USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Fitchburg > History of the Calvinistic Congregational Church and Society Fitchburg, Massachusetts > Part 8
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VII.
You believe that in consequence of the first apostasy, the heart of man in his natural state is enmity against God, fully set to do evil, dead in trespasses and sins.
VIII.
You believe that Christ the Son of God, equal with the Father, has by his obedience, sufferings and blood made infinite atone- ment for sin; that he is the only Redeemer of sinners; and that all who are saved will be indebted altogether to the sovereign grace of God through his atonement.
V.
We believe that the first par- ents of the human race were ere- ated in the image of God; and that they fell from their original state by voluntarily transgress- ing the divine command.
VI.
We believe that in consequence of the first apostasy the heart of man in his natural state is en- tirely destitute of holiness and in a state of positive disaffection with the law, character and gov- ernment of God; and that all men previous to regeneration are under sentence of condemnation.
VII.
We believe that Christ as God manifest in the flesh became the one Mediator between God and man; that by his obedience, suf- ferings and death he made an adequate atonement for the sins of men; that he is the only Re- deemer of sinners and that all who are saved will be indebted entirely to the sovereign grace of God freely bestowed on the peni- tent in consequence of Christ's atonement.
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Calvinistic Congregational Church.
IX.
You believe, although the invi- tation of the gospel be such that whosoever will may take of the water of life freely, yet so great is the enmity of the carnal mind against God and the gospel that no man can come to Christ ex- cept the Father, by the special regenerating influence of his Holy Spirit, draw him.
X.
You believe that those who em- brace the gospel were chosen in Christ to salvation before the world began; and that they are saved, not by works of righteous- ness which they have done, but according to the distinguishing mercy of God by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
XI.
You believe that or those who once believe in Christ there is no condemnation, but they will be kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto salva- tion.
XII.
You believe that there will be a general resurrection of the bod- ies, both of the just and of the unjust.
XIII.
You believe that all mankind must one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ to re- ceive a sentence of just and final retribution, according to their re- spective works; and that from the judgment seat the wicked will
VIII.
We believe that all who hear the gospel are invited to come to Christ and be saved; but that such is the depravity of the hu- man heart and its positive aver- sion to holiness, no man will come to Christ except God, by . the special influence of his Spirit, draw him.
IX.
We believe that those who are saved were chosen in Christ be- ore the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame before Him in love; and that they are saved, not by works of righteousness which they have done, but through the sovereign and distinguishing mercy of God, communicated by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.
X.
We believe that those who obey the Gospel and cordially embrace the Saviour will never be left to draw back unto perdition, but will be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
XI.
Same as Article XII.
XII.
We believe that all mankind must one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive a just and final sentence of retri- bution according to the deeds donc in the body; and that the reward bestowed on the right-
94
Charities of the Church.
go away into everlasting punish- ment, but the righteous into life eternal.
XIV.
You believe that Christ has a visible church in the world into which none, in the sight of God, but real believers and none in the sight of men but visible believers have a right of admission.
XV.
You believe that the Sacra- ments of the New Testament are baptism and the Lord's sup- per; that believers of regular church-standing only can consist- ently partake of the Holy Sup- per; and that visible believers with their households only can be consistently admitted to the ordinance of baptism.
eous and the punishment inflicted on the wicked will be alike eter- nal.
XIII.
Same-except last phrase sub- stitute "are qualified for admis- sion."
XIV.
Same-except last sentence read "that visible believers are proper subjects of baptism, and that all believers of regular church-stand- ing who are heads of families are entitled to the privilege of devot- ing their households to God in the same ordinance."
WORKS-CHARITIES OF THE CHURCH.
It must be apparent in the perusal of these records how little reference there is to woman's work. It might be safe to assume that her legitimate importance is in inverse proportion to the mention made. In the de- partment of charitable work, however, she is in her truest sphere and the Master's unstinted praise of the poor woman who "cast in more than they all," or of her who brake the alabaster box that "wherever it shall be spoken of, it shall be a memorial of her," gives assurance of this, her chief province of work. Her ceaseless effort, from the earliest records of the church, the hours of united work with needle like Dorcas of old, the appropriateness of the gifts, however modest, which have brightened many a home in distant frontier lands, as the barrels were unpacked; all these are hints which inadequately testify of her work.
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Calvinistic Congregational Church.
Yet it is the unity of organized effort of the church, begun March 3, 1826, when the C. C. church resolved itself into a Tract society; and March 2, 1827, when its Society of Home Charities was established, that are proofs of its Divine union. This has expanded con- stantly until now when it has funds invested for the care of the poor connected with the church.
Out of the Auxiliary Tract society, organized March 3, 1826, grew the Society of Domestic Missions organ- ized June 4, 1832, and this was merged into the Re- ligious Charitable society of Fitchburg, November 4, 1833. Article IV. of its constitution states that "The subscription books shall have four columns, one for Foreign Missions, one for Domestic Missions, one for the American Education society and one for the Tract society and a yearly subscription to any one of these shall constitute membership." New columns were added as the demands were recognized, and for more than fifty years this method was continued and the collectors (two for each district) made their annual calls upon every member of the church and congregation, meeting with cordial response.
During the '70's the "Harris system" was adopted, chiefly as a labor-saving method, and although the spirit of benevolence is just as earnest, the lack of intelligent and systematic organization is recognized whereby the church has failed to get the credit for all the sheaves garnered through its own nourishing.
As has been noted, the influx of foreign speaking people into our midst in the '80's presented opportuni- ties for service which turned large contributions into channels at our own doors, for which cause the Foreign and Home Missions have suffered a falling off, while the aggregate remains about the same.
The catholicity of spirit in the training of the young in benevolent giving may be illustrated by a single example, as we quote from the report of the Junior Endeavor society for 1899: "The society has con- tributed 25 cents monthly toward rent for a needy
96
PULPIT
79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88
63 48
Strang.
J. W. Andrews.
64 49
T. Strang. Bruee. Brown.
W K. Bailey.
65 50
E. P. Field.
C. S Phillips.
66 51
Upton. Palmer. Townend
H. D. Collins.
H. F. Gove. L. E. Blake.
67 52
E. Bailey
S. D. Baldwin. L. Putnam.
T. F. Simonds.
68 53
C. R. Conn.
69 54
E. M. Dickinson.
S. M. Baseome. E. Rowley.
J. Shirreffs.
70 55
R. Wallaee.
E. S. Burnap.
J. Freneh. N. B. Jewett.
71 56
A. H. Lowe
J. H. Fairbanks. F. S. Hall.
E. P. Sheddon.
72 57
C. O. Richardson
N. B. Dodge. J. H. Keyes.
E. Curry.
74 59
C. M. Parker.
F. D. Page. M. F. Plimpton.
W. A. Poore C. Goodhue.
75
60
92
L. A. Phillips.
H. B. Fuller.
76 61
L. Downe.
93
E. P. Downe.
77
62
94
W. H. Wetherbee. J. McComb.
78
H. McD. Laird.
122 120
F. D. and G. W. Kingsbury
115 110
D. MeTaggart
W. Lawrence.
123 121
E. M. Caswell. S. Sears .*
116 111
Engelbrektson
W. Lawrence
124
W. F. Wood. E. D. Goddard
117 112
E. S. Bout well. J. Webster.
A. Tait.
118 113
T. Farnsworth M. Whelan.+
S. E.
Woodward.
119 114
* E. B. Wright.
+ C. Stirling.
PEWS IN THIRD MEETING-HOUSE,
73
58
A. B. Haskell. J. G. Edgerly.
89 90 91
EAST SIDE.
PLATFORM.
WEST SIDE.
J. G. Blood.
33 17
1
A. S. Pierce.
34 18
J. P. Hills.
S. D. Sheldon. W. W. Hubbard
35 19
Peter MeIntire.
D. MeGilvray.
Mrs. L. M. Miles.
36 20
S. L. Lowe.
R. Neil.
A. G. Lawrence.
37 21
A S Dole.
A. F. Dunnels.
G A. Hitchcock
い 1 Clark. Smith. I O Converse.
C. P. Dickinson.
38
22
J. L Richardson H. G. Manning.
N. Dole. N. Mckinney.
6
D. Simonds.
39 23
E. P. Miller.
G. J. Allen. D. MeBain.
1-
H. F. Coggshall.
40 24
James Ross.
W. H. Lowe.
S
J. Parkhill. J. E. Kellogg.
41 25
W. W. Dole. L. Ordway.
C. Il. Hayward J. H Cobleigh .*
H. G. Lowe. G. P. Hitchcock.
42 26
C. L. Mayne.
F. S. Carpenter. M. Goodrich +
10
43
27
J. G. Thompson. A. Warner.
M. L. Dean.
11
H. M. Francis.
44 28
A. C. Brown.
J. A. Austin.
12
45 29
B. H. Perkins.
J. C. Spaulding.
13 14
47
31
H. A. Hill.
E. W. Harris. Aaron Whitney.
15
32
L. H. Andrews.
G. Messenger. M. W. Whitney #
16
J. H. Wyatt.
105 100
M. Tait. J. Leiper.
98 95
J. Il. Davidson.
N. Woodward.
106 101
A. Hall. M. Leckie.$
99
96
J. G. Grubb.
107 102
W. Taylor. J. Wilson.
97 |W. D. Crooker
W. J. Hutchins.
108 103
J. M. Walker.
J. Brown.
109 104
* J. Webber. + W. D. Battles. # W. H. Grout. & C. E. Mansfield
WITH NAMES OF FIRST PEW HOLDERS.
46 30
I. H. Fuller. A. B. Caswell.
C
Charities of the Church.
woman; $1.00 for clothing; a Thanksgiving dinner and provisions to the value of $8.00; candy-bags for the Christmas tree at the Finn church, $2.36; a Christmas box of clothing and toys for the Santee Indian Mission, South Dakota, value $15.00; with $7.00 toward the salary of Miss Vorhees, the superintendent; and $2.00 for flowers for the sick. This has been done largely from monthly pledges and penny-savings. The society has given to the C. C. church new plates for the com- munion service, value $14.00. This was taken from a small fund deposited in the bank, as a result of five cents given to each member by Mrs. Gale at the forma- tion of the society."
And so it has been with the many organizations which have been in operation within the church, chiefly of the women and of the young-a record of giving, at home and in an ever-widening field, until it has em- braced almost every corner of the earth. The aggre- gate of $150,000 in money gifts during the past seventy-five years is a large sum, but it does not include the great unrecorded charities which have been stimu- lated by the Christ spirit thus invoked.
The tables on the next page summarize the statistics of benevolence for fifty years.
97
8
Calvinistic Congregational Church.
TOTAL ANNUAL GIFTS FOR FIFTY YEARS OF C. C. CHURCH CHARITABLE SOCIETY.
YEAR.
AMOUNT.
YEAR.
AMOUNT.
YEAR.
AMOUNT.
1851
$1,424
1868
$2,736
1885
$2,037
1852
1,198
1869
2,524
1886
2,120
1853
1,278
1870
1,744
1887
2,999
1854
1,551
1871
1,777
1888
2,288
1855
2,500
1872
3,271
1889
3,715
1856
1,650
1873
2,596
1890
2,498
1857
1,102
1874
3,067
1891
2,565
1858
1,432
1875
2,806
1892
1,475
1859
1,719
1876
2,090
1893
824
1860
2,013
1877
4,122
1894
1,075
1861
2,281
1878
1,494
1895
1,234
1862
1,640
1879
1,188
1896
1,489
1863
3,035
1880
1,623
1897
1,541
1864
3,384
1881
3,027
1898
1,268
1865
3,212
1882
1,959
1899
1,595
1866
3,813
1883
2,013
1900
1,204
1867
3,714
1884
2,120
Total Amount of Annual Gifts for Fifty Years, ... $106,970
TOTALS FOR VARIOUS OBJECTS.
Foreign Missions,
$23,365
Home Missions, 33,094
American Missionary Association,
8,693
American College and Educational Society,
2,838
American Bible Society, American Tract Society, American Seamen's Friend Society, 10,325 1,844
Foreign Christian Union,
Sunday School Society, Congregational Publishing
Society, New West Education, Church Building
Society, Ministerial Aid, Peace Society, Anti-To- bacco Society, Clothing, etc., City Missions, Con- gregational Union, Other Objects, .
26,811
Total, $106,970
98
CHAPTER VIII.
HISTORY OF THE C. C. SUNDAY-SCHOOL.
When Sunday schools were first established they were principally for secular instruction and were not connected with churches. There were few of them until the close of the eighteenth century, when Robert Raikes, in England, had great success in organizing Sunday schools, with pupils from among the poor and vicious children of Great Britain. The first Sunday school known to be organized in this country was in the town of Ephrata, Lancaster county, Penn., thirty or forty years before those established by Raikes. A poor African woman by the name of Katy Ferguson started a Sunday school in New York City, in 1793, for the benefit of poor street children. The first Sunday school in connection with a church was organized in Pitts- burg, Penn., in 1809. From this time Sunday schools became more common throughout the country. The New York Sunday School Union was founded in 1816, and the American Sunday School Union in 1824.
The first Sunday school in New England for religious instruction was, so far as known, begun in Bath, N. H., in 1805, and the first one organized in Massachusetts was in Beverly, in 1810, and was commenced by two young ladies, Joanna Prince and Hannah Hill. The school was held in the morning and also following the afternoon service. The first Sunday school in Boston was established by Miss Lydia Adams, who maintained it for ten years at her home, when it was made a par- ish Sunday school.
The first Sunday school in Fitchburg was held in the brick school-house on the corner of Blossom and Crescent streets in 1816, where on Sunday mornings
99
Calvinistic Congregational Church.
before church a few children would gather and recite verses from the Bible. It was taught by Asaph Mer- riam, who afterwards became a Baptist minister. This school, after one or more summers, was held in the building which had until lately been occupied by the Calvinistic Congregational society, on Rollstone street. The school was for boys only, but about the same time a school for girls was opened in the school-house on the corner of Main and Mechanic streets, under the care of Mrs. Eaton, the wife of Rev. William Eaton. The loca- tion of this Sunday school was soon changed and it was held in a little yellow house of two rooms which stood just north of the "Wesley" on Main street. It was in charge of Mrs. Lucy Davis and Sally Pratt. One room was so inadequate that the scholars over- flowed into the bedroom and sat on the bed. In this room was a sort of circulating library, called the Fe- male Religious Library. After a time both the boys and girls attended Sunday school in the old church building, the boys in the gallery and the girls below. The scholars were required to commit and repeat Scripture verses, hymns and the catechism. At least one pupil committed at various times all the four gospels and Proverbs.
On March 14, 1824, the Calvinistic Congregational society, under the pastorate of Rev. Rufus A. Putnam, chose a committee "to take into consideration the sub- ject respecting the establishment of a Bible class and Sabbath school." The committee consisted of Rev. Mr. Putnam, Bros. Walter Johnson and Abel Downe. On April 30, 1824, the committee reported, and another committee, consisting of Rev. Mr. Putnam, Bros. Thomas Thurston, Thomas Eaton, F. P. Downe, Abel Farwell, Abel Downe and Jonathan Thurston, was chosen "to organize the Sabbath school, appoint super- intendent and teachers and manage its prudential con- cerns." This resulted in the formation of a Sunday school society.
On the 24th of February, 1825, a meeting was held
100
History of the Sunday -School.
to consider the advisability of the formation of such a society, and a committee was chosen to consider the subject and report. This committee made its report on the 25th of the following March, in the form of a con- stitution, which was unanimously adopted. The society was called the "Sunday School Society of Fitchburg." Its object, as stated in the constitution, was "to devise and carry into effect as far as practicable, ways and means for the religious instruction of children on the Sabbath." The constitution also provided that the school should begin on the second Sabbath in May and close on the second Sabbath in October. After the adoption of the constitution the following offi- cers were chosen: President, Rev. Rufus A. Putnam; Vice Presidents, Joseph Downe and Joseph Simonds; Secretary, Walter Johnson; Treasurer, Joseph Farwell. To these were added Mrs. Lucy W. Day, Mrs. Mary Farwell, Mrs. Mary Giles and Mrs. Emily Pratt, who, with the previously mentioned officers, constituted the board of managers. This board of managers met on March 28 and appointed Jonathan Thurston super- intendent, and gave him four assistants and twenty- seven teachers. Deacon Abel Thurston was the second superintendent, Jonathan Haskell the third, Walter John- son the fourth and David Brigham the fifth. Deacon Abel Thurston was chosen the sixth year and retained the office till the day of his death, in 1864.
The Sunday school thus formed, realizing the need of united and uniform work with other schools in the state, voted the following May to send a delegate to meet other delegates in Boston to consider the expedi- ency of forming a State Sunday School Union. A few small books were procured for the library at an expense of $5.50, thus making a good beginning toward a Sunday school library.
On Wednesday afternoon, October 25, 1825, the first annual report of the board of managers was read by Rev. Rufus A. Putnam. This report stated that al- though the board did not deem it advisable to appeal
101
Calvinistic Congregational Church.
to the avarice or ambition of scholars in order to ob- tain perfect lessons, it was still deemed essential that some inducement should be held out to them to ensure faithful study and due preparation for recitation. To meet this want a system was devised by which a record of the recitations of each scholar was kept by the teacher in each class, on the following scale:
A perfect lesson was marked 20. If any mistakes were made the recitation was called imperfect and marked 15. If several mistakes were made the recita- tion was called indifferent and marked 10. If the scholar appeared to know but little of his lesson it was called bad and marked with a cipher. When the marks of any scholar amounted to 100 he was entitled to a ticket of the value of three cents. This ticket was to be redeemed by the parents of the scholar or by the treasurer of the school. Tickets of deportment were also given on the same principle, of the value of two cents each. At the close of the term the two male and two female scholars having the highest number of tickets were each to be presented with a book of the value of twenty-five cents. That no spirit of avarice might influence the pupils, they were invited to con- tribute their money for the education of heathen chil- dren. The report states that Abel Farwell had recited nineteen lessons-all of them perfectly; William Stillman Downe had recited seventeen lessons-fourteen of them perfectly; Harriet Maynard had recited fifteen lessons- all of them perfectly. Ann E. Griswold had recited seventeen lessons-sixteen of them perfectly. These four scholars were each of them entitled to a book of the value of twenty-five cents. The length of the lessons was limited to twenty verses, and for the younger scholars to a less number. The number belonging to the school was 158 and the average attendance was 80. Eleven dollars had been contributed during the year for missionary purposes.
Although the system of reward by ticket seems at first to have been regarded as a success, the annual re-
102
History of the Sunday-School.
port for the year 1828 speaks of it as having been neglected, and it was soon entirely disused. There seems about this time to have been a desire for a change in the constitution of the society, and a new one was adopted in 1828, and this was soon superseded by another.
It is of about this time that Mr. E. Foster Bailey records in a paper read before the Historical society his experience as a scholar in this Sunday school. "I joined the Sunday school," he says, "the late venerable Justin Stearns being my teacher; and of him I took my first lessons in pictorial theology, beginning with the fall of man in the garden of Eden. Our text book was the Evangelical Primer and Catechism, by Rev. Joseph Emerson, the father of Rev. Alfred Emerson, who so acceptably ministered as pastor to the C. C. church for about ten years, mostly in the sixties. At the top of each page in this little text book were three woodcuts, which, although not artistic to modern eyes, were to my childish fancy the essence of beauty."
At a meeting held in the "Lecture room" on Decem- ber 30, 1833, at which Rev. John A. Albro presided, the constitution of the present Sabbath School society was adopted. The lecture room referred to was in the house of Alpheus Kimball, on the present location of the large brick house formerly occupied by Dea. Samuel A. Wheeler on West Main street, and nearly opposite Park street. The room was reached by a stairway in the rear of the house.
The constitution says that the society shall be de- nominated the Sabbath School Society of Fitchburg, and that its object shall be "to devise and carry into effect, as far as practicable, measures to extend the benefits of Sabbath school instruction to all persons, young and old, who are willing to receive them." To this consti- tution were signed the following names:
Abel Fox, Joseph Downe,
Alpheus Kimball, Moses Hale,
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Calvinistic Congregational Church.
-
William Downe,
John A. Albro,
Joseph Farnsworth,
Polly Downe,
Joseph Simonds,
Susan Downe,
Abel Thurston,
Hannah Downe,
Samuel Smith, 2d,
Polly H. B. Simonds,
Jonathan Haskell,
Sarah Wood,
Charles B. Sawyer,
Elizabeth F. Brigham,
Edward Smith,
Eliza D. Sawyer,
Thomas Eaton,
Nancy Goodrich,
Levi Pratt,
Joseph Upton, Jr.,
Ephraim Osborn,
Jacob H. Merriam,
Ephraim Osborn, 3d,
Polly Farwell,
Alpheus Boutelle,
Eliza Downe,
Walter Johnson,
Joanna Osborn,
Isaiah Putnam,
Sarah Lowe,
David Brigham,
Clary Cowdin,
Phineas Sawyer,
Sophia McIntire,
Samuel Hale,
Harriet Kimball,
Jonathan Burrage,
Louisa A. Lowe,
Asa Sawyer,
Sarah Cutter,
Justin Stearns,
Stephen Dole,
Timothy F. Downe,
Artemas Rogers,
Asa Farwell,
Emily Pratt,
Jonathan Lowe,
Elizabeth Osborn,
Abel Farwell,
Esther Farnsworth,
Aaron Eaton,
Susan Lowe,
David Boutelle,
Hannah C. Putnam,
Levi Simonds,
Sarah F. Haskell,
Joseph F. Hovey,
Mary K. Fox,
Amos Durant,
Joan Burrage.
Nathan Tolman,
The following officers were elected: President, Rev. John A. Albro; Vice President, Dea. Timothy F. Downe; Secretary, Abel Fox; Treasurer, Thomas Eaton; Libra- rians, John T. Farwell and Abel Simonds; Superintend- ent, Abel Thurston; Auditor, Jonathan Haskell; Female Managers, Mrs. Harriet Kimball, Mrs. Sarah T. Has- kell, Mrs. Elizabeth F. Brigham, Mrs. Eliza D. Sawyer, Mrs. Sophia McIntire, Mrs. Hannah Putnam.
In January of the following year it was voted to continue the school through the winter, and a commit- tee was appointed to make efforts to bring new mem- bers into the school. The result was an increase in
104
History of the Sunday -School.
membership to 408 for the next year, with an average attendance of 252.
In April, 1836, the board of managers voted to es- tablish an infant school, to be kept in the chapel and to be composed of scholars of from three to six years of age; also that the mode of instruction be the same as that of other similar schools, and that two female teachers be appointed to take charge of it. Mrs. Hannah Putnam was chosen superintendent of this department, and she held that office for many years.
During the same month the Rev. Joshua Emery, who succeeded Rev. Mr. Albro, was requested to give an ad- dress on the importance and benefits of studying the Bible, and in connection therewith to give an invitation to all persons (particularly the young) to connect them- selves with the Sabbath school.
In May, 1837, Miss Lucina Patch and Miss Harriet Downe went from the Sunday school to Canada as mis- sionaries. At this time the Sabbath School society voted that such library books "as are less valuable on account of the length of time they have been on hand be selected and sent to Canada by the female teachers about to go there, as a donation." The school also pledged money for their support, and a contribution was taken once a month for that purpose. Letters were received from them from time to time, giving an account of their labors and experiences.
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