USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > North Adams > History of the North Adams Baptist Church from October 30, 1808 to October 30, 1878 > Part 3
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Underlying, therefore, the system of outside proprietorship, there was an earnest protest against unequal laws, and also a
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
stand for the true scriptural idea of the spirituality of the church. The scriptural idea of the church is that of a com- pany of believers associated for the service of God. It is a spiritual body only. It cannot, therefore, hold property, nor ask nor receive any recognition before the civil law. It only asks that it be not legislated against, nor persecuted or op- pressed. This was the view of our fathers. They did not hold their property as they did, merely because the laws were adverse, nor because the sale of sittings was a convenient way of paying for a house; but chiefly because they would not in any way compromise the idea that the church is a purely spirit- ual body ; which they conceived would be done if the church, in its own capacity, had to do with the ownership of property.
About 1834 the adverse laws were repealed; and all the churches of the Commonwealth put upon an equal footing, and no further taxation for church purposes allowed. From that time the church began to let its voice be heard in the manage- ment of the property ; and indeed to assume something of a con- trol over it. August 12, 1843, the following vote was passed in church meeting :
"Voted; That an alteration be made in the body of the meet- "ing house by erecting side galleries, remove the desk, turn the "slips about, and build a desk at the north end of the house.
"Voted; That Duty S. Tyler, Sanford Blackinton and "Samuel Ingalls be a committee to carry into effect the above "vote."
Here, for the first time, the church ignores the proprietors and assumes the property to be its own.
From this vote it will be seen that in the first brick house, as constructed, the pulpit was at the south end between the doors, and the audience, when sitting, faced the entrance.
The changes proposed were made, also the large wood stoves that had previously been used to heat the house were discarded,
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
and hot air furnaces put into the basement. The four slips, heretofore noticed as having been bought by the church to be made free, were sold at auction to help pay the cost of the changes.
The next year, 1844, the house was painted and blinds put to the windows.
THE CHURCH THAT WAS BURNED.
A
0
THE PRESENT CHURCH.
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
The Third House of Worship
At this time the membership of the church and the congrega- tion were increasing rapidly, and continued to increase for sev- eral years to come. It was soon apparent that additional accommodations must be provided. The first action looking in that direction was on February 25, 1848, as follows :
"An extra church meeting having been notified from the "desk, the church met agreeable to appointment. The meeting "was opened by reading the scripture and prayer by Bro. Love "(Rev. Horace T. Love, then pastor). The object of the meet- "ing was then stated, which was for the purpose of discussing "the propriety of rebuilding and enlarging our meeting house. "The Standing Committee had examined the subject in several "previous meetings and presented their report to the church "now assembled, which report was accepted.
"Voted; To choose a committee of five brethren to procure "a plan of a meeting house, and an estimate of the probable "expense of building, and report at a future meeting.
"Voted ; To take immediate measures to have a legal meeting "of the pew owners called, and take a legal course in relation "to the pews in the present meeting house."
It will be seen here that the old distinction between pews and slips is lost sight of; and also that the church takes the initiative; whereas, in the building of the former house the church took no action, the proprietors acting outside and inde- pendent of the church. This change is still more apparent in the action of the church on March 3, 1848 :
"Voted; Unanimously that we go forward and rebuild said "meeting house according to the terms of the subscription "paper, a copy of which is herewith annexed.
"Voted; That the Standing Committee of the church be the "Building Committee ; and it shall be their duty to report their
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
"progress at each regular church meeting during the building of "said meeting house."
The following is a copy of the subscription paper referred to, and the subscriptions thereto, by which the third house was built :
"We whose names are underwritten will pay on demand, to "the order of the Standing Committee of, the First Baptist "Church in North Adams, the several sums set opposite to our "respective signatures for the purpose of building and enlarg- "ing the Baptist Meeting House in this village, with the under- "standing that said house shall be for, and under the control of "the First Baptist Church in North Adams, and that said "church is to hold in trust the pews thereof for the religious "benefit of this community, appraising by its Standing Com- "mittee the rents of the same, and causing said rents to be "annually exposed at public auction to the highest bidder for "choice and appropriating the avails thereof for the purpose "of maintaining, preserving and keeping up religious worship "in said house and for any contingent expense appertaining "thereunto.
"North Adams, December 14, 1847.
CONTRIBUTORS
Contri- butions
PEWS GIVEN IN
Valuation of Pews Given In
Sanford Blackinton
$2000
Four Pews valued at
$115 00
D. S. Tyler.
1000
Half Pew
30 00
Samuel Ingalls
1000
Two Pews
100 00
R. H. Wells
1000
Two Pews
107 50
Otis Blackinton
125
Three Pews
115 00
Harriet B. Wells
300
Samuel Browning, Jr.
100
One Pew
60 00
Salmon Burlingame
100
Two Pews
77 00
Austin Magee
100
George Millard
300
Five Pews
125 00
Daniel Sturtevant
50
Cole & Ford
50
Willard M. Mitchell.
30
J. Fosket & Son
50
O. Loomis
25
A. B. Darling
25
Erastus L. Bliss
25
Henry B. Holden
12
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
CONTRIBUTORS
Contri- butions
PEWS GIVEN IN
Valuation of Pews Given In
Samuel Veazie
$ 15
Half Pew valued at
$25 00
J. L. White.
50
C. J. Freeman
50
Elijah Cowan
10
William Ingraham
15
E. D. Whitaker
10
J. P. Bennett
25
Lucius Royce
15
Henry P. Philips
10
William L. Crosier
8
Thomas Bahn
25
W. E. Brayton
200
Total
$6225
Upon petition of five of the proprietors, Ezra D. Whitaker, Justice of the Peace, issued a warrant to Geo. Millard directing him to notify and warn the said proprietors to meet on the 13th of May, 1848, "to see if the said proprietors will take measures "to remove or take down the present meeting house, and build "a new one in its stead."
Here again the proprietors are recognized, but only to meet a legal necessity.
At this meeting the proprietors
"Voted; That we authorize the Standing Committee of the "First Baptist Church to take down the present meeting house, "and build a new one in its stead."
This was the last meeting ever held by the proprietors. By thus authorizing the church to take down, and thus destroy their property, they virtually withdrew from the further posses- sion and control of it, and gave it up to the church.
The laws of the State had been so modified that now the church, by trustees, could hold the property. That there might afterward spring up no embarrassing question of title, and that the plan contemplated for the future, as set forth in the sub-
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
scription paper heretofore given, might be fully carried out, the proprietors gave to the church the following deed :
"Whereas, it is proposed to enlarge or rebuild the Baptist "Meeting House in this village for the better accommodation "of the increasing population, and to construct a suitable lec- "ture room or vestry in the basement of the same, and after "said house is completed and ready for use the pews are to be "rented annually to meet the expenses of maintaining and keep- "ing up public religious worship in said meeting house; there- "fore,
"Know all men by these presents that we whose names and "seals are hereunto affixed, in consideration of the improve- "ments set forth in the above-named propositions, do for our- "selves, our heirs, and assigns, relinquish and forever quit- "claim all our right in and title to the slips or any other property "we now own and possess in the Baptist Meeting House now "occupied by the First Baptist Church in the North Village in "Adams; we do freely give, grant, and convey all our interest "and title in said estate to the said First Baptist Church for "their use and behoof forever.
"Witness our hands and seals this thirteenth day of March, "A. D. one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven."
Twenty-nine signatures are attached to this paper.
At a meeting of the church held May 13, 1848, it was
"Voted; That we accept the doings of the proprietors of the "First Baptist Meeting House at a meeting held by them this "day authorizing the Standing Committee of the First Baptist "Church to take down the present meeting house and build a "new one."
"Voted; That we accept the quit-claim deed of George "Millard and others conveying to the First Baptist Church in "North Adams, their pews in the First Baptist Meeting House, "in said North Adams village, and hereby agree to fulfil the "conditions of said deed, bearing date March 13, 1847."
This deed, however, was not signed by all the proprietors. The Building Committee, in the final detailed report of their
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
expenditures for the new house, report $315.92 paid for old slips, to those who did not thus transfer to the church their title and interest. 4
Thus, by the generosity of most of the proprietors, and the liquidation of the claims of others, the property passed into the possession and under the control of the church, and that without in any way trenching upon the spirituality of the church.
Here and there throughout the Commonwealth there are still churches whose property is owned and controlled by a Society, and the church is only a tenant at will. Might not a change similar to that which was made in North Adams, thirty (now sixty) years ago, and without which the church would probably never have attained its present strength, be made, in many places, to the removal of difficulties, the strengthening of the church, and the furtherance of the work?
The house which the church went on to build is thus de- scribed in the annual letter to the Berkshire Association for the year 1848 :
"We are building a new meeting house of brick material, "63x93 ft., with 122 slips in the audience room, and galleries "with 38 slips, making 160 slips, capable of seating comfortably "1,000 people. Also a good vestry and other rooms in the base- "ment. We expect to get the vestry finished to worship in the "last of the present month."
During the progress of the work and until the vestry was ready to occupy the church met in Millard's Hall.
In November, 1848, the church occupied the vestry of the new house, and at once by act of the church, a certain rentage was affixed to the slips, and then they were put up at auction for choice, in accordance with the terms of the subscription paper, and of the quit-claim deed given by the former pro- prietors. The first auction of the pews was on November 27,
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
1848. Every year since, for thirty years, the pews have been thus offered ; the financial burdens have been carried with com- parative ease, and peace, harmony and strength have resulted.
September 8, 1849, the house was completed and the build- ing committee made their report to the church. They report the cost of the house $12,313.44. There had been paid upon the subscriptions $6,000.26; leaving balance unpaid of $6,- 313.18. The church authorized the committee to negotiate a loan, secured by a mortgage upon the property, to the amount of $5,000; and instructed them to make strenuous efforts to raise the balance of the deficiency by additional subscriptions. Whether it was thus raised or not the records do not show. To the generosity of Sanford Blackinton without whose most liberal subscription the work could not have been undertaken, and to the energy and efficiency of Deacon Duty S. Tyler. Chairman of the Building Committee, the church is largely indebted for the house. Deacon Tyler gave not only money, but time, and thought, and unflaging zeal. With him were associated as members of the building committee, Edward Richmond, S. Ingalls, Geo. Browning, Jr., J. A. Brayton and R. H. Wells, who have gone to their reward; and Sanford Black- inton, and Salmon Burlingame, still members of the church, (in 1878), and Austin Magee and F. W. Waterbury, members of the First Baptist Church at Saratoga Springs.
The house was used in peace and quietude until March, 1854, when it was unroofed by the wind. The damage was repaired at a cost of $600.
Up to this time the church had owned only the ground on which the house stood. In 1865, it purchased the three lots adjoining the house of worship between it and Eagle street. The cost for the lots and grading was $3,500.
There was no further incident worthy of note in connection with the church edifice, until June 26, 1871, when Sanford
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
Blackinton, C. T. Sampson, S. Burlingame, J. Wilbur and E. S. Wilkinson were appointed a building committee to take charge of extensive changes it was proposed to make in the house. The house was enlarged by building on an entirely new front, with a tower and spire. The side galleries were taken out, and an end gallery put in. A new baptistry and new platform and pulpit were put in, and the house refitted throughout. The cost of these changes was about $24,000, almost twice as much as the house originally cost. The house now stands (1878) substantially as left after these repairs. While these repairs were in progress, the church received and accepted a generous offer of the Congregational Church to occupy their house of worship one-half of the time.
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
Doctrines of the Church
The council which recognized the church at the time of its organization, the record says, "found them sound in faith." No statement of their doctrinal tenets, however, is given. From this, therefore, we can only conclude that in doctrine the mem- bers of the newly constituted church were in harmony with the neighboring Baptist churches, that were represented in the council. Six months after the organization, May 13, 1809, the "church agreed upon articles of faith." The articles thus agreed upon are not in the records. One year afterward, May 10, 1810, the church,
"Reconsidered a vote passed May 13, 1809, respecting arti- "cles of faith, and agreed to take the Bible for articles of faith."
During the first quarter of this century, Universalism and Unitarianism made rapid progress throughout New England. They found more or less foot-hold in almost every church. Not far away, Hosea Ballou, the ablest Universalist preacher of New England, found his most fruitful field. The church at North Adams did not escape. Again and again the church found false doctrines creeping in, and at length openly advo- cated. The defence was, that as the church had taken the Bible for articles of faith, every individual must interpret it for him- self ; and that his standing in the church should be in no respect impaired by any interpretation whatsoever. The church as a body was unchanged in its convictions of religious truth ; but as it had no declared belief, its power of discipline was greatly impaired. In 1821, a member of the church of some promi- nence and influence, who was able to form a strong party, came out, in the words of the records, as an advocate of "the doc- trines of the Universal Salvation of all mankind." A kind let-
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
ter of admonition was sent to him by the church. He gave no heed. The following "second letter of admonition" was read before the church, approved, and sent to him :
"Dear Brother :
"According to the doctrines of Paul to Titus-third chapter, "tenth and eleventh verses, 'a man that is an heretic after the "first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is "such is subverted and sinneth, being condemned of himself,'- "we hereby admonish you to cast away your pernicious princi- 'ples, throw away your vain, subverting books, and doctrines of "devils, and repent of your condemning heresies. Remember "that the Apostle said, 'He that preacheth any other gospel let "him be accursed.' Dear brother, if you do not come to our "next church meeting, which will be two weeks from this day, "at one o'clock p. m., we shall be under the painful necessity "of withdrawing the hand of fellowship from you.
"Done by order and in behalf of the church. "GIDEON MIXER, Church Clerk. "To "March 17, 1821."
The men who could write, approve, and send, such a letter as that, certainly had some very positive articles of faith from which they did not propose that their church should be sub- verted.
The brother addressed did not appear, as cited, and the hand of fellowship was withdrawn. Immediately certain friends of the excluded brother made issue with the church; that inas- much as the church had by vote set aside its articles of faith, and now had none, it could not rightfully exclude one for fol- lowing the Bible as he understood it; indeed, that the church had expressly authorized him so to do by rejecting its own creed, and taking the Bible in its stead. After two years of labor and admonition over this point, the leader of the dissen- tients was also excluded.
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
Another similar case occurred in February, 1828, when the fellowship of the church was withdrawn from another brother for holding the same doctrines.
These and other incidents of the same kind through a period of eighteen years, together with the tendency which at that time was so marked toward Unitarianism and liberalism, and among some of our own ministers, toward a desecration, or a denying of the claims, of the Christian Sabbath, satisfied the church that for the sake of the truth to which it firmly held, and for the establishing and continuance of the church in that truth, as well as for the maintenance of discipline, it was wisest and best to have a formulated expression of its understanding of the fundamental doctrines of the gospel.
Accordingly, at a meeting of the church held October 3, 1828, the following action was taken:
"The church proceeded to business, and took up the subject "of faith and practice.
"Voted; To adopt the articles of faith and practice as they "now read."
This wording "as they now read" implies that the articles were neither a new compilation, nor a new presentation to the church, but something with which the church was already familiar. It is altogether probable, therefore, that these arti- cles adopted in 1828, were the same that the church had adopted in 1809, and abrogated in 1810. The articles then adopted are given in the records and read as follows :
"ARTICLES OF FAITH AND PRACTICE." (Adopted October 3, 1828.)
"1. We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men "divinely inspired ; that it is a perfect rule of faith and practice ; "and that among others it teaches the following important "truths :
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
"Ist. That there is one only living and true God, infinite in "every natural and moral excellence.
"2d. That He has revealed Himself as the Father, and the "Son (or Word) and the Holy Ghost the same in essence and "equal in divine qualities.
"3d. That man was created Holy ; but that by wilfully violat- "ing the law of his Maker, he fell from that state; so that by "nature there is in us no holiness ; but we are all inclined to "evil, and 'in that all have sinned,' and are children of wrath, "justly exposed to death and other miseries, temporal, spiritual "and eternal.
"4th. That the only way of salvation from this state of guilt "and condemnation is through the righteousness and atonement "of Jesus Christ, the Word, who miraculously assumed our "nature without sin, or became incarnate, for the suffering of "death and whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation "through faith in his blood, having 'so loved the world that He "gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, "should not perish, but have everlasting life.'
"5th. That all who are brought to repentance and faith were "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world; and that "in consequence, not of their own merit but of God's own pur- "pose and grace, the Holy Ghost (without whose influence none "would ever repent and believe), performs the work of regener- "ation in their hearts.
"6th. That nothing can separate true believers from the love "of God, but they will be 'kept by the power of God through "faith unto Salvation,' the sure and final proof of their being "true believers consisting in the continuance of their attach- "ment and obedience to Christ till the close of life.
"7th. That the only proper subjects of the ordinance of Bap- "tism and the Lord's Supper, are professed believers ; and that "Baptism is properly administered only by immersion, and is "by scriptural example, a prerequisite to communion at the "Lord's table.
"8th. That according to the example of the Apostles and dis- "ciples sanctioned by the repeated presence of Christ himself, "after his resurrection, the first day of the week is to be ob- "served as the Lord's day, or Christian Sabbath.
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
"9th. That there will be a resurrection of the just and the "unjust, and that the Lord Jesus Christ will come to judge both "the living and the dead; when those who have continued or "died impenitent and unreconciled to God, will be sentenced to "endless punishment, according to the desert of their sins; and "those who have truly repented and turned to God, relying "solely on the merits of him who died, the just for the unjust, "will be completely delivered from the dominion of sin, and be "admitted into the holy and heavenly Jerusalem with songs and "everlasting joy ; so shall they be ever with the Lord."
It will be seen at once that these articles are uncompromis- ingly Calvinistic. There is no taint nor tinge of modern liber- alism here, or the shadow of a divergence from the purest Pauline, Augustinian, or Calvinistic theology. The inspira- tion of scripture, the unity in trinity of the godhead, man's utterly lost estate, the incarnation of the Son and Salvation through faith in Him, the sovereignty of God in redemption, the perseverance of the saints, the immersion of believers, and that, prerequisite to the communion the sanctity of the Lord's day, the resurrection from the dead, the final judgment, and the heavenly home,-these were the great doctrines upon which the church at North Adams was founded, upon which it has been built, and from which it has never swerved.
This Calvinism was the furthest possible removed from fatalism. It did not supersede effort, but aroused, stimulated and made it efficacious. The church bowed in profound awe and reverence before God's sovereignty, while at the same time it magnified human agency. It believed in man's absolute inability to turn to God and to serve him except as led thereto by the Holy Spirit. Yet it was one of the first and most liberal supporters of Judson's mission in Burmah, and has ever labored without stint or grudging for the dissemination of gos- pel truth and the bringing of men to the cross of the Lord Jesus.
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
In the year 1872 these articles were slightly modified and given the form in which they now appear in the printed manual of the church. The revision then made was of the wording rather than of the doctrines. The substance and essential statement of no doctrine was changed.
It was not enough that the church have a correct form of Christian doctrine. It was important that the members know what those doctrines were. A printed manual is laid away, and but rarely read. A frequent rehearsal in the hearing of the church must of necessity familiarize the church with its doc- trinal formulas. With this in view, on October 9, 1841, it was "Voted, That our Articles of Faith and Covenant be read at "every covenant meeting." The covenant meeting was held every two months. Thus six times every year, for we know not how long, the church listened to the reading of its entire doctrinal statement. This might by some be deemed heavy and wearisome. But it grounded men in the faith. It put in their hands and accustomed them to the weapons which they must use in their battles for the truth.
The church did not hesitate at any time to declare of what kind its faith was. The next year following that in which the preceding articles were adopted, a communication was received asking information in regard to the church, to be incorporated into an Ecclesiastical Register. The first item of information given is in these words: "The church is of the Calvinistic order."
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