USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Bradford > Discourse, delivered in the East Parish in Bradford, December 22, 1820, two hundred years after the first settlement in New England, containing a history of the town > Part 3
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After the cessation of hostilities, when this country had virtually obtained the object contended for, it be- came a question, what course should be taken in regard to those who had left the country during the war. The sentiment of this town on the subject, may be learned from the following resolution, passed May 17th, 1783, viz : " That the representative from this town the ensuing year, be instructed to use his utmost endeavour, to pre- vent any person or persons returning to live in this
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commonwealth, who have conspired against or absented themselves from the United States, during the continu- ance of the war with Great Britain." The sentiment ex- pressed in this vote, prevailed generally at that time, but has not borne the test of more cool deliberation.
After the declaration of independence, it became a subject of great concern, to define the principles and fix upon the form of government in this commonwealth. And there were measures taken to get the minds of the people, on the subject of a new constitution, and of the manner it should be formed. The result this town came to, is expressed in the following resolution, " that we are not willing, nor do we consent, that the house of representatives and council acting in one body, as proposed in a resolve of the house, passed September 17, 1776, should agree on, and enact a constitution, and form of government for this state, but we are willing and do desire that the honourable council, and the hon- ourable house of representatives, each acting in their respective capacities proceed to form a plan of govern- ment for this state, and exhibit attested copies of the same, to the several towns, for their inspection and ap- probation, before it be ratified and confirmed.
In 1779, when delegates were to be chosen for the formation of a constitution, this town made choice of Peter Russel, Esq. to meet with the convention, to be assembled for that purpose on the 1st of September, and instructed him, when the constitution was formed, to deliver a copy of it to the selectmen, in order to have it laid before the town for their inspection. The con- stitution being formed and sent to the people in 1780, the people voted to accept it, requiring however, that the word protestant should be inserted after the word christian in the qualification for governor. There were
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eleven votes against the third article, the rest appears to have been adopted without dissent.
In 1795, when the time had arrived for the revision of the constitution, according to a provision made in it, if the people desired it, there was but one vote in favour of a revision.
This year, as you know, there has been a new pro- posal for alteration, arising professedly from this circum- stance, that one large portion of this state has been sep- arated from it. A majority of votes was given in favor of revision. And there being found to be a majority in the state, this town voted to send to the Convention, and for this purpose, made choice of Daniel Stickney, and Jesse Kimball, Esquires. 'The Convention is now in session, and the revision going on perhaps not with all the speed the public expected, but with a spirit and talent which promises a happy issue.
Religion .- At what time the people upon this river, be- gan first to enjoy the public worship of God by themselves, does not appear from any record that I have found. Rev. Mr. Zacheriah Symmes, must have resided in this town in capacity of a religious teacher, at least about fourteen years before his ordination. For in the first legal town meeting of which we have a record, held in 1668, it was voted, that the selectmen chosen that year, should have power to carry on and finish the minister's house according to Mr. Symmes' direction, though he was not ordained till 1682. And for his support, the first year, he received forty pounds, the next year fifty, which ap- pears to have been his yearly salary, till the time of his ordination. The one half of this was to be paid in wheat, pork, butter and cheese, the other half in malt, indian corn or rye. And the town appear to have been desirous to make his circumstance altogether comforta- ble, for in 1669, they voted to defray the expense of
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bringing his goods to town, gave him forty acres of land near Indian hill, and appointed sergeant Gage, John Simmons and David Haseltine, to lay it out. And fur- ther appointed Robert Haseltine and Samuel Wooster, to gather the tax, and take care to have Mr. Symmes' work done, and to attend to such other things as he should stand in need of during the year. And a committee was appointed for the same purpose from year to year, during his and the greater part of his successor's ministry in this place. Indeed provision for the full and respectable en- joyment of religion, and for the comfort of those who min- istered to them in holy things, formed a very prominent trait in the character of the first settlers in this town. Hardly a meeting of the town passed without doing some- thing on this subject, and all manifesting a liberality which does them honor. In accordance with what was a princi- pal object with them, they appointed in 1677, Samuel Wooster, John Tenny, John Simmons and Richard Hall, to join with Mr. Symmes " to advise to what might be thought best for the further carrying on the affairs of re- ligion, and to prepare for the settlement of the ordinances of God, in this place." And in 1681, it was voted and consented to, " that the Rev. Mr. Symmes have liberty at his discretion, to call out any two men of the inhabitants of the town, to assist him in catechising the youth, and also to go with him to see who of the heads of the fami- lies or others, would join the church." That the last part of this resolve may be understood, it may be necessary to observe, that it was now in contemplation to form a church in this town, for though the inhabitants of this town had enjoyed, as we have noticed, the ministry of the word, they had not the holy sacrament, for their re- ligious teacher, Mr. Symmes, had not yet been ordained; the pious were united with the church at Rowley, Ha- verhill, and perhaps with other neighboring societies.
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the object therefore of this resolution was to see who would take up their connections with other churches, and unite in forming one in this place, and further to ascertain whether there were not other serious persons disposed to unite with them. Having ascertained each others feelings on this subject, and found, as their consequent doings prove, the minds of professors favourable to such a plan, they called in the pastors of several churches to advise with them about the propriety of the measure they had in contemplation. The result of their deliberations we have in the following instrument.
" The question being proposed to us whose names are under-written, whether the minister and people at Brad- ford, should promote without delay a coalition of them- selves into a church and society, we answer in the affir- mative, provided that the people do their utmost in tak- ing effectual care, that he that preaches the gospel among them, live on the gospel according to 1 Cor. ix, 14, that so he may provide for his own household, as 1 Tim. v. 2, provided also, that their present teacher accept of office work among them so long as he finds he can comforta- bly discharge his duty, in all the relations he stands to God, his people and in his family, and that when he finds he cannot discharge his said duties respectively, the people shall freely release him of his engagement to them, after leave of council taken in the case : for hereby is a door opened for the worker to work the whole work of God, as an officer of Christ in that place, as others in office do in their places according to the 1 Cor. xvi. 10, for he worketh the work of God as I also do ; hereby also is a better opportunity both for the worker and those that are taught to walk in all the com- mandments and ordinances of God blameless : Luke i, 6. That they may be found walking in the truth as we have
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received commandment from the father, 2 John 4 .--- Dated 31st Oct. 1682.
This was subscribed by the Rev. Elder John Higginson, William Hubbard, John Brak, Samuel Phillips, John Richerson, John Hale, Edward Payson. And atea legal town meeting. November 28, 1682, it was voted and granted. that this resolve of the Rev. Elders, be en- tered in the town book as what was ascented to by all the inhabitants in the town.
To the conditions proposed by these reverend Elders, the town made the reply contained in the following in- strument, which also contains the call they made to Mr. Symmes, to settle with them.
" We, the inhabitants of Bradford, met together at a legal town meeting, 13th March, 1682, in thankful- ness to God for his great mercy in setting up his sanctua- ry among us, do hereby engage ourselves, jointly and singly, and do engage our children after us, as far as we may, by our parental authority, to endeavor by our and their utmost power, to uphold the faithful ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in this town of Bradford, so long as wc and they shall live ; and for the encouragement of the same, to contribute a liberal and honorable maintenance towards it, as the rule of the gospel doth require, to the utmost of our and their ability, which God shall be pleas- ed to bless us and them with from time to time. And for the encouragement of our present minister, we do covenant and promise to give and allow to him, so long as he shall continue with us as our minister, the full sum of sixty pounds per annum, if God be pleased to pre- serve us in our present capacity, and for to be paid in our present state annually, as follows : the first half in wheat and pork, butter and cheese, allowing at least to this half, one pound of butter for every milch cow and one cheese for a family ; the other half to be in malt,
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indian or rye, except what he willingly excepts in other pay ; the first payment to be made the second Thursday in October, the other payment to be made the third Thursday in March ; and if any unforeseen providence shall hinder, then to take the next convenient day the week following.
We further grant liberty to him, to improve for his best advantage, what land we shall accomplish or obtain for our ministry. We grant him also liberty to feed his herd of cattle on our lands during his abode with us, which shall have the same liberty as our own cattle have. We engage to procure for him, at our own charge be- sides the annual stipend, sufficient firewood every year in good cord wood, he allowing six pence per cord, to bring it seasonably and cord it up in his yard. We engage also to furnish him yearly with ten sufficient loads of good hay if he need them at price current among us, and to bring it in the summer time, and also to sup- ply him with sufficient fencing and good stuff which he may hereafter need, at a reasonably lay. We engage that there be convenient highways provided and legally stated, to the several parcels of land, which we have given him ; as to the five acres of meadow and the forty acres of upland, we bought of Benjamin Kimball. We do also engage that two men shall be chosen from year to year for the comfortable carrying on of his affairs, and that these two men shall have power to require any man . at two days warning, according to his proportion, to help carry on his necessary husbandry work. We also en- gage that these agreements, together with any legal town acts, confirming the annual stipend and other concerns of our present minister, be duly and truely, in manner and kind as above specified without trouble to himself.
This was voted and granted to be entered in the town's book, at a legal town meeting the 13th January 1682. as attests, SHUBAL WALKER, Recorder."
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During the time these things were doing by the town, those who intended to unite in church relation, were preparing themselves for this solemnity, as we learn from the following instrument, which they called an act of Pacification, viz :-
" We, whose names are subscribed, being awfully sen- sible that we live in an age, wherein God hath in part, executed the dreadful threatenings to take place in the earth, and wherein satan the great makebate and author of contentions, doth by God's holy permission exceedingly rage even in the visible church of God, and wherein the wicked one is sowing the tares of discord almost in eve- ry christian society, (the sad effects of which, we who are the inhabitants of Bradford, have for some years past experimentally felt, and have yet the bitter remem- brance thereof,) we being now (through the rich and un- deserved mercy of God in Christ Jesus) under hopeful probability of setting up a church of Christ Jesus in Brad- ford, do take this occasion, as to express our hearty and unfeigned sorrow and humiliation for what unchristian differences have broken forth among us, to the dishonor of God's name, the grief of his Spirit, and to the obstruct- ing of the work and kingdom of Jesus Christ among us, and to the hindering of our own peace and edification ; so also in the name of God and by his gracious help, seriously and solemnly do engage and promise for the future to forgive and forget, to the utmost of our endeav- ours, all former unchristian animosities, distances, aliena- tions, differences and contests, private or more public, personal or social that have risen among us, or between us and other people, to pass a general act of amnesty and oblivion upon them all, and not to speak of them to the defamation of each other at home in Bradford town, much less abroad in any other place, nor to repeat or revive them, unless called by scripture rule or lawful
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authority to mention them for the conviction or spiritual advantage of each other. Besides, we promise, through the grace of God, that in case God in his most wise and holy providence, should permit any offences for the future to break forth among us, (which we desire God, in his infinite mercy would prevent, as far as may be for his glory and our own good,) that we will then conscien- tiously endeavour to attend scripture rules for the healing and removing them, and those holy rules in particular Levit. xix, 17, 18, Math. xviii, 15, &c. and so bring no mat- ter of grievance against each other, to our minister and to our church, but in a scriptural and orderly way and man- ner. That we may be helped inviolably to observe this our agreement, we desire the assistance of each other's mutual, both christian and church watch, that we may be monitors or as it were remembrancers to each other of this branch of our covenant; as also through instant and constant prayers of each other, that God would ena- ble us carefully to observe this instrument of our pacifi- cation and our conditional obligation to church and order, that God's name may be honored by us, and we may experience God's commanding his blessing upon us, even life forevermore .- Private fast, April 20, 1682, then was this vote passed."
Having thus as they hoped sanctified themselves, and all things being ready, they united together in fellow- ship the 27th of December 1682, the day Mr. Symmes was ordained. It is much to be regretted, that part of the covenant they took is missing. What remains I will present to you.
* By the power of his Holy Spirit, in the ministry of his word, whereby we have been brought to see our misery by nature, our inability to help ourselves, and our need of a Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom we desire now solemnly to give up ourselves, as to our only Re-
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deemer, to keep us by his power unto salvation. And for the furtherance of the blessed work, we are now ready to enter into a solemn covenant with God and with one another, that is to say, we do give up ourselves unto God whose name alone is Jehovah, as the only true and living God, and unto the Lord Jesus Christ, his only son, who is the Saviour, Prophet, Priest and King of his church and Mediator of the covenant of grace and to his Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth and to bring us unto salvation at the last. We do also give up our off- springs unto God in Christ Jesus, avouching him to be our God and the God of our children, humbly desiring him to bestow upon us that grace, whereby both we and they may walk before him as becomes his covenant peo- ple forever. We do also give up ourselves one unto another in the Lord, according to the will of God, en- gaging ourselves to walk together as a right ordered church of Christ, in all the ways of his worship, accord- ing to the rules of his most holy word, promising in brotherly labor, faithfully to watch over one another's souls and to submit ourselves to the government of Christ in his church, attending upon all his holy admin- istrations according to the order of the gospel, so far as God hath or may reveal it to us by his word and Spirit.
ZACHERIAH SYMMES, SAMUEL HASELTINE,
SAMUEL STICKNEY, JOHN TENNY,
JOHN HARDY,
JOSEPH BAILEY,
JOHN SIMMONDS,
ABRAHAM HASELTINE,
WILLIAM HUCHENCE, JOHN BOYNTON,
JOSEPH PALMER, JOHN WALSON,
DAVID HASELTINE,
ROBERT HASELTINE,
RICHARD HALL, B. KIMBALL,
THOMAS WEST,
ROBERT SAVORY.
The persons whose names have this mark prefixed to them, sigued this covenant by putting their mark to it.
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Mr. Symmes was the son of Zacheriah Symmes min- ister of Charlestown, who came from England. Of his mother, Mr. Johnson, whose name we have had occa- sion to mention, observes, " that she was a godly woman. Her courage exceeded her stature, she bore every diffi- culty with cheerfulness, and raised up ten children to people the American wilderness." It seems that after this, she must have had three more, for Mr. Symmes' Epitaph gives him five sons and eight daughters.
- Our Mr. Symmes was educated at Cambridge, and graduated in 1657. He must have been a man of con- siderable note as well as of learning, for he was one of the fellows of Harvard College, and I believe preached an Election Sermon. Judging from the church records, we have much reason to suppose, that he took heed to the ministry which he received of the Lord to fulfil it. And the work of grace was carried on through his instru- mentality ; 126 were added to the church, and 238 were baptized during his ministry, which, considering the then population of the town, must be considered a goodly number. In 1705, as Mr. Symmes grew old and fee- ble, the town voted "to employ some one to help their be- loved Pastor in the work of the ministry," and appointed Capt. David Haseltine and Ensign John Tenny, to go abroad and upon good information, invite some one to come and labor among them. This committee employed a Mr. Hale, who after a trial of a few Sabbaths, the town liked so well, they voted to em- ploy him for a year, and to give him thirty pounds, his own board and horse keeping. The next year they voted to give him the same sum, and 50 shillings more instead of keeping his horse, and during the year made his support in all, equal to 46 pounds; and it seems upon the whole, they intended to have settled him, for something, like an expression of this, passed in town
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meeting, but why it was never accomplished is not known. In the year 1706, a difficulty arising be- tween Mr. Symmes and the town, relative to some items in his salary, it was mutually agreed it should be left to council ; and Dea. Tenny, Dea. Bailey and Phil- lip Atwood were appointed to manage the business be- fore the council, and afterwards Capt. David Haseltine and Lieut. Richard Kimball were added to the com- mittee, and for ought appears, the affair was amicably adjusted. Mr. Symmes was evidently greatly respect- ed by the town, and his judgment much confided in. And it is nothing more than an act of justice to say, the town appear to have acted generously in the provision they made for his temporal comfort, and to have united readily with him in all his exertions to do good.
Upon his tomb stone is the following Inscription.
Conditum Hie Corpus Viri Veri Reverendi Zachaii Symmes College Havardini Quondam Socii Evangelii Ministri Nati Omnigena Eruditione Ornati Pietate Vi- taeque Sanctitate Maxime Conspicui Ecclaesiae christi Que est Bradfordæ per XL Annos Pastoris Vigilentis- simi fui Commutavit Mortalem cum Immortali Die XXII Martii anno domini MDCCVII Aetatis Luci LXXI.
After the death of Mr. Symmes, the town having made trial of his ministerial endowments, voted to give a Mr. Stearns a call to settle with them, and for his sup- port to give him 60 pounds for the first four years, and 65 the remainder of his life, the improvement of the parsonage, and thirty cords of wood. Why he did not accept is not mentioned. In July the 20th, 1708, the church voted to give Mr. Thomas Symmes, a son of their former minister, an invitation to settle with them, and the town voted the same day to concur with the church, and for his support to give him " both for quantity and
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quality" the same they had offered Mr. Stearns. He accepted the call and was installed December 1708, about a year after his father's death. Mr. T. Symmes was born in Bradford, February 16,8, and was gradu- ated at Harvard College, where he received his educa- tion in 1698. He was a man of strong powers of mind and of very considerable learning; often read in his family from the Hebrew Scriptures. He was the first minister in Boxford, ordained 1702, but was dismissed from them in 1708, the same year he was installed in this town. In early life his principles were not very strict, but he afterward embraced what are called the dis- tinguishing doctrines of grace. He was a man of irrita- ble if not of fiery passions, several instances are recollect- ed in which his feelings got altogether the control of him, but he made it a uniform habit, as soon as the heat of the moment was over, to confess his sin, and if in his passion he had said any thing offensive to others, to ask their pardon. He wanted economy in the management of his pecuniary concerns, for with a better salary than any of his neighbours, he lived and died poor. He wanted prudence also in his intercourse with his people and in the measures he recommended and adopted for the common good. As evidence of this, I will mention a rule which he prevailed with the church to adopt, de- claring it to be disorderly and a crime to be punished for church members to lean their heads down on their pews or rest them on their hands during public worship. . And he laboured much with the parish to get them to pass a resolution to have the doors of the meeting-house closed the moment public worship commenced, and to suffer no one to come in after that. Though Mr. Symmes might go to extremes on these subjects, it must be felt that reformation is needed here and in most societies in these particulars, and I hope a hint of this kind will never again
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be called for to secure, in your practice, all which decen- cy and order requires in this house of God. Mr. Symmes was a good singer himself, and was very resolute to in- troduce regular singing among his people, who were not at this time accustomed to such kind of singing, how- ever contrary to their prejudices and inclinations. He wrote a kind of serio-jocose dialogue on the subject, which he published, and by these means raised a con- siderable party spirit in both places of his settlement. He was a man of very popular talents and made a figure in his profession. We may judge of his powers in the pulpit by what Rev. Mr. Coleman says of his election sermon preached 1720, " may it prove, says he, as profitable in the reading, as it was pleasant in the hearing, the preacher was unto us a very lovely song of one that has a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument." He Was an uncommonly faithful man in all the parts of the gospel ministry, took special pleasure in giving instruc- tion to the rising generation, published one sermon preached to the young men of his parish, which was much praised by Increase Mather, and which needs only to be read to be admired by all who have the things of religion at heart. He was very exact in self-exami- nation, and spent much time in secret prayer, and was uncommonly anxious, and labored abundantly to have the church without spot and blemish or any such thing, and all its members, walk in the faith. He was in favour of Congregational church government and greatly approved of that part of the Cambridge platform which recommends the having ruling elders in the church ; and prevailed with his church to adopt that plat- form and to appoint elders. His ministry was attend- ed with great success both in animating and quickening and edifying professors, and in awakening sinners ; two or three considerable revivals took place during his min-
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istry. In 1720, sixty-four were added to the church, forty-six of them in three months, and twenty-five in one day, and there was but one year which passed without considerable accessions to the fold of Christ. Two hundred and seventy-three were received into the com- munion during his ministry. And on the 11th of June, two hundred and thirty-four persons united in commemo- rating their once crucified, but now risen Saviour, which number considering there were then but about two hundred families in town, 1 apprehend must have been very large even in those better days. Four hundred and seventy-four were baptized by him, and eighty-seven couples married. He died October 6th, 1725, aged 48, and the town voted fifty pounds to defray his funeral charges, and continued for some time his salary to his widow. Besides those already mentioned, Mr. Symmes preached a convention sermon which he published. He also wrote and published an account of the fight at Pigwaket .*
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