USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > History of the First church in Boston, 1630-1880 > Part 19
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
that the sum of Twelve Pounds be speedily paid him out of the publick Box, in consideration of his Preaching; and five Pounds more in consideration of his expence for wood."
On Aug. 2, 1725, the same day that this order was passed, it was resolved to hold a fast on account of the removal of Mr. Wadsworth.
In the earliest years of the colony the ministers were generally supported by free contributions. But from 1657 to 1834, at which latter date the Bill of Rights was amended, all the inhabitants of New England country parishes were taxed for the support of the ministry. Even corporations, without any souls to be saved, were still liable to assessment if they held land within a parish. The policy of fostering re- ligion by means of taxation, derived from the mother country, maintained for nearly two centuries, and finally abandoned under the amendment to the Bill of Rights, in 1834, did not obtain in Boston during that period. There the system prevailed for a long time of providing for the support of the ministry by free contributions, until finally a province law was passed, " which authorized the respective congrega- tions and societies in Boston to 'cause the pews in their several houses to be valued according to the convenience and situation thereof, and a new esti- mate to be put upon said pews from time to time, as shall be found necessary,' and then to assess taxes on them in proportion to their value."
The salaries raised for the ministers at this period
£
IS7
CHARLES CHAUNCY.
1711-85.]
were very generous, considering the greater value which money then had, and the total exemption from taxation which the ministry then enjoyed.1 They were provided for in First Church by means of weekly contributions, instead of quarterly collec- tions, as is now the practice ; and if the supply fell short of the required amount at any time, the defi- ciency was covered so far as possible by extra con- tributions.
On Oct. 12, 1726, the church added ten shillings per week to the salary of the minister. The stated weekly salary had been up to this date £4 (in addi- tion to a supply of wood), established, so Foxcroft says, " by church vote some Time before, while Mr. Wadsworth was with us; thô I can find nothing of it in the records." It was the custom at this period also to give a newly settled minister a generous sum of money, " in token of the church, their love and regard," towards the new-comer.
At a church meeting on June 12, 1727, Charles Chauncy was chosen to fill the vacancy caused by the removal of Wadsworth. The vote stood forty- three for Welsteed, sixty-four for Chauncy, and two scattering. The ordination took place on October 25. " Foxcroft opened with prayer ; Chauncy preached from Matt. 28: 20; Prayer by Thatcher ; Fellow- ship of the Churches by Mather. Colman presided,
1 Colonial Laws of Massachusetts, Chap. XXI. Sect. 7. (See also Stat- utes of 1811, Chap. VI., and 1821, Chap. CVII. Sect. 6.) Repealed by Statute of 1828, Chap. CXLIII. Sect 2. Buck's Ecclesiastical Law of Mass., 109.
188
FIRST CHURCH IN BOSTON. [1711-85.
and gave the charge, praying before and after." Wadsworth was prevented by illness from being present.
" During the twelve years ending with 1727, two hundred and forty-one persons had been admitted into the church, one hundred and fifty-six of whom were females. In the same time four hundred and seventy-four children were baptized, two hundred and fifty-eight of whom were males." 1
LIFE OF CHAUNCY.
Charles Chauncy was born in Boston, Jan. I, 1 705. He was the great-grandson of President Chauncy, of Harvard College. His grandfather, Isaac Chauncy, was minister of a congregation in Berry Street, London, and at one time associated with Dr. Watts. His father, Charles Chauncy, the youngest child of Isaac, came from England to set- tle in business at Boston. The mother of Chauncy was Sarah Walley, daughter of Judge Walley, of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. His father died when he was only seven years old; and " into whose care he then fell," writes Emerson, " and by whom he was prepared for the university, I have never been able to learn." He entered Harvard at twelve, and received the degree of M. A. (in course) at the age of nineteen, " being regarded as one of the best scholars who had at that time received the honors of the institution."
1 Emerson's History of First Church, 172.
189
1711-85.] CHARLES CHAUNCY.
It is unknown "where he resided, and under whose direction he studied, during the time of his leaving college, until he became a preacher." His call to Boston in 1727 has already been mentioned. During the early part of his ministry he does not appear to have attracted any particular notice as a preacher. His degree of D. D. was conferred by Edinburgh University in 1742. The visit of White- field first brought out the latent resources of his strong and active mind. His pen was busy in oppo- sition to the efforts of that famous revivalist, and the several preachers who succeeded him and at- tempted to repeat the same performances. The first thrust was a sermon on Enthusiasm, delivered in 1742. The next year a larger work in the same vein, called " Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion in New England," was published. These works were followed by various sermons and letters, the latter addressed directly to Whitefield, chal- lenging him to make defence or confess his errors. Dr. Chauncy reaches the conclusion that such tasks as these revivalists set themselves to perform not only do more harm than good, but are wholly and absolutely without any redeeming features. In this strong position he was at variance with most of the other settled ministers in Boston, although some of them saw much that was objectionable in the visits of the more uncontrolled " itinerants."
The Election Sermon in 1747 was delivered by Dr. Chauncy. In this discourse he expatiates on
190
FIRST CHURCH IN BOSTON. [1711-85.
the same injustice, as he esteems it, which forms the subject of a severe letter, addressed to his own church the same year by his colleague, Foxcroft, and himself. This letter complained of the suffer- ing incurred by the ministers from the fluctuating nature of the currency. The rebuke was so little relished by the Legislature that they were in doubt about publishing his sermon, according to custom. When some one told Chauncy of their hesitancy, his characteristic reply was, " It shall be printed, whether the General Court print it or not. And do you, sir," he added, " say from me, that, if I wanted to initiate and instruct a person into all kinds of iniquity and double dealing, I would send him to our General Court."
Down to the Revolutionary period Chauncy en- gaged in various theological controversies, the first of which started from his Dudleian lecture, delivered in May, 1762, entitled " The Validity of Presbyterian Ordination -Asserted and Maintained." Another publication, called " Remarks upon a Sermon of the Bishop of Llandaff," expressed anxiety lest the ap- pointment of bishops for America would tend to a forcible establishment of Episcopacy. He then adds, that ""'our people ' would never suffer their necks to be put under that yoke of bondage which was so sadly galling to their fathers, and occasioned their retreat into this distant land, that they might enjoy the freedom of men and Christians." This was fol- lowed by a controversy with Dr. Chandler of Eliza-
191
1711-85.] CHARLES CHAUNCY.
bethtown, N. Y., which closed, as far as Chauncy was concerned, with a treatise entitled " A Complete View of Episcopacy," published in 1771, and con- sidered one of his most powerful productions. He took an active part in the events which brought about the Revolution, and made himself very ob- noxious to the Royalists during that period. He was so strongly persuaded of the justice of the American cause that he had no doubt but what, if human powers were insufficient, heavenly hosts would come down to help us. When this provoked a smile or demurrer, he stoutly maintained his full assurance that such would be the result.
His work on "Universal Salvation " appeared in 1784. Previous intimations of the current of his belief were manifested in a sermon headed " All Na- tions Blessed in Christ," preached in 1762 at the ordination of Joseph Bowman.
With the appointment of John Clarke as col- league, in 1778, Chauncy retired somewhat from pulpit labors, but continued to preach at intervals to the end of his life. He died Feb. 10, 1787, in the sixtieth year of his ministry, at the age of eighty.two.1
1 "On Saturday morning departed this life the Reverend Charles Chauncey, D. D., A. A. S., Senior Pastor of the First Church of Christ in this town, having on the ist day of January completed the Sed year of his age, and on the 25th day of October, the 59th year of his ministry. He was for some time apprehensive of his approaching dissolution, and was observed by those who were near him to be a great part of his time engaged in devotional exercises. At last worn out with age, he fell asleep in Jesus, in sure and certain hope of a resurrection, and a glorious life at the second
+
192
FIRST CHURCH IN BOSTON. [1711-85.
The church appointed Mr. Clarke to preach, and the Rev. Peter Thatcher to make a prayer at his funeral. The text of the sermon was from Matt. xxv. 21. By his first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Judge Grove Hirst, and granddaugh- ter of the elder Judge Sewall, Chauncy had one son and two daughters. By his other two wives (Elizabeth, married in 1738, and Mary, daughter of David Stoddard, married in 1760) he had no children.
As a preacher and writer Chauncy cultivated a rough and seemingly untutored style, as most forci- bly conveying his meaning. He labored to avoid all arts of rhetoric, beseeching God " never to make him an orator." " One of his acquaintances, hearing this report, remarked that his prayer was unequiv- ocally granted." " Yet," says Emerson,' " I have been informed by one of his hearers, who is an ex- cellent judge of sermons, that Dr. Chauncy was by no means an indifferent speaker ; that his emphases were always laid with propriety, often with happy effect ; and that his general manner was that of a plain, earnest preacher, solicitous for the success of his labours." He had so slender a taste for poetry, that he is said to have wished that some one would translate " Paradise Lost" into prose, so that he might understand it.
appearing of his Lord and Master. ITis funeral is to be on Thursday (Feb. 15), precisely at half past two o'clock, P. M." - Massachusetts Gazette, Feb. 13, 1787.
1 History of First Church, 184.
ILSURE
Charles Chauncey
1711-85.] CHARLES CHAUNCY. 193
Dr. N. L. Frothingham has written the following concerning his religious views : -
" As to the doctrine of the Trinity, though the subject had not risen into controversy in his day, I have always supposed that he was non-Nicene on that point. Such a supposition would certainly correspond best with the gen- eral complexion of his religious opinions. He was always classed prominently among those who were called 'liberal'; for there were two parties then as now. An octogenarian parishioner of mine, who was one of his hearers, tells me that, long before his book on 'Universal Salvation' was published, some of his church left him to go to the Old South."
A letter from Dr. Howard, of Springfield, to Pres- ident Walker, describes his personal appearance and characteristics as follows : -
" He was little of stature, of a slender, feeble body, a very powerful, vigorous mind, and strong passions; and he managed them all exceedingly well. His manners were plain and downright, -dignified, bold, and imposing. In conversation with his friends, he was pleasant, social, and very instructive."
Of his personal habits the same writer adds : -
" The Doctor was remarkably temperate in his diet and exercise. At twelve o'clock he took one pinch of snuff, and only one in twenty-four hours. At one o'clock he dined on one dish of plain, wholesome food, and after din- ner took one glass of wine and one pipe of tobacco, and only one in twenty-four hours. And he was equally me- thodical in his exercise, which consisted chiefly or wholly in walking. I said, 'Doctor, you live by rule.' 'If I did not, I should not live at all.' "
13
194
FIRST CHURCH IN BOSTON. [1711-85.
Many stories have been preserved illustrating his peculiar habits and temperament.
In the afternoon of the day on which his wife was to be buried, the religious services were appointed to commence at three o'clock. When that precise hour arrived, Chauncy turned to his colleague, Clarke, who was to conduct the exercises, and said, " Il is time to begin" Clarke said, " Will it not be well to wait a little while, as so few persons are present ? " Dr. Chauncy answered in a very de- cided tone, " Mr. Clarke, she is to be buried. Begin !"
The Doctor was accustomed to make his pastoral visits (so tradition says) in an ancient chaise, driven by a colored servant equally ancient, who used to amuse himself at such times, when his master in- dulged in a nap or in profound reflection, by driving from one side of the street to the other and snap- ping up with the end of his whip any persons of his own shade who happened to be passing by at the tine. These parish calls, although short and far between, were generally made on a Monday morn- ing, interrupting, on that account, in most families at all events of the humbler sort, " the pressing do- mestic engagements peculiar to that season." They were not seldom also attended with more or less constraint, arising, it might be, from a habit of absent-mindedness, which sometimes got the better of him, or worse still, from an irritable state of mind incident to a press of work.
195
1711-85.] CHARLES CHAUNCY.
But in spite of outward appearances there was a large supply of tender feeling wrapped up in the inner man. Under a rough exterior Chauncy cher- ished a deep regard for his fellow-mortals. His peculiarities were largely the results of close study and a nervous temperament. " He was really a great and good man," writes one who was decidedly opposed to him in doctrine; "a man of profound learning and great integrity, of sound judgment and quick apprehension, of unaffected piety and most extensive benevolence. His own errors did not appear to do him any harm, but rather increased his love to God and man." He stands out in all respects as the foremost figure among his brethren.
Dr. John Eliot, who carly in life was contempo- rary with Dr. Chauncy, speaks of him as "one of the greatest divines in New England; no one, ex- cept President Edwards and the late Dr. Mayhew, has been so much known among the literati of Europe, or printed -more books upon theological sub- jects. He took great delight in studying the Scrip- tures. . . . His favourite authors were Tillotson, of the Episcopal Church, and Baxter, among the Puritans."
Another writer says: " Doctor Chauncy received the Gospel in its simplicity, after a long and severe study of the sacred Scriptures and the teachings of the carly fathers ; and as he believed the truths of Christianity were designed for the benefit of the people in common, and even people of the weakest
196
FIRST CHURCH IN BOSTON. [1711-85.
capacities, so he constantly endeavored to express himself in such a manner as to be easily understood." "Such was his love of the truth whenever he dis- covered it, and such the honest independence of mind which he possessed to a great degree, that he frequently advanced sentiments which did not com- port with generally received opinions ; he was there- fore subjected to those temporary inconveniences which always attend on such as cannot fall in with all the common opinions. He placed the firmest confidence on the grace of the Gospel, and enter- tained the highest expectations from the mediatorial undertaking of Jesus Christ." 1
The successor of Dr. Chauncy, now in office (Dr. Rufus Ellis), writes as follows of his religious opin- ions and practice : -
" It has been the impression of some that Dr. Chauncy . had not the courage of his convictions. We believe that there is no adequate ground for any such judgment. Like every one who begins to rejoice in the light of a new day, he was eager that the sun, which was to be brightness and blessedness to him, should not strike his fellows blind. Following his wise and merciful Master, he was engaged rather to fulfil than to destroy. It was quite right for him not to think aloud, and not to declare his mind - as upon the grave matter of universal salvation - until he had a mind to declare. The reader of his book upon this sub- ject, if there can be any such person in our day, will be delighted to find how manfully, as well as tenderly, he has opened and argued his theme, and how steady is his ap- peal to Scripture, whilst at the same time he recognizes
1 Massachusetts Gazette, Feb. 13, 1787.
197
CHARLES CHAUNCY.
1711-S5.]
most carnestly the absoluteness of the moral sense. He is much broader in his handling of this high argument for our larger hope in God than many modern writers, because in mercy he remembers truth and justice and the inevitable retributions which they constantly disregard and practi- cally make light of. He has left little to be added to the Scripture argument. He is free from mere sentimentalism. He does not explain away the terrible and yet kindly warn- ings of Jesus, or deny that only a few are saved from great sinfulness and great consequent suffering, because he sees that in the end good, which is infinite, shall overcome evil, which is finite, and light, which is a reality, prevail over darkness, which is a nonentity. Very noteworthy for that time is his declaration that the worst foes of the Gospel are they who, undertaking to expound it, can make noth- ing out of the blessed Book which is not beneath reason and repugnant to humanity; and very hearty is his ur- gency that they shall not turn the best, if not the only, light man has into darkness. He still struggles more or less blindly with the letter of Scripture, but it is in the strength and confidence of the Spirit which breathes upon the Word and brings its truths to light, and searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. He is sure that. what is true must be safe and good to know. You feel, in read- ing his pages, especially when he is giving the objector the opportunity of the fairest and fullest statement, that you are dealing with a reason and a conscience, and a singu- larly pure humanity, - a man more than abreast of his times, and yet too wise to be only the author of confusion. Professor Andrews Norton never bestowed any commen- dation upon a single soul of man who did not richly merit it, and that according to a very high standard. It is inter- esting then to read what he has written of Chauncy's book upon 'Episcopacy,' as 'the work of an able and learned theologian, still of value' [1837]; 'and that to a scholar it is striking and almost affecting that such a book should
198
FIRST CHURCH IN BOSTON.
[1711-85.
have been produced at a time when, in our young country, there was a want of types and skill to print the Greek citations in Greek letters.'"
The year 1727 is memorable for the great earth- quake, "which took place October 29, shaking the whole country north of the Delaware River." "It was on the night of the Sabbath, a calm and serene evening. 'About forty minutes past ten o'clock,' says Mr. Prince, pastor of the Old South Church, ' ivas heard a loud, hollow noise, like the roaring of a great chimney on fire, but inconceivable more fierce and terrible. In about half a minute the earth began to heave and tremble. The shock, in- creasing, rose to the height in about a minute more, when the movables, - doors, windows, walls, - espe- cially in the upper chambers, made a very fearful clattering, and the houses rocked and crackled as if they were all dissolving and falling to pieces. The people, asleep, were awakened with the great- est astonishment ; many others, affrighted, ran into the streets. But the shaking quickly abated, and in another half-minute entirely ceased.'" In the morning a large assembly gathered at the North Church ; and in the evening the First and South Churches were filled with attentive audiences. The record of First Church shows an increase of seven members on December 24, and six on December 31, following this event.
From March 9, 1728-29, to April 19, 1730, whilst their new meeting-house was building, South Church
199
1711-85.] CHARLES CHAUNCY.
Society worshipped in the Old Brick on Sundays " after our exercises were over."
In 1728-29, at a meeting of the church, it was suggested that in future the congregation be con- sulted in monetary affairs, such as the support of the ministry. The proposition, when first made, met with much favor ; but for some unknown rea- son the privilege was not definitely accorded until Nov. 17, 1730.
As appears by the signatures appended to the records at this period, the' elder minister usually presided at church meetings, except when motives of propriety compelled him to retire. .
On May 18, 1730, it was voted that reading of the Scriptures, instead of the old Puritan form of expounding them, be hereafter discretionary with the ministers ; but " the mind of the church is that larger portions should be publickly read than has been usual." 1
On June 12, 1732, the hour of afternoon service was changed from " 2 to 3 o'clock for four or five months in the spring and summer," by this church and those in the "southern part of the town."
In 1734 an ecclesiastical council was held at Sa- lem to consider and pass upon the disturbances in the First Church there. First Church in Boston was not represented at the council, and partly on that account declined to express an opinion when afterwards called upon. There are numerous in-
1 Church Records, 127.
200
FIRST CHURCH IN BOSTON.
[1711-85.
stances of this kind, as the record shows, where the church was invited to send delegates to attend coun- cils called to settle church divisions. They seem to indicate a feeling of restlessness under the old rules and restraints governing church conduct and worship.
On Friday, Aug. 20, 1736, the church extended the right of baptism to conform with the practice of the other churches in New England ; in other- words, they ratified the Half Way Covenant.1
At a church meeting, Feb. 13, 1738-39, a motion to fill the vacancy in the office of ruling elder occa- sioned so much discussion, - " both parties declar- ing their opinion against the divine institution of the office, - that the matter was dropped for the present."
The first meeting of the church and congrega- tion, controlled by a moderator, was held Sept. 10, 1739, when Colonel Adam Winthrop was chosen to preside. The pastor had hitherto supplied that office.
The connection between Church and State was not yet severed. In the same year, at the sugges- tion of the General Court, the church voted to con- tribute to maintain a lawsuit " about ministerial lands in South Kingston, to be brought before his
1 The allowance of baptism to a child five or six years old, presented by its grandmother, one of whose parents was dead, and the other absent in a foreign country, which the church granted by a vote of June 23, 1723, indi- cates that the practice had not always conformed to the old rule. Church Records, 193.
£
201
CHARLES CHAUNCY.
1711-85.]
Majesty in Council."1 In 1742 a committee was appointed to consider an enlargement of the vote of Nov. 17, 1730, allowing the congregation to meet the church in the transaction of temporal affairs, to include all matters " of common concern to the whole society." The amendment was effected July 12, 1743, with the requirement that those of the congregation who wished to vote on such matters should be " only such Male Persons as give their Constant Attendance on divine worship, and con- tribute to the support of the ministry."
It was the custom at this time " to hold the seats and pews for the most part in common," making a new appraisal every year, which required each pew to give a certain amount weekly "towards the sup- port of the ministry, and other necessary charges." The method of disposing of the pews was through a committee of seaters,2 chosen "every few years," and like the present Standing Committee,3 com- posed of some of the most influential members of the society.
Pulpit exchanges were not so frequently indulged in at this period as in later times. The first time the suggestion was made it seemed so unusual that
1 Church Records, 150 et seq.
2 " 1691. Voted by the Church att a meeting, November 24, at my house, yt Brother Sampson Stoddard, brother Browne & brother Parsons Doe or- der persons In Seating ym in the meeting-house."- Church Records, 53. Emerson says : "This, I believe, is still the practice in most of the religious societies on Connecticut River." - History of First Church, 178.
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.