USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > History of the churches of Boston, giving a full account, in denominational divisions, of all the church organizations of the city, from their formation to the present time, with dates and complete statistics ; compiled with great care from first sources. Division one; Baptist and Presbyterian > Part 4
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3 1
THE CLARENDON STREET CHURCH.
On Monday, July 16, 1827, a council was convened with reference to the recognition of the church, consisting of the pastors and delegates of the three Baptist churches of Boston, and the Charlestown, Cambridge, Roxbury, and New- ton churches.
" The meeting-house," says the record in the Baptist Missionary Magazine, " is a neat and spacious edifice, built of brick, 74 feet wide and 86 feet long, including the porch. It has a basement story, containing a large and convenient vestry, two rooms for candidates to prepare for baptism, and three large rooms for other purposes. In front of the pulpit is a baptistry. There are 117 pews on the lower floor, and 34 in the gallery. A cupola is erected, and accommodates a bell weighing 1,635 pounds." The house was dedicated on July 18, 1827.
The Sabbath School was regularly organized, after leaving " Julien Hall," at a meeting called for the purpose, in the lecture-room, at which Ensign Lincoln pre- sided, on October the 21st, 1827. The school regularly held two sessions on the Sabbath, commencing at the " ringing of the first bell," one hour previous to the church service, morning and afternoon.
Until about this time the brethren had not been able to fix their minds on any minister as their spiritual guide ; and this fact had added much to the sacrifice made by such as had given themselves to this cause. The Rev. Howard Malcom, at that time general agent of the American Sunday School Union, having visited this city on the business of that society a few weeks before the constitution of the church, became known to the brethren, and he was invited, August 29, 1827, by a unanimous call, to the care of the church and society. After returning to the city to learn the path of duty by a few weeks' residence among the people, the invitation was accepted, October 16th, and he entered upon his labors November 13, 1827.
Mr. Malcom's labors were blessed in a remarkable degree in drawing a large, intelligent congregation, composed in a great measure of those who had not been heretofore accustomed to attend Baptist preaching. Pews were in great demand, and almost every available seat in the house was occupied. Large and constant additions were made to the church from month to month throughout his entire pastorate. Mr. Malcom was an excellent pastor ; he was skilful in the discipline of the church, and in the training of its members to work for the Master. He was much interested in ministerial education, and often exhorted the young men to consider the question whether they should not devote themselves to the work of the ministry ; and in his public ministrations he was accustomed to pray that they might be led to a right decision on the subject. The result was, that at one time there were no less than twelve young men, connected with the church, in a course of study with reference to the Gospel ministry.
Among the early additions to the church were a number of persons residing in that part of the city called South Boston, where meetings had been maintained
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CHURCHES OF BOSTON.
by the Evangelical Society, from the time when their efforts in relation to this church terminated. " These persons were, on the 28th of August, 1828, empow- ered, in conjunction with a committee of three brethren, to hold church meeting ; for business on their side of the bridge," and to be known as the "South Branch of the Federal Street Baptist Church." Their place of meeting proving too small, the members of this church and congregation, assisted by a few other friends, erected a meeting-house, seventy-two feet by fifty-seven, which was dedicated July 22, 1830, in which were regularly maintained the stated Ordinances of the Gospel. The divine blessing evidently descended on this branch of the church. not only in the peace and edification of the members, but in the conversion o' souls, and growth of the congregation. On the Ist of March, 1831, it wa .; deemed expedient that these members be formed into a church. The measure was adopted with perfect unanimity, and fifty-five brethren and sisters were affer- tionately dismissed to constitute the " South Baptist Church of the City of Bos- ton."
At a meeting of the church, held on the 29th of January, 1828, " the pro- priety of introducing an organ, for music, as an aid to this part of divine service, was discussed,- after which, it having been proposed by several individuals to purchase an organ on shares, and allow the society the use of it one year with :- out charge, it was resolved, that this church does, on their part, accept the pro- posal, and authorizes the Proprietors' Committee, when the Proprietors shall have concurred, to accept the said organ, with the expectation that it be made subser- vient to the choir ; and reserving to themselves the privilege, if at the end of six months they become dissatisfied with its use, to cancel this vote."
An organ, built by Thomas Appleton, was procured and placed in the house, the first in any Baptist house in Boston, and probably in New England, and it was retained until displaced by one of a larger size.
In the spring of 1831, the pastor's health became so much impaired that a voyage to Europe was deemed requisite. During his absence of eight months, the fruits of his faithful and affectionate ministrations exhibited themselves in a most interesting revival, which embraced a large portion of the most prominent young persons in the congregation.
Soon after the pastor's return, with partially improved health, he, with his church, was called upon to mourn the death of his two most efficient auxil- iaries. Mr. Ensign Lincoln, whose active and constant exertions were identified with the origin and support of the society, died December 2, 1832. The society may justly be said to be indebted to his fostering care for its survival through the precarious period of infancy. He was a resource in every emergency. He par- ticipated affectionately and acceptably in the labors of the pulpit, and in the pas- toral care. He was the main, because the constant, supporter of the social
33
THE CLARENDON STREET CHURCH.
meeting. To him the pastor might always resort for prompt and prudent counsel, and willing personal service. He made religion his glory ; and perhaps no man has ever died more universally acknowledged a consistent professor and a devoted Christian.
Mrs. Lucy M. Malcom, wife of the pastor, died January 15, 1833. This was a severe loss to both pastor and church. The energy and ability with which she managed every concern in which she engaged, were remarkable ; and her precept and example were worthy of all imitation. Her labors in the Sabbath School, and her active interest in the Education of the Blind, and in the establishment of Infant Schools and Maternal Associations, will be long remembered .*
Further trials awaited the church. An affection of his vocal organs silenced the public instruction of the pastor, and resulted, after a suspense of more than a year, in his asking a dismission from his pastoral charge. This was sorrowfully, though cordially, granted in September, 1835, under the conviction that, in an appointment which was immediately tendered him to visit the missionary stations in the East, God had provided for him an extensive field of usefulness, combined with the most promising course for the complete restoration of his health.
In October, 1835, a unanimous call was extended to the Rev. George B. Ide, of Albany, to become the pastor. This invitation was accepted, and he was installed, December 30, 1835.
In the autumn of 1837, Mr. Ide received an invitation to become the pastor of the First Church in Philadelphia, under circumstances which, in connection with the ill health of his wife, induced him to accept it. He accordingly resigned his charge over this church in December, but consented to continue his labors a few months longer.
After invitations had been extended to two leading clergymen of the denom- ination,-Drs. Wayland and Sears,- and successively declined, in consequence of holding offices in public institutions which they could not feel it their duty to resign, the Rev. Handel G. Nott, with hesitation, accepted a call in March, 1839, and entered immediately upon his labors, and was installed May 23. After faith- fully laboring one year, and himself judging that the indications to continue were not decisive, he, in the Christian spirit which characterized all his labors and intercourse, tendered his resignation, which, upon due deliberation, was accepted.
For a series of years few accessions of families to the congregation had been made ; while large drafts had been made on it by removals from the city, and by
* The Maternal Association formed in connection with this church was the first in this country, and was instituted by the efforts of Mrs. Malcom, who also first intro- duced Infant Schools, and, in co-operation with Dr. J. D. Fisher, originated the Blind Asylum movement, which resulted in the establishment of the great " Perkins Insti- tution."
34
CHURCHES OF BOSTON.
new churches formed in the city about this time. In March, 1839, thirty-one members, many of them heads of families, were dismissed to unite with others in forming the Boylston, now Harvard Street, Church ; and in the following April thirty-one were dismissed at the formation of the First Baptist Free, now the Union Temple, Baptist Church, worshiping in the Tremont Temple. In the autumn of 1839, the building of the church in Bowdoin Square was undertaken, to which many of the most influential and wealthy remaining families contemplated giving their support ; and in September, 1840, nineteen were dismissed to that interest.
Under such deductions in power and numbers, and the attractions of new interests around us, the temporal concerns of the church and society assumed a discouraging aspect. These, together with the natural consequences of a frequent change of pastor, tended to induce despondency, which, however, yielded to united efforts for self-preservation.
In July, 1840, the church and society united in a most cordial and earnest invitation to the Rev. William Hague, of Providence, R. I. (formerly pastor of the First Baptist Church in this city), to become their pastor. He acceded to their wishes, and entered upon his labors in September following.
In consequence of the rapid extension of the city, the business part had reached the region where the meeting-house was situated, and all the dwellings in the vicinity were converted into warehouses ; so that, as one after another of the congregation disappeared by removal and other ordinary causes, none were near to supply their places. The difficulty, therefore, of sustaining the interest, under a still existing debt upon the house, became greater and greater ; while at the same time, and from the same cause, the estate was much enhanced in value.
Under these circumstances, it was deemed advisable to dispose of the house and land, with a view of removing to a more eligible location. Accordingly, April 4, 1844, the Proprietors' Committee was authorized to make sale of the estate, with the understanding that the avails, after the payment of debts, should be employed in the erection of a place of worship elsewhere. It was soon disposed of, and public worship was held in the house for the last time on the 23d of Feb- ruary, 1845 ; after which it was soon demolished, and a granite block of stores, (numbering 7, 9, 11 and 13,) was erected, and now occupies the lot.
A site at the corner of Rowe (now Chauncy) and Bedford streets was at length secured, at $3.12} per foot, and a liberal subscription was made, with a view of erecting a good, substantial, and appropriately designed edifice, as a place of worship. The corner-stone was laid, accompanied by an Address by Dr. Hague, and other appropriate religious services, on the morning of April 27, 1846. The Church Book, containing a list of members, Articles of Faith, Church Cov- enant, names of the Building Committee, Architect, etc., a copy of the Baptist religious papers, the secular papers of the day, and various other articles, were
35
THE CLARENDON STREET CHURCH.
deposited under the corner-stone. The house being completed, was dedicated April 7, 1847, and occupied on the next Sabbath. The style of architec- ture was of the pointed arched Gothic. It is said that the stern old New England- Puritans dreaded a Gothic arch as one of the veritable marks of the Papal Beast. It is not a little odd, therefore, that the Baptists, the dissenters of dissenters, should have been the first to commit the scandal of erecting in Pur- itan Boston a pointed Gothic church. However, it does not appear that the piety of the church deteriorated under the innovation.
By an act of the legislature, the name of the society was subsequently changed to the "Rowe Street Baptist Society," and the church adopted the corresponding name.
During the interval of twenty-two months, until the completion of the lecture room in December, 1846, the society regularly worshiped for a time, once or twice each Sabbath, in Amory Hall, and afterwards in the " Melodeon ; " and dur- ing the whole period the commodious lecture room of St. Paul's (Episcopal) Church was most kindly and liberally granted for the business and devotional meetings of the church.
A few months after entering the new house, the pastor became convinced that the state of his health required an entire suspension of ministeral labors ; and he consequently sent an unconditional resignation of his charge, much to the surprise and regret of his people. An unqualified vote was immediately passed by both church and society, that the pastor be requested to retain his connection, and to take such time as he might judge necessary to reestablish his health. To this he assented ; and after an interval of six months, during which the pulpit was most acceptably supplied, his people had the satisfaction of welcoming him back to resume his labors.
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In the summer of 1848, however, Dr. Hague again became satisfied-that the state of his health would not justify his continuance as pastor of the church, and accordingly he a second time resigned, leaving no hope that his services could be retained. His resignation was accepted, and he closed his labors the last Sabbath in July, 1848. The prospects of the church and society were darkened by this . event, and many were oppressed by a feeling of discouragement. Owing to a variety of unforeseen circumstances, a debt of considerable amount had been incurred in the erection of the new place of worship, and fears were entertained by some that it could not be liquidated without a sale of the property. But it was resolved to make a vigorous effort to sustain the enterprise. The Rev. Baron Stow, who had been for more than fifteen years pastor of the Baldwin Place Church in this city, had been compelled by the severity of his labors, and the consequent failure of his health, to retire from his charge. In the autumn of 1848, the attention of the church was directed to him, his health hav-
36
CHURCHES OF BOSTON.
ing much improved, and accordingly he was invited by the church and society to become their pastor. With much solicitude as to the result, he accepted the invita- tion, and commenced his work November 1, 1848.
At a meeting of the church, April 29, 1851, it was resolved that, on the occasion of the session of the Missionary Convention in this city a social reunion of those who are or have been members of this church, on some evening of the convention week, would be desirable. In consequence, a circular inviting present and past members to attend such a meeting, on Wednesday evening, May 14, 1351, was sent out.
The friends, with the present and all the past pastors, assembled in large num- bers at the church, at six o'clock P. M., when tea was served ; after which addresses were made by each of the pastors, and the remainder of the time was spent in social greetings, singing, etc. Dr. Malcom remarked in his address that "there were three remarkable things about the meeting ; the first was, that all the pastors of a church as old as this should be living, and still in the field at work ; second, that they should all be ready to accept an invitation to visit the church, of which they had once been pastors; and, third, the most remarkable of all, was, that the church should be willing to invite them." The meeting was one of rare interest, and will never be forgotten by those present.
From this date (1853) prosperity attended the church for some years. In 1858, the largest number were added by baptism and by letter that had been received in any one year for six years, although the harvest was not so large as many other churches reaped, as the result of the revival which swept over the land in the years 1857 and 1858.
The Sabbath School, which has always been warmly cherished by the church, held a social gathering of the present and past members, in the church, on the 22d of October, 1860. On Sunday, the day previous to the meeting, the pastor preached a sermon preparatory to the meeting to occur on the following day. At 3 o'clock, on Monday, the friends gathered in large numbers, and remained through the afternoon and evening, tea being provided in the lecture room at 7 o'clock. Addresses were made, extracts from letters received from a distance, and some from persons near at hand, unable to be present, were read.
'The additions to the church for the next nine years were quite small, and all the while the numbers were diminishing and the church made weaker by removals out of or into distant parts of the city, and by death ; to which must be added the constant diminishing of the population, by the unlooked-for and rapid encroachment of places of business ; all these were sources of great anxiety to both pastor and people. The subject also of removing from Rowe street was con- stantly before the minds of the people, convinced as they were that such a step was near at hand ; and at one time a proposition from the Shawmut Avenue Church, to
37
THE CLARENDON STREET CHURCH.
unite the two churches, was under consideration, and a union nearly concluded, as the best means, it was thought, of continuing its own prosperity and securing that of the denomination in the city ; but this failed of accomplishment, to the manifest advantage of both churches and the cause at large.
In the month of May, 1867, Dr. Stow, in a letter read to the congregation, resigned his office as pastor. The resignation was accepted, but by the request of the church he continued to supply the pulpit for some months. Thus a vacancy had been made which all felt it would be difficult to fill. This, too, added much to the already heavy burden resting upon the comparatively small number of the brethren who remained.
The meetings were continued, and we were constantly looking and praying that one might be sent who would make up the loss. The minds of some had been directed to the Rev. Adoniram Judson Gordon, of Jamaica Plain, and in the month of December the church gave him a hearty and unanimous call to become its pastor, which, after serious deliberation, he declined.
Authority having been given by the Proprietors to their Standing Committee to dispose of the house of worship, a sale was effected in the month of October, 1867, possession to be given in the month of July following ; but by agreement, afterwards made, it was delivered up on the first of June.
The last service was held there on the 31st day of May, 1868, the last Sab- bath of the month. Many were present who had formerly worshiped with them which served to add much to the interest of the occasion. Sermons were preached by Drs. Hague and Stow, and the Lord's Supper was observed. With these and other services, solemn and appropriate, the last day was spent in the old house.
Very cordial invitations had been extended to the church, by four sister churches, to occupy their houses for one half of each Sabbath, and their vestries for meetings on week evenings. As the people would be better accommodated there, the invitation of the Baldwin Place, now Warren Avenue Church, was accepted, and the first service was held in their church on the first Sabbath after- noon of June, and services continued there till the third Sabbath in April, 1869. The Sabbath School was suspended, and such teachers and scholars as chose to attend were cordially welcomed to the Warren Avenue Sabbath School.
The church held together well, maintaining a spirit of earnest prayer,- the members generally feeling that a heavy responsibility rested upon them. After the sale of the house, immediate steps were taken to secure a new location.
After a thorough search and careful consideration, it was decided with great unanimity that the lot on the corner of Clarendon and Montgomery streets was best adapted to accommodate the people ; accordingly that lot was secured, and work commenced on the foundation early in the spring of 1868, under the direc-
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38
CHURCHES OF BOSTON.
tion of an able and self-sacrificing committee of the society. The work progressed successfully, and on Saturday, October 31, 1868, the corner-stone was laid with appropriate religious services, conducted by Rev. Dr. Stow, and in which Drs. Neale, Hague, and Eddy participated. By an act of the legislature of 1869, the name of the society was changed to the " Clarendon Street Baptist Society," and by a vote of the church, the corresponding name was adopted;
The winter of 1868 and 1869 was quite favorable to the work on the house, and the lecture room was ready for occupaucy in April ; and the church met in it for the first time, Sunday, April 25, 1869. Dr. Stow and Dr. Hague preached on the occasion, and the Communion service was observed. The Sabbath School was reorganized under the care of Mr. Eben Shute, and has since been going on prosperously.
The church in the month of July renewed the call to Mr. Gordon, which, to the satisfaction and rejoicing of all, he accepted,- his term of service commenc- ing November 1, 1869. Although performing pastoral service, he did not com- mence preaching till after the dedication of the house. The house was dedicated on Thursday evening, December 9th ; the sermon was preached by the pastor ; many ministers were present, and there was a large and deeply interested congre- gation.
The house, as completed, stands on a lot measuring one hundred by one hundred and twenty-five feet. It is substantially built of brick, with light free- stone trimmings in Gothic style ; it has a tower and spire rising to the height of some two hundred feet ; with a bell and clock, the former being the munificent gift of one of the members of the church. The interior is finished in black wal- nut, with light and pleasing frescoing. There are two hundred pews, furnishing seats for nearly twelve hundred people. The arrangements for religious meetings and social gatherings in the basement are ample and complete. The organ, and the baptistry, with an improved mode of ingress and egress, were preserved for use in the present house. The whole cost of the land and house completely furnished, was $173,000, of which there was realized from the sale of the old house $86,736.25, and from subscriptions, which were liberal, $61,839.60 ; leav- ing a temporary mortgage on the land of $25,000.
In the dedication services it was expected that Dr. Stow would participate, and it was a great disappointment when it was known at the last moment that what was supposed to be a slight cold would prevent his presence. Contrary to the expectation of his family and friends, his sickness increased, until it took the form of an affection of the brain, from which he never rallied, and on Monday morning, December 27, 1869, the morning after his successor had been recog- nized as pastor of the church, he went to his rest. The funeral services took place in the church, Wednesday, December 29, in the presence of an overflowing
39
THE CLARENDON STREET CHURCH.
congregation, in which were a very large number of ministers and friends, testify- ing to the strong hold he had taken upon the minds and affections of the people of the city where he had faithfully labored in the gospel ministry for nearly forty years. He left behind him an enviable reputation as a pastor, a pulpit orator, a successful preacher of the gospel, a sympathizing friend and Christian gentle- man. His remains were followed by a large retinue of friends to his final resting- place in Mount Auburn.
The sale of pews took place on Tuesday evening, December 28, and was very successful ; all but a few, about four, of the highest priced pews being taken. The congregations on the Sabbath have been large, and the additions of perma- nent members of the congregation have been larger than could have been antic- ipated.
The pastor, feeling deeply interested in congregational singing, introduced the subject at an early day, and a greater or less interest was aroused in the mem- bers of the church and congregation. The Psalmist, with music, was partially introduced into the service of the Sabbath, and its use was continued till the "Ser- vice of Song," which had been in course of preparation by the Rev. S. L. Cald- well, D. D., and the pastor jointly, was ready, when that work was introduced with great unanimity of feeling in the month of September, 1871, and up to this time has increased in favor with the people.
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