USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Canton > History of the town of Canton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts > Part 10
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 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55
For some years everything had gone smoothly; no bitter- ness had sprung up to trouble the church, and the pastor appears to have enjoyed the esteem and affection of his peo- ple. But this happy state of things was soon to be inter- rupted. In those days the office of deacon was regarded with very great respect; for instance, we find that Deacon Joseph Hewins was a month in deciding whether or not he should accept the office of elder. Much more importance was at- tached to it than at the present day. It was therefore of the highest moment for the usefulness and happiness of a min- ister, that he should possess the confidence and support of his deacons. The deacons considered themselves as umpires on matters of doctrine, and, letting the greater part of the sermon slip by without interest, were on the alert to detect and remember the slightest dogmatical inaccuracy or un- guarded expression which in the hurry of composition might have escaped. from the pen of the minister. Thus Mr. Morse fell under the censure of one of his deacons for preaching false doctrine. This charge, preferred by one of such high standing and authority in the church, was the cause of much alarm and difficulty. Meetings and fasts were held con- cerning it, and the communion was suspended for more than six months. Finally the church voted that they were not dissatisfied with their pastor on account of the allegations brought against him. The deacon was obliged to make con- cessions, was restored to favor, and the ordinances were again resumed. But although the opposition from Deacon Stearns had subsided, the trouble was not allayed. The spirit of jeal- ousy and distrust, so destructive to the usefulness of a minis- ter and the happiness of a people, had been awakened. The disaffected only awaited an opportunity for a fresh attack;
106
HISTORY OF CANTON.
nor was it long before an occasion offered itself. It appears that for some reason, the nature of which we know not, Mr. Morse was summoned to appear before a committee of the General Court. Mr. Elhanan Lyon, who seems to have been a thorn in the flesh both to Mr. Morse and his successor, took exceptions to the testimony the latter had given before this committee, and exhibited it to the church as a ground of complaint. The church at first voted that the matter did not properly come within ecclesiastical jurisdiction; and the parties were advised to adjust the matter amicably among themselves. All attempts at a reconciliation, however, proved fruitless: animosities were strengthened; new charges were preferred; and it was deemed advisable to call an ecclesiasti- cal council to hear and determine the difficulties between the parties.
The council accordingly convened, and after mature de- liberation rendered its decision. This decision was com- municated to the church, but was not accepted. In that part which implied a censure on the pastor, not a single hand was raised in favor of its admission. The parties were again desired to retire and endeavor to become reconciled. This proposition was acceded to; and mutual concessions and acknowledgments took place, which were communicated in writing to the ruling elder and read to the church, to the great joy and satisfaction of most of its members. But this was not the end. In church matters, dissatisfaction is seldom, if ever, confined to the breast where it first originated; from the deflection of a single individual, many may be converted into enemies. This seems to have been the case with this society at the time of which I am writing. Grounds of com- plaint, at first trifling, gradually assumed a more and more formidable aspect, till the harmony of the church and society was destroyed. .
New complications having arisen, at a church meeting held on the 28th of April, 1726, it was voted that a council, to consist of the churches of Milton, Medfield, Braintree South Church, Roxbury Second Church, and Dedham Church, be invited to meet at Dorchester South Precinct, on May 18
107
THE FIRST MINISTER.
following, " to assist and afford us help under our present cir- cumstances." The council rendered its decision, but when put to vote in church meeting on the 14th of June following, some of the brethren signified that they did not very well understand it; and others declared that they did not care to be concerned in it at all.
On the Ioth of September, 1726, an adjourned meeting of the council was held at Dorchester Village; but in the interim the dissatisfaction evinced by Mr. Morse's people had not only continued, but greatly increased. At this time the reverend council listened with patience to what both parties had to say. The matter was debated ; and the council de- clared that in their judgment "Mr. Morse had by his enor- mities of life rendered himself unworthy of the ministry; and that as a testimony against the scandalous crimes which ap- peared against him, he ought not any longer to be allowed to fulfil the duties of his office." This damaging decision was passed by a majority of one. The Rev. Messrs. Baker, Niles, and Thayer, Deacons Smith and Bass, Captain Guild, Mr. Newell, and Mr. Fisher, did not believe in "silencing" Mr. Morse, but advised that he ask and that the people give him a dismissal, in order that he might be at liberty to preach where he would be appreciated, and that the people might be at liberty to obtain and settle another minister as soon as they desired; but nevertheless they deemed it advis- able that Mr. Morse should be sharply rebuked for his " sin- ful misconduct," and the people as severely rebuked for their " wicked irregularity." The Reverend Moderator, the Rev. Samuel Dexter, Deacons Tucker, Metcalf, and Barber, and Messrs. Davis and Lyon voted to " silence him."
On July 17, 1727, another council, consisting of nine churches, assembled at Dedham, which censured both par- ties, in all probability with justice, - requiring them to ac- knowledge their faults to each other, and to cover everything with the broad mantle of charity, and not to bring up against each other the things of the past; assuring them at the same time that if they did not do so, and thereby remove the scandal they were lying under, they were to be looked upon
108
HISTORY OF CANTON.
as " scandalous and disorderly," and were to be dealt with as such by neighboring churches. But many of the council were dissatisfied with this majority report; for it was asserted that since the last session of the council at the New Village, Mr. Morse had behaved in such a way that it was deemed advisable not only to silence him, but to vote him unworthy of the Christian ministry. The Rev. Samuel Dexter, at whose house the council sat, averred that he thought it would have been more to the glory of God and the interest of religion if this had been done, rather than simply to dis- miss Mr. Morse from his pastorate. His reasons for so be- lieving have been preserved to us, and I give them in full, as they throw a different light upon the matter from any that I have heretofore seen.
" His [Mr. Morse's] addicting himself to false speaking, criminal lying, as I think appeared most evident ; for by a cloud of witnesses, three in particular of the council, it was evident that he has been, not only once or twice, but it has been the manner of his life, guilty of notorious breach of promise with respect to the payment of his just dues. The circumstances of the case make it evident that he would promise what he had no prospect of fulfilling, and when he had prom- ised had no regard to endeavor to do it. Witness, Deacon Tucker ; witness, Mr. Dwight ; witness, Colonel Thatcher, &c. And then it appeared to me that if a lie would save Mr. Morse in his name, credit, or estate, he would not stick at telling it, and that in a constant course.
"Several I think he was detected in, in the presence of the council ; and though he was ready either in word or writing to confess his fault of that nature, yet in no case to amend it, - witness, when the council brought in the first result, - they found Mr. Morse guilty of designed false speaking. He confesses his fault, asks forgiveness, and prom- ises reformation. Immediately upon the council's withdrawing from the public, he follows them and declares that the church had sent a committee to him to desire him to desire the council to advise him to ask a dismission, and the church to give him one, which, when in- quired into, appeared not to be so ; those that were sent declared that they went on no such errand.
" When the council met a second time at Punkepaug. I think it was made evident that Mr. Morse told an absolute falsehood to the
109
THE FIRST MINISTER.
council, the greater part of the church, and several of the congrega- tion, with respect to his bringing Elhanan Lyon's confession to the church in the room of his own ; for to the church he declared he thought it had been his own, and knew not his mistake till such time as the church sent word and informed him. But there were a great number that declared that as he came from his own house to the meeting-house, he had the paper in his hands which he gave them, and had it open ; and they thought he was reading in it as he came along. He came into the meeting-house, went into the deacon's seat, opened the paper, and held it before his eyes for a considerable time, and we thought he was going to read it to them himself; but immediately he hands it to them himself and broke away from them, though they entreated him to tarry. Now, how it is possible that Mr. Morse should look on and peruse a paper so long and yet not know what it was, is unaccountable to me. I would be as charitable to Mr. Morse as I have ground for; but I cannot think he spoke the truth when he said he did not know what he did.
" At the council at Dedham Elder Hewins was not there. Mr. Morse was charged with doing something that his people looked upon as irregular. He declared he did it by the advice and at the desire of Elder Hewins ; but Elder Hewins solemnly declares that he never ad- vised with him about it, - that it was done in his presence, but not at his desire.
" At the last council at Punkepaug it was made to appear that Mr. Morse had lied with respect to his having drunk to excess. For some years past there had been a rumor that Mr. Morse had been drunk at Colonel Spurr's, at Dorchester. His brethren, some of them, were dissatisfied, but could not get any proof of it, because Col. Spurr and family refused to give an account of the affair. But nine of them meeting at his house one day, upon other business, the subject was soon turned upon this old affair. Mr. Morse equivocated for some time, but finally told them it was a false accusation, and he was not drunk. Upon hearing this, Col. Spurr and wife and some of the family declare that he was.
" In the council he declared that the church by a vote, which he had upon records at home, had passed that offence by and buried it in oblivion. But it appeared by Elder Hewins and some of the brethren that there had never been a church meeting in which that matter had ever been mentioned, and so there could be no church vote, and no record of it, unless it was forged.
IIO
HISTORY OF CANTON.
" Add to this, that the people of general esteem in the neighboring towns who have had dealing with Mr. Morse, say that they have found him false ; some say that they would as soon trust a Punkapaug Indian as Mr. Morse ; others, that he is not a man of truth. Now, I think the preachers of truth should be men of truth, and it is a scan- dal to religion and the ministry to uphold and countenance a man as a teacher of the truth of Christ who is no more a practicer of it himself.
" It was proved against Mr. Morse that he had been twice over- come with strong drink ; and it is said, how truly I cannot say, that . . . and . . . are frequently there ' disguised ;' that Mr. Morse is often so, to the knowledge of particular persons, which, because they cannot prove in a legal manner, they do not insist upon.
" It was proved by the evidence of two persons that while they sojourned in his house Mr. Morse lived in the great neglect of family prayer. It is very evident that Mr. Morse has been very sinful and shamefully irregular in his conduct as a minister and as a Christian, in setting an ill example before his people, and in neglecting that Christian faithfulness and watch over them which he ought to have had. His people were almost universally dissatisfied with him; his officers have forsaken him, although one of the Ruling Elders stood by him as long as he durst ; and the people's aversion to him so radi- ated that without a wonderful and almost miraculous interposition of Heaven there was no prospect of recovery. All of these considera- tions moved me to vote that Mr. Morse was not worthy to be contin- ued in the sacred ministry." 1
1 [The Editors, in pursuance of their purpose to print the text of this work as Mr. Huntoon left it, have decided to let the extract from the diary of the Rev. Mr. Dexter stand as they find it, although it is evident that Mr. Huntoon did not give full credit to the accusations against Mr. Morse which the diary states so sharply. For this reason, and in justice to Mr Morse and to those who may cherish his memory, the Editors cannot forbear calling attention to the fact that the charges in the Dexter diary are made by one who, in the bitter controversy of which Mr. Morse was the subject, sided with the party opposed to the accused minister, and that these charges are not stated with such particulars of time, place, or persons as make the diary of much value to a student wishing to get at the rights of the unfortunate controversy. The facts are not to be lost sight of that Mr. Morse was a man much more liberal in points of doctrine and observance than most of the ministers and church officers of his time; that the controversy began with a charge, preferred by one of the deacons, of teaching lax doctrine, and that the charges of personal misconduct, afterward imported into it, were possibly afterthoughts on the part of the enemies of Mr. Morse ;
III
THE FIRST MINISTER.
The members of the First Church were not particularly pleased with that portion of the report of the reverend coun- cil which, in no uncertain terms, referred to them and "their wicked irregularity." They deemed it unfair that the corpo- rate body should bear blame which justly belonged to indi- vidual members, and desired that the stigma should rest upon those who from the beginning had instigated these unhappy proceedings.
The pastoral relations of Mr. Morse with the society soon afterward ceased; the long controversy was drawing to a close. On the manner of its ending, the church records throw no light; but from original contemporaneous docu- ments we learn that Mr. Morse was dismissed by the church, and that his work ceased.
Many of the freeholders were anxious that the town should also take some action in the matter ; and ten of the inhabitants requested, on the 15th day of May, 1727, that the town would vote " to dismiss him from his ministerial office, as the church had from his pastoral." We know not what action the town took in the matter ; but at a subsequent meeting the town agreed to pay the charges of the several sessions of the Ecclesiastical Council of five churches that had been held since May 18, 1726.
The mutual acknowledgments recommended by the coun-
that considering the free habits of the time in the use of intoxicating liquors, the charge of drunkenness was one most easily made and most difficult to dis- prove ; that the charge of falsehood is almost always bandied back and forth in bitter personal controversies, particularly, it would seem, in church controver- sies ; and that it is difficult to understand, if Mr. Morse were really guilty of the enormities charged upon him, why his sentence should have been merely dis- missal from the pastorate, he remaining in the fold of the church ; and, further, why the people of Randolph were ready to receive him, not into Christian fel- lowship merely, but as their pastor and spiritual guide. As to the charges, made without specifications, of dishonesty in pecuniary matters, it is to be remembered that the parties lived in a very litigious community, that Mr. Morse had many bitter enemies determined to drive him from the ministry, and that an effectual help to accomplishing this would have been to pursue him with suits upon his personal obligations, had there heen such unfulfilled. But while he was threatened with criminal prosecution for his failure to attend upon divine worship, it does not appear that suits for debts were ever brought against him in the civil courts.]
I12
HISTORY OF CANTON.
cil did not take place for some time, Mr. Morse laboring under the impression that the acknowledgments were to be made to him, and the church that they were to be made to them. For the reason above mentioned Mr. Morse with- drew from the celebration of the Lord's Supper for some time after the ordination of his successor; and when a com- mittee from the church waited on and desired him to give a reason for his conduct, the answer he gave them was that the acknowledgments had not been made. It is probable that his former church-members threatened to prosecute him; for he afterward attended service often enough to comply with the letter of the law, but would carry with him a large wad of cotton, which, upon the beginning of the exer- cises, he would deliberately pull out and stuff into his ears, so that not a word of the sermon should reach him. A story was circulated, for the truthfulness of which we cannot vouch, that Rev. Mr. Dunbar, the successor of Mr. Morse, once presented him with his ministerial rate-bill, requesting him to pay for his share of the preaching. Mr. Morse said that he had received no benefit from the preaching, as he had not attended church. Mr. Dunbar replied, " That makes no difference; the preaching was there, and you might have had it." A few weeks afterward Mr. Morse presented Mr. Dunbar with a bill for three pigs; but, said the reverend gentleman, " I never had any pigs of you." " That makes no difference," replied Mr. Morse; " the pigs were in the sty, if you had chosen to take them."
The desire of some members of the council that "Mr. Morse might be at liberty to preach where he would be ap- preciated " seems to have some foundation in reason. Mr. Morse appears to have had many friends in what is now Randolph; for he was invited, March 19, 1729, to settle with them, and a contribution was subsequently taken up for his benefit.
It is at this day almost impossible, in the absence of any contemporary biography, to give a correct estimate of the life and character of a man who did his appointed work in this place, more than one hundred and fifty years ago. From
II3
THE FIRST MINISTER.
all the sources of information to which we have access, Mr. Morse appears to have been an amiable man and a correct scholar. He was not formed by nature to contend with oppo- sition. Possessed of much sensibility of heart and of feeble constitution, he sank under the burden that oppressed him, and becoming roused by, as he believed, ill and unjust treat- ment, became stubborn, unreasonable, and uncompromising. Among his flock there were discordant spirits who were not disposed to yield to authority; and at Dorchester Vil- lage, as in the place of his former settlement, he seems to have been subject to constant warfare. He had not the vigor of body or mind to take those vigorous and active measures to crush out insubordination and rebellion, which proved so effectual in the hands of his successor. Find- ing the situation arduous, he stepped down, accepting the judgments of others, - possibly with meekness and Chris- tian resignation, probably not, - and from the position of guide and pastor descended to that of an insubordinate layman.
But it is on the earlier and brighter days of his ministry that we love to linger. From the church covenant which he adopted we conclude that he was not the devoted servant of a party, but a sincere believer in the great fundamental doc- trines of Christianity, - repentance, faith, love, and obedience. In this instrument there is nothing of that illiberal, exclusive, sectarian phraseology which was apparent in the creeds of a later generation. He taught, if he did not practise, what he believed; and although some considered his preaching as heterodox, there is reason to believe that he was in reality only a little in advance of his time.
We have said that he was a correct scholar. He came to Dorchester New Village as a school-teacher, and having been liberally educated, was undoubtedly well qualified to teach the young men and women of the village in secular matters. In this work he was assisted by his wife, - a woman whose name deserves veneration and praise from all to whom her merits shall become known. The enthusiasm of the Eliots had filled the hearts of both with a desire to benefit the Indian
1
8
II4
HISTORY OF CANTON.
as well as the white man; so the house of the first minister became the favorite resort of the poor Indian who desired spiritual light for himself or education for his children.
Around Mr. Morse's capacious fireplace they were pleased to meet and hear his kindly words. He instilled into their untutored minds the principle of the Golden Rule; and though it was beyond his power to prevent the natural stock from wasting away, yet he could inculcate into their hearts the principles of the faith he held. Nor were the Indians ungrateful; for in June, 1710, they gave to Mr. Morse a cer- tain tract of land containing thirty-five acres, and put it into his " possession and occupation," for the purpose of encour- aging him to preach the word of God among them, and to visit them in their sickness and pray with them. They also desired that Mrs. Morse should be repaid for keeping the Indian school among them; but by some mistake, after Mr. and Mrs. Morse had been peaceably in possession of this land for a considerable time, the Indians included this in a much larger tract of land, which they let out to Mr. Gilbert Endicott, whose son built upon the land, and was then in possession of it. The Indians themselves expressed great regret for this blunder, as it had operated greatly to the in- jury and damage of Mr. Morse and his wife. They desired to rectify their error and grant to the Morses another tract of land in another place. On April 13, 1726, a petition for leave to do this, signed by Thomas Ahauton, Thomas Ahauton, Jr., Hezekiah Squamaug, Simon George, and George Hunter was presented to the General Court, in which their reasons were set forth at length : -
" In the first place : In that Mr. Morse hath preached the Word of God to us for the space of seventeen or eighteen years last past on proper occasions and at suitable times when we could meet together, not being scattered abroad, at our hunting houses.
" In the second place: In that Mrs. Amity Morse did keep our Indian School for some very considerable time, till sickness came and broke up the school. She taught diverse of our children the English primer and psalter and testament, and brought them forward in the English tongue.
115
THE FIRST MINISTER.
" In the third place : In that Mr. Morse hath helped us in our difficult circumstances [the Indians especially refer to the years 1717 and 1718, when they were visited with great sickness, being especially troubled with the measles and fever and ague]."
They asserted that they had received at several times pro- visions and clothing from Mr. Morse, and that when death had visited their tribe, Mr. Morse had given them boards and nails to make coffins in which to bury their dead. Not only this, but it would appear that Mr. Morse had actually paid to the Indians considerable money on account of the land which had been given him by them in 1710, and which was now in the possession of another.
This appeal to the General Court was not without effect; and the Indians were allowed to give to Mr. and Mrs. Morse a tract of unoccupied land containing one hundred and sixteen acres then lately surveyed by Mr. Woodward, of Dedham, “ at the desire and the expense of the Indians."
Mr. Morse's experience in receiving his salary was not un- like that of many of his brethren in the ministry, both before and after his time. A committee had been appointed shortly after his ordination to gather in his old debts, and in 1718 he received from the precinct £35 in addition to his former wages; and the first and last Mondays in February were set apart as special days for settling all accounts with the pastor. In spite of the yearly stipend of £60, which he received during the years 1719 to 1722 inclusive, the old arrears of 1717 and before still hung over him like a cloud, notwithstanding the precinct had often voted that they should be cleared up.
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.