P8A2L1 Adams Historical Discourse Delivered at the Celebration of the Two-Kimdreth Amiiversarj-' of the Forn^tion of the North Chxvrch THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES Ex Libria ■rt. '. /<^ . / 1 1^ ^ i I c^ ^ I. An Historical Discourse DELIVERED AT THE CELEBRATION OF THE TWO-HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OP THE FORMATION OF THE NORTH CHURCH, <^sLMt^^' PORTSMOUTH, N.H., P ^.AT . ..7/. / M. ADAMS, PASTOR OF THE CHL'RCH. ^.2k.m^. REV. GEORGE f'UBLlSHED FOR THE CHURCH. , '' CJm^^ ^ /.^ f^^^^j^jW^j^yW.' -^ ' PORTSMOUTH : FRANK W. ROBINSON. 1871. ^-63 S OLD NORTH MHFTIKCHOI'SB. RHECT. 1713; REMOD. l8'(7 ; TAKK\ DOWN' 1S54. An Historical Discourse DELIVERED AT THE CELEBRATION OF THE TWO-HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KOKMAl ION OF THE NORTH CHURCH. PORTSMOUTH, NH., JULY 19, 1S71, By rev. GEORGE M. ADAMS, PASTOR Oh' THE CHURCH. PUBLISHED FOR THE CHURCH. PORTSMOUTH : FRANK W. ROBINSON. 1871. MEMORIAL SERVICES. THE North Church in Portsmouth, N.H., celebrated the second centennial anniversary of its formation on the nineteenth and twentieth days of July, 1871. A Committee of Arrangements from the church and parish was appointed some weeks previously, to whom was given the entire charge of the celebration, and by whom were appointed sub-committees on Invitations, on Hospitality, on Music, and on Decorations. Invitations were sent to the former pastors who were living, and to former members and their families, so far as they could be ascertained, to be present ; also to many churches and clergymen in this city and other places. There were present of the former pastors of the church, Rev. Henry D. Moore of Cincinnati, O. ; Rev. Lyman Whiting, D.D., of Janesville, Wis., and Rev. William L. Gage of Hartford, Conn. ; and a large number of former members and friends of the church, and clergymen from abroad. -4 r^/-»/~»MMf-'j.,-w 6 Memorial .Services. The Meeting-house was elaborately and beautifully deco- rated with evergreen and flowers ; festoons and wreaths were suspended from the ceiling and the galleries, the organ, and the ends of the auditory ; and in the recess back of the pulpit was an emblematic device, with the name of the church, the date of its organization, and the names of the pastors. The singing was by a volunteer choir of about forty singers, conducted by the ut in a few- years tlic house was crowded again. In 1669, there was granted to " Mr. ffryer " the towne's right of twentie foote square of land between the path and Mr. Coming's fieence neere the meeting-house to sett up a house and keep wood in for to accommodate himself and family in winter time when he comes to meeting." This record gives a suggestion of certain peculiar structures near the meeting-house, which were common in New England one or two centuries ago. There was no fire in the meet- ing-house ; and, in severe winter weather, those who came from a distance needed some refuge in the intermission be- tween the services. Some, of course, went to neighboring " This building had passed througli repeated changes. First it was de- scribed .IS a " parson.ige house with chapel attached," when the number of inhabitants required but narrow accommodations for public worship. Then later, all of It appears to have been used for a chapel, or meeting-house, as the colony increased ; .ind at length, when the meetinghouse at the .South Mill- dam w.as built, this was changed again into a dwelling-house for the pastor. '" Sept. 25, 1662. At a town-meeting, " ordered that a cage be made to punish such as sleepe or take tobacco on the Lord's Day out of the meeting, in time of publiqiie e.tercise." '■ I'robablv Nathaniel Krvcr of Newcastle. Historical Disconrsc. 29 houses of their friends. Others built for themselves what were called " Sabba-day Houses," or " Noon Plouses." Sometimes four or more persons imited in building one with four rooms, each ten or twelve feet square, and contain- ing a fire-place. On sabbath morning, the family came early, built a fire, and warmed themselves before the morn- ing service. At noon they returned to their little room, with invited friends, to eat their luncheon with cider from the cellar, to discuss the morning sermon, to read the Bible or some other religious book, and perhaps to unite in prayer. At the close of the services of the afternoon, if the weather was severely cold, they returned to the noon-house to warm themselves before going home. The fire was then extin- guished, the saddle-bags gathered up, and the house locked up till the next sabbath.'" It was not till Mr. Moodey had preached here twelve years, and had gathered a congregation which could hardly find room in the meeting-house, that steps were taken to- wards the formation of a church. The oft-quoted " account of the gathering ye Church of Christ in Portsmouth," which may still be read in Mr. Moodey's clear hand in the first volume of the records of this church, is too important to be omitted or condensed here. It is a model of simple Christian narrative. "Portsmouth, N.E. Anno 1671. " After many serious endeavors wch. had been used by ye then minister of ye place (since ye pastor of ye churcli tliere) in pub- "* These details are condensed from an Historical Discourse by Rev. George H. Morss of Townsend, Mass. One of tliese relics of the olden time is still standing at Townsend, occupied as a dwelling-house. 30 Historical Discourse. liq. and by several! of ye Inhabitants in Private ; ye Lord (without whose p.sence and Blessing man builds but in vaine) was pleased at length to lay ye Foundation of an House for himself in this place, " Of ye Beginning and progress whereof here followes a briefe but true Account. "In ye \Vinter Time of ye foregoing yeare (viz. 1670) there were severall meetings together of ye minister with sev'll. of ye Inhabitants (who were Members of other Congregations in ye Country and by providence settled Inhabitants in Portsmo.) to discourse and confer about yt. greate worke & Necessary Duty of entering into Church Fellowship, yt. themselves might enjoy all ye ordinances of ye Lord's House, & theyr little ones also might bee laid neer God's Altars & brought up under ye Instruction and Discipline of his House. Nor could they yt. were members of other churches any longer satisfy themselves to live without ye enjoyment of those edifying & strengthening ordinances yt. theyr soules had in some measure formerly tasted ye good of, tho. now for some yeares been kept from ; Others also, well affected to ye worke, professed theyr longings after those fatt and marrowed things in God's house, & theyr readiness to joyne with ym. in helping to build, if they should be found fitt for ye same. " Hereupon sev'll. assembled in Private & sought ye Lord by fiisting and prayer yt. hee would discover to us a right way (there being many feares & discouragements before us) for ourselves & little ones (Ezra 8:21, 22, 23), & wee hope wee may say hee was entreated of us, as ye Event hath in some measure (blessed bee his name) made manifest. " It was agreed yt. those wch. were in Full Communion with other Congreg'ns. already, should acquaint ye respective churches to wch. they did belong with ye motion on foot, & desire theyr Advice, approbation, countenance & prayers therein, wch. was Historical Discourse. 31 accordingly clone. There was a meeting appointed in a private House, wherein all that had given in theyr names for ye worke were to assemble, & to rend'r. each to other a reason of ye hope yt. was in them, by giving account of theyr Knowledge & Experi- ence, yt. so they might bee satisfied one in another, & bee capable of joyning together as members of ye same bodj-. Several! dales were spent in this exercise, to ye mutuall refreshing & endearing of ye speakers, & to ye awakening & warning of others of ye Neighbors that were (as any had liberty to bee) present at those exercises. " In Fine, there was another meeting, to enquire whether all that had made Relations were so satisfied one in another as to theyr Relations & Conversations, as that they could with Free- dome of Spirit joyne in a body together, & unite in ye same So- ciet)', according to )e Rules of Christ. What ground of scruple lay upon ye spirits of any with reference to one or other of the fore-mentioned Company, was lovingly and plainly propounded, & Satisfaction was Ingenuously tendered on ye one Party & ac- cepted by ye other. " Furthermore, wee did discourse of & discov'r. our Apprehen- sions & perswasions concerning ye Order & Discipline of ye House of God, & there was a unanimous Consent unto what had been publiq.ly dd. in many Sermons in ye latter end of )'e yeare, 1670 & ye Beginning of ye yeare 167 1 from Ezek. 43 : 10, 11, 12, about ye Lawes, ordinances & Formes of ye House, with ye goings out thereof & ye comings in thereof. Of such high concernment did & doe we account it to bee for ye Peace & Edification of ye whole, yt. both Pastor & People should in those matters (at least for ye substance, & as neer as may bee in mere Circumstantialls also) speake ye same things. Hereupon there were some ap- pointed to acquaint ye Civill Authority (according to ye law of ye Country) with what was thought on among us, yt. by the good likeing & Incouragem't. of ve same wee might make an orderly 32 Historical Discotirsc. & comfortable procedure in ye worke before us, which being (ion " Severall churches were sent to and intrcatcd to send theyr Elders & Messengers upon ye wch. \vs. ap- pointed for ye Gathering of ye Church & Ordination of officers therein. The church of Cambridge was sent to, because ye Pas- tor did belong to that church, they brought Jiis Dismission. Also ye church of Ipswich, Rowley, & Hampton. " They met accordingly, & Gov'r Leveret came also. He yt. was Appointed for Pastor preacht. in ye morning out of Ezek. 48 : ult. After sermon some Intermission ws. made, & on theyr meet- ing again, the Pastor with all those who were to be the Beginners of the church, made theyr Relations, & those who were Members of other churches had theyr dismissions (& all made theyr Rela- tions whether members or non-members) & they wr. approved of by ye Messengers of churches, & Imbodied into a church by an e.xplicite covenant. Then ye Pastor was ordained after ye unani- mous vote of ye church for ye choice of him, & liberty given to all ye Congreg'n. to object if they had ought to say. He was ordained by severall of ye Elders (at ye desire of ye church) Mr. Cobbet giving him his charge, & Mr. Wheelwright the right hand of ffcllowship. "Then ye Pastor ordained Sam. Haines Deacon, with imposi- tion of Hands & pray'r. A Psalm was sung, & ye Congregation dismissed by ye Pastor with a prayer and Blessing. " The names of them yt. first imbodied. Joshua Moodey. Cn. Elias Stileman. Cn. James Pendleton. Mr. )no. CutL Mr. R. Marty n. Mr. J no. ffletcher. Mr. R. Cutt. Sam. Haines. lolin Tucker. Historical Discourse. 33 " The Cluirch-Covenant that those who first imbodicd did on yt. Day publiq.'ly & solemnly enter into. — 167 1 " Wee doo this Day solemnly &: publiq.'ly in ye presence of God & his people avouch the one only living cSc true God, ffather, Son & Spirit, to bee our God, &: his Word or revealed Will to be our Rule, & doo with ourselves give up our Children to be the Lord's. We doo also professedly & heartily subject ourselves to Jesus X' as ye Head of his church, & doo covenant & promise yt. we will submit ourselves to ye Government of XJ in this par- ticular church according to ye lawes of his House, that we will watch over our Brethren & be watcht over by ym. according to Rule, & yt. we will in althings so demean ourselves towards our Pastor & fellow-members as also tow'ds. all others as becomes ye Gospell, yt. ye Lord may dwell among us & blesse us, & we may be a peculiar people to his service & glory. And all this we promise by ye Help of Jesus Christ, & in his Name, looking up to him for his Assistance, as being of ourselves capable of doing nothing. " Subscribed by ye above mentioned Persons." In Mr. Moodey's account, which I have read, there is a blank for the date. At the time of writing, which may have been some years after 1671, he apparently did not remember the date, and purposed to insert it at his convenience. The tirne never came ; and we have no original evidence on what month and day the church was formed. But there is no doubt the month was July ; and it is well-nigh certain the day was either the eleventh or the twelvth (old style). Add- ing ten days to bring the date into conformity with the present style, we have either the twenty-first or the twenty- second of July as our exact anniversary-day. Next I'~riday 5 34 Historical Discourse. or Saturday completes two hundred years since the larger part of the six hundred inhabitants of Portsmouth were gathered, forenoon and afternoon, in the old meeting-house at the South Milldam, to hear nine men of their neighbors tell their Christian experience, and bind themselves to one another and to God in solemn covenant, and to witness the ordination over the infant church of its first pastor and deacon. We are anticipating, on this occasion, the exact anniversary, by one or two days, for reasons of con- venience. Those nine men who formed this church were almost all men of mark in the colony. J ohn and Ricii.\kd Cutt were brothers (like Mr. Moodey, natives of Wales), the sons o f Richard Cutt , a member of Cromwell's Parliament in 1654. They were both opulent merchants, Richard being the wealthiest man in New Hampshire. J ohn Cutt was, in 1679, appointed by royal commission. President of the Pro- vince. He left by his will one hundred pounds to the town of Portsmouth for the purpose of erecting a free school. Capt. Eli.vs Stilkm.\.\ came from Salem, and settled on Great Island in 1658, or earlier. When this church was formed, he brought a letter from the church in Salem, which was granted June 25, 1671. He was, at different times. Secretary of the Province, Member of the Council, Com- mander of the Fort at Great Island, and Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. Mr. RicH.\Rn M.\rtvn was Treasurer of the Province, Councillor, Speaker of the Assembly, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Samuel Haines, first deacon of the church, came to. New-England in the ship "Angel Gabriel," which sailed Historical Discourse. 35 from I?rist()l, England, in 1635, and was wrecked at Pemaquid (now Bristol), Maine, in the great hurricane of Aug. 15, in that year. He settled in Greenland, then a part of Portsmouth, in 1650. His farm was on Great Bay, and is now in the possession of Nathaniel Chapman. Deacon Haines was one of the selectmen of Portsmouth for many years." Capt. James Pendleton removed to Stonington, Conn., a few years after the formation of this church, and served in the war against King Philip in 1676. • Mr. John Fletcher was a physician. He was after- wards a deacon of the church, and died Sept. 5, 1695. John Tucker was a man of considerable property, and joined with the great body of the inhabitants in asking the Massachusetts authorities to assume the government and protection of this province in 1689. Mr. Moodey's salary was fi.xed at this time at one hun- dred pounds, besides house-rent and the contributions of strangers.^" Seven years later, the one hundred seems to have risen to one hundred and forty pounds.'-' In 1674, Mr. Moodey was heavily afflicted by the death of 1' Andrew M. Haines of Galena, 111., a descendant of the deacon in the seventh generation, has thoroughly investigated the history of his ancestor, both in this country and in England. -' In 1693, the town agreed to pay Mr. M. twelve pounds yearly, in lieu of the contributions of strangers. ^1 Voted, Town-meeting, March 12, 1671-72, "that if any shall smoake to- bacco in the meetinghouse at any public meeting shall pay a fine of five shil- lings for the use of this town." March 12, 1671-72 (same meeting) " Nehemiah Partridge and five or si.\ more people have free liberty to build a payre of stayres up to the westward beame within the meetinghouse and a pew upon the beame, &c " 36 Historical Discourse. his wife, Martlia Moodey. A provision in Mr. Moodcy's will, at a later date, indicates the place of her burial, — " If I die in Portsmouth," the will runs, " my body shall be laid in the burying-place there, under the great stone by the side of the oak, where I buried my first wife and the deceased children I had by her." This was probably in the burial- place at llic I'ciint (if Graves. Three- children of Mr. Moodey are known to have lived to adult years, — Martha, who married, about 1680, Rev. Jonathan Russell of Harnstablc, Mass.; Sarah, who married, May 5, 168 1, Rev. John I'ike of Dover. N. H. ; and Samuel, who was graduateil at Harvard College in 1689, i:)reached for a time at Newcastle and at the Shoals, was afterwards a military commander in the Indian wars in Maine, and was known as Major Moodey. All these were no doubt the children of Martha Moodey. Mr. Moodey afterwards married Widow Ann Jacobs of Ipswich, wlio survivctl him. Rev. Samuel Moodey of York, who was widely known, and noted for his eccentricity, was a nephew of Joshua Moodey. When Mr. Moodey came to Portsmouth in 1658, the towns within the territory of New Hampshire were united with Massachusetts, and governed by her laws, in accordance with a compact made some years previously. But, in 1679, King Charles II. of England erected New Hamjishire into a separate government ; and, in 1682, Edward Cranfield came out with commission as Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-chief of the Province. Cranfield had left a profitable oflRce in England, apparently in the ho])e to make his fortune in this new country. He was a man of an arbi- trary temper, and he soon came in conflict with the sturdy -'- T II. Miller spe.iks also of .-i daughtci Hannah. Historical Discourse. 37 spirit of independence which had been growing in the col- ony through years of self-government. Baffled in many of his purposes, and suspecting Mr. Moodey to be one of the chief obstacles in his way, he determined to crush him. In connection with a trial for some infringement of the revenue laws, a member of the church '-' was accused of perjury. He was called to account by Cranfield, but found means to settle the matter with the governor : so that the affair was hushed up. This did not satisfy Mr. Moodey. The governor commanded him not to pursue the matter farther. But Mr. Moodey called the offender to account before the church, and at length led him to an open and humble confession of his sin. This enraged the governor.'''' A few months after this (Dec. 10, 1683), Cranfield passed an order in council, that, after the first day of Janu- ary following, all the ministers in the province should admit all persons of suitable years, and not vicious and scandalous in their lives, to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and their children to baptism ; and that, if any persons should desire to receive either sacrament accord- ing to the liturgy of the Church of England, it should be done accordingly, in pursuance of the laws of the realm of England.-'' The governor also, a few weeks later, sent word to Mr. Moodey, that he himself, with four others (three of whom -^ The name is given in Adams's Annals of Portsmouth as George Jan- vrin. That is not the true name. -* The result of Mr. Moodey's faithful discipline was eminently satisfactory. The oflfender became afterwards one of the most active and useful members of the church. -'> See copy of the order in Belknap's New Hampshire, vol. i. appendix. 38 Historical Discourse. were Messrs. Mason, Hinckes, and .Chamberlain of the Council), intended to receive the sacrament at his hands the next Lord's Day, and requiring him to be prepared to administer it according to the rites of the Church of England. Mr. Moodey refused. In a letter written at the time, he says, " I told the marshal I durst not, could not, should not, do it." The governor had him summoned before the Court of Quarter* Sessions at Great Island, where he was convicted of the crime of adminis- tering the sacraments contrary to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England, and was sentenced to imprison- ment for six months without bail. The court consisted of six justices. Eour only could be induced to sign the warrant for Mr. Moodey's imprisonment. The two who refused were soon dismissed by Cranfield from all public offices. Mr. Moodey, at a later period, finds evidence of a providential retribution following his unjust judges. He says of the four who condemned him : " Not long after, H. Green repented, and made his acknowledgement to the pastor, who frankly forgave him. Roby was excommuni- cated out of Hampton Church for a common drunkard, and died excommunicate, and was by his friends thrown into an hole near his house, for fear of an arrest of his carcass. Barefoot fell into a languishing distemper, whereof he died. Coffin was taken by the Indians, and his house and mills burnt, himself not slain but dismist. The Lord grant him repentance, though no signs of it have appeared. (Psal. 9, 16)." Mr. Moodey was committed to the sheriff, and confined in the house of Capt. Stilcman at Great Island. A letter from Wm. Vaughan, Esq., who was also unjustly imprisoned at this time, though on a different pretext, and Historical Discourse. 39 who was confined with Mr. Moodcy, gives a picture of the anxious condition of the church and community under Cranfield's reckless measures. " But, above all," he says, " our minister lies in prison, and a famine of the Word of God is coming upon us. No public worship, no preaching of the word : what ignorance, profaneness, and misery must ensue ! " And under a later date, " The sabbath is come, but no preaching at the Bank, nor any allowed to come to us. Motions have been made that Mr. Moodey may go up and preach on the Lord's day, tho. he come down to the prison at night ; or that neighbor ministers might be per- mitted to come and preach ; or that the people might come down to the prison and hear, as many as could. But nothing will do." " If they go on thus we are utterly ruined. I question whether any age can parallel such actions." " I am credibly informed, and you may believe it, that the Governor did in the open council yesterday, say and swear dreadfully that he would put the province into the greatest confusion and distraction he could possibly, and then go away and leave them so ; and then the devil take them all. He also then said that Mr. Mason said he would drive them into a second rebellion, but himself would do it before, and I wonder he has not ; such actings are the ready way, but God hath kept us hitherto, and I hope will do so still." '^'^ There are also three letters preserved which were written by Mr. Moodey during his confine- ment. They breathe a resolute but Christian spirit. One dated " 12, 12, 1683," i.e., Feb. 12, 1684, is addressed to Thomas Hinckley , Governor of New Plymouth, in reply to one Mr. Moodey had received from him before his iniprison- ••"i N. II. lliit. Coll., viii. 1S2, ff. 40 Historical Discourse. mcnt. After recounting the facts that have already been mentioned, he says, " I told the court that I should go to prison with much more peace than they sent mc thither ; and particularly applied myself to Roby a church-member, and told him that I had done nothing but what he was by solemn covenant engaged to maintain, and wished him to provide against the day when these things should be over- hauled. . . . But, blessed be God for Jesus Christ, I am quiet and at peace. Tho. I have many things that are matter of repentance and shame to me, yet in this matter I am abundantly satisfied in my lot, and hope shall be a gainer, and that the cause of Christ will gain by my suffer- ings. Only, methinks, I find it a hard matter to suffer in a right manner. Something of stoutness of spirit, some other sinister ends, are apt to creep in, and spoil suffering work. The Lord grant that I may have grace so to carry it as not to lose aught that I have done, and do now suffer ! I beg your hearty prayers for mc, that with integrity and sinceri- ty I may cheerfully and patiently bear my cross till the Lord shall give me a discharge." ■' In another letter, addressed to Rev. Samuel Phillips of Rowley, and dated, " From the prison, 27th. ist. mo. 1684," i.e., March 27, 1684, he urges Mr. Phillips to come to Ports- mouth, and preach to the people for one or two sabbaths at least. Cranfield being absent in New York, Mr. Moodey has obtained from Mr. Mason, who presides in the gover- nor's absence, the permission to make such an arrangement. " Oh, consider," he writes, " that my poor flock have fasted about forty days, and must now be an hungered ! Have pity upon them, have pity upon them, O thou, my friend ! ■" Hinckley I'apers, IV. Mass. II. C, v. 116-121. Historical Discourse. 41 And when you have taken your turn, we shall hope for some other. You will thereby not only visit me in prison, but feed a great multitude of the hungry and thirsty little ones of Christ, which will be accounted for at that day. . . . Pray come early enough in the week to give notice to the people. I do also, in behalf of my dear and tender wife, thank you for yours to her. Now, pray for me, that I may have an humble heart, and that my whole soul, body, and spirit may be sanctified, and kept blameless to that day ! " * Mr. Phillips came and preached for Mr. Moodey two sab- baths, the 13th and 20th of April. After lying in prison thirteen weeks, in May, 1684, Mr. Moodey was released, with an injunction to preach no more within the province on penalty of further imprisonment. He accepted an invitation to preach for the First Church in Boston, as temporary colleague with their pastor, Rev. John Allen, and remained there eight years. A few months after his removal to Boston, Rev. John Rogers, President of Harvard College, died, and Mr. Moodey was elected his successor, but declined the position. In the latter part of Mr. Moodey's ministry at Boston, the Witchcraft delusion was raging at Salem. The part which Mr. Moodey took with reference to it is eminently honorable to his judgment and to his Christian intrepidity. Philip English and his wife were among the persons accused at Salem, but were confined at the jail in Boston, on ac- count of the crowded condition of the Salem prison. " In Boston, upon giving bail, they had the liberty of the town, -* Biographical Sketches of the Moody Family, 29, 30. See also a letter from Mr. Moodey in prison to Rev. Increase Mather, in Mather Papers, IV. Mass. Hist. Coll., vol. viii. 6 42 Historical Discourse. only lodging in prison. On the day before they were to return to Salem for trial, Mr. Moodey waited upon them in the prison, and invited them to the public worship. On the occasion he chose for the text, the words. ' If they per- secute you in one city, flee into another.' In the discourse, with a manly freedom, he justified every attempt to escape from the forms of justice, when justice was violated in them." After service, he visited the prisoners in the jail, and frankly told them that they ought by all means to flee. After much persuasion, he induced them to yield to his plans. With the concurrence of the governor, he had pro- vided for their escape from the prison at midnight, and their conveyance out of the colony. They went to New York with recommendations to Gov. Fletcher, and remained there till the next year. " In all this business, Mr. Moodey openly justified Mr. English, and in defiance of all the pre- judices which prevailed, expressed his abhorrence of the measures which had obliged a useful citizen to flee from the executioners. Mr. Moodey was commended by all dis- cerning men ; but he felt the angry resentment of the deluded multitude of his own times, among whom some of high rank were included." -" Mr. Moodey writes, in the records of this church, that, during his residence in Boston, " The church were often visited by the pastor, and kept up theyr private meetings, and so held together ; tho. some removed, and others were taken away by death." Rev. Gilbert Laurie came from Boston, -■' From an account by Mr. Bcntley of Saiem, drawn up early in the pres- ent century from communications by Madam Susanna Ilarthornc, great-grand- daughter of Mr. English. Eliot's Biograph. Diet, p. 328. Mr. English fled from Boston about the 1st of June, 1692. Historical Discourse. 43 and preached here six months or more, commencing Nov. I, 16S6. Rev. John Cotton, who was afterwards settled at Hampton, a grandson of the distinguished John Cot- ton of Boston, preached here three months or more in the winter or spring of 1692. It is pleasant to read in letters of Mr. Moodcy, during his ministry in Boston, indications of his tender interest in his own church and people. In October, 1688, he writes to Rev. Increase Mather, who was then in London, " If you can, in all your opportunities of waiting on his Maj'-'', find a season to thrust in a happy word for poor N. Hampshire, who are under lamentable circumstances. Mason is dead, but his sons survive and possibly may be worse than hee . You know how the poor people have been unreasonably harassed, and to rai se one family on the ruins of half a do zen considerable Townes look. s hard . Tis my affection to my people that has drawn this hint fro. mee. I leave it to your consideration, and pray for God's presence to bee with you." And three months later (Jan. 8, 1689), he adds a postscript to a letter, to say, " If something could be done for the poor Province of N. Hampshire and Mein, it would be a good work." ■"'• Gov. Cranfield had been obliged to leave New Hamp- shire, almost as a fugitive, in May, 1685, the year after he had driven Mr. Moodey to Boston. It is not easy to un- derstand why Mr. Moodey did not then return to Ports- mouth. The question was many times discussed between him and the people here. He writes to Mr. Mather in July, 1688, " I need exceedingly your advice about going to Portsmouth, which is vehemently urged by my church and ■■" IV. Mass. Hist. CciU., viii. 357, ft". 44 Historical Discourse. people, and the next week we are to take counsell about it. The church is dear to mee, and I could bee glad to be with them, but the circumstances of my removing hence and being there are tremendous to mee. Pray for mee daily." The difficulties, whatever they may have been, were at length surmounted; and, in June or July, 1692,"' Mr. Moodey left the church in Boston, and returned and la- bored here five years, until his death. In 1697, he went to Boston for medical advice, and died there on Sunday, July 4, 1697, in the sixty-fifth year of his age. Mis body was laid in the tomb of the worshipful John Hull, in the Granary Burying-ground. Rev. Dr. Cotton Mather preached a sermon upon his decea.se, from these words, — " Looking steadfastly on him, they saw his face, as it had been the face of an angel." He says, "The church of Portsmouth (a part of the country that very much owed its life unto him) crys out of a deadly wound in his death. Ilis labors in the gospel were frequent and fervent. And unto his cares to edifie his flock by sermons, he added more than ordinary cares to do it by visits ; no man per- haps being a kinder visitant. He was not only ready to do good, but also to sufter for doing it. . . . When the last summons of death came to be served upon him. he had neither time nor strength to speak very much. Unto a minister who visited him the day before his expiration, he signified that he was ' rejoicing in the hope of the glory of " In 1692, the number of families in this parish was two hundred and thirty-one, viz., at Strawberry Bank, one hundred .ind twenty ; at Greenland, sixty-eight ; at Great Island, forty-three. (Dr. Stiles in North Church Rec- ords.) In this enumeration. Strawberry Bank probably included a part of Newington ; and Greenland included all south of Sagamore Creek. Historical Discourse. 45 God ; ' that he was ' longing to go to the precious Christ, whom he had chose and served ; that the spirit of Christ had comfortably taken away from him the fear of death.' " One hundred and sixty persons united with this church during Mr. Moodey's ministry. The record of those whom he baptized is given only for the last four and a quarter years of his life. The number during that time was one hundred and ten. The last baptism by Mr. Moodey, as re- corded in the church-book, is that of " William Peperill," under date of May g, 1697. This child was afterwards the distinguished merchant of Kittery, who was created baro- net in consequence of his success in leading the expedition of 1745 against Louisburg. His father was one of the first settlers at the Isle of Shoals (about 1676). It is said that he, with a Mr. Gibbons, carried on fisheries there for a few years, when they "found it too limited for their views, and concluded to remove to some part of the main. To ilctermine them whither they should go, they each set up a stick, and let it fall as Providence should direct." Mr. Pep- perell's fell towards the north-west, and he took that direc- tion, and settled at Kittery Point : Mr. Gibbons's stick fell toward the north-east ; and he accordingly, so runs the tra- dition, found a home near the Penobscot River.*- Mr. Pep- perell, the father, joined this church, Nov. 5, 1696. Nearly two years after Mr. Moodey's death. May 3, 1699, N.\TH.\NiEL Rogers was ordained .second pastor of this church : '•' " the good Mr. Rogers," he is called in some of *- I. Mass. Hist. Coll., vii. 242. •'" The church numbered seventy-nine niembeis at the time of Mr. Rogers's ordination, — twenty males, fifty-nine females. Mr. Rogers preached at Salem vill.age from February to .September, 1697, and received a call to settle there, but declined. — Idt's Amuih of Saltm, 328. 46 Historical Discourse. the records of that clay. He was the youngest son of Rev. Jolin R()<;ers, President of Harvard College, was born at Ipswich, Feb. 22, 1669-70, and was graduated at Harvard, in 1687. His wife was Sarah Purkiss, a niece of Rev. Ebenezer Pembcrton of Boston. Mrs. Rogers's mother, after tlic death of her second husband, whose name was Elatson, came to live with Mrs. Rogers. In October, 1704, the an- cient parsonage took fire in the night, and was burned to the ground. Mrs. Elatson was so much injurctl that she survived only a few weeks. An infant child of Mr. Ro- gers's, and a negro woman, perished in the flames. This house was no doubt the old first chapel, which had been refitted for a parsonage when the meeting-house at the South Milldam was built. The ne.\t year, the town voted Mr. Rogers one hundred and fifty pounds to assist in build- ing a house upon his own land. In 1707 (.April 21), "at a church meeting legally con- vened, it was voted, that [any] person having a competent knowledge and making a serious pro. of ye Xian Religion, and being of a conversation void of scandal, upon yr own- ing ye covenant and subjecting themselves to ye govern- ment of X in this churcli, shall be admitted to baptism, and have a like priviledge for yr children." This " Half-way Covenant," as it was termed, was intro- duced in a large part of the Congregational churches of New England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but proved a great injury to their spirituality and success. Its object was, to draw into a certain partial relation to the Church, men of upright lives who made no claim to religious character, in the hope that they might, by this means, be Historical Discourse. 47 led to repentance and faith. Its result was, to veil the ne- cessity of a change of heart, and to lead men to satisfy themselves in putting a formal and reserved profession of religion in the place of one that should be hearty and entire. The custom prevailed in this church down to the end of Dr. Buckminster's ministry, but was not continued by Dr. Putnam or his successors. " At a Generall Town Meeting held at Portsmo. this 24th day of September, 171 1, Voted that a new meeting- house be built in the Town. Voted ihai the new meeting- house be built on the corner of the minister's ffcild, on ye place formerly appointed by ye comittee, and tlvit it be ye stated meetinghouse of ye Town. Voters for the meeting- house are si.xty-five, against are fourty-five."''^ A committee was chosen at the same meeting " to carry on ye affaire of building sd House ;" and the selectmen were empowered to raise money by way of a town-rate for the said house. " The corner of the minister's ffield," in this vote, refers to the locality on which this church now stands ; and the meet- ing-house built here, in accordance with the vote, was the one taken down in 1854, after standing more than one hun- dred and forty years. The opposition to building the meeting-house in 171 1 arose from local feeling ; the people in the vicinity of Pickering's Dam being unwilling to have the house placed so far north. When the house was completed, the church voted, under date of Jan. 7, 1714,'' "That Nathaniel ■" Town Records, ii. 25. ^' In the Records, "Jan. 7, 1 713 ;"but, of course, it should be written now, " 1 714." By omitting to make this correction, Aldcn in his Account of the Religious Societies in Portsmouth, and all later writers, have failed to show the true succession of facts in the controversy. 48 Historical Discourse. Rogers, minister of this church, should come to the new meeting-house erected at ye Bank, on ye next Sabbath- seven night, and jireach there, and continue preaching there as formerly at ye old Meeting House, and perform all other offices which appertain to his function." The people at the South End claimed that the vote fur locating the house in this place was obtained unfairly ; and they were not willing to submit to it. After Mr. Rogers began to preach in tlie new house, they obtained Rev. John Emerson to preach in the old house. The controversy ran so high, that it was referred to the legislature ; and the follow- ing vote was passed by the Council and General Assembly of 'the Province of New Hampshire, at Portsmouth, May II, 1714 : " Upon the hearing of all parties referring to the meeting houses of this Town, and having seen the grants, agreements and votes of the said Town of Portsmouth, referring to the settlements of the Rev. Mr. Rogers, the present minister of the said Town or Parish, — voted that the said Mr. Rogers be established the minister of the said Town, and be confirmed in the possession of the Glceb land or Parsonage Lands according to the agreement with the Town." Provision is also made in the same act for the support, by the town, of the minister at " the other Meet- ing House at the Mill Damm."^'^ Hut this did not bring peace ; for we find, that, two months later, there are two sets of town-officers in Ports- mouth, — one elected by a town-meeting at the old meeting- house, the other chosen at the new ; and the interposition of the legislature is again requested, with the following result : — '"' Prov. Papers of N. H., iii. 559. Historical Discourse. 49 House of Representatives of New Hampshire, 28 July, 1 7 14, "Voted a concurrence with the order of the Gov- ernor and Council, and considering the Regularity of the Town Meeting at the New Meeting House the seventh of June, confirm the Town clerk and all other officers then chosen, and the votes then passed about the new Meeting House." '' Rev. Mr. EVnerson was settled over the church and society worshipping in the old meeting-house, in March, 1 71 5. There was not full harmony between the two socie- ties until twenty or thirty years later, when Mr. Fitch and Mr. Shurtleff began the occasional interchange of pulpit services, which was continued by their successors down to the year 18 19. Aug. 18, 1719, "At a church meeting Lawfully warned, it was unanimously voted that we give our consent to ye reading of ye holy Scripture in the publick worship ; yt is a chapter in ye forenoon and a chapter in ye Afternoon service." Mr. Rogers died on the 3d of October, 1723, in the fifty- fourth vear of his age, and was interred in the ancient burial-ground called the Point of Graves. An old record says of him, that he was a minister of the Geneva School, that he had a very agreeable manner of preaching, and was very elegant in person and deportment. Rev. Dr. Stiles says of him, in our church records : " He was a most excel- lent minister ; and his ministry, as well as that pf that holy man of God, his predecessor, was eminently owned and ^' Prov. Papers of X. H., iii. 573. See also Prov. Papers, ii. 6SS, and iii. 569, 571, 643, 6S4, 715, 729. 7 50 Historical Discourse. blessed of the great Head of the Church." Mr. Rogers had nine children, some of whom became eminent. The third pastor of this church was Rev. J.xncz Fitch, who was installed here in the spring or summer of 1725.'' He was one of the fourteen children of Rev. James Fitch of Norwich, Conn., and was born in April, 1672. He was graduated at Harvard College in 1694, and was chosen a Fellow of the Corporation and a Tutor of the College. He was ordained at Ipswich, as colleague with Rev. John Rogers, in 1703, and resigned on account of inadequate support in 1723. His wife was Elizabeth Appleton, daugh- ter of Col. John Appleton of Ipswich, and niece of Rev. Nathaniel Rogers, second pastor of this church." During his mmistry here, in 1740 and the following years, the great revival with which the names of Whitefield, Pres. Edwards, and the Tennents, are connected, extended through New England. There was unusual religious interest in Portsmouth, in which bdth the churches shared. Sixty-three members were added to the South Church in the year 1742. By the loss of our records for the period of Mr. Fitch's ministry, it is impossible to speak as defi- nitely of the results in our own church. Mr. Whitefield preached here in one or both the churches in October, 1740, in November, 1744, and in February, 1745. A very interesting letter from Rev. Mr. Shurtleft", pastor of the South Church, is preser\'ed in Prince's "Christian History" for January and February, 1743-44. The letter is dated at Portsmouth, June i, 1743. "You are doubtless in some " See earliest Parish Account Book, page 103. •^ Steps were taken to form an Episcopal church in Portsmouth in 1732; and, in 1736, Rev. Arthur Brown became rector. Historical Discourse. 51 Measure acquainted with the Character which the People of this Town have heretofore generally sustained. They have, I think, been remarked by Strangers for their Polite- ness in Dress and Behaviour ; have been thought to go beyond most others in equal Circumstances, if not to ex- ceed themselves, in their sumptuous and elegant Living and Things of the like Nature ; and while they have been justly in Repute for their generous and hospitable Disposition, and for many social virtues, Diversions of various Kinds have been much in Fashion, and the vices that have been usual in seaport and trading places have been common and prevalent among us. We have, I trust, never been without a number of sincere and serious Christians ; but even these wise Virgins have slumbered and slept ; and, as to the generality of Professors, they have seemed for a great while to content themselves with an empty form, and there has been but little of the life and power of Religion to be seen. . . . Mr. Whitefield's coming among us and also Mr. Tennent's was, I am perswaded, blessed of God." He goes on to speak of the first special exhibition of religious feeling, which was in connection with a Fast observed in this town on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1741, some of the ministers from neighboring towns coming to assist in the services. The interest was so great that " the People did not care to disperse ; insomuch that there was another sermon in the evening ; and a great Number of them stayed till it was late in the Place of public Worship. The ne.Kt day a Sermon was again preached in public and had an unusual Efficacy upon the Hearers. The Day after, we had two or three Exercises, and the Congregation, great Part of it, continued together till late at Night. 52 Historical Discourse. " This Friday was the most remarkable Day that was ever known among us. The whole Congregation seemed deeply affected ; and there was such a general outcry, in some from a distressing Sight of their Sins, and in others from a joyful sense of the Love of Christ, that could not but put a great many in Mind of the appearing of the Son of Man, and of tiie different Exclamations tliat shall be heard from the Inhabitants of the World, when they shall see Him coming in the Clouds of Heaven, in Power and great Glory." Speaking of the results of the revival, he says, " As to the place in general, that there is an Alteration in it for the better, must I think needs be owned by every unprejudiced Observer. There is not that profane Cursing and Swear- ing which has formerly been usual. The Sabbath is more strictly observed. Family Worship, where it was neglected in a variety of Instances is now set up. Some that were manifestly of a narrow, selfish, and worldly Spirit, and seemed unwilling to part with any thing of what they possessed to any good and charitable Use whatsoever, appear now to have their Hearts much enlarged. Many that have dealt dishonestly, have not only acknowledged the Wrongs they have done, but made Restitution for them. Musick and Dancing seems to be wholly laid aside. Where you might formerly have heard jovial, and it may be profane and obscene songs, you may now hear Psalms and H)mns of Praise sung to God, and to our Lord Jesus Christ." This special! interest continued, Mr. Shurtleff says, through the winter of 1 741-43, and was renewed in the following winter. At the time he writes, "numbers meet together to supplicate the Throne of Grace upon the Evening of Historical Discourse. 53 every day in the Week but Saturday, when there is no publiclv Lecture." ^^ In a later note, Mr. Shurtlefif .say.s, that, " among the very many that have been awakened and deeply convinced, there is a goodly Number that are giving all the evidence that can be expected of a real and saving Change." *' Mr. Fitch was advancing in years, and his health was not good. On the 6th of Novemljer, 1745, the parish voted, " that Mr. Samuel Langdon, the Schoolmaster, be invited to settle among us as an assistant with the Rev. Mr. Jabez Fitch in the work of the Ministry, and that he shall have and hereby has the consent of the Parish, to take the care and charge of the Grammar School in this Town, in Ease of the Parish with respect to the Salary to be paid him, so long as Mr. Fitch shall be able to perform his Ministrations as usual." Mr. Langdon was to " preach once every other Sabbath, and as much oftener " as would consist with his " care of said school, [his] ability and agreement with Mr. Fitch." But this arrangement was not to continue long. A year later, on the 22d of November, 1746, Mr. Fitch died of a nervous fever in the seventy-fifth year of his age, and was buried, like his predecessor, at the Point of Graves. It is recorded of him, that " his mind was strong and richlv stored with learning. His heart was swayed by benevolent affections, and eminently sanctified by the Spirit of Grace." ^- He had a taste for historical researches, and made a collection of facts relative to New Hampshire, of which Dr. Belknap availed himself in writing his history of the State. ■"' Christian History, 1743, p. 3S3, tT. " Ibid., p. 173. ■•2 Felt's Ipswich, 237. 54 Historical Discourse. Mr. Samuel Langdon was ordained fourth pastor of this church on the 4th of February, 1 747. The church consisted at that time of one hundred and sixty-four members, — forty- eight males, one hundred and sixteen females. Mr. Lang- don was born in Boston in the year 1722, was graduated at Harvard College, 1740, and soon removed to Portsmouth to teach the grammar-school. In 1745 he went, as chaplain to the regiment from New Hampshire, on the expedition which Sir William Pepperell led to the capture of Louis- burg. It was soon after his return from that expedition that he became assistant to Mr. Fitch. Rev. Dr. Clark, one of his successors here, in a sketch of Dr. Langdon in Sprague's " Annals of the American Pulpit," says, " As a preacher and pastor he was much respected and beloved. His sermons were prepared with great care, and evinced no small ability. In the Piscataqua Association, consisting of twenty-five highly respectable, and some of them decidedly able men, he was regarded as standing quite at the head." In the year 175 i, there was a powerful revival of religion in this church and parish ; and forty-five were added to the church. The Independent Congregational Society was formed in 1757 ; and in 1761 Rev. Samuel Drown became its pastor. This society originated in a desire on the jjart of some members of the North and South churches for more rigid terms of church-membership and more stringent disci- pline. They purchased a meeting-house at Durham, and removed it to the site now occupied by the chapel of the South Church, on Court Street. After Mr. Drown, Rev. Joseph Walton was pastor. Both these men were emi- nently earnest, devoted ministers. Neither of them had Historical Discourse. 55 received special education for the ministry. The society was not large or wealth}' ; and, at a later day, Gov. Langdon of the North Church paid a considerable part of Mr. Walton's small salary. Soon after Mr. Walton's death, in 1822, the society was merged in the Calvinistic Baptist Society. In 1761, the meeting-house of the North Parish was enlarged by carrying the west side back twelve feet. Jan. 25, 1762, the parish passed the following vote : " Whereas it has long been complained of, as a great Grievance and Indecency as well as an Imposition on this Parish that the House appropriated for their public Worship of God which every one attending that Service there ought to look upon with a kind of Reverential Awe and Esteem on the Account of that Appropriation and Use, should yet upon all occasions be made the Scene of transacting the public Business of the Town, and the Place for holding all the Town Meetings where frequently warm Debates and Contentions arise and such Passions fomented as are very unsuitable to such a Place, and which the sanctity and reverence due to holy Time may not always be sufficient reasonably to allay, besides the Damage done to the Pews, Seats, and other Parts of the House. Therefore, voted, that hereafter no public Town Meeting for transacting the civil Affairs and Business of the Town be permitted to be kept and held in the Meeting House, in this Parish in which the Parishioners usually meet for the public Worship of Almighty God for the Reasons above hinted." The next town-meeting was, however, appointed in the North Meeting-House. The door was found locked. A moderator was elected upon the doorsteps ; and then, by vote, the door was broken open, 56 Historical Discourse. and the business was transacted in the meeting-house as usual. But this was probably the last time that the town- meeting was appointed or held here. About the year 1764, Robert Sandeman came to this country, and preached his peculiar tenets ; and a society called by his name was formed in Portsmouth, which existed for several years. They erected a small house of worship on Pleasant Street, nearly where the house of Mark H. VVentworth now stands. Mr. Whitcficld was here in 1770, immediately before his death, and preached one of his last sermons on this spot. On Sunday, Sept. 24, and Monday 25, he preached in Dr. Haven's meeting-house. Tuesday forenoon he preached in " the great meeting-house," i.e., the North, from the text, " This man receivcth sinners." Wednesday he j^reached at Kittery, Thursday at York, Friday again at Portsmouth for the last time, Saturday at Exeter; and Sunday morning he died at Ncwburyport. The year 1771 completed one hundred years from the formation of this church ; but I can find no evidence in church, parish, or town records, or in the files of the New Hampshire Gazette for that year, that any notice was taken of the anniversary. An interesting fact in the history of Portsmouth at this time may find its place here, on account of the participa- tion in it of Gov. John Langdon, a prominent member of the North Church. The king had passed an order in coun- cil, forbidding the farther exportation of gunpowder to these colonies. It was well known to the patriots of Portsmouth and the vicinity, that a large quantity of gunpowder was Historical Discourse. 57 stored at Fort William and Mary, now Fort Constitution. The report of the king's order reached New England in December, 1774. A plan was at once formed at Ports- mouth to seize the gunpowder in the fort. On a moonlight evening a company, led by Capt. Thomas Pickering and Major John Langdon, went in a gondola at midnight to the vicinity of the fort, waded ashore, and, surprising the small garrison, took possession of one hundred barrels of powder, which they carried up the river to Durham. There the powder was concealed in the cellar of the old Congrega- tional meeting-house. A few weeks later the most of it was taken to Cambridge, and is said to have been used by the patriots at the battle of Bunker Hill. This gallant and successful exploit, which preceded by several months the fight at Lexington, may claim to be one of the first acts of the American Revolution. In 1774, Dr. Langdon was elected President of Harvard College, and dismissed from his pastoral relation here on the 9th of October, much to the regret of the church and parish. The oppression of Great Britain was now preparing the minds of the American colonists for the coming struggle. Dr. Langdon was one of the foremost in maintaining the rights of the people. In 1775, he preached the annual Election Sermon before the Provincial Congress of Massa- chusetts. Gen. Gage had control of Boston, and the Congress was in session in Watertown. The sermon was preached on the 31st of May, six weeks after the first blood of the war was shed at Lexington. It breathes the most earnest patriotic spirif*'' By special vote, a copy of it was " See the sermnn in Thornton's Pulpit of the American Revolution. 8 58 Historical Discourse. sent to each minister in the colony and to each member of the Congress. In 1780, Dr. Langdon resigned the presi- dency of the college, and the following year was installed pastor of the church in Hampton Falls. " In 1788, he was chosen a delegate to the State Convention, where he mani- fested great ability as a debater, and did much towards removing the prejudices that then existed against the Fed- eral Constitution." He died Nov. 29, 1797, having nearly completed the seventy-fifth year of his age, and was buried at Hampton Falls. Dr. Langdon married Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Rich- ard Brown of Reading, Mass. They had nine children, four of whom died in infancy. Mrs. John K. Pickering of this city is his grand-daughter, and now resides in the house which Dr. Langdon built previous to 1762. Dr. A. P. Pea- body says, in a private letter, " I knew, in the early part of my ministry, several [persons at Hampton Falls] who remembered Dr. Langdon. He left his library for the use of his successors in the ministry there. I was quite familiar with it. It indicated a man curious in the more recondite provinces of theological literature, and contained a good many books that I have never seen elsewhere." Dr. Lang- don received his degree from the University of Aberdeen in 1762. He was the first doctor of divinity in New Hampshire. In 1775, the population of Portsmouth was 4,590. In 1776, Rev. David McClure was invited to become pastor of this church ; but he declined, and was afterwards settled at East Windsor, Conn. The next minister, Rev. Ezra Stiles, D.D., makes tlie following record in the books of the church : — ' Historical Discourse. 59 " After about twenty years' ministry in the Second Con- gregational Cliurch in Newport, R.I., it pleased God, that, by the calamities and dangers of a most unnatural civil war, my church and congregation and myself should be broken up, dispersed, and scattered abroad. The provi- dence of God opened a door for my labors in the evangeli- cal ministry and in the pastoral office, in the First Church in Portsmouth. I came here, and preached my first sermon April 6, 1777. I removed, and settled here with my family May 29. 1777. At my coming here, I found the church to consist of about eighty communicants, while the congrega- tion is said to be two hundred and fifty families." Under date of March 18, 1778, he says, " The church and congregation of the First Parish in Portsmouth having, by their vote of 27th January last, given me their unanimous call to settle with them in the work of the ministry, I re- turned them my most respectful thanks for the honor and affectionate importunity shown me upon this occasion ; and this day gave my final answer, that, upon serious deliberation and extensive advice, I had concluded and determined it to be my duty to accept the Presidency of Yale College, to which I had been elected the loth of September last." His labors here terminated June 7, i TJ%. Mr. Payne Wingate preached for this parish twenty-nine sabbaths, probably in the year 1778. Rev. Joseph Buckminster was ordained fifth pastor of the church, Jan. 27, 1779. He was the son of Rev. Joseph Buckminster of Rutland, Mass., and was born Oct. 3, 1 75 1. His mother was a cousin of Jonathan Ed- wards. He was graduated at Yale College in 1770, was elected in the Berkeley foundation as one of the three best 6o Historical Discourse. scholars of his class, and was afterwards tutor in the college for four years. Very persistent endeavors were made to induce him to become the pastor of the Second Church in Hartford ; but he declined, and came to Ports- mouth. He was twenty-eight years of age. He had a strong and musical voice, of such quality " that its lowest tones could be distinctly heard in the remotest corner ot the vast, old, double-galleried meeting-house. He could take either part in the singing ; and the pure, bell-like tones of his voice could always be distinguished in the full choir. His appearance in the pulpit was dignified and graceful. His whole manner in preaching had a peculiar pathos, that illumined his countenance, and trembled in the earnestness of his voice." It is not strange that he was almost idolized by his people. Rev. Dr. Whiting, in the sermon preached at the dedication of this house of worship, mentions the tradition in Dr. Buckminster's native town, " that, when he went year by year to the home of his youth, the meeting-house of his father on the highlands of Worcester County would be crowded, and all the windows filled by eager groups standing outside to hear his marvel- lous eloquence." " Two years after Dr. Buckminster's ordination, he married Sarah Stevens, only child of Rev. Dr. Stevens of Kittcry Point. She was the mother of Joseph Stevens Buckmin- ster and of two daughters. Her death, after eight years at Portsmouth, brought upon Dr. Buckminster a severe attack of the mental depression to which he, like many '* The Universalist Society in Portsmouth was formed about the year 17S0. Their first meeting-house was built on Vaughan Sireet ini7S4: the present church was erected in 1808. Historical Discourse. 6i men of such extreme sensibility, was always subject. He ceased to preach for a time, and even discontinued the family devotions.'" After three years, in 1793, he married Mary Lyman, the daughter of Rev. Isaac Lyman of York, Me., who became the mother of eight children. It required much care and economy to make the salary meet the expenses of so large a family. But it was Dr. Buckminster's rule never to incur a debt. His salary had been adjusted, at his suggestion, in a peculiar way, so that it might not vary with the changing value of money in those days. He was to receive " Such a sum of money annually as will be sufficient to purchase three hundred bushels of Indian corn, and four thousand eight hundred pounds weight of fresh beef at the current market-price, as it may be settled in the month of October annually." Corn was then four shillings per bushel, and beef three pence per pound. If the prices should be less in any year, he was still to re- ceive one hundred and twenty pounds. He was also to have the use of a house and garden, the keeping of a horse, twenty-five cords of wood annually, and " the free contribu- tion." The church numbered, in the year 1 802, ninety-two mem- bers, — sixteen males, seventy-six females. A Baptist society was formed in Portsmouth in Septem- ber, 1802, by the instrumentality of Rev. Elias Smith ; and a church was gathered in March, 1803. The present *'' Dr. Buckminster probably lived at first in Dr. Langdon's house. The parish paid the rent of that house for several years, and no doubt for Dr. B.'s use. In 1792, the parish built a parsonage ne.\t north of Dr. Langdon's house. It is the same house now occupied by the pastor, though no longer the property of the parish. 62 Historical Discourse. Christian church and society worshipping on Court Street now represent that society. Mrs. Mary Buckminster died in the year 1805, and plunged Dr. Buckminster again into the deepest grief. The whole of the night and day following her decease, he walked to and fro in his study, so overcome with his sor- row that even his children feared to approach him. His domestic affections, as might be supposed from his e.xtreme sensibility, were very strong and tender. He entered with all familiarity into the thoughts and sports of his children. His daughter says, "The moment his clear and musical voice was heard the children were wild with impatient joy to be in his presence ; and then the infant was in his arms, the smaller children were climbing his knees ; and, in their infantile complaints, no one had the power of soothing like himself" Dr. Buckminster married, in i8io, Mrs. Ladd, the widow of Col. Eliphalet Ladd. At the same time he left the par- sonage, and removed to the house now occupied by George Tompson, which was the property of his wife. A year later he had a severe illness, which left him in a state of debility and mental depression. He preached with diffi- culty through the winter ; and on the last sabbath in May, 1 8 12, administered the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, feeling that he should never be permitted to do so again. On Tuesday he started, with his wife and two members of the church, for Saratoga Springs. A week later they reached a retired and solitary inn at Reedsborough, Vt. He was extremely ill through the night, which he spent mostly in prayer. In the morning he said to Mrs. Buck- minster, " My son Joseph is dead." She, supposing him Historical Discourse. 63 to have been dreaming, answered, " No : he was well a few days since; and we shall see him when we return." — "I have not slept or dreamed," he replied : " he is dead." He was right. The son had died, in Boston, the evening pre- vious ; and the father followed him before twenty-four hours had passed. He was buried at Bennington, Vt., Rev. Dan- iel Marsh of that place preaching the funeral sermon. A week later, on Friday, June 19, the North Church was filled with a mourning congregation. The pulpit, the chandelier, and the galleries were draped in black ; while Dr. Parker of the South Church, the valued younger friend of the deceased pastor, preached an appropriate funeral discourse from the text, " But none of these things move me : neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God." (Acts XX. 24.) A monumental stone was placed upon the grave at Ben- nington, with this inscription : — " In memory of the Rev. Joseph Buckminster, D.D., pastor of a church in Portsmouth, N.H., who died sud- denly in this vicinity, while on a journey for health, loth June, 1812, atatis 61. He was a fervent and devoted Christian, an eloquent and evangelical preacher, a faithful and indefatigable pastor, an affectionate son, brother, hus- band, father, and friend. His bereaved people have erected this memorial of his eminent worth and of their tender and respectful grief " O ever honored, ever dear ! adieu : How many tender names are lost in yon ! Keep safe, O tonil) ! thy precious, sacred trust, Till life divine awake his sleeping dust." 64 Historical Discourse. Among Dr. Buckminster's parishioners here were some men of special note, of whom it would be interesting to speak if time would permit, — Gen. William Whipple, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence ; Judge William Parker, a deacon of the church, the father of Bishop Samuel Parker of Massachusetts, and the ancestor of Hon. Jolin P. Hale ; Col. Eliphalet Ladd, to wliom we are indebted for the introduction of the pure aqueduct water which adds so largely to the healthful ness and convenience of this city ; his son William Ladd, afterwards the eminent advocate of peace ; Dea. Amos Tappan ; and Mrs. Tappan, a sister of Dr. Buckminster, whose unwearied benevolence among the poor and neglected, as well as in other departments of Christian labor, has consecrated her memory in many hearts ; Daniel Webster, who came to Portsmouth in 1807, married in the following year Grace Fletcher, and com- menced housekeeping in tlic house on Vaughan Street, opposite Raitt's Court, now occupied by Mrs. Robert Gray. Mr. Webster was one of the wardens of the North Parish in the years 1814 and i8i5,and removed to Boston in 1816. Rev. Joseph S. Buckminster has already been referred to, one of the most gifted and scholarly men that New Eng- land has iinuluced. The Methodist Episcopal Church in Portsmouth was formed in 1808. Theirprcsenthouseof worship was erected in 1827. After Dr. Buckminster's dcatli, the cliurch was nearly three years without a pastor. This arose from a radical difference of views in the parish, which was nearly equally divided between the evangelical doctrines held by the church, and what was known as " Liberal Christianity." Historical Discourse. 65 Two ministers were invited to settle, but declined, — Rev. William Jenks, who became a Professor in Bowdoin Col- lege, and Mr. Matthew R. Dutton. In 1 8 14, the church and parish extended an invitation to Mr. Israel W. Putnam of Danvers, Mass., to become their pastor ; and after some hesitation on his part, in con- sequence of the division in the parish, he was ordained, on the 15th of March, 1815. Some of those who did not sympathize with his doctrinal views left the parish : others remained, and became, in later years, his firm friends. The church was united in sustaining him from the first. The number of the church at the time of his ordination was ninety-seven, — fourteen males and eighty- three females. Of the ninety-seven, fifteen were non-resi- dent. The church steadily increased during his ministry, and had more than doubled its numbers when he left. One of the earliest enterprises of the church, after his settlement, was the erection of the Brick Vestry on Fleet Street, which was accomplished largely through the liberal- ity of Gov. John Langdon, an honored member of the church. The building was dedicated on the 6th of Au- gust, 1817 ; and the fifty-three years of its religious history mark a period of rapid increase in the numbers and influ- ence of the church. In June, 181 8, a sabbath school was established in the Brick Vestry. It was afterwards held in Jefferson Hall, and included the children of the city, witliout respect to denominations. Dea. Amos Tappan of this church was the first superintendent, from 18 18 till his death, in 1821. Timothy Farrar, also a member of this church, succeeded him as superintendent. It seems probable, from the early 9 66 Historical Discourse. records, that other churches in the city afterwards estab- lished separate schools, and that the original union school passed under the entire control of this church. This, how- ever, was not, strictly speaking, the first sabbath school in Portsmouth. Many years earlier, Mrs. Amos Tappan, of whom mention has already been made, collected the numer- ous negro children in town at her house every sabbath, and, with the aid of her daughters, gave them religious instruc- tion. This was continued for several years, and constituted probably, the first sabbath school in New England.'" The house of worship of the Middle-street Baptist Church was erected in 1828. The society was formed a year or two earlier. In 1827 and 1828, there was a powerful revival of religion in this church and parish, which continued more than a year, and led to the addition of more than one hundred members to the church. The church and congregation had now become so large, that, after careful deliberation, it was decided to form a new church ; and the Pleasant-street Church was organized, in September, 1828, forty members having been dismissed from this church for that purpose. Rev. Jared B. Waterbury was the first pastor." He was dismissed after three years' service, and Mr. Joseph H. Towne was ordained.'" He, however, remained only a year and a half; and Rev. Parsons Cooke, who succeeded him, was pastor less than a year.''^ The pecuniary reverses of the times, with other causes, hindered the success of the *'• Mrs. Lee's Memoir of the Buckminsters, p. 44. *■ Inst.illed March 18, 1829 ; dismissed March 6, 1832. *' Ordained June 13, 1832 ; dismissed Nov. 7, 1833. *'•' Installed May 13, 1835 ; dismissed Dec. 7, 1835. Historical Discourse. 67 enterprise; and in 1836 (July i) the church was dissolved, and the members of it united again with this church. It was in order to facilitate this re-union of the churches, that Dr. Putnam, in 1835, resigned his position, and was dismissed (March 15) at the close of just twenty years' ser- vice. In that period, three hundred and one members had been admitted to the church. Dr. Putnam was born at Danvers, Mass., Nov. 24, 1786, was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1809, and com- menced the study of law at Salem, Mass. Soon after his conversion, in 18 12, the ordination at Salem of the first American missionaries to the heathen turned his attention to the gospel ministry ; and, after prayerful consideration, he relinquished his previous plans of life, and entered upon theological studies at Andover. Tliis was his first parish. After his dismission from this church, he became, within a few months, pastor of the First Church in Middleboro', Mass., and remained in that relation more than thirty years, till his death. May 3, 1868. The First Freewill-Baptist Church in Portsmouth was or- ganized Jan. 23, 1832, and was divided and scattered in 1843. Feb. 17, 1851, the present Pearl-st. Freewill-Baptist Church was formed. Their house of worship was erected in 1859. Rev. Edwin Holt was installed seventh pastor of this church on the 2d of October, 1836. He had previously preached for some months at the Pleasant-street Church. In the following year, the old meeting-house, which had stood on this spot more than one hundred and twenty years, was remodelled, and fitted to serve the parish for seventeen years longer. A memorable revival of religion was enjoyed under Mr. 68 Historical Discourse. Holt's ministry, in the year 1840, and eighty-five members were added to the church. Many of these were heads of families. Mr. Holt was dismissed March 2, 1842. The whole number admitted to the church during his ministry was one hundred and eighty. Mr. Holt was born in New London, Conn., April 17, 1805, and was graduated at Columbia College in 1821. He commenced the study of medicine, but exchanged that for theology when his religious life began, and was ordained at Westfield, N.Y., in November, 1827. After a ministry of two years there, he was for a time Secretary of the Southern Board of Missions, and then pastor of a church at Macon, Ga. After leaving Portsmouth, he was pastor in New -York City, in Greenland, N.H., and in Madison, Ind. He died at Evansville, Ind., June 26, 1854, at the age of forty-nine years. He was an eloquent, earnest, and suc- cessful minister. The remaining five pastors of the church are still living, and laboring in the ministry ; and I- shall be expected to give only the briefest sketch of the history of the church in these later years. Rev. RuFUS VV. Clark, eighth pastor of the church, was installed here Nov. 16, 1842, and dismissed in November, 1851. In those nine years, one hundred and fifteen members were admitted to the church ; fifty-four of them in the year 1 843, and twenty-eight in the year 1 849. The whole number of the church at the close of his ministry here was three hundred and forty-five. Ur. Clark is now pastor of a church in Albany, N.Y. It is a matter of regret to us all that he is not with us on this occasion. The church was without a pastor nearly two years after Historical Discourse. 69 Dr. Clark left. In the spring and summer of 1853, there was unusual religious interest among the people. Rev. Dr. Lyman Beecher preached here for eight weeks, and many of the young were led to the Saviour. Thirty-one united with the church in that year. Rev. Henry D. Moore, ninth pastor of the church, was installed Aug. 17, 1853. In the year 1854, the old church, which had stood for one hundred and forty years, was taken down, and the building in which we are now met was erected upon the same spot. The religious services of the society were held in the Temple between the time of leav- ing the old church and entering the new. Aug. 7, 1855, Rev. Mr. Moore resigned his position here, and soon after became pastor of a church in Portland, Me. He has since been settled at Pittsburg, Pa., and is now pas- tor of the Vine-street Church in Cincinnati. This house of worship was dedicated on the first day of November, 1855 ; and, on the same evening, Rev. Lyman Whiting, tenth pastor, was installed. During his ministry here, the great religious awakening of 1858 swept over the country, reaching, with greater or less power, every evangel- ical church in the Northern States. This church enjoyed a share of the blessing, and welcomed forty-two members to its fellowship in that and the next following years. Dr. Whiting was dismissed in 1859. He has since been pastor of churches in Providence, R.I., in Dubuque, Iowa, and in Janesville, Wis,, which is his present field of labor. Rev. William L. Gage became the eleventh pastor of the church, Oct. 17, i860. His ministry here was inter- rupted by imperfect health, and continued only till Jan. 24, 1863. Mr. Gage was a graduate of Harvard College, in JO Historical Discourse. the class of 1853. He has devoted much time to literary pursuits, and is the author of several valuable works. He is now pastor of the Pearl-street Church in Hartford, Conn. The present pastor was installed over this church, June 3, 1863. There was more than usual religious interest in the church and congregation in the years 1864-65, and sixty-six members were added to the church ; and also in the years 1869-70, when ninety-three members were admitted. In 1870 -the church, with the aid of many members of the parish, erected a new and commodious chapel, which was dedicated on the 24th of February of the present year. An honored name,* which it may not bo allowable to men- tion to-day, is as closely associated with the beginning and completion of this chapel, as the name of Gov. Langdon is linked with the building of the Brick Vestry. May God grant to the prayers and self-forgetting labors of this church lliat the glory of tlie latter house may be greater than tliat of the former! Little more in this respect could be asked for the church than that the scenes of devotion, of penitence, and of faith, upon which the narrower walls have looked down, may be repeated, in the larger measure of our multiplied numbers, within the more stately edifice. The whole number of the names of members of this church from the beginning, now standing upon its records, is more than seventeen hundred. The lists are imperfect, in some of the earlier pastorates ; so that it is probable that nearly two thousand of those who call Christ Lord and Master have in these two hundred years been identified with the body of which we have here traced the history. The present number of the church is four hundred and ten. '" Miss M.iry C. Rogers. Miss Rogers died Aug. 15, 1871. Historical Discourse. 71 "The memory of the just is blessed." The heroic lives, the Christian self-denial, of the fathers, drawn out into the light to-day, send down to us, the living members of the church, new impulses to Christian devotion and cour- age. They did their work quietly and simply, in their day. It was not a period of celebrations and reminiscences. They little anticipated the honor with which we recall their names at this end cjf the centuries. They maintained the truth as it had been made known to them, at. cost some- times of personal freedom, at cost often of the esteem of men, but with the sure gain of God's approval, and with the unfailing joy of conscious loyalty to the truth. It is a privilege to be counted in such a succession. It is the easier to bear reproach for the name of Christ, or to resist the inward foes which assail our Christian integrity, when our names stand beneath the names of Moodey and of Rogers, of Cutt , of Stileman, and of Haines, and their successors in this goodly fellowship, and when the inter- ests of the church which they planted and nurtured are committed to our fidelity. A thousand sacred thoughts and tender recollections touch the hearts and re-enforce the faith of all who join hands with those good men. The very ground on which we here stand is redolent of ■sacred associations. In these spaces, through which our words and our prayers and our songs echo to-day, have vibrated the utterances of faithful appeal, of devotion, and of praise through five generations of worshippers. Let the appeal never be less earnest, or the testimony to the truth less faithful ! Let the petitions of devout hearts here rise in ever-renewed supplication ! Let new voices, in joyful love to Christ, take up the strain of grateful praise, 72 Historical Discourse. till earthly worship shall give place to heavenly adora- tion ! And now upon this Mother, who for so many of us has nurtured in its bcf!;inning or in its growth the Christian life, to whom we owe under Christ so much of what we are and of what we hope to be, and who gives us to-day, in the heroic examples of her cider sons, fresh impulses to Christian duty and devotion, — upon this ancient and honored church we invoke the renewed affection of all her children, and the rich gifts of heavenly grace. May they to whom it shall be permitted in other centuries to enjoy her protection and guard her interests catch the spirit of her most devoted children, and carry forward to larger and higher successes that which has been already attained ! And may He for whose glory, and for the advancement of whose kingdom among men, the Church exists, be pleased to bestow upon us, and upon those who come after us. His constant guidance and benediction ! O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou King of Zion, thou Redeemer and Saviour of men ! grant unto this thy church the illumination of Wisdom, and the quickening of the Holy Spirit. From generation to generation be thou her strength. Let no weapon that is formed against her pros- per. May many sons and daughters arise up and call her blessed ! , Let her priests be clothed with righteousness, and let her saints shout aloud for joy. So WE, THY PEOPLE AND SHEEP OF THY PASTURE, WILL GIVE THEE THANKS FOREVER: WE WILL SHOW FORTH THY PRAISE TO ALL GENERATIONS. SOUThpdJ/II'XI""'^ °' California 40f X.ri',e"„^„°'°^*L LIBRARY FACILITY Rph.Tn IK? Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the llbrarv »rom Which It was borrowed Rl!Rl QL0CT17 1^1 SEP OSW THE LHJKAKT I OS A\n»^T,R8 at the celebration of the two-hundredth anni- vl?ll?y'"B?' -Bis Tormff=-^— F 44 P8A21