USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Belchertown > Historical sketch of the Congregational church in Belchertown, Mass. > Part 3
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argument of President Edwards, in his review of Mr. Stoddard's theory on the subject, was mainly directed to obviate arguments drawn from that source, and to show that (whatever analogy there might have been in the constitution of the church under the former and latter dispensation) none were admitted as members of the Christian Church, by authority of Christ or his Apostles, but such as professed their faith in Christ.
Those who held the doctrine of " the half-way cove- nant," claimed the right to exercise jurisdiction over all baptized persons on the same ground, that is, church gov- ernment under the Hebrew Theocracy.
I find under date August 1714, at a meeting of an association of ministers in Hampshire County, who had adopted the " half-way covenant" system, a protestation of their faith on this point as follows :
"If any baptized person living in our towns shall fall into any scandalous transgression, though he hath not actually owned the covenant, we will proceed with such person as if he had actually owned the covenant," assigning their reasons for so doing and predicating their acts upon the following Bible authorities, Deut. ch. 17, v. 2, 3; 2d Chron. ch. 19, v. 10; Exodus ch. 24, and Deut. ch. 27.
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This whole system of doctrine and practice denominated "the half-way covenant," very much resembled the an- cient "catechumen" system of doctrine and practice introduced into the christian church at a very early period of its history, about the close of the first, and beginning of the second century. The Rev. Dr. Coleman, in his learned treatise "Christian Antiquities," says Catechu- mens, in the ancient church, were candidates for baptism, under instruction for admission into the christian church.
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Those who were entitled to partake of the Lord's Supper were exclusively denominated the faithful ; they occupied the rank of approved christians, as the " half-way cove- nant" would express it "in full communion." There were several other classes of persons, who, though connected with the church, and forming constituent parts of it, were separated from, and inferior to, the former, being in vari- ous stages of advancement towards a qualification for the holy rights of the gospel ; these were called catechumens. The "half way-covenant " would consider them in "a state of education," and in process of qualification for " full communion." In the catechumen system, reading the scriptures, fasting, prayer, and various modes of cate- chetical and doctrinal instruction were resorted to as means for the station of " believers," or " approved chris- tians." They were kept in this state of pupilage for different periods of time. Mr. Coleman says, " in general it lasted two or three years, sometimes much longer." When duly prepared by this instruction they were admit- ted into the church, as the catechumens expressed it, as "believers," "enlightened," "initiated." As those who belonged to the half-way covenant express it, " to full communion." We learn from "Christian Antiquities," as well as from other ecclesiastical history, that the Cate- chumens were not permitted to partake of the Eucharist, though they were members of the church ; in the language of the half-way covenant believers, "they must not essay of the breaking in on the privilege of the Lord's Table."
The instruction given to the Catechumens, was such as was suited to their age and capacity, and an indispensa- ble preliminary to their admission into the church. Cat- echumens were divided into several classes ; these varied
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in different churches. The object of all the churches was to prepare the candidate for admission by instructing him in the doctrines and duties of religion, and was deemed a great safe-guard to the church against unworthy mem- bers, by hasty admissions. It is quite manifest that those professing the half-way covenant system re- quired more knowledge of religious truth of those they admitted to a state of education, than the primitive church required of the Catechumen. The reason for ad- mitting these classes of persons members of the church, was because without such admission the church would not have that jurisdiction over them in instruction and disci- pline which was supposed to be essential for their right training to become members of the church in full com- munion. The catechumen system was not introduced till after the age of the Apostles. To detail more fully the two systems of the half-way covenant and the catechu- men, would not be in accordance with my design in this sketch. By a comparison of the compendium of the half- way covenant, and that of the catechumen, the analogy between them will appear clear and conclusive. I cannot learn that any written summary of the faith, or covenant, or rules of action of this church, contained the half-way covenant doctrine. It is certain that none since 1756, has ever embraced any such compendium, yet there is no doubt the half-way covenant practice prevailed in this church, from its earliest existence till after Mr. Forward's settlement. The first articles of faith and church cove- nant adopted by this church, at its organization, are not in existence. Not many years after Mr. Forward's settle- ment here I find a vote of this church as follows :
" Voted, that we will not admit in future any person into the church as a member, but such as give preponder- 4
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ating evidence, or such evidence as the circumstances of the case will admit, that they are really such as they profess to be; that is christians, and by christians we mean regenerated persons."
The date of this vote is a little uncertain, probably as late or later than 1770 ; but the practice in the church had prevailed, as expressed in the vote, before the vote was taken. The church articles of faith since 1756, have been those known as orthodox. From the dismission of Mr. Billing, the people remained destitute of a settled ministry about three years and ten months ; they, how- ever, sustained preaching and maintained the ordinances. Mr. Dickinson, Mr. Pierce, and others, ministered to them. Mr. Forward came among them for a supply, by invitation, in the fall of 1755. On the 8th of December, at a precinct meeting, a committee was appointed to see him in relation to the continuing his labors among them. Mr. Forward had been engaged to supply for a time, and had fulfilled the engagement. The committee were au- thorized to call a meeting to consider the subject of giving him a call to settle among them. A meeting was called and holden on the ninth day of January 1756; the subject considered and a call given by a universal vote, and a committee chosen to treat with Mr. Forward, on the subject of his settlement. Various proposals were made as to terms, which were not satisfactory ; the diffi- culty attending the negotiation seemed to arise from the fluctuation of the currency, or how to estimate the real value of nominal sums. Nominal sums were continually varying as to their intrinsic worth. It was finally pro- posed to offer Mr. Forward one hundred acres of land, and eighty pounds in lawful money, to be paid in labor towards building Mr. Forward a house, for settlement.
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And for salary, to give him forty-six pounds thirteen shillings and four pence, lawful money the first year, and raise one pound six shillings and eight pence a year, for ten years to come, which will make it sixty pounds, and then after ten years, to pay him sixty pounds lawful money a year, so long as he continues pastor of this church, and cut and draw his fire-wood, off from Mr. Forward's own land. To the call of the people to settle with them and the proposals offered him, Mr. Forward returned the following answer.
" To the church of Christ, in the township of Cold- Spring, and to the inhabitants of said town, GREETING :
Beloved and Friends .- I have taken into consideration your invitation to me, to settle among you, in the work of the gospel ministry, as manifested to me by your com- mittee, on the evenings succeeding the 9th and the 19th of January, as also the offers of the town to induce me so to do, and proposals respecting provision for my mainten- ance, and outward support, in case I should settle in that work among you as manifested to me by the same com- mittee, on the evening last mentioned, and for your good will towards me hereby manifested, I can but render you my grateful acknowledgments. I have taken the advice of those of my friends whom I had opportunity to consult respecting this affair, and I hope seriously considered, and diligently weighed and pondered the case before me, in all the apparent circumstances of it, and begged direction of Almighty God, in this important case, con- cern and affair, both for myself, and for you, that each might be taught and guided in the way of our duty, and in the way that might be for our best interests. I must confess that the greatness of the work and the difficulties
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that attend it, have lain with no small weight upon my spirits, and at times been matter of great discouragement to me, concerning undertaking it at present, especially considering my youth and the little time and opportunity I have had to pursue the study of Divinity, so that on that account I should not have chosen to have engaged in the work of the ministry so soon. But God, who knows what is best and fittest for us infinitely better than we do what is so for our ownselves, has in the way of his Providence as we have good reason to think, all circum- stances duly considered, united your hearts together to make choice of me to be your minister, which I cannot but look upon as a speaking thing in Providence ; it is what has greatly engaged my affections towards you, and seemed to make duty plain before me, and also to lay open a glorious and lovely prospect of my usefulness among you, which thing I hope and trust are with me higher and more weighty and powerful motives and inducements, to engage me to settle in the work of the ministry among you, than the prospect of any temporal reward or accommodations whatever. Not that I would be thought to speak or think lightly, or diminutively of the proffered proposal you have made me respecting my outward accommodations and maintenance among you. Indeed I cannot say that what you have offered me will be sufficient for my comfortable support and subsistence, nor can I say to the contrary, because I know not the cost of building or maintaining a family, nor what family I shall have if I should live, nor under what circumstan- ces they or I may be. But however, I take it that the people of this town, have all along, since I first preached with you, shown a generous and good disposition towards me, and considering the fewness of their numbers, and
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the circumstances of the times, made me an offer as good perhaps as was reasonable to expect, and as I desire only a comfortable support and maintenance from you, should I settle with you, so I doubt not should my necessities require more, and your circumstances admit of giving it, you would freely give it ; a sufficient maintenance being the thing, and that only which is desired or proposed by each party, I must therefore, as is my duty, notwithstand- ing all difficulties and discouragements comply with and be obedient to, what appears to me to be the Heavenly call, and I hope, I do it cheerfully and for the sake of God, and the interests of religion. At present therefore I know of nothing, upon supposition that the neighboring ministers advise to it, may hinder my settling among you and think to accept your invitation and offers, hoping that we may be blessings to, and blessed in and with each other, so wishing and praying that grace, mercy and peace may be multiplied unto you abundantly,
I remain your assured friend, JUSTUS FORWARD."
Dated at my Lodgings, in Cold-Spring, Jan. 29, Anno Domini, 1756.
No sooner was this answer given than measures were taken for Mr. Forward's ordination, which took place on the twenty-fifth day of February, 1756. He was then in the 26th year of his age. To this time the number of inabitants had increased to sixty families-three hun- dred souls ; there were sixty-eight communicants, thirty- three males thirty-five females. These were, with the ex- ception of a very few, members of this church ; some very few, who had came into the place while the people were destitute of a minister, had deferred connecting themselves with this church, who were professors of re- ligion, but did not transfer their church relation to this
4*
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church till after Mr. Forward's ordination ; this accounts for the fact that a few names stand as members of the church, on the church records at the time of his ordina- tion, whose names are found as uniting with this church after his settlement.
As early as the year 1757 measures were taken to obtain an act of incorporation with town privileges. The settlers had no power to tax nonresident lands for parochial charges, to pay a minister or build a meeting house ; that could be done only by special authority from the General Court ; this had embarrassed them from their first settlement. There was a conflicting interest between resident and non-resident proprietors on this subject. Resident pro- prietors, in a petition dated December 1754, to the Gene- ral Court, say they are destitute of a minister and unable to go through with the expense of settling one, and pray for leave to assess a small tax on all lands. This was op- posed by non-resident proprietors. By way of remonstrance February 26th 1755, they say, " this tract was equivalent land and purchased without any conditions or limitations. One third was sold to persons to bring forward a set- tlement, but they culled out the best; their one third is in fact equal in value to all the rest ; yet proprietors (non- resident) agreed to be taxed for meeting-house and min- ister. A meeting-house was built, and Mr. Billing settled. After a long controversy and debate Mr. Billing was dis- missed. And now the inhabitants petition for a tax to settle another. We think this unreasonable, as we were not obliged originally to pay any thing, and pray that no pow- er be given to raise a tax." The remonstrance prevailed ; no tax was then granted. In 1756 another petition of simi- lar import was made to the General Court. In Jan. 1757, the power was given by the Legislature, and a tax of one
1
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half a penny an acre was assessed ; this greatly relieved and encouraged the people. The greatest obstacle in the way of the prosperity of the place, and which was most embarrassing to the settlers, was their inability to tax the property here for the support of their religious institutions, making that support unequal and troublesome. So long as that inability existed they were not successful ; lands were not taken, population was stationary and the people were discouraged ; when the difficulty was removed, and power given for a general tax, the people prospered.
At a precinct meeting, held December 29th 1760, a committee was appointed to present a petition to the Gen- eral Court for an act of incorporation as a town. In March 1761, it was presented, and on the 23d day of June 1761, an act passed incorporating the town by the name of Belcherstown, in honor of JONATHAN BELCHER, for- merly a large land proprietor here. He was Governor of the Province of Massachusetts, from 1730 to 1740. A war- rant was issued by the General Court for calling the first meeting, directed to Eleazer Porter, Esq. one of his Maj- esty's Justices for the County of Hampshire, to call the inhabitants together to organize and choose town officers, and a town meeting was held in pursuance of it, Sept. 30th 1761. I have not been able to find any data from which we can learn the population of the town, at the time of its incorporation. From the ratio of increase for several years before and several years after, we may infer that there were five hundred and sixty, or about that num- ber. Soon after the act of incorporation, their attention was called to the subject of public schools. Nothing thus far in their history shows that any thing had ever been raised by tax and assessed upon the inhabitants for the support of schools. They have, however, left evi-
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dence, from their acts and doings and records, of intelli- gence, and capacity to do business, and that correctly and efficiently. The youth were instructed, in that day, so as to prepare them for usefulness ; they were taught in the family, with diligence ; parents had qualified themselves to instruct their children ; they were taught to read and write, and the use of figures, and the modes of doing business ; multitudes who never attended a district school a day in their life gained the requisite knowledge. Chil- dren were, under parental discipline, required to improve their time usefully ; stated periods were set apart to in- struct the children of the family by the parents, and they were trained to regular, sober and industrious habits. There was a moral and religious training, exceedingly use- ful for every department of life ; children were restrained from going where temptations assail. It was not deemed evidence of high promise in children of puritan stock, to disrespect parental authority, or for the young to assume the airs of rudeness and insolence to age and superior worth. Children and youth, in those days, were not wiser than their fathers while they were yet children in age and knowledge, and before they had learned obedience to parental authority. The more carefully we examine the usages of that day in family discipline, family instruction, and a religious influence imparted to the minds of chil- dren, in forming right habits, the more we shall find to admire and to reverence. A single recorded instance in this matter illustrates a general practice, among religious families to a greater or less extent, and the effects. It is recorded, that "Joshua Dickinson Forward, only son of Rev. Justus Forward, was drowned at Hatfield, June 28th 1765, aged seven years and seven months. He was a pious child. He had read his Bible through twice in
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course." It is doubtful whether this child had ever at- tended the district school or any other, out of the family, a day in his life ; at that day the people of this place, pre- cinct and town, had raised by a tax and assessment for public schools only twenty-six dollars and sixty-six cents.) A common prosperity attended the people ; the ratio of increase in population was slow. For the first thirteen years after the settlement of Mr. Billing, the population doubled ; and again doubled in the next thirteen years, or nearly that. For the next succeeding seventy years, the population doubled once in about twenty-seven years. The ratio of increase was larger in the earlier part of this period than in the latter part of it. The average number of deaths annually for fifty-six years next following 1756, was about fifteen; total eight hundred and forty-five. Under one year of ago, one hundred and seventy-five ; between one and ten years, two hundred and seven ; between ten and twenty, seventy-nine ; between twenty and thirty, seventy-seven ; between thirty and forty, sixty-four ; be- tween forty and fifty, thirty ; between fifty and sixty, forty-seven ; between sixty and seventy, fifty-seven ; be- tween seventy and eighty, fifty-five ; between eighty and ninety, forty-three ; between ninety and one hundred, nine ; and two over one hundred years.) During the same period there were nine hundred sixty-nine baptisms and four hundred and fifty marriages.
In common with their countrymen, they were brought to feel the embarrassments and the deprivations by reason of British aggressions as early as 1768. Their religion as well as their views of civil liberty and individual rights, forbade their acquiesence under them. Through the whole period of the revolutionary struggle, with great and en- ire unanimity, they maintained the cause of freed romand
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bore their share of the burdens with heroic fortitude and christian faithfulness. They held it a christian duty to op- pose oppression in all its approaches ; no arbitrary power trifling with human rights, however attired by forms of law, could gain their respect, or approval, or support ; edicts of terror, whether fulminated from the throne or vatican, were alike disobeyed and disregarded. They obeyed a higher law than despots ever forged, from higher authority, with higher motives, and to execute higher purposes. On a day that tried men's souls they declared it, under date September 1774, when the regular forms of law and justice were suspended and the evils of anarchy and insubordination sorely felt ; in public meeting as- sembled affixing their signatures to the following solemn compact ; " We declare that we will take no unreasona- ble liberties or advantage from the suspension of the course of law, but we engage to conduct ourselves agree- able to the Laws of God, of reason, of humanity, and we hereby engage to use all prudent and justifiable and necessary measures to secure and defend each other's per- sons and families, their lives, rights, and properties, against all who shall attempt to hurt, injure or invade them, and to secure and defend to ourselves and our pos- terity our just and constitutional rights and privileges.' Such a declaration is worthy of those who framed it; it bears the stamp of puritanic faithfulness and decision; it breathes the spirit of Moses, of Daniel, of Paul, and of the faithful in all ages.
Our fathers did not forget to entertain strangers ; they also possessed the spirit of imparting religious instruc- tion to the poor and the wanderer. Under date of Sep- tember 23d 1774, at a town meeting, a vote passed, " to pay Lieut. Joseph Smith and Lieut. Joseph Graves twenty
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four shillings each for going to Brookfield to carry the Missionary Interpreter and six Oneida Indians." Wheth- er a vote could be now (1851) carried in a town meeting in Belchertown, to pay twenty-four shillings for the ad- vancement of any missionary enterprise, demands a doubt. Amidst all their trials and embarrassments, the war of the revolution and its attendant deprivations, they sus- tained their religious institutions with constancy and promptitude. They were not forsaken by Him " that keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations." Near the close of the year 1784, and beginning of 1785, the people were favored with a memorable revival of re- ligion ; the most signal, by far, of any the church had experienced during the first seventy years of its existence. From the testimony of persons then there, and from those who were subjects of the work, we are led to believe it was very genuine in its character, and attended with the gentle and powerful influences of the spirit, without spu- rious or fanatical movements. It has uniformly been so represented. It continued about one year and nine months, during which time, that is, between February 2d, 1785, and November 5th, 1786, inclusive, fifty-eight per- sons united with the church by profession; about as many as united with it for the next succeeding nineteen years. I have known several of those persons who were admitted to the church during that season. They view the subject in the same light ; the impression given to their minds and hearts by it, was evidently made by the same impress, and was indelible. In the course of my inquiry for materials for this narrative, of aged ones once here, and conversant with the history of the place many years ago, I had an interview with a venerable aged man, once living
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here, and who united with this church during this revival in 1785, now nearly ninety years of age, and residing in an- other place, where he has resided more than sixty years. During the conversation, casting his thoughts back to the days of other years, now gone, and when a resident here, he adverted to this revival with a feeling of interest and fervor of expression, which description can but feebly give. The events and scenes of that revival seemed to awaken every power of his soul ; those things, said he, "I well remember ; during that year, from February 1785 to Feb- ruary 1786, forty-four united with that church. There I stood, with many by me, in solemn assembly, embracing my covenant vows. Of that forty-four, said he, two be- came preachers of the gospel, and six became deacons of churches, and all are now dead, as I suppose, but three of us." The interview was an instructing one. There was the venerable saint, strengthened and animated by the spirit that breathed upon him sixty-five years before, now seeming to hover over him, and renew the promise, " he that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it un- til the day of Jesus Christ." The Rev. Amasa Smith and the Rev. John Smith, D. D., were the two then uniting with the church, that became ministers of the gospel. These men will be noticed in the chronological columns, in numbers, representing names, (229) and (248). Also, the Rev. Eli Smith experienced religion during the same period, though he did not unite with the church till 1788. (No. 279). These three ministers were brothers-sons of deacon Joseph Smith (No. 9). Also, the Rev. Ethan Smith, son of Dea. Elijah Smith, (No. 11), was I suppose, among the number that experieneed religion during that revival here, though. he did not unite with this church, He immediately commenced a course of classical study
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