History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 79

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1226

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 79

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" Afterward, ye Elders of Cambr. Ch., writing to vs as from them- selves their apprehensions as to this effect, they conceived we might notwithstanding, receive ye said Jonathan without offence to that ch."

" vpon 22 of 1st { 56-57. It was returned thus: Jonathan Damford, his desire being vpon this day a 2th time proposed to this ch. with Lrs from ye Elders of Cambr. Ch. The result of our ch. agitation amounted, in effect, to this, viz : that we supposing he may be fitt to eujoy all ch. priviledges, can not otherwise but sympathise wth him ; and therefore, as ye case to vs appears at present, we are not apprehensive we are order- ly called as yet to satisfy his desire, for our parts, conceiving he belong- eth to them whose we think he is, either plainely to disowne him or to dismisse him ; and, in case neither of these mayhee, we know no rule or reason why he may not firstly joyne himself in personall covenant with that ch, and afterward, as just cause is offered, to be either recommended or dismissed, or both, vnto vs. Or else, if by reason of his distance from that ch, [this be refused, whereas yet there are, as we suppose, members of ye said ch residing nigher to him than any of ours, he seems called, for his owne parte, to sit still a while & wayte till God more fully shew vp his way."

Almost three years pass and the case is reopened.

"In 7, 59, 11mo, Jonathon Dafford hrings Lrs, from ye ch of Camhr., wherein they resign vp all their right in him vnto vs to proceed with him.

" After some long agitation, at 3 several times, and divers qu. in poynt of order proposed, ye case at length came to he stated, and ye case as touching order vpon several grounds, concluded ; and thereupon ye whole ch. agreed to send a Ir. to ye Brethren at Billerica, to take off occasion of offence, and to cleere more fully our way, as followeth :

1 MSS. Record, now in possession of Mr. David Pulsifer, at the State House. For permission to make extracts from this Record, I am indebt- ed to the courtesy of Rev. H. M. Dexter, D.D., who has a copy of the ob- scure original, which was made for him hy Mr. Pulsifer.

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

" Yo Lr to l To of BELOVED BRETHREN, &C. AT BILLERICA, &C. ; Billerien 5 Bel. Br.

Whereas,

"Jo : Dauf: an Inhabitant amongst you, hath, for some thine since proposed himself as desirous to joyne wth vs in ch. fellowship, and hath obteyned Liberty from ye ch at Cambridge so to doe, as by Lrs to vs from that ch is manifest to vs. And whereas we have been in some douht about it since that time, as heing hopefully persuaded that ye longing desires of their soules, after yo enjoying of ye Ordinances of X. amongst yourselves, would have set them vpon ye worke of Gathering a ch and ordeyning an Officer in yr place; and that ye experience and observa- tion of ye said Jonathan would have led you to have encouraged him in his desire after ye Ordin : in taking him amongst you in ye sd worke and vnto the same : or otherwise, in case of personal exception agst him, as regularly unmeete for fellowship, to have cleered yorselves in the matter. But perceiving that neither this nor that is attended hy you, 80 as we, for or parties, are ready to apprehend, had we hcen in yor case, it had concerned vs ; Therefore, we have thought fitt to write vnto you, to desire you would speedily and with the first opertunity enforme vs of these two things : First, whether indeed you hee, or doe intend soone to he, iu hand wth ye gd worke of gathering a chi, and within what space of time there is an intendmeut or likelyhoode of accomplishing the same? and whether you doe intend to accept of ye gd Jonathan amongst you vnto the worke ? and, if not this or not that, then, if we mayhe so far in yor favor, we should look at it as an act of Brotherly Love, to he enformed from you, of the grounds wch, if we may apprehend Just, you shall have vs (thro' ye grace of Christ) iu a readiness to strengthen yor hauds in what may concern vs. If otherwise, we shall desire to act or owne apprehensions as in what we shall conceive of duty, and in par- ticular in reference to sd Jonathan, without just cause of offense to you, in case you doe not lay hefore us grounds of conviction to the contrary. How meete we may find him for Fellowship, we can not yet determine. To roh you of him, in case meete, far he it from vs. To receive him, you regularly judging him unmeet, and so to retayne him to vs, when once you have a ch amongst you, he it as far from vs as ye other. Testi- mony from amongst you, we doe (in part, at least) expect : and on ye other side, as you will approve yorselves faithful to Jesus X., and to the soule of ye sd Jonathan, we doe looke you should, and hope you will, orderly remove matters of just offence, if any there be, or seasonably and regularly enforme us.

"Seriously we doe desire you would not slight (as we dare not con- clude you will) this ' or Addresse vnto you, hy a silent Answer, or by re- tarding a returne to vs from you, but that you would let us, within a short time heare from you, and for the interim we commend you to ye Guidance of ye good Spirit of God and rest.

Yors &c. " CHELMSFORD, 29 of 11, '59."

"12 of 2, '61. Also ahout Jon : Daford : when voted that we should proceed to tryal with him, in order to his joining. A Testimony vnder Mr. Whiting's, Wm. French, Jam : Parker's hand heing Redd." A month later, "12 of 3, '61. On this day Jonath. Dafford joyned in covenant with this ch, promising to attend ye Rule & order of ye Gospel, as touch - ing joyning the ch at Billerica, if once gathered, or else to remove his station to this or some other Towne where a church shall bee." Mr. Danforth kept his promise and took letters of dismission to the church in Billerica, "15 : 11: 65 :"

The formation of a church was felt by the fathers of New England to be serious business, not to be lightly or hastily undertaken ; and the importance of membership was viewed in the same light. We can- not read this record between the lines without sus- pecting some difference of opinion among these Bil- ferica men, and that the delay of the church organ- ization is partially explained by that fact. To the valuable record of the Chelmsford pastor we are in- debted for fuller light on this subject. This fortun- ately preserves the story of a hitherto mysterious council, held in April, 1663, and mentioned in an item of the town treasurer's record, which makes it clear that Billerica was agitated by the question, so seriously disturbing the churches of the day, respect- ing the relation of baptized children to the church,

and whether they could acquire, by infant baptism alone, the rights of citizenship in the State.

Mr. Fiske's record is as follows :

" Billerica's case.

" On 12 of 24, 63, we received let" from Mr Whiting & ye Breth" for y. Pastor & Brethren to joyne with ye other messengers of X" in coun- sell to he given ym ahout yre proceeding to X= state. Bro. Burge being- chosen with ye pastr, Attendance was accordingly thr given on 27th of 2ª, as appointed, whr inct us the messengers of ye X of Oohurne : but Cambr & Watertowne messengers ca not, being as seemed hy L" Ilin- dred by Prvd. The messengers of yo 2 sd Xa beforesd, hcing prsent were desired by ye Breth of Billerica, notwithstanding, to hr ye case & if pos- sihly to help ym ; Accordingly, it was Attended upon the desire, & on the 2d day, being the sitting day, Mr. Whiting & the rest, on hoth ap- prehensions, met. But we could not co to state ye qu hetween them till the Afternoon. So after we had made many assaies with them togethr & aprte. At length finding : 1. That yr was a willingness & desire on hoth prtes, to joyne together in ye worke of gathering a X and carrying on of ye ordin : amongst them, notwithstanding ye differance of yr Ap- prhensions aboute Children's state in ye X concerning ye [?] 2. That yo dissenting hrethren to Mr. Whiting's prte had declared thereof:

"1. That ye childr of parents in full coion were to be Baptized.

"2. yes children, heing haptized, are vnder the care of ye Church, weh . is to see to yr pious [nurture ?] in ye heart & feare of God, & to he cate- chized, &c. Onely so' of ym would not have ym vnder ye powr of ye X to he censured, thio so' of ym yielded it yt [?] now members, & might he exco'icated if deserving, only ys could not convey any right of mom- hersh to yr Childr, nor could thr childr he reputed memhrs, vnless yr imediate pnts were in full coion vpon this account. The following question heing drawne vp & p'posed, was censented to, on all hands, to be The Question."

" The Copy of ye qu : & Answer given hy ye Counsel to the Billericay Brethren is as follows : 28 of 24, 63, Billericy.

"Qu. Suppose an equall number of persons differing in thr opinions aboute childrens intereste in the Church (both Infants & Adult) & hoth willing to practice their Opinion : How may such psons Joyne together according to a Rule & live together in church state according to a Rule ?

"A. We conceive as followeth :

"1. That the two dissenting parties doe each of them choose equally (suppose fower), each of ym of yr owne Apprhensions, to he the matter of ye foundation. 2. That these all mutually & joyntly doe take & give satisfaction, each to other, touching there meetnes vnto this greate worke, as in all other Respts. 3. That if there app any just cause of laying hy any one of these vpon the foresd account, that then One othr pson he chosen, according to ye first pposal, in his Roome : 4. That each trouble not the Other as to the matter of there apprhension ahoute the question hetweene them, otherwise than by a Meeke, Brotherly & modest resoning out the case of difference hy the Word of God, as oc- casion is offered, for the mutual help one of another. 5. That the matter of difference as to the case of children simply heco no barr or lett to any, othrwise fitt to he received in, or added to them.

" Postscr. And we doe hope, thro the Lord's help, that if you can thus joyne in all Brotherly love & goe on together in the due exercise of the same Love, forhearance & Tenderness ; you may longe continew together with the Lord's blessed prsence in the midst of you, cleering up his will & way more fully to you in his owne season : whch we shall pray for on yor Behalves.

" Subscribed :

" JO : FFISKE, THO : CARTER, Enw. JOHNSON, Joh. BURGE."

The men who were interested in and moved by such questions as these had mental powers of no mean order. It is not easy for us fully to understand their position, but it does not become us to underes- timate them or smile at their difficulties. They were dealing at first hand with fundamental problems of church and state, and they had not the light of two hundred and fifty years' experience to guide them. This possible church, outlined by the April council, smacks suspiciously of Presbyterian eldership and

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authority. It can hardly be the same as the founda- tion which was actually laid six months later. Again the Chelmsford record aids us :

" 11 of 9, 63, Billerica.

"Messengers fro ys ch. attended ye ch. gathering at Billericay where they all made a Relatio of ye worke of grace & consented in a written profession of faith ; & Mr. Whiting ordayned pastor. ye day com- fortable."

The assembling of this council and its proceedings have formed a notable day in the lives of the fathers. It will help us revive the memory of the scene if we recall the names of those who were likely to have composed it.

Roxbury was certainly represented by its junior, pastor, Samuel Danforth. He was the colleague of John Eliot, the devout and active Indian missionary, whose marvelous translation of the Bible into the language of the Indians was printed that very year. His labors among the natives at Wamesit must often have led him throngh Billerica, and it is pleasant to think that he also was probably present. Lynn must have sent her pastor, Samuel Whiting, Sr., the father of our candidate. And the mother church at Cam- bridge, with her pastor, Jonathan Mitchell, would not fail to share in the joys of the day. Chelms- ford, which had received as settlers a church already organized, with its pastor, John Fiske, gave gladly the hand of fellowship to a nearer sister. Concord, Woburn and Andover would complete the circle of neighboring churches, and their pastors were Peter Bulkley, the cousin of Mr. Whiting's mother, Thomas Carter and Francis Dane. The first minister of Boston, John Wilson, may have been present with his church ; and Thomas Shepherd, who had been Mr. Whiting's classmate at Harvard College, as pastor of Charlestown. Malden, Reading and Watertown would make up twelve churches, and their pastors were Michael Wigglesworth, the poet, John Brock, the devout, and John Sherman, the eminent mathe- matician.

Whether all these were present or not it was a grave and reverend council which convened here on that November day. Our old town perhaps never had a more notable assembly. The candidate was most carefully examined in his doctrine and experi- ence. He would have occasion to exercise all the Jogical skill acquired in his Harvard training and displayed in his graduating thesis on the question " An detur Maximum et Minimum in Natura." There was at least one sermon, and the organization of the church at the same time may have required an- other ; and if the custom of a later day then obtained, the candidate preached his own ordaining sermon. The possible duration of these public services is sug- gested in the Woburn experience. There, when the church was organized, Mr. Symmes introduced the services and "continued in prayer and preaching about the space of four or five hours." What would follow such an introduction we may imagine ! What-

ever the order or length of the services, the little, thatched meeting-house was well filled by a congre- gation too much interested, as well as too devout, to betray weariness or to thank their descendants for sympathy.

Mr. Whiting remained the pastor of the church un- til his death, 1712-13, February 28th. He was son of Rev. Samuel Whiting, of Lynn, who was also minis- ter of Lynn Regis, in England, and at Skirbeck, where his son Samuel was born 1633, March 25th. His mother was of a noble family, the daughter of Rt. Hon. Oliver St. John, a member of Parliament. Her brother Oliver married a cousin. of Oliver Crom- well, and was one of the first lawyers and most pro- gressive men in England.

This first pastorate of fifty years, or rather of fifty- seven, was a vital element in the planting and mould- ing of the town. Mr. Whiting brought to it his heri- tage of high thought and ardent sympathy with the new life which was pulsating in England, Old and New ; his Harvard training and his thorough scholar- ship and piety, and the testimony is clear to his qual- ity as a preacher and a pastor. The influence of such a man carrying the respect and love of those around him for almost two generations is measureless.

During his ministry the primitive meeting-house gave place, in 1694, to a new one. In 1698 his health made assistance necessary, and the question of a colleague was considered. But the town did not feel able to support two pastors, and probably Mr. Whit- ing became stronger again.

In 1707 Samuel Ruggles was employed by the town and was ordained May 19, 1708.

The venerable senior pastor was spared for five years longer, rounding out, in serene age, one of those pastorates which constitute an epoch in the history of any community. His parish was wide, extending with the town from Concord and the modern Acton to the Merrimack and Andover. For fifty-six years he preached the gospel to hearers who came five or six miles to listen. They heard two sermons, and we may be sure they were not short ones. The modern demand for a sermon not over half an hour long would have surprised these fathers as much as would the railroad, the telegraph or a daily newspaper. They sought at church not merely spiritual food, but much of the intellectual and social stimulus which their children draw from other sources, and hence would listen without weariness and eagerly, and go home to discuss sermons which a modern audience would not tolerate. The demands of such a ministry Mr. Whit- ing satisfied with honor to himself, "holding forth the word of light," and winning souls to his divine Master. He baptized the children and buried the dead ; but he did not always, probably not often, per- form the marriage service. The fathers thought that it smacked of popery for the minister to marry them, and went to the magistrate instead.

Casting in his lot with the young town, and meet-

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ing patiently and bravely the hardships it involved, he reaped his reward in the respect and affection which surrounded his old age. His influence was stamped upon the character and history of the town. At last his work was done. Jonathan Danforth, companion and friend of many years, dicd in Sep- tember, 1712. Then, on February 15th, the dearer com- panion of all his joys and sorrows was taken away. Without hier the good man could not live, and death separated them but thirteen days. On the last day of February, 1712-13, the faithful shepherd went to his rest. Cotton Mather tells us, and we may thank him for the item, that he died " an hour before Sunset." And, not for their poetry, but their truth, we may re- peat the lines :

" Whiting, we here behold, a starry light, Burning in Christ's right hand, and shining bright ; Years seven times seven sent forth his precious rays, Unto the Gospel's profit and Jehovah's praise."

The pastorate of Mr. Ruggles continued a few months more than forty years, and was terminated by his death, 1748-49, March 1st. The rapidity with which oblivion covers the lives "and deeds of meu has a striking illustration in the scantiness of our knowl- edge of Billerica's second pastor. For more than a generation he lived and labored, a foremost figure in the life of the town, preaching the gospel from week to week in the pulpit and by the way, satisfying so well the lofty Puritan ideal of a pastor that no whisper of dissatisfaction is preserved .. Yet what manner of man he was, or what were the characteristics of his ministry, we have no hint. But lives happy and useful are often quiet, sounding no trumpets, and this is the just account of many a rural pastor whose record is on high.

A negative inference is suggested by the absence of Mr. Ruggles' name from all the narratives and testi- monies which,in his later years, grew out of the presence of Whitefield in New England, and the controversies which accompanied him. He was not the first or last reformer not always temperate or wise, and good men were divided in their opinion. Testimonies and counter-testimonies multiplied and the lines were tightly drawn on every hand. There were few of the ministers whose names do not appear and whose position was not recorded on one side or the other. Mr. Ruggles was one of the few. This may be partially explained by the fact that the infirmity of age began to tell upon him early. Yet the suspicion is natural that he sympathized with the position of his son-in-law, Mr. Morrill, of Wilmington, of whom tradition relates, that when Mr. Whitefield had an appointment to preach there, he rode all over town and warned his people not to attend the service. The result was natural : a first-rate notice and a great congregation.

The building of the third meeting-house occurred during Mr. Ruggles' pastorate. The raising took place in 1738, May 24th, and March 6th following,

the town voted, "after large debate," to "sell the puc ground in our new meeting-house, under such Restrictions and Regulations as the town shall here- after see best, which mnoncy coming by the sale of the pucs shall be improved towards the finishing our new meeting-house." In May it was voted "that when any pue is granted to any man in our new mceting- house, that the man and liis family shall sit in said pue if there be conveniency of room in said pue."

The early years of Mr. Ruggles' ministry were sig- nalized by the appearance of a bell. At a meeting, 1710-11, March 9th, it was voted "that the money that the land was sold for to Captain Reed, on the west of Concord River, shall be laid out to buy a bell for the meeting-house." Captain Lane and Lieuten- ant John Stearns were appointed "a committy to provide a Bell for the Town, not exceeding sixty pounds prise."

This bell was used until 1753, January 23d, when a committee was appointed "to take down the bell and convey it to Boston and dispose of it in the best way they can towards the procuring another ; and indent with some Gentleman for another and to Run the hassard of said bell from Ingland to Boston ; the bell to be procured by said committee is not to ex- ceed five hundred pounds in weight." At the same time the town voted to sell "so much of the hind seats on the lower floor on the south side of our meeting-house, on each side of the middle or broad alley, as will be convenient for six pues, three on a side, to be sold to the highest bidder . . . in order to purchase a meeting-house bell."

This second bell, it appears, came from England, and was probably the same which was " cracked " by violent ringing on July 4, 1842. The memory of our older citizens recalls the fact that it bore an inscrip- tion including the name " Billericay," a form of the word which English workmen would be very likely to use. But known facts do not prove the pleasant tradition that the first bell in town was a gift, suita- bly inscribed, from the English Billericay, and it is hardly possible that such an incident could have oc- curred at any later date and left no trace in the records of either town.

The question of a colleague for the pastor came before the town March 3, 1746-47, and a committee reported that Mr. Ruggles was " very free," and " de- sired that the town would proceed in that affaire." Another committee, of seven, was then directed to "desire Mr. Ruggles to assis with them in calling in some of the neighboring ministers to keep a Day of prayer, to seek divine direction in that affaire." On the report of this committee, April 6th, the question arose, whether " the Town would proceed to hear any Gent to preach upon probation," and "it passed in the negative by a great majority." Plainly the mind of the town was made up as to the call to be given, and a young Harvard graduate, who taught the school in 1746, had won their hearts. It is not

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in evidence that the proposed " Day of prayer" was held. The church waived its legal right to the first vote in the choice of a pastor, and, "at a General Town Meeting." April 28th : "The church and town unanimously voted and made choyce of Mr. John Chandler, of Andover, to settle in the work of the ministry amongst us, with the Revd. Mr. Samuel Rug- gles. our aged pastor." They promise him, “in a Reasonable time," £600, old tenor, as a settlement, and a salary of £200 while Mr. Ruggles was able to carry on a part of the work, and to add £100 more after Mr. Ruggles' death, The answer of Mr. Chan- dier was delayed for farther negotiation. He asked that the settlement be paid in two years, and, if he outlived Mr. Ruggles, that the ministry land, which was west of Concord River, might be sold, and " laid out either for mowing or pasturing within half a mile of the meeting-house," he to have the improvement of it, during his ministry, in either location. The town consented. But the uncertain value of the currency still embarrassed them. To meet the diffi- culty the town voted that the salary should be at a standard of twelve shillings a bushel for Indian corn and sixteen shillings for rye. Mr. Chandler proposed, instead, that the standard be between ten and twelve shillings for corn and thirteen and fifteen for rye, and to this the town assented. They also offered him £20 a year for " fewel for his fire," but, "it appearing that it was more accommodating to Mr. Chandler to have wood in the stead of it," they promised him twenty cords of wood annually. The salary was payable semi-annually.

When these engagements were embodied in a for- mal covenant, the way was prepared for Mr. Chan- dler's ordination, which occurred October 21, 1747. "Eight churches came together to carry on the sol- emnity. The Revd. Mr. Rogers, of Littleton, began with prayer ; the Revd Mr James Chandler, of Row- ley (brother of the candidate), preached, from John iii: 11 ; the Revª Mr. Phillips, of Andover, gave the charge and also added an exhortation to the people, wherein he pressed upon 'em the particular duties of a people towards their minister; and the Revd. Mr. Bowes, of Bedford, gave the Right hand of fellow- ship. No objections were laid in against their pro- ceeding in the ordination by any person whatso- ever."

An ordination was a great event in those days. In preparation for this the town appointed a committee to "make suitable and descent provition, at the Town's cost, for Mr. Chandler's ordination, at one or two places, for all the ministers and messengers, and Mr. Chandler's Relations, and for steudants of har- vard Colledg, according to their best prudance." They also reserved the front seats for members of the council, and the front seats in the gallery for the church members.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 79

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1226

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1226