USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Scituate > History of Scituate, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1831 > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37
was incorporated, called Marshfield. Mr Blinman left Rexham after a few months, officiated a short time at Gloucester - then at New London - afterward at New Haven - and at Newfoundland 1659, where he was invited to settle - but he proceeded to England, and died in the ministry at Bristol.
- 1
83
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
the platform met the next year, (1646), and the controversy here, had agitated both colonies.
At Mr Witherell's ordination there seem to have been present some messengers of neighboring Churches, but we believe they were present rather to remonstrate against than to assist in the ordination. For example, Josiah Winslow, Esq., afterward the Governor, was present as a messenger from the Church of Marshfield, and delivered in writing the following message, which we find on record.
" Marshfield, September 2, 1645.
" The Church at Marshfield advise Mr Vassall and the rest to forbear for a time the ordination, till Mr Witherell shall have tendered satisfaction to the Church of Duxbury for his sudden departure." Whether Mr Winslow, who was a magistrate, approved of the message which he brought, or otherwise, we know not: but this is certain, that he soon after began to attend on Mr Witherell's ministry, though living ten miles distant, and brought his children hither to be baptized by his hand.
An answer to the Message of the Church of Marshfield.
"Scituate, September 2, 1645.
" Rev. and dearly beloved in our Lord.
" We cannot but with thankfulness acknowledge our engagements to you all, jointly and severally, for your advice, counsel and countenance heretofore, so now in particular, for your assisting us a second tyme, in a further work by our well beloved brother your Church's messenger, to whose message unto us concerning our brother Mr Witherell's not walking blamelessly and therefore forbidden by the Apostle to be admit- ted into office for the present, we answer : that wherein he can be convinced by any present practise, or undeniable precept from the word of God, (the only rule of faith and worship), that what he hath done hath been done repugnant thereunto, he is willing with all readiness to submit, and he hath tendered any satisfaction to the Church of Duckesbury, by the messenger sent unto him, so that he may but hear the call of the great Shepherd. Our honoured and well beloved brother Mr Tho- mas your fellow member, can confirme you, how submissively he gave them satisfaction to the full, when he was last at Duckesbury, how he desired a dismission from them, waited for it longer than was by some intimated, and after this, again
84
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
humbly petitioned, and was yet deferred, without any warrant from sacred Scripture, to make him hover in uncertainty. We leave to your judgments to consider of the premises. Though we could say much more, yet if any further light could be reached to our brother from the word of life, we persuade ourselves he will not dare to close his eyes against it. Let it be evidently made manifest by the word, that our brother is still a member of them, and then both they and you, and all Churches in the Country, to whom he hath by this act given offence, grieved their consciences, and scandalized the gospel, shall have Christian satisfaction. Thus, dearly beloved and affected in the Lord, returning you hearty thanks for your Christian, godly and grave advice to us, and carefulness for us, we take our leave, and commend you to the grace of God in Christ.
" WILLIAM WITHERELL, WILLIAM VASSALL, pointment of the Church."
WILLIAM HATCH, THOMAS ROBINSON, 7 by the ap-
There was a mutual attempt to become reconciled without the interference of elders or magistrates in 1649. A confer- ence was held December 25th, at the house of Mr Thomas Robinson. The agitators on the part of the old Church were Mr Timothy Hatherly, Mr Charles Chauncy, Deacon Richard Sealis, Humphrey Turner and John Woodfield. On the part of the new Church, Mr William Witherell, elder William Hatch, Mr Thomas Robinson, deacon Joseph Tilden and John Stock- bridge. We find no trace of Mr Vassall in this conference, nor subsequently. We know that he had gone in 1648 to England. The same accusations were brought forward by Mr Chauncy in this conference, that appear in his letter of 22, 12 m. 1642, and nearly the same replies made that appear in Mr Vassall's letters above. The minutes of that conference are on record, but nothing appears in them to throw any further light upon the subject in dispute, and nothing worth extracting, unless it be an answer of the venerable Mr Hatherly to his own pastor, Mr Chauncy, when he brought forward his accusation of schism, viz. "it could be no schism, because we had promised them a dismission whenever they should require it, and sent it to them before they did demand it."
We have many proofs that Mr Hatherly, though he adhered to Mr Chauncy, admired his talents, and was his principal supporter, was yet often grieved at his hasty and ardent temper.
/
85
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
In 1652, another motion towards reconciliation was made as follows :
" Scituate, March 5, 1652.
"To the Church of Christ in Scituate, whereof the Rev. and well beloved Mr Chauncy is Pastor. Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied, &c. Dearly beloved in our blessed Saviour. " Wheras for a long tyme you have stood at a distance from us, in the point of Communion in the holy things of God, we the Church of Christ in Scituate wherof Mr Witherell is Pastor, as yet not knowing what the evil in us is that occasions the same, do earnestly entreat you as brethren, in charity you would deal faithfully and plainly with us, in discovering to us what that evil is that you see in us, which yet unto this day occasioneth the distance, so that we may be brought to the right way towards God, and give satisfaction to his people-we, not doubting that you will deal ingenuously with us, commend you to God and the word of his grace.
"WILLIAM WITHERELL, THOMAS KING, THOMAS ROBINSON, JAMES TORREY,
-
in the name and with the consent of the Church.'
ANSWER.
" Scituate, Jan. 30, 1652.
"To the Rev. and well esteemed Mr William Witherell, with the rest of the Society give these.
"Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied, &c. " Rev. and Beloved in the Lord.
" It hath been no small grievance of spirit unto us, that there hath been so great and so long a distance between you and us in Communion : and there is much cause for humiliation before the Lord for it: and we do earnestly desire that the Lord would show both you and us a clear way to put an end unto it. But we are, many of us, very much in the dark about it at present : and all that we answer to your letter is this.
"That your motion that we should deal faithfully and plainly with you, in discovering unto you what that evil is that we see in you that occasions the distance, were very equal, if nothing to the purpose had been done by us before : but now seeing after three meetings of the Elders of the Churches, and one of them having the presence of the magistrates, and also another
86
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. i
meeting of five messengers chosen by each of our Societies, you do still write unto us that you do not yet know what that evil is that is in you that occasions the distance, we cannot hope to do more nor yet so much as so many Honored & Reverend persons and such as were thought meet for the purpose, have endeavored to do already, (as it seems) to little effect. Thus desiring you to take in good part this answer of the greater company of our assembly, we commend you to him who is the Author of peace in all the Churches of the Saints.
" Yours in the Lord in the name and with the consent of the greater part."
"CHARLES CHAUNCY,
REPLY.
"Scituate, July 8, 1653.
"Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied, &c. "Rev. and well beloved in our blessed Saviour.
"You may be pleased to remember that some four months agone, we presented you with a request, which we conceived to be both Christian and pious in the sight of God and man, viz. 'that you would deal faithfully and plainly with us, in discovering to us what that evil is that you see in us, which yet unto this day, occasions that distance in point of com- munion.' Since which tyme, we received a letter from your Rev. Pastor, subscribed ' in the name and with the consent of the greater part,' wherein you intimate your grievance of spirit, cause of humiliation, and earnest desire, that the Lord would show both us and you, a clear way to put an end unto it: for, say you, 'many of us are very much in the dark about it.'
" As for your grievance of spirit, it hath been the like griev- ance of spirit unto us, though we are not conscious of any cause of that distance between us, and therefore for our part, we do not find any cause of humiliation for it.
"We cannot but admire at your intimation of the unequal- ness of our motion, in desiring to see our sin which occasions the distance, for if there had been means used, as you say, to convince us of our sin, and we would not be brought to the sight of it, yet notwithstanding, when we do manifest our willingness to be brought to the sight of it, we judge it an equal motion.
" As concerning those meetings of Elders, whereof one had the presence of the Magistrates, which you bring as an argument
87
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
to prove that there hath been means used to convince us of our sin, we acknowledge one of them, viz. that which had the presence of magistrates, altho' we had no hand in procuring them, neither did they show us any sin; but as for the other two, we are ignorant of what they met about, or of any sin they charged our Church withal. And for the other meeting of five messengers of each Society, which you bring as another argu- ment to prove that there hath been means used, and the unequalness of our motion, you seem hereby to lay a charge of unfaithfulness upon our messengers, who brought us intelli- gence, that we were cleared of those things which were laid to our charge, and that your messengers also seemed well satisfied ; and therefore we desire you to make good that charge against them, that we may so deal with them, that neither you nor we may be guilty of the sin of not reproving our brother. Lev. 19. 19.
" And as for that you say in your letter that 'many of you are very much in the dark' concerning the distance between us, we much marvel that you should so long debar us from communion and yet many of you not know wherefore, especially considering that your Rev. Pastor himself hath declared 'that he could freely hold communion with as many of our Church as he knew,' (at our brother Robinson's wedding).
" And whereas you manifest an earnest desire that the Lord would show both us and you a clear way to put an end to the distance, our hearty and earnest desires concur with you; and therefore we do once again, in the bowels of Christ, entreat you to answer our former request, or else to refer the difference betwixt us to some Elders of other Churches mutually chosen. Thus desiring that you will now deal ingenuously and Chris- tianly with us, we commend you to the Lord and rest
"Your brethren in Christ.
"WILLIAM WITHERELL, THOMAS KING, by order of
EPHM KEMPTON, the Church."
ROBERT STETSON. 7
Note in the margin in Mr Witherell's hand writing.
" This letter was read in Mr Chauncy's Church July 16, 1653, and the Wednesday following we had lightning and thunder and storms and hail- stones flung on our innocent heads, viz. Acts 19, 20 in the application of the doctrine."
In the autumn of 1654, Mr Chauncy retired from Scituate, and we find no further traces of these ecclesiastical troubles,
88
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
until 1674, when we find on record a formal reconciliation, as follows.
" To the Rev. Elders and brethren of our neighbour Church of Christ in Scituate, grace, mercy and peace be multiplied, &c. "Scituate, April 1, 1675.
" Rev. and beloved in our Lord and Saviour.
" We received a letter from you dated Feb. 18, 1674 : a very Christian and loving expression of your minds, inclined to remove any just grounds of offence given in a former letter, and to desire love and fellowship with us in the holy things of God, according to the mind and will of Christ, which we have perused and considered with thankfulness to God and due respect unto yourselves, and accepted as a pledge of future mercy from God, both to yourselves and to us: and we do hereby certify you that we are thereby fully satisfied, and do willingly and gladly lay aside all former offences taken up, or ancient disagreements and differences betwixt us; we desire God to forgive you and us whatsoever may have been displeas- ing to him. And in that you desire fellowship with us in the gospel that we may have communion one with another as the Churches of Christ, we do cordially embrace your motion, &c.
" NICHOLAS BAKER, in the name and
THOMAS CLAP, with consent
JOHN DAMAN, of the Church."
Thus happily terminated an ecclesiastical controversy of thirty-three years. We have made large extracts from the documents, because the reader may find in them illustrations of the principles of the early settlers, and other useful lessons. It is certain that Mr Chauncy held fast his integrity, as he called it, and never recognised any other Church in Scituate than his own. His letters were addressed to the Society, not the Church. The question which was the first Church was never settled in form. The last letter of reconciliation which we have inserted above, was directed, " to our neighbor Church," not to the first or second Church in Scituate. There was certainly much plausibility in Mr Vassall's argument that the Church of Mr Chauncy were the seceders, and therefore the second Church. But principles much more recently settled, decide the question otherwise, and very properly; because it was conceded that Mr Chauncy's Church and Society together, were a majority of "two or three men," and retained the Meeting-house.
1
89
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
A reconciliation was easily accomplished after Mr Vassall and President Chauncy had left the ground. The causes of the opposition between these two eminent men may partly be gathered from the above documents. Mr Vassall often alludes to the uncertainty of the Church state which Mr Chauncy had established for himself. He probably held him in less respect on account of the well known fact that he had been a Puritan, and had made a publick recantation, and again repented of that recantation, and fled to this country. Then his prac- tice in the seals, in the phraseology of that day, was offensive to Mr Vassall's conscience. Mr Chauncy would baptize by immersion only, and administer the Lord's supper in the evening, and on every Lord's day. Mr Vassall very early engaged in controversy with him on these points, as credible tradition inform us : but the substance of that contro- versy will probably never be recovered. On the other hand, Mr Chauncy took offence at Mr Vassall's liberality in admitting members to the ordinances, and suspected him of being an Episcopalian. We will not attempt to decide this question at this late period : we will only remark that the facts of his having been an approved member of Mr Lothrop's Church, having held a familiar intercourse with such men as Wilson and Elliot and Cotton, having also recognized the validity of Congrega- tional ordination in case of Mr Witherell, show at least that he was no rigid Episcopalian : and we may add, that the Church in Scituate, which he laboured nearly twenty years to build up, bore no marks of Episcopacy. An exposition of his principles in his letter to Mr Wilson quoted above, confirms also these remarks. The reader will not fail to remark in the above controversy, that the hasty and ardent temper of Mr Chauncy often exposed him to his cooler adversary : nor can he fail to remark that the whole might have been saved, could they have appealed to any settled principles of order in the independent Churches, at that time.
The practice of immersion in the first Church in Scituate was unanimously yielded up, after Mr Chauncy retired in 1654, and he himself was thenceforth silent on the subject.
The early Independent or Congregational Churches made a distinction in the offices of pastor and teacher : thus we account for a debate which seems to have been carried on in Scituate in 1644, whether Mr Witherell should be called to the office of pastor or teacher. Some Churches, who were able to sup- port both, enjoyed the services of both officers : for example, the first Church in Boston, in which Wilson was pastor, and
12
.
90
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
Cotton teacher for many years. The Cambridge platform in 1648, recognizes this distinction, and describes the duty of the pastor to attend to "exhortation," and the duty of the teacher to attend to "doctrine," &c. But this distinction was soon found to be without difference enough to be preserved.
The office of Ruling Elder was also held for a time to be authorized by Scripture, as distinct from pastor or teacher or deacon. They sometimes officiated as teachers, as the learned and devout elder Brewster taught often in the Church of Plym- outh, when they were destitute of an official teacher. The Cambridge platform recognizes this office, and describes its duties : " To attend to admission of members, to ordain officers chosen by the Church, to excommunicate obstinate offenders renounced by the Church, and to restore penitents forgiven by the Church, &c." The office of Deacon, according to the platform, was "limited to the care of the temporal things of the Church, the contribution of the saints, &c." But the distinction in these offices was soon yielded. The first ruling elders in the first Church in Scituate were Nathaniel Tilden and Henry Cobb. Elder Cobb removed to Barnstable in 1639 or 40, and elder Tilden deceased in 1641, and no successors were chosen. The first deacons in the first Church were Richard Sealis, William Gilson and Thomas Besbedge. At the establishment of the second Church, Thomas King and William Hatch were chosen ruling elders. Elder Hatch deceased in 1651, and no successor was chosen. Elder King lived to 1691. The first deacons in the second Church were Thomas Robinson and James Torrey.
It was the practice of the early Congregational Churches to elect and ordain all officers, without any reference to the Society, and this practice continued so long as the law was in force which required church-membership as a qualification for the freedom of the Colony, or the right of franchise. Thus in all the transactions of electing and ordaining Mr Lothrop in 1634, or Mr Chauncy in 1642, or Mr Witherell in 1645, there is no mention of any part which the Society bore. But Mr With- erell's successor in 1681, was invited to become their pastor, first by a vote of the Church, then by a concurrent vote of the Society; and then his support was provided for by vote of Church and Society in one body. This order of things has prevailed in this Town to the present day. Some Churches and Societies have lately begun to lay aside this distinction, and it may eventually be abolished in all transactions in which Church and Society have a common interest and responsibility.
91
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
The custom prevailed in many Churches, we believe, in all the New England Colonies, of permitting grand-parents to bring their grandchildren to baptism, when the parents were deceased or were not visible members of the Church. Thus we see in the records of the second Church in Scituate, that in 1655, Humphrey Turner brought to baptism a child of his son John Turner, jr. The same year also Richard Sylvester brought two children of Nathaniel Rawlins, whose wife was Sylvester's daughter. In 1656, was baptized "Daniel the son of Daniel Pryor, and grandchild to our sister Spring." The same year also, " Mary the daughter of John Adams of Marshfield, and great grandchild to widow James." But after the above date, the custom seems to have been dropped. In Massachusetts the elders assembled by order of General Court in 1662, dis- countenanced this practice in that Colony, (see their answer to questions propounded to them by the Honorable General Court, proposition second).
We believe no ecclesiastical transactions have taken place in this Town in more modern times, to which we have not paid sufficient attention in our notes on Parishes, and in other parts of this work. A history of the gradual changes of religious sentiments would be both difficult and uninteresting, intermingled and often undefined as those sentiments must have been in every generation. We may say in general terms, that the doctrines preached and held were on the ground of moderate Calvinism until about 1750 .* Mr Eells in the second Church and Society, from 1704 to 1750, often preached the doctrine of election, but accompanied it with explanations closely bordering on the free will of Arminianism. He was a stout opponent of Whitefield, and induced the association in which he was a leader, to vote not to admit him into their pulpits, and to publish that vote. Since 1750, a majority of the people may have been denominated Arminian in their sentiments : and at the present time, as names are now used, a considerable ma- jority may be termed Unitarian.
The records of the first Congregational Church are entire since the year 1707. All records previously are lost. The records of the second Church are entire from 1645 to 1690. From that time to 1704, there is a deficiency, Mr Lawson having retired somewhat irregularly, and probably carried the records with him. From that time, the records are entire to
* For a representation of the liberal principles of the early pilgrims of Plymouth Colony, see Magnalia Vol. 1. p. 58.
92
EDUCATION.
the present, with the exception of several years during Dr. Barnes's ministry, the records of which are unfortunately lost. The records of the first Church during Mr Lothrop's ministry were carried with him on his removal to Barnstable : and these records with those of Barnstable, were carried away by some of his descendants to Connecticut. President Stiles found them in the hands of Rev. Elijah Lothrop of Gilead, Conn. in 1767. Holmes's Annals.
EDUCATION.
It is well known that many of the early settlers in these plantations were men of intelligence and education. It was an object of high emulation as well as of religious principle with the early Congregational Churches, to be supplied with a thoroughly educated ministry : and such, without exception, were those pastors who, having been silenced in England, came hither to minister to the little flocks in the wilderness : nay, men of education and talents were selected for the subordinate offices in the Churches. Amongst the first settlers of Scituate, (not to mention here their learned pastors), we may name Mr Vassall, Mr Cudworth, Mr Hatherly, Mr Gilson, Samuel Hinckley, (father of the Governor), Isaac Robinson, (son of Rev. John, of Leyden), Anthony Annable, Thomas King, Thomas Clap, and others, as men eminently qualified for transacting not only the municipal concerns of the settlement, but for taking part in the government of the Colony. We may add Edward Foster, John Hoar and John Saffin, who were well educated lawyers. The next generation suffered, as we may easily con- ceive, a considerable privation in the want of the means of education, and perhaps the third generation still more. But we are happy to find, that though the exigencies of the times forbade much attention to education, yet the second and third gen- erations were far from being an illiterate race of men : and that the sons of the first settlers supplied respectably the places of their fathers. As much attention, or more perhaps, than has ever since been paid to private education, must have been given by that exalted race of men. Professional school-masters were few, and there was no publick provision for their remuneration. Not only the pastors, but other men of learning must have given instructions, and almost gratuitously, in their own houses. It is known that Mr Chauncy prepared his own sons, and others, for college, and also several young men for the ministry,
1
93
EDUCATION.
between 1640 and 1650. Mr Witherell had been a Grammar school-master by profession, before leaving England, and many proofs are left of his skill in the languages. But we are without data as it respects the schools in Scituate previous to 1677. At that date, the Colony passed a law, which we believe may be fairly considered as the foundation of the present beautiful system of Free Schools in this country. The subject was commenced in 1663, in the Colony Court, by the following proposition. "It is proposed by the Court unto the several townships in this jurisdiction, as a thing that they ought to take into serious consideration, that some course may be taken in every town, that there may be a school-master set up to train up children to reading and writing." In 1670, "The Court did freely give and grant all such profits as might or should accrue annually to the Colony, for fishing with nets or seines at Cape Cod, for mackerel, bass or herrings, to be improved for and toward a free school in some town of this jurisdiction, for the training up of youth in literature for the good and benefit of Posterity, provided a beginning be made within one year after sd grant, &c." This school was immediately established at Plymouth, and was supported by the proceeds of the Cape fishery until 1677, when the following change was ordered, viz. " In whatever Township in this Government, consisting of fifty families or upwards, any meet man shall be obtained to teach a grammar school, such township shall allow at least twelve pounds, to be raised by rate on all the inhabitants of sª Town : and those that have the more immediate benefit thereof, with what others shall voluntarily give, shall make up the residue necessary to maintain the same, and that the profits arising from the Cape Fishing, heretofore ordered to maintain a grammar school in this Colony, be distributed to such towns as have such grammar schools, not exceeding five pounds per ann. to any town, unless the Court Treasurer or others appointed to manage that affair, see good cause to add thereunto. And further this Court orders, that every such Town as consists of seventy families and upwards, and hath not a grammar school therein, shall allow and pay unto the next town that hath a grammar school, the sum of five pounds, to be levied on the inhabitants by rate, and gathered by the constables of such towns, by warrant from any magistrate of this jurisdiction," &c.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.