USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Hardwick > History of Hardwick, Massachusetts, with a genealogical register > Part 24
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Rev. Elbridge W. Merritt succeeded Mr. Tupper. He took a partial course at Union College, and also at the Union Theo- logical Seminary (then in Connecticut, now in New York). He was ordained in 1866, preached at Stafford, Conn., 1867, at Charleston, S. C., 1868, at Williamsburg, 1869, 1870, and be- came a stated supply in Hardwick, October, 1870, acting pastor, April 1871, and was installed as pastor June 5, 1873. He re- signed October 1, 1876, and after laboring for a time at the West, returned and settled in Dana, supplying also a parish in Petersham.
Rev. Augustus C. Swain was ordained in 1873, preached at Needham 1873, 1874, at West Warren 1875, and at Hardwick from February, 1877 to July, 1879, when he removed to Hyde Park. He was not installed here.
219
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
The present pastor of the church is the Rev. Gilbert B. Rich- ardson, who graduated at A. C. 1853, and at the Bangor Theol. Seminary, 1856. He was first settled in Douglass, Mass .; after- wards at Bath, Me., from 1860 to 1874, and at Alstead, N. H., from 1874 to 1881. He commenced preaching here 17th July, 1881, and was installed 7th December, 1881.
DEACONS.
Elected.
Held Office until
Age.
Christopher Paige .
Dec. 3, 1736.
Resigned.
Joseph Allen .
Dec. 3, 1736.
Died.
Samuel Robinson .
Ap. 30, 1746.
Resigned.
Apr. 13, 1749. Aug. 18, 1793. Mar. 2, 1749. 1769.
84
John Cooper .
1749. Removed.
William Paige.
Nov. 9, 1769. |Died.
Feb. 14, 1770. 1778.
66
John Bradish
Ap. 28, 1774.
Removed.
Feb. 5, 1813.
78
Nathaniel Paige
May 12, 1785. Removed.
About 1812.
Joseph Allen
Aug. 16, 1810. Died.
Nov. 11, 1822.
73
James Paige .
Aug. 10, 1812. Died.
Feb. 18, 1818. About 1819.
70
Benjamin W. Childs
Aug. 10, 1812. Removed.
Henry Fish .
Ap. 18, 1819. Resigned.
May 20, 1830.
Josiah C. Chandler .
Ap. 18, 1819. Removed.
About 1816.
Elijah Amidon
Mar. 10, 1824. Removed.
About 1830.
Anson Winchester
Mar. 10, 1824. Removed.
About 1830.
The portion of the church which remained with the Congre- gational Society, elected to the office of Deacon : -
Elected.
Held Office until
Age.
Joseph Stone Ichabod Dexter
Nov. 19, 1830. Died. Nov. 19, 1830. Died.
June 27, 1849. May 11, 1851.
59
76
The other branch of the church, in addition to Deacons Fish, Amidon, and Winchester, elected : -
Ebenezer Willis.
May 12, 1785. Died.
220
HISTORY OF HARDWICK.
Elected.
Held Office until
Age.
Mark Haskell
May 20, 1830. Resigned.
Jason Carpenter .
Sep. 2, 1836.
Resigned. Resigned.
Emery B. Foster
Sep. 2, 1836. Ap. 30, 1841.
Resigned. Removed.
Philander Chandler . Reuben Tyler
Sep. 7, 1849. Sep. 7, 1849.
Died.
Mar. 5, 1841. Ap. 4, 1851. Ap. 10, 1842. About 1849. About 1864. Nov. 21, 1859.
51
William A. Warner, Jr. Dec. 31, 1864. James N. Brown
Dec. 31, 1864. Resigned.
1878.
Charles L. Warner . . Henry G. Towne 1 . .
Mar. 15, 1878.
Mar. 15, 1878. Term expired.
1882.
Charles A. Wheeler
Mar. 1881.
1 Agreeably to a recent arrangement, the deacons are elected for a limited term of years.
--
-
I
F
1
.-
Joseph Whipple
CHAPTER XII.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
Separate Church. - Reasons for Separation. - Early Separatists. - Cove- nant. - List of Members. - Removal to Bennington. - The Original Sepa- rate Church in Hardwick becomes the First Congregational Church in Vermont. - Baptist Society. - Early Members. - Corporators. - Meet- ing-houses. - Pastors. - Deacons. - Universalist Society. - Petition for Incorporation. - Corporators. - Pastors. - Deacons. - Amalgamation with the Congregational Society. - Methodist Society. - Meeting-house. - Trinitarian Congregational Church. - Munificent Benefactors. - Pastors. - Deacons. - Meeting-house. - Catholic Church. - Meeting-house. - Priest.
SEPARATE CHURCH. About the year 1740 occurred what was then called the "Great Awakening," which extended throughout New England. It was occasioned, or at least greatly encouraged, by the labors of the celebrated Rev. George White- field.1
One of its results was the rending asunder of many churches, those who seceded being styled "New Lights," and afterwards " Separatists " or " Separates." Terms of obloquy were freely interchanged between the two parties. The New Lights were denounced as enthusiastic and unscrupulous disorgan- izers, and they, in their turn, stigmatized the Old Lights, or established churches, both clergy and laity, as cold, lifeless, and dead, utterly unworthy the name of Christians. One of their preachers, Rev. Ebenezer Frothingham, of Weathersfield, Conn., published a Discourse, in 1750, entitled, " The Articles of Faith and Practice, with the Covenant, that is confessed by the Separate Churches of Christ in general in this Land. Also a DISCOURSE, holding forth the great privileges of the Church of Jesus Christ, [3] Rev. Dr. Wigglesworth, in his Dis- who followed him in this uninstituted and courses, November 12 and 19, 1754, very disorderly and pernicious practice, twelve or thirteen years ago, we may ascribe all the separations from our churches, and most if not all the en- thusiasm, error, contention, and confu- sion, with which we have been perplexed ever since." P. 34. "after the Rev. Mr. Whitefield's preach- ing at Cambridge," in regard to itinerant preachers and laymen " thrusting them- selves into other men's labors," says, " To the encouragement given to the same person (Mr. Whitefield) and those
222
HISTORY OF HARDWICK.
and the same privileges vindicated from the Sacred Scriptures ; and some points of practice in the Church of Christ, that are in great dispute between the learned and unlearned, fairly settled in a line of Divine Truth. - Written by Ebenezer Frothing- ham." In this Discourse the author devotes one chapter " to answer some objections that is made against the present great and misterious work that God is a doing in New England." He mentions seven objections, which probably embody the most material : - " We cannot think that this is a good work in the land, or a work of God's Spirit, that inclines persons to separate and rend away from the churches of Christ that are established by the laws of this colony and land, and to leave the house of God, and set up a worship contrary to the gospel, as has been the practice of some of late in the land." pp. 338, 339. " We cannot believe that this is a work of God in the land, which the Separates hold to be God's work, because none of our learned and good ministers own it. They say it is delusions and a false religion." p. 344. " We cannot believe that the Sepa- rates are right ; for God is a God of Order, and their practice is Disorder and Confusion. When they separate from us, they go off, one by one, and do not unite in a body, and then get a regular dismission ; but they rend away, some at one time, and some at another. And when there are a number that is suffi- cient for to set up public worship, then they are all of them preachers, women as well as men ; and this we know is contrary to the will of God." pp. 352, 353. " We cannot think that this present work is of God, which the Separates hold to be of God, for it makes divisions and disorders, and breaks the peace of churches and families ; therefore it cannot be a work of God, for Christ's Kingdom is a peaceful Kingdom ; and the promoters of this work are censorious, judging persons, who speak evil of our ministers and rulers, which is contrary to the word of God." p. 363. " We don't believe that the Separates are right, or that God is with them, because that there are such divisions and jars amongst themselves; for if God is with them, surely they would be agreed and have fellowship together, as they profess the saints of God have in a high degree; but they are contending one with another, as is manifest to all; and that religion and power amongst them, which they call the power of God, is a false re- ligion, nothing but a mere noise and an empty sound." pp. 373, 374. "Notwithstanding all that the Separates pretend to, we think that they are them false prophets that Christ speaks of in
223
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
the 24 of Matt. - ' that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect.' " p. 392. "Notwithstanding all that the Separates say, or preach, or write, yet they do not convince us that they are right, or that God is with them ; and surely if God was with them, as they contend, they would be able to convince us, either by scripture, or sound reason, or they would be able to work a miracle, to show some undeniable sign, that we might believe." p. 398.
To each of these objections Mr. Frothingham makes a formal reply ; of which the first may serve as a fair specimen. He de- nies that the established churches from which so many had sepa- rated were true churches of Christ for the following reasons : " The Churches that we have separated from generally hold that external morality is the door into the church, and that the Lord's Supper is a converting ordinance ; or that all have a right to join with the church, that will make an outward public profession of Christianity, although they be unconverted." p. 340. " In the churches that we have left, there are many that are hardened and believe not, but speak evil of the ways, work, and power of God, and are awful mockers at the Spirit of God and the saints that are under the influence of the same Spirit ; and these persons are indulged in the churches ; therefore we have a just right and warrant in the word of God to separate from them. Acts xix. 9." p. 341. " Again, the Churches that we have left, have dwin- dled away into a dead, dry, lifeless form of godliness, and have denyed the power and life of godliness, and from such we are to turn away. See 2 Timo. iii. 5." pp. 341, 342. " Again, the Churches that we have left, are stuffed full of hypocrites or dis- semblers ; for they professedly take in the unconverted, and when they are in the church, they profess themselves saints, and are counted and treated as such ; which is manifest hypocrisy in the sight of God and his saints." p. 342. This language manifests the same spirit which was exhibited by Whitefield, as quoted by Dr. Wigglesworth, in his Discourses heretofore referred to : One " unretracted error of Mr. Whitefield " is " what we find in his Journal when at Boston, in the year 1740, Thursday October 9th, where, after he hath told us ' that he saw a great number of min- isters sitting around and before him, and that the Lord enabled him to open his mouth boldly against unconverted ministers ; for he was verily persuaded the generality of ministers talk of an un- known and unfelt Christ,' he adds, 'and the reason why congrega- tions have been so dead is because they have had dead men preach-
224
HISTORY OF HARDWICK.
ing to them.' . . . I believe many a stupid sinner hath read with secret pleasure, and thanked him in his heart, for thus transfer- ring the blame to his minister, and so far excusing him for his un- profitableness under the sound preaching of the gospel of Christ." p. 32.
One more specimen may be pardoned, in which the author manifests some keenness of thought, though expressed in his cus- tomary uncouth style. In reference to the third objection, he says, " The fourth and last thing held forth in the objection is, Women's speaking in the Church, 1 Cor. xiv. 34, 35. This text no ways forbideth a woman's speaking, or breathing forth the ar- dent desire of her soul after God; and when she is placed at Christ's feet with Mary, Luke x. 39, in true humility and brok- enness of soul by faith, beholding the divine excellencies and glo- ries of the Godhead shining forth in that spotless and innocent Lamb of God. When the case is thus with any woman or child, they have a just right from Christ, who gives them these discov- eries, when sweetly constrained thereto by the Spirit of God, to speak openly in the Church of the beauties and excellencies they see in their beloved ; Cant. iii. 4, 5 ; and chap. v. 10, 16. But to take the scripture aforementioned in this sense, - that a woman shall not speak at all in a public assembly, - will contradict the examples of the following scriptures : Luke xi. 27, 28. 'And it came to pass as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lift up her voice and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea, rather blessed are they which hear the word of God and keep it.' Here is an example one would think sufficient to stop the mouths of all creatures who oppose a woman's speaking in a public assembly, in a proper season ; for if a woman ever ought to be silent in a public assembly, surely it should be when the Son of God was personally a preaching with his own blessed mouth ; but yet at this very time ' a certain woman of the com- pany lift up her voice,' &c. No doubt but the carping Pharisees, who love a smooth form of worship, were highly offended at this woman's speaking and especially because she lifted up her voice so loud, and broke in upon Christ in his discourse, like a disorderly woman ; and had it been so that them Pharisee hearers, who stood much for an even form, had been acquainted with Paul's Epistles (which were not then written), no doubt they would have (as our Pharisees do now), pick out them texts that say a woman shall not speak in the church (not considering what speaking Paul had
225
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
reference to), and so accused her therewith, and have told her that she had broken the commands of God, and gone contrary to his word, &c. But let us consider, - Doth Christ, who is the great Head of the Church, say, Woman, be silent, and not disturb the public worship of God, by speaking with such a loud voice whilst I am a preaching ; you are disorderly ; you have broken the commands of God and the civil law : Constable, take her out of the assembly, and let her be fined, or cast into prison, 'till she is more regular, and learns not to disturb the public worship ? Was this Christ's reply to the woman ? Surely no ! but the contrary. Christ shows his approbation of her speaking by taking an occa- sion further to teach her and all the assembly, from what she said, that true blessedness did not lie merely in being in human relation to him, but rather in being united to his divinity by a di- vine principle of grace implanted in the soul, which will lead a person both to hear the word of God and keep it." pp. 357-360. Other scriptures are then quoted to the same effect.
The first notice found on record concerning this separate movement in Hardwick is under date of July 25, 1749, when it was " Voted, that the church make choice of, and send to the Rev. Mr. Edwards, Hall, and Eaton, to come and give their advice about the dissatisfied brethren in our church, viz., Samuel Robinson, James Fay, Benjamin Harwood, Silas Pratt, and George Abbott, jr., whether they will advise the church to dis- miss them, or proceed to censure them as irregular, disorderly members : - which council also came and gave their advice, as may be seen under their hands." "Sept. 20, 1749. At a church meeting in Hardwick, voted, that the church comply and fall in with the advice that the Rev. council gave. Silas Pratt, one of the dissatisfied brethren, complied with the council's advice. James Fay, Benjamin Harwood, and John Roberts 1 de- clared their non-compliance." At a later period, December 18, 1751, Silas Pratt and Jacob Abbott 2 were called to account ; and February 4, 1752, it was " voted, that the reasons that George Abbott and Silas Pratt gave for their absenting themselves from the public worship of God at the meeting-house in Hard- wick are not sufficient to justify their conduct. Voted, that
1 John Roberts was not before named as one of the " dissatisfied brethren " ; but he was among the most prominent ; and Samuel Robinson, who was named, is Mr. White's records. here omitted from the list.
2 From what follows, it seems probable that this name should be George Abbott. Similar mistakes are not unfrequent in
15
226
HISTORY OF HARDWICK.
George Abbott and Silas Pratt be suspended from the sacrament of the Lord's Supper until they acknowledge their fault and amend." Again : " At a church meeting in Hardwick, Nov. 14, 1753, voted that Experience Johnson, Ichabod Stratton, Ezekiel Pratt, Elisha Higgins and his wife, and Oliver Rice, be called to give the reasons why they absent themselves from the sacra- ment of the Lord's Supper in this place, and that Edward Allen be also called to give his reasons why he refuses to partake of the Lord's Supper in any church whatever." Also, " that a com- mittee be chosen to meet with the members that have separated from this church, and to propose some reconciling methods to them : Deacon Allen, Deacon Cooper, Lieut. Mirick, John Brad- ish, Ichabod Stratton, Jr., and Benjamin Whipple, were chosen for this committee." The result of this labor does not appear on record, except that, March 3, 1757, Experience Johnson was " censured by the church for his absenting himself from the sacrament of the Lord's Supper for several years ; " and, May 26, 1763, " Ichabod Stratton confessed his fault in separating from the Church of Christ in Hardwick, was forgiven by the church, and admitted to former privileges." 1
Meanwhile, the Separates had organized a church, and had probably erected a meeting-house on the northwest corner of the " ten acres " devoted to a public use, which was subsequently confirmed to them by the proprietors. The original Covenant is still in existence, and was manifestly written by an uneducated scribe, of which the following is a literal copy, made in 1877, the spelling and punctuation only being revised :
" THE COVENANT.
" We whose names are under written, apprehending ourselves called of God into church state of the gospel, do first of all con- fess ourselves unworthy to be so highly favored of the Lord, and admire that rich and full grace of his, which triumphs over so great unworthiness ; and then, with a humble reliance on the
1 The only action of the town in regard to the Separates, which I find, is under date of May 9, 1754, and May 16, 1757; at the first date, when met " to see if the town will release a number of the in- habitants of the town from paying to- wards the support of the settled minister in said town, who assemble and meet to-
gether for religious worship by them- selves, and are generally called Separates, after considering the matter respecting freeing the Separates, as expressed in the last article in the warrant, it being put to vote, it passed in the negative." The second trial had a similar result.
.
227
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
aids of grace therein promised for them, in a sense of their in- ability to do any good thing, do humbly wait on him for all ; and we now thankfully lay hold on his covenant, and would choose the things that please him.
" We declare our serious belief of the Christian Religion, as contained in the Sacred Scriptures, and with such a view thereof as the Confession of Faith and Rule of Discipline in Cambridge Platform has exhibited, - heartily resolving to conform our lives unto the rules of that holy religion as long as we live in the world. We give ourselves unto the Lord Jehovah, who is the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and avouch him this day to be our God, our Father, our Saviour, and our Leader ; and receive him as our portion forever. We give up ourselves unto the blessed Jesus, who is the Lord Jehovah, and adhere to him as the head of his people in the covenant of grace, and rely on him as our Priest, and our Prophet, and our King, to bring us unto eternal blessedness. We acknowledge our everlast- ing and indispensable obligation to glorify our God in all the duties of a godly, a sober, and a righteous life, and very par- ticularly in the duties of a church state, and a body of people associated together for an obedience to him in all the ordinances of the gospel ; and we herein depend upon his gracious assistance for our faithful discharge of the duties thus incumbent on us. We desire, and intend (with dependence upon his powerful grace), we engage to walk together as a church of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the faith and order of the gospel, so far as we shall have the same revealed to us, conscientiously attending the public worship of God, the sacraments of his New Testament, the discipline of his kingdom, and all his holy institutions, in communion with one another, and watchfully avoiding all sinful stumbling-blocks and contention, as become a people whom the Lord hath bound up together in the bundle of life. At the same time also we do present our offspring with us to the Lord, purposing with his help to do our parts in the methods of a religious education, that they may be the Lord's. And all this we do, flying to the blood of the everlasting covenant for the pardon of our many errors, and praying that the glorious Lord, who is the great Shepherd, would prepare and strengthen us for every good work, to do his will, working in us that which will be well pleasing : - to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
This original covenant was written on the first page of a folio sheet of paper, which is still preserved by the First Church in
228
HISTORY OF HARDWICK.
Bennington, Vt. On the second page the earliest signatures are arranged in two columns, as follows : -
John Roberts,1
Rebekah Abbott,
Samuel Robinson,1
Lydia Fay,
James Fay,2
Marcy Robinson,
Benjamin Harwood,2
Baty Pratt,
George Abbott,1
Bridget Harwood,
Jacob Fisk,1
Elizabeth Roberts,
George Abbott, Jr.,2
Elizabeth Fisk,
Jedediah Rice,2
Elizabeth Pratt,
James Breckenridge,8
Peace Atwood,
Oliver Rice,1
Prudence Whipple,
James Fay, Jr.,2
Martha Abbott,
David Doane,1
Mehitable Fay,
John Fassett,1
Hannah Rice,
Daniel Fay,2
Elizabeth Fay,
Ichabod Stratton, Jr.,1
Marcy Newton,
William Breckenridge,8
Hepzibah Whipple.
Benjamin Whipple,1 Eleazar Harwood,4 Samuel Pratt.4
Joseph Safford, Ann Safford, Stephen Story, Bethia Burnham,
Eleanor Smith.
Jonathan Scott, Elisha Field, Samuel Montague, Elizabeth Scott, Experience Richardson.
Aaron Leonard, John Wood,
Zachariah Harwood,
Philippa Wood,
Margit Harwood.
This Separate Church was organized in Hardwick about the year 1750.5 Its deacons were Samuel Robinson and James Fay ; perhaps, also, John Fassett. There is no known evidence that it ever had a settled pastor while it remained here.6 So many of
1 Removed to Bennington, Vt., in or beth Roberts, died before the end of that about 1761.
2 Did not remove to Bennington.
8 The Breckenridges were of Ware. James removed to Bennington, but Wil- liam remained at Ware.
4 Probably removed to Amherst about 1756, and thence to Bennington in 1761.
5 It must have been formed as early as 1750, for one of its members, Mrs. Eliza-
year.
6 There was a tradition, half a century ago, that the church had a pastor, whose name was Roberts. Perhaps it had this foundation : Mr. John Roberts whose name heads the list of subscribers to the Covenant, may have ordinarily officiated as a lay-preacher, or exhorter, which would account for his taking precedence of Samuel Robinson in the list.
229
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
its members removed to Bennington in 1761, that the Church, as an organized body, together with its covenant and records, was transferred to that town. It formed a union, December 3, 1762, with a much smaller representation of a similar Church which had removed from Sunderland to Bennington, and on the same day admitted five persons who had formerly been members of a Sepa- rate Church in Newint (a parish in Norwich), Conn., and thus was organized the First Church in the territory now embraced in the State of Vermont.
The particular method of this union of churches is recited by Rev. Isaac Jennings, the present pastor of the united church, in his " Memorials of a Century," pp. 31-33. That the covenant un- der which the union was consummated was not originally pre- pared for that occasion, but was the old covenant adopted at Hardwick about twelve years previously, and already bearing thirty-five signatures, is manifest for several reasons: (1.) The only reference to a covenant to be found in the articles of union is this: "It is agreed upon and voted by the Church of Christ in Bennington, that they make an exception in the fourth para- graph in the eleventh chapter in Cambridge Platform, in respect of using the civil law to support the gospel ; and also the ninth paragraph in the seventeenth chapter, in respect of the civil mag- istrate's coercive power." The Hardwick covenant accepted the Cambridge Platform without qualification. In renewing or re- adopting that, it was natural to make exceptions, if desirable ; but altogether unnatural to make such exceptions to the provi- sions of a new covenant at that time prepared as a basis of eccle- siastical union. (2.) Of the first thirty-five signatures to this covenant, all are recognized as Hardwick names except the two Breckenridges, who resided in the adjoining town of Ware; but there is sufficient evidence on the town records, that four of them, to wit, Deacon James Fay and his sons James Jr. and Daniel, and William Breckenridge, never removed to Benning- ton. (3.) Another reason is of itself conclusive: The signa- tures of the first nineteen males are autographs ; but at least three of them had deceased before the union of the churches ; namely, Dr. Jedediah Rice, who died at Hardwick April 4, 1756 ; Benjamin Harwood, who removed to Amherst and died August 19, 1758 ; and George Abbott, Jr., who had died, and the inven- tory of his estate was rendered August 16, 1761. Also, of the sixteen females whose names stand first in the second column, three had died, and three had changed their names by marriage,
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