, or the Dutch of New York, or the j)lanters of Virginia, l)Ut from Scotch- Irish Preshyterians. The}' hrought to America no suh- missive love; for England, and their exjierience and their religion alike hade them meet oi»pression with prompt re- sistance.'' (Illfit. of r. S., vol. T), p. 77.) The next stop, which Pres)»yterians foresaw, would he the setting up of a hishop in each colony. The arrange- ments for this were alreadv heing made. Hence, when Synod met (agrecahly to its adjournment ) at Londonderry, N. H., on Septend)er 4th, 1770, two months after the hirtli- day e)f the nation,* innnediately after, it was constituted in the usual and only Preshyterian Ibrm, with })rayer hy *Tlie Declaration of Independence was adopted July 4th, but signed on August 2d. 1776. IN NEW ENT.LAND. 171 the Moderator, in the mime of Christ. We liave tiiis rrconi : '* The (luestiou hcin;^ put wlicther any susjxTted to l)e iniiiiical t<» the lilnrtirs of the indcpench'nt States ot* Aiiicricii, which they art' now eoiiteiKhiii,' tor, ami ntuscs tn deehire his attachment to the same, should have a seat ill this ju(hcaturc? \'otcd, they shouhl not." 'riicii it was asked "if they a|>proved of the Deehiration of lii(h'i»cn(h'nci' hitcly pulihshed l)y the American col- onies as the cause of truth and justice, and thoujzht it should he supportc(l l»y all ranks and decrees of jursons in these colonics ? " Tlie consideration of this (lucstion ( as the hour of adjournment had arrived) was " suspcmlccr' till the morr(»w, when we have this: "HV/f/w/.s the l»i'V. John Morrison, formerly a mcnihcr of this hody, has heeii under ecclesiastical pi'oces-;, ami has clojied to the nunis- terial armv, and shamefully hehaved himself, tlicrelore ho is (lei)(>se(l from the ministerial ollice, and likewise from the privilege's of a ))rivatc Christian.*' He had joined the American army at ('aml>ridue in ITTo, hut S(»ou wi nt over to the British, and this fact now uave j)romptilude and ap- j)arent severity to their deliveranee. Amonj; Seotch-lrisli I'reshyteriansforsuch conduct there could he no foririvcness. Kut this was not all. Whether the Kev. John Ijouston, of IJedford, was, like Judas, the last to say, '' Is it I ?" or not, he was now not (piitc in sympathy in tiiis matter with the Synod, and ohtaincd the honor of their ollieial atten- tion on Septend)cr -"ith, 177<>. ]Ie had come iVom the church and college at Newark, N. J., in 17o4, and had ap- jteared for ahovo twenty years to i)erform his relative and oiliiial duties well, hut now he falters, and this luinuto of that date is on record: "As tlie Kev. John Houston is susi)cct(>d as inimical to the States of America, and lu; hein;^ interrojxated res))eetin;^ this matter, prondsed that lu^ would satisfy the civil authority, and in consetiuence of this, he would satisfy this Svnod ; and on this the Svnod reeonunended to him to hrin^' evidence of such satisfaction to his I'reshytery, so as throu^di them to hring the same to the Synod at its next incetiuf^'." Failing to fulfd his promises and shew his fealty to the government, he was, in 1778, suspended from a seat in 5^^' 172 HISTORY OF PnESnYTEUIANISM Synod, and having l)rok('n the peace of his eonfjrejjatiou until his uscrulncss ainonj; thcni was (h-stroycd, the Synod evrntually dissolved his ])ast()ral relation to the con^^rega- tion of l>)(ltoi-d. The Scoteh-Irish iiad previoiislv heen loval to the Homo I » • Ciovenunent. In the year 1714 hostilities hetweijn En;;- land and Franee were renewed. This hroiiglit war he- twe<'n tile Fri'iieh and the Indians on the one side, and tli(> En;.ilish eolonies on the other, wliieh eontinned witli little ahatenient tor lifteen years. ( 1\) I'ntil Canada was eetled to liritain in Fehruary, ITO.^i, the fort and l)loekhouse were necessary in New Ene a UKijor, and John Stark afterwards became celel>rated as a warrior, and arose to \h: a brig- utlier-general in the army of the Revolution. He was with iiord Howe, when that general was killed in storm- ing the French lines at 'IMconderoga in IToS. While faithful to Great Britain so long as she was ecjui- table to iier colonies, yet he had for her no surplus of alKr- tion after the lioston massacre. On receiving the report of the battle of Lexington, wdien he was at work in his saw-mill, fired with indignation, he shouldered his musket, mounted his horse, in ten minutes left and hastened to Cand)ridge. He was at the battles of Bunker Hill and of Trenton, and achieved a victory at Bennington. So long as their clergymen considered loyalty to Great Britain a duty, so long the Scotch- Irish were pacific ; but llJ IN NEW KNOLAND. 173 after what we have sccti in the Synod, liclcl on Soptcnihi-r 4Ui, 177yalty to the House ot" Hanover was (Hssipatcil. W'c now take a few notices of one man, il- histrative ol' the eharaettr and prowess of many others of tin' same raee. . At thi' time of the hatth' of Kexinirton, Cleorjje I{eihiryhuul, Vir- ^'inia and North ('an»lina to (Jeorj^e luid, l']s(|. : "We, reposinii especial trust and conlidcne(> in yt)ur ])atriotism, valor, conduct and fnlelity, do, liy thesii j)resents, constitute and appoint you to he captain of a company in the lifth regiment of fo(»t, commanded liy Col. .lohn Stark. JJy order of the Con<,'ress. "John Hancock, President. (Attest) " Chas. Thompson, Secretary, Jan. 1st, 1770." In 1777 he receivt'd the ai)pointmcnt of lieutenant-col- onel, and in 1778 that of colonel of the second New Hamp- shire rejiiment. In 178.'l he was by act of Congress appointed colonel hy brevet of the army of the United States. Having hcen in connnand of New Hampshire forces during the entire war of the devolution, he was in the battles of lUinkcr Hill, Long Island, White Plains, Trenton, Brandy wine, (ier- mantown, Saratoga and Stillwater. He bore his share in the sufferings of Valley Forge in the winter of 1777. For aljove seven years, with the exception of a few hiu'- ried visits, he was absent from his fannly, diwing which time his wife, beside her duties to their children, had th(; entire charge of his farm and other domestic business. if. 174 IIISTOllY OF rRKSnYTlMlIANISM SoiiH! (if flu'ir letters ItrcMtlic a conslaiit rrfrrmrc in tlie Almiiilitv. :iii(l the <'uiili( / / ••, Ik' savs I I lavr imt time 111 yiv*' yoii an accMHint. of <»iir late eima;^eineiit, only tli.il (iud has a|i|teared lur us in nmst iniinineiit daiiLicr." .\ii;j:nst loth, I77'>, " May < idd j)r<>s|ier and |>ri»teel iis. I kiHiw \vi' have your prayers, witli many oi'dnds |ieo|ile. I eoniiiiejid voii an, she writes to him at 'rieoi!- <|eroj^a : "I received your letters «»!' July tltli, L'lst, also Auirilst Inth.and to the I'linmr of those tu(t would say that, (iod has laid yoii nmler the ;^freale>t oMi^ations. Mvery nierey, every escape, must he accounted lor. May we he prepared lor the ;rreat day tW account.' Ai'trr Htatin^ many matler.s relat.iii'j; to the rarm, stock, etc., she s with voiir ;id\iee, n(»l otherwise, conelinles All tl (CO- Mav 'Ihe ;,'o(»d will of him who dwelt in the hush rest aii*i ahide with you."' It i.s of till' iiiiiiost importance to know whether a | j»le in the lull possession ot" the means o|" t^race are jirolii- niL^ hy them, or, whether they are livin;^ " according' to tiie course of this world." Multitudes su|tpose proper I'ns- )>yterianism to he only a matter of intellect, of mere doc- trines, of forms and customs, unless it runs into modern '' ^jjusli ; " lint here we find, amidst the din of war and llic lowly lahors of a hackwoods New Hampshire home, the utterances (d" lu-arts ennohled hy the iiidwellin;r<>f < Iod. the Spirit vivifying: tli.it, " fonn nf dnetrine which is aceordin:' lo ifodimcss. II Ullilreils ol otiier wives ol tlie same lac il nd reli^zion, as well as multitudes of others, amon>f tjic hills in the granite Stah', and thioui^hout New l']n;.daiiil, under similar circumstances would then have put lorlli just such ulteraiices, and many of them did so. To thdii also their hiishands would, under similar circumstances, w rite: "Vallev Kor-'c, Dee. 2lM, 1777. We mv i II iW making huts to winter in. I feel sympathy for you, hut cannot he with you; honor forhids it. May happiness iit- t(!nd you nnd the (lear «'hildreu." As ''godliness i.s j)rolitublf," this Christiiui woman was I !« IN NEW ENOT.AND. 17: "(liliijjcnt. in businpss," MS well :is " rnvnil in s|tirit," iiiid nililrcssc*! her litisliiiixl while in ('nniiiiaiKl :it Alltanvon ,lulv "»tli. ITS- : *■ I int't»rniflo\ii| Mr. Neil, wjin \v;is iilhndinj at »unrl, (o n|iit>rii(, Ilic line stale u| llie a Hair likewise to ask a eoiilinnaiiee till vol! Were aci|iiainte(| with the matter. Tlie jinii^e in- loriiu'd me, tiuou^ih Mr. Neil, that I need ^ive niy.seH' no uneasiness alinnt (he mailer, l"(»r i( shonhl he rnntiinnil till ifiHir ritiiin, il thai shi>ulil he ///c iiikI lunili/ i/nns.'' Such are some items, seleeteij alnmsl at r.indnm. enii- cerniii^ (jonieslic life and |iul>lie duty ;im«>n;^' I'reshyleri- ans in New I'liujl.ind in Ihose years of tri.il. ^'e| tliev lorni hut a small |Mrl of ilhi^iralions m|' eiidniance sup- |»(»rted hy prineiple, whieh mi^hl he pl-esi-nled. Ketorr passini: the helliuc'ent part nl mir hislorv, as if all that was done i'nr independenee hy Treshyterians in New I'lnnlaiid, was dune nnly hy Ilu>^.e under Ihe oriuin.al l'resi»yt«'ry of Londonderry, or Ihe Synod of New I'ln^i.and and its sul>ordinate Treshyieries: as (his was no| Iho case, I nnist recall the jlev. John Murray of r.oothI>ay. Me a|>pears to have lar;r<'ly imitated the .\poslle I'eler in liis impulsive rashness, as well as in his ranicsl piety. "In I77"> he was a dele;jale |o the I'roviiieial (onuirsn which met in Wahrtow n." Mninc Hislnrinil Suriili/ Cul- /o'/o;/.s', vol. (1, p. K'tO. Mis I'reshylery met (as we liavn Seen inn. Inly the |lh,;it New Market; a^ain ( )c|oher Till, 177<'», at l"'alnioiith; at l'ownalhore supposed, thai, of him. tho liiivernnieid, army and nav\' ol (ireat Urilain would know l)iil little, an!,7'M .\mericMn soldicvs who were en[.'M^'cd ill the war of (he llevolution. r.iil il was otherwise. With il mind of more than ordinaiy power, ami an utierance il°erior te that of W'hi' licld, he was known Irom I'.otdhhay to he^iun. and Irom I'oslon to London as " a pestilent I'ellow Jiiid a mover of sedition "' ajrainst the throne of Mn^land. Hence, ;i| Ihe ahovc dale, il was de«'l;ired ill I'reshylery, tlial Mr. .Murray wan "ixiuiliarly c.xposcd hy the cominuii jl" ! 176 HISTORY OF rni:snvTi:ui.\NisM t'lKTiiios of tlio T-nitcd States," and for sjifcty lie wns tlicn invited to remove \<> Ne\vliniy|»f>rt. I li;ive statt d lliat lie w.is tile cause and oeiMsion ui' li'ouldt; in liis re;.>;i()n, and Ills is proved l.y the seijUej. IFe wa- not only active mi the land. Init alx* onee ncii- i iiid on the sea. Sir (ieor^e ('oilier came t(» tlie <'oast of l I line in 1777, and his sail<»r.s tliou^ihl il l.iwl'td to pill, r li'om the W'liiL's. p.driots or nliels. In this there umh d.ui- ; er as well as unplea.^antness to those <»n shore, and a re- monstrance must lie mad"'. To this occ;i-ion Murray was eipial. Tuttini on a white wi;.', ;:;own and hinds, he wimiL on hoard and '* till known it hrou-^ht drwn threatening', and to seeuro veii- };;eance, a premium was set upon him. •' llenee, at l*ownalhor<». on Oitoher 21st, 1777, Colonel Iteid reported to the rreshytery. that till' town of ]Jo(»lti- liay had held a piiMic mi'ctiii'j in ( oii-eipieiice ol' tlio he|(M't men .hein;^' ser\cd with a eiij>y ol' dur last, and s im,' that the situalion of Mr. .Miiiiay"> duellin^r -the par- ticular Venj;eaili'e threateiii'cl hy the Coirinion ClieinV against him, and the lar;^*- reward of ii\<' hundred pounds Hterlin;; ' U ")'>") on.'ied hy them to .'iny |M'ison that shall ileliver him up render hi^ lou'^er residence in lloothhay ut this junctui'e e.xci cdiiijly danu'crou-. and that they are iherefon! willing that. I'«ir his own salcty, he should iv- inove for Ji few days to .my secur(! |dace, exceplinu' New- Ituryport (whither they would consent to his nnntviii;^' upon in» terms whatever 1, and that they miuht the nmre iippareiit niako their displeasure at the applic.ilion Ironi H:i\<\ Newhuiyport, tley h.-id not sent any answer in writ- iii'i, :iiid li;ile of l)Oothhay, alter coiisentini.r to his removal, acl'd very indiscreetly in not leaving' to this judicature the <'lioi(!(' of his retreat, as they can he^t jud'j^e where his ser- vices would have heeii of most Use to the cause of ( 'hrist. "And allhuugh this I'rcshytery uro uiuuiimuusly uf .l!i IN NEW EXGT,AN'D. m opinion, tlint Mr. Alurmy's safety rcfiuircs his epeedy re- uiKViil tioni that plarc lor the present, his dan^'er heinj: ho iiinnineiit, yet. as theehnn li at Ncwhuryport ree stilt Ihfif. oiily loi- si> Idiij/ as his jtnseiit ehiirire, whr!i iisl i'n >hvterv (-annot now onhT his sojournin;^' then- !'inyteiy sli.all take further order coMctrninj.' him. .And he is hcrehy i^-ieased j'rom ail ohliuations to tin- ehunh at r.i»othhay, that are anyway ctintrary to the purport of this result." '•At Topsham, on .)une 7th, 177H, it was resolved, that Mr. .Murray have hi.s license continued to go where he jileases for s.afety." " .New M.irkei. .luly 1st. 1770. A letter from the session • )f lloothhay ehureli was hroU'.dit in and read, purporting their utter dissent fmm the removal retjucsted, hut, with- out inforndn;; the Preshyt- fidiii;^' litit a lew milts iroiii liiiiUnnl ( uiiri-linMx*', .Nnrlii ('aroliii.i, tliat Hut only wan lii-^ lioiist' |iliiiMl<'rt'il, lii-t Hhnirv mid |^:i|)cr.s liiiriicil, iiiit a No a purse (if CL'tiO \v:ih ml iiy l.cinl ( (irnw.illiH on IiIh head, lu uny oiii' wliM would Ijjiiig liiiii in a iiri>uiKT." {(Jlidmbfis.) 12 m 178 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM m t-y^ Samuel Adams, this outlaw, while under Divine Provi- dence he kept himself safe from shot and shell, wandere*! for above two years, liel)iinu; coiiniiittees of safety ami stirring up llie people to continue unreniitpu^ resistanee to their foes, and on "October 7th, 1779, lie informed his Presbytery, then in session at Newlauyjiort, that th(! dan- gerod situation of the p(>o|)le at iJooihbay is such as to render it impraetical)le for tiiem to attend at this iiieetiiiLr."' Such was the sj)irit wliich he had instrunientally dillused amon}? tlwj inhabitants of the coast of Maine. In his Presbytery there were no Joim Morrisons nor John IIous- tons. None amon<^ his ac(juuintance who would betray him for £5(X) sterling. When we consider the power and innuence of TTancock, the richest merchant in New England, and of Samuel Adams, the far-seeing and relialile statesman, " po.ssibly the most powerful and sincere of all the advocates of in- dcjjcndencc, to whom Lee, Jefferson and John Adams ever turnetl with singular resjtcct " ( /v/y their religion than by their experience, or even the experience of their fathers. Their "form of sound words,' which was the key-noti- from Maine to (leorLiiii among Congregationalisls, Calvinist Baptists and Presby- terians (and the Uevolution bad in its aid a very small fragmentary shewing among the other sects, excepting it may have bc'cn the Low (lnu'eii Episcopalians who weii' Calvinists), was the New lOngl.ind Primer. Beside this, their creed; the Scotch-Irish throughout the revolted colonies, had their religion animated and made strong, by "Those strains that oiitv cliil HWCft in Zion j;ii(le " — {Jiurux) the Scotch version of the Psalms. They considered those good to "sing," and if they were not good "to whistle nr to play," they found them as Cromwell did in his day, l.\ IN NEW ENGLAND. 179 "pood for fifrhtinp;." Honce, those who sung thrm wore, nt times, "trciitt'd with sprcijil cruflty ;in(l rcvcjiixc." Says Kc'IhImI. ill his unliiiisli(Ml history ol' (ii'iicr.il .hicU- suii, "Tlic liritisli olliccr who iiiarclicd liis troops into tlio sctth'inciit of W'axhaw, South Carohna, Innnod the I'n-s- liytt-rian <'hur( li and tlir li«»us«.' ot' the preacher, and everv Ilihie he could lay his lian. 217.) The I^ihhs with thes(> Psalms, was tlieir cliosen coni- jiaiiion when they had leisure or rest from their daily du- ties in the army. Hence when Captain David McC'leary fell at lienninnton (on Au};ust Kith, 1777) in his p()ck(!t was found an Kdinhurj^h edition of the Hihle, with which was hound up " the S(;otch translation of the Psalms." This volume and tiie hullet i)y which he was killed were kept as heirlooms in tlu; family for ahove seventy years. When 1 saw them the days (»f the war, of the psalms, anil of the catechism ( 1 would not like to say also the day.s of the liihle) were ])ast — the ^'I'ncrations were ;:one who viewed them from time to time with a melancholv vet iki- triotie interest ; and they wer(> tlien /// tninsitn in tho hands of the minister of Londontlerry, to he conveyed to and deposite(l amonj; the relies and curiosities collected ill the State museum in Concord. Sih'iit In/rs inter unnn, and from fields of rarna;ro, scenes of donu>stic alarm, hereavenu-nt and sorrow, we now re- turn to the ecclesiastical arena, and recommence hy no- tiiiiii,' hrielly the suhsopU'Ut career of .Mr. .Murray W v his I reslivterv, owm 'A to 1 us Muminen td; muer inero til lie was on ()et(>her 21st, 1777, relieved of ]\iii jiastoral clKir. Having' acce|)ted the invitatitm. he was escorteil to the ])arade, and hy the re;:inient to the church. There he pr I •lock in th le iiKtrnin^'. His jirivate (hary of thi- ]»eriod indicates deep |)ie(y and unusual ministeriid faith- fulness. As it may he useful to others, 1 j^ivc; j)ortions of it from (ti'cenltutfs EfdcK'm.sdntl Shtchc.s : "Mr. Murray\s plan of visitiiiLr as noted in his diary is orthv of attention. /•V/•.^•^ salute* the house. Sccdiid, \\ rom]»are the list with the family ; mark them who c;ni read, catechisahlcs. »!ovenanters, church mond)ers. Third, mldrcss, 1st, children to en<,'age in curly religion; 'Jd, IN NEW ENGLAND. 181 yoiinp: onos to rondin^, st'crct prayer, the Sal)l)ath, pood cninpaiiy, pxxl hours, ^ood toiijiiics, conversations. Fourth, a.) lie was active in promoting relii,Mon heyond his own con- gregation. He was the guiding spirit and chief supporter of a society which aided many young men to enter tho ministry. He had unquestionably h'S faults. His great fault, forging signatures to his credentials, and jiersisting in this tiu'ough lifi', rather than disgrace his friends in Scotland, was an heinous sin. This he committed at eighteen. From twenty-three his life was jtuldicand unimpi'ached — a Ufe of great devotedness, and in wdiat extenuating pen- itence passed, a letter will show. In 1771 he writes: "Th«' daily views I have had of the multiplied enornntic^ it occasioned me. all of which, with the unhap|»y conse- i|Uenees to the churcii of Christ, have been continually be- fore my eyes — have made me wish my name blotted (»ut of remembrance by all mankind, and 'Vt-n regret the day of my i)irth times without number. The Searcher of .'ill hearts knows my agonies of nnnd on every review, and that no restoration to th«' fav(»r of men can ever give mo '•iise ; and that but for the application of (iilead's heavenly halm, 1 h;id perished oi" my wounds years ago not a few. 1 fmd my condbrt in my oljseurity — tlxre I iiope to tind lay (Jod; and tiiere 1 see less danger of being a slundilin;:- hloek in Zion, the very itiea of which t(» me is worsi; thau death. 1 have not a. wish to be drawn from my retire- muiit (Bootlibayj; there will 1 remain in secret places, t H I'JIiIrt I i t'l ! If: llfl 182 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM looking to liim wlioiu T piorrod, and tvioiirninu' as for an only son, and strivinu' to wc.ir ont the rcinjiindcr of my cumbrous life in the lM'f^tt'ndcaVi»r.s 1 can in iiis service," etc. " No lartlirr •'t'il< lii^ mi'rit>< to (liticlnsc, Nor i\\i\vf lii.x iVuiltiis from tlii'ir dn-itd nlxMle; Tin n" tlu-y aliki- in trcniMin); liopu rtposc, TIm- bosom of his KatliiT and liin (Jod."' He died Marcli loth, 17*.):i. He left a widow. Susiui. the eldest daniihter of (Jeneral Lith;.M)W, of IMiipiishuiLih. anetition, tln-y (h>uhtless did — oth(>r- wise they might have been constructively charged with devouring a " willow's house." IN NEW ENGLAND. 183 . CHAPTER VII. 17(53-1793 — A year of mark— Slavory aholisliod in tin* colony — Stone walls — Kilfy carried tli*' root-.ttovc to «'liiir(li tor" Missa" — "Attiicks" — Tin- Synod and l*rt'sl)vti'rifs — llouHton ^nilty of a hroacli of promise — Siis|H'iHK'd — Kt'stortMl -A (Mhi- of liij^auiy — iK-ad, yi't alive — IVler- lioro tonj;ri'natioii ri'tjiu-sli'd a (lismission— ( iraiited — Tlie Aasoi'iate Clnirch — HraHH instead of jjoldon sliiclds — Tlio camp — Ki'duci'd to Htraits as for snl).-iiMlt'nce — Artisans - Miinsters who arc not parish ofli- ciids — Voluntary snjiport - The extravagant jirice of food, etc., a ri'comnieniiation — (,'oinnnitalive Justice — Divine i»rovidt'nc»'s traced in llieirtroiihUs — Causes — Iloary — Assassination — Nioney can he mad*' — .lolin Lowe — John Adainsand the Sahhath — The Centennial c(»n>miH- sioii — Claverhonse — \';cst iilessinj^s — An address — A letter totJrafton I'ri'shytery — Of it hut little is known — Mend»ers of it^Oalvanized — i;tli)rl to unite with it — UnavaiiiiiK — Records of Synod defective — Huiiston restore I'reshyterianism -Contused way — So mi Id — The church oft he town, if not of the l.oid -The war produce;hl imported -Of one man- Souls annihilated The soul iif Jesus Christ the lirsl thinu made -Ry it t iod made all things el.se — Fointeeii particulars -The outpiinn;s of the .soul of the doctor — ■ I>avid turnetian- -Columan — The whale with Jonah — "A felt WMiU "- Tile iiijoyment of it — .\ hiimhle remonstrance — "Iclialiod" — No union was etliited — Last meeting; of Synod Sep- teiiiher I'JtIt, 17St* — Thev suhmitted Rrcshvteiv of Salem— Decav — rii ices where il for a time existed Tl lis new thinjj- Tl le worshiu — Tlu' loaves and lislies were small Tlu* collapse 1770 was a year of mark in Masi-;i<;husctts. Ky an aiiKudmcnt of her coiiatitutioii, slaves were made free in 184 HISTORY OF rRFSnYTKIUANISM tho colony. Altlmimli liavin;,' ji (•(itiinn'rciiil vjiluo,* (hoy liiid iin';isiir:il>ly Ihi-m ;i liuitlcn to iiiiiny owners. iVom tlic l one. ;niy whatever »)tlu'r name known, loimd it to he his duty to earrv the (not stove and hot liriek lor "Mann," or " MisHH," and deposit it in position in her pew, anosed of one of his hy will, while a man lielon^ino; to the {ev. John Moorehciul olitaiiied his Ircedonj, went to ]{ritain and dii d there. The letters from him in l']n;.dand wer«' matters of pleasure to the Mooreheail family lor many y(!arH. Mis education, common and reli^dous, had not neen nejilccted in the parsonajie. l{i,sin'4 iVom indiviilual hondaj^'c to personal iVeedom, from hein^ thini/s to Ik; men, they aided in ( reatiu).' a de.viie for civil liherty in the colony, 'i'licir release from honda<;e did not hinder the dillusion of this species tif sentimentality amon;z the " spimiers " and their adnurers. The " sons " and " |)ortions in the colony, whih; "Attucks"' was anion;j; the first live whose hlood ( fidm under his hiack Hkini |)rccipitated the mortal enmhat of the licvolution. * III 17t»<( A. .loliuiiiitll's lie;,'!!) mull \\;ei v.iliii-il ril U.V! *>s. S(/., iiiiil ;i iH'Hro woman :it tlti. fill IT'tlllit* lv<'V. .loiialliaii Iviwanis and wil'u wutilt-d lo Imy llio liev. Mr. Ufllauiy'.s m-gro wuiuaii. ( \V., [k tiiiU.) IN NFAV MNOLAND. 185 As, .'it thai |Mri<>(|. tln' master was not too liaii^lity In lalior at tin- saim- wnik with his slavr, sn the lalmr on ihn j'aiiii hrcaiiic iiioii' pioduftivo, as the |»r()<'i'«'(lH vvcfj' ultrr- wanls iri|iiii'clavrs were iio l()ii;.M'r rc- i|iiir«'«l, aiul ill scvrral other ways the New l'ai;:laii(l f'olo- iiieM tnnk a |ii« (speniiis "new (lepartiire " alter 177'', :ilthnii;,'h slavery ili<| not rli-a|i|»e,ir until 1771. W e li:ive previously liotieefl a lew of the ilieitJentH CfUl iieeteil with the period, wliieh illustrate eharaeter hoth ill the peo|ile and tin- ministry diirin^i the seven years' war; iHid wr now return to matters e«(|<'si;istieal - to the Synod and lo the Treslis icries. '{'he annual inettin;: of the Symul ot" New Knj.dand in 1777 was held in I/aidonderry on Septiinher .'Jd. Anion;; other matters they examined the re;rular ollieial staiidini; ot.lohn Houston as a elemyman. lie professed to Synod that he had, us directed, satislie*! the le^al aulh<»rities of his town as to his hiyalty to the Declaration of Indepcn- (Icnco, and that he had made due report, as he was directed, t<» his I'resltytery. r.ut their minute reads, " I'ev. Mr. Houston hein^r in- terrouMted respectiiM.' the minute in his ease in our last III) ct in;:, and it appe:irini; that he h.as heen <_Miilty ol a liiiiich of promi-e and ;il so of con tempt to the Synod, they do therefore deem him iiiiwoi-|jiy of a seat in this l»ody, till lit! shall make >atislaclion to the Synod lor the same, and do now ai^ain reeonimeiid it to him, to proceed in iIm; nianiier hel'ttre directed, to hriiii: the satistaclion desired at our next sitting', either to his rreshytery or immediately to tiir- Synod." This he was reluctant to % IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) y A y. ^ ^ % t/j fA 1.0 I.I 1.25 1.8 U III 1.6 "V^ <^ /a / % > y >^ K'x e MP. Q- ^ ^ ii 186 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM A matter of reference from the session, of Nottinfjjlium, brought before Synod, touching the purity of a meniljer, was- settled in this way : " The Synod conclude that the session committed an error in judgment, and do restore Elder Emerson to his former good standing." By a case of bigamy brought before them, the Synod appear to have been puzzled, and gave rather an accom- modating deliverance, somewhat different from the record of Ezra and Nehemiah. It runs thus : " Tins Synod are of oi)inion, considering his first wife dead in law to him, though yet alive, she having married another man, he may now lawfully live with the woman to whom he is now married, and upon a proper public manifestation of repentance he may have the privileges of the church."' "^ " Moreover, considering the heinousness of this crime, we judge it proper his confession be repeatedly published, he being present in the congregation where he resides, and that he be not restored till after the next session of this Synod." To them, at their annual meetings, references and appeals were frequently made, and at times requests for separation were i)resented. Thus at Londonderry, on October 1st, 1778, the church and congregation of Peterboro presented a petition, re- questing a " dismission and a recommendation to the (Associate, styled by them the) reverend Seceding Presby- tery of New York." This lenomination, " Seceders," we have previously seen was brought into existence by the Congregational element in a church in New York city, in which the rulers of it were overruled by a faction intent on changing the psalmody of the congregation. In 1774 the Rev. Moses Baldwin agitated the matter successfully for the use of ''the psalms imitated to the ignoring and the rejecting of the Presbyterian version, and feeling the ef- fects and seeing the consequences (as they had now become general through the Synod of New England), this congre- gation thought proper to "ask for the old paths," and to "walk in the good way," as sul)servient to the "rest of their souls." This the Ai^.wdate CUiurch of Scotland had done. For being Calvinists, they could say with Calvin, nobody has yet appeared who could prove that we have appointed any new thing contrary to His word. They IN NEW ENGLAND. 187 considcrccl that the law of the Lord, of whicli the Psalms for tluir appointed use forn; a ])art, is perfect. Consequently the Scoteii-Irisli of Peterboro, not yet ready, through poetical sokitions, the imitations, to dilute and dissolve their doctrine, but especially their worsliip, ilcsired an union with those who (under some disadvan- tages) were " contending more closely for tlie faith once delivered to the saints." In doing this, they acted orderly, respectfully, and yet firmly, and to this court their application was perplexing. ''They were hopeful that this their Synod would exten- sively, if not eventually, embrace under its broad name all Presbyterians in New England." Still they dismissed them in peace, saying, "Taking the case into solenm considera- tion, and observing the fair prospect of having the gospel rcgidarly settled among them, do hereby dismiss and recommend them in good standing with this body to that Presbytery." This was honorable.* The years of the revolutionary struggle have been well called " the times that tried men's souls." A large part of the productive industry of the provinces was drawn off to the camp. The tillage had to be extensively conducted by the mothers, the youth and the children. \\'here any surplus could be produced, they Avere far from good markets, and, as a consequence, those who did not own soil, and had but skill and industry on which to depend for their subsistence and the support of their households, were measurably reduced to straits. They did not often partake of " dainties." While this was trying to me- chanics, it fell with ef{Ual power on not a few of the min- isters, especially the Presbyterian ones, who were in many towns not the first nor parish ollicials. For them no salary could be collected by the town constable. They nmst de- pend on the voluntary support of their congregations and in all the afflictions of their people be afiPlicted. lienee on October 1st, 1778, after dismissing the congre- gation of Peterboro and instructing their clerk to obtain from the executors of the late Rev. David McGregor some papers belonging to the Synod, on their records tliey enter the following minute: * Being thus dismissed on Oct. 1, 1778. in the same month, Mr, David Annan was called and he was ordained in Wallkill, New York, by the Associate Presbytery, " with Peterboro for his destination." !! 188 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM 1 ' « >»'■■ l?i " The Rev. John Strickland, intimating that he cannot subsist his family through the extravagant price of the necessaries of life — the smallness of his salary, and the neglect of the people to pay up his arrears — the Synod be- ing sensible that this is the case, do recouimend it to the society of Nottingham to pay up his arrears and make such addition to his salary as shall compensate for the rise of the price of the necessaries of life for the year past, as well as for th" time to conic; and in case they shall not do this, we think it Mr. Strickland's duty to })reach occa- sionally to vacancies as he may have opportunity, as a means of adding to his support, he still continuing his re- lation and preaching to them except as above." This was during the war. " The Synod, taking into consideration the distressing case of the ministers of the gospel in general, and those of this Synod in particular, on account of the smallness of their salaries, compared with the exorbitant prices of the necessaries of life, whereby many of them are reduced to the greatest straits and indigence, therefore the Synod do recommend it to the several congregations under its care to exert themselves to make a proper compensation to their ministers and supplies, according to the rise of the necessaries of life, which is no more than simple commu- tative justice ; and they think it the duty of the re- spective Presbyteries to pay a due attention to the necessi- ties of their ministers, and make the best provision in their power for relieving their distresses, by appointinj^ them to supply vacancies and other ways as the Presbytery shall think best." Tl)is was not all. As watchmen, they traced the mani- festations of Divine Providence in their troubles, domestic, social and civil, and on the same day record : " The Synod, inquiring into the cause of God's controversy with this land, are of opinion that among many causes the follow- ing are the principal : 1. TJie great and general declension of religion, occasioned by too general a neglect of the duties of public and family worship. 2. By the neglect of church government, which has opened a door for the s))read of error and increase of erroneous teachers in the churches. 3. For the neglect of family government and religion, and for the neglect of civil government. Heuoe arises the dreadful IN NEW ENGLAND. 189 increase of vice and immorality, injustice, oppression, de- frauding and injuring, a neglect of the ministry and of their support."' Ln these post-centennial years compared with 1778, " Time but tlie impression deeper makes, As streams their elianiiels deeper wear," These specified neglects and declension have become hoary in productiveness, and in a century their conse- quences and effects are increasingly felt. Among tliese effects is a searedness of conscience, until multitudes in our land would rather say with the pagans of old ; " It is a chance which has happened to us " than '' it is the Lord : let him do what seemeth to him good ;" while truth is extensively fallen in our streets, while equity cannot enter, while blood touches blood and the safety of liuman life from assassination is daily diminishing, rather than admit that God has (or is capable of having) any "controversy with tliis land." In the meantime, in this region, the ministers of religion are extensively like the ox in Egypt, a " victim " or a "god." The " beautiful man," the " smart man," the " powerful man " wlio, with " gush draws large houses," is pampered with his thousands, while the faithful ambassadors of Christ, as a rule, under any name, have (" as good sol- diers ") to "endure ha; aness." Yes, money can be now made in New England in the pulpit as well as by the lan- cet, or by delving into Blackstone. Hence we have " like people like ))riest," as well as " like priest like peo|)le." Another " cause of God's controversy with our land," now when vice, immorality, injustice and fraud are prevalent, manifested by an overwhelming commercial depression, which none will deny, from 1873 did exist for years onward, is our desecration of the Christian Sabbath. It had not then lost so extensively its hold upon con- science. For example, when John Lowe came to Boston from Scotland, in June, 1773 (as his son informed me), he found his hoarding-house at noon on Sal.)bath too noisy to allow liim to read Ins Bible in quietness, and he went out to the common and commenced to do so vmder a tree. He was forthwith visited by a select man, who said, " Young man, I cannot allow you to stay here to-day." " Why, f 190 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM sir? I am doinp; no harm, only readinp^ my Bible. I found my boardintr-house (wlion T catno l)ack from nu'ct- ing) ratlicr noisy, and 1 thoULilit I would ho (^uiet and do no harm here." "That may all be, and 1 can give you a room in my house to read in, hut [ eannot let you stay here." He oceupied the room until the hour ot worship came, wlu'ii lie revisited the Presbyterian meetingdiouse in Long I jane. Not many years from the same date, Governor John Adams liad oiHcial Inisiness in mid-winter, beyxmd the site of tiie present cit}' of Lowell, when a severe storm brouglit an unusual depth of snow, and delayed his return to Quincy until "the roads" were " broken." It was as- certained that the path could be travelK-d on 8abl:»ath, and his informants urged liim, as he hud left Mrs. Adams severely, if not dangerously ill, some days since, that he had better return on that the Lord's day. But no; Puri- tanism had as yet too firm a grasp of his mind, and ho answered, " I could do so with a clear conscience, hut many might imitate my example who would not know my motives." Hence he "rested (tlun-e) on the Sabbath- day according to the commandment." Tru(.', we have still the evidence that the Christian Sab- bath has 3'et an extensive grasp upon the American mind, when the (Vntennial connnissioners did, 80 to 9, at Phila- delphia, in 187(), iirndy oppose the opening of the ex|)()si- tion on tliat da}', for, perhaps, no greater combination of the odds and ends of creation could be brouglit to bear U])on any board of managers than that to which they were BubjectcMl b}' the combined influences of Papal bishoi)S, Unitarian ])reachers, Jews, native, French and German Infidels, Atheists and drunkard manufacturers. These all gav<> warning of a persistent determination that, for the sake of sensual })leasure, under the plea of lil)erty of con- science they would (with Graham of Claverhouse, when lie had murdered John Brown of Priesthill), " take (iod in their own hands," and defy any "controversy" which he could possibl}' have with our land. The assailants of our civil and religious privileges are in growing fellowshi]> and combination, and " etornal vigi- lance " must ever be (under God) the price to us of these .vast blessings. Ihese IN NEW ENGLAND. lai The above assij^ned reasons of " controvers}'' " their mod- erator was "ai)i)ointed to transcribe, corrof't and print in the form of an adch'ess for distribution amonu; the l'ri'sl)V- terifs, at the char;j:e of the Synod," The Rev. Dr. Whittaker was then appointed "to write a letter to the Presbytery of Grafton, si;^nifyin,i; tlieir desire, that the said Presbytery would join this Synoch"' The date of formation, members, boundaries, vital force, usefulness, as well as the length of its days cannot now be fully asc(!rtained, as the iiiding-place of its minutes, if tiiey exist, is known only to a few. It seems to have existed m central New Hampshire and eastern Vermont from al)out 1776 to 1796, as it is called not only Grafiou Presbytery but also, in existing minutes, " The Presbytery of Connect- icut River." Of it the Rev. John M. Whiton, of IJenning- ton, N. PL, wrote, in February, 1856: " It is well known that both the founder and the origi- nal church of Dartmoutli College were Presl)yterian, and that the Presbytery of Grafton in that vicinity was large and flourishing for some fourteen years; that Presbyterian churches, or ministers, were once found in Hanover, lOast Hanover, Croyden, Lyme, Orford, Piermont, X. H. ; and in Norwich, Hartford, Fairlee, Royalton, Tunbridge, Ran- dolph, Thetford, Barnard, Newbury, Topsham, and ])er- haps other towns in Vermont; tliat the two Presidents Wheelocks, Professors Smith and Ripley, the Judges Ik'zalcel and William H. Woodward, and Rev. Messrs. Burroughs of Hanover, Conant of Lyme, Potter of Nor- wich, Hutchinson of Pomfret, Bowman of Barn:u*d, Powers of Newbury and Burton of Thetford (who was at one time its clerk), were prominent members of that Presbytery." It appears to have been a close body or corj)oration, springing by Congregational vitality, as to its worship, doctrines and usages, into a galvanized existence, formed from ))artial convictions of the Divine authority of Prcsby- terianism, as the "more excellent way " of taking "care of the house of God," or, as more " agreeable to the word of God, and the nature and reason of things." Hence, says Whiton, "These churches have since become Con- gregational." I have called them a close corporation, for they resisted efforts, whieii were made to bring them into Prcvsbyterial fellowship and Synodical harmony. \m V:i m 192 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM Letter after letter was Avritten to them, but these elleitccl no perinanent respons*- which has come down to us, and, "at a meetiiitr of the Presl)yter3' of the Eastward at Deny, Sei)t('inber l.'Jth, 178"),'' we have it tliiis: "Tiie Prcsln'tery, sensildc thai a ureat part of tlio strenjith and beauty of Zion consists in love and union amonsji; the churches and ministers of our common Lord, lias long lamented the divisions and animosities wliich have defaced tiie comeliness of the l'rcsl)yterian church in this country, and impaired their jjowcrs of resisting tlie enemies of the truth around." "Comforted with the in- formation that the Lord has irioved the hearts of a num- ber of our brethren in the ministry, in the interior parts of this State, to unite together in seelcing tlie good of liis Israel by reviving the ancient and Scri])tural form of gov- ernment in his church ; that they have formed themselves into a regular ecclesiastical judicatory, ])y the name of the Presbytery of Grafton, and continue to walk together in the order and ordinances of the gospel." "Tins Presbytery rejoice to take tlie earliest opportunity of o})ening a friendly correspondence with them, and offer- ing to them the right hand of fellowshii), and for tliat end they did and hereby do conmiission and appoint tlie Kov. John Murray, a worthy and beloved mem]>er of tliis body, to be their commissioner and re]n'esentative at the said Presbytery of Grafton ; willing and re([uiring him to rejjair thereto, to present to that Rev. Judicatory the letter now delivered to his care from us ; also to lay before them a copy of the eonstitution of this Presbytery and of our pub- lic testimony against errors ; to request their concurrence therein, or in some other })ublic testimony for the truth as it is in Jesus ; to solicit their counsel and advice in what further steps are necessary to be taken for the su})pressi()U of error and vice, for the reformation of what remains amiss, and for the revival of vital religion among us, and especially to concert with them some measures for iirovid- ing a supply of regular and qualified preachers for our numerous vacancies, and for ])reventing the intrusion of such as are not so, and in general to consult and transact with that body in our name whatever may conduce to the peace and order of the churches, and to the estaldishmcnt of visible union and harmony among Presbyterians, agrcea- IN NEW ENGLAND. 193 ligrcea- ble to the word of God and tlie constitution of this Pres- bytery, and rei)ort liis duinL's to us at our next nieetinpf. "Signed by order, " Wm. I^vvidsox, Moderator." Sonic years expired belbrc tliis or these attempts at iniidu torniinated. Wt" now trace some of the transactions of said Synod AvliiK' it existed. Tiicy often liad cases of reference from tlie lowe»* courts, and at some oi' their annual meetinirs their sessions were protracted for days. They have not, however, transmitted to us clear records of their transactions, for at tlie same meeting in October, 177S, wlien Mr. Houston was found deluKiuent. it is said, ''And as Bedford was annexed to the Kingston (possibly tlie Salem, if not, it was the Palmer) Preshytery, till they should be alile to stand by themselves, which they now are, therefore this Synod now dissolve that relation and annex said Bedford congregation and Mr. Houston to the Presbytery of Londond(^rry, and appoint that Presbyt(n'y to take cognizance of any alfairs that may roHipect Mr. Houston, and if they need, to call in one or two neighboring Presbyteries to their assistance." Windham, Septeml)er loth, 1779, met and after "ser- iiiou constituted with prayer." Present — Whittaker, Bald- win, Houston, Strickland and Williams. Absent — Perley, McLean, Urquhart, (lilmorc, Hutchcson, Taggart, Merrill and Balch. Perley, Palch nnd Taggart's excuses sustained. '"Strickland and Williams reported that Houston brouglit from the State of New^ Hampshire a testimonial satisfac- tory, and Synod now restored him to full standing." The Synod, while they acquitted Elder (libson of Nottinghan), west, of removing his neighbor's landmark, with which lie had been charged by Asa Davies, Esq., admonish him for threatening to do so, and restored him to his privileg(.'s. At Nottingham, September 13th, 1780, six present, live ministers absent, six elders present. As the Presbytery of Grafton did not receive the letter of Synod in time, so from them tliere is no reply. As the civil coiu't had lately confined the families in each parish to their own bounds, the "Synod judge that members in the East Parish of Londonderry, belonging to the Western congregation, have right to act with them 13 M {i imnii 194 HISTORY OF TRKSBYTERIANISM still in all orclosiastical afTairs as fully as before, even thou^jh tlu.'y continuo to pay loi* the support of thu minis- ter of tlieir own parisli only." This was their deliverance on "the aj)j)eal of the RfrirrieviMl lUfMiihcrs ol"th(» eoiiL'refration formerly hcloiiLMUi^ to tlie IJev. David Me(ir(';^'ore/' "and I'urther, tliat at; there are a numl)er of the Western Parisli who eannot conve- niently attend at tiie Western meetinL^-iiouse constantly, in ord(;r to accommodate them, we judtre that tliey ou^dit to be allowed at the old house one tSal)hath in eid article of our constitution," wbicb says, "Ai)pea]s aiul references from sessions to Pres- byteries, and from Presbytery to tbe Synod, and no link of tbis chain of subordination shall be overleaped, or this order invertiid," aldwin re- speetinn; the Rev. Mr. Merrill, they would take no notice of his affairs until bo would, according to order, clear his character with his own Presbytery," In tbis Mr. Williams maintained, that "order" was "heaven's first law," and in ignoring tbe Presbytery, its duties and privileges, Synod was (at least api)arently) concentrating ])ower to its own destruction. " Not being able to concur, nor passively to submit," they say, " we take this lawful liberty to exonerate our own consciences," and that tbey did " meekly, quietly and peaceably withdran'." The Synod fouid themselves under tbe necessity of proceeding against them. As tbe Boston Presbytery (now the Synod of New England) had in 1769, and twice in 1774, prohibited the ministers of tbe churches of their body from holding communion witli tbe Rev. John Mur- ray of Boothbay, as Williams had invited bim to assist at the Lord's Supper, and bad, without consulting any of his brethren, read tlie papers, and did what was done for in- ducting said Murray at Newburyport, as be had conducted himself in the time of Synod in a very disorderly way ; as he has indulged in very indecent reflections and even mockeries of his brethren in time of Synod, and has shewn ungoverned, sudden passions, contrary to the express com- ly) ley in ^t at f his iu- cted as Icvou IN NEW ENGLAND. 197 11 mand of Clirist ; that ho lias induced somo ciders to nnito with him, and for several other reasons reconh'd, the Synod, with irrief and i-cinctanco, di'('lar(> the said Williams ^Miilly of contumacy, schism and hypocrisy, contrary to the laws of Christ anil the peace of the church. ''Therefore, we do suspend said Williams from his ofTico as a minister of Christ, and from all eonnnunion with anv of this body, till he shall manifest repentance for the above olfences. And we earnestly beseech him and the ciders joining with him to consider their ways and humble them- selves before (Jod, and seek ]>ar(lon throujudi the blood of Christ, and speedilv heal the breach which they have made in the church, and we will not cease to pray for these blessed elfects of this censure. " Voted, That this censure be subject to the revisal of the next meetinji;." These brethren were allowed till the first day of Novem- ber next to manifest their repentance. " Ordered, that a letter expressive of a desire of union with them be written to the Associate Presbytery of New York." The Rev. ^Ir. Pcrlcy was directed to instruct his people in Presbyterianism " and lead them to a union with this body, or the Presbytery on the Connecticut river." " Whereas the Presbytery of Londonderry have dismissed the congregation of the West Parish, in Londonderr}', from their Presbytery, yet the Synod judge they retain their relation to this Synod."* From the notices given and extracts taken from records, it will be seen that Presbyterianism hi New England had passed its noonday, and that its tide had begun to ebb. Different causes conspired to produce this result. The want of a fund for the aid of young men preparing for the ministry, had its influence. For this, the hopes of ^lur- vay and others, to establish a Burse at Dartmouth, were from time to time expressed. But, in Avar times, with a deep commercial depression settled on the land, threaten- ing to drive the ministry from their ])ulpits, and but a , *The Rev. William Davidson and his congregation joined the Pres- bytery at tiie Eastward on October 23d, 1781. They consequently formed no part of this Synod. ilMi'i' ^m 198 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM limited amount of pul)lic spirit developed in the few who had means, nothing for the support and increase of Pres- byterianism was estal)nshed, but what was soon assimilated to its surroundings, especially in the bounds of '' the Pres- bytery of Connecticut river." Another cause was the violent tein]iers of not a few of the ministry. Thus to one it was said, "Mr. Moorehead, you have double as much grace as any other one of us, but you have not half enough for yourself." And we have just noticed a part of the cliarges of a hasty spirit and a violent temper, but too truly made against the Rev. Simon AV^illiams. The inmioralities in life of not a few of the ministers consi)ired to the same end. But by the want of the stated ordinances of the gospel in many cases, and by the teaching of erroneous doctrines in otliers, " pure and undo- liled religion," during this quarter of a century, among Presbyterians in New England, " gained much harm and loss." In many towns congregations came to Presbyterianisra, Bomotimes to avoid Jonathan Edwards' " confused way of church government in the land," as did the congregation of Newburyport. While those coming from the British Isles took it the natural way, their ])osterity in a few gen- erations, had Presbyterianism so mild that it ran out of their systems. They did not " take heed to the doctrine " '' sealed by the blood of the covenant," and in not a few cases, ceased to be "valiant for the truth in the earth." In some towns " the earth helped the woman," and men must honor the church of the Parish, if not the Lord, with tiieir substance, or be cast into prison as Avere those two of Chester, N. H. Upon the churches, as well as the other interests of the connnunity, tlie war produced deleterious etlects in lowering the standard of morality and giving in- creasing vitality to crime. The main conflict was, however, partly between the dis- similarity of the races in juxta position as this was moulded and iniluenced by the form of church government and by worship. As Christ executes his kingly ofTico, not onl}' by subdu- ing his people to himself, but by ruling them, so, where men view the Bible as simply adequately inspired, and not plenarily nor verbally, it is not a difficult process to iJ^ i IN NEW ENGLAND. 199 cliniinato (from it) ordination "by tho layinpf on of the hands of tlie Presbytery " and all that is peculiar to that species of churcli polity. Hence, so lonp; as '' the church of tlie Parish "' was maintained by the sword of the civil p(>wer, cornp(>lling all within its ])rescribed limits to sup- jtort the minister of the town, and if they were of a differ- ent persuasion, forcing; them in addition, to sup])ort their own ministry, large inducements were extended, in almost all cases, to Presbyterians in New England, to conform to tlieir surrouncHngs. A large source of change, conspiring to the enfeebling of Presl)vterianism in these bounds, also iiH reasingly flowed from the influence of the local system on domestic life and tlie social relations. " Let the wife see that she reverence her husband " (Eph. V. 8.3), when viewed as only adequately insi)ired, is not friendly to the rule of elders in a church, nor to the sj'S- tem, the very existence of which implies it. The idea of honoring "the faces of the elders," when col- lated with, " let your women keep silence in tlie clmrches " iind levelled to adequate inspiration, has seldom a very salutary influence on that oneness which constitutes the iHiirriage relation, esi)ecially where a believer in verbal in- sjjiration " renders to the wife due benevolence," and " so loves his wife even as himself." It requires plenary and verbal inspiration to make " the weaker vessel " realize the moaning of husband, that is " housel)and, tb.e band and bond of the house, who shall bind and hold it tooether." We have seen this illustrated in the case of jMrs. Colonel Pxc'id, "All this with your advice, not otherwise." (Letter to him, September 8th, 1776.) It must be remembered tliat these statements are made in reference to the causes then commencing operation, for, until after the Revolutionary war, the New Englanders were Puritans and believed in the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures very literally. They at one time believed in the verbal insi)iration of Ex. xxii. 18, " Thou shalt not puffer a witch to live," but, when the mind recoiled from this too literal an interpretation, it did not stop at the analogy of faith and ]>lenary inspiration, but went on to the perfection of mental instability and, in our modern times, rested in an adequacy of the supernatural, or in sentiment, or in mere opinion, taste or feeling. 200 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM • Hence, " I will not believe what I cannot understand," has become at times a practical aphorism with some of the descendants of tlie Puritans. Consequently, where faith and logic of such diverse kindt' were found in father and mother, the chilch'on would usually take the course which led to "the largest liberty," the easiest, the most honorable and ])opular form. In doing so, they were not always required l)y "the customs of the churches " " to sufi'er affliction with the people of (iod." It would take the faith and logic of Moses to make this choice. ^ When the Pres])yterians came among them they found the New Englanders ahnost universally " sound in the laith of God's elect," and pure in morals. As nnsanctiliod Imman beings, they were not perfect nor free from sectarian rancor, and they viewed Quakers, Anaba])tists, Episco- palians, and Presbyterians as intruders. Still, while four- fifths of them statedly waited on God in public worship in all seasons of the year (witli rare exceptions), and a man under oath before a committee of the House of Com- mons (in 1G60) could declare " I have lived seven years in New England, and I have never there heard a profane oath or seen a drunken man," the calamities and immor ilities of war a century afterwards extensively marred this T)ur- ity and simplicity in almost a single generation. The air of enthusiasm introduced by breaking the fetters of colonial dependency and introducing with national ex- istence national liberty, had (not ncK-essarily") apparently an extensive tendency to throw off the whok'sonic re- straints of superiors, to induce the young to forget their position, and to undermine "the things which are true, pure, lovely, and of good rcjiort." Like Jerusalem in ruins, "the faces of the ciders were no longer honored."' It also gave ample " scope and verge " to theological thought, as it was imported from Continental Europe, until their various " sehemes " su])p]anted the logic and theology of the New England Primer. These and other co-o])erating inilucnces in the sam(^ direction were bursting the bud during the sliort years of the existence of the Synod of New England ; but the skill and application of one man probably surpassed them all. IN NEW ENGLAND. 201 The Rev. Isaac Watts, D. D., the guest of men of rank in EnL^land, not only Avrote " On the Improvement of the ]\Iincl " and " Lojj;ic "' — very useful works — but also set forth tlic belief that '"tlic souls of the ciiildren of unbelieving parents dying in infancy are annihilated" ( Buck''. s Die.}, and '■ that the first thing which (iod made was the soul of Jesus Christ, and by this his first production he made all things else." This fanciful and false idea wasby Jona. Edwards ( Works) refuted in fourteen prrticulars, and it lies harmlessly among the mental lumber which has been consigned "to the moles and to tlie l),as." Not so the outgoings of the soul of the doctor in poetry. For his " Cradle Hymns," multitudes would have remembered his name with pleasure if he had sto])pev^ tliere, but of the liook of Psalms, given by God the Holy ..ost, he undertot)k to imitate 139 '"in the language of the New Testament," and concerning them declared, " 1 would like to see David turned into a Chris- tian." The nourishing deep roots of a Christian Church are found where families and households evening and morn- ing shew forth the loving kindness of the Lord in sweet ])salms, and from their childhood youth are taught to know the Scriptures; where, out of the mouths of babes or infants, praise is given to God beneath the parental roof. Wiien such flow together to the heights of Zion, her assoml)lies are blessed with times of refresliing. At tiie risk of intelligent contradiction, 1 state that just in ))ro]iortion as the ])oetry of the Rev. Dr. Isaac Watts is introduced into any church or by any denomination, "the \-i)\re of joy and rejoicing in the dwellings of the righteous " is diminished. His '" David turned into a (.Christian," even u lull sujiplemented by the skejitic, Joel Barlow, and sanc- tilied by the Rev. Dr. Timothy Dwight, is not adapted to express the s])iritual joy of ( Jod-loving families, who abide under tlie shadow of tlie Almighty, in shewing forth his loving kindness in the morning and declaring to Inm his liiithfulness every night. Th(\v must sing i)salms to him with grace to ex|)rt'ss the emotions of their souls, for his command is, "is any merry? I^et him sing ])salms." And assuredly, if his fragments of the psalter imitated in the language of the New Testament will not express such III ( i 202 HISTORY OP PRESBYTERIANISM i licaven-born joy, his hymrivS for the use of " vulgar Chris- tians" will not. Not any one of thcni is a portion of the living and incorruptible seed of the Word -which livcth and ahideth for ever, and '' what is the chaif to the wheat?" I present the early psalm-singing New England in contract with the present as irrefragable proof, "impugn it who lists." 80 Presbyterianism there has found it. This innovation, exchanging a reality — a perfect whole — for an imitation, desolating to "the truth as it is in Jesus," we have seen was o])posed by Coleman, of Brattle street, Boston, and other faithful men, but in vain. For in the course of a generation or two, it in the Congrega- tionalist Churches sup])lanted "the Bay State Version of the Psalms," silenced the Jehovah's song in thousands of fam- ilies, and finally ])layed the whale with Jonah with the Presbyterian version almost universally. When and wherever "godliness" existed in New England, its vitality was always and only commensurate witli its " sound doc- trine " {alias Calvinism), and tlie daily use of "those glo- rious psalms let down from a higher plane " (Rev. Joseph Cook). In 1774, the Rev. Moses Baldwin, who in early life had been trained to the Imitations and Hymns, became (as all religious poetical innovators do) a "man of feeling." lie had "a felt want," and he not only obtained liberty to in- dulge it, but, as " forljidden fruit is sweet," his exam})]c became prevalent. Among those congregations whicii came to Presbyterianism they were both jmbulum and condiment. Into most of the churches composing the Presbyteries and the Synod they Avere s})eedily introduced, and the new tunes required for tlie enjoyment of them did violence to the feelings of many of the aged. When the use of the Imitations became general among them, " Ichabod " was written as frontlets between the eyes of Presbyterianism in New England, and rottenness had entered into its bones. Emigration to their towns had (ex- tensively ceased, and their youth witnessed with diminish- ing inter(>st the abandonment of the "sweet ])salms " with winch their fathers and forefathers had caused the wilder- ness and solitary place to rejoice, as their morning and evening songs went up from "the dwellings of the right- eous." IN NEW ENGLAND. 203 There is something magnanimous in contending for a just cause under adverse circumstances, and this tlie Synod of New JCngland, so long as its diminished lorccs wore the name, earnestly did. Their hounds were extensive — from Palmer, ^hiss., to Eastern Maine — and tlieir disadvantages were consequently great. They could not at any time, owing in part to the expenses, during the seven years' war, connected with travelling for days on horseback, oiten in inclement seasons, over bad roads, have a ])ertectly full meeting. From time to time their roll was diminish(;d by tiie wrongdoing of some, requiring the exercise of disci- pline, and occasionally among tliem there "arose men si)eaking perverse things," " causing contentions," and eventually withdrawing from their fellowship, Tiiey had also, doubtless, l)een somewhat disappointed from the fail- ure of the anticipated co-operation of the Presbytery of Grafton. While carrying on their watch and care as the Boston Presbytery, on November 9th, 1774, at Newbury port, the Rev. Mr. Hutchinson, of Pom fret, Vt., had ])etitioned them i probably with others in his region) " with regard to the forming of a Presbytery at Dartmouth College," founded by Presbyterians, and then five years old. They recom- mended to him j)rudence in his exertions in the ease, and to report to them; but "the Presbytery of (Jrafton " or " of Connecticut River" (which, on October 21st, 1783, not only licensed Mr. Simon F. Williams, but excommu- nicated tlie Rev. Mr. Burroughs) stood aloof from the Synod, while " the Presbytery at the P^astward " formed extensively an ecclesiastical asylum for the troublers of their Israel. Conse(;[uently, of the thirteen ministers, McCregore, Houston, Mitchell, Perley, Strickland, iMerrill, Mcljcan, Urquhart, Whittaker, Balch, Williams, B.ddwin, and Tag- Uart, with six ruling elders (while Parsons, Oilmore, and Hutchinson were absent), who at Seabrook, on June 2d, 1775, signed their constitution as a Synod, but a ))art were present at their last meeting at Londnnderr}! ( West Parisli ) on September 12th, 1782, viz., Whittaker, Houston, Wil- liams, Strickland, Taggart, Merrill, and Perley, with five elders, while McLean, Urquhart, Balch, and Baldwin were absent. At this meeting, Williams (with the elders from ! ' Ifi!l 204 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM I/' , Windham, Bedford, and Pembrook) -withdrew, and, as stated, ho was suspended. The varied causes which have been noticed, and proba- bly others, were all consi)irin^ to prevent the growth of l)nre Presbytcrianisni, and whether understanding denomi- nationally or not, the iniluenees brought to bear upon tiieni, they I'eli the reality. They " knew that the heavens do rule," and instead of endeavor' ig further to uphold, that on wliich their ]ie;irts were sc . at their organization, they submitted to the developments of the Divine pleasure. On September 11th they record: "The Synod taking into consideration the broken circumstances to which the Provi- dence of God hath brought us by the death of several of our members and otherwise ; therefore, we judge it neces- sary to dissolve this Synod for the present, and form a Presbytery of the whole, by the name of the Presbytery of Salem. " Voted, That a committee be appointed to wait on tlie Grafton Presbytery, in order to open the way to form a union with them, in some manner that may be for mutual advantage." Dr. Whittaker was appointed. Then came the fact, solemn, indeed, to those whose " hearts trembled for the ark of God," for on September 12th, 1782, the record reads : " The Synod being this day dissolved by an uiianimous vote, the members convened at the house of Elder Fisher in order to form themselves into a Presbytery." Nature produces maturity in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, which by inevitable law is succeeded by decay. Empires and renowned cities have their growth, their grandeur and dilapidation, and Presbyterianism in New England did not escape the common doom. Between 1768 and 1793 this polity was extensively si)read in this region where all its surroundings were hostile to its ex- istence. In the following-named places, as well as probably some others, especially in Connecticut, it was for a time planted, viz. : Boston, Derry, Londonderry, Worcester, Cli ester, Palmer, Oxford, Porpooduc on Casco Bay, Oakliam, Blandford, Pelham, Newburyport, Salem, Saybrook, Pem- broke, Windham, Gofistown, Bedford, Kingston, Coleraine, Easton, Lunenburg, Peterboro, Rutland, Paxton, Boscawen, IN NEW ENGLAND. 205 Princeton, Groonwieli, Groton, Candia, Antrim, Deer Isl- and, New Boston, I)un))arton, Greeniield, Litchfield, Not- tinjiluun, Canterbury, New CUoucester, Canaan, Sylvester, Topshani, Turner, Francestown, Gray, Winthrop, Machias, Lincoln, Anieshury, Boothl)ay, Jiristol, Brunswick, liellast, Pownalboro, Warren and St. (n'oriics, Voluntown, Daniar- iscotta. New Market, Falmouth, Hanover, Fast Hanover, Lyme, Croyden, Ortord, Piermcjnt, N. IL, Norwich, Hart- ford, Fairlee, Uoyalton, Tunhridge, Randolph, Tlietford, Iku'nard, Newbury, Topsliam, Pomt'ret and ])erha])S otlier towns in Vermont; ai)art h'om Gral'tsburv, Barnet, Rye- gate and South Rycirnte, which may be afterwards noticed. In but a few of these (above seventy) places was it fairly planted. In many, perhaps in most cases, Edwards' " un- settled and confused way " induced not a few towns to give to this new thing a trial, as w.'is done in Newburyport and Easton. Beside this, while the form of government might be ap]»roximated, the doctrine.^ extensively main- tained and discipline executed, the great difficulty was in and with the worship. One class of Presbyterians, maintaining that all scrip- ture is plenarily inspired, found their matter of praise ex- clusively in the Psalter. This was the case not only with the Scotch-Irish but with the French. They used it only, and to their metrical version they had to every line musi- cal notes placed. Not so the New Englanders. In some cases they might have brought with them the Bay State version, but, during this period, they seem to have used only the 139 psalms " imitated," together with the Doctor's three books of hynms. In such cases, while order might have been more extensively kept by the use of Presbyte- rial forms and faithful pastors and elders encouraged and sustained, yet the overshadowing wings of the civil power made the sustenance of the ministry more secure, hence they easily appealed to Caesar. In all but a very few cases the " loaves and fishes " of Presbyterianism were but small and somewhat uncertain. Hence, INIcKinsiry, Keith, Hill- house and others of that generation, while indebted to Presbyterianism for their moral worth, were sustained as Congregational teachers by civil law. And while we have seen McGregor, Taggart and Brown of the next generation supported in the same way as ministers of towns, still, to 206 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM younc: nnd aspirinp; nativos, it was n(»t ahvays desirable to risk the truthfulness of the blaster, that " the lah(M'(,'r is worthy of his hir(\" Ilenee, we fnid not only MeKecu leavintjj, but the two sons of the Rev. Simon ^Villiunls of Windham, after obtainin<2; aid from Presbyterian eliurelus as Bursars at Dartmouth College, entering deelinatures to Presbyterial authority and becoming Congregationalist l)r(;achers. In all tliis, hoAvever, we have the collapse of the Synod of New .P]ngland, after a life of seven years and three months, and "a nation" must be found to "change tlieir gods" before another comes into existence in tlie same territorial bounds. IN NEW ENGLAND. 207 CHAPTER VIII. 17G8- 1793— Presbytery of Snlcin— Rev. R. Annan— Rov. Mr. Morrill— (jniltoii Prtsljytcry — -(Jroton — (iiari^os uiit'oinxlc'd — Ta},'t,Mrt— His ovcrtiirfs — Milliinore " our camlidati.' " — No pn)L,'ress in nnioii ytt — (jlroton received — To be cautions in n'eeivin>,' members, unless I'res- byterianH — WliittaiSV;i^ (//e— Called meeting at Turner — I'rqidiart deceives — Perley of Gray a!)sent— ("ongregation not bospital)le to Presbytery — Expedi- ency — Minutes defective — Williams cut off — Merrill deposed — (ieorge Oilmore long absent is dropi)ed — Final meeting of Presbytery at (iray — 1791 — Perley to be dismissed from (Jray — Adjourned Sine die — We have seen development, growtb, vitality and decay of tlie Boston Presbytery, the Synod, etc. — We now turn to the Presbytery at tlie Eastward. We turn now to tlie Presbytery of Salem. It was formed in tli(! house of Elder Fisher, at Londonderry, N, IL, on 8L'i)t(inl)er Pith, ITS'i, and eonsisted of Rev. Messrs. Whit- taker, Houston, Strickland, Perley, Tajigart, ]\[errill, with KuHn^- Elders Thomas ]\[cGee, Ilnhbard and Oliver. The next re(^orded meeting was held at Salem, on Sejitemher loth, 1783, when four ministers were present and seven were absent. As ]Mr. Williams did not appear his suspension Avas con- tiniKHl. lie and the elders who Joined with " him in his deelinature," were cited again. An answer to a letter pre- viously written to the Rev. Dr. Clarke, of Salem, N. Y., was then read, " expressing a desire of said union and an engagement to lay the matter before their body (the Asso- ! 1: lli 208 HISTORY OF PRKSnYTERIANISM ciatc Reformed Presbytery of New York) at their next meeting,'." "A reply was now ordered to l)e sriit tlirou-li tli(.' liev. Kohcrt Aunau of IJoston." The Kcv. Mr. Mi rrill heinti; ehar;i('(l with crime now i'aiicd to apprar. Dr. W'hittalxcr was diri^eted to eontinne his eorrespond- enee with the (crafton Preshytery. (.'oinniissioners a|»- ])eare(l from a so(;iety in (Iroton a.^kinu; to he recciNcd, hut Preshytery ascertained that said associated jxTsoiis were \mder censure, and lliat tlie Coniireuationalist eliurch to Avincii tiiey hclon;i<,'d laid refused tliem a copy of said eeu- i^UYQ. Tiiis procedure was (hcmed unjust and tyranni(!al. ]*resbytery received tliem and i-ecpiested "said church to give all the li;:;ht they can in the all'air." The Ivev. Jno. I'njuliart i)resented severe charges against "tlic i)eople of Warren and St. (icrges lower jilantatiou," and desired a dismission from his charge. Preshytery r deemed a Presbyterian church from tht; settlement of Dr. W. among them in 1709, when it was received as such "by their own desire, choice, and request," and that these charges were refuted "in 1774, when the same objections were made by his adversaries." IN NEW ENGLAND. 211 The ftncieti/, the Parisli jxnvliolch'rs connected -.vith tlie church, had refused to iichuit tlic Doctor's labor- since tlio ^oth of March hist, and alter a lon^' c(»nsi('('iai .jn of tlio suhjct't, in which thev shrw that he iiad iahorcd ijilhfullv and spent niueii of his jirivatc substance for tiicir ^ood, and for whieii Ik; was now, hy tijc jfcnius and spirit of tho State reh^ion, reeeivin;:, so far as partisan leelin^' could reach, only i)ersccution. The Treshytery exlu)rted tho Doctor to "a careful search why the Lord was now con- tending with him," and to watchfulness, while they reconi- niendcd him to the churches as a " worthy minister of Christ." The Rev. Nathaniel ^[errill was now proceeding from bad to worse, by lying and in view of scandalous stories, lieside reading a pajjer l)efore Presbytery, advocating his idea that vox poixili i:4 cox Dei. — "the voice of the j)i'o])lc is the voice of God," and he was bv them suspended from liis ministry till the next session of the court. The Uev, Alexander McLean, " on account of some pecu- liar circumstances of his p(!ople," now asked and very re- luctantly obtained a dismission. Presbytery " hoping that a way may soon be opened for his union with us again." At Gray, in Maine, four ministers met (while six were absent), and the church in that town having adoi)ted tho Presbyterian plan of church government, souglit union and was admittetl under the care of Presbytery on Se])tember 8th, 1784. "A call from the town for the Rev. Samuel Perley was presented, and considering the whole of tho votes of the church and the town, the Presbytery adviso him to accept their call." Before his installation, which took place on tho same day, the town were called upon to ol)ject, and "only live who call themselves Baptists lifted up their hands against it." " The service was concluded with prayer and a psalm." " Ordered, That Dr. W'hittakcr write a consolatory letter to the congregation in Groton and appoint Mr. Strickland • to preach to them as often as he can." xVbout forty heads of families in New Gloucester, Maine, now i)etition to be received, and Dr. A\'hittaker was ap- pointed to write to the Rev. Samuel Foxcraft of that toAvn to learn if the way be clear. All means having failed with the twenty malcontents in Salem to re-establish peace be- 5!!!* T,:\ 212 HISTORY OF PRESBYTKRIANISM *^ tween them and Dr. Whittakcr, a few " unreasonable," if not '' wicked men," beinjjf often able to pull down what they eould not build, and, in the spirit of Diotre])lios, beinrouf2;ht up Presbytr- rians, so, from these new towns application was at times made to have Presbyterian ecclesiastical connection. Thus, "the church and congregation of a jdantation, then called Sylvester, had voted unanimously to accept the Presbyte- rian Church Discipline, and the Rev. INIr. Strickland at their request gathered them as an organization with ruliuii- ciders, and he now desires the ap])robation of this body."' " Voted, That the said measure is approved." The town not yet ineor])orated, and having some ]Hililie incumbrances when a call was })resented to Mr. Strickland, the Presbytery advise him and his ])eo})le, as their eircuni- stances may change, to submit their matters to its jurisdic- tion, and while the sum voted (filty jiounds) was small, it "ought to be increased as their alnlity shall increase." To this they mutually agreed before his installation, which took ])lace on September 20th, 17portunity. We wish that said disaffected could profita- bly unite with the rest of the town in settling a minister agreeably to the Rev. Mr. Foxcraft's proposal. But, if they cannot, we recommend them to wait on (Jod, and be much in prayer for light and direction, and seek for a regular incorporation, that they may be in a capacity to support tlie gospel among them." They tlien exhort them to avoid " vain janglings," study the peace and prosperity of the town, and be steadfast in doctrine. At a meeting hold at Sylvester, June 1st, 1785, at his own request, the Rev. John Houston was dismissed and recommended to the churches ; and so also was the chureli and congrcgjvtion in (iroton. The Presbytery being now geemingly in the humor, also dismissed and gave a gen- eral recommendation to the Rjcv. Mr. Taggart and the church of Coleraine. t ' m ill 1 IRi in liiPP' \ H H ^BUHjSL Jui, ^^|H^^BHflH|]j ^^■H^^^HH^B u HH^^^^^^^^^n i'WBM^MBBMII FvwwB^^HHHR , u^M 214 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM " Voted, Thcit the minute made in 1775 at NcNvhurj^port, delating to uniformity, be recommended to the several con- gregations under our care." At Tojjsham, September 7th, 1785, a call was presented from Number Six Westward, and Number One Eastward of Union Iliver, in Lincoln county, for tlie settlement of the Rev. John Urquluirt, A. M., in the gosi)el ministry among them, and desiring annexation to this body. They ■were received. He was dismissed from Tojjsham and forth- with settk'd at Union River. " Ordered, to r(>ad tlie con- stitution." The delinquents, AVilliams and Merrill, were to ])c again cited to ap])ear. Tlie Presbytery of Sakni met at Gray, June 21st, 177th, LTtli, the IN NEW ENGLAND. 219 Confession of Faith be discussed in their order." This was a wise beginning, for the doctrine is tliat which saves or damns the souL It is all important to know "the doc- trine of God our Saviour," and to be able to detect ''doc- trines of devils " where they exist. Hence the Divine in- junction, " Take heed to the doctrine, for by so doing thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee." Euphonious names of aboriginal origin are not unfre- quent even now " down East," and their minutes then pre- sent one : "As a commissioner has come from Cobbisuente, we each give them one day's sermon." This was well. We have previously seen the desolation of Boothbay liy the translation of Mr. Murray to Newburyi)ort, which now formed the Banner Church of the Presbytery, and we find that the Rev. Wm. Davidson, who had been settled in Derry in 1739, was now alone. Belonging to the Presbytery which had suspended Moorehead and McGregor, he could not recognize the court which they were instrumental in erecting, and now, in 1781, he seeks admission to "the Presbytery at the Eastward." Of it a meeting pro re nata was held in Derrv on October 23d, when the Rev. Solomon Moore, of New Boston, and the Rev. S. Williams, of Wind- ham, were invited to sit as correspondents ; and " the Rev. William Davidson stated that he had been ordained by a Presbytery, had for many years been pastor of his present charge, and a member of the Presbytery of Londonderry, which had been dissolved by removal and death of its members," and that he' was then unconnected with any ecclesiastical judicatory. He (with his elder, Moses Bar- nett, and the church and congregation by them rei)re- sented) was now oflicially admitted. The Rev. S. Williams " made a statement of difficulties existing in his congregation in Windham, and he requests some of the members of this Presbytery to attend his Pres- bytery at Windham on the 14th of next month." The Synod of New England still existed, and his would he the Londonderry Presbytery, probabh'^ so far reduced in its working force as to be unable to allay human pas- sions when in vigorous conmiotion. How far the request was granted does not appear. As we have seen, the Long Lane congregation had entered their " declinature " and stood upon it^ while some I? ifi. 220 HISTORY OF PREPBYTEL. .NISM I thirty persona of a minority continued to be subject to the Presbytery, and it was now " Ordered, That if they should desire it, Mr. Murray has permission to transmit a})})liea- tions from them to any n)inist(T they may have in view, or to any Presbytery to which sueli minister may belonfr, in regular manner and form, as by the api)ointment and consent of this Presbytery." On June 14th it was reported to Presley tery that the Rev. John Murray had been settled as i)ast()r in Newbury- port, on June 4th, 1781 ; and on October 1st, 17ssed by the founding of Dartmouth College there in 1769. The man for the place, the first president, was the Rev. Eleazer \\'heelock ; succeeded during the first century by his brother, by Jirown, Dana, Tyler and Lord, the in- stitution has become an eminent "success," and is "not a whit behind " any other seminary in tlie land in develop- ing mind and making men useful. Others there are on which funds are more extensively heaped, but few, if any, can be named where reputation, during the perilous years of college life, is more safe, or future usefulness, on the average, more extensively secured. Though rnly and nlways a college, the names of Webster and Choate, among her graduates, are names of which any university would feel })roud. Many of the early friends of this seat of learn- ing were Presbyterians, and to it, among the others, " the Presbytery at the Eastward " looked for an increase in the gospel ministry by forming Burses. Paper after jiaper antl letter after letter from the prolific pen of Murray testify this. In February, 1784, a committee of the Presbytery wrote V Mm i>!il tl' 222 HISTORY" OF PRESBYTERIANISM to tlio "Honorable Board and Immediate Governors of the Institution." To this a favornljU' r('))ly was in due time ol)tainod. " Impressed with a (h'cp sense ol' the ()hnss," the Presbytery in due form, after satisfactory ''trials," licensed Mr. Joseph McKeen to preach the gospel. Nor was tins all. At this May meeting they were vis- ited by the Rev. Messrs. Robert and David Annan and Mr. IN NEW ENGLAND. 223 William ^lorrison ("to be subsequently noticed), who were inviti'd to sit as covrcspoiKlcnts. Oil (-)t'tober .Stli, 178.J, at Caudia, a " j)etition from Doer Island was answered in a friendly manner." Pastors Wil- lianis and Davidson were appointed to l»a])tiz(! cliihh'en at Duiibarton, and on tbe ai)plication of the Rev. John Hub- bard and n)enil)ers of lifs society, Presbytery adjourned to meet in Aniesbury, Mass., which they did on November loth, when the iirst parish of Londonderry requested a supply as a colleague to the Rev. Mr. J^avidson, when a plan for forming,' a Rurse was encouraged by tlie Presby- tery, and tiie "respectful letter to the authorities of Dart- nioulh College " (inserted above) was voted to be sent. In 1784, February loth, a petition was received from the New England congregation at White Creek, New York, ])raying to be received, and to devise some proper way to inod(«rate in a call, and to this the Presl>ytery sent "a ehulk-nge to shew (uiuse, if any, why the ])rayer of the petition should not be granted at next meeting." On October 8th, 1783, a petition had been received from Canil)ridge, New York, Avhieh, when " considered with what the Itev. Dr. Thomas Clark wrote to the Rev. Mr. Murray res})ecting that aliair, the Presbytery sent ^Ir. James Mil- tiuiore thither some Saljl)aths. If his preaching there gave ofl'ence to the Associate Reformed Presbytery, ho must return to this Presl)ytery ; and we cannot allow Mr. Miltinioro to preach at White Creek either, if by so doing the said Presbvtery are ofi'ended." Whether they were offended or not, preach at White Creek he did, and received a call, which he subsequently declined. This called forth an urgent letter from " the Hon. I. Wil- liams on behalf of the Trustees of the New England con- gregation of White Creek, praying that the answer of Mr. Miltimore be revoked and that, he be sent to that place." Tlie Presbytery recorded four observations anent this letter: 1st. That they had used no intluenceto induce him to decline their call, and they did not know Avhat his answer would be until they heard it in judicature, 2d. They had reasons to believe that the state of said congre- gation and its connections were such that Miltimore would have given the same answer if he had not had a call from :, f Ill 224 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM li '^l II » , the Eastward. 3d. Tliat tlic Presbytery had no reason to revoke liis answer or alter their jiuii^nient. 4th. Tliat no reason is oll'ered by said hitler why they shouhl do so; therefore tlicy do not "order him to While Creek." "Mr. Miltiniore, l)eint,' eallid on to make iui.swer to that call, replied, that ho had very serionsly and prayerfully considered that same throiii^hout the .season ])ast, anil viewed himself aceountahle to the ^M'cat Head of tlu! Church for the result of his deliherations ; hul tliat, on the whole, aecordinj^ to the hest li^dit he had, he could not see it to be his duty to settle there!." At a previous nieetinji, the congrefration of Cambridge, N. Y., if their eircumstanees re([uired it, in connection with the ])reaching of Millimore, were allowed to call a pro re luita meeting; and at " New IJoston, Se])teniber 8tli, 1784, at such a meeting, Mr. .lohn ^Morrison appeared as a commissioner from Cand)ri(lg(>, N. Y., and presenting a coi)y of a call, requesting Presbytery to sustain it and i)re- sent it to Mr. Miltiniore." " Voted : That as dilliculties subsist, they cannot sustain the same." What these difficulties fully were does not clearly appear, and his reply in declining the call from White Creek j)ut a terinination to all eflorts to obtain his services west of the Crreen Mountains, lie received, September ars it was their practice to open their stated meetings with a discourse continuously on one of the chapters of the Confession of Faith by a member })reviously appointed, and they a])i)ear for several years to obey the injunction, " take heed to the doctrine." Their surroundings (as stated) were sulTering much morally since the war. The State churches became in many cases less careful about the doctrine, the elders were ignored and their oilice dropped, and tendencies were running from a theocracy IN NEW KNOT, AND. 225 pear, st oi 178-1, ce\»t, dirf- town town ot in open [n one (ars to iTluir ollice jcracy vostofl in an oli*!;ar('hy and an Athenian deinocrary to an (■(•(•l('! of j-'retwiil, wer(> *' sul)vertin;,' houses." When thns so far removed from a belief in the existence of "a remnant aecordinji to the election of grace," as to suppose, with Arnunius, "That .Iesusi.'hrist, by his suller- iiiLis and (h'ath, maih' an atonement for the sins of all man- kind in general and of every iiuhvidiial in particular; that, however, none but those who believe in him can b(; par- takers of divine beneilts, ' it would not do violence to Con- }:reo of views, maintained "that Christ, as a .^Iediator, was so united to maidcind, that his actions were theirs, his obedience and suH'erin.u-s theirs, and, cons<>- lace for his o])inions in Gloucester, Mass. He first preached Universalism in New Hampshire in 1773. This new type of Congregationalism, that is, new in New 15 urn \'",i I III M :iilll' 226 HISTORY OF PKESBYTERIANISM the Englanci at that timo, as ponl-dostrovino; and God-dishon- oring, the Presbyterians conscimitiously opjjosed, ami on May 21st, ITSo, eniittcd a testimony concorninLi; it. Tims "Nvarninecause that "the Bay State I'snliu- l)ook " had been supplanted among the C'ongregationnlists and many ot" the I'rcsbyterians, especially those who canio from Congregationalism, had beeomi^ enamored with the iuiitations and other poi'tieal eil'usions of the Ifev. Dr. NV^atts, which, witlwi breadth and a dei)th ec^ual to all measures of hell, niiiintained that " Christ came to make his hlessings How Far as the curse is foiuul." His poetry formed a rapid diffusive stimulant for " divers and strange doctrines." To counteract, so far as ])ossihle, the effects of the doc- trine of universal salvation, tiie Presbytery emitted their Ih'^tiniony, with what salutary effect we cannot at this dis- tant period of time determine. It, however, showed how they endeavored t(^ "take heed to tiie ilock." Reading material did not then abound, and Presbyteri- ans in New England did not often emj)loy the ])ress in that generation. The almost only excei)tion Avas a publi- cation by the Pr(>sbyterv, an anii)liflcalion of their testi- mony, imder a ])i'euhar title which read thus: ''Bath Kol, a voice from the wildern(\^s. Being an hum- ble attempt to su])poi-t tl e linking truths of (Jod against some of the i)rincipal errors raging at this time. Or. a joint testimony to tlu> churches under their care. IW the Presbytery of the ICiistward. Boston: N. ("overly, 1788." They begin Avith Deism and Origenism as lying nearest the root of all impiety and wickedness now leading the fashions in ])laces of pulilic resort. Then an incjuiry into causes which have brought down these judgments on the church. Next, by way of introduction, they state, "that the regard for rehgion for which New England was ouco distinguished, has now vanished from among us in a lamentable degre(\ W'e have sutlen^d eight years of war. and for this awful cakunity there are moral causes. "Never was the public worship of God as generally voted away as at the present. Many grudging the ex- IN NEW ENGLAND. 227 •ss in mitli- tc'^ti- lumi- Or. a 83." |-n>aropt 111! the I'V into Ion the tluit is once Is in a dI' w:''i'- IncrallY [he ex- pcnsc of supporting]!; it, liavo dismissed God's ambassadors ami locked up the doors of his hous(\ Others have ex- changed a learniMl, godly ministry tV)r iixnorant fanatical intruders, merely Ix^canse they jjri'tend to deal out to thiMii their wild and indit^^ested elVusions without salary, while of th(! remaiiuler amon;f whom their minisU-rs still mako a shift to continue, the ^greatest numhcr seldom atttaid, and not a small proi)ortion of those who attend pass the sacred hours of worship in saunterin_Lr, <:a/.inir, dozinii; and sneer- in,^. Family worship is a stranucr to the dwellinus of thousands. Sahhath profanation ahounds on wharves, in eoll'ce-houses an( 5 HI sots holes, and the answer is: ' tis Av;ir times.' Country youtli learn i)rofanation on boaril of i)riv;itcers and in the camps. " Benevolence is not cultivated now. Intcmi)eranco sends man helow the brutal hertl. Multitudes of men each year are destroyed by it, and women take it too. '"Anti-nuptial offences are almost forj>otten to be a crime. Adultery increases; vile books are priutetl and read with avidity ; extortion, theft, fraud and lying increasingly abound. •' It is in view of this alarming state of things among us that we have ventured to deliver our souls in the follow- ing testimony, and to that step we judged ourselves bound at this time, for the following reasons. Nothing of this kind has come to our knowledge from any (piarter in the l;nul — not from Presbyteries and Synods, nor associations and conventions." These "reasons'' show a lamentably cold state of zeal for the interests of gotUiness when none among professors of religion, and they were then in the land nominally nearly all evangelical, could be found to lift \\\) their voice ill warning and remonstrance. The moral sentiment of th(> church seems to have fallen from what it was before the war, when, on iMay 2()th, 1771, the Rev. D. Mcdregor, at Seabrook, jireached from Joel ii.l7. These twelve years, from 1771 till 1783, sliow not only the eil'ects (jf a desolating war, but also the worth lessne.ss of a State religion in supporting godliness and good morals. The earlier way of publicly prol'essing faith in Christ as "the Redeemer of God's elect," and then from faith in him lis 228 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM m and love to him, "living soberly, righteously iind godly " as his peojtle, had now measurably jjassed away. Hence the description of society in New England here given. In their Balk Kol (a voice from tlie wilderness) the Presbytery now take under notice a wide field, from which I select a few items, such as: "Plymouth colony was erected by letters patent from King James I., Ai)ril lOih, IGOG, for the purpose of planting and ruling the t(>rritory (then called Northern \'irginia j, now called New England, which liad been disc(}vcrcd by Partholomew Gosnold on May 11th, 1G02. This society consist<'d of a number of nobility and gentry, but ibr fourteen years gath(>r fish and fur was all they did. Money was, on tlie whole, their object, and money was the snare in which their scheme ■was entangled and lost; for a Cajjlain Hunt, in their em- ploy, carried off twenty-seven Indians and sold them in Spain for £20 sterling each. This innn<'diately broke olf their commerce with the Indians. (P. 'lb.) A colony of French Protestants went to Brazil about IGTO, and had seventy-five ministers from GenL-va, l)Ut they faile(l. Eliot saw twenty-four Indian congregations with twenty- four Indian ministers. The Baptists began at Swanzey and at Boston in IGGo, and were condenmed by a Synod in 1G79. Quakers began in IGoG. For witchcraft nineteen were executed between 1648 and 1G92. Revival from 1739 till 1744. 2Gth of January, 1744, war on Louisburgh was carried by one of a majority in Boston Cieneral Court. From these and various other topics, apparently totally disconnected, somewhat after the manner of " Mather's "\\^onder-\\"orking Providence," they trace a connection be- tween moral wrong-doing and calamity under I)iviu(; providence, and state that " ungodliness had now l)een in- creasing for twenty years," and as an evidence, if not a cause, an effect of it, "Arminianism " has (had then) now "become respectable." Think of this! Their Bath Kol they ])ublished in an octavo form. So they describe it. By ret]uest, the Rev. Robert Annan, of Long Lane, did the proof-reading. Notwithstanding their diligence in spreading before tiieir people through the ,pr(jss their testimony iu Bath Kol, in- i< IN NEW ENGLAND. 229 dividuals, with an inconsistency usually in keeping with attachment t(^ error, imagined tliat they could deny the trutli of the stantlards of the cliurch and still (so far as they pleased) enjoy full ])rivileges as memhers. This was attem{)ted hy individuals in Ne\vl)uryj)ort. They "were not free to profess their l)elief of tiie future eternity of hell torments," and yet claimed "all the special i)riviieges of Christians." "After serious consideration" of a communication from the session of s.'iid church, the Preshytery at Derry, Sep- tember 13th, 1785, say, " We cannot see how any church connected Avith us could, after the issuing of our testimony on the 21st of May, 1783, judicially condemning the doc- trine of universal salvation, allow any special fellowship to any adherent to those errors." "This Presbytery, firmly adhering to our said public act, highly a})prove of the conduct of the pastor and ses- sion of said church in the facts stated in the resolutions now presented, and we solemnly enjoin on all our mem- bers and all churches under our care, to adopt the same rule of conduct towards Origenists which has been ob- served ))V these our brethren in this case, as thev would avoid the pains of the discipline of Christ's church against schism, heresy, and disorder." "On motion, Resolved, That in the present low state of religion among us, this Presbytery judge that it is not enough to bear as the}'' have done open testimony against errors and vices, without seriously attempting to push for- ward an actual reformation in the matters comj)]ain( vl of among the churches under our care. And as Presbyterial visitations have ever made a standing part of the adminis- tration of government in the Presbyterian ('hurch, and have always been found to be a blessed means, under God, of reforming abuses and keei)ing peace and order in tho church, this mode, long disused by this body on account of tile pul)lic perils and distresses of the late war, ought now to he revived among us without further delay." This duty was to "be commenced at next mee'r./ir, and to be continued only at state.'. mettJ -.g^ until ah ■ , -> con- gregations were visited, and in perfoiniing the ruits laid down by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland shall be observed, excepting such parts as are local." ^ iWWH • •• • i i i j I 230 HISTORY OF PRES. ro'EniANISM This was a wise movement, as siieh visitation of each church, pastor, ehlers, deacons, and people by the Presby- tery is a necessary eh;nient in "takinjj; care of tlie lioiise of Ct()(L" ''Ol)ey them that liave the rule over you." Submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account, not only to the Chief yhepherd, when he comes from a))ove, but now, to those wlio arc constituted " in the name of our L(jrd Jesus Clirist," as thrones of judgment, thrones of the house of (our New Testament) David. In no other way can delinquencies be so completely reached and the church kei)t pure, vital, active, and ag- gressive as by sworn official watch of all its members, rulers and ruled. If this course were pursued by every Presbytery at each stated meeting, " pare and undefiled religion " would, under the Divine blessing, see brighter days than the visible church has yet seen. Where the pastor teaches publicly and from house to house, where the elders bear rule well, where those who are "over the outward thin;j;s of the house of God " use the office of a deacon well, they individually, in their respective relations, purchase to themselves a good degree and great b(^l(ln(>s3 in the faith." Individual members and pnrents thus seeing those who are over them in the I;ord examined, not only become divested of any i)etty jealousy of feeling, but learn to sus- tain with pleasure their spiritual guides and overseers in every department of demanded duty ; while children be- come increasingly accustomed to them, and, by the obser- vation of such visitations, more familiar with the bulwarks of the church, and learn to go (not to be driven) " by the footsteps of the flock." That is not all. Such official duty has, the promise of an efficacious blessing. " Occupy," " Be thou faithful . . . and I will give," " Digging about and dunging," is the only sure way to productiveness and abundance. (Acts XX. 28.) IN NEW ENGLAND. 231 CHAPTER X. 1708-1793 — IIow were the means of grace relished? — A revival — Pres- bytery of (iraftoii — A letter to — Wliat rcsjponse we know not — "Hoitcs to be excused" — Odiorne — The State religion "the most lionorablest" — D. F. Williams' dwliiiature — "Not consistent with our principles" — Visitation — lIow conducted, shewn — A decisive part — Congii. stimulated — Innovations — Principle had not yet evapo- rated — The Precentor — E'resbytery recommended — Delusions and dc- tihng sins — A Fast-Day — Observed November, 1780 — Jeremiah Pear- sous informs Rev. J. Chandler about their receiving Murray — Things tliat were ready to die in Church and Town — Hence letter to Sea- brook Congn., 1788— The people obeyed the Presbytery and pros- pered — Rev. Thos. Hiijbert from bail to worse — His lawsuit — De- posed and excommunicated — An imicpie scene — Washington goes "down East" — The Presbytery address him — His answer — The stigma — Murray's usefulness limited by it — The three Presbyteries — Three Churches — Rev. 8. Williams anxious— lie wrote earnestly to Mr. M. to seek rccoticiliation with the Philadelphia Presbytery — Mr. M. persisted in denying the forgery — Atkinson and Moore licensed — Mr. Jona. I5rown i)romised So.OO per Sabbath and his ferryage — Death of Rev. William Davidson, Feb. lo, 1791 — His character — Miuitles now worn by natives — Pungent letter to Seabrook — Its effects — Lust meeting of the Presbytery at Eastward, of which we iiave records there, June 13, 1792— First Church, Derry, ask supply — But they object to Jona. Brown — Broadstreet examined and approved- Win. Pigeon recommended as a Bursar — Tiie proposals for a union of Presbyteries considered, and (Commissioners appointed to meet the Conniiissioners of the other Presbyteries at Dartmouth on the 23d of August, 1792 — Adjourned to meet in New Market, on October 4tli, 1792 — A recapitulation — Regular meetings of this Presbytery held for a lew years, but how long is uncertain. In tracing our ecclesiastical ])olitios, it is a matter of the hiuhcst importance (and one which we can only reach ap- proximately) to ascertain with what lite the means of P'ace, where they were enjoyed, were relished. " The cares of tiie world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other thintrs entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful." Pi '! 'S :l Hlf II I i 232 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM Wc have seen in n former crencration liow it was in Lon- donderry and elsewhere, while the ntterances of BdtJi Kol are disc()urajj;in^', indicating an extensive destitution of those " Avorks of righteousness " whose " fruit is unto holi- ness." This is noticed in connection Avith a statement in the following letter, in which we tind that a nn'ival was expe- rienced in the interior parts of New IIani])shire, and that, as a (lonsequence, a Preshyterv iiad heen there formed. it is dated at Londonderry on Se})tend)er l-'Uh, ITSo, "To the Rev. Presbytery of (irafton, the first Preshytery of the Eastward, wish grace, mercy and jjcace, etc., etc. ; ^'Rev. and dearhj beloved in the Lord : — Animated, we trust, hy a dutiful zeal for tlu; faith and order of the gospel, which, with pain, we behold lameritably set aside by too many of all ranks among us." They now state the cir- emnstances of their organization ; the name of their Pres- bytery, their standards i\s to doctrine, government aiid discipline, ignoring their matter and form of worshij). "Conducted by this platform, through the indulgence of Zion's King, we have maintained brotherly love among ourselves, peace and order in the churches under our care, and have received various additions of ministers and churches to our number from time to time. "Beside the organized churches which compose our body, a great number of towns and settlements in tiiis ex- tensive eastern region a])ply to us for supi)lies of tlie gos- pel. To the utmost of our ])o\ver we have endeavored to answer their calls; and had we candidates suHicient for our vacancies, we should not doubt but by the blessing of God, in a very short time to see Presbyterian churches planted throughout the Eastward. To this happy event nothing has been a greater obstruction than the want of visible union among Presbyterians. To form a counter- poise to this, it has been ' as cold watcn- to the thirsty soul,' to hear that the Lord hatli been ])()uring out his Spirit on his ministers and churches in the; interior ])arts of this State, and that a goodly nund^er of tiiem have been thereby moved to revive the ancient and scriptural form of govern- ment in that country, and have actually formed them- selves into a regular Presbytery, and walk together in the faith and order of the gospel. IN NKW ENGLAND. 233 " This Prosbyteiy rojoicc to tnko this opportunity to ojfcii a tVicndly corrospondciicc with you. as a sister judi- catory in Christ's liousc, and as such, to otl'or to you tho ri^lit hand of trllowsliip. To make these our s(>ntiinents known to your reverend body, and in our luuv.e to nejioti- ate wiiatever niav \)v necessary ibr the union and h ar- mony of this part of Clirist's mystical body among us, "\ve liave sent a worthy nienil)er of this Presbytery, commis- sioned and instructed for that ])uri)oso, '■ We rcMpiest you charital)ly to receive liim in the Lord as our own souls, to uive full crecU'nce to him as our repre- sentative, and treat with him as you would with us if ])er- lally present. lleguing an interest in your prayers, SOI wislnng vou needed grace and all desirable success in the gospel vineyard, witli great veneration and afi'ection- ate esteem, we are, etc., etc." Whetlier any and wdiat response was returned to this letter we know not, Init negotiations for union were for years continued. It also brings out the real existence of Grafton Presbytery. From Iragnii iitary minutes we are able to trace the doings of this Presbytery a few y(,'ars longer. At Amesbury. .June 7th, 178G, there were present Revs. J()se[)h ]*rince, Thomas Ilibbard and Simon Williams, with i<]lders Jonat!)an King, Ivlward Harris, Deacon Tukesbury and John Moulton, Esq. xVbsent — Revs. \\'il- liaiii Davidson, Solomon Moore, John Murray and Na- thani(>l Ewer. In answer to ii ])etition from Boothbay, Presbytery de- (>ired their candidate, Mr. (ililbert T. Williams, to go, but he re(|uested the Presbytery to "indulge him, as he finds a s in these parts at his own discretion." Plis Pres- hyterianism was too feeble to resist his surroundings, and liis proclivities run to Congregationalism. .1 r m 234 IIISTOUY OF pukshytehiamsm I w^ Presbytery had control of tlio taxes for the supjiort of the j)arish ii •"''•^^or in only ;t few towns. " The loiives and iish(>s" WO' a then, to some minds (indebted to Prcs- bytcriani' all their moral worth and consequent ])rosper i more importance than the dictates of <:rati- tiide. the old Swiss ^'cntlonian, Odiorne of Ifalifax, Nova bi^wtia, when with his dan«ihter, who, after her mar- riajj;c, went with her husband (a son of the Attorney-(!en- eral of th(; Province) to tiie Episcopal ciuirch, and when an elder remonstrated witii him, sayin or complained of, unless that the pastor in session confined himself solely to the ])lace of moderator and executive oflicer without taking a deciding part. To which he answered by reading certain instru- ments, which passed between him, the session and church previous to his settlement, in which certain reforms were solicited by him and })romised by them ; he withal declared that whenever these were actually complied with, he was "willing to take as decisive a i)art as is usual for gospel ministers to do, but until then, he declared himself bound in conscience to go no farther than he has done." " Unanimously ai)prove of the conduct of said ))astor in the j)remises and encourage him to persevere therein."' The "go to let us" part of their })olity, in which their Presbyterianism was defective, is thus disclosed, while by thus "taking heed to all the Hock," the Presbytery havo before them a reliable knowledge of their average spiritual condition. The congregation in the meantime are stimu- lated to higher attainments in the Divine life, and see IN NEW KNGLAND. 235 more cxtrnsivdy tho rosponsiljility of thoso who watrli for their souls and i-csolvc to hokl them more "hij^hly iu lovu for then- work's sake." l*ro re natd at liondonderry, Novcmher ^)th, ITSIj. A rcinoMstranee from the session of Louilonderry, si.uned hy eleven rulin(l ])astor to disturh further the ))eaee of the church, they rehelled, and persevered iu their innovations. In times i)ast, the ])reccntor had stood in his desk faciuf? the conp'e()othl)ay expressed the desire of that congregation to receive a can- didate, who has a view to settlement." Tiieir next meeting was at Seal>rook, ()eto})er 17th, 1787. Murray, Prince, Ewer, and Thos. lliljbard present, with six elders. On August 25th, 1787, a Rev. Jas. Chandler wrote to an elder (Jeremiah Pearson) in Newbury port, to " know upon what grounds they had received Mr. Murray " as |)astor, as lie had seen the character of him given by the first Presbytery of Philadelphia; and received the following reply ; "Principally these: Beside his appeal to an impartial Eublic, arc his examination and confession before his Prcs- ytery ; his letter to the Rev. Mr. Parsons, in which is con- tained such a confession as satisfied the Boston Presbytery when read at their session both at Palmer and at Salem, and satisfied our church ; his trans])ortation from Booth- bay to this place by the Presbytery of wliich those churches are members ; to which might be added, his being one of the greatest Calvinistic divines of the age — a mirror of patience, of a godly life and conversation during his residence at the Eastward — are some of the grounds upon which he was received by our church. Sir, I might give many more." At Candia, June 11th, 1788. Present, Prince, Ewer, Williams, Sol. Moore, Robt. Moore, John Murray, and seven elders. Oi>ene(l wdth a sermon by the Rev. Mr. Moore on "Effectual Calling" (10th chap. Conf. of Faitli). By this time some of their congregations were becoming like the seven churches in lesser Asia. They had things which were " ready to die," where the church and town Jiad alike sunk into indifference, and to which they gave IX NEW ENGLAND. 237 oflfioi.ll attontion. Honoe tlie following; from the pointed and proliiic \)vn of Murray to tlu' cliurcii and congregation of Srabrook, dated N('\vl»ury})ort, July oth, 1788: " Dearly Ijcloved in the Lord : "It is with much rchictance and regret that I am now obliged to sit down to the painful task of sencHng to you a letter of re)>roof any thought they could not accpiit themselves to their own consciences, nor to the great Head of the church, if they continued any longer to stand by, and by their silence seem to connive at so open and de- liberate a neglect of Christ and of his gos])el. "Therefore, to discharge the part of faitliful friends and watchmen towards you, they ordered their clerk to testify to you, in their name, that this practice is eycd them who had the rule over them, resumed })ul)lic worship, and, as we shall (D. V.) see, the last meeting of "the Pres- bytery at thd Eastward," of which we have full records, was lield at Seabrook. Our next item of record is dated "Amesbury, Novem- ber Gth, 1788, 7 A. M. Presbytery met in intedoquitur.^^ The cause of their meeting was an aggravated case of drunkenness. The congregation was one Avhich had come to Presbyterianism, and the habits of the pastor, the Rev. IN NEW ENGLANP. 239 Thomas TTHtliort, liad grown from ))ii(l to worse. T)V tho " j);irisli hook '' it appeared that on " Dcccmhcr l.'Jth ( 17S7), thiy voted CIS to he paid to him for all services as a miii- isti'r, on condition that he cancel all the nunister's tax(\s till the 24th of May, 17ay up tlu; C")!) contained in the al)ovo vote and suhscription on the condition therein men- tioned. " Mr. H. said he would a<,M'ee to fulfil his part, on condition that the Preshytery peaeeahly dismiss him.'' Instead of (l(»in<:; so, he was arrai the address, like tlu^ clerk who pr(>pared if, mav be by some considered a little " pompous." those only who can produce one more ap|)ropriate are cntitK-d to cavil at it. The criticisms of interior nunds cannot deteiaorate it. "The Address of the First Presbytery of the Ivistward to (Jeor'4e Washington, I'resident of the United States: "Sir: Wc, the ministers and ruling elders icsident iu Massacliusells and \ew Hampshire, which compose '///<; Firnt Prc-^hjilcni i)J the Eitstnutul,'' now holdiuij; a. stated ses- sion in this town ( Xi'wI'Ury |iort t, hei:; h'ave to approach your presence with genuine feelings of the deepest venera- tion and hiuhest esteem. " We ask the honor of a place amouij (he multitudi^s of good citi/ens who ai'c amhitious of expi-essin^ the heartfelt satisfaction with which tln'v hid you a cordial wcK'ome to these eastern parts ol" your /Government. In unison with rejoiciuLi; millions w<' felicitate our country and ourscKcs on your unaidmous election t(t the highest ollice which a nation can hestow, and on your ac<'i>ptance ol the trust with every evidence which a citi/en can give of heini:: ac- tuated tlu'ret(> hy (he |)un>st principles of patriotism, of piety and of self-denial. "(Ireat was (he joy of our hearts to see the late tedious and destructive war at leniith terminated in a safe and honorable peace; to see the liberty and indepi'ndenc(> of our country hai)pily siH'un'd ; to see wise constitutions of civil government pi>aceahly established in (he several States, and (>sj)ecially to see a confederation of them all linally agn-ed on by the general voici*. " Jhit with all our joy, we ever contemplated with regret {lie want of eHiciency iu (he l^'ederal government ; we urdeutly wished for a Ibmi ofnutioiuil union which ahould IN NEW ENGLAND. 241 Hvaw tlio cord of annty more closely around tlio several Stntes, coiu'cntrMte their separate interests and reduce tlie tVet'iiun ot" America to our ^reat body, ruled by one head and animated by ont" soul. ''And we now devoutly olVer our hund)le tribute of ]>raiso and thanksaivinu" \o the all iTvaeious Father of lights, wlio lias inspired (;ur publie councils with a wisdom and lirui- iiess which have etlet'ttHl that desirable purpose in so nt ' inserted some- where in the Magna Charta e)f our country. " We are hai)py to lind, however, that this defect has been renuHlied in the face ol" all the worhl by the piety and de- votion in which your lirst ]»ublic act of oiru'c was j)(M'ft)rmed — by the rcliuious obsi'rvance ol" the Sabbath and of the ])ublic worship of (iod, of which you have set so eminent an example — and by the warm strains of Christian and de- vent all'ections which rui\ through your late proclamation for a gent'ral thanksgiving. " The catholic spirit breathed in all your jmltlic acts sup- ]hm1s us in the assurani'c that no religious establishments, no exclusive privileges tending to elevat(> one denomination el' Christians to the depression of the remainder, can bo ratilied by the signature of the President during your ad- ministration. On the contrary, we bless (Jod that yt)ur wliol(> deportment bids all tlcnominations ctadldcntly to expect to liud iu you the watciilul guardian of their ei|ual "All (irk-uinrlt'ihiiiinil would pick no man's pocket and break no niun's leu." — ( '/'/">«J«.s Jefferson.) IG 242 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM liberties, the steady patron of genuine Christianity, and the bright example of those peculiar virtues in which its dis- tinguishing doctrines have their proper eli'ects. Under the nurturing liand of a Ruler of such virtues and one so de- servedly revered by all ranks, we joyfully indulge the hope that virtue and religion will revive and llourish ; that inti- delity and the vices ever attendant in its train will be ban- ished from every polite circle, and that rational piety will Boon become fashionable there, and from thence be dilfused among all other ranks in the connnunity. " Captivated with the delightful prospect of a national reformation rising out of the inlluen(;e of your authority and example, we find the fullest encouragement to cherish the hope of it from the signal deeds of pious and patriotic heroism, which marked the steps of 'the Father of his countr}',' from the nujmorahle hour of his aj)j)earance in Congress, to declare the disinterested views with which he accepted the connnand of her armies, to that hour not less memorable, when, having gloriously acquitted himself in that important trust and C(^m[)letely accomplished tiie de- sign of it, he ajjpeared in the same great Assembly again, and resigned his commission into the hands that gave it. " But glorious as your course has been as a soldier in arms, defending your country and the rights of mankind, we exult in the presage, tiuit it will l)e far outshone by the superior lustre of a more glorious career now before you as the Chief Magistrate of our nation, protecting by just and merciful laws and by a wise, firm and temperate exe- cution of them, enhancing the value of those inestimai)le rights and })rivileges which you have so worthily asserted to it by your sword. " Permit us then, Great Sir, to assure you, that while it ever shall be our care in our several places, to inculcate on our people those ]>rincii)les drawn from tlie pure fountain of light and truth in the sacred Scriptures, which can best recommend your virtues to their ijnitation, and which, if generally obeyed, would contribute ess'Uitially to render your people hapi)y and your government prosperous ; our unceasing prayer to tiie Great Sovereign of all nations shall be that your i4nportan.t life and all your singular talents, may be the special care of an indulgent Providence for many years to come; that your administration may be IN NEW ENGLAND. 243 continued to your country under the peculiar smiles of hetu'cn, long enouc^h to advance the interests of learning to the zenith ; to carry the arts and sciences to their destined i)eriection ; to chase ignoranee, bigotry and im- morality ott' the stage; to restore true virtue and the reli- gion of Jesus to their deserved throne in our land, and to found tlie liherties of America, both religious and civil, on a basis which no era of futurity shall ever see removed; and, linally, that when you have thus done, free grace mav confer on vou, as the reward of all vour i>reat labors, the unfading laurels of an everlasting crown. "•Signed in tiie name, presence, and on behalf of the First Tresbytery of the Eastward. " Joseph Prince, Moderator. " John Murhav, Pres. Clerk." ltKW( The President's answer to the above address : To the ^Ministers and Ruling Elders delegated to represent the churclies in Massachusetts and New llam)>shire, which compose the First Presbytery of the Eastward. "Gentlemen: The affectionate welcome whicli you aie pleased to give me to the eastern part of this I'nion, would leave me without excuse did I fail to acknowledge the sensibilit}' it awakens, and to exi)ress the most sincere re- turn that a grateful sense of your goodness can suggest. To he ai){)roved by the praiseworthy, is a wish as natural to l)econnng ambition as its conseciuence is flattering to self-love. I am. indeed, much indel)ted to the favorable sentiments which you entertain towards me, and it will be my study to deserve them. "The tribute of thanksgiving which you offer to the gracious Father of lights, for his inspiration of our public councils with wisdom and firmness to complete the na- tional Constitution, is worthy of nu^n who, devoted to the pious purposes of religion, desire their accom])lishment by such means as advance the temporal ha|>pincss of man- kind. '"And here, 1 am jiersuaded, you will permit me to ob- serve, that the path of true piety is so ])lain as to require but little political attention. To this consideration we m 'rnr^T- 244 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM Guji^ht to ascribe the absence of any regulation respecting religion from tlie Magna Charta of our country. " To the guidance of the ministers of the gospel this im- portant o])JL'ct is, pcrhajis. more projx'rly committed, it will be your care to instruct the ignorant, to reclaim tlio devious; and in the i)rogress of morality and science, to which our government will irive every furtherance, we may expect confidently, the advancement of true religion and the com])letion of hap})iness. 1 pray the munificent re- warder of every virtue, that your agency in this good work may receive its compensation here and hereafter. " George Washington." n till the day of his death, four years after- ward), none of th(> considerations })ressed upon him by his friend, the Rev. Simon M'illiams, changed his mind. Returning to the Presbytery. In 1790 they held two meetings — one at Windham and the other at Londonderry, M 246 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM and after duo examination in natural and moral pliilos- ophy, natural reliaths and a shut teni- ]jle door," and to all who have the charge of souls as pas- tors, elders, or church courts, the result ( under the blessing of heaven) should prove admonitory and encouraging. They not only asked for supplies in 1790, but on June 13th, 1792, the Presbytery there held their last meeting, of which we have minutes fully recorded. There were l»resent Revs. Nathaniel Ewer, Solomon ■Nloore, and John Murray, with ruling elders Josej)!! Young, Abraham Moore, Jeremiah Pearson, David Tukesbury, John Moul- ton, aud Thomas Kennedy ; and the Rev. Simon Williams IN NEW ENGLAND. 247 (absent) was appointed to open the next meeting by a ser- mon on the 13th chaj). of the Conf. of Faith (on Sanctifi- cation), " Voted by Presbytery, that they meet for the future at some central ])hice, which shall by them be ap- pointed, with the proviso that the next meeting be at New Boston, on Wednesday, the 4th day of October." "Mr. Moore was reappointed to Brunswick for two months. A call from Salisbury for Mr. Jonathan Brown was sustained as regular ; the answer to the call was post- poned, and Mr. B. was ordered to preach there for four Sabbaths. Messrs. David Adams and James Choate ap- peared as a committee from the first church, in Derry for supply. The clerk was ordered to give to them a copy of a letter from Mr. James ^IcGregor to the Rev. John Murray, stating olijections against Mr. Brown's going to Derry as a preacher." " The Rev. Mr. Murray was appointed to assign places to the candidates after they have fulfilled their appoint- ments." " Mr. Nathan Broadstreet, a graduate of Dartmouth, was now examined for license. His extensive examination was satisfactory." " Mr. William Pidgeon, a student from Exeter Academy, having given satisfaction, was as a Bursar recommended to Dartmouth College." "The proposals for a union f which avc shall subse- quently (D. V.) notice) between the Presbyteries of New England being laid before the Presbytery, voted, that they be received as preliminaries to a general })lan, and that the Rev. ^Icssrs. Nathaniel Ewer, Simon Williams, and John Murray be commissioned by the clerk as delegates to attend a Synodical Convention at Dartmouth College, on the 28d of August next (1792), for the purpose of uniting the several Presbyteries into one Synod ; and this Presby- tery engages to ratify as their own act whatever may be done therein by their said delegates, or any number of them, who may attend at that meeting." "Adjourned to the meeting-liouse at New Boston, there to meet on the 4th day of October next (1792), at 10 a. m. Concluded with ])rayer." Thus the Synod of New England, formed at Scabrook in 1775^ ignoring the existence of the Presbytery at the East- ii!i| ; i I ■' I 248 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIAMSM Hi f.ii 5 1 Si t < i- ward, continued some seven years ; and the Presbj'tery of Salem, to which it was reduced, becoming extinct on the 14th of September, 1791, at Gray, in Maine, this Presby- tery survived it only nine months. It may be said, that while its re<^'ular records are not found, it may have prospered for years. This was simply jjossible, not probable ; lor one man was " the author and "' api)arently the " finisher of" it. He who had (for above twenty-one years, throuple — Ivv. R. Annan edited Jiath Kul — Boston not Paradise — A.'.secientricilies — Recalled to Wallkill — Yonnj; preachers much wanted — A reconciliation desired — Not etlected — An overture reqnesteil — Supplies, etc.. asked — Clnu'ch privile<;es — Oliences in Cole- raine — Directions — .Jonrneys performed to supply vacancies — Annan not nnwillini; to leave Roston — Bedford asked him — Worry — Local is.sncH avoided hy reference — Positive convictions — A time set — A Providential interposition — Dilapidation increasing — Elders said to be of no good, only to settle iiuarrels — N'oted themselves into Congre- gationalism — The pious grieved — Little's Trust now ]>erverted hy xchi.vn — No redress — Fourteen families forced out — Blotted out in Boston hy injustice— Preshytory of Londonderry from June 2d, 1786 — Records — Supplies asked — Difficulties in Coleraine considered — La- borers much wanted — " ( )rthodox," its meaning in 1787 — The political field —The U. S. Oinxtitxtidn — Simply Presbyterian church government adapted to the State — Brattle Street Church — "The Irish meeting- iionse " in Long Lane — The structure — The I'. S. Cons, adopted in it — An appropriateness — Federal Street Church — Patriotic delight in this spot by every t ^'i citizen in Massachusetts — A breacli of moral hon- esty — The wan ' ,' vestiges of this polity in our field — Antrim — Mer- rill unworthy — Six members of Poterboro .anent a new version of the Psalms — The A. R. Synod — Supplies wanted — Reasons for non-attend- ance at Synod — " The broken Stale " — Presbytery of (irafton — At the Eastward the expediency of a coalescence with October 1, 1788 — Overborne — Response from Grafton Pre.sbytery acknowledged — Bar- net incorporated — Cannot attend Synod — Modr. to write thus — Good feeling growing — Resignation of an Elder — " Devoutly to be wi.shed " ¥mp 250 HISTORY OF PUESBYTERIAMSM — Concurrence on the matter of Rev. Jno. Murray asked — Colby and plan of union — Supplier anked — " Void'" — A change coming over — Toil — Letters of inquiry — Toombs — Oliver — Advice craved — I). An- nan demits— Attends Svnod — Called October l',», 17U1, A. R. Presby- tery of New England — Clamour — Dog-killers — Praise silenced in families — Imputaticm — A vote of thanks to the Rev. Dr. Huntington of Conn., for his defence of it — Supplies asked — Rev. D. Annan's troubles — Requests a dismission, granted — A Synodical Convention called — Grafton Presbytery absent, and no further notice of thetn is to be taken by the others — The A. R. and fragments of the P. at Eastward eventually "coalesced" — (irafton an amateur PreKi)ytery — ■ fjona. Brown as colleague to Ewer, remains of (list Derry session, ask admission to the A. R. Presbytery of New England, and are admitted — Oliver inslalleil in Pelham — Instructions asked — Toombs called to Newburyport — No attendance at Synod for three years — A source of grief — Numbers and not |)urity now in the A. R. Presl)ytery, hence a "coalescence" — The terms of imion — Four parallel 1;. R.'s in Iowa, from Cheyenne one track — Similar here at the close of this quarter of a century (in 1793) with Presbyterianism in New England — Now one Presbytery — Introduction —Growth while the early Ministers survived — Yet they were not all faithful — John Morrison a disgrace and David Annan nothing better — Deposed — Notices of him — The Bible and family worship preserved religion (under God) in Peterboro for 50 years — A dark period — A noble testimony — Periods of existence of Presbyteries — A working Presbytery. I:: We li.'ive seen that about a. d. 1760, those Presbyterians in New York City wlio endeavored to receive, observe, keep pure and entire the worship " of God in ])sahnody," were sneered at as "incurably dissatisfied," and tliat the Revs. Alex. (tcUatly and John Mason ministered to them. Tliis dissatisfaction was from the city carried to the towns in northeastern New York by emigrants I'rom Scotland and Ireland. One of the oldest of the pioneer churches in that region is that of Argyle, Wasliington co. In 17(34, (Jeorge III. granted to Archibald Campbell, Duncan lleid, Neil Shaw, Alex. McNaughton, and Neil Gillespie about 47,()U() acres, for about 140 Presl^yterian emigrants, wiio came soon afterwards from Scotland. 500 acres were reserved for the gosjiel and for schools. The town was organized and named about 1771. In 1764 the Rev. Thomas Clarke, M. D., came from Ballibay, Ireland. Part of his colony of 300 people went to JiOng Cane, in South Carolina, while he, with the rest, in 1767, settled in Salem, N. Y. He had the honor of first raising the standard of Presbyterianism in that region, IN NEW ENGLAND. 251 D\)ell, beriau tUind. bools. from went R rest, lor of 3gion, none beinp; farther north at thnt time. Ho left Salem about 17/v) rr nata meeting was held in the same place, on May IDth, ITS.'), in which, with the others, the Rev. Robert Annan was associated. By the court '"Mr. Morrison's ordination, though deemed to be irregular, was approved as valid and constitutional." " Mr. Robert Annan then laid the situation of tiie con- gregation in Boston before the Presbytery, as being desti- tute of the powers of government." He "was ajjpointed to moderate in an election of ciders in that congregation, and to admit them as he saw tit," and it was voted to de- lay his installation till after the next meeting. This man and that congregation now recjuire our attention. He was born at Cupar of Fife, in Scotland, in 1742, and came to America in 1701. At the comnuMifeiiMMit of tlio lievolutionary war he was settled at or near Little Britain, now Walden, on the Wallkill, N. Y. When Boston was besieged and reduced nearly to starvation by the British, it was proposed in his congregation to send to them relief. IN NEW ENGLAND. 253 A mootinfj; was callcil and lu-ld in his cliurcli. A lawyer ('ndeuVDi't'd Ity his ('Nxukmicc to shew to the people their d:ini to send aitl to our hrethren in Boston follow Mr. out to the ^reen, and all who are auhlic, and especially hy th(> Bresi)yterians, eordially reeeived. As the eongregation in Lon;,' Lane, after nine- teen months of earn.est lal)or for the services of the Bev. John Murray, had, in 177(), entered their declinature, and were 3'et smitten with the "incurahle dissatisfaction," so soon as they liad opportunity of hearing the Key. Bohert Annan, they made aj)plieation for his serviees as follows: Cop} I of the Letter dated September l\th, 17f*'2, addrc.'^scd hy William MeXeili Andrew lilaek, Jiohert IIV/V, Hector Mc- Neill, and Simon Elliot, a Com)niltee of the Coneireijation in Long Lane, to the Associate Presbytery of Sew Yurk. " To the Associate Preshytery of New York, to meet at Peterhurough, the 3d Wednesday in Septemher, 1782 : "Reverend Gentlemen, " Convinced of the necessity of a Religious Life, and dwelling in a Ijand where the means of grace are ))lenti- fully enjoyed hy others, we ardently wish to see (jurselves upon a footing with our fellow-Christians, in ohserving the institutions of the Gos|)el. "And whereas the ])reaching of the word hath hoon made (through, the divine hlessing) the means of convincing and converting sinners, and building them up in the ways of virtue, and Holiness, it is our earnest desire to provide 254 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM \ I ourselves witli those meiins, which God lias alwaj's ])oon pleased to eontimie and hless, j'or the sjjiritual ut the surest way to ohtain his hlessinir here, and of heing jjrejjared for a Blessed Eternity with himself in (llory. " Ft)r this salutary ]>urpose we have (wo trust in riod\ hy till! special ^aiidancc of divine providence, lixc(l our choice upon the Kev. Mr. Kol)ert Amian, to Adnunister the word and ordinances of the(Jospel amon knowledge we have had of himself since our ac(iuaintance witlj him, and from every i»h'a we h;ive heen ahle to form of adospel Minister, we plaiidy see the suitahleness there is hetween his al)ilities and our necessities. " Wherefore, having stood singh^ and unconnping Assemhly may he prevented, wdiich otherwise must surely hapjjen, unless the Lord he pleased to hless us very soon with a faithful minister. " We are persuadi'd. That our necessities will plead for us, as well as our danger of falling into nothing as a society, if our jiresent re(iuest he not attended to. and we hope tiiese considerations will induce you to use your interest and in- iluence with tlu* Rev'd Mr. Annan, and all concerned, to bring ahout his settlement with us at Moston. " V\u)\i this express design, we have sent our trusty friends Hector McNiell, Simon KUiot aiid Francis Wright, or any two of them, as our connnissioners to confer with you, and coiicludo on such measures as may be thought IN NEW ENGLAND. 255 with inu»' itio\i the itour •nl«'ane real estate, the gift of John Little in IToo, became legitimately tlu^ i)ropcrty of the new de- nomination, as the congri'gation became a part of the As- sociate Ivcformcd <;hurch. When the Synod was. on November 1st, 17S2. arranged into Presbyteries, the thii'd cndiraccd llev. Messrs. Thomas Clarke, John Mason, Robert Annan, David Aiman, minis- ters with their ruUng elders. It was constituted lirst in l'hiladel]»hia on November 1st. This Prcsl)yt(>ry met at Londonderry (»n February 12th. and ordained Mr. William Morrison; and at the same plac(\ on May IDtli, \~S:\, '* Mr. llobert Annan was appointed to moderate in an election of elders." In su|)plying the pulpit during sunnncT, he made the (liscoverv that thev were in some "dan-icr of falling into iKilhing as a society." The thirty who would not Join in the declinature were ))robably scatt<'red ; they had been without a pastor for ten years, including a seven years' w;ir, which brought in a llood of immorality, and were ''destitute of the powers of govi-rmucut ." having no ruling elders, whih; the ollice and position of the Prect-ntor (facing, in his desk, the congregation ) had been exchanged by the assiniilution of the juvenile mind to their congre- m^ 256 HISTORY OF PRE9BYTERIAXISM M\ gational surroundings, and, as he stated it, "a band of conciliators " j)liiced themselves at the opposite end of the buil(lin<]^, behind the audience, and wiien he, in Divino worship, would nnuounce a [)S dm, tlu'V would 8inastorate became less i)leasant and change increasingly desirable. On revisiting W'allkill, and saying to one of his former elders (a Mr. McClurej, '' 1 wish you would come with me and serve as an elder in Boston," he was answered thus: " because you have made a fool of yoursell", that is no rea- son why I should make one of myself." '" The course of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things had entered in and choked the word until it had become (extensively) unfruitful." While his eccentricities were not a few, he was "a master in Israel" in tiie pulpit, declared to be, during his stay, the ablest, or, at least, one of the ablest divines in Boston, lie was "held highly in love ft)r his work's sake." Wiien the Presbytery met, according to appointment at Tetcrboro, on Septend»er 2d, 17, "A letter from Boston, em|K)wering the J{ev. David Annan to act as a commis- sioner for and in behalf of the church, as also an earnest request of the society for the speedy settlement of Kev. Robert Annan," were read. IN NEW LNGLAND. 257 In answer itwns " votod," tlmt his instullmont be on the 2atli inst. ; thnt the saciiiiiiiMit of the Lord'ti Supper ho dis- pensed on the next Sahhiith, and that tlie Kev. David Anniin preaeh the installnuut sornion and perlorni the (ttlier oflic'ial (kitics, wliilc Mr. Morrison Avas to })reaeli in ilu' altcrnoon. Thi< was pcrt'ormed at date, and he pro- ceeded to dischar of the town of Redlbrd was read, asking ministerial labor, and a Mr. Whipple (whose iKuiie does not ]>r(n'ionsly ajijx'ar) " was appointed to sup- ])ly the tirst two places alternately for six Saltbaths." Also ordered, that "Mr. Morrison, when at the Soutii- wanl, endeavor to obtain sujjply for Bedford." "Presby- tery earnestly recounneniled Messrs. R. Annan, Taggart, I'l'oudtit and Clarke; to attend the next meeting and j)ress Synod to write in a svn»)dical capacitv to anv sound iudi- cature m Scotland or in Ireland, for a supply of ministers, or young preachers, as in this part of the world 'the har- vest is plenteous, and the laborers are few.'" On his own application, Mr. James Anderson, previ- 17 II 258 HISTORY OF rUESUYTEltlANISM ! If ously in connection with iinotlier Prt'sl)ytery, w;is received as 51 student of divinity and *' reconiniended to read Owen, Boston, Hervey and the Krskine's writings, to stiuly with Mr. >h)rrison and ]tr('[)are ]»reseril)ed 'trials.'" At a meeting in Peterboro, Marcii 2d, 1785, ])etitions for supply were received ironi llenniker and Antrim. Jlis healtii taihng him, the Rev. K. Annan stated that lie purposed to go south lor the improvement of it, and U) iitU^nd tlie next meeting of .Synod. On Ins re(iuest, during his absence, ^Ir. Whipple was appointed to supply in lioston. Proposed to ask Synod to set aside its rule, ''That nienil)ers be received from any Presbytery of any other Synod than the Associate Kr- formed Synod, simply by i*resbyteries, without synodieal action, as such rule does not ajjpear to be for general edili- cation." The Rev. John Houston was admitted as a cor- respondent. June 12tli, 17S5, pro re nnta, at Londonderry. Present — Annans, Morrison and Houston. Mr. An(U'rson (k'hveri'il jKirts of his "trials." The Rev. II. Annan was appointed to write to tliii Rev. Mr. of Londonderry, Ireland, for his removal to Ryegato and Barnet. On February 2()th, 17.S(>, the aggrieved Orotou ])eople, whos,! case in counc'ctinn with another l'resi)ytery, we have seen, were represented l»y four commissioners to diifend said society against any accusations whicih might be brought against it, for a letter from the \U;\'. Mr. C'ha|)- lin and the' ('ongregationahst church there, was just rciul. Said C'onnnissioners also reipu'sted a recommendation that the I'resbyterians might b(! set oU' as a Poll parish in (h'o- ton. International law being considered as of a very liigh character, so their interdenominational case received full attentittu, and tiiey then "voted. That the letter from the ('(Migregational minister and church in (Iroton con- tained nothing of any force or validity against the Presl)y- teriaii soci(>ty of said town, anIr. Dana, it contained a favorable rei»resentation of said society to the Presbytery." "Saitl (committee of CJroton being neither confronted by accusers nor witnesses against them, voted, tiiat said snci- ety be continued under our care and inspe(;tion accordini,' to u former vote; that they tell their numbers and bo rcc- IN NEW ENGLAND. 259 omniendcd to tlie civil authorities to })e sot off as a poll ]);irisii ; that tiu' Rov. R. Animn })r('acli to thcio from time to tiiiu', aiul tlmt our |>a]>i'rs and iimiutcs aiui it tl icir matters be si'ut to Syimd lor advice." To them Mr. Hous- ton was also to preaeh. With tne unknown, I'reshytery dealt summarilv thu.- Dissolved eoinieetion with Mr, W'hippU jtossiUle, Mr. Morrison to sup])ly Redlonl as much as W'hilo the Rev. R. Amiaii was husy in Massachusetts in his own I'resljytery and amon^ his own people, he also found time to proof-read and issue llntJt k'ol for '" the I'reshytery at the Eastward," to attend other church courts and conventions, yet lu; iliil not lind it in his case to be a.s it was said a century before, " ]U)ston is tlu' ])aradise of ministers.'' ills people continued to be divided — the richer part carin;; less about sound doctrine and pure wor- ship, which the jioorer |)ortion of th(> people prayed for and craved. \'et he said both jiarties used him we" lli^ e( ■centricities were such that of him it was said " When he wat; in the ])ulpit, it was a pity he should ever come out; ami when out, it was almost a pity he should ever lio in." lie did not, it seems, imderstand human na- ture well. During his [>astorate, tJaptain Ak'.\ander Wil- son died abroad, and the owners of his ship, on hearinj; it, thought it best to have her j)astor hear the solemn tidinjjja to Mrs. Wilson, a damihter of the late Rev. .b)hn Moore- jiead. This he a|;reed to do. As her daujihter, Mrs. (.'os- sinuton (in 181*.)), told me: "lie came when we were at dinner. One t)f usi!;irls '' (three sisters) ''saw him throujih the window, and said, ' There's Mr. Annan.' Another said, 'Ih^ nniitient, wise, soothinjr, sym))athizin.i^ introduction, but the Worst first. "All enterinu; the j»arlor to;_fether, and there trivin^' ex- l)rt'ssion to their sorrow, the dinner was not tliouuht of for a lonjf time. \\'heu they ri'turned they found that the dog had gone up and taken their lamb below the table, ^ 260 HISTORY OF PH. SBYTERIANISM !k!, and of it Imd niadc^ his meal — which inci(h'nt had riveted it in the memory of the narrator for some sixty-four* years." Ifc assuredly possessed hut a little of that symi)atiiy which is akin to common sense, for in this case he acted with the hest intentions. The shrewd oliservers in his former charu^e, with wliom he Icept a friendly corresi)onnd(>rry, X. II., or at least from Coleraine, Mass., to supjily Wall- kill, X. Y., on the third Sal)l>atli of that month (May), a flistance of nearly two hmidrcd miles, over mountains, throuLdi swam|)s, and in paths through the wilderness; while on May 11th, 178(), Captain .himes Wilkin, i-lder, appeared as a commissioner from Wallkili and Little Bri- "A 262 HISTORY OF rRESRYTERIAXTSM IMI tain to prosocute their rooall for Afr, Annan. Tliat he could \h'. iii(hi('(.Ml to h'iivc JJoston was extensively under- stood, I'or at tills meeting' the eon^'rejiation of IJedt'ord made petition to have him on trial as a candidate for the modest period of only "ei^dit weeks." He does not express determination, in view of the action or inaction Of his pastoral ('har;i;e, to remain; and remem- herini; it may l)e not a little worry in the dischar«;e of duty iimon^ his former lloek, he leels no eager desire to return, especially as it would deprive his family of their educational opportunities. The advanta.i^'c of a Superior Court is now realized. These per|)lexing local issues are now avoided, and attt'r "the call was considered, voted, that the consideration of his removal from Boston to Wallkill and Little Britain he referred to the ensuint^ meeting of the Synod." lie had found, with every other minister of his persua- sion possessed of })ositive convictions, who has tried the experiment in Boston, tl t the Preshyterian polity is (and is alone) warranted hy the Bible; that it is not simply the l)est exi)edient; and that he must " sjjcak (to the people) the gospel of God with much contention" (1 Thess. ii. 2). When the matter came before Synod, they limited to hiui a time, at which period, if he did not accept the call from his former charge, he should ha considered still to con- tinue to be the |)astor of Long Lane congregation. In the meantime, he was providentially relieved of the (lilliculty l)y receiving a call Irom a congregation in Phila- delphia. With the varied inducements for a removal which we have noticed, he had had but little encourage- ment in his labors, but few additions to his church-roll. He had baptized but two or three; children and solenmized but two marriages in three years. Of "consolation in Christ, comfort of love, fellowship of the spirit, bowels and mercies," among them, there was not enough to " fulfd his joy, that they be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind ; in lowliness of mind esteem- ing each other better than themselves." Too much that was done by them and among them was only ''through strife or vainglory." He was doubtless glad to be removed from them in an orderly manner anil by a j)rovidential way. They could no longer, with their parents and grand- parents, sing : IN NEW ENGLAND. 263 " Behold liow pood a thinp; if is, And how hiromirijj; well, To^jfthiT surh as luelliri'n are In unity to dwell." — Ps, exxxlii. For, as lie exprosscd it, "Tlioy sanj? and they sanj;, till tlicy suiijr all their j)iety away, and he had to come away and leave them! '' He was hy no means the only Preshy- terian minister who has realized the same hitti'r experience in New Knufland. Where the divine hedtres of governnient and town, and the ollice among them had not heen well filled. So long had "the faces of the elders " not heen '■ iionored," that the ollice hecame des])ised, and the saying lu'came law, that "the elders were only good to settle (luarrels, and that the minister and the old men could do that." Consequently (as Mr. Annan left for Philadelphia), those who had imhibed C'ongregational ideas ])assed into the ascendant, and ahout August 4, ITSO, "at a meeting of tho ])roprietors and others of the Presbyterian church. Long Lane, Robert Wier, Moderator — Voted nnanimously, that this church and congregation do embrace the Congrega- tional mode of government, and that all difliculties in the church hereafter be settled by the ministers or male mem- bers of the church." The gay and thoughtless were now triumphant, while tin; pious were grieved, to see only the " rubbish and tho stones" of a church which at one time had been watched over by a session cd" twelve elders. The trust established liy ,h)hn Little was now perverted hy schism, and tho Presbytery had not in it vitality (for it soon had trouble with David Annan and others) to deal with the case, while for them, in the civil courts, there was, as Pres])yterian9, no redress ; they were from their lirst appearance deemed to he intruders, and, as in the ca.se of Newburyport, the law-makers did not smile upon them. it 2G4 HISTORY OF PRESRYTERIANISM I HNI I The majority huvinEj become, })v their own vote, Con- pre<5!itioniilists, ns they laee more attractive for a new minister. When a tax was laid upon the pews, to i)ay ibr the paintinj^, Mrs. (.'ai)t;uii Aleximder Wilson ( widow), who owned a pew in her own rij^ht, rather than se(; such a jx-rversion of the sacred trust, and a teacher of " divers," if not " stranu;e, doetrines," stand in the pnlpit, in which for twenty-nine years she had seeu her father stand as " the messenger of (Jod " and as her own Presbyterian pastor, she resolved (as diil thirteen other heads of families with her) to forsake the ])laee. and to ehan<;e, if she could not forLret, her Sahhath surrctund- ini^s. As the occupants knew there was force in the trust deed, his "pew and seat'' was still kejjt free for the heirs of John Little. Presbytcrianisin had to be<; twelve years before it was allowed to l)uild its lirst church in School street, on its own land, and now, after an existence of above seventy years, it is blotted out in Boston. On April 4, 17S7, the Rev. Dr. .lercmy Belknapp was settled as their minister. On .June 2, IT.SO, by the As.soci- ate Reformed Synod, the third Presbytery was called the Presbytery of Londonderry. We now return to the records : At Peterboro, September 27, 1780, the memlxTs were D. Annan, Jno. Houston, S. Taupirt and Wm. Morrison, niinisters, with their elders. From them llye^ate and IJarnet (Vt.) request sujtplies. To these ])laci'S *' the lUx. Jno. Houston was aj)jH)inted, and instructed to ordain elders for them." " Flder Thos. McCiee, of ('oleraine, pre- scnte(l a liiiiiii vote of th(; town re(iuestinu; Mr. Tagl>tained, tliey and he aro to ho achnitted uucUt the (^are of I'reshyterv." Dillieulties liiid arisen in I'oh'raine, wliieh were now consich'red — and '•A'r.>o/rrf/, 'IMiat, nnh'ss they have union and harmony, and ])ay no their arrears to Mr, Ta.L'^Mrt, his e(»nneetion with thciu IS to l)e (Ussolved hy n(;xt nieetinfr." The then stato of their ease, a nienihcr of the session and one from tho eontireu'ation are to re]>ort at next meetintr. AUhcuiLdi it is said that '" necessity is the mother of invention," theo- loiiical seminaries liad not yet hecn opened in America. 'I'heir liehls for harvest weri' now more numerous than their lahorers. 'J'heir intercourse with lrelan)7, did not hy any ni(\nis convey the idea in New Enleted, not oidy was it modelled almost entirely after the form of Presbyterian church jrovernment, but a vital princi|>le of this order of eceh'siastieal polity was fol- lu\ve(l. viz., that, before tiie constitution is finally ado|)ted and beconu's bindinL% it must be overtured. Haviuir bor- rowed the model, the best ever drawn in Cliristendoni, it was both natural and necessary to overture the constitu- tiouj in doing which it was agreed, that if nine out of the m ^1 2CG HISTORY OF I'RESnYTKRIANISM tliirtcon colonics would ratify it, it should bn declared to 1»(! fully a(l()|»t»'(l and to l)c hindinj; on tlu'in all. Mind in Massa(;Iiusi'tts, cast in their Conj^rc^'ational mould of iso- lated ,uroui)s, or of " an Atiicnian (h'Ujocracy," is not partial to Federal representation, and when this heeanie neces- sary, the jijreat number of .'5')') dele^iates were chosen to form the convention, which was calK-d to ratily or reject the prepared constitution, 'riiese assend)led in iJoston, where the famous old church of Dr. Colman, on ih'attio street, had been marked by a cannon ball, and after seven- teen days of earnest and even stormy debate, it was found that the echo was so troubh'some that some place of more correct acoustics must be obtained, and obtained it was in ".Johnny Moorehead's jneetinif-house " in Lonj; lane. This structure was of wood, in form like not a few of such edifices at the time, such as the old South, with tho ]iulpit hi;i;h u)>on the back wall, which stood on the lane. The principal door was throuudi the base of the steeple and beliVy at the corner of the lane and llury street. To this structure the convention adjourned, and after debating:; tho matter there for seven days, on February ()th, 178S, tho Federal Constitution was adopted by the small majority of nineteen votes. Ten wron;: votes more would have lei't the colony of Mass ichusetts Hay, notwithstandini,' all tho patriotism of her Adamses and her Hancock, "out in tho colli." There was |»rovidentially an aj)propriateness in the place, the only spot in the colony lU'Voted by a deed declaring a use and enjoyment of it by Presbyterians for- ever, "to and for the only proper us<>, benelit ami behoof of the saiil couirreuation laecordini; to the tenures and after the same manner as the Church of Scotland hold and enjoy the lands whereon the meetiuir-hou.ses are erected) forever, and for no other use, intent or ])urj)ose whatso- ever, with warranty." Although jierverted by schism, it was still dr jure under the Associate Ivcforined I'resbytery and Synod of New York. Such was the spot on which Mnssachusetts ])asso(l from the leading strings of colonial rule to the \vt)manhoud of " the old liay State." When the fact was announced by Slicrifl' Henderson at the State House, amidst triumph and joy, Long Lane, the Boil and " the Irish meeting-house " were not then, as they IN NEW ENGLAND. 207 arc now, forjjjotton — thoy were called Federal street and Federal Street ('hun;h. As tlie huildiii^f in wliirh and the soil on which, in I'liila(leli)liiii, the Constitution of the I'nitcd States Wiis adopted, are matters ot" patriotic delight, hordeiint: on veneration to every true American, and arc preserved in- violate from (MMitury to century; so, in like manner tho intense vitaHty of national life is shewn hy the citizens of each State, to tiie huildin.!S and ])laces of conc(.)Urse whci'o tln> inspiration of State existence, as a part of prospec- tively the tireatest nation on the earth, was heu^un. After Faneuil Hall, which was also a I'reshyterian foundation, the next place to it in importance, jtolitically and civilly in Boston, was the "Old South Church," where tl 10 town's j)eopl»!" were hy j)atriots aroused to the demands )f dut^ 'o preserve its identity a century afterwards, hcsid(! ten thousand dollars ji;rantcident in 'Mho " There is Concord, there stands [Junker town of Boston. Iliir' ( Wt'hstcr), and there is, stands, or there was, or there stood Federal Street Church! That this national name should continue for all time, would he a matter of sini[)le honesty, as it was an honor to the Con)monwealth, Init then it was born out of wedlock, hoth church and State denied to it jtarentaire, and it contained "a pew and scat" for the heirs of John Fattle. a Breshyterian, forever, which then and now represented in part the (•(.•ck. " Sir. TauLMit was still to lalioi- in ("oieraine, and the peo|)Ie are rcconnnended to do their duty towards him.' The " Kev. .lohn Houston was a|)pointed to sup|)ly Middlefield and Chester, and to certify to them when there, it" he judu'c proper, that they are an oru:ani/ed I'reshyterian church." liedford to \h' supplii'd one Sahhath. I'eterhoro, May 1st, IT.SS. " Vote,'th," and they now mutually felt the need of it, as tlicy were ^M'adually heini: overhorne hy the semiscriptural ii><;iL'es ot' the Stale reliudou «>n its native soil. .\l Coleraine, May tt, 17«S{), in answer to the one sent, on the ahove recorded vote, "a letter was ri'ad from the clerk ot'tTrafton i'retjbytcry," responding in wordw. An ucknowl- 270 IIISTOUY OF IMtKSin'TKRIANISM (!(l;^'m(>ut jind nply was ddw ordcnwl 1(» he written liv Mr. 'liv^iiiirl. Petitions were nccivrd tVom I'.ariicl and (Irulon, ilic last a<'(uni|iani('d witli a cntirKate ol' tlicir incoi|iinii- lion, si;^nonic miii- ])ly l»y sclllcd pastors was i^ranlcd. "Tliis l'n'sl)yt<'ry lindin;^ it iin|iossilt|r Inr any of tlidr nKinlxTs to attend tin- next nicctinL' <•! Synod, and at tin- hanic time cfjnseions of the ini|iintanec id' considciin;,' with attention the overture lalelv |»nl>Hshed tor illn-tr lion of the (h>etrine ('(tntained in the Westminster ('(tiitr sion of I'^nth, do thiid< it their (hitv to intimate tl I- H'M' jnihcial a|i|»rohalion ol tlie same, s<» lar as it is eonlined to and takes njtand <'xeeiites the ilhistration of the doetrii II 'S of th(; said ( 'onl'ession, and (h> appoint the mothrator nl' this I'reshytery to write to the Synod on the snhjeet.'' I'eterhoro, Oetoher 7, I7S!)- the Associate !{<•! onrieil I'reshytery of New lOnuland nn't. The llev. Aaron lltil(). The Associate! Ilerorincil I'reshyjery of New Mntrland ii\c[, srdrnnil, .Messrs. .\nnaii, M(»rrison and Houston, nunisters, with elders Davidsdii and (Jrillin. The Kev. Mi-.ssrs. Ilutchin.s(»ii and Williams sit as correspondeiitM. ";\ memorial addressr-d to the I'reshytery of I'hiladelplii.i l»y the I'reshytery at the Eastward, res|tectin;^' Mr. .lolm Alurray, was laid hefore the |'reshyt<'N x. u., poufio,.,..! i'", ;^-'''^, .•'I'l-inN.I wit ,." V ''"^"" '•'••••^''Vt.r ', ^.■. ;l.a(lM,H.|.. *'''• •^'"'•n.s,.,, to (Jr„to,Uo '\;;' t • ''<• 1 r(;.sl,y|,,.v or l'l,i|.,,i,.| I- '^"/"•••^•"tation UUiih •'•sided w.is Void." ['"'•»»", dial ,,., Jiicicascd ||„, utalo wji.-iv Ml .-III, ii cj lan-r,. \vaH ri'ndily h< liad I """"•"I »<> I'n-sl.vl I'lVlISC aliKiliir ,... "l '•^nmi^r over tl <'n dial, f """ll^r ,.,f |,„,^, '■'■'■■iMis/n. K r( "^' .^|Mn| oi 11,,.;,." "" 1774 (I lie. ••■'•<>ni(. iiici iiiircli casiindv .•ISSIIlll. •.<,., I 4.. .1 . . ;ui.I (|„. J sill,,, (j,,. I; '"'dl.if.-d to tl ir '•' Miaftcr 'yl<'ri('s tl "T \v,r, (',»• '••■'Veil ,,| ,.|,,,, •^" '•\v of sold," n\\ such omis- sions U-nded to ii luiatioii, i.-olalin;^' and eontraeliii^ to the ov(!rH«!ers of (Jods herita^'c. Ilrnec, hy non-attenchinrc they were diseouia^/iii;,' others and not henelitin;: them- selves. ( 'onse(|ueiilly, they were |»lied willi hi hrs of iii- «|uiry fof their n-asons of ahsencr. On Se|iteniher "iS, 17*M, Mr. Samml Toonihs, fi<»ni N<'W ^'orl< I'reshytery, was, on his own r»'(|u<'st, taken under earc M r. < )liver delivered j»aits of his "trials." .\ vytery in Synod at their next mcetin!/,'' which he did at J'hiladelphia on Ocloiter IDth. lie was also char^^ed " to make in«|uiry respect in^' the atfairs <»f tin; l{ev. .lohn .Miu'- ray .'it the I're.sltylery of I'hilailflphia." At his recpifst, the I'reshytery of liondondcny was, on said » tlio sins of tliJit " multitndc wliidi no man can numhor so it lies at the roinith. I7'.»2, .snlnimt. I{(;v. MessrH. Annan, Ta^'^ari, and >h»rrison, with l>ev. .lohn Houston, (ornspondenl, and four elders. Mr. Toomlts. clerk. j{i(|nesls for siip|iliis, heside from other plac^^s, were made hy Mr. I'arks from ( Jroton, Mr. John Dinwan from Antrim, Captain 'riiompson from I'clham, and Mr. Mor- rison from .New lloWJey. Ijcv. .Nh'ssrs. .Miles and I *a;:e sal as correspondents. A petition iron) the A. \{. I*reshyt<'ry of .New York was read, askinir the lahors of .Mr. Oliver for some time iimoni^ their ViKlincies. .Mr. .Xnnan's troiddes were now considered,, ami eommJH- .sioiiers from tin; town of I'eterhoro were he.ird. He askj'd t'lir ,1 ilisiiils.'o'oii, which was 2, at Seahrook, a|ipointinjjr as dtde^ates to a Synodic.-d convention, to he hild at Dartmouth ('(diejje, oil .\uL'iist L'od, 17''-, for the purpose of unilinj,' the several I'nshyleries into ji Synod, the llev. Messrs. Moon", W'il- liaiii-!, and Murray, and it was, on .Miiy .'ilst, 17*J2, " vot«;d, tliiit the liev. .Nhs-is. .\nnan and .Moiii^on .'ittend the ne.xt iiiteliui: di" the delcii.iles iVoiii the respective I'reshy tcries at h.irlmoiilh Colle^'e." It is prohai>h' that the I'reshytery • if (it-Ml'ton made similar appointmints, :ind we luiV]M)inl tjine yunl ])lace for next ineetin}.;." In 18 * 1 \ 274 nrSTORY OF PRESBYTERTAXISM I'' \i^ la. the n,l)sonco of tlic minntoH of the doinjrs of the said con- vention, we know tho fart that tlic l*n'Hl>yt«'rv of (Jrafton (lid not unite, that (hey did not attend the adjoiu'ned unvt- in!4 of said e(»;iv( ntion at Pendnoise, N. II., and that after tho death of tiie Rev. .John Murray (on March l-'ith, ITU.'ij, th(! fra^rnicntsof the Presbytery at the Eastward and tlie A. Jl. Preshytcry of New Kn;,dand eventually " eoaleseed." In the ineantinio, "th(! first I'reshvterv of the Eastward" met at Derry, on the first Wednesday in Oetobcr, IT'Cl, and to them the following letter was addressed: •' Windham, Si-ptnulxr Alh, 1703. "This session having received a letter from tlie Preshy- tery of Londondc^rry, of date of May 'i'Jth, 17'.)o, reiiui'Stiiii,' them to take into serious consideration the utllitj/ and jtnt- pr/d// of uniting injudicial capacity with their Presltyttry, taking no further notice of the (Jrafton Presbytery, as they liave roluntarih/ declined connection with us by not attending the convention at Pend)roke: "This session do cordially concur with the proposal, and solenndv recommend it to vou (as a Presbvterv) to do the same. We jtra)' that this union may ct)me to a happy issue, that harmony may be promoted, that tin.' unity of the t^pirit may be preserved in the bond of peace. "Simon Willia.ms, Mod'r." In the absence of its minutes, this Presbytery of (Iraf- ton appears to have been a kind of amateur one, ])robahly galvani/ed into existence by the Wheelocks and their iii- Huence, as a good or, perhaps, a little better expedient than the "loose, disjointed way" of Congregationalism. It, like the seed sown on the rock, endured for a time, hut was afterwards otl'ended wdien called t)n to sustain Preshy- terianism as the Scrii)tural-ism in government. Its con- gregations returned to bask under the fostering care of tlie State, each one to act its own part without Presbyterial ])arity or Synodical unity. This was well, Ibr the expe- dient of a merely nonanal Presbyterianism yields no advantiige in doctrine, win'shi|), or discipline over a thor- oughly associated Congregationalism ; it is simjily calling Jesus " Master and Lord," without d-jing the things which he says. IN NEW ENGLAND. 276 The momontnin '/wvn by tlio Rov. '^^r. Murray to his Pr('sl)yt('ry at I'^istward did not wlidily (-(MSf at his (h'ath, ;iii(l wt' liiid the town of Ni-w >hirl<('t. in July, 17-'-J, takinjif the usual stc|)S [(rt'scrilicd hy civil law and then l>y that Trt'shytiTy for tlio settlement of Mr. Jonathan l>rown as colleague with the Rev. Nathaniel Kwer. Also: " LoXDONDERliY, St'ptnnber 2d, 1793. "We, tlie feeble remains of the late Hev. Wm. David- son's ses!?ion, which was formerly luxler the I*resl»ytery at the Eastward -but it hath ifleascil the Lord of the harvest to call home the ;j;reater jjart of tiie members of that Pres- bytery, so that we can have nt) more ludp from them in that way — and now, in thc;.M)o(l providence of (Jod. having a desiral)le oi)i»oi1unity of joiiiin;^ with the bondonderry I'rt'sbytery, whercot" the Kcv. Wm. .Morrison and the Uev. Samuel 'i'a^'".;art are mendxrs, do ciieerfully embrace it, l)y all our session that were present, hopinj,' that it may be for the honor of the ^rcat lli'ad of the Church and for tho comfort and i-nlarucment of it. "Signed by ordi^r of six elders in session, by "John Moou, Clerk." They tlius were accepted and identified with the y\. R. Presbytery of New England (probably) at I'elham, on tho 11th of that month. At a meeting of this Presbytery pro re luild, on July 22d, 17'Jo, a call was accepted by Mr. Oliver, and on " Septem- l)er 11th, after the; prescribed trials had heen sustained, ho wa.>^ ordained and mstalled over the; west (which was not, it would sei'Ui, the lirst) parish of Pelham.'* On asking liis services, this congregation also " recjuested some direc- tion respecting psalmody and singing." They had doubt- less for years used tli(^ " \'\\) Imitations," and as this Pres- hytiiy had not as yet "so learned Christ,'' they j)roperly iislv for instructions, and to tlnni all indulgence connectcnl with the exislenest acquainted with that mode which is most conducive to public usefulness. But, in partieular, if the congregation sing without reading, that they be all advised to have books." 276 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM At " Pctorboro, October Otli, ITOri, a mil from Nowbiiry- Itort lor Mr. Tooinlts, prcscntcil ihrou^xh the JCastcni I'ns- •ytcry, was received,' and when presented ho asked tinu? to consider it. wlii<'li was jfrante(l. The r2, ''I, and '4, no mendxr of the A. |{. Treshytery of New Knirlanil had appeiwed in Synod, which Avas a sonrco of grief to the denonnnation. Nundters, »)!>- tained even hy cxjudlfnri/, appeared now to he of more importance to them than pmity of worship and fnltilhd vows. Ilenco, they say, "The expeiheney of forminif a miion with the Eastern I'reshytery was c(»nsidcred anil ap- l»roved. \'()ted, (t't/i), agreeahly to the jiroeeedings of th(! i'onvention at I'clnhroke, that the delegates he appoiiiled to form a union." " Rev. W'm. Morrison, with ekiers lull nnd Smith, are lierehy empowered to meet in convention ■with the \U\\ Solomon >loore and elders ( amphell and Moore, of the I'^iistern Preshvterv, to foi'm a coalescence, und to dissolve hoth I'ri'shyteries into one. on the last Friday of this inst. Jf no nnion is formed. Treshytcry is to meet in Pelham on the last Tuesday in May, 175M ; and if an union is forniecl, the new court will appoint its own time and i)lace, the clerk of sai to the dlderent members that they may govern themselves accordingly." Fronj the "Minutes of the Convention, which met at Londond( rry, October I'.'ith, 17i>''i, for finishing the union," we learn that the meeting was held ace<)rding to the ap- pointments of l)oth rreshyteries ; that there were " jiresent, Kevs. Sol. Moore, \Vm. Morri.(l : "1st. To adopt the Westminster Confession and Gate- IN NEW ENr.T.AND. 277 chisms, (liroctorv for worship and form of povrrnniont, as tliP standards ot tliis Prosbytory, in suliordination to tho word of ( lod. "id. That tho Prcshytcry shall he called tho Presbytery of liondondcMTv. "Md. That Dorry oast and west parishes alternately ho the places for stateil nieetin,t.'s, unless otherwise speciallv r(t|Uested by sonu; other town or parish, for special busi- ness there. "Ith. That the Presbvterv meet at the east meeting- house on the last Wednc^sday of May. \'\)\. 5th. That upon these principles the union bo and herd )V IS ( losed. Tho Kev. \V. .Morrison, on rcfpiest, pave a partinj; ad- dress, and is to open tho first meeting' wit'i a sermon. Since tho centi'tmial year ( l.s7.'), our Presbyteriaiiism in New Kmzland. We have had four — or, including the Synod and its three, in all seven — Presbyteries in sixty-liv(^ years in' the land of tho Puritans. Tho ni(»unt;nns, the slutre of Salt liake, and th(j desert nuist be travclN-d by rail on only one track; and now we have, in this rej^ion, to end tho Presl»yteriaiusm of Now Kn^dand with only one Presbytery at tho close of the ei^^hteeuth century! To it :is a plant tlu^ soil was must un<,'enial, the climato unproi»itious. and the malaria noxious, l^ider tlu^ shadow ol a native s|)ecies of church l)olity supported bv tho civil power, it existed only in op- position to u'reat disadvantatres, and these were doubled liy the "tastes"' of men who did not "receive, observe, nor keep pure and entire all such reliL'ious worship and ordi- niuutes as (io»l had appointed in his woril."' We have thus seen the introdurtiitn ;iiid riwlh of F*res- hyterianism in New Kn^dand. Duriu:: tlir li:>t ;;eneration, while those who brou<;ht it to the rcizioii survived, it was niaintaincd on divine authority, as a gt)vernment adminis- 278 HISTOUV OF rUKSnYTKUIAMSM terofl bv men who were "njithercd together in tlio nnnift of our fiord Jrsus Christ," "witli the power of our litird .Ief»u.s Christ," to "take care of tiie liouse of (Jod;" t'anii- lies were nurseries for the eliurch, in which the " h)viii;,' kin(hiess of (iod was shewn forth in the niorninj:, and Ins faithfuhiesH (U'clared every nij^ht;" the Sahhath was a day not only of rest, hut of joy and, in the words of a nio(h'rn errorist, wearing the I'reshytcrian name ( Swing i, their " Calvinism was a jneachahh- and a |)rca(;he(l dor- trine." NVc are not, however, to su|)|iose that all, who came from Kurope as ndnisters, " magnilied their ollice.'' Some of them ended their career as desperate villains, especially the first two incunihents of I'eterlxtn*, N, II. To prove this awful assertion, in relation to Annan, 1 • juote the Rev. .1. II. Morrison's century address. " He was (Icjiosed from the ministry in ISOO, and died in Ireland in 1802. He jxisscssimI respectahle talents, and might easily have retained the confidence of his people. But his int<'m}terate habits, his licentious and corrupt con- versation, and his haughty, over-hearing manner at length deprived him of their respect and regard. So brutal was liis treatment of his wife, who was an estimable woman, that she was compelled to pass the whoh; night with her children in the woods; she finally obtained a bill of divorce on the ground of extreme cruelty." "They, Morri^ton and Annan, were the only settled pas- tors in the place fcr fifty years. During this dark |)criod religion was kept alive by religious exercises in the family, rather than by pui)lic nnnistrations." "Our people were always readers, and tl^e Bible was almost their only book. Here they went for counsel and support; it was to them prophet and priest. Family imiver" (that is, as we have seen at West Running-brook in /^erry, worshin by j>rayer, reailing and singing psalms) " was faithlully oltserved. Morning and evening the Scrip- tures wen? read, and if the flame of devotion burned go out upon the family altar." A noble testimony. \Vhil(\ "from the earliest lime, that church was Calvinistic an O' 'c3 V /A ^^ Q. W, ^ HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM IN NEW ENGLAND. VOL. II. 1793. 1881. (281) \ nil 1 ' ^^1 BBHIm^^' 1 '■*■ . 1 m mm 11 IP""""'' .N \v A' ni in Vi HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM 283. CHAPTER XII. 1793-1818 — Four parallel railroad lines — The one no wider — Frag- ments of Presbyteries — Not so — An expedient — Setni-Krastianism — Batii Kol — Tiie force of truth — .Starved out — The ofHce of elder — A corresponding eHLrt — Tlie tliird vital power — Tripod — Contest — "(Jenevan jigs" — Control — Truth — Tlie leaven — The rear rank — A matter of opinion — Tlie Bay State Version — Producing for a genera- tion — Assimilation — A change — The Godhead — Sapped — The Old South — Repaired — King's Cliapel — The thread of Apostolic succes- sion — Discarded — In 1785 — The protoplast — The clerk — Their rea- der — By power — Metamorphosis — Freedom idolized — Disregard — Murray since 1773 — A through ticket — "Arminianism respectable" — Freewill Baptist — New gods — Extensively shorn — Revived — Chev- erus — "The town's people" — The golden age of Boston — The influ- ences of these conil)ined ingredients — Weight and force assimilate — Oversiiadowed — Pew patroinige — No reinforcements — " The elect's sake" — Less a matter of ambition — Like passions with others — Easy to see — Domestic training — Could not be expected — Fragments — Death of Rev. W. Davidson — Brown — Opposition — His ordination unwise — A pretext — Prepared the way — A single life — Abandoning relations — Baldwin — Taggart — Dana installed in N' vburyport — Dis- Jruption — Mr. Milton from Trevecca — "Better ediiication " — "Inde- pendent Calvinistic Church" — Form of installation — And behaved well — A charge — Prospect Street Church — The deacon pla ■] the Apostle — A spectacle — "Thin and tenuous film" of power — i'l nary — Vowed to obey — Submit yourselves — Claims ignored — For six years— Concessions — Removal of censure — Average admissions — S. Foiub called thrice — A remonstrance — Dissentients — Opposition to Dana a misunderstanding — A peace measure — Second Presbyterian Church — First Church aflectionate — To escape oppression — Another denomination — Murray unwilling — Not customary — Parish districted — Safety of the church — Session the safety of the church — Records of Presbyteries — A convention, October, 1793 — An union — Approved, Newmarket and Antrim — To have "Bedford act consistently with Christian character" — Pickles — Action of employers condemned — The action of Newburyport session confirmed — Supplies — Nearly the whole mass — Absorbed — "A felt want" — Joel Barlow — His callings — National Convention of France Atheists — Revised 139 psalms — As a morning star unsavory — Dr. Dwight employed — Imitations allowed in 17S7 — Moral sentiment waxing feeble — Changes — "Imitations" vamped — General Assembly, U. S.j 17S9 — West Derry petitions— 284 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM r:s > V. Jti: Session to act — Varied matters — Toombs installed — Amherst Associa- tion — Pidgeon — Eight ministers and fourteen elders meet — Abimd- ance of business — Advice — Peterboro call sustained — Coleraine to l)e seasonably notilied — Jordan — Morrison to answer a letter I'roni Synod — Presbyteries to deal honorably with I'ongregationalists — Coleraiiu' to agree — Morrison to say so to them — Presbytery attenuated — lUtlicid in "strife and vain glory" — T;iggart asks releasi'— Not granted — Windham asks preaching — lioddily's installation valid — Kast I)errv asks the "imitations," Septemljer 0th, ]7*.)7 — West Dcrry three years in advance — Synod grieved — Ajjpliances in vain — (Character of the causes imperfectly comprehended — Oidy a little ditli^rent — The one will root out the other — Answer to a letter and one to an address — History repeating itself — Prentice forty-five years ago — Now creeping into houses — The emotional powers — This class increased — Brown obeyed — "Straggling persons" encouraged by Ewer — "Voted" — Vacant churches warned — "Such as I am" — Maine — Well, to "go and do likewise" — Rhode Island sects — A peculiarity cf Presbyterian church government — A painful interest — Washington, N. Y., Presby- tery, May 30th, 1794 — Synod, Rev. R. Annan to write for it to Lon- donderry Presbytery — lie reported — "(Certain information received" — Town meetings ruling Presbytery — Reproached — A committee to visit Presbytery — To be informed also by letter — The letter, June 1st, 1795 — A strong remonstrance — They answer and glory in nund)ers and light — A new king enthroned — A contrast to Westrunning Brook and Casco Bay — "Most plaintive" — A letter from Synod, January 24th, 1797 — "Stating their views and grounds of complaint" — A masterly argument— M.itcliless and unanswerable — A rei)ly on May 30th, 1797 — Good intentions — Providentially {)reventea — Case de- ferred — None froni J^ondonderry Presbytery next two meetings — To see if to dissolve the connection would be beneficial — Only ^Morrison and Taggart now appear to have been trained as Presbyterians— A mild form — Advantage — Ignored a Synod which prevented will wor- ship— "Changes borrowed"— "P\dt want"— The harp— Voted, Oc- tober 9, 1799, to obtain and peruse — R. Annan reappointed in 1799— No reply to him in 1800 — No member in Synod in 1801 — Minute — Presbytery disclaimed — The process of assimilation Cduipleted — Ex- cepting in godly families "to the moles and to the bats" — In both versions — The Presbytery, Se}>tembcr 6th, 1797, " Moor, Whipple and Boddily correspondents" — "The act valid" — Little licensed — New- bury received and Toondis installed, November 28th — June r2tli, 1799, assistance to ordain Mr. Slea at Byelield not granted — Necessity for sending preaching to the frontiers of New Hampshire — The letter to be answered — D. .Vnnan's case attendekin — EHicts of misrule and no rule — Trust-deed operative formerly with the owners — Not so now — Like savages — Pay as Oiey pleased now — Chaiuung — Neither orator iu)r nund)ers brought peace — Nabotb's ofll'r— Legislature in- voked — Acti(m taken — Not too far off to whisper to its owner — Con- science yet extensively a power — That oath — Aided by the bar — The seasons — The want of legal authority — The occupants make " their coiu'age cheery" — A document — The religious society — Act passed — Furtive legislation — The last i)arish — Presbyterianism robbed of a place of sepulture on its own groinul — Channing installed as a Trini- tarian — All were sinking togetlier — Controversy was rife — Little com- munion among churches with each other — Hopkiusianism, Emmon- ism — Sapping — The new preacher has at times a charmed character — A contract made seveiUy-foiu* years before — A parsonage — Smooth things — Tiie tidal-wave— lie was not a perfect exccjdion — VciinoiU — A coeilicient — The sovereignty of the Green motuitains — Barnet and Ryegate— Dr. Witherspoon — Whitelaw — "The Scots-American Com- pany" — This purchase from Dr. Witherspoon — "The Farmer's Com- pany" — Harvey — iMiiigrants worshipped God in their families — Eilbrts to obtain jiuiilic religious ordinances — Dr. Witherspoon's visits to them^Saihlle bore the mark of the ball that killed his son — "Caledonia" Company — Crime but little known — A form of religion chosen in Barnet — Petition for a minister — Kev. Thomas Beveridge — r.«v. D. Goodwillie — Rev. W.Gibson settles in Ryegate — Polls, clocks, scholars, town valuation — Their lives often endangered — Endurance .. \ 28G HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM required in winter to attend public worsliip — "Tntermipsion," Low Hjii'Ut — '■ S;il)l)atii-(l:iy lioust's '' — Miss II. SuaviT's lioiise — Stoves came slowly into use — So far as lo apiircciatc— ( Jooihvillic lor above twenty years — Oiitgrowib— Their vow.- — Dwelt alone and prosiiered — No voice of Joy east of the Connecticut while they read and prayed — The lU'Us and others — " Kxjtressive silence" — The one conne(•tin^ Hide — OfHcial duties performed by Pnsbytery — Connecting link between Synods — I'resbytery of Londonderry, their actinjrs, till 1818 — Key. W. Morrisoti died 1818 — Kev. S. MOore died in IS(lt) — lialdwin an inevitable const'tiueni'C — E. I^. Parker lieensetl by (irafton I'resbytery in 1807 — Extinct in 18]() — Ecclesiastical and educational matters now increasingly controlled by the State religion — This brought strife in 1817 — Spoliation of property increases— ,Eirst Parish, 1809 — Jonah and his luiion — Parker ordained, Septend)cr 12lh, 18](), by a ludf- way arrangenu'Ut — In ninety-one years the old mother-chiMch hiid only one life aruniity, and had settled her last nominal J'resbyieriau minister — It took forty years to shunt her ofl^ — A new form of opposi- tion — Unitarianism — Negations — The ])rinciples and doctrines — Jesus liad no more pre-existence than any other man — None will perish— Elevated to the highest plane. "^.ViiiLE we can easily understand liow nil tlic passengers and trailic from four or nioro parallel railroad lines can l)o taken ujion one, and yet that one tloes not grow an inch wider from Cheyenne to Saeramento ; still we would natu- r.'illy expect, that when the fragments of the Preshytery of Salem (which seemed to ho in modcritte working order, Avlien it was conijiosed of \\'iiitt;iker, I\.'rley and Strick- land, present ; and Baldwin, Ualeh, Miltimore and Urqu- liart, absent ; and wlien tit (Jray, in Maine, on Septenilier 14th, 1791, it adjourned sine die) saw the other two Pres- byteries unite, some individual ministers, or congregations, \vould seek their fellowship. Put not so. They were ]irob- al)ly all (excepting ]^)aldwin) witli congregations, Avhich liad come to Presbyteritmism as an exjx'dient, not on ])rin- ciple from positive convictions of its divine origin and authority, and in some cases tlic :jemi-Erastianism of tlie Sttite church controlled tlu^ ministry and eldersliip. Since the war, as noticed in Baf/i KnI, tlio force of truth Avas less felt, God was less honored, the love of many waxed cold, and iniquity was abounding inrre.'isingly ; hence, some of them as Dr. Whittaker, after being starved out, emigrated. Urquhart removed eastward, and died near iNIirimichi, New Brunswick. The return of peace to the colonies had a further effect IN NEW ENGLAND. 2S7 on the State churches of New England, in allowinf]^ the oiricc of ehler to Uout into oblivion. ( 'onsequently, the in- llucnce of this one of "the customs of the churches" had witli the flight of time on the I'resbyterian vitality, pre- viously existing, a corresponding etlect. As, in this last one-third of the nineteenth century, the introduction of the third vital power of Po})ery into Pro- testantism is, pari ])fW6», weakening it ; as the confes- sional, transubstantiation. and choirs with the organ are the tripod upon winch Popery mainly rests, so any of tliese, hut especially the last, being removed, it would to[)i)le, its proselyting attractions would tiien be lost, for Protestants could not 1)C proselyted with either the confes- sional or transubstantiation, or with both, or with beads, baldachins and holy water thrown in. The contest lies mainly between the "Genevan jigs" (as the })aj)ists nick- named the Psalms when sung) and choirs, hymns and or- gans. So the increased ai)ing "the gorgeous conij)ositions which are heard in the Romish church " by nominal Pro- testants, is obtaining progressively that control over the mind which the Divine authority of revealed truth ought ever alone to maintain, and permeating a large part of the so-called "evangelical" churches witii the leaven of will- worship. In a similar manner the purity of the doctrine and the excellence of the morals of the Puritans fell into the rear rank, while Congregationalism, in worship, be- came increasingly a matter of opinion under the elastic forces of "the customs of the churches." The psalmody of the pilgrims was gone, and the Bay State version of the Puritans, about this period, became increasingly super- seded by the parts of 189 of the Psalms imitated and in use, producing for a generation much " strife and vain- glory " — all which, by tiie })rinciple of assimilation, brought the Presbyterians to give up, in several particu- lars, their "thus saith the Lord'' for the "tastes" of llUMl. The State religion had always maintained, under the severest penalties, the Godhead of the Trinity. Until 178() it was blasphemy to deny this, yet, witli the increasing diversity of human opinions, as these supplanted the au- thority of the Divine word, even this foundation was in du3 time sapped. The Old South meeting-house having I 288 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM been desecrated liy tlie British military, on the evacu.ation of JJoston, that conureuation (K'('U])iL'(l tor years Kin;j,'s cliapel (founded in lO.SIJ), from which all orders of jjrelacy had departed; and wlien, having' repaired their chureh, they returned to it, ieavint; the other nnoeeui)ied, and it eontinued so for some time. The tin'ead of apostolical succession over the jiremisrs held formerly hy the Bishoi) of London became too attenuated to retain in it even the doctrine of the Trinity. Every vestige of prelac}' (exee})tiiilo," and one lU'njamin Randall, in 1780, began to preach as a "Free Will Baptist "in New Dur- ham, N. H. With the return of peace " new gods came newly up." " Divers and strange doctrines " were propagated with a zeal worthy of a better cause, and in 1791) the State religion in Massachusetts was extensively shorn of her preroga- tives. Protestant prelacy and Wesleyan Methodism l.)otli, in a few years (after peace Avas concluded), returned to and revived in New England. " During the war, according to D'Arcy McGee, the AbV)e la Poitre, a chaplain, collected ;i papal congregation in Boston, wliich bought the French Presbyterian cliurch, and alter 171)G Priest Cheverus, with his beads, crucifixes, ointment, organ, chrism and man millinery, gradually attracted ' the town's people.' " IN NEW ENGLAND. 289 3al Tlio closo (if tlint oontnrv ;\as considororl to ho "tho fioldou Mtic " of l^oston, iuid l)y Lis l)landishments, liis xniivHcr ill modi), liis Frcncli Ctlie laiiiruauo of courts i, ho made ail incrcasiiiLdy lavoralilc imiircssiou on tlie chiklrcii of llu! I'uritans. Tlio inlliu'ncos of tlicso combined inure- dicnts of the social compact were such as to "gain" to '']»ui'o and unddiled rcli'jion" "much harm and loss," t'spccially ainoni^; l^'oshytcrians. W'lierc any form of roliiiion stronp;ly predominates, the Avoight and force of sectarian numbers proportionally as- similates to itself minor existences; and Avhile I-*reshyteri- auism continued in sonu^ places to have "a name to live," it was overshadowed, its doctrine deteriorated, its govern- ment supplanted and its ])laces of Avorship alienated hy the pew patronage of the State religion. 'J'hc ministry re- ceived no reinforcements of such men as McGregor, or ]\Ioorehead, or Robert Annan, from lands sealed by tho blood of martyrs. To "endure all things for the elect's sake, that they might also ol)tain the salva H>n which is in Christ Jesu3 with eternal glory" became less a matter of ambition with the occupants of the jndpit in New England generally, and succeeding Presbyterian preachers only showed that in this ihrccition they W(.'re "men ol' like ]»assions with others." Taking into the account that " forbidden fruit is sweet," it is easy to see that, with not a few, the law of Christ's house might be viewed as a burden, and young men (such as the two sons of the Kev. Simon W'illianis; might enter the ministry of an opposite polity. When we again remember the system of domestic tr.in- ing, in doctrine and family worshij), which enter into tiie vitality of Presbyterianism, and lind these gradually ne- glected by those surrounding them, we see that, in every way, on this ungenial soil, extensive growth could not be expected, llencc, the dving out of Presbvteries and the course of fragments of churches succumbing to Congre- gationalism, with which we enter on this quarter of a century. On February 15, 1791, the TJev. ^^'illiam Davidson, of Devry, died, and the congregation remained destitute of a settled ministry till 1795, when Mr. Jonathan Brown (a native of Pittsfieldj N. H.) was ordained and installed. A 19 290 IIISTOUY OF I'ltKSnYTEllIANLSM nnnibor of cluirchos wore thon vacant, and ■vvliilo, as a liccntialo, lu! was i)()|)u!ar in otlicr places, still " a stronf^ and (lelcrinincil ()|)pi)sitiuii to his st'ttlcnicnt wa,s nuidc by a lart!;e minority. ' The court did not act "witli wisdom in ordaining him. His situation hccamc tryinjj; and nnplcasant, a\id thi; agi- tation cn!j;cn(U'rcd wcaUt'iu'd the chui'cli hy l'ormin,^• a pre- text to thos(! thus inclined to introduce C'onadin,<>; a single life (when he ought to have had a wife to 'fjjuide' his 'house'), he sub- jected himself to many uncandid and unkind I'emarks, and was recjuire*] l)y the Presbytery not to preach, nor to l)erform any otlicial acts alter his dismission. Jle had se- vere trials, and toward the end of life endured many spir- itual conflicts." {P.) The Presbytery were now gradually abandoning their Presbyterial relations. Palmer continued tt) enjoy the jjastoral laljors of tlie Rev. Closes Baldwin, while the Rev. I\Ir. Taggart was still fulfilling his ministry at Colcraine. At NeAvbury])t)rt, on Novend)er 11"', 1794, ^Mr. Daniel Dana was ordained and installed as the successor of the Rev. John Murray. He was born in I]iswich, INbiss., ou July 24, 1771, ;.nd graduated from Dartmouth in 17.S.S. " His settlement was i)receded and succetded by disruji- tion. The i)ulpit had been sup})lied during the winter of 1792, at Mr. Murray's invitation, by the Rev. iMr. IMilton, a young missionary from Lady Huntingdon's school at Trevecca; an earnest, elo(iuent and original ])r(>achcr, al- though eccentric as a man. ]Many were delighted with him, and would have retained him as colleague paster. But the majority being unwilling, his friends M-ithdre\v, and, under the })lca of ' better cdilication,' established wor- ship in a private house." After Mr. Murray's death, and Mr? i IN NEW KNCiLAND. 29t a by nj? \in. ]tVO- while nmlor piir.]»onsi()n for !i bivacli of covcnnnt, tlioy ro- nouiK'CMl tlio ^'ovcrnincnt. built a bouse of worsbij), jiiul orLranized an " iii(l('|)('ii(l(iit Calvinistio" rlmrch. Six males and nine females si'iiied the covenant; ii session was a{)|tointed, and Mr. Milton Ix'cami' pastor. The forms of installation were (piite anomalous; for after sermon, Deacon Solomon Haskell i)Ut tin; call to vote, and declared him their minister. Having' delivered {]\^^ Jlihle to him and told him what system oi" doctrines ho was to i)resi nt, he informed him that "so lonp; as he did this and bi'have(l well, they should aelcnowl(Ml;re him as their teacher, and no longer." He then ])r()ceede(l to l Tond), a, lici'Utiate, an old-fasluoned preaclier, was ealli'd tlirie(> l)y a niajority of this ennn;re!j;ii- tion, hut un(h'r strong t'eehnj; tho reciuests all Tailed, and, "while Mr. Dana was ealled in Jun(\ he was not installed till Novend)er, and then in tlic lace of "a decided ()])j)()si- tion and after a remonsl ranee to I'reshytery." His father, by vote of I'reshyterv, jireaelietl the <»rdinati»»n sennon. '""J'he dissentients then in their turn withdrew, ineludiuij: most of the session and many of the nuist suhstantial and go V niend)ers of tho rhureh. This opposition to Mr. Dana was ])rin('ipally owintj; to a nnsunde'rstandin^ of his doctrinal views." (//>., ]>. .'U.) They were strenuous ahout *' sound doctrine," hut could not ])erceive it (while it was there}, conceaUsd extensively hy the graces of hi.s style. " In July, 17".)o, they pro])osed, as a p(>ac(^ measure, that the Row Mr. lioddily should h(>conie colleague with Mr. Dana. This failed, und in Oetohor next the Preshytery organized them as tho second Preshyterian church, with thirty-three mcmhcrs." (/"/>., j). 31.) The lirst Preshytin-ian church, though weakened, nMuained with him (Mr. Dana) an all'ectionate and united peo[)le. This church (wo have seen) was one whi(!h came to Preshyterianism while its nuMnhers were of that stock, tu escape the opj»ressi(»n of Cor'M'egationalism. As tlu! law (enacted always hy a C'ongregationalist l(>gi.s- lature) " then was, they were forced, in ovdia- to ohtain liherty and rights from Church and Stad , to hecome an- other denomination ; and to guard thenv."lves and their children so far as ]K)ssil)le against the evils they had seen and sutlered, against false dot'trine and o))pression, they ])ecame Preshyterians." Like Edwards, tliey were "out of conceit with what was unsettled, independent, and con- fused." " Their first act was to choose six ruling elders." Tlu; Ilev. John Murray was unwilling (wdten called) to settle in this congregation, heeause "the visitation of lamilies, as I'reshyterian ])astors do, was not customary with the Pev. ]\[r. Parsons, except on extraordinary occasions;" and "in 1780, the session districted the parish." IN NKW ENGLAND. 293 lolitaiu \\\v ivn- tlieiv* '' out lul oou- rtilc' in lUos, ;is [u> Uev. " Tlio session lins oftcMi Ixvn tlio safety of tlio church, ])r(>s('rviii,()rt, after Octolx'r, 17!)"), pressing; forward ahrcast, 1 now turn to the nieairre records of Presl)ytery. On Octoher 2-')th, 17*.)''^, a convention met at Londonderry " for finishinti: tlie union hetween the Associate Reformed rresl)yh'ssr<. Si>lonion Moor(\ "William Morrison, Nathanii'l iMvcr, .lolm Houston, David Annan, Samuel Tatrnart, Andrew Oliver, and nine rulinj; elders, who unanimously a|>]irov(Ml of the Tmi(Mi fornu'd hy the convention. Petitions for the services of ^h'. Toomhs Avere )»resented from New ^larket and Antrim, and one from ''tlu^ I'rcshvtcM'iau society in Bedford, ask insj^ to liavc the inhahitants of that town net consistently Avith Christian character." They had cmiiloycd a Mr. Pickles — who had heeu de[)osed hy the Preshytery of Philadelphia, and who was immoral in character — and tlu^ ])etitioners nsk, "Have any of the inlinhitants any s}iccial right to spt'cial ))rivih',a'es from thi'' Pri shytery or from any of its nienibers?" The action of those who employed him was condcnmed. In reference to irregulariti(>s already referred to in Xew- bnryport, in answer to a petition, the action of session was coiilirmed. On their request, supplies were granted to Derry, and j\Ir. Brown was, in answer to their verbal petitions, ap- liointed for fom* Sahhaths to Hampton. Chester jx'titioned for suiijjly, and ^Tessrs, Toomhs, r>rown, and Wallace were ajipoinled to lal)t)r in assigned vacancies. The leaven liad now ])erm(>ated nearly the Avhole mass of )>rolessed Presbyterians in New I'aigland, and we havo seen about a score of these congregations absorbed by tho ►State religion. Among those which had stood llrm for iSyine fifty years in reference to the oU'ering of "ii pure i' nii 294 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM ■!!■'"■-':: > offering " to God in praise, was "West Dorry. But she had now become under that njysterious identity " a felt want," enamored with ''the enticing words of man's wisdom." " jNIr. Joel Barlow, who, on receiving a degree from Yalo College, in 177^, then first came before the jjublic in his poetical character by reciting an original poem, was suc- cessively a cha])lain in the Revolutionary army, an editor, a bookseller, a lawyer, and a merchant." lie published in London a poem, called " The Conspir- acy of Kings," and "in the latter part of 1792 he was ap])ointed one of the deputies from the London Constitu- tional Society to ])resent an address to the National Con- vention of France," with which they were in sym])athy. This body had " formally disavowed the existence of God and the immortality of the soul, and disseminated atheism." (llorne.) llis most popular i)oem, published before 17i*-'), was entuled ''Hasty Pudding." He had, however, in his earlier days, before 1787, " revised Dr. Watts' Imitation of David's Psalms " (Pres. Dig., p. 208), that is, the loU imi- tated. Whether this was a labor of love to improve liis poetical talent, or done 1)y the request of "the General Association of Connecticut," his " advanced thought," as one of the morning stars of the nineteenth century, was unsavory to the pious in " the land of steady habits " — and " to sanctify the ticket," as among modern politicians, Frelinghuysen w\as put in nomination with the duellist, Henry Clay — so "the Rev. Dr. Timothy Dwight, by order of the said asso- ciation, revised the version as revised by Mr. Barlow, and versified a number omitted by Watts." In " 1787, the Synod of New York and Pennsylvania allowed the Imitation of David's Psalms, as revised by Mr. Barlow, to be sung in congregations and families under their care." (lb., 208.) Since the close of the war, as we have seen in Batli K'll, the moral sentiment of the land had l)een gradually wax- ing feel)le, and this abatement of force, like "judgment,"' began Avith " the house of God." Changes in material jjros* ])erity seem to have been accom));mied l)y innovations in doctrine, worsiiip, and discipline in the churches. " The Imitations " were, among the Presbyterian churches IN NEW ENGLAND. 295 he elt irs ale his iUC- qiu- w;is litu- Con- ilhv. {.\vA u his on of J iiui- potical ■ ilion to the pouthwavfl, in 1S02 (Dip:., p. '200\ vamped -svith his tliree books of hymns; and wliile in no way was either (lepencU'nco or control estahlished between any of tlio ri'c.shytw'ies of New Knirland and what became, in 178'J, th(! Cteneral Asseml)ly of the United States of Ainerica, still they were (kdy infonnc'd of the changes introduced, and at tiiis meetintj; (in 17';) 1* "a petition from West Derry (was presented) to use Dr. Watts' psalms, corrected and enlarged by Mr. Joel Barlow, and reconnnended by the CJeneral Association of Connecticut and by the General Assembly of the Presbyterians in the Suutliward." This was "referred back to the session, to act for the general good of the society in that case." At meetinp:s 0]i October 1st, 1794. and subsequently, the varied matters mentioned in relation to +iie settlement of I\lr. Daniel Dana received attention, while a call from New Market for Mr. Toombs was read and s ained. His instal- lation took ])lace on October 21st, when .lev. Messrs. ]McClin- tock and Miltinjore (Congregationalists) sat as correspond- ents. '' The llev. Messrs. Moore, Annan, and Morrison were ai)pointed a connnittee to wait on the Amherst association, res[)ecting sometliing for the p'cneral good of the church." Trials for licensure were assigned to Mr. Wm. Pidgeon. Eight ministers and fourteen elders were present at the stated meeting at Londonderry, on May 27th, 1795. Nine ]iap(rs were ])resented, and the court had abundance of business, as the opposition to the settlement of Mr. Brown was then considered. Presbytery "advised the Congrega- tional church of Hampton to give up their negative power over the town in the settlement of a ftiinister." That is, let the town meeting rule the church and vote it Presby- terian. At Londonderry, on October 28th, 1795, a call from Pcterboro was sustained. Coleraine did not then appear to be walking in harmony with this court, and the town was to be "seasonably notified, by the clerk, of our next meeting, and that they show reasons, if any they have," Avhy their conduct should not lie investigated. Mr. Pidgeon accepted the call from Ham])ton, and this congregation was received b}'' Presbytery. A Congrcgationalist church, by the advice of Presbytery, yielded to a Presbyterian parish. Jordan was rolled backward once. k •'f i 296 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM A letter from tho A. R. Synofl was now received, and tlio clerk (Rev. Win. Morrison) was ai)pointed to answer it, " when he thinks most eonduc-ive to the i)uhlic good of this Preshytery, and to uivo a general aecount of that iiart of our conduct respecting ])salnio(ly and our absence from Synod, with the reasons therewith." January 7th, 11\K\ A pro re wita meeting was held on account of Mr. Pidgeon and those against him at Ilami*- ton. They tiien and there ordainc'd him, and ''voted — • that we advise our Presl)yterian brethren to deal honor- ably and justly with the congregational part of the town, resjx'cting the ministei'ial ])roperty." On May 4th, at Coleraine, the eourt advised tliat congre- gation to "no longer (piarrel about the locality of their place of we 'ship, and appointed Mr. ]Morris(jn to draw up un address to them for Presbytery."' The vital force of this form of ecclesiastical rc(jimeii had now become so attenuated that occasionally Congregational societies desired to wear the name, es])ecially wfiere dilli- culties had arisen, and on June 14tli, ITUt^, a pro re nata meeting was held in Byelield. A " petition from jtarties there to be received as a Pres- byterian society Avas presented." On investigation, it was found that the movement liad originated in "strife and vainglory," Satan acting as the chairman of their church extension connnittee. Hence, it Avas " Voted — That we address the Middle Essex association to advise the church here to keep the ])ea('e." " It must needs be tiiat offences come," and so unyield- ing Avere the disputants in Coleraine about the location of their church, tluit their pastor, at a meeting held in T.on- donderry, on October 12th, reijuested his release from the charge and a dismission from tiie Presbytery. As his use- fulness among them Avas not obviously at an end, and their spiritual prosperity required an oversight, Avhich, in the event of his removal, might not easily be obtained, so, to prevent them from being, :is a church, "consumed one of another," his petition was returned to him. Windham noAV petitioned for a supply of ])reaching. 1797, at Londondi^'i'v, on May 17th, a reipiest Avas ])re- sented by the second church in JS'eAvbur\'port, to have .M''. Boddily settled as their pastor. On September 6tli, 1797, IN NEW ENGLAND. 297 ^Ir. Boddily was reported installed, and the act of the conmiittt'c (U-clared to l)e valid. Anion,!,^ the ])etitions ))roscnt(Ml at this meetinfj, nnmlxT six "was a reriuest from Kast Derrv for liliertv to use Dr. Watts' Imitations of the Psahns." ' The oifsh'oot of ITM'y Lon KloiKicrrv) was iinis m advance o f th le motiier ennrc'i •h of 171'.) three years, in eonfctrmini;; to the '"taste"' estah- lislied hy "the customs of the churches" in New En<:land-. Tlie consideration of this petition was i)ostponed until next nlcetinL^ These varied irregularities on tlie part of the A. 1!. Pres- hyt(.'ry of Londonderry had (as has l>een noticed) ^^rieved tl le hvnod irietl a])])liances (nni)iie(l m review an( I contruul") had Ijcen used hy tlie Sujierior Court, hut in vain. The results were ])ainfully ohvious; Init the character and full course of the causes were hut im])er- fectly com}>rehendcd. As it is mnw Congregationalism was then sup])osed to 1)e only a little (Htl'erent from Pres- hyterianism — "only a little diHerence aljout .uovernment, you know, yet suhstantially the same " — while they are in their nature, origin, iniiuence, and tendencies, irreconcil- ah]y antagonistical — the one will root (nit the t)ther. The clerk was a])])ointed in 1795 to answer a letter, and now, in 17U7, the " Pev. Messrs. Annan, Toomhs and Mor- rison were a])pointed to answer the address IVom Synod." History is here, and at tliis date, rejieatinir itself. The troul)les which disturhed the jjcace of the Rev. Solomon Prentice forty-five years ago, are now reproduced in the region of Newmarket. Ever since the days of the ajiostles ])ersons have heeii (at least at times) found, wlio "creep into houses and lead ca])tive those silly ones," Avho in- dulge the emotional ])owers or feelings of their minds, in- stead of "getting wisdom and with all their getting ohtain- ing understanding." As the ]>urity of Puritanism was diminished, so in New England we find this class of ad- veiUurers increaseil. The l\ev. Jonathan l^rown, wlien silenced hy Preshytery and nMluced to ])rivate memher- sliip, which he held till the day of his death, was forl)idden to preach, and he oheyed. Not so with " unruly and vain talkers" under the aus))ices of the other ])olity. In the one case, the "mouths" of such ])ersons ''must he stopped," in the other, the ahettors of divers and strange « •' • 1 t 298 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM doctrines and corresponding practices may steal the hearts of coinniunities. Hence, we have on record, "The Rev. Mr. Ewers is com- J3lained of l)y Mr. Toomhs, as cncoura^inL!; stni^j^ding per- sons, calling theinsi'lvcs preachers, to tiie great injury and dishonor of rehgion, ia many places, particularly iu ]S'cw Market." • "Voted, unanimously. That this Preshytery solemnly recommend to vacant churches under their care, that tli / encourage or employ no strangei's as ])reachers amoag them without they see his liceneic, or apjjrohation from regular ministers, and that he have a good ciiaracter." Few oj)erati()ns of tiie soul are more powerful than this. "I would to God, that all were, not only almost, but alto- gether, such as I am," and where this has in ])rospect good large " loaves " and a nund^er of " fishes," or even " a j)iece of money, or a morsel of ])read," proselyting errorists would Ije seldom out of sight, excepting for the discipline of C'hrist's house. " Peace and good-will among men," as well as "pure and undeliled religion before God, alike re- quire, all who are lawfully i)ut in trust in the ministry," to rebuke all such " liars, evil beasts, slowdiellies, sharply, that they may be sound in the faith " (Tit. i. 12). lly neglect of this, the Province of Maine, where the last Pres- bytery met in 17*J1, has become, religiously, not unlike a "waste howling wilderness." And so numerous are the sects in the small })opulation of Rhode Island to-day, that there is extensively truth as Avell as humor in the saying, "If a man lose his kind of religion, let him go to Rhode Island and he will find it " among the crowd there, said to be some forty sects in number. In enacting this statute, and taking care that it should be executed, where required, the court " took heed to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost had made them bishops to feed the church of God," and well would it be, now and hereafter, for all others in a sindlar jjosition, to "go and do likewise." It is one of the ]ieculiarities of Presbyterian church gov- ernment, that, while each has its legitimate field, s])liere and work, the courts have interest and responsibiUty i)ro- portionate to their authority. Hence, in these changes of constitutional law and violation of official vows, by the IN NEW ENGLAND. 299 ■■■'.; Associate Eoformcd Prcsbytory of T.ondondcrry, the Synod, and through it the denomination, had a j)ainl"ul interc.'^t. Tliis they nianit'et^tecL Hence, on tlie erection of tlio Washin;4ton, X. Y., Prewbytery, on May oOth, 1794, Synod met "no representation from tlie New England l'resl)y- tery," and the "Rev. K. Annan was a))pointed lo write to them, reqLiirin,si; an acconnt of the state of religion anionj^ them and a de))Utation of a member, or members, to reprcj- sent them in Synoch" In 1795, on May 21st, Mr. Annan reported tliat lie had "\vritten to the New England Pres- Lvtery but had received no answer." " Tlie state of that Presbvtcry being imdcr considera- tion, it was stated that certain information had been re- ceived by the members of Synod, that Watts' ])salms are generally used by the members of that Presbytery in their churches, that thttled ministers- Rev. Messrs. Moore, Ewers, David Annan, Taggart, Oliver, Dccua, Toombs, Brewer, I*idgeon and Morrison." They had increased from three or four to ten. {Morrison.) "A new king, who knew not .Joseph," was now, through the rapidly diffusive stimulant of tlie imUations in tlie churches in New England, enthroned in the afl'ections of the descendants of these " ])ersecuted Irisli brethren," who had lifted U}) their sweet ])salms to Jehovah on the banks of "Wcstrunning Brook," or had made the sands on the beach of Casco liay, their " jdace of habitation for the mighty God of .Jacol)," not only by '' ellectual fervent prayer," but by presenting to him the emotions of their souls, as they were about to enter the "wilderness" in that most plamtive of all songs, the 137th Psalm. 302 IIISTOUY OF niKSnYTKUIANISM All tills the PoqiK"! Avill verify. "A Utter, statinij tlieir views iind grounds of coiiiplaiiit," in the massive tiioULiiits of ^Nlason, was written as an evidence of the faillilul- ncss of the court to tlieir trust, [)ortions t)f wiiieh 1 pie- sent. After referring to "reports of ahuses," already noticed, the eH'orts of ai)])ointed eomniittees to visit tlieni Inr conference, their own motives, the unforeseen "dillieultics interposed," and their personal disappointment, tluy say : " We have done what alone remained in our power, and rcpres(Mit concisely in writing, with all hrotherly ail'ection, yet with the most undisguised plainness, a few of tliose suhjects of complaint, on which we should have remon- strated more largely face; to face. " You cannot he ignorant, hrethren, that your discarding from ])ul)li(', worshij) the Psalms indited hy the Holy Ghost, and substituting in their room the e(jmi)osures of men, is highly displeasing to the Synod and to the body of Christians untler their inspection. Whether the use of such composures in the pul)lic worship of (iod he in itself lawful or unlawful, is a ([uestion we do nt)t mean tt) discuss, because it is a (luestion with which, at present, we have nothing to do. ]^ut, whether considering your relation to the Synod, th(> edification of the church of whicdi you are a branch, and your ol)ligations to su|)i)ort the truth of the gospel, the use of them was allo\val)le in you, is a question which demands your solenni regard. You certaiidy know, brethren, that the controversy about psalmody was warndy agitated both at and before the formation of your connec- tion with the Synod. " You know, too, that they were decidedly and zealously opposed to these innovations in the praises of the ciiurcli, ■\vhich have since become fashionable; and you know, also, that, under the im})ression — unaccom])anied with a single dou])t — that you were perfectly joined in one mind with them, were the vows of (Jod laid upon you. '' How, then, does your departmv in so material a point from the testimony of the body to which you belong — from the princii)les which, in one of the most serious moments of your lives, you unei^uivocally es])oused, and adherence to which is notoriously implicated in the fellowship IN NEW ENGLAND. 303 you as yet own — how docs it comport witli your duty? llow with siiii{»lic'ity uiid <,'(jdly sincerity? And since, as there is reason to l)elieve, vuur lirinness niiizht liave rding llolv ■es of body ise ot" itself scuss, have u to \i are f the tion a\ow, ivndy unec- lously lurch, ,!dso, sin;ile d with Y)ouit -from Innents lercnco )wship 1 revented the evih how does vour viehlinu at tl le ex- j)ense of your j)rofessed convictions consist with the ohU- <:ation to obey (»od rather than nian, and with your enpau*- nu'uts not io foHow any devisive courses hv coniplviny; with the defections of tiio times? Finally, as this step, so important in its nature and extensive in its conse(|tiences, was taken without endeavoring to ol»tain tlu; consent of ►Synod, witlnnit askiniji: tiieir advice, without so much as acquainting them with those circumstances which arc^ thouj^ht to plead in its favor: how is it reconcilable with a decent deferenct^ to tliat judi<'atory to which you have deliberately promised subjection in the Lord? " lUit apart from this, your ])roceedinus, brethren, liavc greatly marred general cdifK.'ation. W'e ar(f all mend)ers one of anotluM" ; and ther(> is no maxim in Christian ))ru- dentials more sound and useful than this — that in matter?; of liberty, the edification of the whole must be preferred to tlu; ])redilections of a ))art. "You will not pretend that you wereliouud in conscience to throw away the Psalms of the book vi Ciod. It was, then, at best a question of expediency, and we cannot but lament that in detennining it no regard has l)een paid to the desires, to the feelings, to the conscience of by far the most of your In'cthren. "Was this conduct tender? Was it Christian? Its effects have been deplorable, ^hmy who love 'the truth as it is in Jesus' .M"e alarmed, lest what has hitherto hap- ])ened is but a prelade to deviations mor(> unscrijjtural and fatal. The Synod on your account have lain under odium, not only from those who lie in Avait for their halting, but even from a number of their own ])e()ple. Conlidence in their integrity and in their faithfulness is, of course, dimin- ished, and the good cause of God and his trtith in their hands ])r()portionably suffers. They have already preju- dices enough to comljat ; and it was not kind to strengthen tluse ])rejudices l)y furnishing even the candid with ground of real objection. "Furthermore, we beseech you, brethren, to reflect, that the principles, on wliich the plan you have adopted is too ■■:: p 304 HISTORY OF I'UlvSnYTERlANISM W^ 11 commonly dcfondocl, renders your adoption of it peculiarly unhappy. " It JH justly dccined an osi'ential doctrine of Christianity, tliat belioverH in every aire and undci' every dispensation liiivc one t'aitli ; tliat whetlu'r the rivelation ol' the way of lilc be more eoniplete or partial, more elear or ohseni'c, thoy ohtain ])ardon of sin. enjoy access to a reconcileil (iod, and rejoice in the hope ol' jiiory, throu^ii faith in 'the Idood of sprinlxliiii.' linl hy many whosi! numhers cotitinualiy increase, that udorions tiiith is presumptuously denied — (h-nied for tlie express [turpose of expiocHni;' as Unlit for Christian worshij* tiie I'salms. wliieh Jesus liatii l)e([Ueathed unto his clmrch. As this notiesi(l(! this iniU)vation itself, the mninu'r, l)rethreM, in which it was eilected i.s auotlier cause of serious dis- satisfaction. ''If the Synod are rightly informed, the Psalms of the Bible were laid aside and their substitute introduced by the vote of a town meet in;/. You arc no less sensible than ourselves that this was not only prostrating; at the feet of the multitude the Seri[)tural authority of judicatories, but Avhat is yet worse, was allowinti; a civil corjioration to meddle with the interior and spiritual arrangements of tho church. " The evil and offence arc ajjf^ravated by the little resist- ance which even the ministers of the word made to a measure not less dangerous as a precedent than corrupt in its ])rinciple. It rests with your consciences, \)rethren, to vindicate your conniving at an open sacrifice of the chureli order, which you have professed, and still do ])rofess, to re- ceive as the institution of your Master in heaven ; and at violence offered by a political body to his glorious Il(^a(l- ship — of which, as far as your ollicial agency is concx'rnetl, IN NEW ENGLAND. 805 ly ^>% of ivo, ika in ,isly 'X «'^ :i;ilu uin'4 c<»u- llu'u- linilo body mole, nic'Ut, ititins, ])liou, (I. llavn, lof the lod by than ,eft of >s, but lion to of tUo resist- to a Kipt in Ircu, to -UurcU , to ve- land lit you havo sworn to be tlio jiuardians — connived at them ^vith()Ut one nianlul stni^'udc, and esjiecially when tho probubility is tliat your judicial interfirenco, prudently and laitlilully diicctCd, \vt)uld have prt'scrved both tlu; ]irero^ative oi' your Lord iVoni invasion and his ai)point- nicnts IVoni insult. '"Tlic! whole of our expostulations, brethren, are framed accordinij; to our best infornialioii. If in anythinj^ we wrunf>; you, it is witiiout desi;in. J Jut sliould this be tlie case, th(,' fault is your own, and our very mistake wouUl eorroljorate exceedingly tin; last reason of complaint on which we shall now insist, and this is, your habitual re- missness in attending on meetinirs of Synod. "You will not (iispute that, humanly speaking, the respectability, usefulness, anss, revealing to us the ])atli of duty and giving us grace to walk therein ; without turning aside, either to the right hand or to the left, is the prayer of your brethren. " Kobkut Annan, " J NO. M, Mason. ''January 24, 1797." IN NEW ENGLAND. 307 bo re- \v\\ \\\o, did, ?uso .•ight ;\ "VVG itted. f our ;s our coin- it, the )r our Id ^yo >y will isiucss ond of ion of •al V^- incni- hie last •ovship, lo reli^- of the lovdina- ,c Tiord ,nd the Liitreat.y I' in wis- 1 ot" duty \it af^uh't of your Innan, Lason. This prompted a reply, written hy tho moderator, whioli was received in Synod on May oO, 17'.)7, and which stated "that tliey had received the letter at too hite a (hate to he laid heibre Preshytery, or to iiave any nuMnher or menihers attend Synod; hut tiiat Pi'cshytery were to meet in a short time, when the h'tter would he laid het'orc tiiem, which ho was solicitous should he treated with duo respect, and that he intends to come to tiie next meeting ot" Syno(h" On Jun.^ 11, 17*)S, at i'liiladelphia, the Synod were in- formed that the Ivcv. William Morrison was i)rovidentially l)revented from heinii; present — and as they iuid not sulli- cient evidence of the true j)Osition of affairs, so as to come to a fmal decision, the case was deferred, and the Rev. Robert Annan was aj)pointed to write to the Presbytery. At the next two annual meetings no re[)resentative of tho Presbytery app<>ared, and Mr. Annan rciMirtinl that, to his lett(>r, sent to the Presbytery, he liad " received no reply." The letter of January 24, 17t)7, galvanized the Presby- tery a little, and at their meeting in Londonderry, on Sep- tend)er (>, 171)7, it was " Voted, That Mr. >b)rrison, as agi'ut, should attend the Synod in Philadeljfhia, tt) see whether it would be bcnelicial to dissolve the connection that sub- sisted between them and the Presbytery, and that his desk should be supplic(l for lour Sahbatbs in his absence." This a[)pointiiient, as we have seen, ho was " j)roviden- tially ])revented from" fullilling, and the si)ecific character of their Presbyterianism was now very extensively changed. Only ^b)rrison and Taggart a]>pear to have had a training as Presl>yterians, after the type of ^McCJregor, senior, antl ]\h)orehead. Some of the other nuunbers, educated amidst Congregational surroundings and associations, had taken a very mild form of Presbyterianism; Avhile others, who had been always C'ongregationalists, assumed this Jiolity where it would Ik; to them an advantage to ofliciate in a Presbyterian congregation. The forms were in the mean- time observed, but in a free and easy way, as they virtually ignored the advantage, authority, or even the very exist- once of a Synod, which might not allow them to introduce will-worship into tho house of (Jod — by a vote on town meeting day, when they elected in the same manner their i)ound-keepers, fence- viewers and dog-kill(>rs Ibr the year. Reside this, although the Assembly of the Presbyterian ' " • i jj h , i '1 ; 308 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM Church in tho United States (formo'l in 1789) Had never had any control in New EnffJand, yet, in tho chanp;es which it lui I borrowed from Contrrej^ationalism in reter- encc to Watts' imitations and liynms, not a few in this Presbytery had a growing dehght. From 1774, when Bahlwin was smitten with the " felt want," which has now for a century been tlie " harp of a thousand strings," with all sectarian poetical innovators who want new poems, " taste " and " culture " have had an increasing ascendency over Divine authority, and they became a ])ower in the Associate Reformed Presbytery of New England. Hence she was now coquetting with the larger body, and on Octoljer 9, 1799 (present, seven minis- ters and six elders) " Voted, To obtain and peruse the Confession of Faith of the Synod of New York and Phila- delphia of May 10, 1788, and to prepare our minds on the propriety of adopting it as the constitution of this Presby- tery at their next meeting." In 1799 Mr. Annan was again appointed to Avrite to this Presbytery, and in 1800 informed the Synod that he had done so, and had received no reply. No meml)er ap- peared in Synod in 1801 from it, and on May 30th, at Philadelphia, we find on the records of Synod this minute: "After serious and mature deliberation, the following reso- iution was adopted : *' Whereas, the Presbytery of Londonderry has for sev- eral years been in a state of virtual separation from this Synod, entirely neglecting attendance thereon and due subordination thereto; and. Whereas, the repeated at- tempts of tliis Synod to o].)tain from said Presbytery infor- mation of its condition and jirocedure and p compliance with the order of Presbyterial church government, as main- tained by the Associate Reformed Church, have proved abortive; therefore, ^^ Resolved, That this Synod no longer consider the said Presbytery of Londonderry as in their connection, and do hereby disclaim all responsibility for any of its trans^ actions. " Ordered, That a copy of said resolution be transmitted to the Presbytery. "Alexander Proudfit, Moderator, "John McJimsey, Clerk." IN NEW ENGLAND. 309 " 1802, October 2'2cl, the said clerk reported thnt he had transiDitted to the luock-rator of tlie I'resbytery of London- derry the resolution of J-'ynod concerning them." Thus, after a history of aliout twenty years, we sec the process of assimilation to their surroundings c()m))leting its o])eration, and the Presbyterian version of the Tsalms are now, after expressing the joys and sorroAvs of the hearts of thousands of God's people, cast (excepting in godly families) " to the moles and to the bats." For about eighty years these songs of Jehovah (Psalm cxxxvii. 4) instru- mentally increased the faith and strengtliened the hearts of the "persecuted Irish brethren" and their descendants; but the same " imitations " which had worm-eaten the " Bay State version," and punctured it to death in the previous generation, and also increasingly bleached the truth out of the creeds and godliness out of the lives of the oli'spring of the Puritans, now supplanted the " hymns and spiritual songs " of God the Holy Ghost in both ver- sions, from the St. Croix to the Connecticut. We now return to the transactions of the Presbytery, and find that at Londonderry, on Se[)tember 6, 1797, ^^Scderunt, Annan, Morrison, Toombs, Dana, lirown, Oliver and Pidgeon, ministers, with seven ruHng elders, and that Rev. ]Messrs. Moor, Whipple and Boddily sat as corre- spondents." At tiie same time it would appear that the Rev. Mr. Boddily must have been a member of Presbytery, for a part of the minutes roads thus: The " rei)ort of the com- mittee to instal Mr. Boddily was considered, and the act of the committee declared to be valid." " ^Ir. Walter Little, a candidate for licensure, was then examined and assigned trials," and at Pelham, on ^lay 17, 1798, after a satisfactory examination, lie was licensed. An item at Londonderry, October 31, 1798, is not easily understood: ''Mr. Boddily petitioned to be admitted a member of Presbytery, and was admitted." He was, above a year before, installed in the Second Church, Newbury- port, which liad been organized by Presbytery in October, 1795. "The Second Church and parish in Newliury re- quested to be received into Presbytery. The congregation was received, and a call from them for Mr. Toombs was presented to him ; he declared his acceptance of it, and his ;j 1 1 I 1 i! 310 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM II? if installation was appointed to take place on November 28th, which, notwithstanding a remonstrance, Avas then and there eflV'cted. At their meeting at Derry, on June 12, 1799, a request for the assistance of Kev. Messrs. Brown and Boddily to ordain a Mr. 81ea (a Congregationalist) at Bytield, was made, *' wliich Presbytery does not grant." At " Newburyport, October 9, 1799 — Read a letter from the committee of the New Hampshire convention on the necessity of sending ministers to the frontiers of that State to preach." Rev. Messrs. Morrison and Dana were ap- pointed to answer it and report tt) Presbytery. At this meeting it was ascertained that the Rev. David Annan had become so immoral that Presbytery now com- menced those investigations by which he was eventually deposed from the ministry. At Londonderry, June 11, 1800, sederunt, eight ministers and eight elders. On the appointment ot" the ()r(hnation of Mr. Little, to take place in Antrim in September, while this Presbytery would not gra.it the request tiiat at tiie ordination of Mr. Slea at Byficld, the Rev. Messrs. Brown and Boddily might assist, and lend their libre of apostolic succession — yet, they now formally re(|uest the Rev. Messrs. ^' Barnes of Hillsboro, Bradford of Francestown, and Page of Hancock to assist at liis ordination." The light of the nineteenth cdntury had now dawned, tlie consistency of the previous one was " behind the age," Congregationalism was increasingly in the ascendant, ai d at its shrine a peace offering was to be immolated. Whether they formed a part ''of the Presbytery " who laid hands on him or not, does not appear, yet the record of September 2, 1800, reads thus : " Met to ordain Mr. Little. When called to deliver his popular sermon he said that lie had daily to attend fun- erals, sometimes two to four in a day, to visit a number of sick persons, and he hoped the Presbytery would be so kind as excuse him for these reasons. Excused accord- ingly. Examined him and ordained him." At " Londonderry, June 9tli, 18;)1, the Constitution of the General Assembly was considered,, imd a continued attention to it was recommended to tlie churches under their care, with a viev/ of its being adopted with some few W" 'r' IN NEW ENGLAND. 311 exceptions, at the first meeting of Presbytery." " Presby- teriul sermons are in future to be the subject of mutual private criticism." On June 9tli, 1802, Mr. David McGregor was licensed, and the Rev. Mr. Taggart applied for a certificate of min- isterial standing. Trials were assigned to Mr. Matthew Taylor. The Rev. Mr. Dana was directed to obtain for sale and distribution eighteen copies of tlie Constitution of the General Assembly. Ahhough this was done, yet many of the people had read in an old book, " Meddle not with them that are given to change," and when, on October 13th, they met, the record runs thus : " Will the Presbyter}'' now adopt the General Assembly's Constitution in toto? It was negatived, and they adopted it in substance as a directory." They were still unprepared to " explicitly unite with any particular Synod and with tlie Assembly at the South- ward." On June 8th, 180o, they considered the "official documents of a Rev. Mr. Giles, and on a request from the Second Cliurch in Newburyport, they voted to induct him there " in July. When the time came, they found that he "made some difference on the subject of baptism from Presbyterians," yet " they installed him." On July 19th a Rev. Mr. Colby, it was aj)pointed, should be installed in Chester, but when the day, the 12th of Oc- tober, came, a ^Ir. D. Baker, of Pembroke, tabled a com- plaint against him. Yet, as the pastoral relation between him and that town had, by a '' result of council," been dissolved, "Mr. Baker's complaint and that of Pembroke were dismissed as disorderly," and he was on the next day installed in Chester. "This Presbytery cannot consistently grant the GofTs- town request, considered as a I^i'csbyterian incorporation, because in that capacity they had united with the Congre- gational incorporation in Goiistown, in the call and settle- ment of Mr. Morrell as the minister of both incorporations." A Mr. Robert Heath Noyes was now examined and taken und(.'r the care of Presl>ytery. At Londonderry, on June loth, 1804, Bedford presented a call for Mr. David Mc- Gregor. Relative to the Presbyterians in " Peterboro, a certificate • « «■ • (iji 312 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM from the clerk of that toAvn was read, and they were allowed the use of tlic church one Sabbath in the year for communion in Presbyterian form," ye>, positively allowed to use their father's property and their own, as Presl)yt(>- rians, one Sabbath in the year, liut this was not all. Unwilling as the Presbyterians were to forepjo the use of their property, their elders must not any longer " distin- guish things wliich differ " in relation to the Lord's tabl(\ For, " Presbytery recommended to the Peterboro church to admit to occasional communion all regular members of Congregational churches." This not only shews, that " the things Avhich (then) re- mained were ready to die," but that promiscuous commu- nion had not l)een hitherto practised. At this meeting the Rev. Andrew Oliver demitted his pastoral charge of Pel- ham. They gave to him a certificate of good standing, and promised him a hearing there again in October follow- ing. At Argyle, N. Y., on October loth, 1804, he informed the Associate Presbytery of Cambridge, tliat he " labored under difhculties in his mind f"or some time past, respect- ing his connection Avith the Presbvterv of Londonderrv, and had resolved to leave them and join the Associate Synod of North America. After hearing him fully he was admitted and assigned i)laces in Avhich to preach." He returned to Pel ham in November, 1804, and broke his pledge to the /Vssociate Presbytery. Consequently, on his representation and petition to Presbytery, in November, 1805, they wrote to him, and charge him with leaving his religious i)rofession irregularly, and cite him to appear at Argyle on a day specified, in February, 1806. At that date he did not attend, and tiiey sent him a summons to ajipear at their next meetiuir, at Florida, N. Y., on May 5th, 1806. This did not bring him ; and on October 12tli, 1807, at Florida, they agreed to ask the advice of their Synod in his case. On June 13th, 1804. Alexander Conkey was taken under care as a student in theology. The town of Bedford concurred in calling Mr. David iNIcGregor, and he was ordained and installed there on September 6th, 1804, To aid the Presbytery, though eight ministers and ten elders were present when the ap- pointments were made in June, they " invited Rev. Messrs, IN NEW ENGLAND. 313 vcro r for iwed ,\ilL ,e of stin- ,al)lo. lurch ;rs of i) re- iimii- ig the i' Pel- nding, bllow- ormed ibored jspect- iderry, sociatc he was " He •ke his ion to lin. and ;ularly, |fied, in iid they jtinsx, at It brine;; agreed I under . David liere on though the ap- Messrs, Burnap and Barnard to be at Bedford as correspond- ents." At Derry, on October 4th, 1S04, the Rev. .Jonathan Brown was released IVoni liis charge. He was then olHci- ally reprelicuck'd and achnonished by the moderator. On his own request, the Rev. Walter Little was thvn released from the pastorate of Antrim, X. H., and on June Tith, 1805, he was dismissed and reconnnended to the Associate Reformed, Washington, X. Y., Presbytery. At this meeting a call from \\'indham for a ^Ir. Harris, of Fitehburgh, was sustained as regular ; and on October 9th, when twelve ministers and fifteen ruling elders formed the court, he was examined, ordained and installed there. At X\Mvl)ury)iort, on December 4th, 1805, "the Rev. Mr. Oliver stated, that he had joined the Associate Presbytery of Cambridge prematurely, as they would not give him a certificate (for no other reason, but because he had sung Dr. Watts' psalms and hynms in public worship), and he then requested readmission." He was by no means the only man under vows to pre- sent to (iod " a ])ure offering " in praise, who has em})loyed "the enticing words of man's wisdom in preference to the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth." He was not only readmitted but was ])r()mised to receive, when he might ask it, '' a new certificate to any of the General Assembly Presbyteries." The Rev. Mr. Toombs, at this date, re- signed his pnstoral charge. He was "furnished with a certificate to the Presbytery nf Columbia, X". Y., or any other one belonging to the General Assembly." At Xew Boston, on February 25th, 1806, a call from that congregation for Mr. Kphraim P. Bradford was sustained, and on tiie "26th he was examined, ordained and there in- stalled by Presbytery. On June 11th Presbytery met at Derry West, and again at Pelham, on September 3d, wdien papers were presented and some ordinary business was done. At Derry, on June 10th, 1807, Mr. iNFcConkie Avas dis- missed in good standiner 2(ith, 1809, attended to the result of the mission from this Presbytery to the Synod of Albany. Read the report of the comtnittee a})p()inted by the Synod to confer with our delegates. Rev. Daniel Dana was appointed our delegate to the General Assembly, to meet at Philadelphia in May next i SIO), Rev. Wm. Morrison to be his alternate. Presbytery to supply his desk four days during his ab- sence. "Appointed the next meeting to be in Newburyport, on the first Wednesday in May next, the Rev. Mr. K(>nnedy to open it with a sermon." The Rev. Moses ]>al(lwin, who was installed in Palmer on June 17th, 1701, was dismissed June 19th, 1811, and then the church became a Congrega- tional society. Here end the existing records of the second Presbytery of Londonderry. Tiiey were continued subsequently for sixty years, yet at that time, through the carelessness of a clerk, they were allowed to perish. Our quotations till date are taken from a copij of the volumes, transcribed by and for the writer in 1855. While we have now, in the absence of continuous rec- ords for thirty-six years, to draw from incidental sources in relation to the Presbyterianism east of the river Con- necticut, yet in Vermont we still find records of the psalm- singing churches. The others, whose history we have so far chronicled, became so extensively permeated with the ' M •- • 1 1 316 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM snporinciimhcnt native polity, as to bo " part Jew and part Ashdod," especially in jmhlie worshij) and the matter of Divine praise. By ai)andi)ning the Psalms, as presented in the liay State or Presbyterian versions, for the Imita- tions and relijjjions i)ocms of Dr. Watts, domestic worship lost (almost totally tlu'onLrhont New luiLrland ) the ])leas!nit- ness of "shewinjf forth the lovinjx-kindness of Clod in tlu; morning and of declaring liis faithfulness every night." The scenes of West Running P>rook (by the descendants of the "oppressed Irish l)retiiren") became decrcasinLdy continued for half a century in their families, until Thoni])- son might say, "Come, then, expressive silcnco, muse Iiis praise." The majority in Federal street church as Congrcgation- alists settled, in 1787, the Rev. Jeremy Belknaj), D. I). " He was one of the founders of the Massaciiusetts His- torical Society, and devoted much of his time to the jiro- motion of its objects and interests." He not only pub- lished works on history and biograpliy, but also compiled and published, in 1795, a volume of i)oetry, which in some congregations supplanted the Bay State versif)n of the Psalms. He died in 1798, and was succeeded on Julv 10th, 1799, by the Rev. Jolm S. Popkin, D. D. From his pas- toral charge he w^s dismissed on November '28th, 1802. Sixteen years of ])erversion of a sacred trust, misrule and no rule, produced their effects on the people. The church estate liad been held and enjoyed for fifty-one years by a trust deed of a charitable nse, which, in the hands of the lawful owners, the Presl)yterians, had proved to be operative for all ecclesiastical purposes. But now, to the occupants, it brought trouble. Like savages who, when they had boarded a ship and overpowered the seamen, were not able to navigate her, so it was with th(>se depre- dators. While Little owned the house he could collect the pew-tax, and so, by virtue of his deed to them, could the Presbyterians easily, while they were in possession ; but Hot so with the Congregationalists. Persons would occupy seats and pay as they pleased. Hence, less pleasant times came, and this even after the Rev. Wm. P^llery Channinj,' was, on June 1st, 1803, ordained their pastor. The de- scendants of "the Scotch-Irish" had been, under their IN NEW ENGLAND. 317 I part tcr of :cutc(l Iiuila- \\\ tlu! lulanls isindy 'homp- ^cffition- ,, I). 1). Its His- he pvo- ily pu^'- in sonic 11 of the 10th, lis pas- .S()2. misrule The fifty-one , in the proved t now, to 10, when seamen, ;o (lepre- )ncct the •oiild the n ; hut d occupy lint times ::banning The de- der their adopted cliurcli regimen, since 178G, pernnittcd to dwell alone; but iVom this date otluirs, attra('te(l l^y the snaviter hi modo and oratory ot" the youn^ preacher, voluntarily as.so(dated with them, until '' the Presbyterian meeting- house " was tilled with Trinitarian Congrej^ationalists. Yet neither oratory nor nund)ers brou^ijlit abidinij; peace. When Ahab, wicked as he was, desired to have tlie vine- yard of Naboth for a garden of herbs, he offered bun an ccpiivalent in money or in land. Not so here. They had entered in and taken possession, while the trust deed was on record, and tiie heirs of John Little and the Presbv- terian minority (Mrs. Cuptain Wilson and others) might at any time, apparently, invoke the equity of the law. Consetjuently, as '' they experienced inconvenience in the management of the prudential concerns of said society, from the want of legal authority to assess and collect" under th(;ir perversion of schism, they invoked the arm of the Legislature to sanction their perversion of the trust. To this end the following action was taken: "At a meeting of the proprietors of the meeting-honse and lot in Federal street, held at the school-house on said lot, on Monday evening, March 5th, 18U4 " (nine months and four days after the settlement of Mr. Channing), "being the annual meeting — voted, that the standing committee be authorized to apply to the General Court for the passing of such law as they may think necessary or beneficial to the society," This germ they incubated for above fifteen months. The trust deed stood out in bold relief; Little's reserved " pew and seat " could not be totally eradicated ; the seat of Mrs. Captain AN'ilson, which had been forced to a sale, was not too far off to whisper to its owner, so that, if appli- cation were made for a Legislative strangling of the Pres- hyterian rights, a remonstrance might possibly be made; and withal, conscience was as yet extensively a power in legislation — that "oath" which is, in Christendom, to men ''for confirmation an end of all strife," had not yet been substituted by the fear of Cliarlostown or Sing Sing. In framing, interpreting, and executing law in Massachusetts, men yet swore by the ever living God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God. Hence, to ascertain what was "necessary or beneficial to the society," which the General ,1" '■»"[ 318 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIAMSM it',! Court mi;,'ht prnnt, could not bo dotorminofl in three montlis l>y said coMuuittt'c, iiidcd by any dcsirrd anioiuit of the wisdom of the SulVolk bar. S|)riii meetincj-house and lot in Fed- eral street, in Boston, that (hoji experience in convenience in the m(in(i(/nn('iit of tlic priKhntial conrcrnK of said Socictij fr that may he erected in place of the present house, as they shall lind necessary lor tho fore^oint:; purposes, and also for the npairint: said nieetinL";- houso and their ministcriid house? aforesaid, and for dis- char«j;in<; any arreara erectinu; and com- j)leting said n)inisterial house, and for tlu; other necessary expenditures of said society. And as in duty bound shall ever prav, etc., etc. "Boston, June lOth, 1805. " Jxo. Davis, Tiios. Lamr, ") r> • i ^ Simon Elliot, Tiios. Thompson, \ <-^"""ittco. " Edward Tuckeuman, Jr., Daniel Dennison Rogers, Henry Hunter." "In the House of Rei)rescntatives, Juno lOtli, 1805. Re.'id and conunitted to the Standing Comniittee of Incor- poration of Parishes, etc., to consider and report. Sent up for concurrence. "Timothy Bigelow, Speaker. "In Senate, Juno 11th, 1-805. Read and concurred. " H. G. Otis, President. "Passed Juno 15th, 1805." Prohahly not on record does there stand a inoro furtive Legislative enactment, signed, and then read three times on the lOth, three times on the 11th, and the moni(}nt tho five days (which any such enactment required the Clov- ernor to ])ause hefore ho signed any hill) are ])assed, it becomes "such law as they think necessary or beneficial" to the " Proprietor's committee." This, prohahly, was the last Congregational parisli formed in Massachusetts, and now i\'eshyterianism in the town of Boston (like "John l^Arleycorn ") under " solenm oath," "must die," and be robbed of a place of sejiulture on its own ground. The text of the act will (D. V.) be afterwards co^isidered. 3'20 IITSTOin- OV rHKSnYTKHIAMSM i'i t' As a 'rrinilnrian society, tlu^ occup.'iuts lloiirislKMl in iiumlxTs uinlci' tilt' IJcv. Mr. ( 'iKiimiiiL'. I'roni ;) coinitiira- t ivcly sm:ill muiuImm" of tnicc Irish looki.i^ ri't'sl)yt(M'i;uis, by ;issiiuil;itiii,u cMcnsivt'ly tluir siuTdUiulinLis, tlicy, in a. it'W years, more llian lillcil the • xcr nu inoralilc old " 1'\m1 (M'al Strcti ri'csltyti'rian Clinrrli." tlic cvcr-jrlorions cfown- inu; spot, llic hiiiliitlacc of national lil'i' anionij; the sistcr- liood ot' States, to Massaehnsetts. Clianninu' W'.'is not onlv instaileil as a Trinitaiian preacher, Imt yi>ars atterwaiils lie (then helieved to lie sneli > hapt i/ed a iM'andeliild of t lie Kev. John Moorehead (the Ilex. A. W. MeClnre, D. !>., resident ii; 1ST.) in Maiden, Mass.) when said MeClni'e's ])a rents, in eonnnon with many ( it" not alh othei's, helieved jiini to he (and enjoyeil his ndnistry as ^ a lujievi r in the Oivinily ot' (lod tin* Son. Tin' depai'tnre iVom Treshyic- vianisni in ^oxaaannent and worship soon hei'aine exten- j^ive, ii" not eoniplele, while "the doetnne oj" (hxj our Savionr," tanj-hi hy Morehead. was more lei^nrely ahaii- doned. Ihit all were sinking; touet hiM". "At the he.uinninL!; of this eentnry tsays Waanilye. pa;'t> 'Ai')) «ireal theological diHta'taiccs existed in Xewhm'yport ; jind in this the town was :\i\ epitome of New i'-iiuland. Conf roxaa'sy xxas rile and alienations existed. Seari'elv :iny two ehnrehes maintained conminiuon with each oth(M', anti i>f six miinstiM's ol' near denominational eoni- ])lexion. scarce two aurced in theoloi:y."' In tinu's past, o\\ the doctrine of the New Mnuland Primer and in the ns(» of till* common matter ol' praise, the " I'.ay State l*sahn- boolc," they had to som(> exttait " maintained the nnity of the Spirit in the hond of peace."' Ihit now I lopkinsianism was (>\tensix'ely dilVnsed, xxhilc it with I'anmonism and other kindi'cd speculations wer(> sappinsi; the fonndations *)f the once Puritan ehin'chcs ; and Hr. Channinu' (who was Itrouiiht up at the feet of i)r. llojdsins, of xvhose *'hun'h his father was a niemher) hecame progressively unsound in the faith, until in a lew years he, with all the ministers o\' the toxvn, exct'ptinu; possibly Ilunlinuton, of the Old South, by the shiftiuii; tpiieksands of ('onurei:;ati(Mialism, always "suHicicntly divine," o|»posed "tln> faith once delivci'ed to the saints," which had. as held by the I'ilurims and the J*uritaus, iHMilo Now Eiigkuid very extensively " ii pruisc ill tlie ear til." TX NF.W KXr.I.AN'n. 321 1 m ;iva- i\\ :i islt'V- oi\ly i>. IK. hive's n tlu' s\>ylt'- 1(1 'Uir ;\l>:iu- i-y|HMt ; i\ As IIh" new prraclicr in a New Mimlaiid town lias usu- ally a clianui'ii cliaiMi'ttM' as "iln' roiuinu' man," .so tlio Itrcslim' of till- l\('\. W. 1!. ClianiiiiiL; iiu'i'cast'd S(>riuin^ly on in 1 III' wooilcn " Irish Vvvs- I t. wilh a Lit'onictniMl pro liytcfian nicriini^-lioiiso. ' unt:l ni .m\ yoais it apitcarrd lot) ni-;ti(', ItoiMino loo anti(]ii.ili'(l. and in \S'J\) a lu'ick huild- iii'i, capalilr o|' scat imr VIS iicrsuns, was t •rccti'd on .lolin Lilllr's lot. in wliioli new lioiisc Ids " pew or soat," iici'ortl- iiv_!,- to tho diM'd ol" trnsi. \\a-> rclMiilt and pn'scrvi'd. In tins point 'Milt' oltli«j,at ions ol' the con tract."' luadc soviMity- I'our years Ix-I'orc. wci'c not yet "impaired." while, hy tho piiri'hase ol" MS s(pi,ire Icct Irom t he adjoiniiii;' lot.makiiiiij II, with the I'rcsl.vtcrian lot ..I' {."..('.('.i t'cet. lt,lS'J stiuaro in a Iret.they were enalilcil to creel a "mnusterial house, pri laiieally cillcd a p;i rsonaiic Iv lipsiiiL;- in a I'ew yen's the other ministers of the town, llunliniiton, Lathrop, Me!xei'ptiou (o the rule. (hat. "a prophet, is not with- ciii honor, save in his own house." tor when an admirer WiMiid (as (he story tclls^ llatter i>ne of his aunts hy (Hilo- u:i/inu' him (o her. (Iu> person was answered: " 1 know all thai; th(> devil never employs a fool to do his business.'' "How l"oreii>le are riuht words." Ilavinu' seen the Tsalnis iunored and t"<>rsaken east ot" (ho river ('oimecticut. we now trace their history hrielly oudie \"erinon( side. 1 use (he word I'salms as a eoeirieieu(. of the lypc of l'iTshy(erianism which settled liOiulonderry in l.l'.>. ,\ loim", lierce controvirsy existed hetweeu New \erk and New ll;impshire as to (he sov.M'cimdy of (he (ireen mountain rcLiion. This was amieahly adjustetj in 1 Till >, and in IT'.H Vermont was admitted ti> ("ellowship anioiiir the I'niteil States. Lom;- before (his, however, iVshytt-riaus settled in iJarnot and Uyogate. In 1775 21 P i I m 322 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM Barnet began to be settled by emigrants from Scotland, ■Nvho soon composed the great majority of the inhabitants. The Rev. John \Vithersi)oun, on Sei)teniber !Sth, ITGo, he- came owner by charter from New Hampshire of 28,000 acres of land in Vermont on the Connc'clieut river. Com- panies were formed. Gen. James ^\'hitelaw, an emigrant sent out as tlieir agent, purchased in 1773 a large body of land ibr the '' Scots-American Com})any," of Kfmfrewsliirc, composed of 140 families, most of whom were farmers. It hap])ened in tiiis way. Providentially meeting Whitelaw in Philadelphiji, on his arrival, May 24th, 1773, Dr. Withe i- spo(m said that if he (and David Allen) could not suit themselves better, he would sell to them. After hxjking around for five months, they bought from him. This pur- chase embraced the south half of Ryegate. It was ol)tained from Dr. Witherspoon at *' three shillings York money" per acre. Col. Alexander Harvey was another emigrant from Scotland, sent out as the agent of " The Farmers' Company, of Perthshire and Sterlinpishire," to j)urchas(! land for them. In 1774 he })urchased 7,000 acres in the southwest iKirt of Barnet, the price being fourteen })enco sterling (about twenty-five cents) an acre. The emigrants from Scothmd in these two towns were distinguished for religious knowledge, being well acquainted with tiie lluly Scriptures. Tliey daily observed tlie worship of (Jod in their families, making their numerous hill-tops resonant with " Dundee and plaintive martyrs " in the use of "Tlio.se strains that once did sweet in Zion glide." They were careful to bring up their children "in tlio nurture and admonition of the Lord." They strictly sanctified the Sabbath and loved the house of God. Feeling the Avant of the public ordinances of reli<;i()ii. they made strenuous endeavors, ))efore and during the revolutionary war, to obtain them, and after repeat(Ml ef forts they succeeded, lieibre; tiie war, during and after it, several clergymen, most of whom were Presbyterians, came and preached in these two towns. Dr. Witherspoon visited liarnet and Ryegate two or three times, and preached and ba])tized The lirst visit vfaa probably in 1775, and in 1782 he returned, when he IN NEW ENGLAND. 323 md, .uts. Joiu- :rant iy of siilve, s. U itclaw itlirv- >t Buit is pvAv- )t'cun<'d umcy " ui'firant s in the iiiv; \\\c Holy rode the saddle on wliioli Ids son sat at the battle of Ger- mantown, and which Ijore the mark ot" the ball which killed him. As these enniirants purchased lart^e tracts of land in the county, had llourishinir settlements in liarnet and Ryeffate, and were distinuuishcd for their intelliirence, integrity, enterprise, industry and jjatriotism, as well as for their religious character, the county was called by the ancient Roman name of Scotland — "Oaledonia." County buildings, u courtdiouse and jail, wen; erected in due time, but for nearly half a century the latti'r of these especially did little else than protect the sheep as a ]>lace of shade on hot sunnner days. As they " glorihed CJod in tlie highest," so they " on earth " maintained " peace and good will to- ward men." Hence, among them for a generation or two crime was but little known. They " lived quiet and peaceable lives in godliness and honesty."' In 1775 the Rev. Thomas Clark, of Salem, N. Y., ])reached in these towns, and re- turned two or throe times. The Rev. Robert Annan, when pastor in Boston, preached to them in 1784 and in 1785 — his brother David also in 1785. The Rev. John Houston, of Bedford, N. 11., visited them in 1785, returned in 1787, and remained a year. In 1780 the town of Barnet voted unanimously "to choose the Presbyterian form of religious worship, founded U])on the word of (lod, as expressed in the Confession of Faith, Catechisms, Larger and Shorter, with the form of Presbyterian church government agreed upon by the Assembly of divines at Westminster, and I)raetised by the Church of Scotland." In 1787 the town and church of Barnet sent a joint peti- tion to the Associate Presbyterian Synod of Scotland for a minister, offering to pay the ex])ense of his passage to this country. They were directed to a])ply to the Associate Presbvterv of Pennsvlvania. Thev did so, and the Rev. Thomas Beveridge came and ])rcached in 1789, and re- turned in 1790. The Rev. David Goodwillie, in conse- quence of an a])])lication to the same Presbytery, came in tlio autunm, and continued his ministrations in '»i)rn ,t and Ryegate until February, 1700, in which year l.e was unanimously called to be their ])astor, Ryegate receiving one-sixth i)art of his olBcial labors. In September, 1790, he returned, and was aettled as the minister of the town « •' • ■ mm^ 324 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIAXISM !■! of Rarnct and pastor of the chuvcli. In 1707 a mceting- liouse frame was erected at Rve^ate Corner. It was the first in the town, but was not finished till LSOO. We see that Ryegate was to receive only one-sixth of the lal)()rs of the pastor. The reason appears to have l)een that a new clement of Pr(>sl)yterianisni had heen introduced. The RciV. \\'illiam Gibson, of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, had visited them and become a cnndidate for the ministry of the town and pastorate of the church ; conse- quently, on July 2Uth, 17iH), a meeting was cidled "to see if they will settle the Rev. Mr. Gibson as their town min- ister — or make a])i)lication to any other Piesbytery to furnish them with one."' "Adjourned till September 3d, then till December 8d, 179'), when th(!y voted — 33 for, and 13 against it. On December lOth the conmiittee rejjorted to the town me(>ting that the Rev. William (Jibson will settle with them.'' There were then in Ryegate (58 polls, 5 clocks, 90 scholars in their two schools, and the town valuation was S(),71().85. To these 13, out of 40, and those whom they represented the Rev. Mr. Goodwillie gave the one-sixth of his labor. In common with all frontier towns, these pioneers were not only at times alarmed by the Indians, but their lives and substance were often endangered by wolves and bears, which, being "very numerous, were not so easy to subdue." Another matter may be here noticed — the endurance which it required in winter to attend j)ul)lic worshi]). The modern fair weather worshipper, with his furs, seated on a cushion in an audience chamber, warmed up artificially to 65° or 70^, while the thermometer may be near zero without, can but ver}' inqoerfectly comprehend what was endured by the Calvinists of New England (Congregation- alists and Presley terians alike) in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. To show this, I quote from a sermon " preached in Townscnd, Mass., on October 10th, 1870, by Rev. G, H. Morss, acting Pastor." " The only meetings enjoyed by the fathers in the early days of the church were the two services of the Sabbath. " The public services were enlivened and spiritualized by the singing of the Psalms of David." The Bay State version was reluctantly exchanged by some congregations IN NEW ENGLAND. 325 t\ie see Dors at a >nan r the [)nse- ,() see iiiin- ry to 2r 3d, r, and ^)uvte(l in wil} )oUs, 5 town 1 those ive the ys were 4r hves es and easy to llurance p. The lated oil iiicuiUy ■iir zero Kit was icgatlon- th and scrniou 870, i)y ineethvjs church itualizPt^ jay Btate j-egations only after tlio Pvevohition. It was nsod in Townscnd eliurch till 177<>. The intermission hctween service was usually spent in the meeting-house, or in some of tin) houses near iiy, or in what were known as " tSahha day " or noon houses. In these they enf^aiied in private discus- sions of tiie topics of the morninu's discourse, or Scrijituro reading, or in the personal reading and study of God's word. These houses consisted of four rooms, ten or twelve feet square, with a fire-phice in each room. They were gen- erally huilt at the expense of four or more i)ersons, to be occupied only on the Sabbath by their families or such guests as they invited to join wdth them. Dry fuel Avas kept ready for kindling hre, and usually a barrel of cider for each family was j)laced in the cellar. On the morning of the Sabbath, in cold weather, the owner of each room dej^osited in his saddle-bags the neces- sary refreshment for himself and family, and took an early- start for the sanctuar}'. He lirst called at his noon house, built a fire, deposited his luncheon, warmed himself and family, and at the hour they were all ready to sally forth and to shiver in the cc)ld during the morning service in the house of worship. "At noon they returned to their noon house, with invited friends, where a warm room received, them. The saddle-bags were now brought forth and their contents discharged on the table, of which all partook a little." Then each in turn drank from the pitcher or mugs of cider, which had been brought from the cellar. This service being jx'rfornied and thanks returned, the remaining time was s})ent in reading notes and discussing the morning sermon, a cha])ter from the Bible, or from some other book of a religious character; not unfrequently ])rayer was offered before retiring to the sanctuary for the afternoon worship. At the close of the services of the afternoon, if the weather was scvxTely cold, the family re- turned to the noon house to warm themselves before going home. The fires were then extinguished, the saddle-bags gathered up, the house loeked and all returned to their home. "One of these houses still remains in 1870, on the north side of the (Common (in Townscnd, Mass.), owned and occupied by Miss Hannah Seaver." The invention of Dr. Clarke (stoves jj p. 22, Vol. I., came very slowly into 326 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM !| 1 rr: i:l-| ^m i' use. In Rycp^atc, at a meeting called on INfarch 20tli, 1S12, the third item of business was "to see it' tlio proi)rietors will agree to have a stove put u]) in the meeting-house." The conscientious perseverance ot" such persons, in order to enjoy their gospel privileges in Avinter, we can hardly imitate so far as to reasonal)ly appreciate. Tliey "endured as seeing liim who is invisible," saying, " Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house." J3etween these two towns, in the proportion above named, the Rev. Mr. Goodwillie, for above twenty years, laljored. Both congregations, with an outgrowth into the town of Peachain, adjoining on the west, up till the end of this quarter of a century (in 1818), continued consistent with their vows. And notwithstanding the sterility of tiie soil, the ruggedness of the surface of the country and their long winters, as a people they prospered. In common with the usages by wluch they were surrounded, they "voted, jNIarch 9th, 1813, that the select men deed the seats of the meeting-house to the proprietors thereof." Thus this Scotch " people dwelt alone," engaged in agri- cultural i)ursuits, promoting education, sustaining the ordinances of religion ; sanctifying the Sabbath ; the hills and forests not unfrequently resounding (when in prox- imity to " the dwellings of the rigliteous ") as the morning and evening sacrifice of praise ascended. While the remaining exercises of family worship, viz., reading the Scriptures and prayer, were still general throughout New England, the observer, standing on tiio sunnnit of Mount Washington, on a May morning or summer's evening, with an ear cai)able of hearing every human intonation within the bounds, could not, it is probable (with one exception) listen to " the voice of re- joicing and salvation in the tabernacles of the righteous." The exception noticed was the Bells and others of London- derry, who, in their generation, not finding the "imita- tions " suitable for promoting the glory of God (at least) in fjimily worship, and viewing them as too vapid for "godly edifying," continued, while health and strength remained with them, to use, in their households, tlic Psalms in the Presbyterian version.* Beyond this, from * In an observation of nearly fifty years, I have found but about twelve families, wh ^ sang anything to God, as worshippers, who did not use the Psalms. IN NEW ENGLAND. 327 .812, L'tors 0." ivder vvresl)yterial order, if not, as alone, of Divine authority, at least as the best expedient. On October 9th, 1805, they ordained and installed ]\Ir. Samuel Harris in Windham, which church had been then vacant for twelve years ; the Kev. Ephraim Bradford at New Boston, on February 2Gth, 180G; the Rev. John M. A\'hiton, on September 26th, 18US, at Antrim. "In Mansfield, Tolland county, Conn., a minority of the church, together with tlie bulk of tho congregation under the ministry of the Ivcv. John Sherman (171)7 to 1805), went over with him to Unitarianism. "A majority of the membership of the church, however, held on to 'the faith,' and by a formal vote changed their ecclesiastical organization to the Presbyterian order, upon the ground of its more scriptural character. This form of govi'rnment continued for many years. The last ruling elders were ordained in 1833. Since their death or re- moval, conniiittees have occupied in their places, although there has never been any direct vote of the church to return to Congregationalism." (J/. S. Inf. Ecd. Hist. Ct., pp. 2()0, 419.) "To Presbyterianism, as an expedient, the second church in Cornwall, Litchfield county, Conn., came about 1790, by members seceding from the first church, and denominating themselves 'Strict Congregationalists, or Separatists.' The Rev. John Cornwall, their pastor, was a member of the Presbytery of ^lorris County, N. J., and united with others in 1791 in forming the Associated Westchester Presbytery. The congregation continued its relation to that Presbytery until the year 1807, when its dill'erences with the first church were composed, and it was dismissed to the North Association of the county." {MS. Records, pp. 1, 7, 85 and 131.) "This church is now prosperous." {^Eccl. Hist. Ct.y p. 449.) -"} I 328 HISTORY or PRESBYTERIANISM " The Presbyterian concroiratior* which liavc boon formed more recently in Connecticut hv mi composed larfidv ol" persons helon^dng original!' rcsljyterian churches in the Middle States, or hav . across the sea. Three of these have ceased to e tud a fourth has joined another ecclesiastical body. In 1809 the congregation of Litchfield was organized. The Rev. Nathaniel Kennedy was settled there as i)asti)r on April 12th, and in 1812 he was dismissed. On So|)teiii- ber 28th, 1814, the Rev. Gardner Perrv was ordained and installed in Bradford. On October 18th, 1818, the Rev. S. Taggart was dismissed from Colcraine. He had been, even •while pastor, a member of Congress for fourteen years, and annually read the Bible through in Washington. Among the "divers and strange; doctrines" which have captivated individuals, "ever learning and never al)le to come to the knowledge of the truth," wearing the Pri^sby- terian name, are the reveries of Ennnanuel .Swedcnborg. These a Mr. Worcester began to promulgate in Boston in 1818. After fulfilling a faithful ministry in the west parish of Londonderry for thirty-five years, the Rev. Wm. ^Morrison died, on jNIarch 9th, 1818, at the age of seventy. His lite was consistent and his death trium])hant. The Rev. Solomon Moore died at New Boston on May 2Sth, 1803. The Rev. Moses Baldwin, who. as far back as 1774, was instrumental in introducing the "Imitations" into the Boston Presbytery, had continued to act as pastor in Palmer ever since, and was dismissed from that town on June 19th, 1811. As an inevitable conse([U(;nce, that con- gregation became forthwith a Congi-i'.i;itional "society," carrying with it the Presbyterian cliui'cii property. In 1807, we find some traces of the (irafton PresbytiTv. On October 29th, a committee of that body licensed Mr. J-Cdward L. Parker to ])reacli the gospel. His license was signed by John Wheelock, John Smith, Roswell Siiurtleif, President and jH'ofessors in Dartmouth College, and the Rev. James \\'oodward, of Norwich. The first church in the college continued to bo a con- stituent part of said Presbytery until ISIG; but the si)irit of the times then fully overtook it. Congregationalism, abandoning in many ])laces the absolute authority of ■If I UN I'll -mcd i-ches jiued ptom- (.1 l\U(l ivw S. 1, even rs, ami ii liave able to Presby- enborii;. ston ill irisli of lovi'isou Iliri life le llev. 1803. 1 4, was .nto the as tor in town on lu ■;() cietv ,>sbvtovy 1)0 a con- ional IN NEW ENGLAND. 329 Divine revelation for metaphysical tastes and human opin- ion, now with iucrrasin^ vitality controlled ecclesiastical and educational niatU'r.s in tlie land. It must now control this cliurch of the colle;,^'. This was Ibr a tinie resisted, and brouuht on a hitter strife, and, in 1817, those who were "\ their 1810, nd tloc- , 17, wo le right otestant oritative .• writers women M^tencc of iir.i as a litarians Jcrly sys- they are generally arjrccd. This gives a diynity to liim wliicli is a poMibillty of the whole hunutii nice. They hdvc no doynui lOxjiit tJie Ilr4 In ii'in. jxtlr. or th(> first creation of the race — where it was, in Asia or Ainorica; when it was, (»,()l»() years ago or 000,000 years ago; in one pair or one hunnp;rop;:ition.il antaponism re- inforced liy |K)i)ery — Al)l)e In I'oilre (iuvirii!- — I'rsuliiies, tlieir iiiin- iicry — .Swe(ieiili(»rj.Maiusiii — Naliinii i'arUer, .liis. Melletl<,'e, Kev. Jas. iSaltine — The deacon included — I'niitn Clnnrli — Tlif Loudnndernj Pren- bijtenj — ('iiiircii Street IJniircli — Hrazeii shields — lint little cotninereial expansion yet in Hoston — A pastoral letter — A more powertnl sei't — Mixed np with them — Suhdned — An infatuation — Ciphers — ['reserved in standing — The proprietors — Duty pljtin — Episcopal — Advice — The too coMJinon apathy — Ready to change — Naturally drawn to his bene- factors — "Took orders" — Under the Synod of Alhany — No assistance alliinled to the proprietors — House sold — Accessions — Presbytery of Newburyport formed — Six churches — And twelve ministers — For a Reason — Kev. Styles Ely quoted — The fruits of expediency — A con- ventional agreement in l^Ol — Dig., p. oTo — A substitute — This breed — Protests — Honeycoiiroed — This plausible scheme — With increasing readiness — Dana — Williams — The new I'resbytery j>robably niost heterodox — " I'lan of uidon " — Assembly of ISIi? — The nu)ther Pres- bvterv dt cided — The new one dissolved — Rarnet and Kyegate stead- fast—Rev. Wm. (Jibsou— Rev. Jas. Milligan— Rev. J. IM. Beattie— Topsham — Craftsbiiry— A division on the elective franchise — Eflect felt in Ryegate — Rev. I) (Joodwillie in Bariiet — His son Thomas — Rev. Thos. Ferrier in Ryegate — Presbytery of Cambridge, N. Y. — Wm. Pringle — Said Presbytery rent by faction in 1840 — Rev. James Mc.\rthur settled — Associate Presbytery of Vermont constituted in 1810 — How was it that these churches prospered, while others con- tinued merely to exist? — Answered — To supply vacancies recpiired much toil — The demand was met — Mrs. (iray's statement — John Pinkerton, Esq., of Londonderry, wise directions — His tombstone and its contract — The society of Derry lower village — Dr. Morrison suc- ceeded by Dr. Dana — Hayes — Adams — Town meetings opened with prayer — Brainard pastor — Ltmdonderry East, by enactment in 1827, called Derry — Rev. E. L. Parker there — His forte — His advantages — Efliciency of his church — Youth the seed-time of life with him — For them his early working plans — His other forms of labor comprehen- sive — First temperance and Sabbath-school in the State led by him in Derry — Mrs. Agnes Wilson's refusal — The contract impairer. I'.'s last (■(unmiminn in 1S:1"J - His di'|i;irtnrc' ludiapiu' -Many (aiididati's — luvoiiitioiiists liindcivd by tlu' I'ri'shylfrian civil oruaruzation — One or two calls — TKc ctlcr- vcsoi'iicc — Stearns settled — IVace and i;(>od success — lied i'onl and I). Mel Ircf^or— lU'dt'ord less carried away willi winds of doctrine — Kev. 'I'll OS. Savage there in IS'Jli — (^uite ecpial to others — Antrim — Tlie Ivev. J. M. Wiiiton — Twelve rnlinj,' elders— A sncccssfid niinisiry — lMi7 — Windham— Harris— ("alvin Cutler — The days of sorrow in IVterboro— They observed the Lord's Supper as I'resbyterians once annually — In lS2"_'aparl wire fornu'd into a I'resbyterian chin-ch — I'eter Holt — Mr. Pini — Joshua Harrttt — Jas. K. i'rencii- In twcniy years three pa.^lors — A due appreciation necessary — I^ondonderry — Four calls voted — Dr. Dana — His sahiry — First disinis>;d there in nearly a century — i)ana soon pastor in the Second ( hiui'h in New- bnryport — Its history noticed — Calls not unanimous in LondoiuKrry — A. A. Hayes onlaincd by three of each kind .1. K. .\dams ordiiincd by four and three — The odice of rulin;;; elder maintained, with the name — Common sense— Kev. Mr. .\dams — His marriai,'e displeased l)is people, and he resiy;neini,'int,' churches and about ten others — Conj,'ref^ationalism now at ease — l.pis- copalianism and Methodism now increa.sing, and Toiiery liad now three chapeLs in Boston. The history of lliis poriod it is dinieuU to write. The (latM are lew and tlie material is setinty, as tiie reeords of Ijondonderry l*resl)ytery are lost. Not only so, l»iit in lios- toi), where, as a local oruaiii/atioii, it had l>y spoliation, in 1~S(\, ceased to e.xist, it now. when revived, nu't ('on^rei:a- tiontil antaironisni reinforced hy l*o))ery. The nuiss, heads, orirans. caudles, chrism, m;in-millinery, holy water, and extreme unction, were introduced in 17SS, or hefore, ami (luring this period of Unitarian ])rotoplasm amono; the Con^rcL^tiliona lists, I'riest C'heverus, from l^'rance, htid, id'ter IT'.H), made an incriMsinuly favorahle impri'ssion Uj)on the descendants (tf the I'ln'itans. Ills predecessors Jiad hou^ht from Mr. Croswi'lls C\)n,i;re. .— Krv. .1— 'n.o \isti\v — row in jis oiU'c Inirili — l\vei\ly idi'l'i'V — lliiTO in in Niw- niirry — iinlaiiH'il willi llu* ispU'asctl |>;istoi- in u>ini:int,' se— I'-l'is- hiiil now .. The ords »)t' ill 1h)s- tion, in [;, ln'iuls, (•i\ and )\\\ and )i\ 1U)US0" of tlu' They brouglit a fow new "notions" in tho lino (/f instruction for youn;:; women into the once Pui'itan nielrtipolis, and evcMit- uallv established tlieir nunneiv at Sonierville, ^hlssllchu- setts. There they j^nnv, and in IS.'vt (says J)"Arey Me(!eo), "rumors were eireulated of ;i vounti ladv beinu- innnurecl in ;i dumieon of the I'onvent. On Auuust KHh, the iiev. Dr. lU'eeher preached in thrin- ditlert>nt churche.s a.^ainst the institution," and " on Monday, the 11th, tar- barrels were lighted near the house hy u i;roup of ineendi- arii'S, who were joined by a tumultuous crowd from Charlestown and Hoston. Ten adults and sixtv female children were within, and the female who had biH'U tho immediate cause of the exciti'Uient was, bv the anitatiou of the nitfht, in a ravinir delirium. Alter the iirst attack the assailants paused a while, and the uoverness was ena- bled to seeure the retreat of her little tlock anil sisters into {hv ii;arden." Soon after 1 a. m., on the 12th, "tlu; torch was a|)plied to the convent, the bishop's lodu'c. to the farndiouse for- miM'ly occupied as tlu; I'onvent, and to the extensive barn, and tlu! four buildinys were reduced tt) ashes/' These two systems of church polity — I'relacy and ('on«j;rej^ation- alism — wi're now in this ease ))itteil airainst each other. The scene was unjustiliable, eriminal, and disiiraceful on the j)art of the invaders, while it Ibrmed a leeble echo of the demonstration made a<:ainst the Presbyterians in I'arii^ km August L'ltli, IoTl'. Here extremes met. in ISIS, the Ibrces op])osin^ I'reshylerianism in Boston /ere furnished with a new t'on,Lrre fur "the first Calvinist AV 336 HISTORY OF PRKSBYTEUIANISM cliurch in St. Jolins." Returning!; to Mnspnchiipott?! in 1818, and bcinjjj uttaclicd to the Rev. Jiunes Subinc, of th;it town, an Intlejx'ndent Ironi Kn;il;nid, \\v ])er. alcove £800) and come to ^(jston lo continue to be his pastor. Mr. Parker at this time, althoncih a deacon in Park Street Church, thought that a third orthodox (or Trini- tarian (!ongrcgationalist) society was reijuired in the town, and to the erection of a meeting-house on Essex street ho contril)uted thirty-three thousand dollars. " In January, 181t), a Congregational church was gathered in Boylston Hidl, under the ])astoral care of Mr. Sal»ine, who had ar- rived in the })revious July, and tin' house was dedicated in December Ibllowing. Here, within two years, the power of the popular church ])olity became increasingly mani- fested. The deacon being the controlling force, having "loved the nation and (virtually) built the synagogue" (as it was said), founc' he had not the right man to "fill the pews." " DiHicultics resulted in the witlxlrawal of the })astor with the church, as a body, to Jioylstou Hall." ''A minority" of pew-lu»lders (the tleacon included) "con- tinued to worshij) in the Essex street me(>ting-house, the premises being chieily their own property." Mr. Parker was left extensively " alone in bis glory," Avhile the church were too poor, as yet, to build another edilice for that persuasion, which now was obviously un- necessary in the city. On March 28th, 18:22, the deacons, Parker and Mellcdge, with three other male and tivt^ female niendters, were, on their own "request, dismissed from the church in Boylston Hall," and on June 10th, with one from Braintree, three from the Old South and nine from Park Street, beside two from Halifax, ^lass., they were, l)y an ecclesiastical coun- cil, organized as the Uinon Church. Sabine, although a moderate Calvinist, was not yet acfiuainted with Presby- terianism. Being left with his " society " severely alone, and having the whole continent from which to choose as- sociation, they sought fellowship with the Eondonderry Presbytery, and were l)y that court organized as a ehureli on November 2.')d, 182o. Thus, after a jxriod of tliirty- seveii years, this church polity liud again a recognized ex- •wr IN NEW ENGl.AND. 837 lory, lotber ■VC, oil lie two coun- >rrsl)y- ;ilono, lose ns- Itbirty- ted ex- istence in Boston. Xot a little friction attended their operations, when they attomptetl to transmute the species, or rather |)roduce "a Itreed.'' Those who had previously been deacons did not id ways exactly till, even when elected and ordained, the office of rulins in worship, the brazen sldcids of lichoboam instead of the golden ones of Solomon, Avhile more brilliant men occupied the pulpits of tiie Old ^South, Park .Street and Essex Street meeting- hf)uses, they would not do lionor to the mere name. ^\'hile by the force of circumstances Mr. Sabine and his people became Presbyterians, they were not only opposed by the orthodox, but at least partly "chilled off" by the Presbytery. This we see set forth not only in his "Eccle- siastical M(>moirs of Essex Street Religious Society," but from his correspondence. On March l.s'th. 1825, he wrote to the Rev. E. L. Parker: "The troubles of my peoph^ arose from their former con- nection. A meeting and sitting was institute[)ly interested in the ex[)osure of such num as Drs. Oodman and Woods. None of my troubles or of the ciiurch were by me, or them, entailed on the Presbytery; we are guiltless. Yet 1 trust a way will be found out in Avhich they can clear themselves. You may siiew this letter to our moderator, if you pledge me that no advice or intimation of matter in this passes over the limits of our body. To this 1 hold you ])ledged. T should hav(^ st;ited al)ove that Brother Williams, of Salem, and Profiler Parker, of Chester, have exchanged with me, but there ends, thus far, all inter- course with the Presbyterian body. Tlie distance of most of the churches is a bar, others are willing, if opportunity were favorable, but the i)ulpits of our opposers have been decidedly preferred and ours totally neglected. " Jamks Sabine." This statement gives to us a bird's-eye view of the case, and upon it we need not dwell. There was as yet but IN NEW ENGLAND. 839 y a ure by Lll>it ■ii>;j, Our L out c, can tell , us u •e mo, ) cou- iniaixo, 2, Unit at any ive no ,V(K)(ll^. me, or Yet 1 n eleur Aerator, alter in 1 \\oV\ iBrotlH^r "V, have 1 iuter- of most rtunity live been IbiNK. Ithc case, yet but little of commercial expansion in Boston to attract foreicrn rresbyteriaiis, and to obtain an inercasc of numbers from tlu'ir surroundings, anndst intense oi»})osition, was exten- sively im])ossible. Under tlieir trials "tlic love of" some "waxed cold. •\v hi] onlv 1)V 11 similar erueial test can the worrv and "trembHu*: of heart Ibr tlie ark of (lod," which the pastor experienced for years, he known, for '' the heart knoweth his own bitterness," This, for even a few years, he was unable to endure. Hence "a jiastoral letter was addressed to the congre- gation in ]March, 1827, stating tlieir history as a people gatiiered out of the wide world under ])eeuliar circum- stances," But, as "no notice, either good or load, had l)ecn taken of it ft)r two yi>ars, and as he did not know wlu^ther it wrought any spiritual benefit to them or otherwise," so, in April, 182!), he again "stirs up their (inactive, if not) pure minds, by way of rememl)rance." At"ter stating that he was ''crossed and disajipointed," because in comj)etitioii with more inlluential sects, in providing the ordinances of religion lor the in(!reasing population of our city, he and they had been unsuccessful, until he was " overwhelmed with despondency," he says: "The ecclesiastical de- nomination to which we belong is so subihuMl b}' another and more powerful sect, and so mix(Ml np with them, that no hope remains of rei)lenisliing our Society from their nuniliers." This unfolds exactly the relative position of Preshyterianism east of the Connecticut river, or rather in all New England, from generation to generation. It is "subdued by and uiixed up with" Congregationalists. By this stibduing and mixing, "the truth, as it is in Jesus," invariably "gains" much "harm and loss," while, so i)owerful is the infatuation, wherever modern charity prevails, that to see it, reipiires an absolute belief in plen- ary ins[)iration. j\Ir. Sal)ine continues: "lie expected, as was natural, that what was lacking on ilw part of his peo- ))le, owing to the sniallncss of their numbers and tlu- de- l»resst-d state of their means, would be, in some measure, supplied by the sympathy and benevolence of abler churches in our own body, or their rules and ordinances are mere cyphers, only calculated to make up an appear- ance, where the reality is wanting. (Such complicated I [Ifi. lb' i i I u ^40 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISJI trials, so lonpj borne, have at lengtli prostrated my hcaltli and reduced me to a state of (lepression truly afflictive, from which nothing but a change ot" condition, with tlie blessing of God, ciin deliver me." He then states tliut "friendshij) raised u\) in a circle beyond the bounds of his own society, had ])reserved him and his people in stand- ing in the Christian church, and had enaljled them to erect their place of worsiiij)." " The proprietors of tbe house are pledged to the dis- charge of certain ol)ligations, under which the church can- not be brought, and in which case the church, in its present form, can aiford them no assistance." The proprietors were here the incorporated pew-owners, over which, according to Congregational civil statute law (under which they were incorp(n'ated), the then existing Presbyterian church of Boston had no control. Tiie church, that is, the elders and members, rulers and ruled, had no recognized existence in civil law, by which they could hold and enjoy any part of the property obtained. Hence, " the i)roprietors of th(} house are pledged to the discharge of certain obligations, under which the church cannot be brought," and in which, "as a pro])erly organ- ized Presbyterian church, it can afford the pro})rietors no assistance." If the reader will please kee]) this recorded fact in memory, he can clearly see what has signed the death-warrant for Presbyterianism in Congregational New England. " My duty then is plain, nnd that is, to secure the entire apparatus of the church upon a foundation that will pro- vide for its exigencies temporal and s})iritual. Those of you who can go into these measures, cheerfully and with a good conscience, will l)e able to exemj)lify the common principles of our Christian faith ai)art iVom all sectarian- ism. Others of you, not so minded, forbidden by a ten- tier conscience, will lind another way, and no damage will be sustained by either party." His letter presents the too common apathy of the exotic, Presl)yterianism, and its almost hopeless struggle with modern Congregationalism in tiie land of its birth. As Mr. Sabine was trained under and iuto Independency, and not taking Presbyterianism " in the natural way," he was " ready to change." His aid had come from Episco- iiti IN NEW ENGLAND. 341 Ith Lve, tho .hut ' liis ind- 1 to ais- f an- il itri rners, c law isting The ruled, 1 tbcy Lained. to the church ov'f<;an- 0V3 no corded cd tlic al ^^c^v |e entire ;ill pro; lose of lul with ttnnmon jctarian- Iv a ten- Iv^G will Ic exotic, jrle NY ith fndency, Ivay "he Episco- pal friends, while Prcshyterians liad, like the priest and the Levito, "passed l)y on tlio other si(U!." As "that which is natural is first, and afterward that which is spiritual," so, hy relievinLr Idin and liis, when in distress and want, lie was naturally drawn, ccck'siastically, to his benefactors. Consc(picntly, within a year lie "took or- ders" in the Protestant Episcopal church, and it is said a part of the conizreijation went with him. Thus "ended the first lesson" of Presbyterianism in Boston under the Synod of Albany; and thus there, within ninety years, were three churches of that order blotted out. " Tlie jiroprietors of the house" were moored to their " oblii^ations," and the churcli in its tlien i)resenb form, destitute of a pastor, was in no position to atlbrd tliem assistance. They liad forgotten the wise counsel of Jolni Rodgers : " Build not your house too high." Consequently, for a debt of some 88,000 due to the builders, the fine brick edifice of "The First Presbyterian Society, Boston," was, in July, 1834, sold to the Metliodists. About 1824 congregations appear to have been multi- plied by accessions from different towns, which came to Presbytorianism, and, in 1825, out of the Londonderry one, the Presbytery of Newburyport was formed, of course by the authority of the Synod of Albany. In 1828 it em- braced six churches and twelve ministers, including the Rev. Mr. Sabine, Church Street church, and one in Mill- hury. Mass, Why said Presbytery was formed, is matter of conjec- ture. It appears to have received as its " form of sound words," the Westminster Catechism oidy " for substance of doctrine," and the congregations which composed it seemed generally only to have graspetl this form of gov- ernment lor a season, as something tangible and com]iara- tivolv stable. Hence, in 1811, says the Rev. Dr. Ezra Styles Ely (Contrast, pp. 278, 270), '' The Now England ohurches formerly had a confession and system of ecclesi- astical government; ))ut the admission of multitudes, who disregarded those standards, to every jiriviiege and ottice, has finally produced this effect, that few churches acknowl- edge the authority of their ])latforms of governnjcnt, and very few have any government at all. That the Saybrook, B(f M 842 HISTORY OF PREPnYTKRTANISM Cambridge avid Boston platforms slioiild be in many churches disregarded alter the most solemn adojjtion by the original churches of Connecticut and Massaeliuselts, is not wonderful, when we remember that those valuable in- •struments contain the marrow of Calvinism. The llop- Ivinsians, Sabellians, Arians und >Socinians cannot be ex- pected to like them. " When any individual is admitted to the Presbyterian church in the United States, he either ])rofesses, or tacitly consents sincerely to ' receive and ad()i)t the coni'ession of faith of this church, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures,' and 'no ])rrson, who is not fully convinced of the truth of this system, or who is not a Calvinist in sentiment, can conscientiously unite him- self to the Presbyterian church, by assent to its confession of faith. Neither can such a ))erson, without jirevarica- tion, consent to tlie standards of anv Presbvterian coniire- gation in the United States. This should be well undcr- Btood by private Christians and by all the rulers in the household of faith. A confession of faith should be a bond of union ; l)ut it will be of no utility, when ])ersons of con- trary opinions. U])on the fundamental articles of religion, Bul)scribc it. It then only becomes the bond of perpetual discord. " Should teachers and private Christians, scceders from the Calvinism of the reformed churches, continue to enter the Presl)yterian church, the result must ])robably be, that the confession of faith and form of government now (in April, b'Sll ) used with the most hapjn' etl'ect, must Boon, like the Cambridge, Boston and Saybrook platforms, without any re[)eal, be consigned to the garret, there to moulder until the antiquarian shall deem them worthy of a place in his library." I thus quote extensively from this candid author, bo- cause the fruits of expediency were now (in 182S) a]ipear- ing as apples of discord, and ministers nnist, in modern phraseology, settle down in their " athnities." The Pres- byterian church in the United States then reijuired assent to a creed, not so since 18()'.). "In the year 1801 a conventional agreement was en- tered into with the General Association of Connecticut, by the Assen)bly of the Presbyterian church, for tin? ])ur])ose "Y ' "^ ^ f"! ~ ^ M IN NEW ENGLAND. 343 )lV 1>^N here lo i-tby of hor, be- Iniodern le I'rcs- ll assent Iwiis en- liciit, by purpose of prcventinfT alienation, and promoting: harmony in those new settlements which were tiien eomposed uf persons adlierin*,' to botli these bodies." {D'kj.^ p. 57o.) By thia "a standinii; eommittee for the exercise of discipline," chosen by the church, were to take the place as a substi- tute for a constituted session of ordained rulinj; elders in church courts, and from whose "result" no appeal could be taken to a Presbytery, as they were not under the juris- diction of any. Til is " breed " (by the crossinfr of two species) had now grown for one-fourth of a century, and ii\ the face of dis- sents and protests, these "mixed societies" even forced their unordained men into the Assembly as constituent members. (//>.) This body being now honey-combed in governnuMit, it was, of course, proportionably leavened in- creasingly with "seceders from the Calvinism of the Re- formed churches." \\\ such cases, as kSocinianism had now extensively permeated the Congregational societies of iMassachusetts, so this plausible scheme of Joab and Amasa charity, to gratify the lust of numbers, brought members into churches, and congregations into Presby- teries, until many were "defiled by roots of bitterness." With increasing readiness also, Presbyterian churches in New England called ministers of the State order, to occupy with tiiem as their pastors. Thus, when the Rev. Daniel Dana was called to the Presidency of Dartmouth College, in 1820, the Rev. Samuel Porter Williams, a Con- gregationalist, who had in'eviously labored in two churches of tiiat order, was settled, February Sth, 1821, as pastor of the First Presbyterian church in Newbury port. How far pastors and peoi>le in both Presbyteries, had become "seceders from the Calvinism of the Reformed churches" (in the absence of their records), we can but approxi- mately ascertain. It is probabl-:" that the new one em- braced the greatest amount of i- :erodoxy, for, when the "plan of union" of ISOl, was, as an "unnatural and un- constitutional svstem " (7)/^., ]). 710) abrofjated in the As- sembly by a vote of 143 to 110, in 1837, "the Presbytery of Newbury])ort, not being disposed to decide between the two bodies (Old and New Schools) claiming the name and rights of the Assembly of the Presbyterian church, has (says the Rev. I. F. Stearns, in 18-lGj remained separate." •■■•I n I .' ; ■■■ 344 HISTORY OF PRESnYTERIANISM (Cen. Ser., p. 47.) Tliis the mother Presbytery, mneh to lier credit, did not do, and the churches in Newhuryport, always holding the catechism ''for sul)stance ol' doctrine," Koon rejoined her, while tiie other congregations, '• not being disposed " (when in Tresbyterial lorni) "to decide between" the theology ot'tlie Itcv. Albert liarnes and tliat of Princeton, were speedily disintegrated, carrying with them into Congregationalism, whatever ecclesiastical sub- stance they occupied. Thus, the ninth Presbytery in New England in one hundred and ten years (with its predecessors), after an existence of twelve years, floated into oblivion in I808. The Presbytery of Newbury port was formed in 1825. The pretext seemingly was, tiuit as tlie State of Massachu- setts was more influential than that of New Hampshire, she ought to have a Presbytery, and there were now enough of pastors resident in tiie May State for the pur- pose. When constituted by tlie Synod of Albany out of the Presbytery of Londonderry, it consisted of the first church of Newburyport, the church of Salem, of Princeton, Mass.; of Dracut, Milbury and Church Street church, Bos- ton. It continued as a court until the sej)aration of the schools, in 1838, after which it drifted, and by 1847 only the First clmreh in Newburyport retamed the name, in part owing to their arrangements in their civil matters as Presbyterians, and to their experience in the early years of their existence. Again we look west of the river Connecticut, and we find Barnet, Ryegate, Tojisham and Craftsbury steadfast in their profession. Near the end of the last century the Rev. Jos. McKinney, of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, preached in Ryegate, and in 1800 his brother-in-law, the Rev. Wm. (iibson, of the same persuasion, was settled there as town minister. In 1802 they ordained the Rev. Saml. B. Wiley, D. D., in later life a pastor and teacher of high position in Philadel- phia. Until 1815 Mr. Gibson labored faithfully and success- fully in the ministry in Ryegate, and in 1817 he was suc- ceeded by the Rev. James Milligan, D. D. Previously to settlement there he had preached a good while to a peojile in Tunbridge, and a little congregation was there formed. IN NEW ENGLAND. 345 n their '. Jos. ached . Win. s town This wns cruphod out hy rosuscitatin^ tho Conpfrcj^ational- ist society ot'tiiu town. Ho wan then settled ])asl()r (»!' tho con{jjre^ew En tlic church was hoj)cl(^ssly divided. Those who woukl make it not a matter of disci- ])hne hut of forbearance^, were recoj^nized as the conj^ret^a- tion of the General Synod of the Reformed I'reshyterian (Jhureh, or New SciiooL Those who considered it a mattiT of (hity to abstain from tlie us(! of the elective franchise were and are called the Ileformed Presbyterians, or Old School. Soon after Mr. Milli^'an left, tiie New Liiiht division ob- tained an or<;:mization in South Kye^xate, and had (in 185(5) one or two congregations in Caledonia and Orange counties, Vermont. During the pastorate of the Rev. David Goodwillio in the Associate church in Jiarnet from 1790 to 1(), more than four hundred persons were enrolled as members, bo- side more than one hundred and fifty ])rol)ably in Ryegatc, which from 1790 till 1S22 shared one-sixth of his labor. In September, 1826, his son Thomas was installed as his assistant in Barnet, while in 1822 the Rev. Thomas Fcrricr Avas inducted as pastor in Ryegate, which charge he held for live years. In June, 1880, by the Presbytery of Cambridge (N. Y.), Mr. W'illiam, son of the Rev. Alexander Pringle (who was for more than sixty years pastor of tlie Associate congre- gation of Perth, Scotland), was ordained as their pastor, and continued in that ollice till IS.VJ. In 1840 the Presbytery of Cainl)ridge was rent by faction, and from 1840 the Rev. James McArthur ministered one- half of his time in R^'egate, and tlu; other half at SteviMis' village, in Harnet. He resigned these charges in 18r)7. This was well, for it would have taken a much longer time for the wrath, i)rciudice and partisan spirit of man there to " work the righteousness of Clod." Living remote from Cambridge and being prospered as pastoral charges, the ministers and congregations in the State adhering to that Presl)ytery were, on July 10th, 1840, according to the decree of the Associate Synod, constituted the Associate Presbytery of Vermont. It might not be amiss here to ask how it was that these congregations under Milligan, Goodwillie, Pringle, and, others prospered as Presbyterians, while not a few (as noticed) sank into ob- IX \E\V ENGLAND. 347 was lisci- reya- it'uiu uittrr ic\\iso I- Old 111 ob- 1(1 (in )ran;^o 11 io in ), inoro prs, bc- -yo-^ate, ibor. a as bis Fcvrier ^e belli (N. Y.), vbo was coniiro- pastov, faction, :od ono- Stcvons' in IS.')?. lo;er time [Ju tbcro [pored a« lis in tbo T)tb, lS4i\ InstituU'd it iu)t be k-esatious llvion, or, if lioldins tbcir form of nrovrrnmcnt, they merely contiinifd to exist fntin iSlS till l.S-l.'J? One reason obviously was that *' the doctrine of Clod, our Saviour" was to thcni ol' more importance than the "divers and stranire doctrines'' with which Conjrre^'ationalism had Hooded New Knirland. 'I'he Shorter Catechism was inva- rial)ly their " form of sound words." Jiut their |i;rasp of this was strengthened by the us(; of tlic inspired psalms Tiieso as a jiortion of "the word which lias proceeded out of the mouth of Clod," and by which alone man is ever to liv(>, formed a ])art of their daily hr(>ad. Their toil must vary with the seasons, but with them it was as imperative as it was j)leasant to " sbcw forth the lov- in;,' kindiu'ss of (Jod in the inorninLr, and to declare to him bis faithfulness every ni^ht." Like the dwellers oii " West Runnini:; Brook," in I)crry,a century before, they be- gan and ended cacli day with family worship, and by them "the house of (lod" was not "forsaken." "This formed the \ axis of their (daily; mind ; this made tbem steadfast in their good old way U 'P The church in the house " was with ^n-ospercu i into ob- them a power subservient to the purity of doctrine, the fulfilment of daily duties, the ]iatient endurance of toil and trial, the support of ordinances, and the growth of the di- vine life in their souls and the souls of their children. Family worship is set up and maintained only where that "fear of (Jod which is the ix'ginning of wisdom " (^xMsts, while its " fruit is unto Ijoliness and tbo end everlasting life." Households thus trained, with less difliculty than others, " serve their gcneratit)n by the will of (Jod." They abide und(>r the shadow of the Almighty, and "render to Cicsar the things that are his." For all this, the use, the increased uiderstanding, and the spiritual realization of "the glorious jisalms, which have been drop])ed down from an higher ])lane " (Uev. Joseph Cook), not the "en- ticing words of man's wisdom '' in j)oetry can alone avail. h\ some four or five towns of Caledonia and Orleans counties, Vermont, at the end of this (piarter of a century, the Psalms, while they were ignored or consigned to ob- livion in all i)laces elsewhere in New England, Avert; there used as the matter of jiraise to Jehovah. To sup|)ly the congregations named wdien vacant, and to occupy in growing stations, required not a little labor at this point !j .: « . i^; 348 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM SO distant beyond the Green ^Fountains, yet the demand ■was mot. As an item illustrative, I present the statement of Mrs. William Gray, of Kyiinrate, made Oetobcr 'Jl.st, 1876, who was married in 1813, and was "given to hos- pitality:" "I 1. tertained " (here naminf; them) "in sixty- three years tliirty-eifjjht ministers, who all eame from the State of New York and beyond as pastors and supplies to our vacaneies." During the pastorate of the Rev. Wm. Morrison, D. D., the chureh of Londonderry reeeived substantial aid from the estate of Elder John Pinkerton, who died in May, 1816. " He bestowed nine thousand dollars upon each of the two Presbyterian congregations in town for the sup- I)ort of the gosi)el, and thirteen thousand as a fund for the support of an academy." {1\) He wisely directed how his earnings should be used, and of his will so much is transferred to his tomi)stone as shews that so long as the doctrine taught in I'rinceton, N. J., should be inculcated there, so lung suould said funds be enjoyed by that Presbyterian church. To teacli another doctrine would "impair the ol>ligations of the contract; " hence the Londonderry church continued to be Presbyterian, while those "given to change "(some twenty- three members) about 1830, united with forty from East Dcrry, and formed the Congregational " society " in Derry Lower village. (Pert.) Dr. Morrison was succeeded, January loth, 1822, by the Rev. Daniel Dana, I). D., who was called from the presi- dency of Dartmouth College, and on his own recpiest he was released in April, 1826. He was succeeded on June 25th, 1828, by the Rev. Amasa A. Hayes, who died October 2od, 183(1, greatly la- mented. On October oth, 1831, the Rev. John R. Adams was installed, and on his own re(]Uest he was dismissed by the Presl)ytery in September, 1838. In Londonderry the ti»wn n)eetings have always been opened with prayer. 'I'll is was a not unfrequent custom in niany towns when sound doc!trine was maintained and godliness was shewn in New England, although to infidelity now it looks very much like "church and state." The Rev. Timothy G. Brainerd was installed pastor in that church on November 6th, 1840. IN NEW ENGLAND. 349 ,f the L to be vcnty- 1 Kast Dorry hv the issed hy h-vy the prayer, us when ; s\u'\vn )ks very )vein Since 1827 the old or cast town had hccn by lejrisLative enactniont calh'd Dcrri/, and in it the Ki'V. E. L. Parker, who was orchiined and installed on Si'i)tenil)cr 12th, 1810, continued successfully to labor throu;j;li this quarter of a century. His fort was not in th(> teachinv votin;^ Presbyterian property into Conn ibisted into her father's j)ulpit, and soutrht reliirious instruction for her- self and her familv elsewhere, she lived to see not liss than four other occupants in tb(! desk of Federal Street Church — Helknap, in 1787, Popkin, in 17U'.), Channintr, in 1S<.I3, and Gannett, in 1824, when she was eighty -seven years old. Sh(! witnessed at least one other revolution beside that of colonial independence, but of an opposite character- one in which "the Sonof (lod was trodden under foot, the blood of the covenant where\vit!i In; was sanctified (M)unte(l an unholy thing, and desj)ite done mito the Spirit of grace," and all this in " the Irish Presbyterian meeting- IN NEW ENGLAND. 351 He ve a por- and t\uit \d to lie of ;\i(H)l3 tlu'ir I'u^ion kerlon n tlifir irdri at Lisually ,r at an liouse " in the presence of John Little's pew, hy the opera- tion ol" Congregationalism, in the space of thirty-eight years. Durinsxthis period, 1818-1843. several changes in the way of worshij) were introduced in Newbury port, such as not rea(Hng out the hymn, line by line, drojjping, in connection with tlie ol)servance of the Lord's Sui>i)er, tlie week-day meetings, all except the fast on Tuesday, and the "fencing " of the table. Tliis implies that they still sat down at a table, and did not hand the elements around. In tlie Prospect Street (,'hurch, after the usage had been discontinued l»y Mr. Miltimore in the lirst Presbyterian, Mr. Milton, wlio was a foreigner, it is said, continued the ])ractice till his death. Adojiting a course similar to the one pursued by Mr. Murray in the close of his sermon, he wouhl say: ''From our sui>ject we learn who liave and who have not a right to come to this holy table. Suruly they have no right here, who trami)le under thciir feet the blood of the everlasting covenant, and do desjiite to tlif Spirit of grace I do, therefore, solemnly enclose and fence this table; 1 do warn all unregenerated j)ersons not to draw near; I debar all who deny the impu- tation of sin and righteousness, for thev can never have known the jilague of their own hearts, nor the need of righteousness answerable to the demands of tlu; law — all Armmians, for they de]»end on and seek to justify them- selves by their own works — all Antinomians, who ])rofess to receive liim by faith, but in works deny him — all Arians and.Soeinians," etc., etc. Although such exercLses wear a barbaric aspect, not only to those who "live according to the course of this world,"' under modern culture, Imt to all hymn-sing(^rs, yet th(\v were ])otent, under (iod the Spirit, in "warning the unruly and comforting the feeble-minded," while they made those who were "strong in the Lord" "])onder the paths of their feet," as they were about to "take the cup of salvation." The Uev. John Proudfit, D. D., was called from Rutgers College, New Jersey, and installed pastor of the lirst Pres- byterian (church in Xewburyport, on ()ctol)er 4th, 1S27. At this date the elliciency of the means of grace seems to liavo continued, and while, during his ministry, two com- 352 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM munions passod witliout additionp, still his annunl avornsre lor five :m(l one-half vt.'iirs ahout cMiualledthe entire united annual increase ot" his j)redeeess()rs. Parsons had an annual increase a veraj^dn;; ten ; Murray, seven ; Dana, eij^ht ; Wil- liams, fifteen; and Proudtit, thirty-nine. Ills health failed. On July .'Jd, I80I, he sailed for Europe, and was ahsent till January, lartieularly unhappy. An "awakening" ])rodueed by the insli'umentality of nine or more Congregationalist preachers, with their "'exereisc.'' "taste," "substratum," and other "schemes," could hardly^ be supposed to make a church of Presbyterians nioro* "steadlast and innnovable in the work of the Lord.'' Consequently, during two years and a hall', many caiuli- dates were heard. Some ])rofessors were disjjosed to have the church (as in 1741-(1) turned over to Congregation- alism, and were oidy hindered in their revolutionary enter- prise by the parish under its civil organization. One or ' l! W' IN NEW ENGLAND. 353 nited Wil- (1 for [)ulpit ose\)h ced at jecher, rt'land, \ Ibuv- th thi^^ n took twenty- vobabiy ecu uh- the ceil- :ed fi»in )t of Uio tlic pur- ud after a'-wliis- oxereii^e he two cn]]^ wore L'iven. but witliout success. They had to let the etVei'veseence ));ir;s oil". On ?e|)tenil)er Kith, \>>'-V), Mr. Jonutlian F. Stearns was ordained over them. His ministry was faithfully con- ducteil tVom youth to rii)er years with peace and good fjuc(;ess. " In .\pril. l'S2"), the pastoral relation which had sub- sisted between the IJcv. David McGregor and the congre- gation of lledford. N. II., tor above twenty years, was, l>y mutual consent, dissolved l>y Presbvtery. Ilis ministry, it is believed, was greatly blessed." (P.) This church, being formed of descendants of the "Scotch- Irish "' rac(> more extensively than almost any other one in New England (excei»ting I.ondcjnderry and Windham), has been less "carried away with every wind of doctrine," and consequently has vitality as well as "a name to live." Over it the IJev. Thomas Savage was installed on .July oth, 1820, and at tlu' end of this (juarter of a century (1M43) we find him and them "prospering in all things," at h^ast equally with others around them who, as they had done, havi^ abandoned the apjiointed jiurity of Divine worship. Their fust meeting-house served nearly eighty years. A new one was built in 1832. Antrim, X. II.. where the first sermon was preached in September, ITT-"), and wlicr(> the Kev. Walter Little was, from 1801) till iNOh their lu'st pastor, during these twenty- tive years, enjoved the stated ministry of the I{ev. .lohn :M. VVint(»n, D." D. He was ordained Se|)ten)ber 2Hth, 1S()8, and, sui)ported by a session of tw»'lve ruling elders, his ministrv was I'lninentlv successfid. "The year 1S27 was tlistinguished by a rcmarkaltle attention to religion, and resulted in the addition of one hundred pcnsons to liis church." (7*.^ Over Windham — which was incorporated in 174i^ and which had enjoyed the labors successively of the Rev. ^^'m, •lohnston, Ilev. .lolm Kinkead, and the Kev. Simon ^\'il- liams — the IJev. Samuel Harris was ordained in 1805. In 182(5, owing to the failure of his voice, the ])astoral rela- lion was dissolved. He was succeeded, in 1828, by the IJev. Calvin Cutler, who was ordained in Ai)ril, and minis- tereil to this congregation until his deatli, in 1844. Of the days of sorrow and shame in Peterboro, by the 23 ( :i 4 • , i. 354 IIISTOIIY OF rnESRYTERIAXISM In. ^ i'i atrocious mi.'^conduct of Morrison and Annan, avo Imve Bvvn luoro than (Miou^ii. At iho bepiinninL;- of this ccntuiv the "society" a(h)pted Con^r(',i,'ati()nal loi'nis, and voted, that oiK'c; in each year the eonnnunion should be observ('(l in I'resbyterian order Ijy a i'resbyterian niini.>^ter. '"This service was for many years iV-riornied bv the Itev. AVm. Morrison, I). D." ' In 1<^L''2, a i)ortion of the pc'ople, who had n(>ver been ]»leased with the ( 'on^M'eu'atioiial eustoins, and others. wIkj hnd not been (juite at ease under an Ariuiiiian preacher, Avithdrew, and were, on aj){)lication, l\)rn)ed into a I'lcsbv- terian cliurch. In ISii") thev built a nieetin^r-house, and in 1827 the Rev. i'eter Ilolt.was instaUed tlieir pastor, in Marcli, 1H;)0, he resi Rev. Mr. Pine, "who was installi'd the next year, was dismissed in January, 1837. For two years tlie Ui'V. Joshua liarret was stated supply. On March ISth, 1810, tlu; llev. James |{. French "Was ordained their pastor, and he was still olliciatin^' there in 1843. They had tlius in twenty years three pastors and one suj)j)ly — rather too many teachei's for "dly iMJifyinir," yet tiiey shewed a due apj)reciation of the means oij^race, without which no community can lonj; and truly prosper, relifj;i()usly, socially, or civilly. In West Derry, alter tin; death of the Ilev. Dr. Morrison, in 1818, the Rev. Dr. Dana was, with ^^reat nnanimity, elected. Of his salary of seven hundred dollars, one hun- dred were added, by subscri|)tion, to the income of the Pinkerton fund. He was installed on January loth, 1S22. This pastoral relation was, as we have notiee(l, on his re- quest and by their consent (most unwillingly LMV(>n), dis- solved in April, 182(i. This was t\\v first instance of a dis- missal in that (;on^re«];ation since its orjianization. I)f. Dana was so(m aftcn'wards installed pastor of the second Presbyterian church in Newburyport. Over this |)eople in West Derry Mr. Amasa A. Hayes was ordained June 'Joth, 1S28, by some six cleruymui, three of whotn — Bradford, Holt and Savage — belonu'cd to the Presbytery. In a little over two years he had " (in- ished " his pastoral " course," He died on October 23(1, 1830. Mr. John R. Adams was ordained on October 5th^ 1831. If IN NEW K.NGLAND. 355 Of the ?ovpn ininistors who then instnllofl liiin, four bo- lonj^'cfl to tlic rreribytcry, vi/. : Holt, Parker, Savage and JJradford. Jii tliesc con^rcpitioiis it must bu rcnicinbercd that the; onico of rulinu; eUlcr was maintained so h)n<^ as they won^ the Pri'sbytcrian name. In order to it, there must 1)0 rulers and ruled. The common-st'nse of persons trained in Presbyterian families insured this, llenee, us space does not permit, 1 make no mention of the ordina- tion of this class of church rulers. Ordination and in- stallation are implied in the oilice. While a i)art of ''the course" in our '"schools of the prophets " ends oftentimes in the conversion of students tt» a belief in the text, '' It is not <:ood that the man should be alone," and not a few discover the "])li^hted ])nrtners of their future lives," while they fvrc d(>lvin^ into llehrew and theolotry, yet not so with the Rev. Mr. Adams, lie (lid not do even so wise a thinu, but married a Miss McCJrcfror, of Londonderry, in l.S.">2. IJesults seldom vin- dicate the wisdom of such an important step in or near the seminary, and it should bo esj)ecially avoided by a jKistor in his ov.-n couLM-eL'ation, where; a very superior force of character built upon and endx-llished by divine grace can alone conmiand resj)ect and insure usefulness to one amon^ her mere eipials, who has the duties to ])erform connected with one of the most important posi- tions, if not the most important, which woman can occupy on earth. Not only in common with those of other <2;odly mothers should '' her children rise U|) and call her blessed," but by lier influences and daily life, '"her husband" should be '■ known in the gates when lie sitteth among the ciders of the land." It is suppos(!d that his action and experience justified these statements. In Septemher, LSIvS, he resigned, and in October the pastoral relation was dissolved by Presby- tery. Sh. Timothy O. P>rainar{l was ordained on November r)tli, bS4(), and in bSh'i was still the ])astor in Londonderry. We thus lind Presl)yterianism in New England at the end of this (puirter of a century end tracing only the congrega- tions of Barnet, Kyegate, Toi)sham, Peaeham and Crafts- bury, retaining as the matter of praise to God in tlie sane- IP iW uf' ■ 356 HISTORY OP PRKSBYTKRIANISM tuary and in tlioir families, as their fathers did, "the words which the Holy (ihost teachcth in the Psalter,'' and in the use in their churches of " the eiiticinj; words of man's wisdom," which hrouixht "expri'ssivc silence '' into their households, to " mcMlitatc his praise " in the coulm-c- ^ations of Derry, Londonderry, Windham, Litchlield, Am- herst, Peterhoro, Antrim, Bedford, New Market, New lios- ton, with the first and second ones of Ncwhuryport, while })ossibly others continued to retain the name and this form of government. The S3'stem of doctrine, jrovcrnment, discapline and worship restin<; on a ''thus saith the Lord,'' was now so compresswl hy that Iniilt U])on '' (io to, let us," from the Connecticut river to Great Menan, that it was no lonuer felt to be a distinct force in upholding and emhellishiiig the social relations as it had ])een in those days, when the town of Derry ])aid the one-l'ourteenth of the taxes of the entire State. Congregationalism was now al»*ost wholly "at ease in her possessions " in her "native l.,iid." The forces of Protestant Episcopacy and Methodism were how- ever increasing, and Popery had now three chapels in Boston, beside foundations in many other New England cities and towns. ! IN NEW ENGLAND. 357 CHAPTER XIV. 18 13-68 — Marked clianpos appear — Enterprise — Scotland aiid New Eng- land — Watt, Morse — Tlie fartory and its siirroinulin;^s — Thomnun- ville — First company — Worsliippeil at Knfield — Mitchell — A huild- \nfr for school and church — Supplied hy Professors until IS.'JS — Home Missionary society — KHi)rt» to sustain ordinances — All l»ul two for Presbyterian orj^anization — Kev. Dr. Harvey — A }j;o(h1 thing out of Nazareth — Kiglity-two mend)ers — Eirsl Presbyterian Church in Con- necticut, excepting Voluntown — ('ar|)et company built! a house for them — "Customs" and the town of Herkeley men — Old School organ — Instruments — The choir — Above four hundred dollars of the salary moved out — Meetings — A society — An organization asked — (Jranted — KH'ected — "A peculiar people" — Kev. W. McLaren — Tears — Now the scene was reversed — Kev. P. (lordon — A rare class of operatives — Within one year — A i>astor settled — The Carpet company failed — Gordon resigned— Ti»e breaought ilamaged — lit plication — Review — i>ill to hill — Filed- — Waited long — I'rinteil— A sworn oliicial — Never to have been tiled — A contrast -Prohyterians should pray — A shaky thing — The result hchtre the National Court would have been dilleicnt — l)r. Lothrop — I)id not desist — Might '* lay judgment to llie line" — "An unco s(piad " — " lA-ave to withdraw '' — A plea — Oltlained the same consideration and courtesy — This jiioneer church prospered — Preach- ing — Week-day services and the I'ress — l']iglity-six reviews — Mc( ice — Phillips — Asso. Kif )rmed and Tnited Presbyterian — Fall liiver — A high jxisition — Operatives — To them the Associate Presbytery of Albany sent supply — I'haunccy Welister — Kev. II. II. IJlair — 1.S3G — Two elders chosen — Rev. ]>. Oonltm — Associate Presbytery of Nt'W York gave supplies till l.s4i' — I'onnnercial depression of 1837 — Un- able to sustain— Their c;i-e tor five years not known — Kev. J. R. Daks visited them in IShi — Rev. Andrew Johnston organized them as Associate Reformed — No preaclu rs to supply — Kev. Wm. McLaren— liuilt — Every shingle mortgaged — Rev. T. (J. Carver — Called January, 181'J — Kxcliange their house — lJel>t, hopes ami energies increased — Carver preaelu'd "another gospol " — Coidd not save hearers — With- ered rapiiilv — Went intorni ally in lcS4'.> to the Methodist Kpiscoind church — The church in 1S")0 in an encouraging position — Rev. I). A. AVallace — Installed — Energy, diligence and faithlnlness — Perhaps a "pent-up I'tica " — Removed by Prcsbyt»ry to East I'mston in 18')4— Kev. Wm. McLaren installed — .\ ripe scholar — \ superior llel)raist — A ter.«e speaker — His sermons good — .V jiastcu'ate of nearly twelve years — Keasons lor resigning — Kev. J. -K. Kyle installed, June, 181J7 — Progressive sjjirit of the age — Imbued with it — Continued until ISlo—Pn/viihticf — Successful industries — May, 1818, com- menced collecting a church — OHi(Mal acts — Organization August l(iili — Supplies defective — A change of connection — Dr. Skinner — Riv. Jos. SanderM)n — ''Foolish jesting" — Delilah won — A development not of early New England training — Separation came — Rev. Mr. MctJauchy — He deceived them — Returned and made trouble — Left the denomination, but still made strife — Years of confusion — TheV ap|)lied to the Asnociate Keformed Presbytery — Connnittee to inquire — The way not clear — Application renewed in 1857— Committee of A,t m^ IN NEW ENGLAND. 359 inf|iury — Petition not priintod — Rov. A. Thomas — Remodelled — Came to I^acliiiie, tlii'iuc to lidstnn- -Served in I'lovidniiv tor two yearn — Alter till' uiiioii on May 'HUU, ls,'»,S. order was n-stored — Slatonientrt ofa icadtr in tlie clnircli — Tin- vcneralilr iuv. I)r. A. Heron, a liealer ol' tlu'ir divisions !)((•( inlitr "itli, ls">'.». Mr. Jolin ('. ll(»lili cnliid — C)rdainfd and insialicd April li7lli, 1S(»(» — i)isnii>sid liy I'rtshytery January U'Jtl, 1871 — I'ri'sltytory eonstitnled in ISVI— Twfnty-one ministers l)(.don;;('iir worship Ih^juii — Dcei-mher Isl — Organize*! — (Jordori ealltd — \'ain talkinj; — A rural home — I'nder eonllictin;; wmsirainls he returned the call, went to Ausiraliii and returned — W. McMillan — llis sense of otHcial duly detictivt — An illustration — He lelt— No condensed spiritual vitality atlainaltle — Tendency of events — A. ( '. Junkin — Coinniercial doj)res- sion in IK07 — Released — "Owinjj to the times" — No other settlement before IStJS — 7ffH»/i»n — Supplies — One man— Removed — I)iseontinued — Il'ilynkr — Supplied ahove a year— Trans atlantic leelitiK ot" sect split them, and Holyoke was dis( (intinued — Kttsl Jionltni — Noddle — In l.S-t7 active industry there— The wits — April, l^'»'A, a station — Rev. I). A. Wallace in lH"t4 pastor — Attentive — His theidoyy of New flnuland — Encomium — IS")') a hoiisu in hiuidin^i — Opt-ned — Chosen to l)e I'residL'iit of Monmoinh ( 'olh-ye— Leaves — Rev. H. H. John- ston — He was jjiven to chan;,'e — Took the property away trom the Associate Retonued church— iKstroyed much poo — They and the I'orMur iVayiuents unite — ( Jrtraiiized — Rev. (i. M.Hall installed April 17tli, iSi)."). till Hecendier liilih, 1>«)7 — Lawnuicf—lu IS."):} in- corporated — The"scuil" — How coiinnenceil — A. Mt-Williams — Retail on Jidy 'Jil, 1S">1 — Rev. S. !•'. 'llionipson pa>lor I'rom Auiiusl 7th, is.").'), till .January 2!)tii, 1S")7 — ronimeieial de|)res»jion — .la-. Dinsmore from Octoher ISth, ]S')'J, till September loth, iMi:}— Their religions interests now sud'ered, and I'reshyttiy ilis.-olved the coiii;re;jation — Jlnrt/orH, C'onnectieut — Supplied after Kehrunry 2M, iN'Jli— Organi- zation ninety-four persons on May (ith — Rev. W. M. ('Iayl)auf,di in- stalled April 30tli, IStJo— Resigned .lainiary Slh, 1S»>.")— Rev. J. M. Heron installed Jamiary 17th, IStJli — Hy fever lo.st his voice — Rela- tion lernnnaled December yist, ISO" — .V(<«//i 7/ii.s,Mejiation I'resbyterian — The pastor's choice — Deviates — Families — Di-votion iti them— Ditlerent in the church — Daua saw a Psalter in the pulpit — .\ndovtT to te.ach the New Kng- laiid primer — L'haiiires of |»astors — 'J'lie pulpit losing,' eHiciency — Causes — Hood — Ap|)endix — Hearers of four classes— A modern inno- vation — Charles II. — Pilgrims — Edwards — Watts — Modes — Antrim — Two ministers — Dr. Whiton genial — Rev. Mr. liate.s — His organ and 360 IIISTOIIY OP PRESnYTKllIANI.SM revival — It ahaforl — Ili^ doatli — WtndlnDn — llcv. I.ann Tli.iypr — Faithful — IIi-< ministrv — /)V'//>*n/ — Ht-y. Tlio-;. Snvn^c — A Imit; |i,m. torale — I'rfnhnni — Kt-v. .). K. Frciu'li disniisscii in IS I7-- Itrv. A. J^aiiil) ordairu'ti .Inly i4tli, lSt7 — 170 — A iiiiiiilKr wi'iv disiiiisini liv letter in IS'il — iMirnied a ('(in>;ri'j;alional " Hdricty " — Lanili disniis^i II in 18')U — lioll down to sixty-scviii, and no ]>:\Mi>r -SivlmnjpDit — DiiriiiK this (iiiartiT both conj^n-Kations enjoy ordinanci-H — First (■Inirch — Kev. J. F. Stearnn — lli« early history — Ordained Se|itendH r llitli, 183") — After years aeeepted a call to Newark, N. J. — iJiv. Jus. (iallaher a )«ii})|)ly— Rev. A. (r. V'erniilyea — May 1st, iS'iO— He, as well as Dr. Stearns, was a faithfid i)a-.t(ir — Increase— (Vntiiinial coinnieniorations — |{uildin>? rededieated — Dr. I)ana " snyyrsled a tt w tlioiights as to the proper manner of preaching and hearin>; the j^o-- pel " — Siieeeeded hy other previous pa>tors — Pr(pudtit looUini,' at tliu tornl) of Whitefield, said: '"Aineriea well entitleer 22d, lS(i8 — husl Huston — We have seen the origin of this church bv Rev. J I. II. Johnston anil a societv in 1858 — Tin; Kev. T. N. Haskell settled December \k\, ISb'i— This new mail comitig to Presbyterianism gathered some new people — ^How eHicitiii he was as a pastor we know not, but he resigned on October "Jod, ISOtj — The Rev. M. \. Dei)Ue was installed on .Inly 11th, lS(i7, and n- signed July I'Jth, IStj'J — lioMnn in-npcr—'Vhc Kev. A. S. Muirarriv.d December D, ISoM — He was intensily Scotch, even to the I'salins and paraphrases — Man n)illinery — " He received " a call, but many |iersoiis lost confidence in him; it was not unanimous, and he went to Scot- land — The ordination of elders by him, the Presbytery of Halifay d>- clared to be unauthorized, irregular and void — A youjig man, Ross, supplied a year — The audience dwindled — In June, 1856, congrcga- 1 IN NEW ENOLAND. 361 linn voted to iinito with tlio Pro^hvtorv of Montroal — Ctoml siipplitw jrivrn— The lU'V. Wm. Mcl^aivti ciiIUmI .Inly 'J^d, ls:.7 — K.'v. Mr. McLanMi was iiistalU'il mid rt'iiiaiiicd till Nnvfiiilii r "JSili. iS'tS Tia- spirit i»r till' tiiiiiM now aitiiatiii« tliis |if(i|iK', and llu'v miihi liavi' a Kailocli or a Stont — Tlii-y iiniti' lU'ceiidiiT 1st, l.S')S, willi I.oinlondirrv I'n sliyti ry — licv. havid .Mas^'ill invitfd - lit- put away '■ Uoiisf" — Installed over a society on .lidy 1 llli, IS.",}), and on Mareii 'Jiltli, 1S()(), his chnnli was or;:ani/.«'d hy the install.ition ol'two chh-rH — IkMch strt'ot clinrth hout^lit 1 ticcnilur, l.S.'iH — lint lucould not raise till' money and rtsiu'ned and preachid his last sernioti lliore on Si-p- i.nditT Mill, ISC.I — Till' KfV. 11. M. I'ainlir snpplitd a part ol ISd'J — ill V. it. A. l)iL;iiiey .ils.i till OctoiRr U.iil, \»(]\ fnited then with Oak s r»'et ('on;;rei;ational <'lnireli. and liev. Mr. I'ixhy eaine with IM) nuinlier», and wm> pa-tor till (K-tohcr 1st, l.sHt! — They were then Mippiii'tl Inr two vrars — '['linmiw»irHh\ (t. — 'I'ln iniddh- ot' the ii'ntnry — Lalior savin;; niaeliintry— I'll enlerprisi — Scotland and New V.\\\i- land e.xttnsivtiy coven d with laetories — iJr. l>onis (. larke- Watt and Morse — Whitney — .Vronnd the lai-lory a villaue must spring up — Thoinpsiinvillc in ls2S--( 'arpct company — I, ahor, skill and int«'«rity — An a>,'ent 'cnt to Scotland — First company religions, and appreciatetl the uieanH of ^niee — Anarehy and despotism — The IJev. .Mr. Kohhinn in Knlicld — In 1>>:>1, .Mr. .Mitcliill, a Scotchman— In iSIil a hniltlintr — I'lolt ssors -.npplicd them till ISMS — .\ppiied lor aid-.\nd rc'hised -Kedouliiiil tluir etilirts- l)r. ilarvey now jireaclied to them — They wonld not adopt liis polity — All lint two lor rre^hyitriatdsm — ()ry'ani- zation — Kij,dity-two enrolled — This the lirst exeepliny Vuhintown— House hnill liy ihe company- They c sftid of /Acy) llliwr — ()ri,'ani/.i'd in IS.V; — iSlmnford orKanizi'il Filiriiary litllli, IS."»;> — Its Pastors— />Vi(/(/(y)(/)/ Ocloiii-r KUii, l.S.");5 — lOijilitytwo willidrtnv — Ktci'ivi'd l»y I'ri'siiytiry ut'Ni'W Y(trk — [)r. Ihwilt — Hinsdale his associati — Clniroli didicainl An^Mist Hill, IS").')- Iliinit — Kfliuill — Novciiihcr Itli, \H{')'.\—l>(irlni — Its lirst pastor inslalird Manli 4lli, ISdt— In ollice in lSt;S-lii J{ri
  • orl — A (iiriiian I'lTshyti-rian iluircli organizi'd in iStio — In a fi'W vi-arsiliHiiiissid to join the ( iorniaii Kel'onued — yeuliuslon — ICtv. K. IJ. Allen was calli'ii in l8o;{. P<1 As, (Inrinj:: tin* last <]ii!irtor of ;i rontury, the doctrino, ^..vcrmncnt, nnd iiriiicii)lt"S (cxrojitin;!; the force of chiir- uoter tmnsmissilile through them from one jieiu^rntioii to another, by tlu; coiumoii laws of our nature), which made ohl Derry, for ahove ii ecnttiry, a praise timonj^' the (•hureheH, were fading, so, during this one, they passed into oblivion. The " inod(^l pastor." the Kcv. Edward T.utwyehe Par- ker, ordained Scptcinlier Tith, ISIO, was on Salilitith, July 14th, 1851), ealled to his reward. In viewing his congre- gation he liad reason to rejoiei'. It contained nearly tour liundred families. Tlieir "good order, intelligence, solid religious character, harmony, 8teady jtrognss, and the ' luimher of youth they educated anil sent t'orth to useful jind honorahh^ stations, were hardly excelled by any other town in New lOngland." On the 17th, amidst sorrowing thousands, hi.s remains were deposited with the dust of his live ecchvijwtictd pre- decessors. The Presbytery supi)o:»e(l that they stood in a relation and had duty to jxM-fonu to this old mother church of "th(» oppressed Irish brethren," and were soon duly notified. JUit they found that she had hiken counsel "in the plain of Ono," and renomieed tliwir authority. About ]7*to. at tl;e settlement of .\ir. llrown, " the indi- viduals who oppos(>d ■' rresbylerianipm withdrew, "and Were incorporated iks ji Congregational society." " In \H{)\) each society modilied some of it^ peculiarities in resijcct to church government," to a kind of'' hidl-and- lialf," and were by an act of the legislature incorporated WW IF IN NEW ENGLAND. 3G3 as tho" First Parish of Tiondondcrrv." And now, altliouudi eleven rulinu' elders were olliejally in cliar^'e (»!" the eliureli, as was sup|ti.sed, under I'resWytery, yel they relused alle- giance to the court, which was confronted hy the Kev. I'rof. Park from Andover, who sent to them and had set- tled over them one of his students, the Kev. .1. W. Well- man. As has been noticed, they having; existed as a I'reshyterian (dnircli for l.'JO years, wero now shunted oil" on the tlu'oloMrieal schemes, usages and customs of New England — Irlmhod. At the heginning of tliis quarter of a century, the Rev. Timothv G. Hrainard was pastor in Linulondfrri/. Ho faithfully occupied the position till April ■_'")th. In")'), and was. on October 7th. ISoT. succeeded hy the Ivev. William House, whom we find in the pastorate there in iSliS. Its (h'st pastor was so "steadfast in the faith," that, not ])y a governor, a |>resident, trustees. minist<'rs, nor hy tho rash itself, could he he induced to remove to tlu* liynni au earth, l)Ut he is "our minister " while he can say " I " dwell among my own people, So it was with th(^ Ilev. David >h'(iregor and his congregation. The sanie was true of their second pastor, so long as he (lid not deviate from his ordination vows. P>ut when he not oidy le(l his Presl)ytery into a ''coalescence'' with those who hatl only come to i'rcshyterianism as an expe- dient; hut also, in IT'.Hi, to his Syno('i attempted to vindi- cate the conduct ol' his co-|ireshyters, stating, that ex- pediency should outweigh the duty of going up to the a.-sendiled elders alter apostolic example, his ndnisti'rial etlieiency was n..i inercaseil, and while the llame of di\ inc t^oiig still ascemled morning and evening from "the dwell- ings of the righteous "' undt-r his charge, he and his Hock became increasingly assimihitcd to their surroundings. iri! nr,i HISTORY or PIlKSnYTKUIANISM ir Um'V snn;^ as fiiniilifs at all, after tlic manner (if tlnir lorcl'atlicrs at " W'rst Kimniiijr-i»ro()k/' it must lie in IIk; sauM! wonls, lor " imitations" anil iniiiis|»ir<astoral relation. Jlence, we see that thi' lirst two (the i'resityterian ) pas- torates, e.x tend inir fi'om 17.'>()till l.slS, were lon;/er in dura- lion than the last six, from ISJ'J till 1S7'.), hy ;i (pmrter of a centtuT, while the years, in which this chinch was with- out a pastor hefon; the settlement of the iti'V. William Morrison, were six, and from his death till this date, l.S!Sl, \\v. iind seventeen years ol destitution. of all reli^Mous instrumentalities, the piil|iit has ^'ained tho li'ast in elliciency in the last lifty years, not hecaiiscj faithful, as well as ^rrandilofpient, men lia---e not occupied it, hut perchance, from th<' ell'ei-ts produced upon llie family as the trdiiiiiiii-plnn' for those \vh(» ou;.dit to attend to the preaching of tin; word " with flili^'ence, preparation and pray«'r. I'nder the old rreshvt<'rian, or earlv N eu' I'aiidaiid stvle, hearers vastlv more e\teiisivil\- received tl le word |>rea( •hed with dili;.^encc, with preparation, with faith, with l(»ve, with readiness of mind, and searched tlx; Scriptures daily whether those thiiejs were this Tl lereloie many ot hem lie||e\e(| so." .Mark As the jlev Dr. Tinjothy l)wi;.iht informs us, '• for ahove seventy y<'ars, the time was onc,«! in New Mn;^land, that few persons caiiio to the yearH of undt^rstandiu}^ without professing their IN NEW EXfiLAND. 365 faitli in (!liri.st Jcsiis." That was in 'tlic (lays of the (atcchisin," wIhm tin- niutlicrs wen' tlic IcaclnTS, aixl wlirii the llililc was r('aicj intoiiiis n«;. san;^ tin- llnnU •»!' I'salnis throu^di as uHcii uh "hix times in ji yrar,'" in lioustliold worsliip. Tlir inndcrn '' ndnn th«; "rock "and aniiiir mikI slnihrul wav of prcacliiiii^." "TIk; ril^M-im Fathers " 'icvcr rcatl llicjr smnitns. \\f first hear of it in New lvi^'lanS, ap.il " altlioii;:li JOduanls read his Sfniioiis, he livtti <|t(|ily to rc^irct it, and to Itcar his ti'stimony a^^ainst the uht»h' |ira('ticc nf th«' Htcral reading of a scnnon lully written nut.'' " l\v lool<('(i upon usin^ liis notes as ur,s, tlioiiudi read even with eorreetn<'Ss, it nniy in some denjic,. resemhh' spealsin*;, hut, the resenddanee at hest. is taint and (hstant ; the tone is not the natin*al sound of our or^^ans of speech; it is still, that which we mujuirnl wluu We were learinnj^ to read, and savors of coldness and lau- j^uor. When such a man would reprove sinni'rs, he only rrdil-^ to them a chidin;,'; when he would pluek them as brands from the hurniiiii, he mnJ.^ to them some wi>rds of j)ity or of terror; and if he wotdd lament ovei- their iin- ])enitenc(; and approachin^j; ruin, he can do no Jiiore than rc(istitute. It is a loolisli kind of, hut not "the foolishness of, picaehim:.'' In A III rim, N. II., durinL; this period » 1^ h'i OS i tin' coii- jire!j;ation had two ministers. Their fiithl'id pastor, the Kev. John M. Whiton, I), D., after a service ot' torty-live years, resigned Januai'v 1st, l-S'):!, and '■fell on slee|(" on Septi'mher 27tli, 1S">(>. II(Mvas universally helovid, and hy his peo|»Ie suppos<'d to ho "as |)Ure and ijooil as this world allords." '* Slany of the hearers of his last ser- mon were the ^grandchildren of his ori-jinal Hock." Their inherited t'orce of character remained with this people, tnr they were n(»t yet "j,dven to chanj^e.'' Where a man is thus held ''liiLihly in love for his work's s.ake," his peoph; will, when deprived of a faithful minister, " covet e.arnestly the hi'st ^dfls." ( 'onse(|Uently, t he l!ev. .John II. liates, a graduate of N'ermont I'niversity, was called and settled as tiieir [)astor, on the KUh daj' of March. ISo.'!. "As a scholar his power conmianded general respect, IN NKW KN(il.AM). 307 CuTn- l wiiy \Vr ivt it, icf ol" •Ml.' inity;' iditors, (lc;_'l(t' s t'uinl of our (/ wlnii 11(1 \a\\- lie only licin :is •onls ot icir iui- Mi'. lliiiu lion to iii.l tlic loolish ic Con- or, lilt' rtv-livt' iclnVfd, fooil as ilist S.T- Th procure an or;.'an ; and hardly had the force of this revival ahatei-il 'ioth, lS(i(>. lit; died of consumption, Septeinhcr IDth, 1^()'.>,,T^ f)\ years. At Jirilfnrtl. The Hev. Thotiias S.-ivatre, installed July Titii, IS'JC), continuetl to olliciate till IS.")!), and afterwards. I'«'t(rhmi.sscd, Decemher .'ilst, l.S')-J. In iSoC) their roll was nduced to sixty -seven memhers, and in iSo!), l're:shyt<;- riaiiism hecame (>xtinct in I'eteriioro. The ycirhiii'i/iKirt churches eonlinue(|, (lurinj; thi.s rpiar- tcr of a century, to enjov the ordinances of the pos|tel. The Uev. .Jonathan V\ Stearns, a native of IJcclford, .Mass., a Lrraduate of Harvard, a student of Andover, and a licen- tiate of the W'ohurn Ass<»ciati<»n, was ordained and in- f^f;dle(|, on Septcmher lOth, IS.'*'), hy the Londomlerry rreshytery, in the I''irst church. After a ministry of four- teen years there, he accepted a call from the coiiL'reu'ation ol' Newark, .N. .1. This pulpit was then for some time supplied hy the |{ev. James (lallaher. a revivalist, not un- known in the West, especially for his "earnestness and Kuoh a iiiuss of it." On May let, lUbO, the Kev. Aslibel G. I't 368 HISTORY OF rUKSHYTKRIANISM Vormilyc was installed. He was tlic son of the Hcv. Dr. Vcrniilyc, of the ('oil(';.Matc Dtilcli I'cfornicd churcli in New York, and had cnjoytd the advaiitaucs of a sound th('olo;j;i(',il traiiiiii'T. He, a;> well as the \U\\ .Mr. Stearns. Avas a taithlul pastor. In the lirst si.\ yeai's of his pastur- nte his annual nuinerieal increase was twenty-two, while that of Mr. Steai'ns was (ifteen. On Xoveniixr 2>tli, IS-'*!*, the one hundredtli anniver- sary of the huildin^i; of their nieetinLr-liou>e was ohse-rved — as the centennial connnemoration of the ori:anization of ihv. cf I Kir h had hcen, under the llev. .Mr. Stearns, in IS-IO — ])y an historical discourse. The luiildinir was now somewhat inodernize(l wnd repaired tliroUj:;hout, and tlien rededicaled to l)e;;in another century. The venerai»le Dr. Dana (then ei;.dity-five years f)f a};jo) of)ened his remarks with a fccliir^f allusion to the occasion, and then " suLTjicsted a tew thoujj;hts as t(» the proper man- ner of preachin^\\\ wis- »vs ol" tlie V. .1. F. ^. T. 1). i<: lit the ocull the a tiadi- lu'j; ujion ol' some [I wIh'U a \dv upon |c) have a Is church. ]l nuph'V li)W unuh \v n'|>li''d, h( lit— « Iv. Ihi'^ ho (I huudad dollars abovo Iho amnnnt. Wlion T was in England, tlio con^rc^alion of 'I'olti'nhani Court and the TahiTnaclc inti- iiiati'ed in April, l-SC).'). Of the antei-echnts. joice of eharaotor, sympathies, and usefulness of the eigiitii pastor of this ehurch. the Hev. Iliehard II. lliehardson, we know Itut little, exrepting that \v' was installed on April 2>ith, 18G4, and disnnssed in Ueloher, l^tW."^ Second ehureh, Xrirhuri/port. We now notice one of those' manifestations of human change whieli at times per- vades all mei'tal operations ;ind even reli'_dou^ associations. Ill 17"-i">, a parly oppose»l tt) the iJev. Daniel Dana as a pastor, had so agitatetl matters in the church which came to the I'reshytery in 17l<», that ratlier than lose them f'roni the deiiominatioii, they then reeeivecl a distinct ecclesias- lical organization, and were now known for t'ull thirty years as the second Presbyterian chunli in Newburyj)ort. Al- though they iiad "despised his youth," they iiaa-sed away, and wiser counsels prevailc(I. As we enter on this (|uarter of a century, he had "Ibiight a good light'' of tifty-one years as an ordaiiud minister, and was now "fin- ishing his course;" as a })astor, while he still "kept the laith." * PrcMbylt'rians in New ILiniiwIiirt', i'nim Alouzti.J. I'ojrj^'s xtatisticfl fif 1>7I: 111 l.S")() tiny liidi i;; cliiirclifs, (l.oOll scats, wortli STl.OOU; in lS(i(» they iuul Iti i-liiiiclas, O.'.ibti sials, worlli $.s;{,liili ; in IblO tliey liiiil 7 rimiclics, ;{,t7(( Hi-als, wmili S(1.'),()U(». Ill lS7ii tiny li:t(l l."» cmmn •L-'aliiiiis; '.♦ nf tlit'ir -irj iiiitiistcrs arc ])a3- I'll''* anil slalcij siijiiijics t'l.r I'n -liytrriaiis, ami 7 are pastors of ('oiim'f^^a- tioiial M) 'ivlirs ( Mniiil) .< I. .\l-i». ill iMSi), liu-y liaii (1 iliiirilics in Nfw Haiiipsliiri', 1 in Vrrmoiiti I ill iJliodu Island, ami ."S in Massacliiisiau; 1(5 coii^jri-jfations ami 'J,!M1 nil iiiliiTs ; I (((iiurc^Mtiniis ill (oiiiK'cticiit. In ISSl tliry return U,G87 lutiubers in the I'rcsbytcry oi Bontun, bcfiidu liiose in Cunnecticut. 24 ,;' 'J 370 HISTOUY OF I'llKsnYTKHIANISM I Tho lalmrs of liis ripr yoars wen; not lost on a \\\]V\r\(T ])e()i)Ic'- Tlicv uiidir liis ininistrv had Imcoimc more '* rnotfd and ;,M'(»iiiid('d in tlic laitli," and incrrascd in nniulirrs. Such a (londition in a j»ast(»rat<: was a ^mod time (<• ic-i'^Mi it, wIk'U, as once '"in Judah. thintrs went well." Acconl- inj^dy, at his own rc(|ncst, havinj^ "served them in the ;.m»s- jMd" nearly twenty years, he w;is, on Oetoher mOiJi, Imi,")^ released iVoin his |»astor (piestion, whether, in some modern modes (»f explainiii}^ human depravity, atonement, re;:eneration, etc., < tc, tin ro are not found tin; siiminal principles of gross and funda- mental errors?" In 1edford, N. 11., on JSIatt. ix. lo, on the (pieslion, 'Do our churches at lar;,'e enjoy the presence of their Saviour?' If so, all is well. Jict them l»(! thankl'ul and rejoice. 1 f this presence is with- drawn, so far as it is withdrawn they hav<' reason for hu- miliation and ^rief. With grief of lieart 1 advert t(» that low stittt; iif r< liiiiiiii in our connnunity, which living ( 'hris- tians coid'css and lament, and which gives joy and triumph to a careless world. Has not tlu; Sdhhitth lost much of its n^verenee, (iven in the v.yrs of ('hristian proless to a jiraclico "which incrcasiniily prevails in our cities, and from which I |)ray (iod that our country congregations may keep themsi'lves |iure. I refer to tix' custom o\' ficty nor di'corum -;i custom which wonhl ahnost seem to say that we have \V"'i- Bhipped our Maker with too much reverence in foruKr time, and may now approach on ti-rms of greater familiar- ity the High and Holy One, whom i)rostrate angels udoru." IN NEW ENOLAND. 371 vi V(iot<'«l llultt'l'S. li, 1«15, tcrn|>lii- n; Clivis- :itrn tlio ,1" tailh/' 17, :it Ww :\\v F:>ith |.UlS lilt' siilaiuiu!!; I Ic, til<10 ul I'umb- roll! nvIi'k'Ii Jiiiay ktr|) 1. have wnr- in loninr Lcls iidoro. To liiiu "tl>o truth aR it is in Jesus" was precious, and ^villl "a nhictaucr nut to he cxpn'ssed," he rriiioMstratcd with tin- trustees of I'liillips Aeatlemy. Amlover, in ISI'.), ami aijain in l-S.'j.'l, (tn the stale ol'tlie theological seminary under their eare. "Having' hern a nienil»er of their Hoard lor forty-livi! years, he viewed his responsihility as jzreatly enhanced after the TheoloLMeal Seminary was annexed to the aca- demic estalilishnicnt." Me was "inlimatrin(;ij>les of philosophy and to the improved taste of tijo times, but the Constitution deuiauds that they sliould ba ■*if{ i I 372 IIISTOUY OF l'Ht:SIJYTi:UIANIS.M t il! 18 ^ ■T-r the rrry mwr. It is with rc.il jmiii .'uid trrirf tli;i1 I niiiko tlirsi' st;it«'iiM'i)(s." Iliiviiiir sl:it('«l criiiiiiial violiilinns of llicir Coiislilution, :is if liir actual violations of it I'V tlir |iroiiiiiiciit lu'olcssor ■were ( like his " ciiiiiiiniily dcvisnl laMi ." Ili.it " oriniiml ,sin is) not sill," Im" says," I have not a jiarli( h; ol" |KT.soniil in- inily against tht- prolrssor." This, all who kiu-w him would hclicvi'. After this datn, ill is.').'), he wrote his intloduetiou to "The Theolovrv of New l'hi;,daiid," iiotieed ahove. On his last visit l(t tlit> writer his heart wa.s still " treiiihliiiLr tor the ark of (Jod,'' as lie declarefl, " if our orthodox ehiirehes ^o on for tlio iU!Xt thirty years as they have done in the past, \ do not sou how ;^odliii«'SS call exi.st ainoiu tliein, as there will iwjt bu left one «loetriiie on which il c m he sii>Iii;ied." He knew that the IIe:id <.f ih.chnieh "livelh,"lliat"tlio ■walls shall he Idiill a^'aiii even in Irouhloiis limes," and having' "served his -leneratioii hy the will of (lod, he tell aslee|» in .lesus'' on the •JCdh day of .\ui,'ust, lS.")ll, haviiij? passed one month »»f his .silth year on earth. To succeed one so " valiant for the truth," to watch lor liis hi)ihlv favored lloek and "feed them with the hrcid of life," th.''i:arts, so it can teach no religion. And that education which l(>aves out tlu; reliLrious element is es-!entially an unirodly, an irreli^'ious. an inlidel educa- tion, it virtually (h'|»reeiales the value of that which irt (tiiiilted, and leaves tin; (le|)raved heart unrestraine/-//i- '•'/)/(>■ with theirs, it is an undeniahlc fa<'t that very litth? •locirinal preaehin;; of any kind is louiul in the pulpits of the present day in this land of the Puritans. A .sickly maitimentalism, or, at most, the indelinit*' and indirect l>r( aching about the gosi)el, is set bcfon; their sonn. This is IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ''/. /. o // A w- C/j (/. ^ *^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 If 1^ M 2.2 20 1.8 1.4 IIIIII.6 vQ <^ /] /. C? / /^ &? w- 374 HISTORY OP PRESBYTERIANISM "\1 a truth — an awful trutli. The po]-)ular theology of the day is a direct contradictiqii in every important point to the doctrine of our fathers." In tliis mere outline of his utterances wo see the man as a worthy successor to the venerahle Dana, and his teach- ings hecame so verified in his surroundings, that he sought, after a few years, a more congenial field, and on April 21st, 1855, he was released to lahor in Pennsylvania. He was sut-ceeded, on Decemher 30th, 185(3, by the Rev. Herman R. Timlow. Of his antecedents (as the records of Presbytery are lost) we have no definite information. The spirit of the age (as noted above) was now becoming more vigorous and pastorates growing shorter. How far he taught " the same things " with his predeces- sors, what the state of religion was among his people, what his faitlifulness to God and man, we can only infer, for, on April 2Lst, 1859, he was dismissed. Mr. Timlow was succeed(^d on June 6th, 1860, by the Rev. James Cruikshanks. He was brought (when a lad) from Scotland, but the little doctrinnl instruction which he had there received was extensively bleached out of him, and he, after a course of study in it, became a champion of the New England theology. Being thus engaged in preaching " another gospel which was not another " in the pulpit of Dana and Eells, his stay was short. He was dis- missed on August ■'st, 1862. He occupied in other places in New England, but not as a Presbyterian. His speech always " bewrayed " him. He could not intone vocables but with a foreign peculiarity. In his best estate in New^ England he was only "a for- eigner," and he emigrated to \\'isc()nsin. Demand regu- lates supply. Ministers detached have to sojourn where they can "find a place." Hence to obti^in a hearing in a vacant church under the light of the las' half of tlie nine- teenth century, is at times diflicult, and pastoral settle- ments take place oftentimes, at least, not ra[)idly. From twelve to fifty-two candidates may be heard in one year. In this Second church the Rev. Ik'njamin Y. George was installed April 27th, 1864. Cause, reason or occasion of removal we cannot give, but he was dismissed September 26th, 1866. Demand became now forciblcj and in three months, on IN NEW ENGLAND. 375 December 27th, 18G6, tlie Rev. James G. Johnson was in- stalled. With him, among the pastora of this church, we end this quarter of a century. He was dismissed on September 22d, 1868. East BoHton. The origin of this congregation by the manipulations of the Rev. H. H. Johnston and a " society " in 1858, we have seen, and also how that, after his de- parture, the Rev. T. N. Haskell was, on December 3d, 1802, installed pastor. During his ministrations, although the thirty-seven de jure owners of the church estate were scattered, and none of them (it is believed) united with the " society " of twenty-two persons, yet as a new minister usually gives a new impulse to a congregation, so this new man, coming to Presbyterianism, collected not a few new people. From the days of Mr. Johnston they were under the care of the Londonderry Presbytery. As the records of that court at this date are lost, so of the efficiency of his pastoral work we can say but little. On October 23d, 1866, he resigned. On April 1st, 1867, the Rev. M. A. Depue commenced as a stated supply, was called on July 3d, and installed on the 11th. His resignation was ac- cepted on July 12th, 1869. We turn now to Boston proper. As we have seen, the Rev. A. S. Muir arrived on Decem- ber 9th, 1853. "He preached from December 11th till June, 1854, at the Melodeon, and then until June, 1855, in the Freeman Place Chapel." In public worship he ad- hered closely to the Ps-ilms and Paraphrases, and was in- tensely Scotch. Standing in an ample surrounding of man-millinery, he stated that "the silk was bought from a Scotchman by Scotch people, made by a Scotch tailor and worn by a Scotch preacher, and it is a real Scotch gown." I again quote from his church "memorial." "During this time three elders had been ordained. A call was ex- tended to Mr. Muir to become ])astor of tlie church, but many persons had lost confidence in him, and it was not unanimous. He went to Scotland and did not return. " The elders ordained by him also lost the confidence of the church, and the Presbytery of Halifax declared their ordination unauthorized, irregular and void. For his passage-money to this country and back, some S400 (previous to his coming), the committee became responsi' ble." v , II 376 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM " The Presbytery sent out a young man named Ross, who supplied the puli)it for a year, duiinjj^ which time the audiences dwindled to a mere handful. In June, 185G, the congregation voted to unite with the Presbytery (jf Montreal, which gave them good and regular sujjplics. After some delay the society was received into connection with the Canadian church, and on July 'I'M, 1857, the Rev. William McLaren, of Amherstburg, Ontario, having received an unanimous call, was installed as pastor. He remained till November 3Uth, 1858, doing a good work, having consolidated the worshippers, established prayer- meetings, Bible-classes, literary meetings for the young men," etc., etc. (Hist, of Beach St. CL, p 5.) " The spirit of the times " was now taking jjossession of this people, and while during his ministry, sixty-seven members had been added, and he preached the gospel in its purity, two or more of the leaders declared, '' We must have a Kalloch, or a Stone." Tliis first beau-ideal of })ul- pit holiness and power was then linishing his course as a Baptist in Tremont temple, preparatory to wading through the mire of politics in Kansas, to the pulpit in and (under the patronage of the immaculate Dennis Kearney of '' the Sand Lots ") to the mayoralty of San Francisco. Sensationalism now became the governing force. Con- nected with the preaching of the gos})cl in its purity and power, by the Rev. Mr. McLaren, the congregation had hitherto sung only the psalms and paraphrases. There was too much "Scotch" in this order of Avorship, and "the church, with but one dissenting vote, decided to unite with the Presbytery of Londonderry, the vote to take effect on December 1st." {/6., p. 5.) Before him, in Canada, a wide door of usefulness, as a professor, was opened, which he has for above twenty years honorably occupied. " In the spring of 1859, the society, by a divided vote, invited the Rev. David Magill, of Philadelphia, to the pas- toral office. "He was installed on July 14th, and on the 25th of March, 1860, the church was fully organized by the ordi- nation and installation of R. K. M. Baynum and D. D. Morrison as elders." (lb., p. 5.) For the building, purchased in December, 1859, on IN NEW ENGLAND. 377 LU'se as a Beach street, and opened as an Old School Presbyterian church on the 8th of January, 1860, it became apparent that the Rev. Mr. Ma<,nll could not raise the money re- quired to pay. Consequently " he resigned in August," and preached to them his last sermon on September 8th, 1861. " The pulpit was acceptably supplied a portion of the year 1862 by the Rev. li. M. Painter of Booneville, Mis- souri. The Rev. R. A. DeLancy, D. D., su])plied part of the time witliout remuneration until October 28d, 1864, when an union was effected with the Oak Place Congrega- tional church, and the Rev. Mr. Bixl)y, ])ringing with him lOU members, was installed as pastor." {lb., p. 5.) He preached his farewell sermon in Beach Street church on October 1st. 1866. They were then for two years depend- ent on su[)plies. As we ai)proach the middle of this nineteenth century, marked changes a])pear in social life and in the varied in- dustries. Railroad cars sujjersede the stage-coach, steam propels the i)rinting-press and gives to commerce an un- precedented impulse, both on land and on the sea. Labor- saving machinery, while it cUminislies toil, like the confu- sion of tongues, scatters many " abroad upon the face of the whole earth," and to enterprise, those classes of men especially give tl) .aiselves, who liave been trained to know the New England Primer. Hence, both Scotland and New England are extensively covered with manufactories, all calculated to promote con- venience, accumulate wealth, or provide embellishment. To " the days of the Catechism " we turn, and we iind, that the "promising circle of young men in Derry, N. H., had advantages held out to them from abroad, wliich in- duced them to leave tlieir native place," while the Rev. Dr. Dorus Clarke, in his very valuable lecture, entitled, "Saying the Catechism," has shewn the inward life, not only of the town of Westhami)ton eighty years ago, but also the extensive usefulness in tlieir generations of many who stored in their memories the logic and truth contained in this " form of sound words." To it Watt and Morse were deei)ly indebted. The invention of the cotton-gin by Whitney opened the door to ease and wealth to mil- lions, and prompt(3d the utilizing of the ungenial soil of much of New England for spinning and weaving. f "i ¥ %' 1 378 HISTORY OF niESBYTERIANISM Around the factory a village must be gathered, and the varied appliances, springing from (and characteristic of) modern Christian civilization, in due time appear. In this way, in New England, Presbyterianisni received an invigorating impulse. Thompsonvilk, in Connecticut, "in 1828 had a dis- tillery, a carding-mill, a linseed-oil mill, a flouring-niill, one store, and a population of less than forty souls." Through the energy of Mr. Grin Thompson especially, the "Carpet Manufacturing ConjjKiny was organized and char- tered." Labor, skill and integrity Avere now required, and for qualified weavers an agent was sent to (Scotland. The first company arrived in October, and those who came were annually followed by others. These people had been accustomed to worship God, and, appreciating the privi- leges bought with the toil, sacrifices and blood of their fathers, they did not forget that " Scotland owed all that was noble in her history to Divine revelation, and that, when found without the Bible, anarchy and despotism had ruled and ruined her.'' They considered that "half a loaf was better than no bread," and waited on the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Rob- bins, the orthodox minister in Enfield. In lcS31 a Mr. Mitchell, a Scotchman, who was engaged in teaching through the week, preached to them on the Sabbath. After his dejiarture, tiiey returned to the min- istry of j\Ir. Robbins, from wliich, by distance, the aged and the young were excluded, especially in winter. In 1834 a building was erected, the lower story of which served for a school-room, and the upper one for a church. The professors at East Windsor supplied them usually on Sabbath until 1838. Being poor, they applied to the " Connecticut Home Missionary Society " for aid, and could not understand why they were refused. The reasons might have been two. East Windsor was Calvinistic, and " the society " was less so, and could easily see, that of these sons of the heather, i^- would not have been easy, to make modern Congregationalists. Trusting in God, they redoubled their efforts to sustain ordinances and sought an organization. Dr. Harvey, who had been IN NEW ENGLAND. 379 previously a Congregationalist for twenty-eight years, and who hud now preached to tiieni for several months, sought lo have them adopt his own polity, but they loved the cliurcli of their fatliers. They could not believe that "the manner in which Congregationalism took its rise in New England renders it suihciently divine." (Chri.stian Ob- scrvdtur;/, 1854.) When their votes were counted all but two were given for a Presbyterian organization. As the man of old, "when the mountain would not come to him, he went to the mountain," so the Kev. Dr. Harvey became a Presbyterian. A petition for an organization was forwarded to the New York Presbytery (Old School), who Avere surprised to find "a good thing come out of Nazareth," and granted the re- quest, whieli was carried into cfl'ect on July 5th, 1839, when eighty-two members were enrolled, and on the 6th four elders were ordained. Excepting the congregations of Voluntown, ]\Iilford, ^Mansfield and Cornwall, which ex- isted for a time during the previous century, this was the first Presbyterian church organized in Connecticut. On July 10th the Rev. Dr. Harvey was installed pastor. Their house of worshi]), built by the Carpet company, was dedicated in the sunniier of 1841, and in 1845 its capacity was enlarged by the same benefactors, and while the con- gregation were ])ermitted to occupy the edifice rent-free, through good intentions unfulfilled, they never became by gift owners of the property. Their pastor was a man of positive character, "fully persuaded in his own mind," "a student and a scholar. The distinctive features of doctrine embodied in the West- minster Catechism formed the groundwork of all his preaching." In 1856 he preached three sermons on " the true basis of Christian and minist'^rial fellowship," which by request were published, and which embody (it is feared) too much truth to be now, one-quarter of a century afterwards, ex- cepting by a very few individuals, read in New England. In 1855 the Rev. Dr. Tyler sent to him a discourse, which he had published on " Human Ability and Inability." To this he replied : " My first remark is, there is a want of atlinity between the doctrine of your discourse and your text, and not only so — there is a manifest variance be- 380 HISTORY OP PRESBYTERIANISM tween the two. My second remark is, your doctrine is at variance with other parts of your discourse. My third re- mark is, the arji;unients by which you attempt to sup[iort the doctrine extorted from your text, so far from sustain- ing, do not even reach the doctrine. My fourth remark is, that in the face of your doctrine, and of various passages of your discourse, to which I have already referred, you a])parently, if not intentionally, concede the whole ground in question by saying, 'My meaning is, that God does not require of men what they might not do, if rightly disposed.' My next remark is, your reference to authorities in support of your theory of natural ability is unsatisfactory. My next remark is, the doctrine of your discourse is in discordance with the language and teaching of the Scriptures." Thus " valiant for the truth upon the earth," he contin- ued in the pastoral office until April 28th, 1857, when at his own request, owing to ill-healtli and the weight of threescore and ten years, he was released. lie removed to the upper peninsula of Michigan, on the banks of Lake Superior, where he died February 4th, 1873, aged eighty- six years. To feed a people thus docirinally trained, Di- vine Providence sent to them the Rev. Carson Wilson Adams, 1). D., then resident in Virginia, who iissumed the duties of the office on the first Sabbath of December, 1857. We here see one of the advantages of "sound doctrine," viz. : an early pastoral settlement, quite in contrast with what is said of " the Congregational church at Ilolbrook, Mnss., which has been seeking a pastor for nine years, listening during that time to sermons from two hundred and forty candidates." ( W. Star. ) No people familiar with " the New England primer " ever did or ever will be- come such a ga zing-stock. On June 1st, ISlkS, Dr. Adams was dismissed. Good in- tentions unfullillod on the part of Orin Thompson, Esq., overtook this congregation in 1851. In that year the com- pany failed, iind in 1854, among the assets which passed into the hands of the Hartford company was the Presbyte- rian church ))roi)crty. While they had had no work for two years, yet ])rayer and determination were employed, and as the blessing of God comes through sacrifice, with not over four hundred dollars of outside aid, the property was secured to the congregation, and they continue to prosper. is at rd re- pport stuin- vrk is, "erred, whole t God do, if nee to ility is if your inching contin- •lien at iiiht of I'niovod af Lake eiffhty- cd, Di- Wilson ned the 1857. »ctrine," t with Ibrook, years, undred aniiliar will be- lood in- n, Esq., le com- passed resbyte- f or two led, and lith not Irty was ivusv^'V. ist IN NEW ENGLAND. 881 Tnriffvilh in 1840 contained less than four hundred inhabitants, but finding the car])et nianulaoturinf; at Tliompsonville profitable, the company extended their f>l )er ;)Soni ations to tliat pUice. One establislinient erected there cost $900,000, and gave employment to from (ioO to 800 operatives The church w;!S ci.nstituted October 24th, 1844." In IH.');} the i)opulatioii was n(>arly 2,000. On October 15th, 1850, tlie Synod, out of the Presbytery of New York ( O. S.) erected the Presbytery of Connecticut, which held its first meeting in Thonipsonvjlle on October 29th. Of the seven ministers who composed that Presbytery, the Rev. R. G. Thompson, of the Presbyterian church in Tariffville, was one. Built up by similar if not identical interests with the company in Tliompsonville, the failure there prostrated this leading industry of the village. Consequently, de- prived of emitloyment the operatives could no longer sustain ordinances, and the church became extinct. In 1851, an individual of another persuasion called the attention of the Rev. R. G. Thompson to the number of Presbyterians living in Hartford, and in June he laid the case before the Presbytery of Connecticut, then in ses- sion in New Haven. The services of the Rev. James Ely were secured to commence the work, and on Sabbath, the 13th, about fifty assembled and Mr. Ely preached to them twice. Mr. Thompson conducted services on the next Sabbath. Mr. Ely, acting under a commission of the Presbyterian Board of Domestic Missions, became their stated supply. Very soon application was made to Mr. Thomas S. Childs, a recent graduate of Princeton Theological Semi- nary, and a licentiate of the Presbytery of New York, to take charge of the enterprise, and to them he preached his first sermon on the 24th day of August. The congregation numbered about 75 persons, nearly all from the north of Ireland and Scotland. They had neither wealth nor special influence, but among them were godly and earnest Christians. Declining a call to a pastorate in the city of New York, he cast in his lot with this people. At a meeting of Presbytery at Thompson ville on Novem- 882 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM ber 4tli, a petition for the organization of a church was granted, and in due time tliirt y-tuo nicnibcrs wore enrolled, two elders ordained and installed. They assemhled in their "own hired" large " U|)[»er room" until tliey were able to ol^ain a church eililice. The ])salnis of the version of their native lands were used in public Avorship by his liearers, till January 21st, 1852. The introduction of tlio Assembly's ])salmody and hynnis was attended with some opposition and loss. This was to be expected. in due tine, a house was purchased, and as is often the case, in sue! an enterprise, tiie i)astor had to sacriliee most. So it was here. Receiving an unanimous call, Mr. Childs was ordained and installed on June 3(,)th, 1852, and the great secular burden (as well as the s))iritual) fell on the pastor. This was prosecuted under great difliculties, and continued for several years, and at one time he had to ad- vance the whole of his salary, to meet an emergency. It is not uncommon to hear men, even preachers of great pre- tensions to holiness and zeal, denounce a j>astor, who views "the very dust of Zion dear" to him and "spends and is spent " for " the house of his God." 8uch an one is ready to cry, "secular," while he is too slothful or lifted up with f)ride to assist in the work. In his own way he "magnilies lis office." In order to success in the Master's work where all the surroundings are hostile to Presbyterianism, God- fearing-men as pastors in New England have often to do this. Mr. Childs did it, until his health failed antl for years afterward. In the meantime, he preached the gos- pel with a majesty, which nothing but " sound doctrine" could produce, until the autumn of 18G5, and while he was forced to leave a debt (i)rinci])ally for repairs) of S2,OU0 on a church estate worth $25,000, 250 persons had been received into the communion of the church during his ministry. He also took especial care of the youth, aiding and en- couraging promising young men to enter the ministry. "The customs of the churches" overtook him in l(St)l, when the introduction of instrumental music led to the withdrawal of between thirty and forty members. The Rev. Dr. Childs became a theological professor in Hart- ford, and afterwards at Wooster, Ohio. To the Vixant church the Rev. John Aspinwall Hodge IN NEW ENGLAND. 383 proacliod on tho first Sal^bafh of Jai^unrv, and* was in- stall«;(l on May 2(1, l.S()(). That '"the alst, in that year. Tiu; IJev. Horace G. Hinsdale was installed associate pastor October 2ing men's souls" (/^^r.), but since 1827, the orthodox Old vSouth church in Boston (which wanted but one vote, in 1809, to carry it and its wealth, with all the others in the city, into Unitarianism), had led off to the organ, and it had been preceded and followed just so IN NEW p:ngland. 385 and ro- ll \inil(T 5tor, the )ev :nst, .nstalled 1, in the th, 1855. or in. urch wfis lirst pas- L and in- or ' the iTas organ- . It was, r the care far and so fast, as "advanced tliouglit" had diversified taste and iiuTrascd cidtnr(>. 'i'he mother orthodox or^^an was bnilt at the above date in Lon(h)ii, and srt U|> in Uuston. It cost ^7,r came lielbre that court Decem- ber 9th. The l\ev. William McLaren, then of New York, was api)ointed to organize on the 22d. Si\ty-four certiii- catcs were presented, and ten were admitted on ])rofessi()n. Four elders were installed, and on DeccMuber 2.'>(1, lS-15, the second Presbyterian church in that town had "a name to live." They were "a peculiar })ct)j)le." They had en- joyed their P>il)les and their catechisms, and the "sweet psalms" in their families, but, not as yet, these last for seventeim years in the sanctuary. This "anatomy of the soul" (Cal.) went to the very depths of their emotions when the first j^salm in their ser- vice of song, the :;a, lS-15, " a wiuue ^' bad en- ^e '' sweet c last for the very tlioir ser- lueveies I .'tion aiul li in tears, lien, NVi'i't the sin^*' h sones By the appointment of Presbytery the Rev. Peter Gor- don jn'eaclied to them from .huuiary imtil ^hiy, 1846. This separation from tlie other church was not temporary. "The determined spirit of one ])arty and the (k'cidcd con- victions of the other, made an ai^reemcnt impossibk;." Jn buihUnii an house of worshij), they found no sympa- thy at lirst from the com])any, nor from those around them ; even athnission for tlie measurement of the lirst cliurcli buildinuj was refused to their connnittee. They formed a chiss of operatives, which the cornoration couhl not advantageously spare, and for the nominal sum of one dollar from them they afterwards obtained a lot. Their building was opened i'or worship on August olst, 184G. A call extended to the llev. P. Gordon was by him, on June 18th, acce]>ted. Thus, within a year afu-r the first tune was played to please those who had, as they said, ''denied themselves the pleasure to acconnnodate you,"* an organized church had built a good meeting-house, called a pastor on a salary of $500, and had added more than twenty to its membership. Mr. Gordon continued i)astor of the church until May 11th, ISol, and 130 })ersons were admitted during this period. In tiiat year the carpet company failed. The mills were closed for nearly two years, so that many had to go else- where for subsistence. Though thirtv were admitted to the church in the next three years, when they had no pastor, yet the increase was less than the oflsets by deaths and re- movals. ''The bread of life" was, however, to them pre- cious, and Avliile they honored the faces of five elders who had great boldness in the faith, to enjoy it in the midst of all their trials, they called jNIr. James McLaughlin and promised to him a salary of $G00. This he accepted, and on the 12th of September, 1854, he became their pastor. During his incumbency of less than three years, seventy-four were " added to the church." The spiritual condition of his Hock was good, yet, on June 10th, 1857, at his own request, Presbytery released him, and he returned to Ireland. * Here was an honest confession, tliat, in playing their bass viols and orgrn, it was not '."or the glory of Uod, nor the honor of Christ, nor the salvation of souls, but for their own personal and social " pleasure." "We denied ourselves the pleasurCj to accommodate you," that is, to ac- commodate your consciences. H' i 388 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM (: I On July 17th, 1858, the Rev. John M. Heron was called, and on November ITtli he was installed. At the opcninp; of the civil war not a few of the young and middle-aged men enlisted. Two of the merchants in the village belonged to the church. One of these sold liquor, Avhich brought a standing discord between him and tlie pastor. The other, foreseeing that he would have to sell to the uncm])l()ycd, now urged the pastor to resign, as the war would be of long duration and the people "could not," as he said, ''supi)ort preaching." lie brought an elder to press this argument upon the pastor, and they were successful. While he sav\^ that the dealer had not a little self-interest in the counsel and persuasion which he tendered to him, his nature and principles constrained him to " rather suffer the wrong." Whether wisely or unwiseh^, the congregation, although with great reluctance, concurred with him in asking his re- lease on the 11th day of June, 18G1. Mr. Heron was a logi- cal, terse and sound doctrinal preacher, rather than a popu- lar one. lie could not " prophesy smooth things." Under liis ministry sixty-one were admitted to the church. While " we know, that all things work together for good " under the "Chief Shepherd ; " to human wisdom, when we look back on the years of anxious and disheartening struggle, which followed their sei)aration, it would seem better that he had remained. lie was " much respected by his people," and their period of trial and darkness, which then began, was so long that only those who loved the church and its })rinciples could be ex])ected to remain. In January, 1864., they called the Rev. John Jamieson. Their call he did not accept. A similar fate awaited their call made to Mr. W. H. Torrence, on September lOtli, 1865. They were apparently more successful with the Rev. W. B. Sutherland, who was especially a fine speaker, and was in- stalled on July 18th, 1866. In him they did not "entertain an angel," but a sinner, that " destroyed much good." For a season he concealed his slavery to strong drink, but "it could not be kept secret." Some withdrew, and the wonder is, that, after the trials of the past few years, the church did not ask to be disbanded. After some ten months, notwithstanding official admonitions, vows and pledges, he had to resign. The pulpit was declared vacant on June 1st, 1867. ^-m^/'m IN NEW ENGLAND. 889 1 called, Ue-aired clonjicd •ou all fuiHN I'or jtublic charities." We j)roved our identity and the manner in wliich, in Septendx'r, 17(So, said congregation, with their trust, eamo to the Presbytery at Peterboro, N. II. When served with a leiral notice of our claim, th(> fact did not astoni.;h tho occupants so much as how we ol)taini'd our information. Tins was to them a surprise. To a sermon ])rcachc(l by the Ivcv. Dr. CMiaunin^f at the ordination of the Rev. Ezra Stiles (lai.nctt, on .June 3()th, 1^2-^, when jirinted, was added by hitn "A Memoir of the Federal Street ("hurch and Sclipsi'(l hy his astonishnu-nt resiing on his con- fidence. IJis astonishment, his expectation luul confi- dence were un([Ucstionably equal. "When truth into the earth was born, Slie crept into ii liinitin;,'-horn, The liinitiT came, a lilnst was hlown, J!iit wliere trntli went was never known." Hero was, in the opinion of tho clerk of the court, the turninii-point in the trial. " Tlu! man who spirit(>d away vour records was the one who caused you to lose vour case. These records have lon Riifus Choate spoke contiimouslv I'or three liours and ten minutes with a cknirness and an earnestness peculiarly his own. Tiic repiv of the senior counsel for the det'eiKhuits, while )»ro- found in conij)arisou with the "ulitterinu; ^-eneralities " of liis junior, was entirely distanced l)y the "dialectical suh- tleties " of the Chief-Justice, an Unitarian of the Unitari- ans, who was unwillint^ to allow others on the Jieiich heside him to express their opinions, especially Judjre Metcalf lie was an Ji]piscopalian, and had delivered tlie 0])inion of the same Suiireme Court in the J>oy]ston case, in which it was dcn-reed, that the theoloiiies of the Trinita- rians and Unitarians are so irreconcilal)ly dilVerent tliat funds given to support the one are totally }K'rverti'd and misapplied when used to su]>port the other. I'his Avas a case in which an Unitarian fund was em})loyed to supi)ort TrinitiuMan preacihinti;, and it reverted to the d(*si,cision, which he accom- plished in two hours and ten minutes, he let esca|)(^ some curious utterances, Wlicn on(^ of these was repeated to Mr, Choate, who was not ])resent, his solenni countenance and penetrating eye hecame peculiarly his own, and in tones, such as he alone could utter, exclaimed, " It is a lie." While, said Mr. Dana, " If I could only prevail on tlio Chief-Justice to helievc, that there existed any spiritual ])()wcr, whidi a bishop or a Presbytery could exercise, I could win the case, but I might as well try, with an etiual hope of success, to run my head through that brick-wall as do so. He can see nothing beyontl men and nunil>ers." This was so. To imagine, that a man denying all J)ivine or supernatural revelation, exce])ting (1 Tim. ii.5) "There is one God, and one ]\Iediator between Cod and men. the man Christ Jesus," could see, believe, realize, or achnit that those acting under the power, by the authority and IN NEW ENGLAND. 401 Choate Lcs with 11. Tho lilc ]^\'o- tic's"()t' iral sul)- Uiiitari- e lU'iu'h y ,lu(l^e cved tiio Aow c:\s(>, rcnt tlnit 'Vted uiul his was a o siipi^ort i holdinirs lie couvt." [le acconi- eapo some '1' itod t( nntevianec :n, an( I in >.' I t IS a »in ■ail on tho tuul I I U • xin-cistv li an 0(1 via |ln-ii'k-wa"_^ ninnliovs. ' 11 Divine 5) There men. tnc or admit hority tm^ in the name of God the Son were a reality, would be an iin])ossihility. His exercise of Ids own species of logic Ibrhado Idm to boHin-e him, who "spake as never man spake" when he said, "i\ll power in heaven and uj)on earth is given unto me." The criticisms given to tlio man, wlien the Bench retired to their room, were not pub- lic pro])erty, but they eK))ressi'd with finding tlie opinions of the judges i)resent (Dewey, Metcalf and Bigclow), in view of such a decision. One of them, an Unitarian, insinuated the wrong of the opinion, not only because the projierty was Presbyterian, but because, in 1735, as Unitarians tliev coukl not even liave had liberty to hold Unitarian opinions, or, as he said, to walk the streets of Boston, as it was blasphemy down till A. D. 178(5, in Massachusetts, to deny the doctrine of the Trinity. Metcalf, in view of what was supposed to be settled by the decision of the court, delivered by himself, in the Boylston case, felt outraged. Ho razeed his 0])inioii as ])ublislied in the Daili/ Avond men^ ()C('Ui)ancv, even with the '■ held " of their own Chief-.) nstice ; some were actually willing to return it to the Presbyterians. In after time meeting after meeting (when they were 26 402 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM K ■ %•:' II^HI''. > • wk - ' 1 ^Hl l\ ^H; p5 , ^H: ^^^H f ; ■, able to brin'g together a majority of their pewholders) -wag lield, to find out what to do. At length, as was done in 1805, by the Trinitarian occupants, in the perversion of the trust, the majority invoked the Legislature, and being reputed in the street, as a society, to be wortli twenty-two millions of dollars, whetlier this had any inlluence or not, the desired enactment or resolve in due time, on May 15th, A. D. 1855, was passed. Presbyterianism, being thus "left out in the cold," hav- ing no rights which a Congregationalist Unitarian Chief- Justice was bound to respect, Non-Congregationalists be- gan to think. The property of the Romish church being held in defiance of civil authority by their bishops, felt safe, the Episcopal Methodists, as " their people have (ac- cording to Judge Nelson) no part in their governmental organization and never had," their preachers holding all their church estate, were not alarmed, but some Protestant Episcopalians began to realize their situation. "The Church of the Advent" had subscribed, in order to erect the most attractive church edifice yet in the city, one hundred and forty-two thousand dollars, and they now paused. They saw the pine-board pew patronage might alienate their church estate under Mr. Shaw's ruling, and before they would proceed to build they appointed three men eminent in the law, two of them officially fami- liar with our case, to see if they could form a deed which (as they put it) " the Chief-Justice could not break as he broke Blaikie's Deed." After three months they reported that "This could not be done." They then bought a Methodist meeting-house for twenty-nine thousand dollars, considering a property of this amount " enough to be put on svheels." At their meeting on November 12th, a. d. 1855, the pew "proprietors " were requested to enter on their records the "Protest" of the pew proxy, representing the benefi- ciaries and ceMids que trmt. This they did, and while forti- fied by both the Bench and the Legislature, they, out of love to the spot which Channing's feet had made their " holy ground," and fears of the I'orce of the " Protest" and what supported it, spent four thousand seven hundred dollars in repairing and refitting the building. On Octo- ber 1st, 1858, they voted 62 to 11 to sell our land. n IN NEW ENGLAND. 403 irs) vras (lone in rsion of 1(1 beiiif; L'nty-lwo le or not, lay loth, .Id," hav- m Chief- alists bc- rcli bcinf^ shops, Mt have (ac- crnmcntal olding all Protestant J, in order in the city, , and they patronage uv's ruling, appointed .ially I'ami- leed which jreak as he ley reported bought a land dollars, h to be put 1855, the .leir records the benefi- while forti- [hey, out of made their >rotest" and ni hundred On Octo- Ind. After the death of Mr. Choatc, in July, 1859, and the removal of Mr. John C. Adains to New York, the Hon. Caleb Gushing seeing in the above decision and legislative enactment, " a viohition of the tenth section of the fh'st article of the Constitution of the United States," carried it to the Supreme Court in Washington, saying, " Oh, how I would like to have plead this case before Chief-Justice Taney." " I do not know (said he) what there may be in Europe, but I do know, that on this continent there does not exist such an indirect and disingenuous decision as that of Chief-Justice Shaw in tliis case." As our former counsel in framing tlieir bill, h.ad inadvertently called the occupants proprietors, while Mr. Cushing admitted this pro tanto, or, so far as the legislative enactment to make them such had any force in equity, and as they had not quarrelled, the Act of June 5th, 1805, totally, he was not allowed to be heard there, from the technical quibble of the want of jurisdiction. While "the destruction of the poor is their poverty," yet Mr. Cushing, being a Presbyterian, again on behalf of the claimants, invoked the judiciary in equity. John H. Clif- ford, Esq., was succeeded by Stephen H. Phillips, Esq., as attorney-general, and the occupants were by the course of events embolde.i 'd to forsake their "holy ground," and profane it for and with " merchandise," even while seven men of their company, under their corporate oath, swore that " the said premises form a species of property, which is not the subject of any excliangeable or marketable value." The restriction imposed on it by John Little made it truly so. On the day of sale their junior counsel for them oflered to the claimants twenty-five hundred dol- lars, or about one-fifty -sixth part of its value, for a total obliteration of all their demands and of the demands of future generations, who might be beneficiaries. While this would have enabled them to give a warranty deed, the offer also evinced some " remainders of conscience." The cestui que trust, to whom the ofl'er was made, were but a part of the whole, either in the past or the future, and they refused to take even Unitarian money for " the inheritance of their fathers," which was not " exchangeable nor mar- ketable." Naboth (1 Kings xxi.) would not sell his -'ine- yard even for a better one, because it was entailed, luu the » , 404 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM offer of five thousand "shekels of the sanctuary" of Samaria was now spurned by the lawful beneficiaries of John Little's trust. Possession can be obtained only by stoning Naboth, according to the counsel of Jezebel. They did not venture to sell John Little's donation on the lot itself. The auctioneer's othce was ])rivate property, but ceased to be so when he announced liis business and described in glowing colors the varied advantages of the estate. Then a scene, which would have afibrded a happy group for Punch, was presented. After reading all the titles and descriptions, for " Naboth 's vineyard " here was now di- vided into three lots, the colonel flourished his hammer. As he began to do tliis, a protest from tiie beneficiaries, which was handed to him, he was requested to read. At this he raged, declaring " tliis was no ])lace to settle titles." While no sale, no pay, he became excited for a first bid. There were no volunteers. The property was desirable, but capitalists remembered the nature of the title. After a time, incredibly long, the leading one of the seven men came from behind the auctioneer's desk and stated: "We represent one hundred and twenty families as respectable as any others in Boston, and we can give a warranty deed." The "solid men" then began to breathe, and the estate was bought by Baker, Sheafe & Weld, while the protest damaged the sale above twenty thousand dollars. Not only w\as a replication filed against the proprietors, so called, but a bill of review also. And afterwards- a "sup- plemental bill to the bill of review " was filed against the purchasers. I have said " filed," but there are difi'erent ways of doing some things in Boston, and the filing of this bill was one of an extraordinary character, in keeping Avith the concealment of our records from 1774 till 1803. Mr. Gushing was now usually in Washington, and the plaintifis waited long to have their case called. "The original bill, answer, petition for review, and supplemental bill to the bill of review," had been all printed, and for years supposed to be in their proper place under a sworn official. The conclusion of it ran thus : "And your orator shall ever pray. " C. Gushing, " Stephen H. Phillips, " Spofford & TuTTLE. "Attorney-General. "Attest : George C. Wilde', ''Filed March 3d, 1860. " Clerk." IN NEW ENGLAND. 405 When counsel v;ent to inquire for said bill, petition and review, these, like our records, could not be found. " These bills have not been found. They seem never to have been filed." The attestation of the sworn otficer to the fact and to the date were placed on the document, before it was printed, but then it was only a matter in which the reli<>;- ious interests of Presl)yterians in all time was contrasted with the pockets, convenience and pleasures of " one hun- dred and twenty families, as respectable as any others in Boston." Such was the " Suffolk S. S." of the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth, and, amidst all the irrev- erence connected with doin^ so, Presbyterians should as- suredly pray, " God save the Commonwealth of Massa- chusetts." Contrasted with what it was an hundred years before, it is a little shaky, so far as equity is concerned. This long liti^^ation would not have been continued, but for " equity and a good conscience." It never was a matter of private interest. Hence, as we are wronged, we are resigned, for we know that there is a "Judge of all the earth," " a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed." If the case could have been presented before the National Supreme Court, the result would doubtless have been diflerent. But a court established and main- tained by the church polity of " the Bay State " theocracy and Athenian democracy, has a logic of its own. Hence, said the Rev. Dr. Lothrop, of Brattle Street (Unitarian) Church, " We all know what that property was intended for, but by the laws of Massachusetts you (Presbyterians) can never have it." True. With this exertion, in endeavoring to reclaim our church estate, we did not desist. We supposed it possible (though not probable) that " the Great and General Court " which had, out of a Presbyterian trust, created probably the last Congregational poll parish established in the State, might, even in this material age, "lay judgment to the line, righteousness to the plummet," and counteract the wrong which, in 1805, they had done to the boneficiari(\s. Here Ave found "mankind an unco squad." Our first petition was referred to a committee on parishes, and " one hour was allowed " to make men understand who we were, what we were, whence we came, what our rights, our wrongs and 406 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM i our complaints were. In that time "\ve must so make them to "mark, learn and inwardly digest," probably the greatest case ever considered in their Supreme Court. After an hour broken by interruptions, they noted what pleased them, and when we were handed over to the Legislature, they, most graciously, gave us "leave to withdraw." While it was simply hoping against hope, it was thouglit the better way, in renewing our petitions the next year, to employ the press. Hence a plea was prepared and handed to each member in both houses, so that if the name were not beloved by them, they might not remain ignorant of our claims, in their origin and character. This will be ibund as Apjien- dix E. to this work, and we conmiend it to the intelligent and candid reader. It eventually went through the same "hour," the same formal presentation, and obtained the same most gracious " leave to withdraw." I do not, how- ever, say that the majority of them "sinned wilfully after coming to the knowledge of the truth," for it is doubtful if the one-half of their number read it. It had no political significance. As a part of the " History of Presbyterianism in New England," it will afilbrd food for thought to every lover of our American civil institutions and liberties ; and the matter will (D. V.) be farther noticed in our next chapter. We have seen that this pioneer church prospered until secession came. The field was wide, and almost weekly " Presbyterian strangers " were arriving. Beside stated public worship, conducted usually three times on Sabbath, and a week-day evening meeting, the pastor at times em- ployed the press, not only in contributions to periodicals, but in pamphlets and in book forms. As every man is born an Arminian, this fact induced him to republish, in 1847, a sermon by the Rev. James B. Rcntoul, of Garvah, on " Wesleyan Methodism and Calvinism contrasted in the light of Divine truth, especially on the subject of Election and the Divine Decrees." Finding that few knew anything about the government of the Presbyterian Church, he in the same year repub- lished a catechism on that subject, which had been pub- lished in Ireland in 1835 — to which he added olyections to the system of congregational ecclesiastical polity. This IN NEW ENGLAND. 407 them -eutest tcr an leased lature, nought :ear, to nemhcr ved hy linis, in Appen- ■elligent :ie same ncd the ot, how- .11 y after doubtful political erianism to every ies; and aur next red until weekly ! stated Sabbath, imes em- riodicals, man is iblish, in Garvah, cd in the Election ;crnment lir repub- Icen pub- Ibiections |ty. This provoked the " Old School " to good works, and in 1849 the board re))ublished the original catechism of his (from the third Glasgow edition, enhirged) ; he, in 1850, pub- lished the fourth American edition. In lcS49 he prepared aivtl published a manual, in the form of a catechism, on the nature, duty, matter and manner of Praise, with an appendix from Komaine, which reached the fourth edition in 1854. Where men are " set for the defence and confirmation of the gospel," tliey have to grapple with immediate diffi- culties and menacing oppositions, according to their specific character. Thus, "Paul as his manner was," on Mars' Hill, reasoned in one way, and in a different way before the Jewish council. Hence, to classify the varied sects of religionists by which he was surrounded, the writer pub- lished " The Philosophy of Sectarianism," in 1854. Of this volume, out of eighty-six reviews seen, above fifty were commendatory, and some of them flattering, while it awoke sectarian rancor in some bosoms. Nearly three months after its publication, the junior partner of the firm, Phillips, Sampson & Lee, met 3lr. McGee, the agent of "The Methodist Book Concern " in Boston, and, in con- versation, said : " How is it, Mr. McGee, that we havejre- ceived no orders from you for months? " " I do not intend to give you any more, because you have published tliat book, 'The Philosophy of Sectarianism.'" "That is not against you, is it? " "Yes. It is the worst book that was ever written against Methodism, and wc have from you withdrawn our trade." As Mr. Phillips stated, he came to their office and said: " Mr. Phillips, we must throw out that book," naming it. " Why? " " Because Mr. McGee says it is the worst book which was ever written against Methodism. He has quit dealing with us on account of it, and his trade is to us worth one thousand dollars a year." " If you are done, Mr. Lee, allow me to speak. 1 am a Unitarian. I have taken that book home and read it. You may depend U]ion it, that if it is hard on Methodists, it is harder on Unitari- ans. I am not ashamed to ask any man a dollar for that book, and you can tell Mr. McGee that I will lose his trade before I will quit selling it. It is a book for thinking men." |3 P i [ 408 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM Of it a second edition w,as publishod in 1855. After the union, wiiich formed "the United Presbyterian Church of North America," the writer, for the use of Presbyterians, published in 1860 a small work called " The Schools," and in 1865 another on "The Organ and Other Instruments as Noted in the Holy Scriptures." From 1846 until 1854 the Presbytery of the bounds was the Associate Reformed one of New York. To attend its meetings was inconvenient and expensive. Hence, in answer to a petition to Synod, one was constituted on July 11th, 1854, and called the Associate Reformed Presbytery of Boston. The members composing it were the Revs. Alexander Blaikie, James Otterson, David A. Wallace and William McMillan. On September 12th said Presbytery ordained Mr. James McLaughlin, and on November 2d installed the Rev. Wil- liam McLaren as pastor in Fall River. From year to year in their quarterly meetings the usual business allotted to such courts was by its members transacted, which aided in sustaining Presbyterianism in New Elngland, In 1858 it went into the union of the Associate iind Associai Re- formed Churches. Previous to May 5th, 1868, twenty-one ministers had for a shorter or a longer time belonged to it. During this period (1843-1868) we have to notice are- turned loan — we will not say the recovery of stolen property. One hundred and forty-five years ago in our history we read this inscription, "Here lies ye body of ye Rev. Mr. Peter Daille, who died the 21st of May, 1716," etc. This is a few rods within the gate of the Granary burying ground, opposite to Horticultural Hall, Boston. He had left an unblemished reputation, and to mark the resting-place of his dust, a headstone of blue flag had been erected. Of some minds it attracted the attention, a. d. 1715 probably was long past, and at a period Avhen Presbyte- rianism was probably extinct — at a time unknown to any man now, when town officials or private proprietors were extending the sewerage lu'low the Common, covering stone was a cash article in Boston, and to sonic one the thought occurred that instead of marking where a man of the Presbyterian persuasion was buried, it would save a trifle and make some good covering to bury the stone. This IN NEW ENGLAND. 409 iftcr the lurch of >rtorians, )ls," and ruments mds was ttend its cnce, in . on July •esbytery he Revs. lUice and Ir. James Rev. Wil- ar to year Hotted to lich aided In 1858 3ciai Re- ^venty-onc ngcd to it. itice a ro- of stolen igo in our )ody of ye Lay, 1715;' |e Granary Boston, mark the had been lA. D. 1715 Presbyte- Ivn to any letors were }ring stone 10 thou^dit Ian of the ive a tritle )ne. This showed economy and utility, besides it would prevent any one in future by this object discovering the grave of a Hufiiuenot. Hence it liad for generations been useful to the town or city. But in A. I). LSnO, in June, as men were improving or enlarging the sewer, one struck his pick into the stone, and wliiie unal)lc to " make ai^y thing of " tiie letters on the fragments, his Honor Mayor Shurtlefl", although pro- fessionally lie could not aid the case by "pouring in oil and wine," yet he "bound up" the fragments with rivets, and made the epita}ih legible. Being not only a rare em- bodiment of elevated humanit}', a gentleman, but possibly of the same "stock," this labor of love and the ex))enses connected with it were Ijy him most cheerfully borne. With its broken top, the stone can be readily seen through the gate. Let Presbyterians " keep their eye upon it," so that the ghouls may not again hide it from the light of day. Fall River. — Among the many advantageous sites for manufacturing purposes in New England, this place has a high position, ^\'ithin one-half of a mile the river falls 150 feet, almost e-very yard of which descent is appreciated and appropriated, and to it, of course, operatives from similar departments of industry in North Britain and Ire- land at an early dav emigrated. To those of the Presbyterian persuasion, in 1833 the As- sociate Presbytery of Albany assigned a licentiate, Mr. Chauncy Webster. How long he preached to them 's not exactly known, but the Rev. H. H. lilair, of New York, who was ordained in September, 1836 (some fourteen months before Mr. Webster), taking a iriendly interest in them, as a station, after that date visited them from time to time. So much progress was made that two persons were chosen to the eldership. These the Rev. David Gordon, supplying there by the order of the Presbytery of Albany, ordained and organized the church. By others, sent by the Associate Presbytery of New York, they had supplies until 1840, when owing to the removal of the senior elder, and the cd'ects of the commercial depression of 1837 and onward, as employes, they became unable to sustain and retain their organization. « 410 HISTORY OF PRESnYTEIlIAMSM 11: i; I It is not known tliat durinp; tho next fivo years .'iny- thins was dono towards rcsuscitatinj:; tlio cause here. JUit in January, 184G, tlie Rev. .Ino. ]i. Dales, on visitinji a family formerly from his charge in Philad(;lphia, wrote thus: "Throuo;h them I soon became acquainted with our prospects there. On Sabbath I met tho people in a pleasant upper room. They had known the prhici])les and practices of truth, and now fjir from anythinfj; like either, they hungered and thirsted for the provisions of grace. Never have I ])reached to more solemnly attentive audiences than in that place. During the week I visited between twenty and thirty families, all of whom are ripe for an organization under our name, and some of those men are men of Gody In June the Rev. Andrew Johnston, by the appointment of the Associate Reformed Presbytery of New York, or- ganized them as a church. What rarely happens in such a case, the men to " magnify the oflfice " of the ruling elder- ship were easily found. The great difficulty was that Presbytery had not the preachers to occupy the station. On visiting them in August, the Rev. Wm. McLaren, of New York, wrote : " The prospect is encouraging. The audience on Sabbath was about one hundred and fifty. They are resolved to go forward, and are about purchasing lots for a church edifice." This thoy did, and while by years of toil some of them owned their own dwellings, ■when they opened their house of worship on April 23d, 1848, " every shingle owned by the congregation was mortgaged " to secure the builders. On June 15th, 1848, the " Rev. Thos. G. Carver, of the Congregational Union of England and Wales," was admitted as a member of the Presbytery of New York. On being assigned by Synod to their care, he was appointed to officiate in Fall River for eleven months. On November 30th they extended to him a call to be- come their pastor. This he accepted January 24th, 1849. Their n.ext movement was to exchange their house of worship for a large and commodious one built in 1843 for an Unitarian Baptist society. This they entered on Sep- tember 22d, 1850. By this their debt was increased, but BO were their hopes and energies. " Measures for the in- stallation of Mr. Carver were deferred until the next stated '!!•> IN NEW ENGLAND. 411 ars any- re. Hut isitin^ a a, wrote with our pl(; in a )rincii)U'S [lin^ like isions of attentive I visited 11 are ripe ) of those pointment York, or- is in such aing chlor- was tliat he station. cLaren, of ging. The and fifty, ipurchasins [\ Avhile by dwellings^, April 23d, ration was 15th, 1848, ,nal Union member of isigned by .te in Fall , call to be- 24th, 1849. \ house of lin 1843 for \ed on Sep- [reased, but ¥or the in- tiext stated meeting of Prosbytory in May." "Coming events" were in his case "casting their shadows before." With the floating popuhition he was popuhir, but when he preached "another gospel, which was not another," lie had in his audience men "mighty in the Scriptures," who readily saw that while he did not "take heed to the doctrine," ho could not "save those who heard him." "The fruits of righteousness, Avhich are by Jesus Christ," withered rapidly, and in March, 184*.), he "left tho connection informally, and united with the Methodist Episcopal church." At Synod, in August, 1850, their Presbytery reported, "Like the l)ush on Jloreb Mount, this faithful church has survived what in all human ex- pectation would have destroyed it, and at this day is in the most encouratring position." On June 3d, 1851, the Rev. David A. Wallace was or- dained and installed pastor. Bringing with him energy to his work, his diligence and foithfulness were crowned with success. Yet he perhaps rather thought the field to be a "pent-up Utica," and on January 17th, 1854, he was by Presbytery removed to East Boston. This people, " cov- eting earnestly the best gifts," next called the Rev. Wm. McLaren, formerly pastor of Franklin street church, New York. Over them he was installed on November 2d. He was a ripe scholar, uncommonly well acquainted with the Hebrew Serii)tures, a clear writer, a terse and energetic speaker, and his sermons, even when repeated, were by his people realized to be good. He enjoyed more than did his ])redecessor the quietude of his study, and probably taught less " from house to house." After a pastorate of nearly twtdve years, he, on September 18th, 18G6, tendered his resignation for reasons — 1st, impaired health ; 2d, the leadings of Divine Providence; 3d, the congregation are prospering and free from debt. The Presbytery, on Oc- tober 18th, with great regret, granted his request. On the 28th his pulpit was declared vacant, and on April 16th, 18()7, he was dismissed from Presbytery. His successor was the Rev. Joshua R. Kyle, who was in- stalled on June 27th, 1807. By this date the United Presbyterian church was agitated by the progressive spirit of the age (to be subsequently (D. V.) presented). This it is supposed formed the second reason of the retiring pastor 412 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM tr above pivcn, and with it the present incumbent was not a little imbiiod. While by no means equal to either of his two predeecs- Bors in pulpit power, and in difheulty with one of his elders, there were those who thought well of hiru, and on April 0th, 18G9, he received a call from tlio United Prcs- l)yterian congre^jation of Princeton, Indiana. As liis ■usefulness in Fall River was not extensively impaired, the Presbytery refused to dissolve his pastt)ral relation. In it he continued until 1875, when, owin<,' to the impaired health of his wife, an estimable woman, he resigned, and was dismissed in good standing. In Providence, a city of great commercial wealth, as well as of very active and successful manufacturing industries, the enterprise of collecting a psalm-singing church was commenced in May, 1848, and by the appointment of Presbytery on June 25th a committee received into fellow- ship twenty-one persons. To these, sixteen others were added, and on August 15th Mr. Daniel Mcintosh was ex- amined and found well qualified for the otlice of rulinp elder. On the 16th he was ordained, and Mr. Thomas Patton, formerly in the office in the church in Fall River, was with him then installed. By these olliciid acts tiie or- ganization of the cliurch was com))lete(l. For tiiree months they were supplied with preacliing by a licentiate, Mr. D. C. McVean. The Rev. Joseph Robinson, received by Presbytery from the same denomination, and at the same time with the Rev. Thomas George Carver, was appointed to supply them until the next meeting of that court. Both his ignorance of Presbyterianism and his habits operated against his usefulness. VVithout habits of indus- try and a willingness to " endure hardness as a good sol- dier of Jesus Christ" in such a field, success in "winning souls " could not be very extensive. There did not at that time exist any superabundance of laborers, and as he did not to satisfaction fill the position, after being informed by their Presbytery that they could not, for at least three months, afibrd to them constant preaching, " they called a congregational meeting and voted unanimously to petition the Associate Presbytery of New York for supply. Tlu'V were answered favorably, and after some time were identi- IN NEW ENGLAND. 418 j» ficd with tliat porsiiasion. When to n " Tvov. Dr. Jolin ykinner, of Scothind, they ^nw n ciU, wliich lie did not arcei)t," they in ;i short tinu; were more Huceensful with Mr. Joseph Sanndorson. He Ix'c.iiinc their pastor. TIih dew of his youtii and tiie heaiity of manliood were iipoii liini. While Ins nnnistry wa.s for a time sueeessful, eahunity overtook him. J lis hmdhidy had a dau;j;hter who had separated, or had hi-eii se[)arated i'rom h^r iius- hiind. Sh(! (as Mr. Saunderson supjjosed in jest) asked liini to marry lier, and in j)leasantry he gave an aflirnia- tive answer. When, some weeks after, she inquired, '' Mr. Saunderson, are you ready to fulfil your promise? " When you present the gentleman and proper papers, I am." " You said nothing ahout ])apers ; you promised me marriage yourself." " I never thought of sueh a thing," said he. The mother overhearing, doehired that she " heard him say so, and further stated that in the event of refusal, lie would he prosecuted." Here wius manifested a development of modern^ not of the early New England family training, religious enlightenment and social life which he hegan now experimentally to understand. " Foolish talking and jesting are not convenient." So Delilah won. As not onl}'- did her husband live within a day's jour- ney, hut according to the statement of the Rev. H. H. Blair " before Presbytery, no evidence was produced that even the civil law had been invoked," so, notwithstanding his popularity with his own nationality and the people generally, separation came. They next gave a call to a Mr. McGauchy, and I now quote the written statement of a principal actor on both sides, at times with each party, the oldest elder in that church : " He went on to New York, ostensibly to accept their call, but he did not do so, and would not. He was th.n ;ipi)ointed to some other place, and the Rev. Dr. Alexan- (Hi lUillions was sent to Providence, and arrived there in due time, but Mr. McGauch}^ was before him, and next day took forcible possession of the })ulpit. A lawsuit was in- stituted " and his adherents were cut otF by Presbytery. "They, with Mr. McGauchy, joined the Old School under the agreement that they were to sing the Scotch version of I 414 HISTOKY OF rUKSBYTEUlANISM ■ i ' the Psjilma and nono otlnT. All iliis M-ns cordially a,?rood to and put upon rrcsbytcry's record ill Deep IJivor, I'on- iieetit'iit, l)Ut it was not kept, lor they soon Idimd pretences to use Watts. They then trietl hy fraud to keep possession of the ])roperty, hut they were loiled, and at last gave it up to the i\ssociate Church." During tlie period thrit this strife was pending the Asso- ciate peoi)h! W()rship|)ed in a hired hail, '"i'lu; gn^ater j)art of the oiiiers for a time went nowhere." During tiiesi^ years of confusion sonic thought their hest interests would he hetter suhscrved if they wer(> again iu connection \Yith the Assoeiat(! [{ctornied Church, and on A])ril 11th, hSo'), they made application to the iJostoii Treshytcry. in granting the rt'ijuest conditionally, the court appointed a comndlh^e to shew to the Associalo Preshylcry why they were induced to reoccupy in I'rovi- dence. The way was not yet clear, and the application was not renewed until May I'ith, 1 moderation in a oall was requested and made in lavor of a lici-nLiate, Mr. K. Ci. Wallace. Tliia ho did not ai'ci'])!. On .Innc 1 Itli, ISoO, it, was stated by a leader in tho ohnreli (Mr. K. Iveekie) that th(5 three rnlin^j; elders who had tollowed tlu^ fortunes of the liev. Mr. McCraucdiy to Deep liiver and since, were "now retiirnini^, althouu;h tho hymn mania is still rauiin^ hii^di in Broadway (in the then Old School church), and hy all appearances tho lines will ho more distinctly drawn and people ho tho more ahlo to judji;e Unowiuiily in tlu^ case. American IVcshyterianisni has always hcl'orc this hi'cn helori' the puhlicU in i'rovi- dence dressed in colours that did not helonjj; to it, hut we hoj>(> now it is gointj; to throw od' tho mask and treat ua to a view of its inconsistencies." On Dcccmher 1st the Kev. \\'m. .>h'Tiaren wrote, "^Fr. Ma^'ce, the Old School minister, has lt>l"t Providence, ami it is thought that all will join our church and occupy tho huililinu- on Uinulway. Tlu! Old School here can't coni- ])ete with us out this way." Anioui!; other supply durinu; this s(>ason of turmoil was the vencrahle lh>v. Andrew Heron, D.D. ircM'amc to dis- ])ense the eucharist and managed to unite the two, the ono which came out with 'riu)mas, and the jtart of the church M'hich opposed his prenchiui^ in the Associates church. "After the iimovation of Watts' |)salms the Old School kept to the church, hut when the 'riiomasites and thoso they had put out of the cihurch camo together, tho Okl School i)arty <;ave up," On l)cceud)er r)th, IS')!), atiother mo(h'ration waf' urantod. This was presented to Mr. ,lohn 0. Kohh, a licentiate, on April 'Jlst, and In; was ordained and installed on Ajjril 27 th, 181)1). After a successful i)astorate of ahovc thirteen years, he was, on Septeml>er *)th, l.S7.'>, released and tlis- luisscil hv Preshvtcrv on .lanuarv 22d, 1^^7-1. l.oivcU was incori>oratcd as a city in ISod, and \\\ LSfiO it contained a population of .'l-'v'i.sr) souls, suhsistins^ jtrin- cipally on the nianufacturin«f industries, .\hout one-third ol its poj)ulatir»n wi-re lorci^ncrs, and, amoULi; these, it was deemcil advisable to seek expatriated Preshyterians. Oil going thither in tho evening on March '20th, the 416 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM It'ii ' writer fonnd the extensive factories all illuminntcd. The sight was pleasant and the question, "Wliy?" was an- swered by, " It is the blowing out ball." For the next six months the factories would not be operated by artificial light. Hence the dance to-night. Evening visits were made for some time, so that before any were invited to public worship in the Presbyterian form, it might be known wliether the experiment would probably succeed. Then a hall must be found, and next a constant sup[)ly of preaching. All this it took weeks to accomplish. In one of these evening visits he found Mr. George Cathcart, who agreed when he returned to guide him to some of his ac- quaintances. His house stood detached, near the wall of a factor}'-, and with unoccupied land in the rear. He found him, to his God, offeiing his evening song in a psalm, and he was in no hurry. The little "Arabs" gathered, and he went off the street into the vacant lot to pass time. When he returned, jNIr. Gathcart was reading his Bible and he had to retreat. Before he had proceeded far in his prayer a burly watchman tliought this man re- quired a share of his " tender mercies," and a colloquy began : "Captain, I want to know what you are doing here?" "Friend, I will do j^ou no harm." "I guess I have some right in these 'diggings,' what business have you here?" The urchins were now around .us, a])parently by dozens, with a rapid increase. " Neighbor, if you must know, I am waiting until a man is done his prayers." This was ])eyond his comjirehension. To him it was solemn mockery. If the intruder had spit in his face, or knocked him down, the insult would probably have been less. The idea that a man was praying so near his premi- ses, if one were praying aloud in his family in Lowell at that hour, was to him an incre(lil)ility, and he magnified his office. To avoid his grasp, the stranger ran and he impelled his propellers. A few steps outside led up to the door of which I seized the handle, and he caught me. Before he had time to wrest me from my gras}), Gathcart, the son, answered my call and opened the door, leaving this man to "nurse his wrath and keep it warm," while quantities of sand and gravel were by the urchins thrown against the windows. IN NEW ENGLAND. 417 Encouraged in the enterprise, public worship was bepjun in this station on Sabhath, the IGth of June, 1850. Con- stant supply of proacliin;^' it was then difficult to obtain, and after a want for three Sabbatlis continuously the case appeared to be almost hopeless. So soon as the supply hocanie constant matters revived, and on October 7th a])i>lic;itit)n was made for an organiza- tion, which was effected on December 1st by the admission of seventy persons to niem])er.shii) and tlie installation of two ruling elders. The oliservance of the Lord's Supper by them in the simi)le scriptural form of their fathers, was in Lowell a new thing. To then), on re([nest. Preshyter}', on February 25th, 1851, granted a mcxlcratioii. Their call was accepted by the Rev. Peter Clonlou. This congregation elected to office, as trustees, men fond of argumentation. Their meetings, ostensibly to promote the financial interest of the church, grew extensively weekly into "unruly and vain " talking, not productive of " brotherly love." The wife of the ])astor rcjceived from her first husband a rural home of much l)eauty in Cambridge, y. Y., which, by his bequest, she must occupy, or of it forfeit the en- joyment. This drew the minister away from Lowell more than was profitable to the people. He would occi'ijionally have some one of the city sui)[)ly for him when absent, and be told that the congregation could hear' these (and such men) without the cost of supporting ordinances at their present expense. He was " an excellent preacher," and a most estimable man, yet, under conflicting constraints, Hence, while holding their call, he did not ask for in- stallation, and at Fall River, on May 19th, 1852, ho re- ([uested to and did return it to the Presbytery. He lelt, and after laboring as a missionary (at least a part of the time) in Australia, he returned to Cambvi'ige in 1855. Supply was now given to Lowell, and on ^lovember 2d, 185o, Mr. William Mc.*'iilan vas ordained ^nd installed there. His hearing Wi;;> defective, or lie would (it was said) have sought admissioi^ to the Bar. His ideas of official responsibility were defective. He took his vaca- tion at the Isle of Shoals so long in autumn, that in keep- ing an appointment to assist him at the communion, the 27 ti it 418 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM Eev. D. A. Wallace found him (as he had been for weeks) absent from the city on Saturday evening, instead of liav- ing attended to the previous necessary preparations. Tliis, of course, marred the good feeling of the congregation. He resigned on November 15th, and left on December 9tli, 1854. Having had no full oi)portunity of obtaining a con- densed spiritual vitalit}', this ])eople became " faint" while "yet pursuing." Among other supply, Mr. Anthony C. Junkin served them for a time after June 2d, 1855, and continued with them ai'ter February 1st, 1856. On iMay 6th he was, at Thompsonville, received by Presbytery, and ordained on the 7th. As a stated sup})ly he couhl not control the tendency of events, and on June 9th, 1857, he asked to be released. Commercial depression now reigned in the land. Labor, even where obtained, ceased to be re- munerative, and, on October 27th, as a congregation, they informed Presbytery that they liad " ceased to meet as a church owing to ' the times.' " In view of their condition, they were, on January 13th, 1858, by Presbytery dis- organized. Years passed, during wliich but little eflbrt was made to revive them, and while individuals and families of Presby- terians, as employment could be obtained, caine to the city, yet no permanent settlement was eflected during the period ending with 1868. Taunton, Mass., next received attention. Several families and numerous individuals of Presbyte- rians were there employed, and on February 25tli, 1853, the Rev. William McMillan visited them. Supplies were sent to them with encouraging prospects, during summer and through the year 1854. Much of the hoj)es of Pres- bytery in this station, however, centred in one prominent man in a remunerative ])Osition who soon afterwards re- moved to Bridgewater, ^lass. Encouragement suthciont to warrant an organization was not given, and on Septem- ber 12th, 1855, the Presbytery discontinued Taunton as a station. For some years previous to the commercial depression of 1857, the manutacturing villages of New England en- joyed prosperity, and into almost every town Presliyte- rians were scattered. Among other j)laces, Holi/oke, Mass., "was visited, aud from it, on May 7th, 1856, two commis- IN NEW ENGLAND. 419 sioners met Presbytery at Thompsonville, asking for a supply of preaching. This was granted. Among others who officiated there, was the Rev. D. B. Jones, a native ot" the neighboring town of Ludlow, Mass., who had some years before, in Ohio, united witii tlie Asso- ciate Reformed persuasion, and wiio, on January 31st, 185G, was received ])y the Boston Presbytery. With it he continued but a year, and was dismissed on February 10th, 1857. Owing, it is believed, to the prejudices of sect which these comn)issi()ners (Messrs. Campbell and Robert- son) and their respective local adherents brought with them from Scotland, the attempt became a failure, and, as a station, Holyoko was discontinued by Presbytery on September 10th, 1856. We now turn to Edst Bo>^ton. East Boston was, in 1630, occupied as a homestead by Samuel Maverick, at the same time that John Blackstone cultivated the Peninsula of Shawmut. It was for above a century known as Noddle's Island, this man being at one time the owner of much of it. He brought disgrace upon himself and the Bay colony, by being the first man in New England (according to story) who owned slaves. It was not demanded for commerce until about 1830, and, in 1847, the principal ship-yards of the city, a large sugar- refinery and an oil-mill, together with forges, a factory for the preparation of dye-stuffs, and the wharves of the Cunard steamers, all gave work to an industrious popula- tion, beside those who daily obtained employment in the city proper and returned there to rest. It became espe- cially famous for ship-building. Among others, a Nova Scotian, the late Donald McKay, alone on it, built in com- paratively a few years 146 vessels, nearly all of large size. In doing so he disbursed above one million of dollars, and the " Island Ward " prospered. From it a considerable percentage of the Associate Re- formed church came to the city to worship, and the wits would sometimes notice, that as many as fifty-nine Pres- l)yterians would follow, or accompany, the father of the ship-builder when he, on Sabbaths, would leave the ferry- hoat as he returned home. Consequently, to these per- sons occasional supply of preaching was given on Sabbath evenings, until in April, 1853, when a station was formed. H' 420 HISTORY OF PRESnYTERIANISM ii : ■ 1 W>i^> The first supply obtained, for tliroe months, was the Rev. George C. Arnold. A loving and beloved man, faith- ful above many — "whom the gods love die early." He was "sanctified wholly" in the mid-time of his days, and after a pastorate of eight years in Phihidelphia " fell on sleep." He was succeeded for months by the Rev. A. G. Wallace, D. D., who now, while still a pastor, is the energetic actu- ary of the Board of Church Extension of tlie United Pres- byterian Assembly. In due time a church was organized, and on November 15th, 1854, the Rev. David A. Wallace was installed pas- tor. He was then in tlie vigor of life, and few congrega- tions have enjoyed more intelligent activity in a pastor, than he expended among this ])eople, as he gave his atten- tion to every part of ofhcial duty. He was now in a new field, the scat of modern " cul- ture" among Unitarians, and surrounded by the varied "schemes" of the orthodox. In "contending for tlic faith," he entered the field of authorship, and published, in 1855, his " Theology of New England." While he draws it mildly, his collated fiicts and testi- monies present on the leading points of doctrine a most perfect contrast to the " form of sound words," which made the early New England — the New England to which Christians look back with emotions of joy. In his work he shews the changes rung especially on the " inspiration of the Scriptures, election, Adam's rela- tion to his posterity, sin and depravity, human inability, Christ's satisfaction, regeneration, conversion, effectual calling and justification." To him also it was not dis- couraging that the venerable Rev. Dr. Daniel Dana, " the Addison of the New England pulpit," should thus express in relation to the book his opinion by way of introduc- tion. " Can it be for a moment denied that within a few years words have so entirely changed their meaning, that the Christian pulj)it emits darkness rather than light? Can it be denied that the terms depravity, conversion, re- generation, atonement, justification, etc., have lost their origi- nal sense, and assumed a meaning altogether new ? Can it be denied that in the principal theological seminary of New England the religion taught is depravity without sin, re- IN NEW ENGLAND. 421 ,vfis the n, iaith- ^." He lys, and "fell on Wallace, Lie actu- ,ed Pres- ovenibcr lied pas- jongrcf^a- a pastor, bis attcn- srn " cul- tie varied y for the )ublished, and testi- ne a most s," which 1 to which generation without lioliness, and justiffcation without the righteousness of Christ? Can it bo denied that pious liearers often retire from the sanctuary, and from tlie in- structions of a ])reacher, wliose leading views are entirely o[)posite to their own, yet honestly believing that they have heard the verv gosijel which thev loved? Can it be denied that different classes of hearers widely distant in sen- timent have each come away in the contidence that the jjrencher was of their own opinion? "^^'hcre are the Cliristians who have occupied the stage for twenty or thirty years, and have not witnessed a real revolution in religion — iij its doctrinal views, its experience and its practice? "The decline and abandonment of the truth, so prev- alent and undeniable, have unquestionably sunk our churches into a sadly depressed condition. Yet how can it be expected that evils will be removed until they are distinctly seen — seen in their causes and connection, as well as in their magnitude and aggravations? "The Avorthy and respected author of this pamphlet has executed a task of no common importance. Mr, Wallace has laid our New England churches under great obliga- tion " (pp. 21-24.) In 1855 the congregation undertook to build a house for public worship, the lecture hall of which was opened for service on April 10th, 1856, the expenditures so far upon it being $4,200. During summer the pastor entered into negotiations with the trustees of the college, then opening at Mon- mouth, in Illinois, to, of it, become the president, and on the 9th of September, 1856, he was, on his own request, dismissed by the Presbytery. On November 3d, 1856, a moderation was granted to the congregation, and on Jan- uary 29th, 1857, the Rev. 11. H. Johnston, who had been received by Presbyter}' on the 14th, was installed pastor. Being a native, while most of his congregation were born in the Ih'itish dominions, he published a good sermon on "The Stranger's Inheritance." He found the church ed- ifice unfinished, and the congregation in debt. lie with- out success solicited aid by circulars from his own denom- ination. This became to him a jilea for change, and in order to place the property where it could be perverted by » 422 HISTORY OP PRESBYTERIANISM M » 11' \* B( , his people formed a "society," and ostensibly im- k to build pews in the clum;!), wliile tlie Hoor was lully laid. This answered eHuetivcly, and by allowing small amount of interest to remain uni)aid, they, by loreclosure, sold the property, and had it bought for themselves by a third party. This man professed to belong to the Associate Reformed church, which on May 26th, 185(S, united with the Asso- ciate Synod, and formed the United Presbyterian church of North America. On April 28th, 1858, he had resigned his pastorate. As his proclivities were towards another denomination, he be- gan to see that if he were separated from the congregation, he alone could not carry the church estate witli him, and on June 8th he withdrew his resignation, ostensibly pro- fessing to enter the union. The Presbytery, however, at their meeting, on the lltli day of August, took him at his word, and dissolved the relation. He and his party then had a meeting called on the 24th of August by " the clerk of the society," not by the elders, to wiiom in trust the deed was executed on May 1st, 1856. At this meeting he and his wife appeared, and exclusive of them, thirteen men and nine women voted the property over to the *' Old School," while afterwards two of the twenty-two de- clared that Avhile they were present, they did not vote. At a meeting of Presbytery on September 8th his anger became " fierce," and he and his friends withdrew. On September 12th his pulpit was declared vacant. On Sep- tember 14th the two senior elders, with thirty-seven others, prepared a ^jrotest against the action of "the society," ■which was presented to Presbytery on the 4th of October. He had now "destroyed much good," and after loitering beside the wreck for above two years, he left both it and the Old School denomination, for whom he had done so much, for Hastings, Westchester county, N. Y., on June 12th, 1861, where he united with the Reformed Dutch church. After December 26th, 1858, to see what number might yet be gathered of those who had been spoiled of their church estate, w'orship was held at intervals in East Boston on Sabbath evenings. This continued for years. In the meantime, in 1862, those who occupied tlie house called a Congregationalist, the Rev. T. N. Haskel, and he IN NEW ENGLAND. 423 was on Dcrcmbor 3(1 installed. IIo brought in an dcinent in synipatliy with liis own views, and as those who had previously worshipped there were nearly all liritish-born Presbyterians, an eflVrveseeiuie bcL^an. Tlie elder wht) had for years ollieiated as the superin- tendent of the Sabbath school was set aside by vote, and a native put in charge. This and other matters not in ac- cordance with ])revir.us usage jn'oinpted not a few to leave. These were called bolters. They were occasionally supplied by the Kefornied Presbyterian minister, and as those who had been deprived of their house on January od, 1S()4, commenced in a hired hall, by a sense of duty the prejudices of the former were overcome, and they united with them. On April 19th they asked for sui)ply and a reorganiza- tion, and when on November lith they were visited by the Ilev. G. M. Hall, they so soon rallied around him that on the PJth of December Presbytery granted to them a mod- eration, and he was installed on April 17th, 1SG5. We have alread}'' noticed some of his characteristics and the feebleness of his health. Among the fragments of Presby- terians in East Boston he was considered ratlier a rigid disciplinarian, and when, on December 2Gth, 1867, he re- signed, the congregation concurred. We now direct our attention to Lawrence, Mass. In 1845 capitalists here built a dam across the Merrimac, and 80 rapid was the increase of poi)ulation, that in 1.853 (having the necessary 12,000 inhabitants) it was incor- porated as a city. Plerc, as usual, the "Scuit," "the wan- dering Scot," was soon found. On June 5th, 1854, by one of these, the writer was by letter inlbrmed that while a large part of the 300 or upwards of that nationality, then in Lawrence, would on "Sabbath visit and travel in the country," and say " that they would rather stay at home than conform to the American forms of worship," still some others of them " kept up a weekly prayer-meeting on the old principle of singing Psalms and standing during prayer." " Something," said he, " must be done soon to save this people from perdition." Consecpiently on July 2d, 1854, Mr. Alexander McWilliams, a licentiate of the As- sociate Reformed persuasion, connnenced conducting pub- lic worship in the Presbyterian order, and on December 424 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM 19th a church was orcjanizccl. On August 7th, 1855, Vr. S. F. Thoinjjson, in answer to their call, was ordinnod a id installed pastor. Although he made a good heginnniir, and was nieasuraljly successful, he resigned his pastorate on January 'JUth, 1857, and on March 25th he left the city. Amidst the severe commercial depression of that year, they called on June lOth the Fvev. W. T. McConnell. He did not accept, and they became dependent on supplies until October I8th, LS59, when the ilex. James Dinsmore was installed. His entrance into the ministry was ex- tensively the result of bis father's wishes perhaps more than of his own s(Mise of (lualilication for the work. Pres- bytery, at his own re([uest, the congregation concurring, released him on September loth, 1803. From this date he did not officiate in the ministry, and being a man of strict integrity and unl)lcmished Christian character, lie soon afterwards obtained permanent employment in the financial department of the house of A. T. Stewart & Co. The congregation gathered from diflerent divisions of the Presbyterian household in North Britain and Ireland did not altogether harmonize in their views of the value of the ordinances of the gospel, and as "thrift" sometinies " follows fawning," some of them l)ecame assimilated to their ecclesiastical surroundings. Their prospects for per- manent employment were not diminished by this course. Here Presbytery interposed, dissolved the church, passed the Session roll over to their own clerk, and authorized him to give a certiticate to every member in good stand- ing, if they should desire it. All but five or six were so dismissed, and the meeting- house was (for years) let to the city for school purposes. Hartford, Ct., being near Thom])sonville, was supplied with preaching by the Boston Presbytery after February 23d, 1862. That court, on April loth, in answer to an ap- plication from ninety-four persons, to tliem granted an organization, which was elTected on May Gtli. One of those who officiated among them was tlie liev. ^\'m. M. (Jlaybaugh. In answer to llieir call, he was on tiie day of the national fast, April 30th, 18G3, installed as their pastor. His father had been pastor at Chillicothe, and, by tho IN NEW ENGLAND. 425 1855, Mr. inod a id iMrinninsr, pastorate } left the ,hat year, ncU. Ho supplies Dinstnoro y Avas ex- ia]-)S more irk. Trcs- oncurrin.^, this date a man of iractcr, ho cnt in the art & Co. .visions of nd Ireland f the value sometimes milated to ■ts for per- his course. ch, passed luuthorized od stand- Ic meeting- ]urposes. supplied February h' to an ap- Iranted an One of I. \Vn\. M. \\ tlie day U as their Ld, by tho flppointmcnt of his Synod, Professor of Thcolo«ry at Oxford, Ohio, lie was pre-eminently a " messenger of (Jod," and ns sueli would bo ri>eo;j;ni7.ed at sifi;ht. He in early life (after the death of his mother) suffered much from bodily infn-mity, but such was the sweetness of his disposition and the power of his mind, that one of (Jod's " honorable women," a widow, Mrs. Marjjjaret MacLandburgh, of that town, took him under her care, and, with a gentleman of the i)laee, '' put him through college." He '" was an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures." His son was slow to learn that "there is no roval road to geometry. HcMice in liis early ministry he had changes, llartford did not suit iiim long, and on January 8th, ISI).")^ he resigned his charge. To them the Rev. .John M. Heron was appointed supply, and on December 22(1 he was by them called. His instafl- ation took place on .January 17th, 18GG. Hoping to ol.>tain pul)lic worsiiip permanently, the congregation purchased a lot, while they had from year to year on Sabbaths the use of ouQ of the city school-houses. During the next year their pastor was for several months confined to his cham- ber by a severe fever, which eventually for years deprived him of the necessary power and command of his voice. His resignation became a necessity, and the pastoral rela- tion terminated on December 31st, 1807. On May 5th, 18(38, they called the Rev. R. M. Patterson, but of their call he did not accept. South Bo.-^ton. Of the congregation organized on Decem- ber 20th, 184G, several mend)ers were residents in this part of the city. Beside the Sabbath services and the weekly meeting for prayer, one of the ruling elders, Mr. John Tay- lor, the man who believed in iminited guilt and imputed riuliteousness, for several vears conducted evening meetings weekly in South Boston. In these ho usually read an in- structive Scriptural essay. In 1804 the attendance had so increased that on May 27th those resident there requested to be recognized as a station and to obtain preaching. The station was opened on October 9th, and supply ai)pointed. An organization was requested on December 19th, and on January 8th, 1805, so soon as tliey were recognized as a church, they extended a call to the Rev. W'm. M. Clay- baugh. This he accepted on the same day on which he — I aS > ' '■ .if" > llj"? ■ ? |||4'|-— ;- ^,---1 H^l i^4: ui 426 HISTOIIY OF PRKSBYTKUIANISM was rolcfisod from Hartford. Tho congrojiation was small but spirited. They a|)j)r('('iatod their ))rivih'U('S, hut tho eastern eeclesiaslieal atmosphere soon nuuh' him wiser (in his own estimation) than his fatlier was. The jjrineiples involved in his ordination vows, in this ajj;(^ of modern conscience, lie began to think were too rigid, for he wanted "more liberty," and tendered his resignation on I)eeemi)er 2d. In tliis the congregation concurred on the bSth, which, being on tho 2l)th of December, 18(57, made known to Pres- bytery, they ofllieially granted his reciuest. Supply was then to them appointed. Wilkinsonrillr. Probably no stream of its size in New England furnishes more manufacturing villages in the same numlxn' of miles than does the Blackstone river. Among these, Wilkinsonville was early favored witii a col- ony possessed of much moral worth from T^ondondcrry county, Ireland. In common with many other expatriated Presbyterians in this region, they found religious usages from which they derived but little spiritual advantage. This contiijued for years, until the Rev. Josei)h Cooper, D. D., of Philadelphia, visited them. They were afterwards supplied by members of the As- sociate Presbytery of Albany. In 1855 the church was or- ganized, and on February 28th, 185G, the llev. James Wil- liamson was installed pastor, and was in this position on May 2Gth, 1858, when the United Presbyterian Church of North America was constituted. Tile congregation and its pastor subsequently became identified with the United Presbyterian Presbytery of Bos- ton. The held was limited, yet when manufacturing was prosperous they built a neat place of worship and mani- fested liberality in sustaining ordinances. In the course of years trouble came. Their pastor was possessed of good abilities, a pleasant and a faithful man, until he was overcome with artificial appetite, not with the fearful maelstrom of strong drink, but by an article much more genteel, scholarly and martial in the estimation of too many, by tobacco. To it he fell a slave, and as it brought on delirium tremens, he became obscene, until facts in the matter were brought before Presb3'tcry. His character was now irretrievably stained, and his usefulness in his pastorate worse than gone, for while he kii'fi-l -:,,-.-. IN NEW ENGLAND. 42': was (lismissod on April 20th, 1804, tlio conrlition of tlio ('onjrr('}.';iti()ii, uiulcr nartisan t(Tlin;jf, had become such that the I'rcshytery (lisHoIved tlie chiircli. It is one of the anomalies of modern Christianity (sa}' nothing; here of the drunkard's drink) that a pa^'an vice should he allowed to destroy soul, body and eliaraeter, even among the ministry of reconciliation, of purity, and of holiness. When James ('artier \vint«'red near where ^Montreal now stands, in lo-'i'M), he found amonpj tho ])afians the dis^ustinjj; " weed." Such was its control as an artificial stimulant over the stomach of the " poor Indian," that traders of that race hrou^dit it, when they brought notliing else, from "the sunny South," and such is its con- trol over thoughtless youth, criminally indulged, that mul- titudes "have their wealth" by the production, jirepara- tion and sale of this vile narcotic, whik; the slaves of this habit arc living under the doom of diminished usefulness, and (as a rule, with comi)aratively few excejjtions) shortened lives. It is only less destructive in its nature and tendencies than opium, over which, as a spectacle before God, angels and men, we have to-day the pagan government of China saying to Britain, the bulwark of Cliristianity on the earth, as the heathen stands in an im])loring attitude in negotia- tion : " Flooding our country with oi>ium from your Indian Empire is with you only ' a fiscal ' matter ; with us it is a matter of conscience." Yes, the feeble, partial ])agan con- science at war with Christitm cupidity and avarice. This a})|)ears to be incredi))le. in wavs not a few, this unclean habit hinders Sabbath sanctification itself, even when the filthy perfume of secu- lar time, by its change of dress, is partially removed. Tho use of it in youth gives no promise of vigorous manhood, even in military life. Hence, not only does Germany pro- hibit the use of it to her coming soldiers, who include her male ])opulation, but to the honor of the United States, her cadets at West Point are ])rohibited from, by its use, becoming imbeciles; the proniinency and exception of ex-President Grant to the contrary notwithstanding. To the minister of God it imparts no increasingly clear penetration into the mysteries of redeeming love, no angelic tones to his utterances, no " crucifying of the flesh with the 428 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM affections and lusts " in his own soul, and at times, as in this deplorable one, it f^ives to the enemies of Christ the oi)portunity of being "partakers of other men's sins," and presents detiance to the command of him who says to each ambassador of Emmanuel, " Keep thyself pure." To this station supplies were sent, and on September 19th, 1li- ances outside of the family. They allow no collateral sys- tems to supersede the luUilment of }»arental vows, and, while scattered like "two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough," they nre ever reudy to associate, when opportunity is to them afforded, in Divine Providence. Consequently, for above two years they labored to obtain a pastor, and over them, on November 20th, IboG, the Rev. James Reed Lawson was installed by u commission of their New York Presbytery. In coming to them for their encouragement, until they might become more steadfast, he left his previous pastoral charge in New lirunswick. To it he returned, and after September 28d, 1857, this vacancy was dependent on sup- plies until the first Sabbath of March, 18G0, when ^\r. William Graham, a licentiate, commenced to labor among them. To them his services were acceptal)le, and in answer to their call he was ordained and installed i)astor on July 12th of the same year by their New York Presbytery. The membership of the church was then thirty-two. Bringing with him to the work business habits, experience and tact, notwithstanding the a])parently exclusive charac- ter of his " form of sound words," he (under the Divine blessing) was prospered as a j)astor, and at the end of this (juarter of a century, 18G8, his cause was firmly established ill Boston. 430 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM CHArTER XV. 1868-1881 — Derry — A monument — An applc-trce — Only an echo re- mained — Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord — Londonderry — Rev. W. House— Rev. L. B. Pert — Fiscally not ahle— Kev. Ira C. Tyson — Membership — Antrim — Rev. Mr. Bates removed — Variable provender — Twenty poor fellows — Rev. W. Cochrane — His roll — Newburyporl — First Church — Rev. C. Diirfec — Kev. W. W. Newell, Junior — Eleventh pastor — Rev. Dr. C. C. Wallace— His church roll — Second Church — Rev. Dr. W. M. Baker — Pastor— Supplies — A Metho- dist — Progressive with the youth — Presbytery invoked — Tlie struggle — His name dropped — Membership — ^inKion — Rev. J. B. Dunn — An- tecedents — He is called — Examined by Presbytery — His humorous account of their action — Farcical procedure — Admitted — Pastor — Outlying Presbyterians — Large numbers — Well entertained — Their gifts praised — A committee — An eclectic field — Rev. Mr. Angler's statement — The executive oflicer — Twelve de{)artments — Mr. Roe's account — Reception easy — Simplified — The Press employed — His iinancial skill — Results — Springfield Street Church bought — By men of substance — The loss of the helm — A tour to Cape Breton — Suc- ce.s.sful — " If there was ony way to feed them " — One man demon- strative in devotion to the pastor — Was inmiersed — Opens a Theologi- cal Seminary — Two other professors — Three students — Results — Books for .sale — The enterprise not successful — Noveltv, etc., etc., " waxed old "—Great— Must travel— A delegate— Went to "the Old World" — One difficulty met — Made a good sale of Beach Street Church es- tate—Up town now— 2,000 sittings— $90,000— His building— Reli- gious light — Emblems "dedicated " — Chafed — A deaccm — Arrearages — The blessednes.s — Removals — The day of trial — Succumbs to his own crop — Numbers reported — His farewell — Tact its value — So far as he preached the word his ministry was successfid — "Shady side'' — Of it nothing said — Engineered a Second Boston Presbytery — The reader can determine — Rev. W. B. Green, Jr. — Installed — In- crease — Decrease — Roll in 1881 — Faithful jireaching indicated — WInilham — Kev. J. Larmian ordained — In less than four years dis- mis.sed— Kev. C. Packard— His installation — Death — Faithful — The age of the church— Its pastors — Rending — Lynn— liav. A. S. Gard- iner, Reading — Installed — House dedicated — Dismissed — Mr. P. M. McDonald called — Ordained — Labors in Boston — Pastor of Reading IN NEW ENGLAND. 431 1 ccTio re- donderry— ,ev. Iriv C. —Variable His roll— \\. Newell, mrch roll— —A Metho- :he struggle Dunn— An- s linniorou3 a_.Pastor— ined— Tlieir |lr. Angler's Mr. Koe's tloyed- His [hi— liy mm rulon — Suo- lan demon- a Theologi- ;>ilts — Books ■tc. "waxed )ld World" Church ea- [ding— Kt^li- Arrearages |ini"bs to his idue— So far [ul-" Sluidy li Presbytery istal led— In- indicated— r vears dis- ithful— The A. S. Gard- Mr. P. M. of Reading clmrcli and of Boston chapel — Ilia prosperity — Roll — East Boston — De Pew — Acicernian — Dr. Riciiards — p'itfui eiianges — Etlwurd Annan — Tiie held good — He was i'aithful — His death — A tiling not easily done — A want — An agency — Kev. K. F. Marston — His roll — Sprinfjlield Sired Church, Boston — Some active men purchased an edifice — Third cliurch organized — Pastor called — Settled — The lield a failure — Other services not appreciated — A redundancy — South Boston a faihire — A hall hired — Services — Rev. L. H. Angier — Rev. Dr. W. M. Baker — A liouse built — Debt — Not aided as they ought to have been — Rev. W. H. Sybrandt — Faithful — His roll — The Gennan Pres- byterian church, Ldwrence, Mass. — Tiie Rev. Augustus H. Hager — His roll and increase — Lowell — Vicissitudes — The Kev. Soltau F. Cal- houn — His services — Rev. R. Court— No other in the city, and he is prosperous — His roll and increase — Providence, R. I. — Tiie Old School party there — Advanced — Built a ciiurch — The (ioihic contagion — Pav — Rev. J. Dickson initiated — Rev. T. Parrv — Some change their colors — Rev. Mr. Morrill recently there — Elders report a roll — Connecticut — 18()8-1881 — Three congregations and a fourth — Kncour- aging continuations — Rev. H. W. Ia'C in Thompsonvillt — Notiiing un- nsual — Short vacancies — Dismissed — Rev. F. Shepherd Banium — Working force efficient — Roll — Ilartjord — Erected an edifice — De- scription of it — An unhappy change — Trouble — Courts invoked — Pew patronage — The pastor's experience — "Seven suits" — Mandamus — Pastor continues — Congregation increases — Roll — Stamford — Kev. A. 8. Twombly, horn 1868 till 1872— Rev. E. Van Slyke— Rev. R. Vail — Installed — His roll — Brid(jeport — Rev. H. S. Hinsdale resigned — Rev. H. A. Davenport succeeds — Installed in 1878 — His roll — J)arien — Rev. J. W. Colenian installed — Resigned — Membership in 1881 — July 7tli, 1881, Rev. E. P. Cleaveland installed there — Ihufncnut Memorial Church — Roll — New Haven — C-hurch organized in IHl'.i — On account of financial embarrassment abandoned — Creenwich — Per- sons withdraw from Congregational Society — Organized April 2()tli, 1881 — Elected Rev. Dr. Sawyer their pa.stor — Roll — New Boston, N.H. — Rev. F. Allen, pastor — His roll. Eacti of the last six quarters of a century to which our attention has been turned, we have ben;un with Old Derry. Tn our last we saw her as to her distinctive princi])les in doctrine, government and worsl:ip, extinguished on her own soil by the quasi theocracy supported by the Athe- nian democracy, which gave specific identity to New Eng- land, socially, civilly and religiously. Before the linal sparlc had iled, it was almost agitated to procure for the germ of all tiie worth, moral and material of this old mother congregation, a monument. Hence the editor, son of the author, in concluding his history of the town, says : " In regard to the erection of a monument to commemor- 432 HISTOllY OF PHESBYTERIANISM ate the spot on wliich the first sermon was preached in Londonderry, it may be remarked, that mucli interet^t is felt in the execution of such a work at an early day. It is believed that a shaft, or obelisk of rmon in this town was preached (under the wide-sjH'eadin,:^ branches of a venerable oak, wdiicli, for nn)re than a century, marked this spot) by the Kev. James McGregor, on A[>ril 12th, 1719, would be appro|)riate. In 1851 Presbyterianism in this town was dead and buried, and the " mu(!h interest fell "' became a thin<^ of the past. An ap))le-tree is said to mark the spot as a monument of their Presbyterian worth. In enterinsj; on this quarter of a century, we find her eulopy ])ronoun(!ed on the one hundred and fiftietii anniversary of the settle- ment, or on April 12th, 18G1). The orators were the Hon. Charles Bell, Horace Greeley, Dr. Taylor, Professor Patter- son and others. The compilation of their speeches, and other matter joertinent to the occasion, was made by 11. G. Mack, Esq., of Londonderry, and forms ''a nicely bound book of 124 pages. It has gone into the hands of the antiquarian stores, and is held at high prices." The occasion called out intellectual powers, which it would not be ea,sy to surj)ass, inherited from tiie Scotch- Irish ; but as to the logic and sound doctrine of "the oppressed brethren," only an echo remained. There was in the town no longer " the voice of rejoicing and of salva- tion, even in the dwellings of the righteous," after the manner of " West Running-brook ; " no longer the singing of "sweet psalms" in Uie house of tiie Lord; no longer "the doctrine of God our Saviour" in the ])uli)it, which had, even then, become one of the bulwarks of New Eng- land theology! But " Blessed arc the dead which die in the Lord." In Londonderry the Rev. William House, settled Octo- ber 7th, 1857, continued to be pastor till February 26th, IN NEW ENGLAND. 433 ! i! icrl in ■rt'r^t is ly. it le corn- editor nay l»o of not mil, the , Isaiah lis town es of a 1 narked 'il 12tli, ead and thin*]; of ,pot as a evinr Patter- ;r matter cl<, Esq., bk of 12-^ Aquarian hvhich it Scotch- of "tlie fhere Avas , of salva- laftor the le sinjiinp; l»o longer lit, winch ;e\v Enix- 3h die in led Octo- lary 26th, 1873. Ilis pastorate appears to have been harmonious. The generation were gone who required doctrine, worship and affection between jxistor and |)eople of the Rev. David McGregor type. Tlic passing audiences did not receive and hear the doctrine, maintain the worship, nor feel that aifection. After tw^o years of spiritual subsistence on sup- ply, the congregation called the Rev. Luther B. Pert. He was settled over them on February 23d, 1875. In his ministry, it is believed, he was faithful under his cir- cumstances, but the si)irit of the land in the last quarter of tlie nineteenth century overtook him, as well as accumu- lating years, and he was dismissed in September, 1879. " There is that scattereth and yet increaseth." Whether it is religiously so, with this old church, or not, I know not. But a candidate for the vacant pulpit was told, that fiscally they are not able to support a pastor, even while they have the interest of the nine thousand dollar Pinker- ton fund by way of supplement. In the statistical returns for 1881, the Rev. Ira C. Tyson is reported as pastor elect, and the membership is 141. So that, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year of her age, this church is fulfilling her mission. Let it be remembered, however, that the in- scription on Elder Pinkerton's tombstone is no insignifi- cant force or factor in keeping her in her denominational position. From Antriin, N. H., the Rev. Mr. Bates removed in 18G6. " For u year and an half this church then lived on the variable i)rovender aflbrded by candidates. It is said that about hccnty of these poor fellows came and went. Some of them were desirable men whom the congregation could not command." On January 1st, 18G8, ]\Ir. Warren R. Cochrane (a graduate of Dartmouth) i)egan service here, and was or- dained on March 18th, 18G9. Having "another man's line of things made ready to his hand," and, in 1877, a staff of six " deacons " ( this word is possibly in the vocabu- lary of the land used here for ruling elders), being now in the vigor of manhood, he is prospering in the Master's work, returning, in 1881, a roll of 2G0 church members. In tiie First church, ycicbiiri/jxift, the ninth pastor, the Rev. Charles S. Durfee, was installed September 8th, 1869. His opportunity for leaving any very permanent impres- 28 m HISTORY OP PRESBYTERIANISM sions of the value and power of Divine truth upon his peo- ple was short, as he was dismissed on July 29th, 1872. He was on May 7th, 1874, succeeded by the Kev, Wil- liam W. Newell, Jr. What his antecedents were, I cannot affirm, but his pastorate was acceptable and successful. He resigned on June 3d, 1880, and is officiating: as a hqc.yc- tary in New York city. The Rev. Charles C. Wallace, 1). D., the eleventh pastor since 1746, was, for y(;ars, a prominent orthodox Congrcgationalist i)astor at Manchester, N. II. What his type of theology is, is not affirmed, l)ut his beginning has been numerically very favorable. In Iqss than one year, as pastor, he reports a roll of 821, an in- crease over the report of 1880 of 47 meml)ers. After continuing as a vacancy for nearly four years, the Second Presbyterian churchy Kewhuryport, called the Rev. William M. Baker, D. D., who was installed on June 20th, 1872. For seventeen years the mantles of Dana and Eells had not fallen on any of his four other i)redccessors. Their Presbyterianism appears to have been of a very mild type. Consequently, to teach and uphold the doctrine of "salva- tion by grace," he found to be difficult, and he terminated a pastorate of twenty-tv\'o months on April 14th, 1874. How far the commercial depression (began on Septem- ber 17th, 1873) affected his people in sustaining ordi- nances, cannot be stated, but, from different causes, they had become " men of like passions with others " in the re- ligious communities by which they were surrounded. Con- sequently, after his departure they had sup})lies for above three years. Among these, one of the Methodist persua- sion, the Rev. J. A. Bartlett, became attractive, and was in- stalled on July 5th, 1877. He was (in his way) a pro- gressive with the youth and the less informed part of the congregation. New methods, more attractive than preach- ing "the unsearchable riches of Christ," were enqjloyed to allure sinners into " the kingdom," and, in a few months, those whose hearts " trembled for the ark of God " had (after much trouble) to invoke the Presbytery for the pre- servation of their ecclesiastical existence. Men in the ministry are at times " held highly in love," not so much " for their work's sake " as for inferior con- siderations. So it was here by the inexperienced, the gay IN NEW ENGLAND. 435 and thoughtless ; and the strnfrgle was not short. Still it was terrninatrd l)y his dismission by the Presbytery on Aiiij;ust 31st, 1879. But not until they had "bitten and devoured one another," and became extensively "con- sumed." For, in ISSl, his name does not appear on the roll of the diinomination, wliile the congregation, reduced to a memberslii]) of 52, is vacant. Among the variations which occurred during the first lialf of this quarter of a century, we liave to note tlie ar- rival of the Rev. James Blair Dunn in Boston. He luid in New York entered the ministry (according to the Rev. Dr. Baird of his own Synod) at first among the Methodists. He was a ready speaker on temperance subjects, was re- ceived by the >s'ew School Presbyterians, and in their con- nection had i)efore 1urcliase. This chafed him anew, v/hile twenty thousand dollars more had to l)e borrowed to pay up till J.S7<'), tin; date cut on the house-corner. On a second niortyatje six thousand dollars adtlitional were obtained, while lifteen hundred dollars, to cover a " lloat- in^i; ' del)t. had tiu; endorsement of oiu; of the deacons (a man of substance) on the note of the connnittce. 'IMie in- tereat of tliia the deacon ccaaed to i)ay, by having the uu- IN NEW ENGLAND. 443 ocoui)io(l p<>rlion of tlio oliurch lot sold for two thousjind dollars. This rclit'Vi'd him, hut it only reduced the ar- rearages claimed t(t (il'teen liundre(l dollars, "'riiehless- ediiess they spoke of,'' and the " ])luckin^ out of eyes to jxive to " him in fornu'r years ((jial. iv. ib), were now llout- in;.r into tin; past. Removals from the city, althoujjh nuniorous, wore not the only caus(^ of decrease in his nmnlxTs. I'opery , he re- ported 1)10, and on September 28th, bST'.), h(; j)reached to them his farewell discourse. Tact, even when aided by inodirn inventions, in j)rol"essedlv proclaiminii; the ^'ospel, •will not, without '' the doctrine of' Clod our Saviour," faith- fully preacheton I'resbytcry. It. mi^ht not have he»'n to eclipse (lie lirst, that the second on*' held its stated meet- ings on the same day of the same month, which had for years been chosen l)y the other. "Peradventure, it was 444 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM Mi Ms an oversight." How much increase of spiritual volume and power, Prcsbyterianisni unci " the truth as it is in Jesus," received through it in those eleven years by liis instrumentahty, 1 do not profess to say. The reader, for himself, can determine. On June 4th, 1880, the Rev. W. Brenton Greene, Jr., was ordained and installed as his successor. The salary was razeed to $2,000 per annum, and the cliurch (notwith- standing the increase of its debt) when vacant rolled up numbers, reporting in May, 1880, 688 members, or an in- crease of seventy-eight over the last year of the pastor's ministrations. While all the Rev. Mr. Greene's antecedents were most favorable, and his future is very promising, yet his case shews a lack of judgment but too often witnessed in call- ing a pastor. Instead of (in this large congregation) selecting one who from years of previous study and inurement to worry, could "endure hardness," the inexperience of youth was chosen for the forefront of the hottest battle, and whether, from the continued reaction of the '' Tabernacle," the turgid state of the previous pastor's roll (if purged) from removals or deaths, notwithstanding the admission of thirty-four on examination, and fifty by certificate (a fine increase) his return to his assembly in May, 1881, was only 402, or 286 less than at his induction. These results would there indicate the faithful preaching of "the truth as it is in Jesus," and not the " prophesying of smooth things." Windham, N. H. On June 2d, 1868, the Rev. Joseph Lanman was ordained over this church. He was not par- ticularly successful, and the relation was dissolved on February 6th, 1872. The Rev. Charles Packard was installed on April 29th, 1873, and died on February 20th, 1881, leaving a widow and three children. The church, during its existence of one hundred and thirty-nine years, has had eight pa.stors, and he was the fifth who has died among that people. Fifty-three were added to the church during his min- istry. As a pastor he was faithful. The four elders re- turn to the Assembly a roll of lo6. In his days of upward and onward the Rev. J. B. Dunn IN NEW ENGLAND. 445 volume it is in •s by his lader, for !, Jr., was ilary was (notwith- roUed up or an in- e pastor's were most t his case ed in call- ig one who to worry, youth was i whether, lacle," the ir;ious mind, this is not easily done. Tliis peo]»le had now to look for another pastor, and while hundreds of excellent men in the denomination are "standinjj; idle in the market," a})i)arently from the; want of a judicious arran^re- ment, the sup])ly and demand are not properly at all times brought into contact. Hence even those of another persuasion may stej) in, as did Bartlett in Newburyi)ort, and olttain the confidence of a people. So many who are not })astors desire labor, that an agency is kept in Boston to meet supply and de- mand, and on an application here the Rev. F. E. Mars- ton, of the State persuasion, was obtained. He preached " another gospel " from Annan, but the children (it was said) like(l him. He obtained a call on October 1st, and was installed on the 14tii of tlint month in 1878. In May, 1881, he reports a roll of 2()0 n)endjers. Spriiiffficltl Street church, Bn-^Om. As has been stated, some active men connected with li(;ach street congregation in January, 187(\ purciiased the Congregational church on this street, tlien not occupied. In it, on tlie 8d day of February, 1870, the third church of the Reunited order was organized. While they fully IN NEW ENGLAND. 447 Id not I. Ho >-nati<»u (. litt'ul ejjatiou miu'h j\nd it (for be X, Nova ■;tr'-'nsith ility he ' From h, 1878, i>red into the faith God, but relijuous d now to excellent ! in the ^ arriiniie- jly lit all lte]> in, as lontidcnce lire labor, and de- E. Mars- preached n (it was Italled on ]iu risports in stated, lgre;Lr;ation church on kl church ley fuUy appreciated the activity of the pastor of Beach street, they annod to liave here pulpit talent of an hij^h order, and carryin^j; forward their purpose, a merchant on business in Brilaiu went over to Ireland, and hearing tiie Uev. John H. Munroe, on his report, when returned, this congregation extended to liim a call to their pastorate. This he accepted, and while he brought to the position unexceptionable fitness, it was at an early day discovered that there Avas too little suitable material in his Held of labor, and the future there was not bright with inducements for him to remain in Boston. After making " lull proof of his ministry " there for sixteen months, he accepted a call in Philadelphia. This congregation had also the services of the Bev. Dr. Wm. A. McCorkle for some time, and did not expire from the want of talent in the pulpit, but from the mental and social nature of its surroundings, connected with the fact that but a few of the hearers could apj)reeiate the talent which they enjoyed in the house of prayer. It was at best a redundancy. South Boston. After the failure of Claybaugh in this ward, the Bev. John l^rash lal)ored in it for u season, and when he left J*resbytery appointed the Bev. George Clark (pastor of P]ast Boston ) as moderator of session. He was informed by a man of promise, who became a failure, that if the United Presbyterians placed another man tiiere, he would hire a hall and establish an opposition. The men employed as above became extensively assimilated to their surroundings, and the field was dropped. As there were not a few Presbyterians resident in that part of the city who found it inconvenient to attend any of the churches in the city proper, a hall was hired, anil the Bev. L. H. Angier labored tor years as supply. •After the churcli was organized, they extended a call to the Bev. Dr. ^^'m. M. Baker, who labored among them some years. His subsistence was not superabundant among them, and eventually separation came. They also undertook the enterprise of building a place of worsliip, in which they ought to have been liberally aided by their de- nomination, but it was not so. Having a few men of busi- ness and of substance, they obtained as pastor the Bev, Wm. H. Sybrandt, who for years has occuj)ied faithfully, and returns a roll of 112 members in May, 1881. 448 HISTORY OP PRESBYTERIANISM Beside tho Enplish-sponkinp; people, occasionally Ger- mans are collcctcHl into Pnshytcriaii oliurclics. One of this nationality has lor rears existed in Lawrence, Massa- chusetts, and in May, 18S1, tlieir ])ast()r, the Rev. Auu\islus II. Ilager, presents a roll ol" 127 niemhers, having during the year 1880 had an increase of llfleen. In Lowell Presbyterianisni has had vicissitudes. After the false pretenses of the Rev. John Robertson in 18G8, tho Rev. Soltau F. Calhoun supi)lied the station here for some time in 1870-72. But his services were not acceptable to all his hearers. They were more fortunate with his successor, the Rev. Robert Court. They years ago purchased a place of wor- ship, and as there is no other Presbyterian church in the city, they are prosperous. He returns a roll of 170 mem- bers, with an increase of twenty-six in 1880, In Providence, R. 1. As wo have seen in the last quarter of a century— 1843-18()8— the " Old School i)arty " occu- pied for years. Since the reunion they have advanced — have built a church, and have had ministerial labor. Tho Gothic contagion, so prevalent in New England, of build- ing God and his people out of doors, they have not es- caped. The beam out of the wall or timber cries, "Debt, debt. Pay what thou owest." To them the Rev. J. Dickson came and became initiated fully in the labor and worry incident to the work of a Presbyterian clergyman in New England. A few years of such a peculiar position were enough. After his de|)arture, the Rev. Thomas Parry served them in the gospel lor some years. Not only the fluctuating character of the Presbyterian population in this, as in other cities in New England, im- f)eded progress in the work of the kingdom, but, it is be- ieved, that of those indebtetl to th(jse Ibrces which unit^' the Scotch in Scotland, viz., the Psalms and Shorter Cate- chism, not a few have changed tlieir colors and enlisted under other banners. Social life has its Ibrces as well as the gospel. The Rev. George W. Morrill has not yet had oppor- tunity to there " make full proof of liis ministry." Thw; elders return from this vacancy a roll of 150 members in 1881. IN NEW KNfiLAND. 449 ly Gcr- Onc of , M;iss:i- n i:\isUis 5 durini:; ;. After l8G8,tho for some )table to the Rev. e of wor- -h in the 70 mem- st quarter tv " occu- Ivanced — bor. The of builcl- ve not OS- es, " Debt, e initiated work of a ,v years of Irved them icj^nyterian [land, iiu- ;t, it is be- iiieh unil^' )rtcr Cate- Id enlisted as well as lad oppor- Iry." Tho Umbers in New nostim, X. H.—At this date, 1SG8-1S81, the Rev. Frank II. Allen is i)astor, and returns a roll of 137 mem- bers. Bed ford, i\. II. — Vacant; in May, 1881, the nine ciders return a roll of 141. From Soidh Ri/ec/nle, Vt. — Vacant; the six elders return a roll of 107. Litchfield has one elder who returns a roll of 16, and re- ports two adult baptisms during the last year. Hy tho generosity of some jx-rson they have an annuity, and can obtain supplies for a part of the time. Total mi'mbcrs rej^orted by Presbytery of Boston, in Mav, 1881, 2,()87. Total in the seven churches reported in ('onnecticut in 18h], 1,127. Total, 3,814. C()ui)(rti<-itt. — As we have seen, " three of the congrega- tions, formed more recently in this State, have ceased to exist, and a fourth has joined another ecclesiastical hody." Yet, in entering on this (juarter of a century we have en- couraging (Continuations. As successor to the Rev. Dr. Adams in Thoinp.^onville, the Rev. Henry Ward liCe was installed on July 13th, 18()9. Nothing unusual marked his incumbency, and he Avas dismissed on December 20th, 1873. During these short vacancies no stated supply was en- gaged ; they were filled wstruetion," but before trouble. " Contentir)n (was now) meddled with." Tlie courts, ecclesiastical and civil, were invoked. The "Athen- ian democracy was in the mould of the society " by i)ow patronage. The i)astor, being a I'ennsylvanian, supposed that the property of a I'resbyterian congregation should (as is the case geniM-aliy out of New England) be under the control of the church ; but trustees, appointed by its members, in an organized capacity, the State divterians, profoundly ignorant of the fact, had to "come to the Knowledge of the truth " in this bitter way, in which not less tiian "seven suits have bt-en instituted," and, "in March, 1S77, the trustees were sustained by mandamus." It is not easy to estimate the loss suffered by " ])ure and vmdefiled religion " through these unfortunate proceedings by which Preshyterianism has h(>re l)een "wounded in the house of her iViends." Still, the ]>astor continues, the church increases, and in 18(S1 he re[)orts a roll of 280 members. In Stamford, New Scliool, the Rev. Alexander S. Twom- bly, on Ai)ril oOth, 18()S, entered as i)astor, and continued in office till May 1st, 1872, followed by the Rev. Evert van Slyke, April 28d, 1873, who ofliciated till October (Uh, 1875. The j)resent pastor. Rev. Richard P. H. Vail, was installed on May 11th, 1876, and to his assembly, in 1881, rej)orted a membership of 297. In Bruh/cport, Old School, the Rev. TTorace S. Hinsdale resigned his charge on October 4th, 1877. His successor, the Rev. Henry A. Davenjjort, was installed February 14th, 1878. In 1881, to the Assembly, he reported a membcr- Bhip of 198. In Darien, New School, the pastor, the Rev. James W. IN NEW ENGLAND. 451 hrick 1 well )S hinl , for a before ' The Athcn- )y pow lilt the 8 is the control hers, in nizc. ot trus- iciuhors ousi' of ti'rians, to the lich not ill >5 nd, hunus I ure ant M.nlin^s ided in IK'S, the of 280 Twom- ntinuod crt van ler (Uh, ail, was n 1881, nis( lal •cessor, ■y 14th, I'ombcr- nes W. Coleman, installed March Ith, 1804, rcsijincd his pastorate January 4th, 1874. Ah'inhcrshii), in 1881, 40. On July 7th, 18S1, the Rev. K. V. (K'avcland was ordained and in- 8talled ])astor, llujiucniii Memorial church, 87. Tlic First Presbyterian church of AV;r Ilnmi was organ- ized by the Presbytery of W'er^tchester, March 11th, 1873. This year began a vast financial end)arrassnuMit, and it became necessary on this account to abandon the ent(?r- i»ris(\ By the same court the church was dissolved on anuary PJth, 1875. At Greenwich, Fairfield county, thirty-two persons with- drew from the Second Congregational Society of the town, and they were, on A])ril 'iGth, 1881, by the Presbytery of Westchester, organiz-ed as a church. They have since elected the Rev. Rollin A, Sawyer, D. D., as their pastor. Membership, May, 1881, 31. 1868-1881— U. P. Church of Boston— Hopes diminishing;— liiiild or abandon — Two other branches — Want of sucoi-w — New poetry ad- vised — The cure — Any eouhl find their position — Inducements to abandon were realities — Hindrances — The flock — Resolved ( D. V.) to buihl — Lot — C'hurcli and two dwellings erected — Favorable inter- positions — Trustees of the Assembly — Reincorporated — Powers — C'on- grcfjation prospered — Interest and debt —1873, commercial dei)ression — (jhurches pray — Lindell and the organ — "Musical pioneer" — In- crease of i'opery in Hoston — The organ-loft divides — Jsot satisfactory — Moody — His tabernacle — His services — A religions lady's view of Sankey — An unsettling tendency — Moody's "talk " — Newman Hall's estimate of Moody's results — Seed sown in four phices — Kesidls — Two days' attendance in orthodox churches — No supposed aids wanting — The ]>ioneer Presbyterian church siiflered — Yet it stood the shock — Doctrine tauglit — Versions — Garnering — No surplus veneration — Our debt — Its consequences — Some had no sympathy — A goodly price — This tried people — Trustees and Boards to report in 1880 — Their plans and report — Pastor must go and pay debts — Or the sale miglit become a fact — Double toil — An optimist — The congregation aston- ished — None asked him to resign — Did so .June 29th — Licensed June 28th, 1830 — Progressives now to adopt new methods — Congregation had been prospering — Force spent — Never disabled for dutv — He must now stop — Relation dissolved — Not to disturb he removed — His course of jiastoral life unusual — Nothing popular — Only the riches of Christ and the word of God — This the Spirit honors — At the end of thirty-four years he leaves one priest and two Unitarian doctors in Boston who were there before him — He must go, for the increase was less than some other years — This not so — His disadvantages — Hia success — Boasting excluded — Divine appointment reigns — Rev. John Hood — Installed — Thompsonvilk — ^A pastor settled— Set off by Synod 452 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM to New York Prosbvfcry — Eust EnMnn — Rev. G. M. Clarko — Trouble came — lit- sowod si-tds of discord — The eliiirch roll — Kast Boston and Ilartlonl dissolved liy I'rcsltvtery in IST.'J — I'rnvide.nre ~ \{k'\ . J. P. Kohl)— Released — Mr. M.S. McCord called — Ordained ami installed — An iiitilliu;ent |K'o|>le — He makes t'ldl pniol— Roll — Juill Jliirr — Rev. J. R. Kyle— Had for a lime competition — .Vn Asyin:n — Rev. J. IF. Tiirnhull — Installed — Roll increased - I rMt;/*//ir///f' —Rev. P. Y. Smith — ContinueH jtastor — His ndl — H7ii' Rtalled — The church prospering — His roll — Lmvrenc.e — Rev. John Hogg — Successful — !u harmony with the "dissenters" of 1807, in tlie McCune case — McCune's changes — Tried by church courts — Leaves I'resbyterianism — Reoomcs ortlio.lox in 'J'exas — As "acting pastor'' — "Dissenters" — Who sympathized with Mc(June — In some views — Overtures — On the psalms — To pave the way for orijans — Tunes prepared — Children "clamour for sprightly music" — Accom- modated — With fragmerUs called *' Hible Songs" — Actions and opin- ions — "A very serious ern)r" — The demand met — Overture to i)ave the way for organs — Mr. Hogg insubordinate — Mr. A. (}. McCoy's view of the church — Rev. John A. Rums faithful — \)t, McAyeal — His view of versions — His roll — If4)aiiiH were taken — The ol.l version wonid be most eilective — Presbi/'ery of Vermont — linnid — Rev. John Seivice pastor— Vacant — Rev. R. S'. Hammoml — Installed — Con- tinues — Roll — HijejaU' — Rev. A.Y. Houston pastor till l.ST-j — Rev. J. R. Clapperton installed — Release*! — His roll — (ireensboro — Va ant long — Rev. A. S. Stewart installed — His resignation — N'acaiit — Roll — To complete we rerpiire information — None would then be uniio ticed — A supposition — The whole mendtership and adherents — Others careless — Thousands with other persuasions — Men of Israel help — Who will care for their souls? Boston. — As the United Prcsl)yterian congregation of Boston entered on this (luarter of a century they found their hope of recovering their property diminishing, and the alternative was presented, build an house for public worship, or abandon the field. They had, in twenty-two years, entered their seventh hired hall and paid nearly ten thousand dollars for rent. It is doubtful if any other congregation in the city would have shewn equal steadfastness to principle under so many disadvantages and discoiu'agements. Two other branches of the Presbyterian family were now competing in the field, and in two divisions (in East and Soutii Boston ) they had had more than one experiment of their own " })rogres- sive" element in the U. P. Church, and their want of suc- cess, just as they became assimilated to their surround- ings, in doctrine and worship. IN NEW ENGLAND. 453 Pastor anfl pooplo wove continually urpod (o bccomo mow popular; it' not to ohtaiu an ortMU, at least to adopt iu)\v po(>try to please the tloatin^r poi>ulation; to renienilirr that "the days ot" the catechism" and the psalms were ])aHt; to say nothing ajrainst any error, or corrupt system, at the risk of heinj; hranded as hiiiots. The cure lor all this, however, was to teach the jjeople "the first principles of the oracles of God," and to shew, that we had not "ap- ])ointed any new tiling contrary to what hv had com- manded;" in short, to keep pure and entire all such "reli- gious worship and ordinances as (Jod has aj)pointed in his ■word." Conse(juently, if any were dissatisfied they could find their ])osilion in one of the varied fields of do<;ma, lyinjj; hetween "sonnil doctrine " and the opinions of the advocates of "advanced thouossessions, were in some cases induced to ])lace themselves with the more rich and gay. Where such persons were ])arents, their daughters readily " went out to see the daughters of the land," and their sons easily "pleased themselves with the children of strangers," in- stead of seeking "the ])lighted partners of their future lives " among tlunr own persuasion. Among the hindrances to " the work of the ministry " here, as elsewhere, mixed marriages were not the least. In all such cases, as a rule, it is believed that ])roper ])arental training " gains much harm and loss." At times the children, for whom, before God, angels and men, parents, by vows, acknowledged their responsibility at "the judgment-.seat of Christ," were allured by some other denomination. i^'i 454 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM Other inducomonta to almndon the field wore not want- ing:, but "thf ilock" licloti^fcd to tin' Master, and }dlh(ni;:li neither rieli, nor numerous, they wen- not only vahi:il>lo as the j)rotessed iolk)\vers of the Saviour, hut tliey lorined a nuekius lor future leHowshij) Tor those who might, like many of themselves, yet eome to the city. Hero we were met l)V tlie faet, that it was liopelesa for those tiien and there in fellowship to attempt the enter- prise alone. Still, we resolved {!). V.) to ask aid and to buihl. On September 1st, 18G8, an elijrihlo site was ])ou;j;ht, and in due time a building, ineluding two dwellings, was erected. The house, with a seating capacity for five hun- dred, was opened lor jtublic worsliij) on February (Jth, 187U, and although under debt, the church jirospered so far as it was j)ossible, when the pastor had very often to go abroad to seek aid, while he ought to have been " in- tsUmt in season and out of season " in his Master's work at home. Many were the favorable interpositions of Divine Provi- dence seen in completing the enterprise, and a Hording to the congregation a quiet resting ])lace on Sabbath. While, under the ruling of Chief-Justice Shaw, trustees chosen by a Presbyterian congregation were incai)ai)le of holding and enjoying estate for their denominational use in Massa- chusetts, the only safe course was to invoke the official service of the trustees of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church of North America. This aid the Board (afraid of "inconvenience") at first refused to give, but, after explanation, in them, as a body incorpo- rated by the Legislature of Pennsylvania, the title vested ; and when it was discovered that their agency, as a foreign cor])oration, was inoperative, on proper application being made by the pastor, said board were re-incorporated by the General Court of Massachusetts, and authorized to hold, for religious use, in the State, property to the amount of three; hundred thousand dollars. The congregation con- tinued to prosper. The Sabbath-.sehool, though not large, was viewed as an aid, and but on one occasion in the his- tory of the church was there acomnuniion season observed without some increase. Order was maintained and disci- pline was but seldom demanded. IN NEW KNfiLAND. 455 Itiou fon- To moot tlio intorost and roduro tlic dcltt ro(Hiiro(l vl;jil- aiu'f. ConscMiiicnlly, when the coniiiM-rcial dcpri'ssioii of 1878 ocournMl, the cou^n'^^ation brcainc uiicfiiial to tlio burden, and had to obtain incToased assihtanco iVoni tho Assi-ndtly. At this time the "cliurclics of Jesus Clnist," in tlje city and the country, all but those which sunj; psahns, wero "rejoicing; at the sound of the or^^ui," and one of tlio "craftsmen" desired us to ))urehase. As history should be impartial, 1 here j)i'esent a vindication, by one of those most familiar with the manner in wiiich instrumei»tal ent<'rtMinm('nts j»romote the },dorv of (Jod in the salvation of lost sinners, and if any other lover of "things without lift'-ji;ivin^ sound " con j)roduee more cogent arguments for their ado})tion and use, let him do so. " Boston, Ihxember 23(/, 187:1. " Di^AU Siu : — Being special agent in getting uj) liartlett and llorsford s (.'hoir Directory, your reply to their rcfjuest was handed to me on last Sunday, in which I read somo curii>us objections to the use of the organ in the house of worship, and if not oflensive, I would wish to advance my opinion regarding your objections. Knowing scarce any- thing of the doctrine of Presbyterianism, save a little in- sight of the history of its origin and founder, I shall take UJ) my ])oints from your own statements, viz., that you ado|)t the Kii)le alone as authority in matters of faith. "This [ judge from the fact that you abrogate the use of organs because it is not mentioned in the Jiible. How, then, do you digest thirtieth verse, chapter twentieth, and twenty-fifth verse, chapter twenty-lirst of St. John? Here we are told that Jesus did many other things, which if written all, the world could not contain the books. " Who in your church, with a faculty for apjirei'iating the sublimity of God, with only ordinary musical taste will not say on hearing the beautiful strains of the church or- gan, ' it is heavenly? ' Hence its sacred intlucnce. " In 2 Chron. verses 12th and loth, we are told the Levites bad lifted up their voices with trumpets and cymbals and instruments nJ'itniHic to the praise of the Lord. "The harp is mentioned in 1 C.'hron. xxv. 30, and has been seen in mortal visions of heaven. Rev. v. 8. That 450 IIISTOUV OF PUKsnYTlCKIANrSM ■i? ' jil: I'll 'the Jow^ will not liiro ;i ninn to do scculnr work on tlm Salihiitli (l;iy ' niiiy \h\ true, :is is also that tlicv jxTscciilcd lit to slav .Icsus hccausc lie had cured tiir man ol" and SOU'' II thirty years' ' inlirinity ' on the Sal>ltatli in this (lay that .lesns went out with his apoi^tlcs into tin; (•<»rn-liel of the progress of civilization, it" .h'siis Christ ajipearcd to-day in our midst and he.ded the Itlindness of our 8oul hy ointment made from his spittle and tin? dust of the earth. I'erhaps in a crisis of saitl ' progress,' tlu^ ap|ilicatinn of the water of tin; river .lor- tl.in may Ik; teriiic(| or deemed an ahsurdity. Coniiieua- tioiialists do not hase their l»eJief on anta,;:onism to tho Catholic l'ap;il church, hut re^rard them as fellow-laliorers in the vinevard i hear Kev. .Mr. \\'ri'_dit's vi( ws, H elUi l.'V gtreet), and in jud^iii'^ for themselves, rejitice in every (on- formity with that church to which you ow(! the hist(»iy and preservation of Christianity l"njm it." origin to the six- teenth cenlurv. W'ry respectfully, W. M. IJNDJCI.I, Having thus for the instruction of the reader presenu d the "opinion" rr aitlmlni of this "s|)ecial ag( nt in getting up <'hoir directori<'S." it may not lie amiss \r, let the M U/iini I I lititt'or ( .\. V.i t or line IH >•>. le.'ik oil the liomage paid to " the suhlimity •>!' ( itid " hy "extraordinary inusi(!al taste." A moru correct judgment can bo tiien fornieil of tho IN NEW ENGLAND. 457 " lio.'ivonly oliar.'ictor " ami "HJifnid influrnco " of tlic or^'an in " tuniiiij,' incn from li^l't, and IVom tin* powrr of Satan unto ( iod.'' "In the roiuitrv clinrclics, where the inemhers of the i'hdir an- usnally ni(iul»ers nf the etm^re^ation, it is a laii- thin^ lor any of the sinj^ers to leavo hefor«' th»? service is over; hut anioni.' the sin^'ers in city ehnrehes— in tho fashionahh' well-paid (|uartette— it is a fre(|nent praetiee." "■ In Mpiseojial ehnrehes partienlarly, where, in tin- nn)rn- in;; service no hymn is snnu after tho sermon, it is almost the rnle for the choir ti> sneaU otit, on<; after another, as soon as the text is nt. The sopranc* will first j^ather np her skirts, perhaps hend her head a little, so as to avoid the notice of the coni:re<:ati(!n, and step jfin;;erly out ttt' ilir (iri/nn /f;/y, not uidVetjuently, however, sweepini; down ;• lew liooks or n|»setlini: a chair, in spite of all her care. The basso, liavinL"; no skirls to impede his pro^'ress, darts (»nt a few njiimtes after. The alto and tenor follow, uidess. in- deeiow the |)ostlnd«!), ^M'oans in- wardly hecausi' he is thus deharred the privih'jre of lliLdit. And how seldom is it, even dnrinir the time that they are in the house of prayer, that tliese sin^^n-rs |)ay the least at- tention to tile service ! From friv(»h»ns ;j:ossip, from piipiant and amusiiiL', and often unkind criticisms of other sinj.'ers, or of each other, they jum|) n|», s(aillle round to lind their |)laccs in their liooks, and, without thinkiii;^ lor a moment of the holy words they an; to use, join in ascriptions of praise, which, under tlu; circumstances, are really simple mockery. * We praise thee, () (Jod; we acknowledj^e tlico to i>e the Lord ' thev siiijn with meanin;f|ess disre^'ard of the import i»f tliose iiohle phrases. * They praise him with their lips, hut their heart is far from him.' Kroin meru thoiiLihll'Ssness, Sal.'iiath after Sahhath, they hreak that eoiiimaialmeitt which says, ' Thou shalt not tak(! th(' name of the Loril thy (iod in vain.' They forjret that the Lord will not hold tiiem <;uiltless that take his name in vain, and for all this • inspirin^i the souls of the faithful with Chris- tian fortitude," they are W( 11 paid.' Aceonlin;.: to " tlu! Kev. Mr. Wright's vicfws," as pre- sented by Mr. Lindell, Congrc^'ationalists " rejoice! in every «?' 458 HISTORY OF PUEMnVTKniANl.HM (oiirorniity with tluit (^liurch," und it will not now t.'iko more than a pronlutt s ken to sec tliut, in not ahovc lilty years, Mie New r!n;^laiMl nielr(»|)oli.s, thirty liv(! years apo "the Mount /ion <»! the whole earth" (so .sair. Kiiif.',*, may, hy thii superior " laeulty lor appnteialin^j; the; suhlini- ily orCJoil" i)o.ssesse(| hy "the j'ajjal (Miureh," heeonie th(5 most intensely Irish " Cjilholic " city on llu; ('(tntinent. In l.S|.'> I'xtston |)ro])er was repdrteil to have three; churches ol' that denomination. In less than lorty years iliL'SC hiiVM! increased to ahove one score, exclusive of th»; lar^^est cathedral and the most capacious residenet; for an anthhishop in the j.nid. Who wdl not say that this has be»;n accomplished more hy "the heautilul strains of th)^ a platform accommodattin;^ ahout one tht)usand persons and a hall furinshed with o.JMO chairs. On January 'Jotli, 1H77, this was opened. From night to night, for months, the utterane'cs of this energetic man, " mighty in the; Scrip- tures," reverherated throughout the huilding, fdh'd to its utmoHt caj)a(:ity, while others coidr-Ktont! (to ahout out; thousand jx'ople) the next ven! those of the orthodox ( 'oii^re^'ationalistH in tho city j)rop(!r — within two years, in IMHO, the attendaiuic was cnunieruted on an average of two Subhutlm i!i the most 460 HISTORY OF PRESBYTEniANISM m>. propitious rhurch-poiriK numth, Fobruary, and in tho ton orthodox cIiU'cIm's, with a seating; ('aj)ncity «)f"alM)V(' 1(),(KK), tlwrc worshipped '.i,{W,\ persons, while the Kov. J. ]i. Dunn rcturnod in l;S7'S to his Assenihly 1,1(K), and in 1871), 010 mem hers. Nothinj; of the supposed aids in convcrtinp; sinners — f>relu(k'S, liynms, ehou's, organs, services of son^ and post- udes — were wanting; in thw(! churches. They were all ahreast of "the tinu'S," rejoicin;; in the li^^dit of the last <|uarter of the nineteenth century, as they |»reached their "New ICn^dand theolo^'y," yet, Mr. Moody's "overflow" nieetiuRS two years before, after the " Tahernade " WiW lilleil, in nei^hl)orin,i? churches, at times, did not como much, if any, short of the now stated weekly attendance in the ten churches. "Mr. Mood}' indulfiied in a 'talk to niinistors' not l(mj:; Kinco at a Northlield (Convocation. Ainotijt; other things, ho advised them not to Malk hy the yard.' It was, ])erhaps, good advice. It mijjcht not he impertinent, however, to su a man ready to take liold of any reasonable method of helping in the work of the kingdom, and will not be blamed by any one with being restrained by ])rejudice from acknowledgment of a go(Ml cause. He has heen re- peating recently what he said some time since; respecting the results of tlie work of Messrs. Moody and Sankey in liontlon — that it was not permanently of great value. " Thus, speakinij; of the effect of it in connection with tho admission of church niend)ers, he says: '1 haih^d that visit, took part in it, assisted in tiie " intiuiry room," and oc- IN NEW ENOLAND. 461 cnsionally pronclud in ronnoction with it. Some of tlio services were held in Surrey ('liiipci. yt't out of a nicnibrr- sliip of oiu! tliousjiiid tlircd liuiulred, we linvc not thri'O who an; the fruits of tliat mission.'" {"' L'ltUcd rrcfbi/te- r/r/>j," VUtshvnih, S'pt. Hlh, llK.Sl.) In tlie nu'iintinic, wiiilc aniidsst tlicKO surroundings tlio jiionccr Prishytcriiin churcli in the city sullcrcd notahttlo i»y tho ]M»itular a;^itiiti<»n for years, still (hity saifl, " Jio stCadfjist and ininioval)l(', and "the New Kn^dand Primer" and its inculcations, under '"the good will of him who dw(,'lt in the husl;,"' stood the shock. In teaehinji the doctrine of this lUMnual for id)ove tliirty years, tho matter of praise in this cliurch liad ever been "the iJook of Psalms sijtj ointed hy the (Jenernl A.'isenddy of the ("hurch of Scotland " in 1<».')(>. even after ehan}_fe came in their own denomination and the "revised " j»salms were in order. The old version had " a gnarled vigor " ( Cho(ite) liliich the others have not, and never can have, and coidd he committed to memory for night enjoyment, or lor hlind- ness, for journeying or lor the l»ed of sickness and death, while the other, as ca.st into the mould and ])eculiar metres of the varied sectarian hymns, has, excepting in removing a ftrw obsolete words and improving some dd'ective rhyme, weakened the sense, destroyed the dignity and Ix'auty of the old vei"si()n, without adding to its faithfidness, by sub- stituting a dej)leted and impoverished English for their standard text. It has been the attainment of many tor th(;ir spiritual i)rolit to let this portion of "the word of (Christ dwell in them richly." Now, but few persons will inidertake to say, "Thy word I in my heart have hid," by garnering in their memories "the words which the Holy (Jl.ost teacheth " Jis they are liere set forth, revi.sed, and increased by "the multiplied versi((ns of man's taste." ('onse<|Uently, their nundters (above three hundred) must be reduced, or the coming generation, finding the same metres in modern po«;try, will have for tlu; revisi(jns and new versions i\n surplus of ven- eration nor h)ve, and enter (►ther f(»lds. Our debt and its conseipienccs. Our people, being nearly all employes, obtaining small wages, and, in cases, long out of employment, found themselves unable to con- tend with the debt. Some at least, among the progressivo m 462 HISTORY OF PRESBYTKRIAMSM 11: party in the denomination, had for tlio ("ntorprise no sym- ])atliy, and pr()j)<)sed to liave tlie Assembly sell out tlu^ substance, employ it on spots in the West, and giv(> the money, t(ul and jJrMyers of the ])oor here to the winds, so far as our "disj)hiyin,0()(). The existence of this tried peo- ])le as a Christian church, and tlic salvation of souls liere now and in the future, were secondary matters in such minds. To maturely consider the case, in 1S70 the Boards of Church Extension and Home Missions were associated with the trustees to report in 1880. As only three or four of these persons (twenty -six in number) had ever seen the iiold or the i)roperty, the others must judju'c all matters by a distant western standard. The pastor desired to have an assistant, and, taking this into account, this joint commit- tee re])orted to the Assembly that he be recommended to resign, and if he did so the Board of Church Extension was in three years to pay one-half of the debt, the Com- mittee of Home Missions to supply the preaching for five years, or until a pastor was settled, while with the rents of the dwellings (about SGOO per annum, exclusive of taxes) the congregation were in five years to pay the remaining debt. Of this recommendation to be reported in May, the pas- tor was informed on April 22d. This he must do, beside removing some hundreds of dol- lars of a floating debt and paying the arcliitect's bill of 8750, or the sale of the estate by the sheriff might become a fact. After twelve years of double toil he might say, ''Save me from my friends!" But, as an optimist, hu " know that the heavens do rule." This committee recommended to him to call a meeting of his Presbytery to receive his resignation in ^lay. Aftt'r considering the case he, in eleven days, replied, that, as the ecclesiastical year of the Assembly commenced with July, he would await the stated meeting of Presbytery on IN NEW ENGLAND. 4G3 the 2ntli (lay of June. This ho did to coniploto his fifty yoars, as ho was li(MMised to preach the jiospcl on Juno 2Sth, 1(S;^(). When he had to inform his ('on<,M-cjj;ation tliat ho must stop, so that "a new man with now motiiods " mi^ht stop in, a thuiidorholt out of a ok'ar sky couUl not liavo astonished them more. No "roots of l)ittornoss Avoro trouhlinfi;" them. Neither the cliuroh, the pastor, nor the Proshytory asked for this ohani^o, nor thought of it, hut in the ahovo way the (h'ht (it was su[)posod) could ho more than ])aid, while the jjrogrossivos would control the liehh When one, wiio had heen for thirty-nine years a j)astor, said, "How can you en.7() per cent. To this extent God was pleased to " work In' him." (Acts XV. 12.) While the ten orthodox ministers of the city, in preaeh- inp "New Enpland theolopy," had (aeeordinp to the- Rev. Dr. Cuyler) an increase in all, in 1871i-!S(), of twenty mem- bers, the Calvinistic preacher keepinp"the faith *' of the New Enpland Primer, ipnorinp all "thinps without life- pivinp sound," and usinp only "the liook of Psalms" (Luke XX. 42) in Divine worship, was honored by the Master with a numerical increase, beyond deaths and re- movals, of nineteen souls. *' Boastinp is," by Calvinism, ''excluded," yet, it is law- ful to say, "What hath (iod wroupht." Divine appoint- ment reipns in his service and worship. Hence, to promote his own plory, he honors his own aj>pointed instrumentali- ties exclusively. To all others and their " new methods," he says, "Who hath required this at your hand." (Is. 1. 11, 12.) In answer to their call the Rev. John Hood, formerly of West Hebron, New York, was installed pastor of this congregation on September 7th, A, d. 1881. In May their roll was 147, it, owing to the varied su|)ply, being reduced 11 in the year. Durinpthis period, 1868-1881, Thomsonville, Ct., sus- tained ordinances, and on October 28th, 1873, Mr. Clarke McCracken was ordained and installed pastor. This rela- tion still pleasantly continues, and for convenience, some years since, at their own request, as ))astor and people, they were by Synod dismissed to the First U. P. Presby- tery of New York. Between these dates East Boston run its course. On October 8th, 1868, a call made by them for the Rev. Georpe M. Clarke, formerly of Nova Scotia, was sustained. He was installed, and much promise seemed to be in the en- joyment of his services for a season. But he could not be limited to the use of the Book of Psalms in his pulpit IN NEW ENGLAND. 4G5 >rc the lU lios- ' appro- inution M. To (Acts proach- he- Ucv. V niem- '' of tho M\i litV- i'salnis " by tho and re- it is law- appoint- proiviote imcntali- lethods," ," (Is. I. urmerlv of this ay their it'duccd Cf., sns- r. Clarke his rohi- ce, some ])eopU', Prcsby- ise. On CJcor^'e >ed. Ho 1 the en- d iu)t be s pulpit dntiPS. TTo prnvod to ho po much attached to"para- j)hrases"' that trouble came, and on July ITtli, 187U, ho resij^ned and went to Canada. The connrepation were in supply for months, tlie church roll was by Presbytery deposited with its own clerk, who ■was authorizetl to jxive certificates to those entiiled to them. After years of delay, on Ai)ril 11th, 187Ji, finding; both ]Oast Boston and the station at Hartford, Ct., hopeless, I'resbytery odieially dissolved these organizations. In 'j'i'ondrntr, R. /, tlu; Kev. John P. Hobb had ofliciated as pastor ;m the 11. P. church) from April '.'"th, 18G0, until 1874, when he was, on January 2d, releast .. After varie(l candidates had \iv\\ heard, the conprepa- tion called Mr. M. S. McCord, who was ordained and in- ^l(^ around him, in one of our most prosperous manufacturing and connnereial cities, he continues to " make full proof of his ministry," and returns a roll of 'Jl.') members. The ministry of the llev .bisliua li. Kyle was (notwith- standmg a want of attachment to the principles of the de- nomination) coiitinued from April, a, I). 18()7, until Sep- tember Sth, 187'), when he was dismissed from Fall River. During i)art of this tinu; he liad competition, tor tho ►Second Moston Presbytery, on October '.ith, 1872, "ap- pointed committees to organize churches in Heading, Fall Iiiver and Providence whenever the way seems open," and to this eity the Rev. Sollau F. Calhoun, from Ix) well, soon afterwards came. By this movement an a.sylum was opened for seme who had diiliculties to brood over, but from it no permanent good eauie. A year jiassed, and on Septend>or Ath, 1876, the Rev. J. II. Turnbull was installed as [)astor. In this, tho first cotton manufacturing city in X«'W England, for a genera- tion Presbyterians have aboimdcd, and in a. u. 1880 tho church ro'l was increased nine, while it stands in a. d. 1881 at iCl). In Willcliisuiivillc the Rev. P. Y. Smith was reported at 80 4GG HISTORY OF PRESnYTKRIAXISM the end of the last quarter of a rontury as pastor. Tlioro ho still continues, as a county olliccr, suiM^rintcndiiiti its educational interests, and, as pastor of the U. 1*. church, "takinj; heed to the tlock."' In his limited field lu; re- turns a roll of ^t'i in a. d. 18S1. In W'hitinsvillc, M<(n8., the Uev. Rohert Harkness ]>reached from January 8th, IST.'J, till April 2"Jd, 1S74, Avhen, not lindinfjj congenial surroundinL^'^, he left. Not so much, or perha])s at all, from any fault of his, hut from b(!lligerent manifestations among tlu; people. After re- ceiving his resignation, I'reshytery dissolved the church. It was re-organized on Deeetnher .'iOth, 1S74, and had various sui>j)lies until .Mr. .lames !>. Thoiiipson was or- dained and installed there on June 11th, 1S78. ('onsider- ing the liniited extent of the field, th«'y are prospering in all things, and his roil numhers ScS memhers in a. d. ISHl. In Lmn-encr, the Rev. John Ifogg, as pastor, ofTiciated from April 7th, ISdt), till November 2.']d, 1875. He was successlul in gathering the peojile, and, with them, in ex- changing the small meeting-houses for a new one with modern conveniences. In his mind the lust of numhers obtained a ])repond(>ran('e over his attachment to the nrin- ciples of his churi'h, as he found himself increasingly in liarmony with those who had entereil their " dissent" in the Assembly of IStu in the McCune case. That man (McCune) had, while a student, imbibed Con- gregationalism, and the ^b)nongahela A. R. Presbytery declined, on A.\n''\\ 12th, 1854, to license him. He was, liowever, quietly licensed on I)ecend)er 2511), by the First A. R. Presbyterv of Ohio, and ordainecl without charges by that court in Xanuary, 1850. He organized a mission church in Cincinnati, to which he ])reache snb- wilii the rtinational ,ed in his although not oonvirtod of positive error, it shewed his trne views, :nid he transferred his relations aeeordinuly. l']sp(»usint; the "sunieicntly (Uvine" eeclcsiastieal polity which nri;j:i- nated at Sah'in, Mass., on AiijiUst ('>th, KJ-JO, lie occupies at Dallas, Texas, as an "acting pastor" {Coiiyrtyitional Yritr Hook, IHSl ) to 2."» nienihers. Kronj the " decrees " of the Assenihly in his ease, there w<'r(> "dissenters" who sympathized with him in some of his profiressive views. None of these were found amon{]j men ol" experience, ami " the spirit of the age " demanding iimovation, the chin-ch has hanlly heen recently a yeur without the agitation produced hy " overtures." Psalmody was tossed like a weaver's shuttle. l!evisions, new ver- sions, psalters, selections sent down and reported u|» from year to year, did not increase ohcs (according to Fitz) have perished in New England, all the o(Vsj)ring of modern tastes. As domestic insubordination aug- mented, as family worship became of less importance, children and youth came to the front and "clamoured for Gprightly music." 'J'o this, " the s])irit of the land," she must yield, and to make the hope of the church, her children, steadfast United Presbyterians, they must be sujinlied with the "rub-a- dub" applied to portions of (Jod's word. As the " I'iS versions, embracing 117 i)salms," in addition to the former version, making in all ."301 songs, were obviously too numerous for children to become acquainted with them, and especially to learn them as portions of Divine truth ; so l.'jO selections must be made, and " what God had joined together man must put asunder," and call the frag- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ / O {/ ■ % MP. i^ 4 (/j fA 1.0 I.I 1.25 I: 1^ 1.4 IIM M 1.6 5 •4' "/} ^ /a ^l Cfm. ■ 0% --"^^ > ,>* O / w ! w< ip- 4t' I 468 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM mcnts " Bible Son^s." Of tlie General Assembly of 1881, but one man, a ruling elder (it is said), bad been a mem- ber of tbe ])receding one. Consequently tlie action of 1879, wbicb opened tbis flood-gate of childisb doing, was not fully approved by tbe Assemldy of 1880, and while tbey could not stop tbe " sprigbtly music " wbicb bad been writton or selected for tbese "songs," and was scat- tered by thousands of copies prematurely among the oburcbes, tbey appointed a committee of five to re])ort in the case. One of tbese was tbe leading musician who had for years led on the "clamour" (as be called it), and in reporting witb his compeer, said : 1." It was in an emi- n(!nt degree such a book as the Assembly ordered. 2. For 14,000 copies bad been sold in five months. 3. It would be an aid if used. 4. Any change would involve great expense in tbe j)urebase of new music. 5. It would produce confusion and look like trilling." The majority reported : " The principle of selections is ' a very serious error.' 1. Z\ is subversive of our position. 2. It involves the rejectioii of a portion of the psalms, as unsuitable to be used in tbe Sabbiitb-scbool. 3. It is an assumption that tbe Book of Psalms is not suited to be a system of praise for children. 4. Its tendency is to exclude the Book of Psalms from tbe cliurcb in a few years, and 5. Is a mutilation of God's book of praise." The Assembly authorized the Board of Publication to publish " Bible Songs " to meet tbe demand, said " no farther action on this matter is necessary at the present tmie," and overtured, "Siiall section five, article two, chapter three of the Directory for Worship be repealed ? '■' This section forbids tbe use of instrumental music in di- vine worship. A certain class of men must be popular, and tbis innovation Mr. Hogg did not discountenance in I^awrence, as an organ, in opposition to the authority of the church, has been for years used there. He resigned in November, 1875. Among the supplies who ofliciated there afterwards was Mr. Albert G. McCoy. It was believed that an unanimous call would have been extended to him, and when asked privately as to the appearance of the congregation, be an- swered, " It is a Presbyterian congregation, and a good one, but where the ' United Presbyterian ' comes in I can* I IN NEW ENGLAND. 469 not see." Among supply subsequently sent was the Rev. Jolin Aukl Burns. His hoiilth was not good, yet he was installed on August 4th, 1876. While using medical means, he succumbed to " Bright's disease," and as the taper of life grew shorter, he "preached as a dying man to dying men." Instead of trifling with modern themes, supposed to be *' abreast of the times," he digested " Ambrose looking unto Jesus," and to that people preached the gospel with all the grace of novelty. They were interested and edified, but his end came on March 28th, 1878. The Rev. Robert A. McAyeal, D. D., was admitted to the pastorate of this church on January 21st, 1879. He not only possesses great ability, guided by above twenty years of experience, but is decidedly " abreast of the times," and is as progressive as the law of his limitation will allow him to be. Employing " Bible Songs " (with the organ looking on, if not joining in), he has one hundred and fifty-six scholars in his Sabbath school. That the old version of the psalms were best to be used, he docs not believe, but afiirnis that in order to gather United Presby- terians into the church in New England, the " new ver- sion " must be used. With this opinion his returns do not correspond. In 1880 his number on the roll Avas 200; in 1881 it was 181. This may be to some extent owing to removals for employment, but in all United Presbyterian churches in the seaboard cities, the "gnarled vigor" of the Scotch ver- sion (wherever due pains are taken to explain the divine origin, appointment and meaning of the psalms) is most effective. " The words which the Holy Ghost teacheth " savor more of " the simplicity of Christ " than do tlie same Avords diffused or contracted through the enticing words of man's wisdom in imitation of modern poetrj'. United Presbyterian Prcshj/teri/ of Vermont. In Barnet the Rev. John Service labored from 18G8 till March 8th, 1877. Tiiey were then vacant until February 19th, 1879, when the Rev. Robert N. Hammond was ordained and installed pastor. In May, 1881, his roll stood at 139. In Ryegate the Rev. Alexander Y. Houston was installed February 13th, 1873, and was pastor till February, 1875. On June 10th, 1876, the Rev. James R. Clapperton was in- 470 HISTORY OP PRESBYTERIANISM stalled, and was released on July 3d, 1881, leaving a roll of ninety-seven. Greensboro had only the uncertain subsistence of sup- plies for several years until October 23d, 1878, when Mr. Albert S. Stewart was ordained and installed. On Jan- uary 17th, 1881, he resigned. They are still vacant. Roll in May, 1881, fifty-nine. Such is our representation of the United Presbyterian Church of North America in New England in 1881. The condition of the churches in this peculiar region is attract- ing the attention of thinking men. They see " the gold becoming dim," and some of tiiem air virtually saying, "Consider of it, take advice, and spcik your minds." Hence (among others) Prof. George P. Fisher contributes a most suggestive article to the North American Review for October on "The Elements of Puritanism," on which the editor of the Evangelical Repository (of the United Presby- terian Church) is constrained to say : " The introduction to the essay describes the changes which have taken place in the matter of praise and the mariner of rendering it during the last century. If it was not a matter of history, the accuracy of which cannot be questioned, it would be hard to believe that New England only a century ago was so sound, sober and conservative in its religious doctrines and modes of worship as it un- doubtedly was. Marking as we do, not only with sur- prise, but with a degree of sadness, these great changes, the question at once arises in the mind, are we not following rapidly in the wake of New England ? " We trust we will not be regarded as unduly conserva- tive if we express the earnest hope that even in ecclesiasti- cal changes which affect only the outward forms of wor- ship, we will not press too rapidly in the footsteps of the New England Puritans. We think there are but few of our people who do not feel that the supposed progress of Puritanism in New England has been retrogression," To this editor the writer would say, provoke your brother editors of our other United Presbyterian periodi- cals to " ponder the path of their feet," and to them sing the Canadian boat-song — " Row, brothers, row, for the rapids are near," IN NEW ENGLAND. 471 To complete our survey, we require full information from Peacliam, Craftsbury, Topsham, West Barnet, and perhaps other places in Vermont, where there are members of the Reformed persuasion, but after earnest requests and ?atient waiting, replies to inquiries have not been obtained, f they had been, the field (New England, it is believed) would be fully represented, and but little, if anything, of Presbyterianism have been left unnoticed. So to approximate the number and prosperity of these unknown churches, I suppose them to contain probably 200 members — possibly, with Ryegate and South Barnet, 400 members in all, so that in a population of 4,100,000 the whole membership under the general name will be in the Reunited Church, 3,814 ; in the United Presbyterian Church, 892; in the Reformed churches in Boston, 313, making probably in all about 5,400 members, and of the population some ten or fifteen thousand souls. Beside these, it is believed there are nearly as many other Presbyterians in the region who are careless and un- cared for — who have become indifferent about their souls' salvation, to say nothing of the thousands who have united with other persuasions. In view of their condition, their prospects and their doom, they may say, " M-^n of Israel, help." This plea and petition are intensified by the fact that others are daily coming, and will in future pour into her commercial towns. Who will care for their bouls? Will no man? I' 1868-1881 — Reformed Presbyterian — Win. Graham in Boston — Increase slow, but more pennaiieiit — Hired halls — Presbyterians suffer less in them in Boston than elsewhere — Began to build in 1873, and under their own roof February 15th, 1874 — Aid called for — Their edifice costly — ■ As Presbyterians they could not hold or enjoy under State law — Their numbers now — Division — Second Reformed Presbyterian Churchiu Bos- ton— Never a station— Rev. D. McFall installed July 11th, 1873— They purchased a church estate title — Self-supporting — They were un- noticed — Travestied in the Daily Neirs and by the Sun as a "()ueer religious sect" — Above the average amount of pulpit jiower — Rev. E. D. Winslow, who ridicules them, himself a forger and a villain — Some men their sins follow after — Boston as a field for these (pieer folk, and their success looks like "the burning bush" — A curious fact — He led the court for wisdom — They are now owned extensively by the head of the church in maintaining the Calvinism of the Puritans. iPi i: 472 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM We have noticed the gatherinj]; of a Reformed Preshyte- rian Church in Boston, and its organization on July 12th, 1854. From the 12th of July, 1860, the Rev. Wm. Graham as pastor " took heed to the tlock." The increase ■was of necessity slow, but this contributed to permanency. In common with others, this people worshipped in hired halls, but in Boston (it is believed) a new church enter- prise will suffer less in such places than in any other city known to the writer. There exists no air of sacredness about such a place, and floating persons will occasionally venture in. Still changes from place to place tax attach- ment to principle, and a permanent house of worship be- comes a necessity. This pastor and his people began to build a church in August, 1873, and on February 15th, 1874, they com- menced public worship under their own roof This in- cessantly taxed their energies, and they had to call ex- tensively on others for aid. In such enterprises much is economized by having the assistance of mechanical skill at hand to determine values, and in their case nothing or but little was in this ■way saved. Their spacious church edilice was costly, still they have been able, in the face of great disadvan- tages, to retain it. In common with all other Presbyte- rians, they could not hold and enjoy their church estate in Massachusetts by a board of trustees, and their tenure is provided for otherwise. By being "steadfast and un- movable," they are now able under the divine blessing to grow, having " an active membership of two hundretl and nine (209), with seventeen others sustaining to them a nominal relation, but whom they do not count." We are not, however, to suppose that for twenty-seven years this congregation have had only unbroken repose in their associated fellowship. It was otherwise. Individ- uals from other " strait sects " uniting with them, intro- duced their shades of opinion, and a congregation hived out of the original one, in which separation the dislike of persons and unwillingness to associate with them was prob- ably more in force than any change of doctrinal opinion. " The Second Boston Reformed Presbyterian congregation " was organized .,/ commission of the New York Presbytery on November 21st, 1871. It was never a mission station, IN NEW ENGLAND. 473 but always a self-supporting congregation, originally of thirty members. As a vacancy they were supplied by the Rev. T. jV[. Elder, of Dayton, Pa., and others under the ap- pointment of their Presbytery. On May 18th, 1871, the Kev. David McFall was settled at Oil City, Pa., and on re- ceiving a call, was translated to Boston and installed on July 11th, 1873. In abandoning hired halls they had some advantage, as they were enal)led in October, 1879, to purchase at a low price a good church edifice, one built by and for years owned by the orthodox, from wliich the occupants had hived to fill the empty seats proffered to them under the ministry of the successor of the late Kev. E. N. Kirk, D. D. Here also title must vest in individuals, for as Presby- terians, to say nothing of their want of citizenship, they could not as a church hold or enjoy real estate in Boston, for the worship of God. As they were self-supporting when only thirty strong, they are not less so now wlieu they number one liundred and four active members. • Be- fore noticing their growth amid.st their surroundings, it must be observed that hy the hymn-singing community they were unnoticed and unknown. Hence a Boston paper, tlie Dally Xews, in 1872, with the New York !San, thus travesties tliem : " There is a queer religious sect in St. Louis, called among themselves 1)V the honored name of Covenanters — to whicli they doubtless have no right — although not so designated in the list of churches given in the City Direc- tory. Its members are not allowed to exercise the right of suffrage; but there is notliing in tlieir belief to prevent them from holding oliice when they are afforded the op- portunity, and several of them enjoy snug positions under the city and county governments. A member who marries outside of the pale of tlie clmrch is at once excommuni- cated. Recently a son of one of the most prominent lead- ers of the faith came of age, and celebrated his accession to the dignity of manhood by voting, like a good ( Hizen, at the next election. Whereupon the church took action, and cast him from among them as unworthy of fellowship. But an elder, who was shortly afterward proven guilty of gross immorality, was permitted to retain both his mem- bership and his otlice." — N. Y. San. I 1 1 /: ,1' ' !i 1? 474 HISTORY OP PRESBYTERIANISM That any man should publish a paper in New York, where some of much above the average amount of pulpit power has been and is wielded by Doctors of Divinity be- longing to this "queer religious sect," and ignore them be- cause a cent a liner reports them thus, only shews how far such professed elevators of human character as editors are qualified for the position they assume. Beyond this we must look at the light cast on the Covenanters in Boston in this scrap, copied by the immaculate Rev. E. D. Wins- low, a Methodist preacher, who, on Sabbath, January 9th, 1870, after inculcating Arminianism in Auburndale, Mass., left his Daily News and tied for Holland, where, if once reached, no extradition treaty would return him to be "proven guilty of gross immorality." Into the account must be here taken, however, his belief in " falling from grace," which he might recover again, as he was a forger 'at was published) only to the extent of two hundred thousand dollars. " Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment ; and some men they follow after." When we look at Boston as a field, where only " ten per cent, of the population are Protestant evangelical," and then at this " queer religious sect " preaching Calvinism and singing " Rouse," it appears very much as if " the angel of the Lord were in the midst of the busli," especially as it not only is not consumed, but grows. It is also a curious fact that the oldest pastor of this " queer religious sect " in Boston should be, as he probably is, the only Pres- byterian minister in Massachusetts who has with prayer, opened the Supreme Court of a State in which, from the first, "an Athenian democracy was in its mould," and yet be unknown to or ignored by the press of the cities. His residence is opposite to the court house of Middlesex county in East Cambridge, and as another at the appointed time did not appear, on request, he led the court, bar and jur}'^ to the throne of grace in prayer, that wdsdom might descend upon " the powers that be." On his part here there was no intense bigotry, although he belongs to that "queer religious sect" which are now owned more exten- sively in Boston by the Head of the church than any other in maintaining the Calvinism of the Pilgrims and Puritans, which in former generations made New England "a praise in the earth." IN NEW ENGLAND. 475 7)1 Vermont. Since 1808, at Rj/egate, the Rev. James ^r. Boattie continues to olHciate acceptably, seeing the ]ileasure ot" the Lord still prospering in his hand. He returns in A. D. 1881 a roll of 69 members ; Rev. J. C. Taylor, East Craftsbury, 69; Rev. D. C. Faris, Barnet, 79; Rev. J. C. K. Faris, Topsham, 37 ; Rev. W. R. Laird, St. Johnsbury, 63 ; total, 317 members. Conclusion. If we have done well — Semi-separatists — Calvin — Great person sbvteri ill dental Th •h poli -Pre s — A few -In wor- points- sliip — In Europe no opportunity — Before they land they establish civil government — What it was — The governor's message — The con- tract — The record in the French church in Boston — Thence taken an loot — An account of it — Mr. Scott suggests — Honor due to these Pres- byterians — Their nanies the acorn — Did not undertake to reform — As the chaplains did — Nor trifle — Elder Brewster — Protecting their homes — In time became assimilated — To the Bay people — To them we revert — Congregationalism — Where born — Its nature and tendency — Intolerant — Leavening other denominations — Unsettling fixed truth — Its "unjustifiable restraints" — Their polity sketched — Roger Wil- liams — Baptists — Quakers — Papists — Episcopal Methodists — Blas- phemy — Voted the Trinity out — Less aggressive — Adequate inspira- tion — Advanced thought — Success of the chaplains among Episcopal- ians — Restraints on Presl)yterianism — New England system the creature of ''circumstances" — Proof — "Sufficiently divine" — Now diflusive — "Tastes" — A germ — A delight to some — Its legitimate de- ductions make an " unknown quantity " — Not all of darkness — Many among the elect — Systems only — Transmitted from minds — It hag swept around the circle — Marriage relation assailed — Divorce — Com- mon — Governor Andrew — Single blessedness — Rare productions — Mormonism — Its origin — Iniluences — A new inspiration — "Golden tablets" — Smith — Insubordination increasing — As a system built on "circumstances" — It imbues Presbyterianism — Not multiplying tlie saints — To the rear — Its pew power — Systen)atized in New York — la conclusion — Separating ourselves — We should remember the Divine origin of our polity — Its cost to others — Its valuable influences — This is our duty — Let the Presbyterian Church of the future be marked by teaching the word — An imperative necessity — Sabbath school may be uncertain — Worse than useless — "Sunday books" — Superficial ideas — The hope — The parental vow — Its meaning — Acting by proxy — Ignorant — A subterfuge — Answered — The right use of a help so valuable — A unitary influence — Seek to popularize services — Singing — A heathen's view — The farce — Knox and his singers — Application — Depriving the masses — Saddening — Some get nnisic to suit them elsewhere — Mixed multitudes — Such acquisitions — Tiie geiuiine arti- cle — With these considerations we close — The scene not joyous — After an experiment of two hundred and fifty years — It impairs the force of :.. ' il 476 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM truth — Waxing feeble — Tliirty-threc Presbyterian conprepntions — Orthodox, the number of — Losa in 1880 — Descending node — I'resby- terianifitn gravitating also — Said, not intrude — Tlie command is go^ Bible not the hold now on the Puritan mind — If tiioy siiould retire — Probabilities — Factory towns — Fields for labor — Eternally wrong — For anv measure of our modern charity — New England must be re- deemed — Duty, not success, is the standard — If it shoidd sow itself with salt — Presbyterianism nnist show "a more excellent way" — Errorists will not be perpetual, for the dominion under the v hole heaven is appropriated to the saints of the Most High, and thev shall obey him — Reader, farewell — We must stand in our lots in the end — Let us keep the faith. Such, then, is our " History of Presbyterianism in New England." " If we have done well and as is fitting the Btory, it is that which we desired : if slenderly and meanly, it is that which we could attain unto."' We have seen " semi-separatists " from the Church of England banish themselves to the continent of Europe for " freedom to worship God,"- and there, after several years, becoming deeply indebted to the '• Institutes " of the immortal Cal- vin (and very extensively adopting his "sound doctrine ") for their order of religious and civil liberty. For when the " agents went into England to treat with the Virginia Com- pany and with several groat j^ersons about the court, unto them they made evident their agreement with the French Reformed churches (Presbyterian) in all things whatsoever, except in a few small accidental points." {Mag., vol. i., p. 48.) Imbued with these teachings, we see their church polity, before they cross the Atlantic and which they bring with them, in all but "a few small accidejital points" purely Presbyterian. While in worship they had substituted for the Episcopal version of Sternliold and Hopkins that of Ainsworth, a minister of their own persuasion, which they continued to use for sixty years in the wilderness, and which they sang by note without reading the line. In Europe they had no op])ortunity of setting forth thoir views of civil government, but before they leave the "MavfloAver" this was done, and of their action we have two accounts. "November 11th, 1G20, Saturday, being thus anived, they fall on their knees and bless the God of heaven, etc. Before they land, they this day combine into a Body Poll- IN NEW ENGLAND. 477 tick by .1 solomn contract, to which they sot their hands, as the basis of their jzovcrnnicnt in tliis new found coun- trv ; chuso Mr. John Carver, tlieir governor for tiie tirst year." (Pr. K K. (V/rou., p. 78.) "At their first arrival, November 11th, 1620, they did as tlie VkiJU of nuturc itself directed them, innni^tliately in the liariior siV\arrcn and Cook left their wives in Holland or Eng- land, and some left behind them smne, and others all their children, wiio also afterwards came over." (7V., p. 85.) Such was the acorn of Calvin istic Presbyterianism from Avhich the Americi' jak grew. These men did not under- take to reform the (.'hurch of England, as the two pioneer chaplains and the Massachusetts Bay Company afterwards did, neither did they trifle with the divinely aj)pointed ordinance of ecclesiastical ordination by the "laying on of" other "hands," instead of those of a lawfully con- stituted " Presbytery." Elder William Brewster, a chief father in their Israel for nearly forty years, while he " labored in word and doc- trine," " never assumed to administer the sacraments." " When they were unsup])lied with a regular ministry, ho preached to his people powerfully and prolitably twice every Sabbath, and many Avere converted to God by his faithful ministry." While he was an ordained ruling elder, he would never act the peculiar part of an ordained minister. The seals of tlie covenant of grace he would not dispense. This duty he left to be performed by "a regu- larly ordained ministry." This peoj)le, coming from Ley- den in three successive emigrations, protecting their homes from savage men, as tillers of the soil, and occupiers in a limited commerce in their three counties, after two or three generations became extensively assimilated to those who followed them by thousands to the Bay, for religion and commerce. They had no alternative. To these we now revert, and here find tlie origin, nature and tendency of Congregationalism. Born at Salem, Massachusetts, on August Gth, 1629, bred under an Athen- ian democracy at Boston. Confederated in its theocracy I!' " i ?3 480 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIAXTSM with " the Kino: of Kinp:s," intolerant of other Christian persuasions, while it liad or has its own civil pc>wer to control their church pro{)erty or persons, and now leavening other denominations with its modern New England theol- ogy, and extensively unsettling the foundations of fixed religious truth, not only in its own cradle, under its own hanner, but increasingly under both Presbyterianism and Prelacy. ►So palpable have tiiese tbiings been, that a President of Andierst Col' :e, in 1850, has before the Legislature on January 2d, p. it on record this ajiology: '' Whatever un- justifiable restraints on liberty of conscience may have been imjiosed by our zealous, yet erring fathers, il is the glory of our Commonwealth, that no sucli impositions have been, for a long time, tolerated. All are free to wor- ship God as they choose, provided, tliey demean them- selves peaceably, and infringe not the ecpal rights of others. Tne reader must remember fto say nothing of anything else), that the tliird volume of '"Gray's Reports '' was not then written. The first decision therein recorded is no "glory" to the "Commonwealth." Both the civil and re- ligious polity of this people we have sketched. " Unjustifiable restraints " were from the first imposed on others by them. This was the belief of the two ])lan- ters, the lawyer and merchant, wlio were " eonvented be- fore and re-shipped to England by the Governor; " this w;is the belief of Roger \\'illiams, when he left the Episco})al church in England, was initiated and became a preaclier of the new order of, and at, Salem, until 1036, when, being forced out of the colony, he went to Rhode Island, was converted by a ^Irs. Scott, a sister to Mrs. Hutchinson, that "she-wolf of antinomianism." (Christian Obser., March, 1849, p. 140.) " ^\'as innnersed by one Holman and forthwith innnersed Holman and nine others, and in about three months renounced this baptism." (7/).) "Unjustifiable restraints on tlie liberty of conscience" of this people, who differed from themselves only on the mode and one half of the subjects of baptism were re- moved by the Bay Colony Puritans in so far that tliey were allowed to form a Ba])tist church in Boston in 1G64. At the expiration of the charter, in 1G8G, the Episcoi3a- IN NEW ENGLAND. 481 istian or to ening theol- fixcd s own 11 and ent of ire on er im- r have ; is the isitions to wor- theni- hts of lythinp; kvas not :l is no and re- mpo?od ])lan- Ited be- his wa^ |nsco]»al Ircaohrr [.being |uL was Ihinson, Ob.^er., lan and Imd in 3ionce " on the rero re- lit they In 1G64. liscopa- lians were permitted to orpjanizo a church, and the Friends to liold their " meetinf,^s " in 1710, Toward tlie close of tlie eighteenth century Prelacy ob- tained a further foothold in Boston. The Roman Catho- lics opened their lirst place of worship in 1789. The E])iscopal Methodists began in 1795, Up till 178G the theocracy of the Bay State deemed it })laspl)emy to deny the Trinity. At this date the spirit of change became an element of their Athenian democracy, and a society, controlling King's Episco])al chapel, by schism voted it, in 1785, into line witli the Colonial church polity, and tlien voted the Trinity out of it. Henceforth, as tlie s[)irit of the land, this polity became less aggres- sive, and "unjustifial)le restraints" less numerous, as this article of thc.'ir theocratic faith, ceased to be believed, as th.e Holy Scri])tures came to be viewed as only of adequate and not of ])lenarv inspiration. The faitii of the godly had now to contend with the "'advanced thought" of tlie Athenians. As the Bay colony and their pioneer cha))- lains aimed at reforming their mother church, they and their successors have succeeded in controlling the pew patronage of tlie parish, in making some parts of the "ser- vice" less conformable to her canon law, while her "Broad church" designates that portion of Protestant Prelacy, which, while assailed and cherished by (lernian doubts and negations, slakes her thirst for the forbidden in the overflowing New England fountain of adequate inspira- tion. The record of the "unjustifiable restraints " placed on Presbyterianism, not only by tlie "zealous, yet erring fathers " among the Puritans, but also by their ecclesias- tical successors, form no inconsiderable part of the history both of the colony and of the State, Of these, from the necessity and demand of truth, Ave have recorded not a few of the more ]irominent in refer- ence to the liberty of tiieir persons, the freedom of their consciences, tlie sacredness of their churches, and the gravestone of their dead. To trace and understand the genius of the New England system, we must remember that it is the creature of cir- cumstances. It does not, as we have shewn that the Presbyterian polity does, begin at Jerusalem, and declare 31 . I 482 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM i§ ii:i ..it " Nobody has yot appeared wlio could prove that we liave altered any one thing which God has commanded, or tliat we have appointed any new thing contrary to his word, or that we liave turned aside from the trutli to follow any evil opinion " (Calvin), but it builds its usages on cir- cumstances. Hence says the Boston Christian Obscrvatorij (No. S, vol. 1, August, 1847), ''Tliat the germ of Congregationalism is found in the New Testament can l^e believed, witliout su])posing that this particular system of church polity, or any other, was fully developed in all its i)arts during the lifetime of the apostles, without even suj)i)osing that this, or any other, was intended to be a distinct subject of di- vine legislation. ' It sh(Uild be suflicient authoritv for anv ecclesiastical usage, if the principles of the gosjiel carried into consistent practice amid all the circumstances which Providence has arranged shall naturally and ne- cessarily bring in that usage. Henco the manner in which Congregationalism took its rise in Ncav England renders it sufficiently divine." Consequently vitalized, nurtured and defended by "cir- cumstances," its early intolerance under its theocracy be- comes under its ever-al)iding Athenian democracy dill'u- sive, productive, prolific and permeating, when the sword of Gideon is not fully sustained by the sword of the Lord. It makes attractive such forms of religion as will gratify the " tastes " of men. Hence in accounting in the pan-Methodist conference in London, in 1881, for their unsurpassed denominational growth, a speaker declared " the secret is that our system and usages are such as suit more extensively than any others the ' tastes ' of the American people." Hence the Philadelphia Methodist Episcopal Conference at Potts- ville, Pa., on March 19th, 1881, adopted, as a matter of taste, the reading of their sermons, a custom abominated by the denomination for above a century, and their Dr. Taylor, of Chicago, has so fully conformed to the New England orthodox " tastes " in his doctrines, that they have justly cast him out of their fellowship. This eclectic operation of substituting a supposed " New Testament germ," generated in the minds of theorists from time to time as sullicient authority in the room of IN NEW ENGLAND. 483 e have or tVuit ord, or )W any on cir- . 8, vol. ilism is without olity, or •ing ilio :iat this, ;t of (li- for any 1 carried nstam-es and ny- mner in Enghmd by "cir- n-acy he- Lcy dilTu- he sword he Lord. 11 gratify ference in linational lu' system Ihan any Hence at Totts- Jnatter of lominated Itheir Dr. the New |:hey have |supposcd theorists room of " the oracles of God," has made modern Congregationalism extensively the delight of those who are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth," Nay, in its legitimate deductions it makes the existence of " the trutli a? it is in Jesus " sometimes at least "an un- known quantity " in promoting the glory of God, and in making tlie calling and election of the soul of any man sure. By this it is not to be understood that all who sus- tain and propagate this polity are the children "of tlie night or of darkness." Many of them, despite their only partially scriptural system, are among "tljc elect of God," spending and being spent for his glory, and "bear- ing the image of the heavenly." Let it be remembered that " the question is always, not whetli accomplish- ments and virtues and piety exist within tl.'s or that sys- tem, but simply whether the system itself be good or evil." These attainments in the divine life, however, are not the exclusive productions of modern New England the- olog3\ They are extensively transmitted from those minds which for above a century believed, lived under and taught for doctrine the form of sound words contained in the "Confession of Faith, owned and consented to at Boston on .May 12th, 1680." Our modern Congregationalism has so far swept around the circle from the doctrines and morality of the Puritans, that the very foundation of domestic life, the marriage re- lation, is assailed by the ease with which a divorce can be obtained, and by which the supply stimulates the de- mand. That which was once in " the land of steady habits" of rare occurrence, and mentioned only with shame, has be- come fearfully common, about every twelfth marriage pro- ducing a divorce. Hence also says the Boston Daily Globe of ^lay, 18V9 : " In 1865 Governor Andrew smd the Rev. Charles Beecher extensively broke down the Massa- chusetts law of divorce. Now lawyers have a large prac- tice in divorcing." Consequently for years the New Eng- land bureau of divorce has been so plied by those whose heart's desire is to return to " single blessedness," that at times for months they have to " wait tlieir turn." Beyond this, the structure of domestic life which under 484 HISTORY OF rRESBYTERIANISM " the social compact " in Nc\v England has sprung up, at times presents rare productions. The United States, so far as modesty and a sense of shame remain, are hinnbled by the presence and growth of one of the most loathsome, leprous sights on earth, •when, under pretense of obeying the will of that holy God who niadc man in his own likeness, male and female, "lewd fellows of the baser sort " have successfully st't up polygamy as the essence of holiness. Not only is the fear of God proportional)ly gone, but national patriotism is assailed, as in fifty years they have three territories exten- sively under tlieir control. These self-styled " latter day saints " are most success- fully compassing " sea and land " to make ])roselytes. On the " centennial " day of the battle of Yorktown, twenty- four of their teachers sailed for Europe, and the disgrace is deepened by the consideration that these were led by a Scotchman, and five days afterward four hundred of their latter day saints landed in New York. By gathering, as they do, the deluded and the vile from the remote parts of the earth, they can more hopefully, when backed by multitudes, present resistance to our civil government. They plead for freedom of conscience in what they call religious worship, under the pretense that their " Book of Mormon " is by them placed on a level with the Bible as a supplementary book. While their prophet and member in Congress are both Englishmen, the abomination sprang fron^ New England nnnd directed by a new inspiration to Ihem " sufficiently divine," " The Mormon church commenced April 6th, a. d. 1830, at Fayette, Seneca county. New York. It was organized by three Smiths, two Whitmers and one Coudrey, six in all, actuated by him who "is transformec' as an angel of light." Of the two Whitmers one was cdled David. He was the friend and confidant of Joseph Smith, and prom- inently identified with the Mormon movement until ])olygamy and other questionable practices were intro- duced as a part of the saint's faith. He then settled in Richmond, Kay county, Mo. He lived in New York State when the golden tablets of " the book of Mormon " were founds and has the only manuscript copy made of IN NEW ENGLAND. 485 Lip, at ise of rowth earth, t holy (■male, set up he fear Lisni is exten- lUCcess- 2S. On Lwenty- igrace is 3d by a of their ile from mefiiUy, ur civil bey call Book of ible as nember sprang ition to ID. 1830, rganized six in [ngel of id. He ]d prom- it until 16 intro- Ittled in Iv York lornion " Inado of the inscriptions npon tliem in existence, and is the only living witness of the authenticity of tlieir book. lie and Ids son David (who eomniunicates these state- ments) "regard the book as one of the su]iplen)entary books," as much entitled to be revered with the Bible as any book of the Bible itself, and that, while they acknowl- edge tluit polygamy and kindred ahuses which havo cre])t into the Mormon religion are the abhorrence of all intelligent citizens. Joseph Smith and the late lion. Stephen A. Douglas (it is said) hailed from the same town in Vermont. In the varied parts of our union " the S})irit of the age " is manifested by increasing insubordination,nnd nothing but a proper knowledge of " the higher law " and obedience to it will teach men to '' nmder to all their dues," Modern Congregationalism, as a religious s^'stem, having its foundation on the circumstances and place of its birth, extensively indjues Presbyterianism. Look into any di- vision of it, and, with few exceptions, you find it so, causing its youth to fret at its own .scriptural authority, controverting its own former sound doctrine, and re- ducing its own originally " })ure olfernig " of praise in mat- ter and in manner down ("in too many cases at least) to an artificial and ephemeral entertainment. By intro- ducing and adopting these New England innovations, our escutcheon is blurred, our original identity is lost, and where to a surrounding world w'o should arise and shine, for there remains yet very much land to bo ])ossessed, " Ephraim envies .Judah and Judah vexes Ephraim." Numerically, we are not multii)lying the saints as PresV)yterians in former days have done, and relatively our polity is retiring to the rear. " These things ought not so to be." In the meantime our church property, is occasionally absorbed by tins neighbor. Not only in scores of ])laces in New' England by a ma- jority of the pew-owners has it done this, but in New York its spoliation is provided for by civil law, so that " any church or religious society, it is said, may safely become Congregational by observing cautions " recorded on jxiges 128, 129, in Burk''s Masmichusetts EcdcsHixVnd Law. In conclusion, separating ourselves from Prelacy in all its forms, and Congregationalism in its ramifications, wo 486 HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM sliould all, under our cjcncral name Presbyterian, remem- ber tlio divine origin of our i)olity, tlie costly transmission of it to us, our own usefulness in our ireneration, the Ix'st interests of our children, the peace of our land, the salva- tion of the lost, the honor of Christ and the ,:dory of CJod. I'his is our duty. " Let the Presbyterian Church of the future (in all her divisions) be marked abov.3 all by this, that her ministers are teacliers of the Word in the pulpit, in Bil)le classes, in the Sabbath school, ' and from house to house; ' let her peoj)le l)e thorouj^li in their knowledge of the Scriptures — let her prayers, lier sermons, lier litera- ture be rich in Scripture truth, and her energies will be little wasted, and her time little consumed in those ' de- bates ' which ' do gender strifes.' " We make no apology for adverting at this point to the imperative necessit}' that exists for securing for our chil- dren thorough scriptural instruction in tlie Sabbath school. Thousands have passed through it with no more knowl- edge of the Word than suffices for a, flippant allusion or a profane reference. The church must see to it that the word of her God be taught her young members, or they will be practically ignorant of it." " Nor is it at all certain that their attendance on the Sabbath school is an adequate remedy. Many teachers are incompetent as teachers; and much of the Sabbath school literature which is superseding the reading (and committing) of the Bible (to memory) is worse than use- less. It is mischievous. What can be the effect of giving children mere stories, with just enough of the spice of re- ligion to make them ' Sunday books,' but to drive them to novels? For novelettes many of these volumes are, and often poor as such. There is little reading, and no study of the Scripture on week days; and on Sabbath it is su])- posed to be as it should if the children are engaged with their library books and papers, and so they groAv to matu- rity with only the most superficial ideas of the holy ora- cles. "And at this point let us not suppress the hope that the Catechism of the church will receive increased attention in the training of the young, especially in the family. If the l)ar(!ntal vow to God mean anything, the jjarents bind themselves to teach their offspring the doctrines of the Christian religion." IN NEW ENGLAND. 487 ncm- ssion ' best ;alva- (iod. if the • this, ulpit, house rledge litera- ■ill be ,0 ' de- to the ir chil- ■ichool. knowl- )n or a lat the )!' they on the achcvs abbatli g (and n use- giving of re- lem to re, and study S SU])- kl with ma fu- ll V ora- at the It ion in If the ; bind I of the In this personal teaoliing they themselves arc learners, for tliey cannot teaeh what they do not know. When they act by proxy, the}'' remain ignorant themselves. Hence (in our age of improvement), were we to ask thousands of prolV'ssing Presbyterian Christians, " What doctrines of the Cln'istian reliiiion have you taught vour ~ »/ Oft children? '' we should get no satisfactory answer. A com- mon sul)terfugc is, " The Catechism is liard." So is the muUiplieatioii table, and by a beginner just as little under- stood; he learns ])oth only as a mere exercise of memory. " It is so with much of the education of every one of us. Common sense, observation and lidelity to our vows all coml)ine to urge upon Presbyterian parents the right and conscientious use of a help so valuable in giving to the young members of our churches a competent knowledge of the doctrines of the Christian religion." If our divisions are (>ver to be healed, a leading unitary influence will be, "coming to the knowledge of the truth," the "one faith" through our " form of sound words," and one system of logic, l)y "saying the Catechism." To the above cogent statements, taken from "The Presbvtcrian Church Through- out the World, 1874," I further add : " In order to realize this high object, and become a yet greater power for good in the country, we doubt not the church of the future will seek in a higher degree to poini- larize her services. And this, avc apprehend, will be done, not so much by the adoption of new, as by the resumption of former metliods. " Take, for example, the subject of singing in divine ser- vice. In many churches this noble function of the church has been relegated to a few persons, and the appearance a congregation present? to an observant heathen would be that of a body of people in a large building, at one end of which, on an eminence al)ove the people, a man does all tlie })raying and talking, and at the other end of which three or ft)ur others, at a greater elevation, do all the prais- ing. Musical faculty and moral worth do not, unhappily, always go together; and where the ' voices ' in the sing- ers' gallery disport themselves in the intervals of their per- formance in a way more like their week-day tlian their Sabbath spheres, the farce is turned into an abomination. " We shall live, let us hope, to see this thing banished 488 IIISTOUY OF ritllSIiYTEUTANISM from evangelical clnirelies. All the history of Protestant- ism (and especially of unmixed Preshyttn-innism) is against it. To say nothing fartiior of the JIugnenots and the Pilgrims, 'Knox had the Seottish ])eopio tanglit to praise God so thoroughly, that a mass meeting could sing a psalm through without books, and in the '' parts " of the melody.' "Application, under the Divine blessing, will do this any- where among our apostate race. ' The spectacle of a church claiming to win the masses, and taking from them the only portion of ])ul)lie worship in wiiieh they can all unite, would be, if not so sai'.dening, siijiremely ridiculous.' "It is idle to say that certain iK'oj)le get music of tho highest order elsewhere, and if they cannot have it in the church they will not come. Tlie i)atrons of the o[)era and theatre have never been of so much real value in tho church as to be worth consulting, and least of all should devout and serious worshi[)p(n"s 1)0 wrongi.'d and driven iiway for the {esthetic satisfaction of casual and ))atronizing visitors to the services. Let Israel worsliip Clod as he has appointed, and let the ' mixed multitude ' follow or keep away. " The army of the Lord is not t'. change its plans for the idle pleasure of the camp followers. And it is in vain to think of winning the world bv mere music. What is the value to any church of such acquisitions? The week-day entertainments supply the genuine article, and without making the church an actual theatre, you cannot compete Avith them." With these considerations we close our history. The scene is not joyous, and did we see the native religion maintain its pristine jnirity in doctrine and worship, we might " thank God and take courage." But when we now lind that after an exjieriment of above two hundred and fifty years this l)oiity not only produces "divers and strange doctrines," but impairs the force of truth among other sects as they borrow from it, and is waxing feeble for self-protection and perpetuity on its own soil, it is other- wise. Among above four millions one hundred thousand people in New England, we have after one hundred ami ninety years only of the badgered Presbyterians about thirty three congregations, nearly all feel)le, yet we find IN NEW ENGLAND. 489 tiioso wlio on the same soil placed them under " imjustifia- blo restniints," in a condition })roi)ortionably s})iiitually unliealthy. Tiiey report a nieml)crship of 213,978 (of whom ;]3,253 are absent), or al)out on(>-nim'teenth of the poi)ulation, with a loss of ei,i,'ht humh'ed and forty-six members in New Enj.dand in a. d. 1880. They are thus, on their native Boil, in the descending!; node, and proportionally, as Pres- bytcriiins are found thn)U,!j:hout the land, assimilated to them in doctrine and in worship, u>in,<; their losijic, em- l)loying their vocabulary, imitatin.i; their customs and ob- servms tlien- usages, tliey are gravitating with about ec^ual velocity. It has been said i)hilosophically that where "the people of a locality look around, see how well a system works elsewhere and set it up, it will grow," that consequently until the New Englanders do this, Presbyterians should not intrude. liut the command is, " Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Judging from what is desired and prospers in New England, Presbyterians should retire, for among Congregational forms of thought they can have but little hope, especially as the Bible has not the hold on the modern, which it had on the Puritan mind. ytill, wliat then if they should retire? Presbyterians wisely o: unwisely domicile in the region, and if not cared for, they will likely become " an increase of sinful men." The factory towns here afford fields for faithful gospel labor, not much, if any, inferior to other regions, and it will be eternally wrong to allow Popery and infidelity to carry back and obliterate the Christian civilization of "the New England Primer " lor any measure of our modern Juab and Amasa charity. New England must yet be redeemed by coming to " the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus," and Presbyterians must make the experiment of assisting in the work, whether they succeed or fail. Duty, not success, is the standard of our encouragement and accountability. ICven if this highly favored region should sow itself with salt (Judges ix. 45), under attachment to what is to it " sufliciently divine," Presbyterians must shew to New i. 490 HISTORY OF PRESRYTEniANISM. England "a more excellent way." Ck>ncrations of crror- ists iiiay flourish on that soil, but "tiio kin-zdorn and do- minion, and the <,'reatness of the kin;^'doiu under the whole lieaven, shall be given to the i)eoi)le of tiie saints of the Most High, and all shall serve and obey him." Reader, farewell. We must meet and stand each in his " lot in the end of the days." Let us keep " the laith." '¥ APPENDICES. A.-— Papre IG. Befork sliewini? liow ''Confrrcfjatioiialism, by takiiifj its rise in New Eiif^laiKl," is always "sullicieiitly tlivinc," it may l)e well to st'e liow Presbyterian ism anil Prelacy, tlie only oilier cluircli i)()lities, originated. As there is but '' one (Jod. so there is one ^lediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." To this otlice the Father ordained him, to administer all the alTairs in the universe, to jud.ife the world in ri^Iiteousness, to be the Jndfye of (luicU and dead. When manifested ni the llesh, he ordained tv.'<'lve, and yav(^ them power that he Miifjht sen(l them forth to preach. When made "perfect throu<;h suffer- ing's," before ascending,' to kI^'iT? the risen Saviou. was seen alive after his passion by his apostles forty days, spe,dy snitposcd pai tiality ill the (laily (list lilmt ion to tlic poor ; dciicdns were hy t lie apos- tles put in tiiist ^vitll •• llif out waid business " ol' tlie clinrcii. Wlicii, Ity the direction of tlie twelve, wlio deserilicd their lie('«'ss;iry (pialilieatioiis and told their nnniiieis, t he iiiiiltitndo of the disciples ( lected the men to hecoine deacons, this, as they wei-e not •• endued with power from on liiijli,' was all thattliey could do. As those who came to the jjiave of i.a/arus could "tiike away the stone," hnl could not inaUo the "(lead coiikj foi-lli,'' so this was all that the '•holy hrethreii."' ii;irt.ikers of the heavenly callini»oinle(l and directed by the elders how to distiibiite " relief " to the poor. This was not done, by any majority, or iinanimons, or popular vote of the disciples, who, thont^lj then a mult itiule. liacl not *'one jot or tittle " of "the power of our Lord .lesus Christ" in any way. in rnlinc^, feedin,!::, or takinjjf care of his church. They were the rnled, not rulers. It was llieir privile^^c, when directe(| by their otlicial spiritual superiors, to " look out from anunij?" themselves, and it belonged to "the work of the minis- try," to "the elders who rnled well." especially to those who laiiored in the word and doctrine (as the twelve then did), 1 Pet. V. 1 ; 3 .John i., to lay their " hands on them," and to "ap- point " them over this, or any otiier " business" of ii s()iritual character. (Acts xi. 30.) In shewing tons "the mind of Christ." in the " all things, 'which he commanded '" them, the apostles, in associating his followers, organized them into local congregations, or assem- blies (.las. ii. li), by "ordaining" for them "elders in every church," and as of God, there is but "one Lord, one faith and one baptism," so, all the local churches wearing the Christian name, where they do not deny " the faith," were (and ought ever to be) one. Thus, the thousands of Christian assemblies throughout Judiea. Galilee and Samaria were " the chuich " (Acts ix. 31), the whole denomination formed but one church, and in all cities, where the true followers of Christ were foun(l, there was something " wanting " there, until, by " the work of the ministry," elders were elected, ordained and ai)))ointe(l. Those, to wiioin "the power of our Lord Jesus Christ" was to be committed by "the laying on of the hands of the Presby- tery," must be " faithful men," " not novices," and be found, on examination, or proof, able to teach others also. In each local chnrcli, these were to " rule with diligence," not "lording it over Crod's heritage, but being ensamples to the Hock," while the command is ever on record (Ileb. xiii. 17), "Obey them that have the rule over you," etc. APri:Ni;icKs. 493 jro, na- rtiality IC llptlS- (1 tlicir illitM(lt< iis tlicy i;il tlicy s coukl (I COllU) kcis ol' CUM do ; 111), not ouso of y, tlic.so led and poor. IKipular liad not Christ " c-liurch. f(', wlicii lit Ironi ic minis- losc who n did), 1 to ''ap- piritual things, |tinf? Ilia assem- n every iiith and hristiai\ I oiiiiht ;ein\»li«'rt lliurcli " church, ' found, ^vork of loiuted. ' was to Presby- found, |ln each lording ' while sy them Tioforo jroinff, ns tho " ambassadors of Clirist," " into all the world, bcyinnin^ at .Icriisalt'ni, to prcacli the gospel (o every creature,*' they receivi'd their authority fi'oni tlie liolyiihost (Acts xiii. li. 3, 4), liy an appointed foinial aeknowleilmneiil of liis " power " and presence. '• I'roved " l)y liis niiiiistei.-, Ciilkd l)y his grace and ni liis providence, tliey are ever to l»e '• sepa- ratecl unto tiie work whereinito he lias called thcin," and tliis by ]»ro|iliels and teachers in his chinch, who, with fa>tiiig and jirayei, fiilhl his will, while the oidainers " senil tiieni away," and they ;ire "sent forth by the Holy (Jhost." Til e cinncli, ' when in the wilderness," and ev^-r sinco, has had elders, men of experience, wisdom and gravity, whoso laces for their oflice, so long as they used it will, were and aro ever to lie honored. With the apostles, elders and hisiiops were ollicially the same, and l)y them they were instrm-trd how to ixMpet iiate the odlce. Not only so ; when "divers and strange doctiines " endanger the soids of (iod's people, tlie matlfrwas and is to be considered by the elders as "tlie apostles of the chnrcdies and the glory of (Jhrist." Their •' decrees," where they "judge righteous jiidgnuMit," in- crease thennndterof tin; cliurches and establish ihem in the f;iitli and joy of the gospel. Again, elders must ever remember, that tlieir spiritual au- thoiity extends only to the meml)ership of the churc'i and to none else. " Do not ye judge them that are within V l>nl them that are without (iod judgeth." Presbyterians, with this authority and these instrnctions (among the other, '"all things which I have commanded you "). " turned the inhabited earth up-side down." liut when Christ was brought iiito<.'on- nection with (or under the i)atronage) of Ca'sar, and his church was ostensibly aided by civil government, her "gold became dim." TIhmi, in due time, moderators of church courts, and i)astor3 in cities began to " lord it over God's heritage," instead of being "feeders" of, and "ensamples to the dock." Hence (says Vicar Stackhonse)*' I'd though thebisliojisof the primitive church wen; all inves.ed with the same oilice and an- tliority, yet, in i)rocess of time ind as Christianity increased, iti was found necessar/to enlarge the Episcopal jiower. and, tiier«;- fore, as before, there was a bishop in every great city, so now, an archbishop was ])laced in every metropolis. When Ciiris tianity overspread tlie Roman emjiire, there sprang ui»ano'ilier superior branch of the Episco])al otlice, itrimates and patriarchs, who had jurisdiction over several provinces. "To understand this, it is reijuisite to know, that when the Christian faith was fully settled in the world, it was determined to vnxUJ the external government of the church, as near as might be, to the civil government of the empire, which was divided into thirteen dioceses, and these containing aliont one hundred and twenty provinces, and every province several cities, as in every city there was a magistrate, so was there also a bishop, 494 APPENDICES. wlinso jurisdiction was of like extent." {Ptody nf Divinity, p. 74(); K(l. London, 17l!).) We liavf here, tlicii, th(> full dcvcloiimont of pif larv. from its nuity in Ilic N'atican (from tlic tliirlccn dioccsrsi down to tlie sin^dc iiarisli. all in ('re leaviui'" Ent^land, ''tlie yreat Mr. Ilildeisham. of Ash- ley,'' viewins? tin- dcliv^iuey as well as the importance of the en- teri)rise. "•advised th( se "first plaiders to a^ree fully upon their form of churcli <.':oveniment before coininti into New Kn<;iaiHl.'" Tiiey answer, " We have indeed agreed upon little fuitiier tiiau thisVeneial principle {II,., ]>. 1S4), that the reformation of tlie church was to be e!ideavalians, and here was the re- ligious uerin of tlie enterprise, viz.: ''the reformation of the ciiurch." This the company and chaplains could not do in England, but this they wou'ld "rj/f/oo'o/- '' to do in America " according to the written word of (iod." They agreed upon little further than this, but upon this they ■were agreed. As to their future " form of church government," before coming to New England, these two ministers, engaged by the first jilanters, had (it would seem) agreed fully upon it, as the two told the committee that they were " agreed and fully of one judgment how to exercise their ministry." On .June 2tth, 1G29, these two (with two other) ministers, the Bev. Messrs. Smith and ]5riglit, arrived, and from Psalms Ixxvi. li, they called Neamkeak, Salem (Peaa). As we know wiiat our Saviour " commanded " his apostles, by learning what they have taught his followers in all ages " to ob- serve," so we learn the " general princi])le " adoi)ted bythe.se men by what they carried out and established : a new church order, dilferent from both Presbyteriauism and Prelacy. For '•July 20th, (Governor Endicott," the civil i)o\ver, not any ec- clesiastical, "sets apart as a day of fasting, prayer, aiul the trial and choice of a jiastor and teacher." On "July liSth Mr. llig- ginsoii, being desired by the thirty associates, draws up a con- fession of faith and a covenant." (Ih., p. 190.) "On August 6th, being Thursday, by the governor's appv>intment " (an otlicer anienalile only to liis com]>auy and t<» the l'>iitish Episcopal crown), " after tlu? two ministers had preached, the confession and covenant were read to the assembly, some three hundred in number." To these the thirty willing to begin a church organi- zation assented, atier wliicli " Mr. lliggiuson , with three or four f 496 AITENDICES. of the j^ravpst " of tlio tliiity momliers of tho " socio! y." permp- atcd {:is\vas taken for granted) with tiie power of '' Presl)ytery," " l)ro(;ee(led to tlu^ layinf,' on of lian(ls"'on ]Mr. Slielton with prayer. This constitutes ]Mr. Sl^eiton tiieir pastor, and he stands forth in a ne*v liulit. His I"'pis!;opal oidination is vamped up, and now a new species of "tactual succession," " part of iron and part of I'lay " is upon liini. His was an (and the iirst) American Protestant ordination. "Tlien Mr. Skel- ton," with others of tiie thiity, conveys a moiety of " tiie jiower of our Lord Jesus Christ " tlius obtained, "\)y a like jtrocess to Mr. Ilifff^inson, by wliicli he becomes tlieir teaclier." (/'>., p. ISO.) A Mr. Ilou.^ p. 190.) '• Messrs. Skelton and lli.i^fjinson havin.L>- been or- dained by bishojjs in tlie Churcli of England, this oidination at iSalem was only (tliey say) to this particular Hock founded on their free election. But as there siems to be; a repealed InipfKsi- tlon of /ia»(?.s, the former, on July 2i)th, may only si;j,iiify their previous separation for their solemn ciiai<;V ; and this' latter of August Gth tiieir actual investiture t'.ierein." (//>., p. ]!)1.) 2'/it,s is tin? viannn\ })lace and tiuip in wiiich, and at which ^'Congregationalisin (i)egan to take and; took its rise " and saw the light of day '' in New England." It was not European born nor even "seaborn." but horn in Salem, Massachusetts — as was Presbyterianism in Jerusalem, Prelacy in Rome and Protestant Episcopa(;y in London. As to the spot of its birth it was not at " Plymouth Rock," but at ''Salem." For commerce, the i)lace was judiciously se- lected by Mr. Conant. It is "on a tongu(> of land two miles by tliree-(piarters of one mile, bet ween tli(^ Nortii and South rivers, in latitude 42- 31' IS", in longitude 70^ 53' 58". It has a c(m. venient and well-i)rotected liarbor, was extensively commercial, until eclipsed by lioston in the nineteentli century, has liigli lit- erary advantages lunv, some twenty churches, and a i)oi>ulatioii of aliout twenty-live tliousand souls. There and then the tidrd "'orr/rr" of ecclcisiastical polity in Christendom began. Tliis society in Salem, which has been said to be "the first complete church organization ever effected in North America " (rrasri^rfT), " tlie first Puritan eliurch organized in America" (7>alane of Unitarianism. Emmanuel, the " I am," has only a name, nothing more, and no phlce on the original church site. Such is the " II ub " of tlieall Congregat ional chnrciies in Amer- ica. After these arrangements were completed, as " the church l>rofessed to exercis(> discipline upon scandalous p(M'sons and to 110 lowjrr read, common prayer (which liad Ix-en read till August (ith, lbL'!}i, two brothers, a lawyer and a merchant, begin to gather a separate comi)any and to read conunon iirayer, upon which the i;overm)r convents tliem before him, and liiKling tiieir «peeches and practices tending to nuitiny and faction, he sends them back to England." {Fr. and Malh.) APPENDICES. 497 prme- LiM-y," with 1(1 lie ion is sioii," II (and , SU(4. power I'css to /^., p. ; I'kler. 'en or- ion iit ilrd oa inii>()!y vessels returning this autumn tidings of the prosperity (notwithstanding many deaths) at 8alem, stirred up otliers of the brethren in England (wiiose yoke unjustly imposed was heavy) to emigrate to Amei'iea, and'at " the latter end of 1G29 a Congregational church is by a pious people gathered in the New Hospital at Plymouth, in Enijland. They keep a day of prayer and fasting, the Kev. Mr. "Wiiite, of Dorchester ])reaches, and they choose and call tlie Rev. Messrs. Warliam and Maverick to be tiieir o(hc(M's and ordain them at the same time." (P., p. 200.) Tliongh associated in (and by information carried to) England, in a manner similar to the society at Neamkeak. yet they find none of this new form of order in England and they hasten to America to enjoy its associations in the only place in which tiiese could be then found. ''On :Marcli 20th, 108ii, these sail for the Massachusetts" (P., p. 204', and " on Mav 30th arrive at Nantasket, thence they go to Charlestown." (P., p. 207.) In ten years, however, it was carried hack to England, all but the theocracy and Athenian democracy, which were interwoven into the system in the Bay, but were inoperative in Great Britain. " On Ai)ril 7th, Governor Winthroi), with five other gentle- men and the Rev. (Jeorge Pliiilips, on board the 'Arabella.' at Yarniouth. sign an humble recpiest of His Majesty's loyal sub- jects, the governor and (;ompany late gone to New England, to the rest of their brethren in and of the (Jliurrh of Enyland; for the obtaining of their jn-ayers and the removal of suspicions and misconstruction of their intentions." (Printed in London, 4to, "1(330.) (P.,p. 20o.) ''On June 12th they arrive in the Bay, go ashore to their friends in Salem " (/-•., p. 20!)), and on "July 8th they keep a day of thanksgiving through all their plantations for their experience of the Divine goodness." i /'., ]». 211.) Whetliei- any of the wives and children of the Pilgrims left in Enroiie had previously come to them or not, does not fidly ap- })ear. but the record says : " Thirty-five of oui' friends, with their families, from Leyden. left London in May and arrived at New Plymouth in August, 1029. Tlieir expenses our undertakers pay gratis, beside giving them houses, grounds to plant on, and 32 498 APPENDICES. maintaining them above tliirteen months before they have a har- vest of their own." (P., pp. 192, 193.) Anotlier company of Leyden friends (of tlie Kobinson Cliurch) were shipped in Marcli, 1G30, and arrived in New E)if>huid in May, all the expenses of whom (above io-lO) the new Plynionth undertakes to pay gratis. They then provide for them food for sixteen or eighteen months before they have a harvest of their own, wliich comes near to as mnch more, a rare example of brotherly love and Christian care in performing their promises to their brethren, even beyond their power." [lb., p. liUl.) " By their fruits ye shall know them." (Matt. vii. 20.) Tills " colony of pious ])eople, who also came on account of re- ligion only, were of a denomination somewhat different from them of Plymouth, who, twenty-eight years before, sei)arated from the Church of England, and were called IScjxirdtist.^, but the latter, those of Massachusetts Bay, with the colonies issuing from them— Puritans— were till now, IQSO^ pr()f( ss( d nambeys of the Church of EmjIamV (P., p. 213.) '^On' June 24th, 1629, the Rev. Mr. Bright, with others, removes to Charlestown, "where he stays above a year," and " on Augu.st 27th, KioO, Mr. John Wilson (who was formerly an Episcopju minister in Sud- bury), was there chosen and ordained teaching elder, or pastor. This was the first ordination of an elder in jSIassachusetts Bay," and his "extent now reaches on both sides of the Charles river." (P., p. 247.) Thus increasing with the using, this new church polity contin- ued to " rise," and while Mr. Wilson, when installed as minister at Charlestown at the above date, " submitted unto an ordination witii an imposition of such hands as were by the church invited so to pronounce the benediction of heaven upon him, yet it was done with n protefitatioii by all, that it should be only a sign of his election to the charge of his new liock, without any intention that he should thereby renounce the ministry lie had received in England." {Math. J/ay., vol. i., p. 79.) The next rising of this new polity was in Dorchester, then '^ Boston, which issued out of Charlestown "(/?).), then " succeeded one in Iloxbury, then one in Lynn, and a seventh at Watertown." [lb.) This development continued as population increased, and in seventeen years " it was on many accounts necessary for them to make a declaration of their church order," which they did in 1648, and called '' the Cambridge Platform." Tiie number of churches in the Bay colony had at this date increased to thirty- nine. The ministers and elders, as they compared imujen, "committed these to writing as the good hand of God had moulded them." " Hence, the manner in which Congregationalism took its rise in New England, renders it suthciently divine." (Christian Obscr., vol. i., No. 8, August, 1847.) Although the Ejiiscoiialians had inhabited in Virginia above twenty years, and the Dutch I'resbyterians had occupied in New York for some fifteen, and the Pilgrims had, in 1G20, adopted APPENDICES. 499 a har- mvch) lucl ill nouth 0(1 lor ' theiv pie of onuses . 201.) t of re- it from )iirated s^s, but issuing ibcrs of h,l<)29, BstOWU, iao, Mr. in Sucl- pustor. ^Imsetts Cluirk'S 7 contin- iiuuister iiuitiou invited t it NYUS sign of itention ived in rr of this ued out 17' then I ., and in or them >y did in mber of |o thirty- od had \i its rise ;hrisiian [ia above . in New adopted their "church order," and were supposed to he a church, yet, by Xew Hne exam- iued, regulated and reformed acconliug to it. And following? that, we acknowledjje tiie three creeds, known as the Apostles', the Nicene and tlie Athanasian, because they are cont'ormed to the Word of God. VI.— Tills Holy Scripture teaches us that in this only and sin- pie Divine Being, wliom we liave cont'essed. there are tliree per- sons, tiie Father, tlie Son, and the Holy (Hiost. The Fatlier, first cause, i)rincii)le anil origin of all things. The Son, his word and eternal wisdom. Tiie Holy S]urit. his viitue, ])ower and elRcacy. The Son eternally begotten of the Fatlicr. Tiie Holy Spirit, eternally ])rnce('diug from tliem liotli ; the thiee persons not confused, but distinct, and nevertheless not divided, but of one same l)eing, eteinity, power and ecpiality. And in that we acknowledge what lias been determined by the ancient councils, and detest all sects and heresies wliich liave been rejected by tlie holy doctors, as St. Hilaire, St. Athanasius, St. Ambrose and St. Cyril. VII.— We believe tliat God in three co-operating persons, by his virtue, wisdom and incomprehensible goodness, lias created all things, not only the heaven, the eartli and all which is con- tained therein, but also the invisible spirits, of whicli some have fallen and stumbled into perdition, others have persevered in obedience. That the lirst being corrupted in malice, are enemies of all good, consetpiently of the wliole church. The second, having been preserved by tlie grace of God, are ministers for glorifying the name of God, and serving in the salvation of his elect. VIII.— "We believe that not only has he created all things, but that he governs and conducts them, disposing, ordefing ac(u)rd- ing to his will all tliat wliich is in the world; not that he may be the author of evil, or that sin can be imputed to liini, since his will is the sovereign and infallible rule of all rigiiteous- ness and e(pnty ; but he has admirable means of employing in such a manner the devils and evil ones, that he can convert into good the evil that they do, and of which they are guilty. And thus in confessing that nothing is done without the providence of (xod, we adore in humility tiie secrets which are concealed from us, witliout asking aliove our measure, but rather we apply to our use what is siiown us in the Holy Scrii)tures. that we may be in i)eace and safety, for as much as (Jod, wiio has all tilings subject to himself, watches over us with a jiaternal care, so tliat there shall not fall a hair of our head without his will. And meanwhile he holds the devils and all our enemies biidled, so that they cannot do any wrong to us without his permission. IX. — We believe that man, having beim created i)ure and per- fect, and made like the image of (Jod, has by his own sin fallen 502 APPENDICES. frr»m the ffrnco that ho liarl rcroivod. And tlins has alipnatorl himself from (Jod, who is the fouiilaiii of justice and of all j?ood, so that his nature is wholly corruitted. And being Idiiided in liis spiiit and dei)raved in liis iieavt, has lost all inteji^rity, witii- out having anything left. And altlKnigh he may still have some discretion of good and evil, notwithstanding, we assert, that that which he has of clearness is changed into darkness wlien it is a qnestion of seeking (iod. So that he can by no means ap- proacJi him by his intelligence and reason. And aUliough he may have a will by wiiich he is incited to do this or that, never- tlieh'ss it is wholly captive under sin ; so that he has no liberty to good but that which (iod gives him. X.— We believe that all the rac(! of Adam is infected with snch contagion, which is (niginal sin, and a hereditary vice, and not merely an imitation, as tlie IVlagians have wished to assert, which we detest in their errors. And we do not consider that there is ne(>d of iiuiniring how the sin comes from one man to another, since it is enongli tliat lliat which God had given him ■was not for him alone, but for all his race, and thus that in his person we have been denuded of all good, and are fallen into all poverty and malediction. XL— We believe also that this vice is indeed sin, which suf- fices to condemn all mankind, even to the babes from the womb of tiie mother, and that for such it is accounted before God ; even that after baptism it is always sin as to the misdeed, al- though the condemnation of it may be abolished to the childien of God, not imputing it to them by his gratuitous goodness. Moreover, that this is a i)erversity, producing always fruits of malice and rebellion, as the most holy, although they resist it, are not removed from being infected with infirmities and faults while they live in this world. XII. — NVe believe that from this general corruption and con- denmation, into which all men are i)lunged, God draws out those whom in his eternal and immutable council he has elected by his goodness and mercy only, in our Lord Jesus Christ, without consideration of tiieir works, leaving others in this same corrup- tion and condemnation to show in them liis justice, as in the first he makes to appear the riches of his mercy. For the one are not better than the others, until that God discerns them, according to his immutable council which he has determined in .Jesus Christ before the creation of the world ; and none also can gain admittance to such good of his own power, since from our na- ture we cannot have a single good emotion, nor affection, nor thought, until that God has prei)ossessed and disposed us to it. XIII.— VVe believe that in Jesus Christ himself all that was required for our salvation has lieen offered and revealed to us. Who being given for our salvation has been made to us at the same time wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, so that in declining him one renounces the mercy of the Father, in which only he grants us to have refuge. XI v.— We believe that Jesus Christ, being the wisdom of God APPENDICES. 503 first not 1(1 in g Jesu3 gain U' mi- nor to it. t was o ns. it the _)tion, itlier, and liis otornal Son, has worn onr flesh in order to be God and man in one person, even man simihir to ns, passible in bodj'and in mind, except (in) as mnch as he was pure from all stain. And as to iiis hnmaii nature, that he was the trne seed of Abra- ham and of David, although he was conceived by tlie secret power of the Holy Spirit. In wliieii we detest all tiie heresies which have anciently troubled the churches, and specially also the diabolical imaginations of Scrvet, whicli attributed to the Lord Jesus a fantastic divinity, for as much as he asserts him to be tiie idea and patron of all things, and calls him i)ersonal or ligurative Son of frod, and fuially invents him a body of three eternal elements, thus mixing and destroying both natures. XV.— We believe that in one same person, known as Jesus Christ, the two natures are truly and inseparably conjoined and nnited, dwelling nevertheless each nature in its distinct i)roperty, so tiiat whereas in this union tlie Divine nature, retaining its proi)erty, has remained uncreated, inlinite, and lilling all things ; also the human nature has remained finite, having its form, measure and property, and even although Jesus Christ in rising again from the dead has given immortality to his body, never- theless he has not removed from it the verity of its nature. And thus we regard him in such a manner in his divinity, that we do not divest him of his humanity. XVI.— We believ. that God, in sending his Son, has desired to show his love and inestimable goodness towards us, in giving him up to death, and raising him again from the dead, in order to ncconiplish all justice, and that we may obtain celestial life. X VII.— AVe believe that l)y the unique sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ has offered on the cross, we are reconciled to God, that we may be held and accounted righteous before him ; be- cause we cannot be agreeable to him, nor partakers of his adop- tion, except in as much as he i)ardoiis us our sins and effaces them. Thus we protest that Jesus Christ is our entire and per- fect absolution, that in his death we have complete satisfaction, to acquit us of our crimes and iniijuities, of which we are guilty and can only be deliv(Med by this remedy. XVIII. — We believe that all our righteousness is founded in the remission of our sins, as also this is our only happiness, as David says, this is why we reject all other means of being able to vindicate ourselves before God ; and without presuming any vir- tue or merits, we simply lay hold upon the obedience of Jesus Christ, wliich is granted us, as mucii in order to cover all our faults as to make us find grace and favor before (Jod. And in reality, we believe that in declining this foundation as little as may be, we would not be able to find elsewhere any repose, but should be ; Iways tortured with dis(iuiet, for as much as we are never i)ea.;eable with God until we are fully persuaded of being loved in Jesus Christ, since we are worthy of being hated in ourselves. XIX.— We believe that it is by this means that we have the liberty and privilege of invoking God, with full promise that he 50-1 ArPENDICES. will show liimaolf our Fiitlior. For wo should not liavo any ac- cess to the Father if we did not address (iiini) by this Mecliiitor. And that we may he heard in his name, it is necessary to hold our life from him as from onr head. XX.— We believe that we are made i^artakers of this ripht- eonsness by faith oidy ; as it is said, that he has stilfcred to )Mn'- chase our salvation in order tliat wiiosoever believes in him should not i)erish. And that tliis is done, for as nnich as the l)romises of life, which are given ns in hini, are adapted to onV use, and in experiencing the effect wlien we accept tliem, not doubting but being assured by tlie mDutii of (Jod, we sliall not be disappointed. Thus the figliteousness whicii we obtain by faith depends ui)on the voluntary promises by which God declares and testihes to ns that he loves ns. XXI. — We believe that we are enliglitened in the faith by the secret grace of the Holy Spirit, so tliat this is a free and special gift which God grants to those whom he thinks lit, so that be- lievers have nothing to glory in of it, being doubly bound be- cause they have been preferred to the others. Also "that faith is not merely given for a time to the elect, in order to bring tliem into t)ie good way, but to make them ccnitinue in it also unto the end. For as it is in God to make the beginning, it is also in him to finish. XXII.— We believe that by this faith we are regenerated in newness of life, being natin-;illy snbj(!cted to sin. Xow we re- ceive by faith the grace to live holily and in the fear of (iod, by accepting the promise which is given us by the gosjyel, knowing that God will give us his Holy Spirit. Thus faitli not only does not cool the desire for good and holy living, but engenders and ex- cites it in ns, necessarily producing good works. Finally, al- thougii God, in order to acconii)lish our salvation, regenerates us, reforming us in well-doing, nevertheless we confess tliat the good works, which we do by the direction (^f his Sjyirit, do not come into account to justify us, or to merit that God take ns for his children, because we should be always floating in doubt and alarm, if onr consciences did not rest on the atonement by which Jesus Christ has acquitted us. XXIII.— We believe that all the figures of the Law have ter- minated in the coming of .Jesus Christ. But although the cere- monies are no longer in use, nevertheless the substance and real- ity of it has remained to us in the person of him in whom lies all fulfilment. Moreover, it is necessary to assist ourselves with the law and the prophets, as much to regulate our life as to be con- firmed in the promises of the gosi)el. XXIV. — We believe, since Jesus Christ is given ns for our ilt;riina.L,'es. prohiltitions of marriajje, and of the nsc of meats, ceremonious (tl)servation of days, auricu- lar confession, indul^'ences, and all other such thinijs hy which one thinks to merit ^mmcc and salvation. Which thini^s we re- ject, not only for the false opinion of merit which is attached to them, hut also hecause they are human inventions, which im- pose slavery on the consciences. XXV. — N'ow, because we enjoy Jesus Christ only hy the mm. ])el, wo lielieve that the order ot the churcli, which lias Wen established in his authority, should \w sacred and inviolable, consecjuently that the church cannot exist it" theni are not pas- tors who may have the charfje of teaching, whom one should honor and attend with revereu(,'e, when they are duly called, and exercise faithfully their ollice. Not that (hxl sliould bo hound to such aids or inferior means ; but becanse it i>Ieases him to keep us under such check. In which we detest all faiitastics, who would yreatly desire, as far as in them is, to destroy the ministry and preachius; of the word of (rod and the sacraments. XXVI. — We believe, therefore, that no i)erson should retire ai>art, and be satistied with his ])erson. but that all torrether should keej) and ]>reserve the nnanimily of the cimirh, subnnt- tini? to connnon instruction and to the yoke of Jesus Christ, and that in any place where (Jod shall have established a true order of cimrcli, although the ma<;istrates and their edicts may he contrary to them, and that all those who do not side there- with or separate from it opjjose the ordinance of (Jod. XXVII.— Nevertheless we believe that it is proper to discern carefully, and with i)ru(lence. what is the true chui'ch, hecause too much they abuse this title. A\'e assert then, followinj; the word of (Jod, that it is the company of the faithful who ai^ree to follow this word and the pure religion which i)roceeds from it, and who profit from it all the time of their life, fjrowinc: and strengthening themselves in the fear of (iod, according as they have need of advancin!T and of marchin.i; always further on. Also, although they strive and it is sainted to them to have in- cessant recourse in the remission of their sins, nevertheless we do not deny that amoni? the faithful there may not he hypocrites and re])robates from whom wickedness cannot efface the title of the church. XXVIII. —Under this belief we ])rotest that there where the word »^f (Jod is not received, and where they make no jjiofessiou of snbmittiniJC to it, and wiiere there is no usat^e of the sacra- ments, to speak jirojierly oiH^ cannot judi^'e tiiat there is any church. (-onscMpiently we condemn the assciublics of the Papacy, since the pure truth of (Jod is banished from them, in which the sacraments are corrupted, weakened, falsilied, or destroyed entirely ; and in which all sui»erstitions and idola- 606 APrENDICES. tries aro the fasliion. We hold, thoroforo, tliat all tlinso who arc coiiccriKMl in such acts and coinnnmicalc with tii('in,|tart witli and n'trcncli the body o[ .Icsns Christ. Ncvcrt lich'ss, hv,. cause then' yet n-inains sunic littii! trace of tiic ciiuicli in tlu^ I'apacy, and also as the virtue and substance of liaptisni lias coidinucd in it, besides that the etlicacy of baptism does not de- fend on him who administers it ; we iicknowledy;e those wiio aro l)ai)tized there liave no need of a second liaptism. IIo\vev<'r,ou account of the corrui>ti(»ns which are tliere. one cannot present children to them without polhitini^ one's self. XXIX.— As to tlie true diurci), we believe that it should b(^ governed accordin^j to tlie polity whicli our Lord Jesn.s Christ has established ; this is tiiat there be pastors, over.setus, and deacons, to the end that pure doctrine may have its course, that vice may be punished and restrained, and that tlie ]>oor and all others al1li('ted may l)e succoured in their necessities, and tiiat assemblies may he made; in tlie name of CJod, in which Rreat and small njay be edilied, XXX.— "We believe all true pasiors, in any jdace that they may be, to have the same authoiity and equal i)ower niuler one sole chief, sole sovereijjn, and sole universal bishop, Jesus Christ; and for this cause that no church should pretend any power or lordship over anI^(I;,'<'>' iiiKl IdkciiHor tlui jxiact' of (nxt.and by this nicaiis lo iii*l iiiid rt-licvf our tuitli, nn accDiint of tlif iiitliiiiit v and nidf- iitss \vlii(!li is ill us ; and tliat they Juc so far outward sij^ns. that (iod opnalcs l»y tlicni in the power of lusSi)irit, in older that nothinj,' in them sif^nilies to ns in vain ; nevei tlieless we hohl that all their siihstance and reality is in Jesns ( liiisi , :iiid if one seiiarati! tiieiii, tliero is no more anything,' biiL shadow and smoke. XXXV.— We acknowledfje of them only two, rnmmon to all the eluireli, of which the liist, which is liaptism, is t-iven ns for a witness of onr adoption, because tiiere we are j^riil'ted into th(« t)()(ly of Christ, tliat we may be washed and cleansed by his blo(')d, and then renewed in lioliiiess of life by his Holy Spirit. "We hold also, althoiiLth we may be baptized but once, tliat the beiielit which is si^MiilitMl in it to ns is extended to life and deal h, in order that we may have a permanent siKiiatnre that .Icsiis ('lirist will bo to ns always rijihteonsness anIow,altliontili th s may be a sacrament of faith and repentance, nevertheless l»ccaiise (Jod received in his chnrcli the babes with their fiitheis, we assert that the infants begotten of belipreheiided by faith. XXXVlI.— We believe (as it has been said) that as much in the Lord's Supjjer as in IJaptism, (.Jod gives us truly and in ef- fect that which he represents there. And consecpiently we unite with the symbols the real possession and enjoyment of what is there presented to us. And thus all those who brinj^ to the holy table of (ylirist a pure faith, as a vessel receive truly that wliiiJi the symbols testify to them ; that is that the body and tli<> blood of Jesus Christ serve no less for meat and drink to tiie soul, than the bread and wine do to the body. XXX VI 1 1. —Thus we hold that water, being a decaying ele- ment, is not allowed to testify to us indeed the internal cleans- ing of our soul in ttve bloful of .lesus Christ, by the ellicacy of his Spirit, and that i)read ami wine being given to us in the i>ord's bui)per serve indeed fur spiritual uourishment, fur as mucli as 508 APPENDICES. thoy show ns as to the oyo, the flesh of Jesus Christ to "b** to iis our iiK'iit, and his blood our driidc. And we reject the fuutasties and heretics wiio ar(^ not willing to receive sucli sijjns and to- k<'ns, sinci^ our Lord Jesus pronounced, ''This is my body, and tliis cu]) is my blood." XXXIX.— We believe that God desires that the world should be ffoverned by laws and polity, tliat there may be some curl) to restrain the inordinate ai)petites of the world. And tlius, that he has establislied kinjidonis, republics, and all other kinds of ])rincipalities, wiiether liereditary or otherwise, and ail that which appertains to the state of justice, and desires to be recofr- nized Author of tliem ; for this reason lie has put the sword iu the iiand of the niaf^istrates to subdue the sins committed not oidy afJtainst the second table of the commandments of (Jod. but also ajj;ainst tiie lirst. It is necessary, tlierefore, for liis sake that not only one suffers that superior's rule, but also that one hoiuu' them and linld them in all reverence, holdiiifjc them as his lieutenants and otiicers, wliom he has appointed to exercise ji le{]fitimate and holy char:, the, 105. Ali.Tcnmilic, K., 1(W, 100, 113, lir).116. Ariniiii'inisin nnwla'Cinie rcsiiectable, '228. Ar^vlp, N. Y., 250. Antrim. 'itiH, Mi, 3,">3, 30fi. An f.xpiMlJi nt not iidvaiitageous, 274. Alibo la I'ditrp, 2.SH. AMMim, H., I'.t.j, 222, 252, 2.50, 260, 262. Ainlicrst AHso.,a coniniiltcc to Witit oil, 295. AiiiKiii, l>., 195, 222, 272, 273, 27S. AlhiinySyi ',314,315,327. Assent to hor creed reqnired, 342. Adams, Kev. J^lin K., MS, 355. Aniiover, on ,\. K. I'rimcr, founded, 364. Adams, Kev. Dr. C. U ., 380. Allen, Kev. Dr. B. U , 3S+. Adams, .lolm ('., Ks(|..39G, .397. All imaiitiiie cli:dii, the, 399. Advent, clmrcli I'f the, 402. A. K. I'res. of Boston constituted, 408, Arnold, I!ev. (i. ('., 42:i. Adh<'rent, a t;enerons one, 465. ".Xhreiist of till' times.'' 400. Astonished, a C'in;;rcj;ation, 463. A suicidal course aiiiiarentlv, 403. Halch, the Rev. Mr.. 163. Hay colony divided into parishes, 19. llaniet, 321. Itlair and liivitif^stoii, put buck, 21. Baldwin, lli.v M., 154. lilacUstoTie, \Vni., 17. Boothliav, 143, 160, 177. Bradford", town of, 133, 3'28. J'radfMrd, (iovernor, 478. iJath Kol, 228. B.iston,:;75. llostun calls Murray, 156; Asso., 254, 256. Itoston secured airainst loss, 63. Host 111 I'res, constituted, 109, 111. lioyd, Alc.\., ordained, 1'2.'), 1'20. Bigamy, a case of, 1S6. Broken state of I'les. in N. E, 269. Brown, Kev. Jonathan, '290, 313. llirlow, ,IoeI, 294. Bedford, 311, 31'2. 3,53, 367. I'.eattie. lU'v J. M., 34.5, 47.5. ISrainard, Uev. T. G., 348, 335. Bi.xhy, Hev. Mr., 377. Ihidtiiiort, Dr. llewett, Mr. Hinsdale, 384. Boston, a visit t.., 3S9, 390. Itillsiiot filed, 4ii5. lloston I'res., tlie second, 405. Boastint: excluded, 464. liurns, lU'v. .1. A., 469. iJrewster, Klder W., 479. Calvin's Institutes, 3, 1.3, 19. Chaiij^e, u, iu ^iuw York, 133. Craiphoad, Uey. Thna., 47. ('onj;renation8 twelve, 150. Church at D. College unites with Pros., 314. Channinp, Hev. W E., 316, 320, 321. Controversy rd'e, 3'20. Cornwall, Ct., 327. Church Street CImrch, 33R, .W. Centennial coinini>sionui's, 190. Chester, N. II., 91,92. Caterhisiiif;, 164. Changes rung, 154. Caldwell, .Iidin, lo4. Convention of ii.i5, 266. Clarke, iia-tical, 293. Clarke'.-, wh irf and street, 22. Congregati •nalisni cirriid to England, 19. Congri gationalism reinf .reed, 334. Cromwell, 23. Colony chattels imitpd. 25. Conirover-y. causes oi', 1H8, Mi^. Coleraitie, 119, TJo, 213, 261, '26.5, 260, 328. Congregationalism '' sufficiently divine," 19. Cotton. Hooker and Stone, arrival of, 17. Cotton, Hooker and Stone olitaincd a new ordiuMtion, 17. Cotton, Hooker and Stone invited to assist in Kngland, 20. Civil action against Preshytorians, first, 21. Cotton to Croinwidl iihout J^cotch, '24. Collier. Sir G., 176. Congp'gations, Preshyteiian, in N. E., 191. "(\)venant," first cliuich, Boston, 8. Coleman, Dr., 102, ll).'.. Courts, church, resiionsihle, '298. Calvinism, sereders tr-ni, 342. "Conventional agreement made," .342. Conventional atreenieiil, results of, 343, Cook, Kev. Joseph, 347. CruiUslianks, Kev. J., 374. Childs, Kev. Dr., 381. Change, a, came, 394. Choat-, Knfus, 396, 399, 400, 403. Criticisms given to the man, 4U1. dishing, Caleli, 403, 404. Carver, Kev. T. G., 412. Claybaugh, Uev. W. M., 4'24, 4'25, 426. Carti-r, .lames, 427. China saying to Britain, 4'27. Cathcart, George, 416. Calhoun, Kev. S. F., 465. Clapperton, I!ev. J. li., 409. Condition, peculiar, of the churches, 470. Covenanters, 473, 475. Dana oidained, 290, '292, 348, 309-372, 421. Daille. 33, 4os, 4l'9. Davenport. Ill3. Davidson, ISev. \V.. 79, 80, 246. Discipline neglected, 99, UK), '298. Dartmouth College, 163, '203, '273, 329. Del ry, siege of, 44. Duulup, li«v. £>., 132; ordained, 133. (509) 510 INDEX. PoiiKlasfl, Wm., M. D., tells us, 137. 1)('U(■0M^, tlii'ir iillU'c, l;i(). I'diriiiici', Kcv. Mr., 1-0. l)(iiiii>>lic unrsliipii \it;ility, 289. lie l.iiiifv, Kcv. It. A., :i77. l)uriii. j{..v,.). \V. ('(.I(iiiuii,;!84. " iiivisidii, nick of," ;;",)4. ]>isii|iliiii>, -tiiiidaid of, lowered, 394. 1 (1, a, :i'.»(i. Diiiiii, Kcv. J. IV, .1,-.G, 400. I'aiiii. K il., Jr., Il'.i'.t, 400. Itiii-iiiiurc, Jaiuus, 4.H. End pisodo, nil. .')0.">. ast Itostiiii, :'p.;'i, cll.s. Kcv. W. \V.,;i7-2, 373. Ka^lc U iiitr," the, iil. \Ncr, Kcv. N., U.t. Iwnrils ''oiit of ('oncoit," 13. iiSliind (irfccdcd ."Scotland, 14. lii>co|ialiaii.s ii" longer, 10. cclcsiastical tiatisitioii, 10. .\|lll.^iticlll of 8iri|itiire, 104. itOM, IJl, 1J_', Iii4. Iliot, iU'v. John, hlcssrd, '2'JO. IChii's sake" h'ss prcii.'iis, 289. iidiuaiK I' for imblic woisliij), :1J4, 325. Kxprcssivc sili'iu'c, ' ;120. Iv, i'r. Iv/.f.t Stjlo' true doclanvtion, 342. Ilcrvcscciii'c |ia.s>icd oil, ."if);). ast K, tetuii, 41'J; U. 1*., 4.:!, 4«4, 465. Partorv villafrp. :i7S. Fail Kivcr, ■lo'.t-412. "Kelt, want, a," l.'il. rreiiih ('hur.'h, :!S, 1?,2, 334. "Faith" of tlie IMIgriui!?, 11. Faith and lo^ie, UtRI. Fastiiij;, ii day of. -30. Fcclcral strci't, 207. Free-will Hapti-iis condemned, 288. Faiiidy worsliip, 3.^0. Ferrier, llcv. Thus., 340. Oovernineiit determined, 11. (iilliiore, Itev., l,')l, l,-):i, 21,'). (iiiiv, .Me., tiiial meeting at, 217. (iraitoii I'ri's., r,t2, Eastward to, 232. (ir.toii, 20.S, 2.")H. (Jrowlli, eia of, 140. (irace, the ineaiis of, enjoyed, 231. (iil)soil, Kev. Will., 344. (.ioodwillie. Key. David, 340. (iooilwillie, Kev. Th mas. 31G. (■ray'«, Mrs. Win., guests, 348. (ieoi;;e, l!ev. U. Y., 374. Gordon, Kev. 1» , 387, 417. "(■lobe," the, ofTuronto, 30,''). Oeiitleiii 111, a, sorry and sworn, 398. (Jralrun, Kev. W , 42'.i, 472. "tienesis of the United Stales," 47(8. irall, Kev. G M., 389, 423. Harvey, Ki'V. Jos,, US. Henry, Key. Iln|j;h, 131. Huguenots, 2'.l-32; creed, appendix B. lluiuptou advised, 296, 290. Houston, Rev. .T.,171, 1S,5, 133. Ilairis, Key. .Mr., at Windham, 313. Hillhoiise and expedienev, 129, 83, 85. lliiyes, Key. A. A., 31H. IIiitehiriHon, Mrs., and the sisters, 18. Ilntclii.-ioii, iSev. A., received, 154. Ilaiieoek, .loiiii, 178. Hel.ion, N Y., 201. Hnntintrton. sermon on imputation, 273. House, li.'V. Mill., 303. Haskell. Key. T. N, 375, 422. Harvey, Kev. Dr., 379, 3H0. Ilolliiook, Mass., Oongl. church, 380. Hartford, 3S I, 3H2,3«3. 424. Heron. Kev. J. M., 388, 425. Honest confession, an, 'Ml. Iliheriiian, the, and Scot, 392. lluioii, Kev. Ur. Andrew, 416, Ilolyoke, 418. HarUne-s, Kev. R., 460. Hood, Kev. J.'hn, 404. HainiiDiid. Key. K. N., 409. Houston, Kov. A. Y., 409. Independence, declaraiion of, 171. Irish I'rohyterv and others, 277. Jr/iiih,,,/, :!i;:"i. Imiiedinieni, an, 392. liiipiitatlon, 10. Iiuiciniiitieatlons, 75. liiJiieeiiients, lal^;e, 199. •Tohnston, Kev. W., 128, 1.30, 89. Joidaii hack once, 2'.l,"). J..hiistoii, Kev. .\ K., 345. Jolmston, Kiv. Jas. «i., 375. Joliiiston, licv. 11. H., 375, 421, 422. Juiikin. .Mr. A. ('., 41S. Jones, Kev. D. !'>., 419. Kinkaid, Rev. John, 130. Kno.x, .lohii. returned to Scotland, 13. Kirk, address to the, 124. King's, Dr., .Mount Zion of the eurtli, 392. Kyle, Itev. J 'shua K., 4b5. Ken, a piophul'.s, 458. LeMercier, 30. Londonderry Pres., 132. Londoiidci ry, "it, 275, 303, Lawrence, 423, 424. LoiiK Lane and J. Slurray, 1.50, 103, 158. Lon;; Lane, petition from, 254, 203. Little, .hihii, 04, 05, OH, 7;), 75, 310, 403. Lowell, 415; dance, 410-418. Little ordained, olO, 313. Lotliitip's. Kev. Dr., statement, 405. Litchfield, :tl4. Lowe, .Folm, 189. I/ech(oid, 21. " Leave t" withdraw" {jraciously given, 406. LawBon, Kev. J. K., 429. MrArtliur, Key. Jas., 340. Murray, K( v. John, 141, 150, 158, 244-248. Merrill. Kev. N,, received, 154. McUrej;or, Kev. Jumes, 70, 77. INDEX. 611 MrLfati, John, IfG. M(•lln•^'o^, Hi'V. David, 85, 134. Milt.Jii, Itcv. Mr, Vi'.io, -JKl. Jlasiin, Itiv. .1. M , iiiiissivc thoughts of, 302. IMilliKiiii, Kcv. Jaiui's, .'.41,:!45. MnnirlifM.l, Kcv. .1., ir..5; "sliy of it,"98. Mit'lciiahaii, Kcv. Win., 88, l^O. McClcaiv, ('ajit. David, 17'.>. Bhini.v, K.'v. J., 17;"., ITii, 180, 182. JDiiislns siill'cM-, 188. Milloid, CI., IH). Monisnii, .John, his liistory, 130, Jlniii-..ii, Jlcv. W., i;J2, ■.iJ.S, 348, Maii.sficld, Ct , :i-.;7. Mociii', Ui'v. SmI., o'lB. »I(ilrcKi., G7C. Magill, Kov. I)., 370. UlcLaicii. K.'v. W., ,'580, 408. McLaughlin, Kev. .J., 387,408. Memoir concoalcd, ,i'.)7. jMclliiiclitiiii, \M>r8t ever written, 407. MacMillan. Kcv. \V., 408, 417. McVc.iii, Mr. 1). P., 412 McOiiiicliv, Kcv. Mr., 413. McWilliiiiii.-i. I!cv. A., 423. McC.imicll. Kcv. W. T., 424. McCcM-d, IJi'V. M. S., 4(l.i. Jlodd.v's Talicrtiailc, 458 ; " talk," 460. McCrackcn, Hcv. C, 4li4. Jli'('imc,40fi, 407. McCov. Kcv. A. G., 40S. Mc.\.vcal, Kcv. K. A., 409. McFall, Kcv. ])., 473. ".Miiytlowur," the, 476. Newhuryport, 157, 292, 367, 30.9. N.« liiirypoit, two churclios after 1795, 293; ddiar, 351. N. K. A. K. Pies. t(. he visited, 299-301. New Market I're.s. at .hily 4tli, 1770, 158,297. New n.wt.m, K. P. lirudiurd, 313. Necessity, a, 18. Oeeuni, Kev. Samiisoii, 221. Old version, "gnarled vigor," 401. Oliver, l!ev. A., 312, 313. "Orlhud.ix " in 1787,205. Ordination, new, eiiiluriiig, 18. Oltcrs(.n, Kev. .James, 408. OstnieisuU PruHbytudiina, 6. I'reshytery. first respeetahlo, 131, 58, 128. I'res. HO goiid liy eoniproniisu, 129, 130. I'ierec, Kev. Tlln.-i., 131. I'ans'ies, ii). l>r(^-4, 321, 324. i Ki..s,s. Kev. J., 370. Kecords, business, into New Jerusalem, 398. Kecoids, business, disinterred in Arlington stieet church, 399. Repairs, !f4,7(io, 402. IJoliinson, l!ev. .las., 412. Keckic'.s ►tatciiK^nt, 415. Kobb, ,I(din P., ordained, 41.5, 4G5. j Kefornicd Presbyterians, 428. I Kcccninicndatlons', 402. " Uopository, Kviiiigelical," says, 470. I Snicid:il, a. cotirse of jastor, 403. .*^ernioiis, reading, 300. Sabine, Kev. .laiucs, ;i30, .338, 339. .Sileni, third church, 100, 102; Pres'., :iOT, 210. Scarborii, 131, ,sti. "Si'ccdcrs." i:;8. Seal.n.(ik. l.M, 100; letter to, 237. Stark.s, 172. .Sil.'in, N. Y., 2,-|0, 2,-.7. Scotch biimlnien, 22, 24. '•Scots' Charilalile S cictT," 25. Scots' recjuesl in ^uw■ York refused, 134. 512 IKDEX. Scotch-Irish, 4143, 4G, 47, 49, 56. Syn.id, 14-l.s. Synod, its " dccrooa," 18. 8yncid, wild coiiHtimted it, 13. tliiiidiirds siilisnilMMl, lis. Star Ch:indi('i- (llssidvctl I'l-f-^liytorios, ^^>. Scotland, ('liiirfh of, ii gciicriil i)laii, I3,i. Scotland, Cliuirh of, Hooli of DisciiiliiiP, 136. intone and Hooker, 81. Slavery, 1S4. Sabliatli, Aniprican, 190. Svlvi'Stcr, 'm. Synod, A. K., 257, 270, 297, 307, 319. JSessions, the safety of church, 293. Sects in Kliode Island and Maine, 29*. Second Church, Neubnryport, 309. Society, Federal street, 317, 320. Swedenliorgiiuis. 335. Sloan, llev. Win, 345. Shields, .Mr. R , 345. Stanifoid, Corning, B., B., TIalaey, 383. Scotch i)raechiiig wanted, 3S9. Servant-i at times allured, 391. Session, records of a decomposed, 397. Sworn otliciiil, a, 404. Shnrtlell'. Mayor, patches up a stone, 409. Skinner, Uev! Dr., 413. Saunder.son, Uev. Jus., 413. S'Ulh Boston, 42.5. Smith, Kev. 1'. Y., 428, 405. Seed 8'iwn, results correspond, 459. Selections, subversive, 4tjt). Service, Kt-v. J., 409. Stewart, liev. A. S., 470. Temples, Parker's and Taine's, 463. 'i'hoocraey. a, established. 7. Triidty, tlie diictrine of, diopped, 288. Thompson, liev. Tlios., 7S. 'J'hompson, Kev. .1., his overture in 1728, 135. Tlu)mpson, Kev. J. L.. 4i'i(). Taggai t, S., applies, 105, 106, 311, 328. Taiilfsville, 3M. Towns, Presbyterian, 201. 'i'houipsoaville, 37«, 3K0. Town meetings vote out the Psalms, 272. Truro, Nova Scotia, 109. Toombs, 313. Town meet'gs in L. opened with prayer, 348. Timlow, Rev. H. R., 374-. Thompson, Kev. R. (1., 3S1. TUompsouville, A. K. church in, 385-388. T., Mrs., 391 ; her liiishand, 392. Truth nnt safe on earlh, 399. Thomas, Rev. A., 414. Taunton, 41S. Thompson, Rev. .S. V., 424. Taylor, Klder Jcdin, 425. Theory of Congregationalism, 8. Turnbull, Rev. J. 11., 406. Universal salvation, 229. Unitarianism, 3:iii, 331. I'rsulini' imus, 334, 335. L'r.iuluirt, Rev. John, 102, 165, 214. Vermont, 321 ; Pres. constituted, 346, 469. Vuluiitown, Ct.,b2, 126; and Mr. Burrauce, 127. Visitations, i)a-toral, 104. Vow of meuibeis of \Vr. Assembly, 20. A'ast events, 21. ■\isitatioii a I'resbyterial one, 234. Vamped, "'the imitations," 295. Version, Bay .-^late. 309,316. Voted. (.2 lo" 11. to sell our land, 402. Veisions, new, 4t)7. AVallace, Rev. A. G., 428. Wallace, I!ev. 1). A., 408, 420. Watts' "imitations" since 1741, 1.54, 201. Wandsworth, fust Pres. in Kngland at, 14. Walker, Kev. /aeli., 77. Wesindnster Conli'ssion adopted, 136. Wheehr, San I, Mit. I.-.7. Whitaker, Salem admitted, 154,102, 212, 286. Willis fpiotid, 02. Williams and Skelton afraid, 18. Wooobridge first born of llarvaid, 19. Worcester, 52, 54, 01, i"J. I Windham, Lin, 131, 3.53, 367. ! Williams, S., called, 131 ; withdraws, 196. I Waxhaw, S. C, 179. j Waldi-nses, 13. ! West-running brook, 51, 364. ' Whiteheld, 90, 97. ; Wheel,. ek, a letter to, 222. White (reek, N. Y., 223. Wiishingion, Pres. at Kasfd address, 240. \\ ilsoM, .Mrs. Agnes, 204, 3.50. West Derry. ''a felt want," 294. ; Wilsons, Kev. S. M. and R. Z., 343. Wilkin.sonville, 42t'). I \\illianison, Kev. James, 426. i What Clod Luuurs, 403, 4o4. While we regret to omit part of Appendix C, and all of D and E, we find they are too long for insertion, and would not proba- bly be of deep interest to the common reader. 92. ,8. 5, 214. tp(l, 34fi, 469. Mr. Diirraiice, mbly, 20. 234. )5. ad, 402. '41, 154, 201. ngland at, 14. )ted, 136. 4,162,212,286. ,18. viiid, 19. hdraws, 196. address, 240. 104. ;., 343. 11 of D and iiot proba-