USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lexington > History of the town of Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1868, with a genealogical register of Lexington families > Part 31
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The wisdom of Mr. Hancock is perhaps in nothing more con- spicuous than in the manner in which he met and controlled the great movement of his day, which was denominated new-light- ism. Nothing had occurred to awaken the church or to call forth its energies for a long period, and most of the clergy had fallen into a state of stupor. This condition of things excited the attention, and aroused the energies of such men as Whitefield, and their new-light, as it was called, spread rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic. Many of our churches were excited, distracted, and rent asunder. Many of our clergymen, waking up from their slumbers, and seeing a little more interest manifested in matters of religion, fancied that the Gospel was about to be lost in the blind frenzy of the age ; and they declared a war of exter- mination against this new movement. Others caught the fire, and without stopping to inquire whether it were a true or a false zeal, plunged into the whirlpool, and suffered themselves to be carried in every direction by its blind eddies. The church at Concord was severed in twain, that of Medford was greatly agi- tated ; and others were more or less disturbed by this new order of things. Councils were called, books were written, and all
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the artillery of the church militant was put in requisition to oppose the spread of what some deemed a dangerous heresy.
But in the midst of this commotion Mr. Hancock moved steadily forward, being aware that the religious as well as the natural world would have its seasons of refreshing as well as of drought ; and that what was looked upon as the work of the enemy, was but the natural result of the apathy into which the churches had fallen. Instead, therefore, of opposing this spirit of awakening in his society, he availed himself of it, gave it the right direction, and added many to his church. He was fully aware that these seasons of peculiar religious interest would come, and had, as early as 1728, added nearly eighty to his church in a single year. So, in 1741, and 1742, in the midst of this new-light movement, he made about the same accession to his church, and that without any foreign aid, or unnatural effort. While some of the neighboring clergy were attempting to smother this religious feeling, and thereby stifle the sincere aspirations of pious souls, and others were fanning the flame, and thereby converting it into a wild and dangerous conflagra- tion, Mr. Hancock, with truly enlightened zeal, was guiding this spirit of inquiry and feeling of devotion, and thereby aiding the cause of true religion.
Not, however, that Mr. Hancock was wanting in manly inde- pendence. Ile knew and realized, that the pulpit had its rights, and that to secure these rights, he must recognize the rights of the pews. His intimate acquaintance with his people, his minute knowledge of their wants, their feelings, their infirmities, and even their prejudices, enabled him so to approach every subject of interest, as to obtain a candid hearing, and impress a salutary lesson upon his hearers. He did not dwell in the musty past, nor in the misty future. He was a man of the present ; ready however to study the past that he might obtain knowledge to guide him in the future. He was conservative, and at the same time progressive ; desirous of bringing about a reformation, by implanting gospel principles in the heart. He was more emu- lous of being a faithful minister than a noted reformer - fully realizing the oft forgotten truth, that no reformation is abiding which flows not from Christian principle. With these views and with that great good sense obtained by an intimate acquaint-
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ance with human infirmities, he availed himself of all the real advantages of the Whitefield movement, without producing any of those convulsions which disturbed many parishes, and alienated those of the same household.
We have already seen that Ebenezer Hancock, who was set- tled as a colleague to relieve his father, died after about six years' labor. His father, at the death of the son, was nearly seventy years of age, yet he continued for more than ten years to dis- charge the arduous duties of his office up to the Sunday before his death. And it was remarked by his cotemporaries, that he spoke with nearly the same firmness and vigor at the age of eighty, that he did at the age of forty. But the firmest consti- tution must yield ; the most devoted laborer must cease from his toil. We cannot better describe his sudden and unexpected death, than by copying from the title page of two discourses delivered at Lexington the Sabbath after his funeral, by Rev. Mr. Appleton, of Cambridge : - " Going to bed as well as usual, the night after the 5th of December, (1752,) and awaking some time after midnight with great pain in his stomach, died in a few minutes, in the eighty-second year of his age, and the fifty- fourth of his ministry."
One thing which stands out prominently on the church records of that day, is the discipline of the church, evinced by the public confessions, which were made before the church and congrega- tion. That these confessions were not always effectual, appears from the fact that some of the members were arraigned the second time for the same offence.
We have already scen that John Merriam and Samuel Stone were chosen deacons at the organization of the church, in 1696. Deacon Stone died 1703, and Samuel Stone, Jr., was elected in his place, in 1715. In the year following, Joseph Estabrook, a brother of their first minister, Rev. Benjamin Estabrook, was chosen deacon. In 1727, on the death of Deacon Merriam, Joseph Brown was chosen to fill his place. In 1733, Deacon Joseph Estabrook died, and the church made choice of Jolin Laughton, who, in 1744, was dismissed to the church in Har- vard ; and Joseph Estabrook, son of deacon Joseph, was chosen in his stead. He died, 1740. In 1743, John Stone and Joseph
42
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Loring were chosen to that office. The former died in 1762, and the latter in 1746.
Rev. Mr. Hancock not only performed all the duties in his own parish, but was often called to the neighboring towns, when they were without a settled pastor, to administer the ordi- nances to the destitute churches. In November, 1705, he was called to Groton, where he administered the Supper, and baptized twenty-four persons. Subsequently he baptized nineteen more in that town. The same year he administered the ordinance to sixteen persons in Chelmsford ; and during his ministry he bap- tized about fifty other persons in the neighboring towns, a list of which he preserved.
Mr. Hancock appears to have been very accurate and careful in keeping a record of all his acts and doings ; but unfortunately the records of his marriages before 1750, are lost - a loss which is severely felt in preparing the gencalogies of many of the early families of Lexington.
Though Mr. Hancock preached on many public occasions, lis only printed discourses are the following : 1. A sermon at the general election, 1722 -text, Luke, xxii. 25. 2. A sermon at the ordination of his son John, in Braintree, 1726-text, Luke, xxiv. 49. 3. A sermon at the ordination of his son Ebenezer, in Lexington, 1734-text, 2 Cor., i. 24. 4. A sermon at the public lecture in Boston, November 21, 1734, before his Excellency the Governor and the General Court-text, Jer., v. 5. 5. A sermon at the ordination of Rev. Timothy Harrington, in Lancaster, November 16, 1748 -text, 1 Cor., ix. 19.
CHAPTER XIII.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, FROM THE SETTLEMENT TO THE DEATH OF MR. CLARKE.
The Call and Settlement of Rev. Jonas Clarke - Introduction of Tate and Brady's Version of the Psalms- Mr. Clarke's Death and Character.
THE loss of such a pastor as Rev. Mr. Hancock, was duly realized by his devoted people. They not only showed their respect for his memory, but they decided promptly and with great wisdom, that they could best subserve the great cause to which he had devoted his long and active life, by embracing the first reasonable opportunity of settling another man. Conse- quently, at a meeting held May 18, 1753, they not only chose a committee to supply the pulpit, but instructed them to " make diligent inquiry after a suitable gentleman to settle."
Realizing the importance of the subject, and remembering the teaching of their late pastor, that God would by his providence guide those who meekly called upon him for aid, before making the selection they appointed a day of "fasting and prayer," and invited the clergymen of the neighboring towns to meet with them on the occasion, to enlighten them by their wisdom, and aid them by their prayers.
On the 19th of May, 1755, the town concurred with the church and extended a call to Mr. Jonas Clarke to become their pastor - offering him a salary of eighty pounds and twenty cords of wood, and one hundred and thirty-three pounds as a settlement. The call being accepted, the ordination took place on the 5th of November, 1755.
Between the death of Mr. Hancock and the settlement of Mr. Clarke, a period of about three years, six were admitted to the church by letters of dismission from other churches, four owned
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the covenant, and fifty-six were baptized. Two members were in the meantime dismissed to other churches.
After the labors of a public servant as able and faithful as Rev. Mr. Hancock, and one who was so highly esteemed by his people, and respected by the community at large, they could hardly expect to find a man who would come fully up to the same standard. And yet Mr. Clarke entered upon the work of the ministry, and succeeded in meeting public expectation, so that in a few years he gained the entire confidence of his people, and acquired a reputation in the community, such as but few clergymen ever enjoy. He soon exhibited powers which were not to be circumscribed by the periphery of a parish, or confined . to the ordinary routine of professional duties.
After the settlement of Mr. Clarke, the cause of religion received a new impulse, twenty-seven being admitted to the church during the first year of his ministry.
At a meeting of the church, April 20, 1756, it was voted unanimously to choose two deacons, and James Brown and Joseph Loring were elected.
The affairs of the church went on prosperously under Mr. Clarke, and nothing worthy of note occurred till 1766, when the church was convened to elect a deacon, and Jonas Stone was chosen. At the same time there was read a petition of twenty- four members to know the minds of the brethren relative to the introduction of Tate and Brady's version of the Psalms, together with a select number of Dr. Watts's Scriptural Hymns, to be sung in public, instead of the New England version of Psalms then in use. "After some debate upon the matter, the church voted to refer the consideration of said petition to Thursday, October 2d, next ensuing, -to which time the meeting was then adjourned."
" At a meeting of the church in Lexington, by adjournment, October 2d, 1766, admitted Jonas Stone, by a letter of dis- mission from the church of Christ in Rutland. Considered the petition above mentioned, as read in the church meeting Septem- ber 4, 1766, and voted to introduce Brady and Tate's version of the Psalms, together with a collection of Dr. Watts's Scriptural Hymns, to be sung in public, instead of the New England ver- sion of the Psalms that has been in use among us."
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The church voted by yeas and nays, and upon sorting and counting the votes, it appeared that there was a majority of three to one.
" Voted also to elect some person to set the Psalm or tune, and lead in the singing for six Sabbaths next ensuing upon trial or liking, as a further attempt for regular and religious improve- ment in that part of divine worship."
" The brethren then brought in their votes, from which it appeared that Robert Harrington, Jr., was unanimously chosen to this service."
The change of hymn books in a religious society is frequently the cause of no little dissension and difficulty ; and what is true of the book itself, is more strikingly true of anything which relates to the singing. Those who are blessed with a delicate ear for music, are said to be naturally sensitive in their feelings ; and while they abhor anything like discord in their musical per- formances, they do not always banish it from the choir. But the society in Lexington, under Mr. Clarke, appears to have been free from all difficulty of this kind. They seem to have been sensible that an improvement could be made by dropping the New England version of the Psalms, and introducing the version of Tate and Brady, with selections from Watts. A slight comparison of these versions would show at once that they were influenced both by sound judgment and good taste.
The New England version was prepared in 1640, by the leading divines of New England ; among whom Rev. John Eliot, Rev. Richard Mather, and Rev. Mr. Weld, were the most prominent in this work. When the several portions were versified, the whole was committed to Rev. Henry Dunster, President of Harvard College, and Richard Lyon, of Cambridge. The work reflects no great honor upon them as poets.
This version was used generally by the New England churches up to about the time of which we are speaking. The earliest version used in the English churches, and also in the American churches, was that of Sternhold and Hopkins, which is said to be a very literal rendering of the text, but as an elegant versifi- cation is far, very far, from being what good taste would require. This perhaps led to the New England version, which was scarcely an improvement upon its English predecessor. There are stanzas
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and even whole psalms in both that are actually barbarous, if not ridiculous. And hence we can pardon the English wit, who thus lampooned one of these versions :
" Sternhold and Hopkins had great qualms, When they translated David's Psalms, To make our souls full glad : But had it been poor David's fate, To hear us sing, or them translate, By Jove, 'twould've made him mad."
No wonder the thorough education of Mr. Clarke, and the good sense of his flock, made them desirous of getting rid of the old version, and of introducing one which would edify their souls without wounding their senses or corrupting their taste. But it seems that they were not satisfied with merely changing their psalm books. They elected a person "to set the Psalm or tune, and lead in the singing, as a further attempt for regular and religious improvement in that part of divine worship."
Probably up to that time they had had what is generally denominated congregational singing, in which the whole assem- bly took part. The practice long prevailed in our New England churches of what was called " lining the hymn ; " that is, reading one or two lines and then singing them, and so on through the whole hymn. This labor was generally performed by one of the deacons, and hence it obtained the popular designation of " dea- coning the hymn." The introduction of the present mode of singing in a choir, and of reading the hymn from the desk, was in many cases a very delicate subject, and one which gave great offence, especially to the deacons, who considered their preroga- tive invaded. This practice of reading a psalm or hymn by the line as they sung, probably originated in the scarcity of psalm books ; and the same practice prevails now, and for the same reason, in some parts of our country. The Sunday service in the capitol at Washington has been carried on in this manner until recently.
A good anecdote, bearing upon this point, is related of the facetious Pierpont Edwards, of Connecticut, of whom it has been said that "he was of godly stock, but of devious inclina- tion." In Connecticut, where their parishes were formerly all territorial, and where there were two and even three in a town-
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ship, and some of them feeble; the good people in one of these small parishes agreed to build a meeting-house. They erected it, and partially covered it with boards; but owing to their limited means, and a dissatisfaction growing out of its location, they were unable to do more. The building in this situation stood exposed to the weather, till it became so dilapidated that " the rain descended and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell." By this time their old feud had subsided, and they resolved to build another church. The timber was collected and framed, and on the appointed day the building was erected. After the raising was over, the people collected in a group to sing a psalm, appropriate to all raisings, but particularly so at the raising of a church. Having no psalm book at hand, they looked around for some one who would be able without a book to repeat the appropriate psalm, and young Edwards, who happened to be present, was selected for that duty. He con- sented to perform that service, and repeated in a clear and dis- tinct voice the first two lines -
" Except the Lord doth build the house, The workmen toil in vain."
After singing these lines with becoming emotion, what was their confusion when they heard this wicked wight utter as the remain- ing lines of the stanza -
" Except the Lord doth shingle it, 'Twill tumble down again."
But nothing like this, it is presumed, ever occurred in the town of Lexington. The change of psalm books and the mode of singing was adopted without difficulty, and Mr. Clarke was so well pleased with the change that he entered in his diary - " October 19, 1766, began to sing the new version of psalms, and Dr. Watts's hymns." But the introduction of singing by the choir, and singing from the new psalm book, did not do away the practice of lining the psalm. This continued some fifteen years longer.
In November, 1781, the church voted to dispense with reading the hymns by line in public worship, and chose Captain Daniel Harrington to lead the singing. In October, 1787, John Bridge and Nathan Reed were chosen deacons.
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HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
Mr. Clarke died November 15, 1805, in the seventy-fifth year of his age, and the fifty-first of his ministry. He was born December 11, 1730, and was graduated at Harvard, 1752.1 During his ministry, three hundred and sixty-five were added to the church by profession, and ten by letters from other churches. Sixty-nine owned the covenant, and one thousand and sixty-nine were baptized.
Few towns have been blessed with more distinguished clergy- men than Lexington, in the persons of Mr. Hancock and Mr. Clarke. They were both eminent for talents, for piety, for fidelity - for everything which could recommend the preacher or the pastor, the citizen or the man. And hence both were greatly esteemed by their people, and respected by the public at large. The aggregate length of their ministry was one hundred and four years. The influence of each of these clergymen was great, not only in the town, but in the community around them. It is not too much to say that Lexington owes its standing and character more to these eminent divines, than to any other men who ever resided within her borders. A history of Lexington, without the mention of Mr. Hancock and Mr. Clarke, would be as defective as a history of the Jewish Dispensation without the mention of Moses, or a history of the American Revolution without the mention of Washington.
Mr. Clarke, was distinguished himself and in his family, as will be seen in the Appendix. His influence was felt in his parish and in the Colony. We have seen his devotion to the affairs of state ; but this did not lead to a neglect of parochial duties. There were no jars or difficulties in his church or society ; everything went on smoothly, to the satisfaction of all concerned. Nor did this quiet arise from indifference, or inattention to the spiritual wants of his people. No minister was more faithful, or preached the Gospel with more fidelity. The additions to his church show that he preached with earnest- ness and power. The fact that under his guidance the young men in his society formed themselves into an association for religious improvement and edification, is the best commentary upon his religious influence. This society he cherished with
' For a full account of his pedigree and family, see Genealogical Register, ap- pended to this work.
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special care, as he regarded it a safeguard to the young, and a nursery of the church.
Mr. Clarke had a just appreciation of the ministerial office, as will appear from an extract from his sermon delivered at the ordination of Mr. Josiah Bridge, in East Sudbury, November 4, 1761. Addressing the candidate, he said :
" Dear Sir, as you now present yourself before God and his people, to take part of this ministry, we trust you do it, not as the horse rushes into the battle, without consideration, but as the result of the most serious, solemn, and prayerful deliberation. The office you take upon yourself is high and responsible, the work you are engaged in is great and arduous, the charge you are to receive important and solemn, and the account you must render of your stewardship at the last day, awfully strict and impar- tial. To magnify your office, to be faithful in your work, and to keep the charge you are to receive of the Lord, will therefore be your constant care and most ardent endeavor, as you desire to lift up your head and give up your account with joy in the day of Christ. Your sacred regard for the glory of God, and the honor of Christ, will excite you to make his Word and his Gospel the sole standard of your faith and practice - ' a light to your feet, and a lamp to your path.' And jealous of the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free, and willing that your brethren should freely enjoy the same, you will, we trust, never dishonor yourself, disgrace the ministry, or displease your Lord by receiving or imposing the schemes of fallible men, however great or good, as a rule of faith and practice."
In doctrine, Mr. Clarke held the views which were generally prevalent at that day ; but he held them in meekness and charity. He was a pious and practical, rather than a denunciatory and controversial preacher. And he strove more ardently to make men follow the meek and lowly Jesus, than to array themselves under this or that leader. As a pastor he was faithful and devoted, as a Christian he was meek and resigned, bearing afflic- tion, of which he had a full share, with a patience and fortitude rarely excelled, firmly believing that the chastenings of the Lord were ordered in wisdom. As a man he was justly esteemed by all who knew him. Blessed with a social nature, and being attached to the people of his charge, he kept up an intimate and familiar intercourse with them, and was ever a welcome visitor at their houses. The old and the young were always pleased with his society ; for, to the dignity of the clergyman, which he never laid aside, he added the familiarity of a friend and the 43
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HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
conviviality of a companion. His journal, which he kept upon an interleaved almanac, shows that his house was a place of resort for the young and old of his parish, and for the clergymen and distinguished persons from abroad. His journal also shows his method in business, and his careful attention to the most minute affairs. The daily state of the weather, the occurrence of remarkable events, the visitors who called upon him, the journeys he or any of his family performed, the visiting of the schools, the catechising of the children, the deaths in his parish and of distinguished individuals out of his parish, are all care- fully noted. Nor did the more domestic affairs escape his atten- tion - the ploughing of his ground, the gathering of his harvest -- even the bringing in of his cabbages and squashes, the killing of a calf or a pig, and other matters pertaining to his household affairs, are set down - all going to show that while he was relig- iously devoted to his charge as a pastor, and to his country as a citizen, he did not neglect minor matters, or suffer the smallest interest to languish in his hands.
He was a man of method and of industry. As a farmer, by care and good management he was able on a small salary to rear up a large family, cultivate his land, and to leave unincumbered at his death a farm of sixty acres. Nor did his devotion to worldly affairs lead him to neglect his religious duties. Rev. William Ware, a family connection of Mr. Clarke, informs us that he had seen a manuscript sermon of Mr. Clarke's, numbered 2,179, which would make an average of fifty-six sermons a year during his whole ministry at Lexington. When it is considered that his sermons would occupy a full hour in their delivery, fifty-six original sermons in a year must require great labor both of body and of mind. He also published several discourses.1
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