USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Sturbridge > Historical sketch of the First Congregational Church, Sturbridge, Mass. : read at the dedication of the new church, May 11, 1910 > Part 4
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which some of us to-day might call deplorably morbid intro- spection. Some of these ancient "relations" cannot fail to make a profound impression upon the reader, for they show strong personalities grappling with life's deepest problems. But it must be confessed that in many of them the similarity of arrangement and identity of phrasing arouse the suspicion that in making their statement before the Church these would- be members were virtually adopting as their own what had become a pretty thoroughly conventionalized "experience." It is probable that many of these statements which show similarity were written in conference with the pastor, if not by his own hand.
EXPERIMENTAL RELATIONS.
A. L., Read Dec. 16, 1761.
"I haue grate reson for to bless God that I was borne in Land of gospell lite and was fauered with a good educasion and besides that many coles (calls?) of deuine prou- idence and at times was under conuictions but my euell hart and an inticing world semed to make all proue in a fecttuall but after a concidrabell time I was under stronger conuict tions and after a conciderbell time I immagened that I received sum comfort but after sum time my fears ware beyond all my hoops and vuing my selfe in a very misirabell condision these wordse came to my minde why are thou cast doune o my sole and why art thou disquiatted within me hoop thu in God for thou shalt yet prase him and heare upon I took grate incoreaedment and suposed my mounting stood strong for concedrabell time but after sum time prouidence cast a book in my hand titeled Cases of conshanc and wreding hou far a person mite goo by natrull conuiction I thare upon thought that was my very case and all was counterfit and no hoops no promis for me I all most in despare but blesed be god who hath all pouer in his own hande so ordered that a book was cast into my hand titeled Looking to Christ by fath and reading there in found this grate promis Ezekel 36 : 2627 A nu harte also will give you and a nu sperit will I put with in you and I will take away the ston'y hart out of your flesh and I will poot my sperit with in you and heare upon I took incorigement and hearing a sarmon preched from the 50 of Isaiah 10 who is among you that feareth the Lord that obayeth the voise of his sarvant that walketh in darkness and hath no lite let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his god and hear upon I tuck forder incorigement and hearing a sarmon preached Luke 19 : 17 come for all things are now ready and heare uppon I trust I am coled uppon by the sperit of god he sayed this du in rembrence of me.
trusting and believing that the Spirit of the Bride Say Come I Do in the fear and Pres- ence of God offer myself to full Communion with this Church of Jesus, asking your Charitable Reception of me and Prayers for me, that I may be Delivered and kept from all Sin and walk as a worthy Member of the Mistical Body of + and that when I have Eat and Drink in his Presince I may not be Disowned by him. A. L."
M. H.
"I desier to bless god that I was born in the land of lite and liuead under the preaching of the gospel all my days and that I descended of shuch Parence that gave me up to god in baptism in my infancy but I have rebeld against god and my parence
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in living in all most all manner of Sin in Sabath braking and Company Keeping and in disabaying my parnce good Counsel and in Structions that they gaue me in telling of me it was my duty to Seek to god in prayer and Keep his commands thay told me that I must renew my baptismal covanant I being young thought it time Enough but it has pleased all mytey god to a waking me [by the pourful preaching of a samon by the re mr haven hosea 10 and 12 and maney outhers that I haue hard; and it Came to mind] for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself not discerning the lords body; which was a discouragement to me and then a nother place came into my mind which is incouraging Isaiah 55 and 1 and I hop dont a low my self in the omission of aney none duty nor in the commission of any none Sin and I desire your prayers for me and your axceptance of me that I may walk acording to the Professon that I haue maid. M. H."
Another "Relation, " in the same handwriting, is signed "The wife of M. H." It is a literal copy of the above, except for the part included in the brackets. The woman's "Relation " reads: "it has pleased all mytey god to a waking me by thunder many a time which is terrifying to me and puts me in mind of my duty: but I have been afraid if I should offer myself to come to the table of the Lord that I should come unworthily, for he that as in the above.
B. H.
"I desire to bles god that i was born in a land of gospel light and that i was early didicated unto god in the ordinance of baptizem and for many instructions and warnings from my parents yet haue Shamfully neglected my duty til of late i was brought to concider of my ways and was thoughtfull about my futer estate whareupon i heard a Sermon from these Words and ye will not cume to me that ye might haue life which lay upon my mind much whareas i Saw that i neuer had been Willing to be Saued from my Sins but only in my Sins about this time i laboured under Sum temtasions and douts whether or no i had not cummitted the unpardonable Sin and the like whereupon these words came to my mind why art thou being the Kings Son lean from day to day wilt thou not tell me which aforded me Sum incuragement and also a reproofe then i began to Sit up great resolusions for a while but then i found Strength began to fail and as i thought the Spirit of god had withdrayn and that which i had greatly feared was now come upon me the view i had of eternity was dreadfull all hope faild and none could i blame but my Selfe for god apeared iust and where to go for releaf beter i cold not tel then to go to god who is mercifull as well as iust where upon douts and fears semed to uanish and i felt much reioyced but not continewing long heare i Sune fel into douts and fears and began to Scrupel all being afraid of Sum false hope and joy and So went douting for a concidrabel time yet not quite with out hope untill a more greater decouery of gods goodness and mearcey did apeare then all doutes and SorowB uanisshed away and those words in Samuel came to my mind So the woman went her way and did eat and her countenance was no more Sad but this i am confident in So far as i Know my own heart that i haue a greater desire and loue for the wais of god then formerly i had and i do acknoledg the many Sins and erars which i have been giltd of and ask forgiveness of god and of this Church asking your prairs to god for me any do now ofer my Self to your comunion B. H."
The following "Relation " is indorsed "this was read & voted into the Chh Sept. 11 : 1757," and is apparently in the handwriting of the pastor, Joshua Paine.
"I Desire to acknowledge the wonderfull compassion & Patience of God towards me that He hath Born so long with me, when I have done so much to Provoke Him to come out against me & cut me down as a Cumberer of the ground: I must acknowl- edge I have been too careless & negligent about the things of my peace which indeed should have been the most regarded by me: but tho' I have so greatly sinned against God, grieved His holy Spirit, so that God might Justly have left me to perish in my
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sins; yet I trust He hath not left off striving with me nor left me to perish without hope; I hope God hath opened my eyes, and awakened me to see my sin & misery, bro't me to Consider my ways that have not been right in His sight. I have had loud Calls & warnings not only from Gods holy word, but by His providence, particularly in that dispensation of God's holy providence in the death of my Consort: in which Gods voice to me was be ye also ready; & tho' I with Him but a little before his death made a pro- fession of Christ & his religion; & both joined together in giving up our Children to God in Baptism yet I am sensible that I ought not to stop there; but to come to the other ordinance even that of the Supper of the Lord: & which indeed was the advice & Council my Deceased Husband gave me when on his death bed giving me it in charge then not to neglect my duty in this respect: & lamented his neglect of duty in this particular, & determined had God spared his life & raised him up again to have come to His duty in this regard; Such Counsel & the dispensations of divine providence have been so sanc- tified & set home upon me, as I hope aright to stir me up to my duty; & accordingly I do now desire to join with this Chh; praying that God would freely pardon all my sins for Christs sake, & enable me to come aright, & asking your forgiveness of what you have seen amiss in me; & your prayers for me, that I might be a welcome guest & find acceptance with God thro' Christ. S. H."
When Abigail - - applied for membership, in the first year of Caleb Rice's ministry, the Church voted: "Con- sidering the stories that have been about said Abigail- we do think it proper to make searching inquiry thereto." A month later she was received into the Church, after having made open confession of gossiping and divers other indiscre- tions. But the exercise of discrimination as to the admission of members soon proved a less cause of anxiety to the Church than keeping watch over the walk and conversation of those already within the fold. Hardly a year had passed when the Church was given grave concern over the case of Lieut. Hezekiah- , who was charged with having "taken up Rum upon Capt Marcy's account at Leicester," and with having "indulged in vain talk." Twice it was voted that "the church are not in charity with said -, so as to communicate with him at the holy sacrament of the Lord's supper, till such time as the matter is set in a clearer light," and Parson Rice was instructed to correspond with 's former pastor in regard to it. Some time later,
craved forgiveness, and the Church voted that "we are now satisfied therewith, and look upon him in a regular state," but soon they were forced to affirm anew that they were "not in charity with him."
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During the first pastorates there were an appalling number of instances where the Church stopped after lecture to attend the confession of Brother A. and Sister B. for sins which almost exhaust the list of the Decalogue. The "Rules for the Regulation of this Church," adopted July 15, 1802, required that confession for "known, open, scandalous sins" and for absence from communion should be made before the Church only, "unless the offense be of so gross and public a nature that in the view of the majority of the Church present at a meeting on the subject it should appear more for the honor of the Chh and the interest of religion to have the confession more public, then in that case, it shall be made both before Chh and congregation.' "* The most frequent
*CONFESSIONS AND DISCIPLINE.
"Whereas I the Subscriber have been left to be guilty of the breach of the Eighth Commandment whereby I have dishonoured God & Justly offended the people of God, I desire to be sorry therefor, & to ask forgiveness of God & all his people whom I have offended & pray that I may be enabled in all things to adorn the [illegible] of God our Saviour. U. W."
Indorsement: "Sep: 10: 1749 This was read to the Chh & voted to be Recd as satisfactory & the Chh in charity with him &c."
"I acknowledge that I am naturally inclined to rebel against God, & that I am too apt to give way to Passion & to be overcome thereby: I have been left in my Passion to abuse Capt. C. & as an aggravation of the matter it was in his own house, for which I am sorry & as I have asked his forgiveness for what has then been amiss in me, so I desire now to ask forgiveness of God & the charitable forgiveness of Gods people, & your prayers for me that I might be enabled to walk for the future more agreable to the profession I make of the X" religion.
Sturbridge Octo 22 : 1753.
this was read Octor 27: 1753 & accepted by the Chh."
R. C.
"Whereas we whose names are hereunto Subscribed have been left to fall into sin & have transgressed God's holy commands, we desire in a Suitable manner to be humbled before God & would take Shame to our selves for all our sins; more particularly we acknowledge we have been left to fall into the sin of fornication, a breach of the 7th Command whereby we have greatly dishonoured God, have Justly provoked him, & given Just occasion of offence to the Chh & people of God:
We hope God has in some good measure shewn us the evil of our ways & doings; we desire to ask forgiveness of God for Christs sake for all our sins more particularly the breach of the 7th Command we desire the Charitable forgiveness of the Church & people of God in this place & of all Gods people & that God would assist & enable us to behave our selves according to the rules of the gospel for the future.
D. C. S. C.
this was read to the Chh & accepted March 17 : 1744 / 5."
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offence was continued absence from church ordinances. This led to suspension; satisfactory excuses were required to be submitted in writing, or other evidence of contrition shown, otherwise it was declared that the erring member should be no longer "considered under the watch and care of this Church as a member thereof." In 1801 a considerable num- ber of such delinquents were called upon for explanations. Some pleaded unworthiness; others, "perplexities in their minds"; one replied that her reasons "are of such nature that at present she does not choose to disclose them." A committee of the Church requested an interview with one absentee; when this was refused, they sought the brother out, but the only reason he then assigned for his absence from communion for more than a year was that "the meeting house had been repaired and altered against his will." This was not deemed satisfactory, and he was suspended from church privileges for the space of six months. In the first fifty years of this Church, a breach of the seventh commandment was the sin which a surprisingly large number of penitents confessed they "had been left to commit." In the first decades of the nineteenth century, drunkenness, which had caused an occasional lapse in the earlier years, became alarm- ingly prevalent. A deacon of the Church, after having been suspended and affectionately admonished, at the end of his
"I whose Name is here unto Subscribed. Do humbly Acknowledge before God and his People my Manifold Sins in the agravated Nature thereof. and in Particulal by Injuring the Charector of Mrs R. by Saying that whereby it has been Reported that She has Infringed the 7th Command. whereby I Do acknolede I have offended God and his People, and Do first and a bove all ask forgiveness of God. and MrsR. and this Chh. asking your Prayer to God for me that I may for the future Live more agreeable to my Profession and my whatch over my thoughts words and actions. and be an honour to Religion and this Chh.
D. W. "
"To the Jentlemen Committe of the Church of Christ in Sturbridg,-Breatheren whare as I have Ben Called on to Shew Caws if any there Be why I have not attended the Communion for Some time past I answer that I have Ben Useed in a very un Chris- tien Like Maner By Some of the membrs of this Church therefore I have with Drawn my Self from them and Desire to Be Dismised from them.
Sturbridge September 12th 1798
Yours &C O. M."
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probation had to be excommunicated on the ground that he had exhibited no evidence of reform. Charges were sustained against Sister J. that "it was very apparent that she was disguised with the use of ardent spirit," and Sister C. was "so intoxicated with spirituous liquor that she was unable to walk or stand." There are present to-day members of this Church who heard from their mother's lips the story of a scene in the old meeting-house which those who witnessed it could never forget. An honored member of the Church had yielded to his besetting sin. He appeared before a Church meeting at the house of one of the members and- as the record reads-"made his concessions for the sin of intoxication which he had recently in a wicked and thought- less manner committed. The brethren voted that they were satisfied with his concessions and that his acknowledg- ments be read before the congregation on next Sabbath." But he replied that his offense had been public and his con- fession should be no less public. There was a solemn hush in the meeting-house that Sunday morning, when this univer- sally esteemed and beloved village doctor walked up the broad aisle, turned, faced the congregation and confessed his fault. Sins of slander and of Sabbath-breaking were confessed. Again and again quarrels between members were brought before the Church for adjustment, and in some cases appeal was made to councils in which churches in neighboring towns were represented by pastor and delegate,-as in the contro- versy arising in 1777, in which one of the complaints was that "Capt P. Did Condemn Sª C. (using a hard word) to be a Tory." The investigators declared it "not suffitiently Proved that P. Ever Used such a hard word as is Mentioned in the Complaint Calling Sª Craft a Damned Tory," and the parties to the controversy were earnestly exhorted, in that time of public distress, to lay aside all contention and live as brothers .*
*The tone of an eighteenth century Admonition may be indicated by the following extracts from a letter drafted by the second pastor of this Church. It is not dated.
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These strange pages of our records have not been laid open here with the purpose of pointing the finger of scorn at the sins of our forebears. Their sins were those of their time and of a frontier community. Both by the young pastors and by the Church those sins were openly, vigorously and in large measure successfully combated. We affect to be amused or shocked by the weapons and methods of that godly warfare. In our day, drunkenness, stealing, and breach of the seventh commandment are not prevalent among church members as they were here in the first century of this Church. But it may well be questioned whether the twentieth-century church is waging more successful battle against the sins characteristic of its own day than did our grandsires. In the middle of the last century, by unanimous vote this Church declared that one of its members be "excommunicated from the Church and no longer be regarded or treated as a Christian," because he did not comply with the requirement of the Church that he confess before the whole congregation his "sins of Sabbath-breaking and the use of profane language." To-day these sins seem to be looked upon as venial,-indeed, rather difficult of definition. Church
Letter of Admonition to E. A.
The Church of Christ in Sturbridge Sendeth to Mr. E. A. this Letter of Admonition. We the Church of Christ in Sturbridge, acting for Christ, Do in the Name of the most glorious Lord our Saviour, whose Name you have Dishonoured by Serving against Him, Admonish you of and for these your Sins and in Perticular for
1 Your Unchristian Conduct towards your Brethren.
2 for your Pride and Self Sufficiency.
3 for your Varying from the Truth.
4 for your wicked and unchristian Reflection upon members of the Church of Christ in your Reasons for your Separation, wherein you Sugest and Say the Bread is Delt out to Dogs.
5 fifthly we admonish you for your unchristian and unscriptural Reflections upon the Chh of Christ.
O be wise to Resive this admonition that Comes from the Chh of Jesus Christ. Repent and be Reformed before it be too Late.
this from those that wish your Soul may Prosper and be in helth. Joshua Paine Pastor in the Name of the Church. "
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lists to-day are full of dead-wood,-members who never come to the Lord's table, and whose sole tribute to the faith they once professed consists in the payment of a few sordid dollars, which some one else must put to use. The besetting sins of church members to-day, as compared with those of a century ago, are less those of the body, more those of the mind and heart. Are they on that account less menacing, less difficult to root out? In the old days the watch and ward of this Church were a vital force, following the member in his wanderings far beyond the borders of this town and making searching inquiry into his standing and daily walk. Under the censure of the Church sinners showed forth works meet for repentance. From a deathbed here in Sturbridge came a pitiful plea that the offender might "be forgiven and restored to communion and fellowship that he might die in peace and in good standing with the Church." To-day many a church carries upon its roll the names of members who would greet the notice of their censure by the Church with a cynic's smile or with a yawn.
THE CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY IN STURBRIDGE.
The first four pastors of this Church were "settled" by the Town, although during the third and fourth pastorates ministerial affairs were dealt with not at regular but at special town-meetings. Such a meeting, for example, was held in the early part of 1831, to which were summoned "the Inhab- itants of the Parish and Congregational Society in the Town of Sturbridge qualified by law for the purposes of voting in the choice of parochial officers and other Parochial matters"; and the Town records show that the voters there provided for the pastor's salary and for painting "their meetinghouse." But a few months later, without any formality that has left a trace on the record, the town-meeting machinery was given up. In the dismission of Mr. Bond and in the calling and
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settling of Mr. Clark it was "the Society" which concurred with the Church. April 27, 1831,* begin the "Records of the Congregational Society in Sturbridge." For nearly seventy years this was the organization which took charge of the financial or business side of church administration.t
Its organization underwent some change from time to time, and seems never to have been very systematically regulated. In 1834 the rule was adopted that "all persons who may wish hereafter to become members of said parish shall be recommended by the Prudential Committee thereof." Probably this was thought to savor too much of a close cor- poration, for half a dozen years later (April 20, 1840) it was voted that any person wishing to become a member of the Society might do it by applying to the Clerk. But ten years' experience led to the declaration that "the welfare and inter-
*A little later (September 7, 1835) the completeness of the separation is indicated by the Society's vote not to give their consent to have town-meetings held in their meeting-house, after the present alterations shall have been completed.
tBut for a time the Commonwealth still stood back of the finances. There is still extant an order, given in the name of the Commonwealth, by the Assessors of the Con- gregational Society in Sturbridge to Benjamin Bullock, Collector of that Society, direct- ing him to collect the sum of $600. from persons named in the accompanying list, and authorizing him, in case any of those persons should refuse or neglect to pay on his demand, to distrain their goods or chattels, and sell the "distress" at public vendue, retaining the amount needed to meet the assessment charges. In the absence of any such goods upon which levy might be made, the Collector was authorized to "take the body of such person so refusing or neglecting, and him commit unto the Common Jail of the County aforesaid there to remain, until he pay the same or such part thereof as shall not be abated by the Assessors of said town for the time being, or by the County Commissioners for the County aforesaid.
"Given under our hands and seals by virtue of a vote of said Society passed on the twenty-eighth day of April last, this twenty-eighth day of October, 1831.
David Wight, Erasmus Holbrook, Caleb Weld, Jr.
Assessors of said Society."
Imprisonment for debt was not then obsolete. In April, 1828, a deacon of this Church was committed to jail for debt. His creditors, after some weeks, were per- suaded to allow him to come out, upon payment of his board and other charges amount- ing to about $50. This sum two members of the Church agreed to become responsible for, at the solicitation of the deacon's wife, on security of some household goods and promissory notes. A few weeks later, the deacon's wife left town in the middle of the night, taking, as was alleged, some of the pledged goods with her to New York State, where she thereafter lived. This episode gave rise to some difficult questions as to church discipline.
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ests of this Society require a thorough reorganization of the same, so that the legal members of said Society may be known." January 14, 1852, the following "Preamble for By-Laws" was adopted: "Any person or persons who are not members of this Parish or Society may become such by signing their names to the following declaration :- 'We the subscribers consent to become members of the Congregational Society in Sturbridge.'" On the page bearing this record and on a paper pasted at its end stand the names of 97 men who were mem- bers of the Society in 1852, or then or thereafter "consented" to become members. Doubtless such signature was sufficient to constitute legal liability, but it is singular that nothing on the records sets forth definitely the objects of the Society, nor was there any explicit statement on the part of the signer of his devotion to the ends of the organization or pledge of financial support for the Society of which he "consented" to become a member. It was a very loose organization, subject to sudden expansion or shrinkage, for, in accordance with the Constitution of Massachusetts, membership in such a body could be terminated at any time by the member's requesting the clerk to remove his name from the list. The unfortunate working of this arrangement was seen some forty years later, when eight members of the Society withdrew within two years of their having joined it, the debt meantime having reached very large proportions. The notes represent- ing this debt were gradually taken up by the Church. In April, 1897, a new rule of membership was adopted: "Any person twenty-one years old may become a member of the Society by vote of the Society at any regularly called meeting and signing the By-Laws." The records do not indicate that any member was ever admitted under this rule, for, six months later, November 5, 1897, the Church became incor- porated as the FIRST EVANGELICAL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF STURBRIDGE. The new corporation was empowered to hold real and personal property and promote every object for which the Congregational Society had served.
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