USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Essex > Two centuries of church history : celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the organization of the Congregational church & parish in Essex, Mass., August 19-22, 1883 > Part 1
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REYNOLOS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02954 1452
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Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
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Two Centuries of Church History
CELEBRATION
OF THE
TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY . OF THE ORGANIZATION
OF THE
.
Congregational Church & Parish IN
ESSEX, MASS.
1673-1893 AUGUST 19-22, 1883.
SALEM ; J. H. CHOATE & CO .. PRINTERS. ISS4.
1753323
Present Church Edifice - Erected 1792, Remodeled - 1842
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PRELIMINARY.
At a meeting of the Congregational Church in Essex held January 9th, 1883, it was voted-"That this Church observe the two hundredth anniversary of its organization by holding services appropriate to the occasion."
At a subsequent meeting it was voted that the anniversary have reference to the organization of the Parish as well as of the Church and the parish were invited to join in the pro- posed celebration.
. A committee of the church was appointed and at the Annual Parish meeting, held April 16th, a committee was chosen to unite with the committee of the church in making all necessary arrangements for the occasion.
The following are the committees :
Committee of the Church.
DEA. CALEB S. GAGE, RUFUS CHOATE, REUBEN MORRIS, And the ACTING PASTOR, Ex Officio.
Committee of the Parish.
ADDISON COGSWELL, DEA. CALEB COGSWELL,
HENRY W. MEARS.
On Entertainment.
FRANK E. BURNHAM,
MRS. HERVEY BURNHAM,
HENRY W. MEARS,
MRS. MARY C. OSGOOD,
REUBEN MORRIS, MRS. D. WEBSTER COGSWELL,
JOSEPH PROCTER, JR.,
MRS. PHILIP T. ADAMS,
D. BRAINARD BURNHAM, MRS. JOSIAH LOW,
FRANCIS HASKELL, MISS LIZZIE M. NORTON.
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Congregational Church and Parish, Essex.
On finance.
D. BRAINARD BURNHAM, JOSEPH PROCTER, JR.
On Decorations.
MISS ELLEN BOYD, MRS. ALBERT L. BUTLER,
MRS. GEORGE PROCTER, MRS. GEORGE A. FULLER,
RUFUS CHOATE.
On Music.
WILLIAM C. CHOATE, RUFUS CHOATE, MRS. HERVEY BURNHAM, MISS CARRIE O. SPOFFORD.
On the Tent.
HENRY W. MEARS.
On Printing.
REV. F. H. PALMER.
RUFUS CHOATE.
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ORDER OF EXERCISES.
Sunday, August 19th, at 2 p.m.
MEMORIAL SERMON by Rev. F. H. Palmer, Acting Pastor.
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Wednesday, August 22nd, 9.30 a.m. VOLUNTARY.
ANTHEM
INVOCATION
READING OF SCRIPTURE
PRAYER
ADDRESS OF WELCOME
HISTORICAL DISCOURSE
· "Strike the Cymbal." by Rev. F. H. Palmer, Acting Pastor.
· by Ex Pastor Rev. J. L. Harris. by Ex Pastor Rev. D. A. Morehouse. by the Acting Pastor. -
by Rev. Prof. E. P. Crowell of Amherst College.'
HYMN (Old Style) Lined off by Bro. Rufus Choate.
ADDRESS ON REV. JOHN WISE
by Rev. H. M. Dexter, D.D., of Boston. HYMN.
At the close of the morning services the congregation adjourned to the neighboring cemetery where prayer was offered at the grave of Rev. John Wise by Prof. E. A. Park. D.D., of Andover, Mass.
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Two Hundredth Anniversary.
1-2.30 p.m. COLLATION, IN THE VESTRY.
2.30 p.m.
ANTHEM "Denmark." .
GREETING FROM THE MOTHER CHURCH,
by Rev. E. B. Palmer of Ipswich. GREETING FROM SISTER CHURCHES, by Rev. F. G. Clark, of Gloucester.
REMINISCENCES OF DR. CROWELL by Rev. Jeremiah Taylor, D.D., of Providence, R.I. LETTERS.
REMARKS by Prof. Park of Andover. HYMN. BENEDICTION. 1
SOCIAL REUNION IN THE VESTRY 7.30 P.M.
Invitations were sent out to neighboring churches and pastors, and to all old friends and members of the church so far as their addresses could be learned. A mammoth tent was erected on the grounds of Mr. Daniel W. Low, and the weather proving auspicious, about a thousand persons assem- bled to listen to the public exercises. The old pulpit used in the latter part of the eighteenth century by Rev. John Cleave- land, and afterwards during the ministry of Revs .- Josiah Webster, Thomas Holt, and Dr. Crowell was placed upon the platform for the accommodation of the speakers.
Rev. Mr. Palmer, Acting Pastor, presided and in his address of welcome extended a cordial greeting to all, indulged in the thoughts which the lapse of two hundred years would naturally suggest and concluded by saying that we glory in these old .names which cluster around our early history as we rehearse their deeds.
At the close of the forenoon services an aged man who well . remembered the raising of the present meeting house, in 1792, was introduced to the congregation. This was Mr. Andrew Burnham in his 99th year. He came forward and occupied the platform during the singing of the last hymn.
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Congregational Church and Parish, Essex.
The collation which was served by the ladies at noon was one of the most bountiful ever known in the history of the town.
The music of the day, which was most excellent, was under the direction of the organist of the church Mr. William C. Choate.
The vestry and audience room were well filled during the evening where a season of social intercourse was greatly en- joyed. Brief but eloquent addresses were made by the Pres- ident of the day Rev. Mr. Palmer, Ex Pastor Rev. J. L. Harris, Rev. George L. Gleason of Byfield, John Howard Burnham, Esq., of Bloomington, Ill., and Rev. D. O. Mears, D. D. of Worcester. An original Poem written for the occa- sion by Mrs. Elizabeth Lane of Boston, formerly a member of this society, was read by Miss Ida P. Howes.
The choir and band discoursed sweet music between the addresses. The services of the day closed with prayer by the acting pastor and the singing of the doxology.
The following account of the church decorations is taken from the Boston Journal of the next day :
The church interior was handsomely decorated for the occasion, appar- ently at much labor and expense. A large floral arch was over the altar, and in the centre were the words :
"PROFANE NOT THE COVENANT OF OUR FATHERS."
This was flanked by the dates 1683 and ISS3. Suspended from the arch was a tablet inclosed in evergreen and scarlet geraniums, bearing the words of Acts x, 33, which formed the text when the present church was dedicated in 1793. A floral work suspended from the ceiling was attractive from its composition of ferns and myrtle leaves. The pulpit was almost hidden from view by gladioli and other flowers. The walls were decorated at appropriate points with ornamental crosses, wreaths and flowers in va- rious designs. The balcony front centre was arrayed in festoons of white trimmed with trailing ivy, and the right and left of the balcony were fes- tooned with the American colors. The balcony rail was surmounted with pots of rare exotics. and also golden rod, ferns, oak leaves, etc. There was much to please the eye in the general adornment.
The location of the first church building, raised in April 1679, was marked by flags; also that of the second house of
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Two Hundredth Anniversary.
worship raised in 1718. Some of the foundation stones of this building still remain beneath the soil. A flag waving rom each corner clearly revealed the exact location of the building to many interested visitors.
The spot on which Rev. John Wise lived during the first twenty years of his ministry, was also indicated by a flag.
A wreath of evergreen upon the tombstones of Revs. Theophilus Pickering and John Cleaveland, in the old ceme- tery, marked the last resting place of those divines.
The tablet of slate in the monument over Mr. Wise's grave having been injured, was replaced by one of more durable quality bearing, however, the same epitaph. This gift was through the generosity of a parishioner Mr. Addison Cogswell.
Among the large company from abroad who manifested a hearty interest in the occasion were many members of the families of former pastors of the Church. The families of Pickering, Cleaveland, Crowell, Bacon, Morehouse and Har- ris were well represented.
The warm interest and sympathy of absent members who had returned to their former spiritual home, the devotion of the entire Parish to the duties of the hour, the presence and congratulations of many families of the town, not now in church relations with us, but whose ancestors for many get erations worshipped at this altar, the delightful memories revived by the various exercises, all combined to make this # most interesting and long to be remembered Anniversary.
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MEMORIAL SERMON
BY REV. F. H PALMER, ACTING PASTOR.
Preached on Sunday, August 19, 1883, in the First Con- gregational Church .*
"For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers." Job 8: 8.
On the first day of January, 1815, a sermon was preached from these words by the Rev. Robert Crowell, who had been ordained pastor of this church five months before. In the printed copies of that sermon there is an explanatory note, stating that "the following discourse consists of a compila- tion of facts the knowledge of which it was thought might be useful to the rising generation of this parish;" and ex- . pressing the hope "that it may serve to increase the knowl- edge of their fathers, and lead them, through divine grace, to imitate their pious and devout examples."
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*In conducting the services Mr. Palmer used what is probably the oldest Bible to be found in any family in this section. It is the property of Mrs. Winthrop Low. Upon the fly-leaf it is written :
"The title page and several leaves at the beginning are missing. This Bible was without doubt brought from England by the first settlers, bearing the name of Low."
"The Old and New Testament. printed by Christopher Barker, in the year 1579." (See fac simile.)
"The Whole Book of Psalms, by Sternhold, Hopkins and others, printed as follows : . At London, printed by John Days, dwelling over Addersgate. An. 1578. Cum Privilegio Regiae Majestatis,'"
"Su-anna Low. her Book. 1667, May 19. Thomas Low, his Book. .Both names appear to have been written very nearly at the same time. )
". The names of Samuel Low and John Low, written probably near 200 years ago. also are found on the blank leaves."
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noors Aarn
Congregational Church and. Parish, Essex.
In the providence of God we are again reminded, by the occurrence of our two hundredth anniversary, of the appro- priateness and profit of turning our glances backward and observing the events of the past, in which the successes and · the failures of our forefathers have been wrought out. It is necessary to pause occasionally, at appropriate periods, and review the past. The events which make up our human experience succeed each other so rapidly, -so swift is the current that is sweeping us onward through our brief span of life toward eternity, -that we hardly realize the meaning of what is taking place around us. No age can truly estimate its own power and significance. It is the part of the future to rate the time that now is. Hence the propriety of these anniversary seasons. We are to view the past as a written page of instruction, which will teach us the meaning of God's providence, and disclose to us the value of life, and lead us to appreciate the blessings and opportunities which accrue to us from the devout and self-denying labors of those who have gone before.
More than sixty-eight years have passed away since Dr. Crowell used these words of Job's friend to turn our fathers' thoughts back to the earlier history of their then ancient church. That which was new in that day has become old now, and that which was old then has become very, very old. "The fathers" upon whose "pious and devout examples" our fathers reflected, have become great-great-grandfathers to those living at the present day. We have the pious examples of many generations to reflect upon. We have the accu- mulated experiences of a long line of godly ancestors. We can study their deeds and their principles ; and profiting by the dispassionate verdict of time upon their various doings we can judge, with some degree of accuracy, of the wisdom and earnestness of their lives, and of the quality of the institutions which they founded for the promotion of human happiness and for the glory of God. We can judge, too, of the progress of
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Two Hundredth Anniversary.
ideas, and of the advance that this world has been making in attainments, physical, intellectual and spiritual, since their day. We may thus find abundant cause for congratulation ; we may thus learn many needed lessons, and gain many valuable encouragements which will aid us in maintaining the institutions which they have founded, and help us to hand these down, in turn, to posterity, with new demonstra- tions of their usefulness and power. If our present signifi- cant anniversary shall do this for us, -if our rich past shall thus instruct us, it will not be in vain that we "enquire," to- day, "of the former age," and prepare ourselves "to the search of their fathers.".
It is not my purpose to review, on this occasion, the facts in our history in the order of their occurrence. The story of the founding of this church and the detailed history of its twelve pastorates is an interesting narrative. The fullness and accuracy with which it can and will be related, is due almost wholly to the disinterested labors of that revered pastor to whom I have already referred. And it is an espec- ially felicitous circumstance that we may have for our historian on this occasion, one who by nature and inheritance, is so especially qualified for the task.
Without trespassing at all on the province of others who are to review the events of these two centuries of church and parish life in this community, I wish to direct your attention, to-day, to some more general matters which have a direct bearing upon the results of these fruitful years. The first and proper business of the historian is to narrate facts, to set forth events in the order of their occurrence. This is the work that is to be done for us by others. But facts and events are effects; and every effect has and must have an efficient cause behind it. It is the part of the philosopher to trace the events of history to their causes, and to show how and why things have happened as they have. As all philosophy is but a search for causes, and as all causes
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ultimately proceed from, or are merged into the one great first cause, which is God himself, so the philosopher in the highest exercise of his function becomes the theologian, as he traces whatever is, and has been, to the overruling prov- idence of God. Without arrogating for ourselves, to-day, any too ambitious titles, let us nevertheless assume so far as possible the philosophical and the religious attitude of mind ; , and in our inquiries of the former age let us seek for the causes which produced the peculiar and wonderful forms of life, both secular and spiritual, which we find originally in New England, in such communities as this one, and which, from these centres, have shaped the whole political and religious development of our land. We shall thus inevitably find ourselves assuming the attitude of mind most appro- piate to such an occasion as this two hundredth anniversary, the attitude of thanksgiving and praise to God for the won- . derful way in which he led our fathers, and for the wonderful blessings and opportunities which he has bestowed upon us.
In the first place, then, we may thank God, to-day, that, the great constructive idea in the minds of our forefathers, as they came to the New England wilderness to establish for themselves homes and a government, was a religious idea.
Driven out of England in consequence of the zeal which they showed for a greater "scripture purity" in worship and doctrine than could be found in the Established Church ; finding only a short rest at Amsterdam, and in Leyden, Hol- land, where they were "grieved with the corrupt examples around them, and fearing lest their children should be con- taminated therewith," the Pilgrim Fathers set sail on August 5th, 1620, from Deft Haven, near Leyden, and in November of the same year landed on our bleak and wintry Massachu- setts coast. They had left their homes, and endured the hardships of an uncertain and perilous sea-voyage to an un- explored and unknown land, for a purpose; and that purpose was that they might worship God according to the
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Two Hundredth Anniversary.
dictates of their own consciences and serve Him according to what seemed to them the scriptural and reasonable method, wholly unhindered by any ecclesiastical authority and unfet- tered by any popish forms.
The very foundations of our New England and national civilization were thus, in the providence of God, laid in reli- gion. Coming here with this definite purpose of enjoying religious freedom, and of securing it, and its attendant bless- ings, to their posterity, the meeting house was the first thought and care of our fathers.
"In the settlements which grew up on the margin of the greenwood" says the historian Bancroft, "the plain meeting house of the congregation for public worship was every- where the central point. Near it stood the public school by the side of the very broad road, over which wheels did not pass to do more than mark the path by ribbons in the sward. The snug farm houses, owned as freeholders, without quit- rents, were dotted along the way, and the village pastor among his people, enjoying the calm raptures of devotion, 'appeared like such a little white flower as we see in the spring of the year, low and humble on the ground, standing peacefully and lovingly in the midst of the flowers round about; all in like manner opening their bosoms to drink in the light of the sun'. In every hand was the Bible; every home was a house of prayer; in every village all had been taught, many had comprehended a methodical theory of the divine purpose in creation, and of the destiny of man."
It is not difficult to trace the influence of this religious idea upon all departments of life in the growing communities in which our forefathers lived. Thus we can see that here was the starting point of that educational system, which has had so much to do with the making of the New England character, and which has given to New Englanders a world- wide reputation for intelligence, shrewdness, and common sense. The basis of the religion of our fathers was the
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Congregational Church and Parish, Essex.
Bible. But to understand the Bible a certain amount of education was essential. Hence they forthwith established the necessary schools, that their children and the whole com- munity might appreciate the arguments by which their reli- gion was defended, and that an educated ministry might be furnished to lead them in divine things. "The Pilgrim Fathers well understood" says another, "that Protestant Chris- tianity demands intellectual culture. The preaching of the gospel can only produce its best results when addressed to a people enjoying the advantages of some good measure of education." This they not only determined to furnish, but to make obligatory upon all. Here is the germ of our com- mon school system. And it had its origin in the religious idea.
Again the whole political system, which secures freedom and equality to all our citizens, and which has proved such a stimulus to ambition, and such a conservator of justice and of peace, strikes its roots into identically the same ground. It was their profound conviction of the universal brotherhood and the absolute equality of the human race in the sight of God, that led our forefathers to remove from a land of tyranny to a land where they might enjoy the blessings of that free- dom in which they believed. Their political institutions were the direct result of their religious ideas. The church and the state were identical. The meetings of the parish were the meetings of the town. To be entitled to a vote in politi- cal matters each person was required to become a member of some Congregational church. The historian, Bancroft, already quoted, says again : "All New England was an aggregate of organized democracies. But the complete development of the institution was to be found in Connecticut and the Massa- chusetts Bay. There each township was also substantially a territorial parish ; the town was the religious congregation ; the independent church was established by law; the minister was elected by the people who annually made grants for his
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support. He who will understand the political charac- ter of New England in the eighteenth century must study the constitution of its towns, its congregations, its schools and its Militia."
Once more this strong and clearly-defined religious idea of our ancestors made itself powerfully felt as a constructive force, in the building up, in the several communities, of a remarkably pure moral and social life. The influence of the church and the minister was everywhere strongly felt. Public sentiment was thus educated to condemn, almost harshly sometimes, whatever was impure and unholy in thought, word or deed. The transgressor was made to feel himself odious to the whole community, a blot upon its fair name and a dis- grace to himself and all his friends. This popular disapproval thus became one of the very strongest possible deterrents from crime. It was popular to be religious, Sabbath-keeping was almost universal, Sabbath-breaking was scarcely known. In social customs whatever seemed to make for piety and serious- ness was viewed with approval, and whatever interfered with a religious and devotional habit was sternly disapproved. Thus public opinion drew the line sharply between good and evil, and no one was left in doubt as to which he would be expected to choose.
So in all the departments of life, the religious idea of our forefathers made itself felt as a shaping and developing power, and to it we own all that is noblest and best in both the secular and religious institutions which have made our own New England, and indeed our whole country, what they are to day. We may well thank God that it was so grand a purpose and so noble a sentiment that drove our ancestors, so long ago, to this inhospitable coast, to found a State where education, liberty, and a pure religion might forever be the inalienable right of every citizen of the land.
I have dwelt thus far, dear friends, upon these general aspects of life in the time of our fathers, and upon the forces at work
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Congregational Church and Parish, Essex.
in the formation of society in their day, because it is only by knowing and recalling these things that we shall be prepared rightly to appreciate the part which this particular church has had in the conservation and application of these forces in this community in which we live.
I would mention then, in the second place, as a cause of devout thanksgiving and praise to God to-day, the fact that in His providence, this church has been permitted for two long centuries to exert so beneficent an influence, and to do so great a work in this town. What the religious idea of our forefathers did for New England as a whole, that, preemi -. nently, this church, as the exponent of religion, has done in this community, in building up the intellectual, moral and political life of the place. I think we may say with perfect truthfulness and without boasting, that for two centuries this church has been the chief earthly means for securing the best blessings of God to the people of this town. As its meeting house stands conspicuous upon this hill, above the other buildings, so its influence has been preeminent among the good influences that have been working here. It has truly been as "a city that is set on an hill," and its light has not been hid.
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It is not difficult to find illustrations of the beneficent and wholesome effect of this church and of its ministers upon the various departments of thought and life. Thus let us see what has been its influence in matters of education in this place.
"Our forefathers" says the historian of Essex*, "were in- telligent and well educated men. They knew therefore how to appreciate the importance of a good education for their children. But while in a wilderness, few and far between, and with scanty means of living, they could not build school houses and hire teachers and if they could have done it, the dangers from wild beasts would have rendered it hazardous
*History of Essex. p. 103 sq.
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Two Hundredth Anniversary. 17
for their children to go and come from school. As late as 1723 wolves were so abundant and so near the meeting house that parents would not suffer their children to go and come from worship without some grown person. The education of their children however was not neglected. "They were taught at home to read write and cipher, and were instructed in the great principles of religion, and in the principal laws of their country. And when in 1642 it was found that some parents were not faithful in these and other duties to their children, the Selectmen of the town were directed To see ' that children neglected by their parents are learned (so reads the record) to read and understand the principles of religion, and the capital laws of this country, and are engaged in some proper employment.' The same year the town voted that there should be a free school." These were the begin- nings of education in this place. In 1651, thirteen years after the establishment of Harvard College, a Latin School was opened here to prepare young men for college, and in the next half century thirty eight went out from Ipswich and studied at Harvard. Eleven of these became ministers, three physicians, and the rest served in civil and judicial capacities.
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