USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Salem > The pastor's jubilee : a discourse delivered in the South Church, Salem, Mass., April 24, 1855, by Brown Emerson, D.D. on the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination : with an appendix > Part 1
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Gc 974.402 Sa32em 1851351
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01115 3589
E
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/pastorsjubileedi00emer_0
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THE PASTOR'S JUBILEE.
DISCOURSE A
DELIVERED IN
J THE SOUTHI CHURCH. SALEM, MASS .. -
APRIL 24, 1855,
BY BROWN EMERSON, D. D.
ON THE $
FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
OF HIS
ORDINATION.
WITH AN APPENDIX.
PUBLISHED AT THE REQUEST OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIETY.
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY CHICAGO
BOSTON : PRINTED BY JOHN D. CHISHOLM, 5 WATER STREET. 1855.
1851351
DISCOURSE.
MY BRETHREN AND FRIENDS :
I come before you on an occasion of special interest both to you and myself. Half a century is this day completed since the unbroken ties were formed, which unite the pastor and flock together in holy brotherhood. It is fitting that an occasion so rare, in this age of pro- gress and change, should be observed by a public ac- knowledgment of that kind providence, which has so distinctly marked our connexion from its commence- ment to the present hour. And while I recount the dealings of that providence, I am sure, that the cmo- tions excited in my own breast, will be met with a lively sympathy in yours.
In accordance with these remarks, I have selected as my text the suggestive passage in the AcTs xxvi. 22:
" HAVING THEREFORE OBTAINED HELP OF GOD, I CONTINUE TO THIS DAY."
We are too apt to place in the chapter of accidents those things, in which we ought to see and acknowledge
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the hand of divine providence, disposing of events ac- cording to the counsel of unerring wisdom. If we would leave off the atheistical practice of not looking beyond second causes, in the affairs of every day ; - if we would cherish such a sense of the presence and agency of the Supreme Being, as to undertake nothing upon which we could not consistently implore his blessing ;- if we would look to Him with filial con- fidence and submission for the help we daily need, how greatly would it add both to our temporal and spiritual prosperity. It would inspire us with fortitude and courage in our Master's service. It would sustain our spirits under the trials of life, with a peace and self- possession, which the world can never give. It was this faith in God; - this sense of his presence, -this trust in his wisdom, faithfulness and power, which car- ried the apostle through a course of unparalleled con- flicts, and made him more than a conqueror. Con- strained by the love of Christ, he had pursued this self-denying and perilous course about thirty years, when he stood before king Agrippa, and made the plea for christianity recorded in the chapter of my text, -a plea so eloquent and powerful, that it drew from the king the declaration, " Almost thou persuadest me to be a christian." The Lord had preserved the apostle's life in a remarkable manner, and sometimes by miraculous interpositions. Though preeminent in the powers of his mind, and in his attainments in moral excellence, he consecrated all to his Lord and Master.
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Without comparing myself with that great apostle, ex- cept in reference to the preserving care of the Almighty through a course of years in the work of the ministry, the present occasion will justify me in giving a retro- spective view of my relations to this church and society.
The connexion between a minister of the gospel and the people of his charge is most sacred in its nature, and of transcendent importance in its results. Your connexion with men of other professions is transient, accidental, rare. With a minister it is habitual, peculiar. You No other professional man can fill his place. want him not to transact your business, but to be your friend, an inmate in your families ; - to enter your hou- ses of affliction ; - to give you light, admonition, and consolation in suffering, sickness, and the last hours of life; - to meet you in the sanctuary and preach to you of the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Though unwilling to say much of myself, I shall not be considered, I trust, as overleaping the bounds of pro- priety, if, on this occasion, I state a few facts not im- mediately connected with the ministry I have exercised here during the past fifty years.
The early part of my life was spent in the State of New Hampshire; but much the greater part was spent in Massachusetts, my native State, and in the goodly city of Salem. My studies preparatory for the university were pursued under the tuition of the late Rev. Dr. Wood of Boscawen, New Hampshire, and I was grad- uated at Dartmouth College in 1802. It was carly my
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desire to become a preacher of the gospel, and this was my constant aim through the whole of my collegiate course. In pursuance of that object, I received, in February 1804, from the Essex North Association, a license to preach, and delivered my first discourse in the pulpit of the late Dr. Samuel Hopkins of New- port, R. I. In the summer of that year, I received from this society an invitation to preach as a candidate for settlement, and, at the same time, a similar invita- tion from South Danvers. On weighing the existing circumstances, the scale turned in favor of accepting the invitation from Salem. After preaching three months as a candidate, in the summer and autumn of 1804, I received an invitation from the church and society to settle with them as a colleague pastor with Dr. Daniel Hopkins. The house, in which we are now assembled, was in a course of erection during that year, and our public religious services were held in the former house of worship, which stood upon the ground now occupied by our chapel. That house was built in 1766, for pur- poses similar to those for which Hamilton Hall in Chestnut Street is now used. It was purchased by this society and occupied thirty-one years, from 1774 to 1805. Of the proprietors of that house only four survive, and but one of them, Mr. Benjamin Cox, remains a member of the society. The building, though unadorned with architectural beauty, is remembered as a sanctuary, where the fathers worshiped, around which are gathered many hallowed associations. Not fewer than a hundred of
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you remember the old edifice, with its uncarpeted aisles and unshaded windows, its high pulpit and higher sounding board, the pews, with backs, on which the weary might recline their heads, and hear the word with comfort ; the choir, aided by no instrument but a bass viol, pouring forth its fugues, and animating the lovers of sacred song. An organ would then have been deemed, by many of our devout fathers, as derogatory to the sacredness and purity of divine worship. And neither furnaces nor stoves for heating the house of God were admitted in those days, except small foot stoves, which were handed, in time of service, from one pew to another, to save the more tender feet from freezing. It seems to have been thought, that the people ought to have faith and love enough to keep them warm, amid the severities of the coldest winter. Yet, with fewer conveniences than are now enjoyed, the divine word found a response in many hearts, and fervent prayers were answered by the salvation of many souls. I may be supposed to feel an interest in the place, where, by the space of three months, I met, on the sabbath and at the table of the Lord, those sainted fathers and mothers. who are now honored guests, as we believe, at the mar- riage supper of the Lamb. But I may be supposed to feel a deeper interest in the place, where, from my watch-tower, I have seen more than a whole generation of my own flock pass away ; - to whom and their children, I have broken the bread of life during the space of fifty ycars. This house was dedicated on the
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first day of the year 1805. The dedicatory sermon, by Dr. Hopkins, was grounded on Ezra vi. 16: " And the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy." The sermon was published from the press.
Having spent the winter among my friends in making preparations for the work before me, I was ordained on the 24th day of April, 1805." The solemnities of that day will not be forgotten while my memory per- forms its office. It was an occasion, to which my thoughts often revert as one of the most important cras of my life, as having a momentous bearing upon your moral and religious character, as well as my own, and upon our interests for both worlds. The pastors of the churches represented in the council assembled for my ordination were the following: Dr. Emmons of Franklin, Dr. Spring of Newburyport, Dr. Austin of Worcester, Dr. Woods of West Newbury, Dr. Parish of Byfield, Rev. Reuben Emerson of South Reading, Rev. Reed Paige of Hancock, New Hampshire, Dr. Worcester of Salem, Rev. Mr. Sanford of Medway, the Rev. John Smith of Wenham, and the Rev. Joseph Emerson of Beverly. The public performances on the occasion were solemn and impressive. Dr. Spring offered the introductory prayer ; Mr. Paige preached on ? Corinthians vi. 1: " We then, as workers together with him, besecch you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." Dr. Emmons offered the consecrating prayer; Dr. Hopkins gave the
. See Note A.
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charge to the pastor ; Dr. Worcester gave the right hand of fellowship, and Dr. Austin offered the concluding prayer. Of all the clergymen, who belonged to that council, my brother, the Rev. Reuben Emerson, now present, is the only survivor. It is difficult to make it seem a reality, that I have sustained the sacred office, with which I was then invested, during so long a space as fifty years. Though most of the events that have transpired within my knowledge, during this space, have faded from my memory, the more prominent ones are still retained in their freshness, and call forth the min- gled emotions of joy and sorrow. Scarcely any period in the world's history has been so marked with civil, so- cial, literary and moral changes. It is emphatically an age of progress. And while the rulers of nations are looking with fear for what is coming upon the earth, it is an era of benevolence, developing in a strong light the purposes of divine providence in relation to the re- demption of man. The scriptures warrant the belief that a time is yet to come when the benign influences of the gospel shall pervade all nations, and annihilate every false system both of religion and government. And the signs. of the present day, unless we entirely mistake, clearly indicate that the time is near. We recognize the divine hand in the origin and progress of the great benevolent enterprises, that distinguish the age, in which we are favored to live, above every other age. The associations in this country and Great Britain for diffusing the word of life, in various modes, throughout the world, and
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operating with increasing efficiency, are too numerous to be now described, and too important to be estimated. Fifty years ago there was no such institution as an American Bible Society, Foreign Missionary Society, Home Missionary Society, Tract Society, Sunday School Union, or any of the other great national institutions. which are exerting a mighty influence for good in our land. A theological seminary and a religious newspaper were then unknown. Young men had meagre advan- tages for acquiring knowledge preparatory to the min- istry, compared with those which are now enjoyed. The power of the Press, too, has, within this period. increased a hundred fold. The spirit of the gospel. which is good will toward men, is pervading the Pro- testant nations. During the past year, the people of this country and Great Britain have contributed more than six millions of dollars to objects of public christian benevolence. I make this statement on the authority of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. In these great Protestant nations, there is such a concentration of wealth, influence and power, as the world has never before seen. Would God diffuse to such a degree the spirit of the gospel among the people of these nations, and raise their hopes so high, that He might dash them in the dust ? This is not the manner of our King.
Besides these mighty movements for the evangelization of the world, within fifty years, the rapid progress in science, and the adaptation of it to the practical pur-
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poses of life, are almost confined to England and the United States. The facilities for intercommunication have brought the remotest nations, as well as distant parts of the same country, into the neighborhood of each other. Who would have thought, a few years ago, that men hundreds of miles apart would converse together, and receive answers to questions as soon as they were proposed; - that the broad Atlantic would be crossed in a few days, in defiance of winds and currents ; - and that trains of cars would leave Boston in the morning and deposit their merchandise, in twenty hours, on the shores of Lake Eric? Other improvements equally marvellous mark the present as an epoch of wonders.
I have been an interested spectator of these develop- ments, and, did the limits of my discourse permit, it would be pleasant to give a sketch of the history of the last fifty years, especially with regard to our own be- loved country, commonwealth and city.
But the occasion obliges me to restrict my remarks to the history of my connexion with this church and religious society. And even under this restriction, I must leave many things untouched.
When the spacious edifice, in which we are assembled, was erected, the standing committee of the society had the charge of the enterprise. That committee consisted of John Jenks, John Norris, Jerathmeel Peirce, Aaron Wait, and Nathaniel Batchelder; men of such wisdom and integrity, that they filled that office during many successive years, and discharged its duties to universal
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satisfaction. Messrs. Jenks, Peirce and Wait were enter- prising and successful merchants, men of highly respec- table standing in the community, and firmly attached to the interests of the society. The architect, who planned the house, was Samuel Mackintire; and the whole edifice, especially its symmetrical steeple and spire, is pronounced by competent judges to be a model of unrivalled archi- tectural beauty. When the spire was set in its place, the violent gale of September 1804 arose and blew it over. It was, of course, broken to fragments. By the ordering of a kind providence, no person was injured, either in the erection of the house, or by the fall of the spire. The one which now adorns the building and the town, was promptly made. The cost of the edifice was twenty-four thousand two hundred and forty dollars. Our sweet-toned bell was imported from London, in 1807, by order of Mr. John Jenks. Its weight is thirteen hundred and forty-four pounds, and its cost seven hundred and seventeen dollars. Mr. Jenks also imported the chandelier, which embellishes the interior of our sanctuary. It cost about one thousand dollars. The organ, which affords substantial aid to the choir in discoursing to us the high praises of God, was pur- chased and put in its place, in 1832. The first pulpit, though well proportioned and in keeping with the in- terior structure of the house, being deemed too high for the convenience of many of the bearers, was taken away, and the present one built and handsomely fur- nished, in 1840.
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Here, for more than fifty years, the former and present generations have offered their prayers and praises, and the sacred truths to which they listened, were made ef- fectual to the sanctification of many. When I cast my eyes around over the congregation on the Lord's day, I seem to see, in different parts of the house, the venerable forms of fathers and mothers, the pillars of the church and society, looking up with earnestness for the bread of life, or bending in the solemn attitude of devotion. But where are they? Gone the way of all the carth. Not one, who was a member of the church, when I commenced my labor here, in July, 1804, is now among the living ; and almost the same may be said of those who were then adult members of the congregation. Only seventeen, male and female, who were then heads of families, now remain.
" Death, like an overflowing stream,
Sweeps us away ; our life 's a dream."
Since my settlement here, one thousand four hundred and forty of the society have been numbered with the congregation of the dead, some of them distinguished by wealth and active benevolence. Among these, I mention the Hon. John Norris, a successful merchant, who died intestate in 1S08, leaving a large estate, half of which, as he had no children, was inherited by his widow. He was one of the associate founders of the Theological Seminary at Andover ; he gave ten thousand dollars toward the foundation, and handsome donations after the institution was organized and in active ope-
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ration. He was also a liberal annual contributor to the funds of the Massachusetts Missionary Society, and other objects of benevolence. To his pastor he was a fast and substantial friend, a firm believer in the gospel as taught in the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, and gave to all evangelical clergymen a cordial welcome to the hospitalities of his house. ITis love of the truth was shown by a constant and devout attendance on the wor- ship of the sanctuary; and so exemplary was he in all his social intercourse that he was regarded as a model of moral purity and excellence. He was a man of fine per- sonal appearance, tall, symmetrical, with a countenance beaming with kindness and benignity. I often seem to see him, on the sabbath, taking off at the door his high triangular hat, such as gentlemen of his day, age, and standing were accustomed to wear, and walking grace- fully up the broad aisle to his seat, where he was always found a solemn and attentive listener to the truth. His death made a wide breach in our religious community, and was a great loss to the town and the common- wealth. He was taken away in the midst of his use- fulness, at the age of fifty-seven.
In less than three years after his decease, Mrs. Norris was suddenly called to follow her departed husband. Be- ing possessed of an ample fortune, which she regarded as committed to her trust to be disposed of for the pro- motion of the Redeemer's kingdom, she bequeathed thirty thousand dollars to the Theological Seminary at Ando- ver, thirty thousand dollars to the American Board of
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Commissioners for Foreign Missions, besides a large num- ber of liberal bequests to clergymen and other friends. Of the honorable and excellent women who have left a similar memorial, I must not fail to mention the late Mrs. Rebecca Dodge, who bequeathed a thousand dollars as a permanent fund for the benefit of the poor of this congregation. Her heart, like that of her Divine Master, was always in sympathy with the poor.
Among the departed members of the church, memory loves to linger upon the name of our late beloved senior pastor,* whose ministry terminated with his life, in December, 1814, in the eighty-first year of his age, and the thirty-seventh of his ministry as a settled pastor. Though the younger part of the community never saw him, a large number of the congregation knew him well, and cherish his memory with tender recollections. He left the world in the full possession of his reason, and in the calm and steadfast hope of a blessed im- mortality. A few days after his death, the following obituary notice, from the pen of the late Dr. Bentley, was published in the Salem Register:
"On Wednesday, 14th instant, died in this town, the Honorable and Reverend DANIEL HOPKINS, D. D., aged SO. He was a brother of the celebrated Dr. SAMUEL HOPKINS, whose System of Divinity has been received with uncommon favor in New England. The deceased minister of Salem was appointed, in July, 1775, a member of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, and
. See Note B.
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in 1778, the year of his ordination, was a member of the Council in the Conventional Government, which was appointed before the Constitution of the State was framed and adopted. He was an accomplished gentle- man, esteemed for his carly patriotism, and beloved by the people of his charge."
This testimony to the attachment between him and his flock is emphatically true. Perhaps no pastor ever pos- sessed the affections of his people in a higher degree. He was always welcome to their firesides, and enjoyed largely their hospitalities. The children knew him but to love him, and those of them, who are now alive, have a fresh remembrance of his parental instructions and kindly greetings. He was accustomed to meet them at stated times, and hear them repeat the Assembly's Shorter Catechism. And such seasons of catechetical instruction were made interesting by his familiar and lively illustrations. Sabbath schools were then unknown in this country. Many of his apt and quaint sayings are treasured up as a sacred deposit, in the memory of his surviving friends.
The style and manner of his pulpit performances were peculiar to himself. He never wrote his sermons, but made use of briefs. I have heard him say, that he never wrote a sermon until after it was preached. He spoke from the fullness of his heart. His illustrations were highly graphic and impressive, and his gesticula- tion easy and natural. He was indefatigable in his work, preaching habitually three times on the sabbath.
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and was frequently heard to say, after preaching a third time, "I now feel just fit to preach again." His wife, a lady of superior excellence, survived her husband twenty-three years, and at the age of eighty-three, joined him, we believe, in those blissful regions, where chris- tian friends never more feel the pain of separation.
The death of Dr. Hopkins threw upon me a heavy weight of responsibility and toil. But having obtained help of the Lord, I was enabled to sustain it, with some degree of fidelity and success. By the special favor of his providence, I have enjoyed uninterrupted health, during the whole of my residence here. Not more than five sabbaths are recollected, in which I was pre- vented from supplying the pulpit, by sickness, or any other disability. And through the kindness and libe- rality of the people, I have been exempted from num- berless embarrassments and perplexities, through which many better ministers are obliged to struggle.
It is because I have obtained help of the Lord, that I continue to this day in the enjoyment of such dis- tinguishing favors. And while I acknowledge the good hand of his providence by which I have been sustained and blessed, I would cherish a grateful remembrance of the many demonstrations of personal regard, from the people of my charge, which have not been withdrawn, but continued to the present hour. Knowing the pres- sure of care and toil, which lay constantly upon me, their generous sympathy, with that of other friends. prompted them, in the year 1846, to furnish me with
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the means of making a voyage to England, the land of my fathers' sepulchres, which I had long desired to see .* During an absence of four months, they took upon themselves the supply of the pulpit, and, with extraordinary generosity, authorized me to draw for funds upon a house in Manchester, without any definite limitation. Within those months, I visited England, Scotland, Ireland and France, and witnessed, to some extent, both the glory and the shame of these renowned kingdoms. The voyage and the visits afforded an op- portunity to see the works of nature and art in some of their most interesting and noble developments. But the splendor and magnificence, which excite a momen- tary admiration, have not to me the attractions of home. And with a glad heart, on my return, I could adopt the sentiment of a little patriotic ode I have heard the children sing :
" Of all the lands from east to west,
I love my native land the best."
Here, civil, social, literary and religious privileges are enjoyed by every class of the people, with one painful exception. In view of the unexampled growth and pros- perity of our country, and the high destiny that seems to await us, we may well exult, not with pride, but with gratitude and praise to the great Ruler of nations.
The Lord has helped us as a church and society. Though we have had seasons of spiritual drought and depression, we have also had times of refreshing. Fifty
. See Note C.
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years ago, the number of members in the church was about eighty; now, the number is a little short of four hundred ; and the number of families belonging to the society is three hundred and fifty. The special influences of the Holy Spirit have been granted at twelve differ- ent times, in what are technically called revivals of re- ligion. Of these, the most extensive and powerful were the following :- In 1824, one hundred and two were added to the church; in 1831, fifty-eight; in 1840, forty-six ; and in 1843, fifty-ninc. Between these fer- tilizing showers, the divine influence distilled as the gentle dew, enriching the vineyard of the Lord. Since 1843, we have had an accession to the church of one hundred and five. During my connexion with it, one hundred and seventy-eight members have been ta- ken away by death. Eight hundred and fifty-two have been consecrated to God in the holy ordinance of bap- tism; - one hundred and eighty-three adults, and six hundred and sixty-nine children. Of the congregation, six hundred and ninety-eight couples have been united in the sacred bands of marriage :- six hundred and thirty-six of them by myself.
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