USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > North Adams > History of the North Adams Baptist Church from October 30, 1808 to October 30, 1878 > Part 4
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But there were some, then as now, to whom these doctrines were distasteful. The church felt itself called upon, and com- pelled, to be a defender of the faith. It must not only hold to the truth itself, but must let its voice be heard and its attitude known as it saw the encroachments of error. Soon after the organization of the church in the year 1809 the church was
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received into the Shaftsbury Association. Upon the forma- tion of the Berkshire Association, in 1827, from considerations of local convenience, and for the better promotion of the cause in its own county, it withdrew from the Shaftsbury and became a constituent member of the new association. At that time Elder John Leland was a pastor in the Berkshire Association, and at the height of his fame and influence. He, and others under his lead in the association, taught that the Sabbath had passed away with the Jewish law, and was no more sacred than any other day. He sometimes showed his contempt for one of the most cherished doctrines of his brethren, by carrying his grist to mill, or having his horse shod, or working part of the day in the field on the Christian Sabbath.
He was accustomed to baptize, and especially when upon his widely extended preaching tours, all who would receive bap- tism without bringing them within the pale of the church, with- out asking for other separation from the world than that im- plied in the act of baptism, and often when those baptized openly declared they did not intend to unite themselves with the people of God. There were thus scattered throughout all this section men and women with no connection with the churches, and who never had any, who never attended worship, never joined with the people of God in prayer and praise, never co-operated in Christian work, and who yet were professedly baptized Christians, satisfied with themselves, and in not a few instances carping at the fact of the very existence of an organ- ized Christian church.
At the same time the doctrine that the nature of man was not so very bad, and that it was only necessary to develop the good and repress the evil, thus practically ignoring or denying the necessity of regeneration, was creeping into the churches. These things were shocking to the North Adams church. Moved by these things, the church sent the following most admirable
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letter, full of admonition, reproof, instruction and vigorous protest to the Berkshire Association, held May 31, 1832. The moral courage and boldness of the little band that sent this letter will be better understood if it be remembered that Leland was at this time by far the most influential member of the association and a majority of the churches gave him their fullest sympathy :
"Beloved Brethren : We witness with joy the prospects of the "church of Christ in various sections of the earth, both at home "and abroad. Our hearts are refreshed in hearing of the "abundant success which attends the missionary efforts at the "several stations and more especially the Burman mission. "While we thus speak of the joy of our hearts because of the "general prosperity of Zion, we have a thought which we wish "to express that more immediately concerns the peace and pros- "perity of this body of churches. We have witnessed the slow "innovations of doctrine and practice for some time past with "fearful apprehensions of what might be the result. Not that "we would resist light on any point of Christian practice ; but "we are far from believing that the administration of grace, or "that the hearts of men are very much, if any, different at this "age of the world than what they were at the commencement "of the gospel of our Lord. We apprehend that there is too "much of men's wisdom intermingled, not only with the truth "of the gospel, but with its administration, or preaching. We "learn from the sacred scriptures, 'that the natural man re- "ceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are fool- "ishness unto him; neither can he know them because they are "spiritually discerned' (1 Cor. 2:14) ; therefore the necessity "of being 'born again' in order to see the kingdom (John "3:3) ; 'for what man knoweth the things of a man save the "spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God "knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God' (1 Cor. 2:11). "The complete alienation of affection of the unreconciled heart "is a truth that ought to be exhibited with, at least, as much "force and certainty as expressed in the sacred Bible, which "uses illustrations of the most convincing character, such as
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" 'being dead in trespasses and sins,' 'ye will not come unto me "that ye might have light,' 'the carnal mind is enmity against "God.' Such like expressions are unequivocal and incontro- "vertable. If we err on this point of Christian doctrine, we are "liable to err on almost every other truth, for without a just "view of the depravity of the human heart, or affection, we are "not prepared to properly understand the necessity and opera- "tions of the Holy Spirit 'to renew us in the spirit of our mind' "and to create the new man, which, after God is created in "righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:23, 24). The meta- "physical dogmas of the present day are not new, but doctrines "long since exploded. We believe and must believe so long as "the sacred pages are accessible and we are permitted to read "the same, that no man 'can see the kingdom of God except he "be born again,' neither can he be recognized as a member of "the Church of Christ on earth, unless 'he be born of water "and the Spirit.' We must, also, believe that 'Christ is ex- "alted as a Prince and Saviour' as much to give repentance as "the remission of sins. The sovereignty or independence of "Christ in the giving of eternal life as expressed in John 17:2, "3, is a doctrine that ought to be and will be, we think, taught "by every faithful minister of the gospel. Beloved brethren, "we not only deplore the laxity of doctrine, but also the preva- "lence of baptizing individuals without a special reference to "becoming connected with the church ; because it tends to let in "a flood of error not easily prevented. It lays a foundation for "any one and every one that there is no necessity and of course "no utility of ever becoming connected with the people of God. "If this were to become the prevailing sentiment where would "be the public or visible appearance of the church. Is not one "person as much at liberty to stand disconnected with the "church as another ? Are some few, here and there one, under "the necessity of publicly maintaining the cause of Christ? "The practice of baptizing without a determination to join the "church is, as we apprehend, calculated in this way to prostrate "in a slow and distressing manner the public honors of Christ. "Brethren, we are confident that union is the strength of any "body and is only designed to promote peace and harmony, and "our prayer is that there may be a frankness of consultation
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"on these several topics before there shall be here and there by "one and another an effort to commence some new practice and "inculcate some new doctrine. We pray the great Head of the "Church to grant us all as churches, and as individuals that "wisdom, prudence and every other principle of grace that shall "enable us to act with a wise reference to his glory and the "especial promotion of his cause."
The tendency to liberalism appears however to have gone on. An informal meeting of brethren that loved the old doctrines was held at Cheshire for consultation. It was determined by these brethren to call a convention composed of delegates from all the churches in the Association, for further and more au- thoritative consideration and action.
With the view expressed in that call the North Adams church fully sympathized. Delegates were sent to the convention.
But consultation and remonstrance did not satisfy the church. It was convinced that there had been a radical depar- ture from the faith on the part of some of the churches, which by its continuance in the Association it would virtually approve. It, therefore, formally withdrew from the Association in May, 1834. The following is its letter of withdrawal, written by Loring Darby, their church clerk, and approved by the church :
"The Baptist Church of Christ in North Adams to the Berk- "shire County Baptist Association, sendeth Christian saluta- "tion.
"Dear Brethren: We enjoy a good degree of union among "ourselves and Christian fellowship towards those who love "our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. It will doubtless be re- "membered that in 1832 and 1833 we as a church entered our "protest against the innovations which were fast creeping into "some of the churches of the Association. What we then "feared has been more than realized; we did not expect that "there would have been quite so general and extensive a de- "parture in doctrine and practice from the faith once delivered "to the Saints, as is at present too evident. We know that the
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"course of sin in any form is rapid and diffusive. We know "that it is deceitful, promising better things at the expense and "in the face of truth.
"We, as a church, disapprove of the course pursued by some "of the churches and ministers of the Association, feeling that "we ought to be governed by the Word of God, which says, "'Mark them which cause divisions,' &c., Rom. 16:17, and "which commands us, 2 Thess. 3:6, to withdraw ourselves, &c. "We wish, therefore, to withdraw from the Association. It is "no pleasure to be associated with those who differ from us so "materially in the fundamental truths of the Gospel ; but trust- "ing in the protection of Him who preserved the Burning Bush, "we would rather obey his voice who says, Isaiah 26:20, 21, " 'Come, my people,' &c. The promises of the Scriptures are "precious to us. More so than the friendship of those who "compass sea and land to make one proselyte. And when we "hear the exhortation to those who fear the Lord, that obey "the voice of his servant, &c., Isa. 50:10, we feel its quickening "influence and rejoice. And at the same time we would not be "forgetful that the same voice hath said, 11th verse, 'Behold all "ye that kindle a fire,' &c. Better is little with the fear of the "Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith. 'Better is a "dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred "therewith.' Prov. 15:16, 17. The Society of those who will "contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints, "Jude 3d, is our choice. We had rather not know, and be "unknown, than to experience the trouble there has been in "consequence of certain doctrines and efforts in this county "the year past. We would rather enjoy the portion broken "unto us, though in the estimation of some, like herbs, in love "and union, than the profusion of good things which is sup- "posed to be possessed by many, and the hatred, strife and "contention, which has in almost every instance accompanied "the same. Knowing that our Redeemer has the promise of a "seed to serve Him and that He shall be satisfied, we pray 'thy "kingdom come; Thy will be done,' unto this end, that the Lord "will send faithful laborers into his harvest, and that the world "may be filled with the knowledge of the Lord."
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The church made application to and was received by the Stephentown Association. It remained a member of that As- sociation five years, until October 10, 1839, when it returned to the Berkshire Association. The first letter to the Associa- tion after the return of the church is not given in the records. In the associational minutes for that year this brief extract is given, "Believing the cause of our grief to be removed from this Association, we request readmission, that we may become workers together." The letter sent to the Association the fol- lowing year, 1840, is on record, and strikes the old note in ringing words as follows:
"Our views of the doctrines of the gospel are unchanged. "We still believe that if saved at last and made heirs of heaven, "it will be purely by the grace of God, through our Lord Jesus "Christ; and if finally lost, it will be through our own neglect "to obey the injunctions of the gospel. For we believe the "provision in the atonement is abundant for all, and all that will "may come, and partake of the water of life freely."
Again in the letter to the Association the next year, 1841, written by Deacon Richmond, the church says :
"As a body we live in union and adhere to the great doctrines "of the Bible. Under the spirit they are our waymarks, our "chart and compass. We are unshaken in the belief that man "by nature is destitute of holiness, and that a corrupt tree can- "not bring forth good fruit. Therefore we believe all that are "brought to repentance and faith were chosen in Christ before "the foundation of the world; and, that in consequence not of "their own merits, but of God's own purpose and grace; the "Holy Spirit, without whose influence none would ever repent "and believe, performs the work of regeneration in the heart. "Consequently and inseparably joined with this, we hold that "nothing can separate true believers from the love of God, but "they will be kept by the power of God through faith unto sal- "vation. The sure and final proof of their being true believers "consists in their attachment and obedience to Christ till the
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"end of life. Nor are we the least shaken from the belief that "the only proper subjects of the ordinance of baptism and the "Lord's Supper are professed believers; and that immersion is "the only Bible mode of baptism. We hold that the first day "of the week is to be strictly kept as the Lord's day, or Chris- "tian Sabbath ; and we have great occasion for sorrow when we "see it violated, especially by those professing the Christian "character."
Again, in the letter to the association for the next year, 1842, also written by Deacon Richmond, we find the following :
"While we deplore the fallen, ruined state of man, his indis- "position to seek after holiness, his inability to will against will, "we rejoice in the agency of the Holy Spirit in accomplishing "this great work in bringing the sinner to see his lost condition, "turning the current of his mind, and presenting Christ as his "only hope of salvation and acceptance with the Father."
Thus the church earnestly contended for the faith once deliv- ered to the Saints. Nor was this unyielding fidelity of the church its unswerving course, and its remarkably clear and posi- tive statements of doctrine, merely, as is sometimes the case, because it was following the lead of a pastor. The most re- markable thing about the doctrinal controversy which resulted in severing associational relations is, that during the time it was in progress, the church had five different pastors. Elder Keyes was pastor when the letter of remonstrance was sent to the Association in 1832. Elder Palmer was pastor when the church withdrew from the Berkshire Association in 1834; Elder Covel was pastor while the church was connected with the Stephen- town Association; Elder Rogers was pastor when the church returned to the Berkshire Association in 1839, and Elder Alden was pastor when the letters of 1840 and 1841, quoted above, were written. The pastors came and went; but the church held unchangingly to the old doctrines of grace, and, with or with- out a pastor, knew well how to express and defend them.
REV. LEMUEL COVELL.
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The church has from the very beginning, through all its his- tory, held uncompromisingly to the peculiar tenets of the Bap - tists. Of this the Articles of Faith, already given, are a suffi- cient proof. It will be necessary to illustrate only a few points.
The church has ever insisted strenuously upon its absolute independence of all external interference or influence. In 1834, the year the church withdrew from the Berkshire Associa- tion, the Association accepted certain articles of faith, not as authoritative or binding, but in the words of the resolution adopted, to "present them to the churches for their considera- "tion and approval; the churches to present their approval or "disapproval in their letters to the next Association." The articles having been approved by the Association, the Associa- tion having sent them to the churches, a church that could not approve, would, by that inability, be put in doctrinal disagree- ment with the Association. The Association, therefore, be- came to a degree a tribunal to sit in judgment upon the doc- trinal tenets of the several churches composing it. This the North Adams Church deemed to be an assumption of powers that did not belong to it. This was one of the items that influ- enced the church in withdrawing from the Association; for although the articles were not accepted by the Association until after the letter of the church withdrawing was written, a com- mittee to prepare the articles had been appointed two years before, and some of the churches were urging the Association thus to judge, as the North Adams Church believed, their sister churches.
The same matter came up again in 1847. At a church meet- ing held September 11th, the church "Voted to instruct our "delegates attending the Association to vote against the adoption "of a church covenant or articles of faith, as being inconsistent "with the powers of the Association." Thus the church not only
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held to the independent form of church government, but was exceedingly jealous of its independence, and aroused by the least suspicion of encroachment.
The North Adams Church is a strictly democratic body, in which all matters of general interest are laid before the assem- bled church and determined by a majority vote.
And the right of all members, without respect to age or sex, to a voice in the affairs of the church has always been recog- nized. At different times the question came up whether it were not wiser to limit the right to vote in church meetings to the male members. In 1821, after discussion, the following vote was passed :
"Voted that the sisters have a right to vote in our meetings."
The question was again mooted in 1870, when the church again voted that there should be no limitation in the suffrages of the members. The only exception is that when the present manual was adopted it was provided that on all questions touching financial affairs, only male members of full age should be entitled to vote.
The church has ever held that both logically, and by a scrip- tural teaching and example, baptism precedes the Lord's Sup- per ; hence that none can rightfully participate in the Lord's Supper until baptized.
As a Baptist Church, it has of course, without a shadow of variation, held that there can be no scriptural baptism without immersion-burial with Christ in baptism-and that, in accord- ance with scripture teaching and the uniform usage of the apos- tolic churches, baptism can be rightfully administered only to those who are old enough to profess their faith in Christ, and actually do so.
The Articles of Faith originally adopted, affirm that "bap- "tism is properly administered by immersion, to professed be-
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"lievers in Christ, and is by scriptural example, a prerequisite "to communion at the Lord's table." This article is left un- changed in the revision of the articles made in 1872.
The question as to open or close communion, or as to the sub- jects, or the mode of baptism, so far as the records show, has never arisen in the church. Every pronouncement of the church on either of those points has been as clear and positive as if there were no possibility in any mind of question or doubt.
In its early days the church held that none could rightfully come to the communion, although members in good standing in other Baptist churches, who were not under the discipline of the church. In 1809, Martin Salisbury, a member of a Baptist church in another place, though residing in North Adams, was about to remove. The church
"Voted: To give Martin Salisbury a few lines manifesting "our joy at his orderly walk with us, though he had not been "admitted to communion, because he had no letter."
And conversely, if any member of another Baptist church did come to the communion, that act was held to make it necessary for the church to extend its watchcare over such communicant. For example, under date of November 4, 1811, we find this entry :
"Voted to choose a committee to labor with -- so far as is "consistent to labor with her as a member of another church, "but who has communed with us, and make report to the "church of their labor."
The sister referred to had been accused of a crime. The church assumed that because she had communed with them, she by that act put herself under their supervision. The commit- tee ordered was appointed, and subsequently made a report to the church. The church thereupon
"Voted, to report Sister to the church where she "belongs for unchristian conduct."
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But even where Baptists living in North Adams had not com- muned with the church, the church deemed it its duty, and took it upon itself, to look after them. On January 3, 1824, the church "Chose Brother Mixer and Brother Blackinton to visit "Brother - and wife, members of a sister church, and ad- "monish them to their duty." The admonition was evidently not heeded; for on the 31st of the same month the church "Voted to write a letter to Whatley church respecting Brother and wife." If all our churches at the present day were to pursue a similar course, simply assume that all of the same faith and order residing near them were thereby under their watchcare, to be led along in the path of duty, or to be reported for discipline to the churches of which they are members, the oft recurring and perplexing question as to how to deal with non-resident members would be solved, and a vastly greater number of them would be led to identify themselves at once with churches near which they reside.
While the church has always insisted that baptism should precede communion, it has never insisted that the baptism must necessarily have been administered by a Baptist minister. Many cases appear in the records of persons received into mem- bership upon a statement of their Christian experience, who had been immersed in the Methodist, Advent or other churches.
Although the church has regarded those who have received sprinkling for baptism, as not having obeyed the Lord in the first ordinance of his house, yet it has ever regarded them as brethren in Christ, honored and beloved for the image of the Master that is manifest in them, and for their work's sake; and it has ever bidden them God-speed in all their efforts to serve their common Lord and Master. In accordance with this feel- ing of brotherhood and oneness of interest, when it was pro- posed to constitute a Congregational Church in North Adams, the Baptist Church proffered the use of its house of worship
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for the meeting of the council and for the public exercises. It was in the Baptist house that the Congregational Church was recognized by council, and thence it went forth with a hearty Baptist blessing.
For thirty years past the church has been accustomed to give to any of its members who might desire to unite with other denominations Certificates of Standing, differing but little from ordinary Letters of Dismission. The Church Manual gives a form for such certificates, and is as follows :
"This is to certify that A. B. is a member of the First Baptist "Church in North Adams, Mass., and sustains a good Christian "character ; but entertaining a different opinion from us on "Christian Doctrine, and having expressed a desire to unite with "the - Church, in --- he (she) is hereby permitted to "withdraw from us for that purpose; and when we are in- "formed of his (her) union with said church, his (her) connec- "tion with this church will be dissolved. This certificate shall "be null and void, if not used for the above purpose within three "months."
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Associational Connection
January 7, 1809, seven months after its organization, the church was received into the Shaftsbury Association, at the annual meeting at Schodac, New York. That association then numbered thirty-three churches in Southern Vermont, Western Massachusetts and Eastern New York, and extending into Canada. The membership of the association then numbered 3,303.
At the annual meeting, held at East Hillsdale in 1826, Elder Beach, pastor at Pittsfield, "in behalf of some of the Berkshire "churches, asked leave to form a new association. The request "was granted." Thereupon the North Adams, Cheshire, Pitts- field, Savoy, Sandisfield and Williamstown churches with- drew. On the 31st of May, 1827, these, with the Adams Church, which had been established the year before, and the Windsor, Lanesboro and Hinesdale churches, met at the West Meeting House, in Cheshire, and organized the Berkshire Association. Thus at the first annual session fifteen churches were reported, with a total membership of 861. The largest church in the association at hat time was the Savoy church, with 101 members.
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