USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lowell > Historical sketch of the First Baptist Church, Lowell, Mass. centennial anniversary > Part 2
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Mr. Freeman was duly installed soon after coming here, and the membership was increasing from the very beginning.
Rev. Mr. Freeman was of a romantic, energetic, piquant and radiant nature. He was a man that filled Lowell with his charm, and his whole church was reckoned in those days as a kind of an enchanted isle, and the congregation grew by leaps and bounds for five glorious years. Yet there was working in this man's personal life something that was about to be-that was destined to be a shadow in his life and in his church. He fell in love with his cousin, Hannah Hanson, a divorced woman, and a woman of questionable character. Through his unfortunate marriage with this woman the shadows began to gather around this devoted, strong, wonderful man of God and around this church. Some of those early people, in writing of their recollections of the church of Freeman's last years, say that as they came to church they felt the presence of a terrible and baleful influence working in a mysterious fashion. The pastor bore his suffering in silence, but there was written across his face shadow and pain. We know that in spite of all this the church nevertheless progressed with baptisms almost every Sunday, and as a sample of the progress of the church during the days of Enoch Freeman, I quote to you from a letter sent to the first meeting of the Salem association :
Lowell, Sept. 23, 1828.
The First Baptist Church in Lowell to the Salem Association, Sends Christian Salutations.
Dear Brethren :
Accompanying our pastor, we send you as messengers Dea. Wm. D. Mason and Br. Moses Tuxbury. We ardently pray that grace, mercy, and peace may be multiplied to you in this first, and in all your following anniversaries.
We are happy to say that to us our God has been very gracious during the past year. "He has brought us to his banqueting house, and his banner over us has been love." He has afforded us the stated ministration of His Word. He has enabled us "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
He has shed around us in copious effusion the awakening and converting influences of His Holy Spirit. The amount of our addi- tions during the past year is one hundred and fifteen, ninety-seven of whom were received by baptism, and eighteen by letter from sister
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churches. Nine of those received by baptism had been members of Paedo-Baptist Churches. Eight have been dismissed, three excluded. Our Pastor came among us by our invitation about the middle of Feb., and was installed the 11th of March. In the monthly concert of prayer there has for several months past been manifested a deep and hearty interest. We do hope and pray that the missionary spirit which has been kindled up in our sanctuary may never depart from it; for, should that dreaded hour ever come, there must be written in capitals over it "THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED." From the collections of the concert we send you dollars.
The prospects of our Sunday School were never more interesting and encouraging. It consists of about one hundred scholars. Some of them have, as we hope, within a few months been taught by the Spirit and are now members of the church. Others of them are apparently anxious. Our Bible Class, consisting of about two hun- dred, is very flourishing and promising.
The work of grace is still carried forward among us by the arm of Omnipotence and Mercy with increasing power. At no former period has there been a deeper interest than at the present. A larger number than usual are now enquiring what they must do to be saved.
The Mighty Redeemer is going forth here exhibiting most glori- ously the innumerable reaches of His grace by the glories of His Cross. "O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men."
Brethen, pray for us !
May the great Head of the Church preside at your meeting, com- fort His own people and convert sinners is the prayer of yours in the strong bond of Christian affection
In behalf of the Church, E. W. Freeman, Pastor.
We realize that as these shadows began to gather the Salem Baptist Association, in the year 1835, was planning to come to Lowell for its next annual meeting. As the time drew near, in spite of his personal sorrows, in spite of the most lamentable con- ditions in his own home, he went about with daily diligence seeking to make things pleasant for the association as it came as his invited guest, and with his own hands made personal provision for the delegates, looking to their comfort. He was in the pulpit on the preceding Sunday morning as usual and preached, but the people saw that his face was ashen. He preached a marvelous sermon, "Not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the
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Lord." And those that were there testified that it was a sermon of rare power and eloquence. Yet there arose over the congre- gation a mysterious influence, a terrible apprehension; they saw that something was vitally wrong. That evening he was in his place as usual and announced the opening hymn :
Let every mortal ear attend And every heart rejoice, The trumpet of the Gospel sounds With an inviting voice.
He prayed and then announced another hymn, asking that he not be requested to "line it out," as was the custom in those days. He gave as his reason that he was seized with a temporary illness that would probably pass before the hymn was finished, but the temporary illness did not pass at the conclusion of the hymn nor at any time. He was assisted from the pulpit by his deacons and taken home, never to return to the house of prayer again. Throughout the awful Monday which followed the whole city was in a fever of anxiety about the mystery of the case, which baffled the whole counsel of the very best physicians. They did not know what to make of it, and all that could be said from his bedside was the beloved pastor was steadily growing weaker and that all human aid must be in vain. On Tuesday morning early, while the congregation was still sleeping, the great bell of the church tolled solemnly and slowly his age. Many a one was awakened with weeping at the thought of the great pastor who had passed into the church invisible, immortal and eternal.
The association that had come to enjoy the fellowship of this church remained to weep with her. No kind, gentle voice to wel- come them, but only a corpse to bury. I think of the report of the young man, Samuel Porter, who stood by his bedside. Rev. Mr. Porter said in speaking of Mr. Freeman, "I have seen many saints die, but I have never seen a man die like this ; his last hours were filled with the beauty and glory of the setting sun." The association voiced its sympathy to the church and the funeral was held under the most solemn circumstances, conducted by Rev. Mr. Stone, of Boston, preaching from the text: "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like this."
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The services, from the nature of the case, must have been of intense interest. All that remains of the body of that great man Freeman now rests in the church lot in the cemetery.
We go from Freeman to Joseph Warren Eaton, a young man just out of the Newton Seminary, January 1, 1836. We know that he came with great culture and high ideals, but he was unfortu- nately not the man for that particular hour. He was asked in December the 29th of that same year by the society to withdraw. He came at a peculiar hour, one such that the Apostle Paul himself could not have satisfied people. They wanted Freeman, and they were. full of Freeman's praise, and this young man, lacking in experience and in the seasoning of life, did not know how to interpret this deep affection for the pastor who had gone before. The consequence was that he preached a sermon in the first part of December in which he characterized Freeman worship as idolatry. He was summoned before the society. The same council that had come to ordain him came back to investigate the circum- stances, and, as a result, completely exonerated the young pastor, and at the same time stated that they felt the church had acted wisely, that under the peculiar circumstances the church needed a man of wide experience and tact. The choice for the successor was Rev. Joseph Ballard of South Berwick, who came in the autumn of 1837 and remained to 1845. He was a man of maturity, a man of judgment, a man of firmness, a man of wisdom, a man of preserverance. It was well said by Dr. Daniel C. Eddy, who preached at the semi-centennial : "Here came a man who put the trouble makers to flight; They were afraid of him; He put his foot down, they were afraid to speak, yet he was a man of the utmost tenderness and fatherly kindliness. Many who were truly hungry of heart and sad and in need of the comforting influences of the Good Shepherd, he lovingly nurtured. He was a great soul winner, and during his very first year 137 were added to the books of this church. It was during his ministry that the famous re- vival came under the leadership of Elder Jacob Knapp. Some of you may have read how in Boston, before coming here, Elder Knapp preached in the Bowdoin Square Church, and so great were the evangelistic efforts that the theatres were forced to close down and the barrooms were forced in many cases to close. The spirit
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on the part of those who had been making their living by burlesque and rum was so pronounced against this man of God that they sent him letters threatening his life. The authorities found it necessary to order out the reserves on one occasion to protect the minister and his congregation. With such heralded success as that he came to Lowell, and during the time of his stay in Lowell 248 members were added to this church; 212 were added to the Worthern Street Baptist Church, and 168 were added to the Third Street Church. He was the greatest evangelist that Lowell has ever seen ; he was not of the soap bubble type that vanish in the air. He made a record that endured. We might state that Daniel C. Eddy, one of the most scholarly men that ever stepped on this platform, in coming to Lowell 40 years later said that "As I look back upon the influence of that revival in the life of this church, I have only three words to describe it ; it was deep, it was general, it was permanent." These revivals brought out other churches. Under Mr. Ballard's ministry the Third Baptist Church sprang into existence, and as a direct result of the great revival under Mr. Knapp the North Tewksbury Church sprang into being. The story of its start is worth repeating. Miss Mehitable Twiss came to hear Mr. Knapp, and after she had seen the working of Christ that was done in her heart she went to tell Mr. Jesse Trull, who was then busy with his spring sowing. Mr. Trull was not inter- ested in what she had to say, and she fell down upon her knees and besought him, so that Jesse Trull decided he had better go down and see what was going on. He did go, and so perfectly was he convinced as to his duty toward Jesus Christ that, in the midst of the sermon, he arose and stretching his hands toward heaven, he cried aloud: "Oh God, I believe; help Thou my unbelief !" He went back to the countryside home to give the gocd news to his family. All were led to come to the church through what they saw in Mr. Jesse Trull's face. It was their busy time, the time of spring sowing, the time of log-sawing. The logs were there on the banks and the rivers were flowing and everything was in readiness, but something more important than log-sawing and spring sowing had come to them. As a result they were converted and went back to form a church near their own door.
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So, my friends, this gives a picture of the church in those days, days of expansion. The Third Baptist Church, the Second Church, and the North Tewksbury Church had their beginnings in this period. Outside of the formation of new churches, there were cottage prayer meetings throughout the vicinity. Evangelistic activities were everywhere in evidence. A newspaper, called The Evangelist, was published with success by Mr. Freeman, and every- thing was in a thriving condition most of the time. A new hymn book of fuller selection and arranged topically was also a product of Freeman and met with instant demand. Of course, in the very earliest part of this early period we have very little in the records, and nothing at all as to the building of the house of worship, presumably because this was done by the proprietors. However, from an old newspaper clipping we read this: "1825, December 20th. Whereas, it is proposed to erect a Baptist meeting-house (east) Chelmsford, Ms., to cost $5,000, the same to be divided into shares of $50 each, to be paid in equal instalments to Jona. C. Morrill, Nathan Oliver, and Wm D. Mason, in trust for the Church and Society in that place, until the same shall be incorporated ; therefore, the subscribers agree to pay for the amount of shares annexed to our names, respectively, when the same shall be de- manded." Then follows a list of about thirty people taking any- where from one to ten shares in this corporation. We know that later the society bought all these shares, one by one, that the title was presented to the First Baptist Church, that the church, proud of her possession, has from that day to this been continually busy improving the building. Dr. Eddy tells us that the improvements on the building were so great that from the time of Enoch Freeman to his own time even the position of the pulpit was entirely different and that he faced exactly the opposite direction from the direction faced by Mr. Freeman.
We have briefly traced the ministries and the activities of the early days, but this sermon would be sadly incomplete if it did not mention the leaders in the pew. The church during all this time was supported by men strong and true. The very earliest members can be judged as to their character by their leader, Jonathan Morrill, the lion-hearted. They endured the hardship of the Cook- son ministry. The congregation at one time fell off almost to the
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vanishing point, but the 28 noble people who began the church stood hard by and would not give up. The calibre of the men who marked the triumphs of the Ballard ministry can best be judged by recalling a few of the names of the great men who helped the church then : Alvah Mansur, Cyrus Chambers, William Wyman, Ransom Reed, Joseph Butterfield, Jefferson Bancroft, Elisha Davis, Moody Mansur, Caleb Crosby, William Graves. and others. Every one of whom was a leading and outstanding citizen of the highest esteem.
It was a period of tempest and sunshine. For one thing. there were enough councils and enough divisions and enough dis- appointments and enough misunderstandings to have killed forty churches had it not been that the very early members knew and had a conviction that where there is Divine duty, opportunity, and consecration, troubles, like clouds of the night, are sure to pass. It seems that the key verse of these days should be "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
As a further proof of the quality of membership in the early church, we read such letters as these :
Lowell, June 21st, 1838.
Miss Esther M
You have broken your covenant with the First Baptist Church of this city of which you have been a member near two years, in re- fusing to walk with us in the ordinance of the Gospel and, whereas, your deportment in other respects has been inconsistent with your Christian profession, ( for several months past) and, whereas, all attempts on the part of the church to redeem you have been in vain, you were, at regular meeting of this church held on Wednesday evening the 13th inst. excluded by a unanimous vote from the First Baptist Church in this City.
By order of the church, Jos. Tapley, Clerk.
Bluehill, Mass., 1836.
To the First Baptist Church of Lowell.
Dear Friends :
I feel humbly to acknowledge that I have been a backslider, that I have sinned against God and have been left to wound the cause of Christ, but I feel that God is able and willing to forgive me, and I deeply feel to lament over my sins and to repent of them; I feel unworthy to be considered as one of your number-but I humbly ask your forgiveness and I desire an interest in your prayers.
Matilda K-
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vanishing point, but the 28 noble people who began the church stood hard by and would not give up. The calibre of the men who marked the triumphs of the Ballard ministry can best be judged by recalling a few of the names of the great men who helped the church then: Alvah Mansur, Cyrus Chambers, William Wyman, Ransom Reed, Joseph Butterfield, Jefferson Bancroft, Elisha Davis, Moody Mansur, Caleb Crosby, William Graves, and others. Every one of whom was a leading and outstanding citizen of the highest esteem.
It was a period of tempest and sunshine. For one thing. there were enough councils and enough divisions and enough dis- appointments and enough misunderstandings to have killed forty churches had it not been that the very early members knew and had a conviction that where there is Divine duty, opportunity, and consecration, troubles, like clouds of the night, are sure to pass. It seems that the key verse of these days should be "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." :
As a further proof of the quality of membership in the early church, we read such letters as these :
Lowell, June 21st, 1838.
Miss Esther M
You have broken your covenant with the First Baptist Church of this city of which you have been a member near two years, in re- fusing to walk with us in the ordinance of the Gospel and, whereas, your deportment in other respects has been inconsistent with your Christian profession, (for several months past) and, whereas, all attempts on the part of the church to redeem you have been in vain, you were, at regular meeting of this church held on Wednesday evening the 13th inst. excluded by a unanimous vote from the First Baptist Church in this City.
By order of the church, Jos. Tapley, Clerk. Bluehill, Mass., 1836.
To the First Baptist Church of Lowell.
Dear Friends :
I feel humbly to acknowledge that I have been a backslider, that I have sinned against God and have been left to wound the cause of Christ, but I feel that God is able and willing to forgive me, and I deeply feel to lament over my sins and to repent of them; I feel unworthy to be considered as one of your number-but I humbly ask your forgiveness and I desire an interest in your prayers.
Matilda K
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My friends, a church that has fought so valiantly to make a church membership; a church so anxious that we should show so positively and so strongly our duty and responsibility toward God and of keeping the path straight for the coming generations ; a church of that conviction; a church with such a spirit of sacrifice was destined to be a model. They have long since joined company with the prophets and the apostles, but they leave behind them the picture of folk "who set their faces like flint and refused to be discouraged, of Spirit-filled lives and the power of the living Jesus in the hearts of men. They are our cherished heritage!
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January 10, 1926
From Daniel C. Eddy to Alexander Blackburn
W E find in the sermon of last Sunday morning some adaman- tine characteristics. I would go over with you some of these outstanding features. From 1826-1846, we might speak of them as Organisation, Struggle, and Sacrifice. During the early days the Society was taking on its definite form, the Sunday School was organized, (almost at the same time of the organization of the church), and joined with other Sunday Schools of the city in common causes. It was a period of struggle. There was opposi- tion without. The evidence is that there were people over the city who, in these early days, gave much of their time in tugging this church toward the rocks. The church met with dissenters within. There were factions; the Freeman faction, the Cookson faction, and, later, the Eaton faction in contradistinction to the Society fac- tion. This was a period of sacrifice. There are many details that would indicate this. For one thing, when Rev. Joseph Ballard was called to this pulpit, the church was barely eight years old, had been through one terrible tempest after another, and no one could sug- gest that anything about it was in a flourishing condition. Yet, they called him at a salary of one thousand dollars per year, a salary equal to three thousand today, and at that time four hundred dol- lars ahead of the average First Church arrangement. They not only offered it, but they paid it. There were people in the church who were determined that the church should not die, and who proved their love for the institution by securing the services of the strong- est and ablest man they could find.
As we come to the second period, we find that, just as organ- ization, struggle, and sacrifice marked the way throughout the first period, so, with equal emphasis, popularity, dignity, and expansion marked the way for the second period from 1846 to 1893, embrac- ing the ministries from Eddy to Blackburn. It was a popular time
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REV. D. C. EDDY, D. D.
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REV. W. H. ALDEN, D. D.
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REV. WM. E. STANTON
REV. N. C. MALLORY
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for this church. We read from various items that not an infre- quent occurrence was to have even standing room within these walls at a premium; chairs were fastened in the aisles to accom- modate the people who thronged into the building. The minister was an important man in the life of the city. As an evidence of this fact, he soon found himself entangled in politics and on the way to the State House to represent this district. Robert G. Seymour, in his day, was chosen by the pastors of this city to head up the forces allied to bring Dwight L. Moody to this city. This church led the way in sponsoring these meetings. We note that when Tremont Temple was seeking for someone to give the neces- sary power to a dedication hymn, they turned to the Rev. Dr. Blackburn, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lowell, as that man.
It was not only a popular church but a dignified church. From 1826 to 1846 it was not an uncommon thing to have meetings interrupted by open discord, but from 1846 to; the present time this church has been marked by its uniform services, full of life and co-operation. It seems that Daniel C. Eddy set the pace for clignified church activity by his attitude in coming here. When he learned that eight of the prominent men had voted against him, he first called these eight together and said to them frankly, "Brethren, I have a call to the First Baptist Church of Lowell, and I also have a call to the First Baptist Church of Fitchburg. I want to come to Lowell, but I will not come in the face of your opposition. I must decide shortly as to which place I shall locate. I have called you here this evening to lay on you the responsibility of my choice." Such frank, straightforwardness from a youth barely twenty-one made a profound impression on the eight men. Prese- ently, Stephen Mansur, the leader of the opposition, and afterwards Mayor of Lowell, stepped forward and took the young minister firmly by the hand, saying, "My boy, we are the men who fought your coming, but we here and now promise you that as long as you remain in Lowell you shall have no cause to fear us. We shall stand by you to a man and ever support you just as we have done in the case of our former pastor." Many years later, Dr. Eddy, the aged, in reviewing his life, paused feelingly at this point to remark that "those gentlemen were true to their word; they were the best
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friends I ever had." The beginnings of such frankness and con- fidence between pastor and people were bound to mark a new day.
As we have stated, the period was one of expansion. The Fifth Street Church, the Branch Street Mission, and the French Baptist Mission all had their start in this period. They all made large drafts upon us, which drafts were duly honored. Drs. Norman C. and Orson E. Mallory, as pastors respectively of this church, were prominent in putting the Branch Street work to the front.
We now turn from the general characteristics of the period, with their corresponding incidents in point, to the definite ministers. We shall consider first Dr. D. C. Eddy. His dates are from 1846 to December, 1856. He came fresh from his studies at Hampton Theological Seminary, with his mind scintillating with ideas. There were two general objections. One was that he was too young, and the other was that he was unmarried. When told of the objections he replied, "Well, brethren, the first time will remedy, and the second I will remedy myself." He went immediately to Salem and there sought the hand of a little nineteen-year-old girl in marriage, he himself being but twenty-one. The father was greatly opposed on the ground that his daughter was only a child and unready to assume the solemn responsibilities of marriage, much less those of a minister's wife. At length, however, due to the overtures of the girl herself as well as the ardent pleadings of her suitor, the father consented on one condition, and that was that the elder sister defer her own approaching marriage and come to Lowell and help take care of them for the first six months. Of course the one condition was readily agreed to. The happy couple would have cheerfully agreed to most anything at that particular moment. Yet one would like to take his hat off to that dear elder sister who, in the spirit of true Christian charity, postponed her own marriage for the sake of the cause. "They left the father's house," so runs a little faded script, "hand in hand and as happy as two children. News went on ahead and the parsonage in Lowell was duly prepared for their arrival; the rooms cheerfully lighted, the pantry fully stocked with good things, and the table tastefully appointed. The busy little town turned out to greet them, that is, the three of them-the husband, the wife, and the caretaker. One
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