USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Whately > History of the town of Whately, Mass., including a narrative of leading events from the first planting of Hatfield, 1660-1871 : with family genealogies > Part 9
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This method of admission to "church privileges," sometimes called the " half way covenant," appears to have obtained in this
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church from its first organization ; though no formal expression of belief on the subject is recorded till 1778. The following votes were evidently intended as a declaration of the sentiments of the church on this matter.
At a meeting of the church of Christ in Whately, Jan'y ye 7, 1778, the meeting being opened with prayer, the church passed the following votes.
1. Voted, That infants are introduced into covenant by Bap- tism.
N. B. For the understanding the above vote, let it be ob- served, that though infants of believing parents are born into covenant, yet it is by baptism that they are declared to be within the church, and entitled to the visible privileges of it. Persons may be virtually in covenant by their own, or their parent's faith ; but they are not visibly and professedly in covenant or in the church, till they have passed under the appointed seal or visible mark of discipleship, which under the second dispensa- tion is Baptism.
By infants being introduced into covenant by Baptism, may be understood, that they have the visible mark of Christ's family upon them, and are visibly and professedly subjects of the house- hold of faith ; and are to be treated as members of Christ's church, that are declared members, and have a right to the visible privileges of it.
2. Voted, That all baptized persons at a suitable age are proper subjects of church discipline.
3. Voted, That such persons as come to full communion with the church, shall be of competent knowledge, in the opinion of the Pastor ; that they publicly profess their faith, and consent to the church covenant.
These votes (in spite of their verbal redundancy) appear to contain what was considered a definition of the import of Bap- tism ; and a statement of the distinction between those who were entitled to " church privileges," and those who might "come to full communion." Baptism was not regarded as a converting ordinance, but as an important means of grace; so important that all should desire to avail themselves of its advantages. In
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some sense, and by some virtuc, it brought the subject "into covenant." Those baptized in infancy, it would appear, were thus considered as introduced to the church, and at a suitable age were to be "entitled to the visible privileges " of it, and to be- come the subjects of church discipline, - though practically, a formal vote was taken on their admission, as in the case of others. Only persons of competent knowledge, who should make public profession of faith, and consent to the church cove- nant, might be received to full communion. If the word " knowledge " was used in its scriptural sense, (1 Tim. ii. 4,) the standard of admission to full membership was nominally in accordance with the faith of the Pilgrim fathers. But probably it was given a much broader signification.
This practice of baptism under the half way covenant contin- ued to prevail in this church for forty-five years. As was natural, most heads of families became connected with the church. The circumstances of its abolition may be learned by the following extract from the Church Records.
At a meeting of the Congregational Church of Christ in Whatcly, March 18, 1816, duly notified and warned by the desire of Brother Joel Wait, the meeting being opened with prayer by the moderator, Brother Joel Wait stated that it was matter of grief and offence to him, that this church admitted persons to the privilege of baptism for their children upon professing their belief of the doctrines of the Gospel, and con- senting in part to the church covenant, and yet neglected to attend upon the sacrament of the Lord's Supper-when he con- ceived that this practice was not countenanced by the Word of God.
The brethren having conversed upon the subject, the following questions were put to the church, viz.
1. Is it scriptural to admit persons to the privilege of baptism for their children, upon professing their belief of the doctrines of the Gospel, and consenting to the church covenant in part, and yet neglect to attend upon the sacrament of the Lord's Supper ?
And it passed in the negative.
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2. Shall the practice of so admitting persons to the privilege of baptism for their children, be abolished and set aside in this church ?
And it passed unanimously in the affirmative.
The meeting was then closed with prayer by the Pastor, and dissolved.
Attest,
RUFUS WELLS, Pastor.
Thus did the church voluntarily free herself from a custom of dangerous tendency, and become in practice, what her Creed and Covenant had always been in doctrine, a church of the Puritans.
THE MEETING-HOUSE .- At the time of the organization of the church, and settlement of Rev. Mr. Wells, no meeting- house had been built. The people first met for religious wor- ship in the dwelling house of Oliver Morton. The meetings were held here for perhaps two years. December 2, 1771, the town voted, To allow Oliver Morton three pounds for his house to meet in for the term of one year. March 6, 1774, voted To pay Mr. Morton one pound ten shillings for the use of his house six months. Meetings for public worship were also held for a time, perhaps a year, at the house of Rev. Mr. Wells ; the town, as compensation, agreeing to assist him in finishing his house.
December 2, 1771, a vote was passed, To make provision for a meeting-house. A committee, consisting of David Scott, Thomas Crafts, Joseph Belding, Jr., Noah Bardwell, and David Graves, Jr., was appointed at the same time, to carry out the above vote. At a meeting a few weeks later, the town instructed the above committee to provide four thousand feet of pine boards, clap-boards, window frames and sash, and timber sufficient for said meeting-house. The timber was cut wherever it could be easiest procured. The boards and joist were sawed at the mill of Adonijah Taylor, where Silas Sanderson's mills are now located.
The next spring (March 30, 1772,) the town voted, To pro- vide shingles this present year for the meeting-house. These were purchased at about ten shillings per thousand. In the fall of this year (October 5, 1772,) it was voted, That the meeting-
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house be set up next spring. It was also voted at the same time, That the meeting-house be placed in the "Chestnut Plain street,", (so called.) at the most convenient place between the dwelling- house of Oliver Morton, and that of Rufus Wells, V. D. M. in Whately. Salmon White, Edward Brown, Oliver Graves, Joseph Belding, Jr., and David Scott, were chosen Building Committee. The spot they selected was where the meeting- house of the First Parish stood. At the same meeting it was voted to raise eighty pounds to buikl said meeting-house, the money to be levied by tax on the ratable polls and property of the inhabitants.
At a town meeting held a few months later, it was voted, To build one porch to the meeting-house ; though the vote was never carried into effect.
During the winter of 1772-3, the timber and materials were collected, and at a meeting held May 10, 1773, the town granted additional money, and voted that David Scott be master work- man to frame the house. In the course of the two following months, the house was framed, raised, and partially covered. At a town meeting held July 8, 1773, it was voted, To raise forty pounds to go on and finish the meeting-house. The " finish " then put on, however, was not of the highest order, as will be seen in the particular description which follows :- on the outside, the roof was well shingled, though it had no steeple or tower ; the sides and ends were covered with rough boards, chamfered together. The windows in the lower story were pretty fully glazed : those in the upper story were boarded up. There were three doors to the house, one cach on the north, cast, and south sides .- that on the east side being reckoned the front door. These were made of rough boards, and not very tightly fitted. Thus uniform was the covering upon the outside. The inside had no " finish " at all, except a ground floor. The sides were destitute of both plastering and laths, and the frame work of the galleries, the beams, girths and rafters were all naked. A rough board pulpit. raised a few feet, was placed in the centre of the west side. Directly in front of the pulpit, a carpenter's work bench was left. The seat which was placed before this bench was claimed by the old ladies, that they might hear better, and have a support for the back. The seats were nothing more than low
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slab forms ; these were arranged without much regard to order, and were free to all. After some years, Mr. Wells nailed up a couple of boards, on the left of the pulpit, for the better accomodation of his wife ; and a sort of pew, or bench with a back fixed to it, was fitted up by a few of the young men, on the east side, near the door, capable of seating six or eight persons.
The house remained in this state twenty-four or twenty- five years. During this time, it was hardly more respectable in appearance, or more comfortable, than an ordinary single boarded barn .* In winter, drifting snows found easy entrance ; and in summer, the swallows, in great numbers, were accus- tomed to fly in, and build their mud nests on the plates and rafters. On the Sabbath, these social little intruders, twittering as merrily as ever, seemed entirely regardless of the people below ; plainly having it for their maxim, to mind their own business, however much the minds and eyes of those below might be attracted to themselves. It is said that during the few months of their annnal stay, Mr. Wells seldom or never exchanged with his brethren of other towns,-giving as a rea- son, that he feared the swallows, to which habit had familiarized him, would be too great an annoyance to strangers. He could say with the Psalmist, " The sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of Hosts."
* In those days no stoves or fire-places were found in the meeting-house. The men kept their feet warm by thumping them together ; the women carried foot-stoves, filled with coals from the hearth at home. Families who lived at a distance hired a " noon room " somewhere in the village, where they could eat their lunch get warm, and fill their foot-stoves with fresh coals. An article was once inserted in the town warrant, "To see if the town will grant leave to people that live at a distance from meeting, to build a fire in the school-house on Sabbath noons." Passed in the negative.
It is quite probable that some of his good friends were accustomed to make the pastor's kitchen their noon-room, and that the genial fire, and genial fare, were the cause of a little tardiness in reaching the sanctuary for the afternoon service. Otherwise it is not easy to account for the fol- lowing vote of the town : - " Voted, That the intermission on Sunday be one hour, and that the selectmen be a committee to inform the pastor when to begin the exercises, and to be punctual."
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There were two reasons which prevented the further comple- tion of the meeting-house. The first, was the war of the Rev- olution, which broke out soon after the town was incorporated. This for some years absorbed the chief attention of the com- munity, and the taxes levied to support it drained the people of money. The other reason, was a division of sentiment about the location of the house. A part demanded that it should be moved half a mile to the south-west, to a spot south of "Spruce Ilill," (in the lot owned in 1849 by the Rev. John Ferguson,) and a majority insisted that it should remain on the old spot. Many votes were passed, and afterwards reconsidered. Many expedients were devised by both parties. Numerous committees both of the town's people, and of disinterested men from abroad, were appointed on this question, with various results. At the town meeting in March, 1788, a vote was passed and insisted on, To raise seventy pounds to repair the meeting-house. This led to the drawing up of the following " protest," which was presented to the town at a meeting in April :-
" We, the subscribers, the people of the westerly part of the town of Whately, whose names are under written, do enter a protest to this meeting, April 10, 1788, against the proceedings of the other parts of the town, -that is, in finishing up the meeting-house in the place where it now stands. For we have been to the cost of having a committee to determine where the just spot for the meeting-house to stand is, who determined in the centre of the town ; and there we are willing to finish it up, and no where else.
"John Smith, Elisha Frary, Phineas Frary, Elihu Wait, Simeon Morton, Edward Brown, Joel Wait, Reuben Graves, John Brown, Moses Munson, John Starks, Bernice Snow, Isaiah Brown, Reuben Taylor, Asa Sanderson, Noah Bardwell."
This protest not being heeded, the signers and others with- drew, and formed a new society. They afterwards erceted a meeting-house on the " Poplar Hill road." This was the origin of the Baptist society of Whately .*
* The feelings engendered by this long, and at times bitter controversy, about the location of the meeting-house, were not at once subdued. Those who attached themselves to the new organization, and paid the expenses
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Although the town voted, at this date, to raise money to repair the meeting house, it does not appear that any funds were actually expended for this purpose till 1797. The seventy pounds was paid to Mr. Wells for arrearages of his salary. Various moneys were raised, in different years, for repairs ; and then otherwise expended.
December 5, 1796, the town voted, To raise three hundred pounds for repairing the meeting-house, and appointed a com- mittee to carry out the vote. In January following, twenty pounds additional was granted ; and in the spring the work was commenced. In the course of the year, (1797,) the house was thoroughly repaired. The outside was clap-boarded and painted ; the vacant windows of the upper story, which had afforded access to the swallows for so many years, were glazed ; and paneled doors were put in. The inside was also " finished "; galleries were put up, and pews built. The pews were square, enclosed with paneled work, according to the fashion of the times. The pulpit, situated as before, was a plain structure, very high, square corners, and projecting centre, with a hex- agonal sounding board suspended above.
No formal consecration of the house appears to have been made, at its first opening in 1773. But now that it had been made more seemly, a day was specially set apart, and it was solemnly dedicated to God.
SEATING THE MEETING-HOUSE .- At the town meeting held Dec. 4, 1797, it was voted " not to sell the pews ; " and instead, a committee of nine persons was chosen, "to seat the meeting- house," i. e. to assign to each family the particular pew they were to occupy for a year, or longer, as the case might be. The principle of " seating," at first adopted, is not known. The practice prevailed in some years, of seating by age, and some-
incidental to maintaining separate ordinances, elaimed that they ought to be released from liability to pay their proportion of the expenses of the old church. The law was against them; and the majority of the town was against them ; and for a series of years they bore the double burden. But in 1794, the town voted, " That the treasurer pay to all such persons their ministerial rates, as shall procure proper certificates of their attending on other teachers, and shall profess to differ in sentiment from those Christians called Congregationalls."
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times by property. At a town meeting, held May 19, 1800, it was voted, "That in seating people, one year in the age of a person shall be reckoned equal to one dollar on the list." This custom, which prevailed for upwards of twenty years, was the occasion of much strife, and many jealousies and heartburnings. Individuals and families disliking their seat-mates, would some- times absent themselves entirely from meeting; and in one instance, an individual made an appeal to the town at a regular meeting of the inhabitants ; and a vote was passed, assigning him a given pew. The pews and internal fixtures erected at this time, remained in the same state and fashion, till 1843.
In the spring of 1819, the town voted to sell the pews in the meeting-house ; and in this and the following years, a large num- ber of them were sold. Of the avails of this sale of pews, a steeple was built upon the south end of the house, and a bell purchased. This was done in 1821-2. The people now for the first time, heard the sound of the "church-going bell." In the early days of the town, perhaps till 1795, it was customary to call the people together on the Sabbath, by blowing a conch .* It was blown once, an hour before the time of service ; and again as the minister was approaching the house. From 1795 to 1822, no public signal was given; the people assembling at their pleasure.
In 1843, the meeting-house was entirely re-modeled - though the original frame erected by Master Scott in 1773, being found perfectly sound, was left unaltered.
After the re-union of the First and Second Parishes, this house was sold and taken down, (1867) and the united congre- gation removed to the house built by the Second Parish, stand- ing just south of the old Parsonage.
STATISTICS .- The original number who subscribed and as- sented to the covenant of the church was 43.+ The number of
* In 1795, it was " voted, that the town will not improve any body to blow the conch as a sigual for meeting." The identical shell is now in possession of Mr. Porter Wells.
+ The names of David Graves, Sen., Joseph Belding, Sen., and Rebecca Graves, wife of Oliver Graves, were on the certificate of recommendation from the Hatfield church, and should be added to the list of original mem- bers, on page 99.
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persons admitted to full membership during Rev. Mr. Wells's pastorate, i. c. up to 1822, was, according to the church records, 374. But many who were received to "covenant privileges," were accustomed to partake of the sacrament ; some names were unintentionally omitted from the records ; and the actual number in communion is believed to be 488. The total number of members received to church fellowship, from 1771 to 1871, is 940. Present membership, 150.
In 1788, a colony comprising about twenty-five church mem- bers, withdrew from the communion of the church, and professed Anti-pedobaptist sentiments, Ch. Rec. This was the nucleus of the Baptist church in the west part of the town.
In 1842, seventeen members-soon followed by others to the number in all of seventy-five-withdrew, and were formed into the Second Congregational Church.
REVIVALS .- It is in place to note the fact, that this church has been blessed with several seasons of special religions revivals. In 1816, 51 were added to the church ; in 1826, 106; in 1834, 30; in 1838, 34; in 1842, 45; in 1858, 52.
REV. MR. WELLS .- In accordance with the customs of the time, Mr. Wells managed the affairs of a large and productive farm, in connection with his ministerial duties. He was emi- nently successful in both callings. His accounts -- often quoted from in these pages-filled a large sized folio of 285 pages. He also acted as conveyancer and counsellor, in drawing up con- tracts, filling decds, and writing wills. His charge for drawing up a lease, or writing a will, was one shilling ; for drawing up a bond, two shillings. After the death of his first wife, in 1796, to whom he was tenderly attached, he suffered for a time from mental depression, which amounted to partial insanity. While he was in this state, by advice of the Association a day of fasting and prayer was appointed by the church, - as it appears, with- out consulting the pastor. It was arranged that Rev. Mr. Tay- lor, of Deerfield, should preach in the morning, and Rev. Mr. Porter, of Ashfield, in the afternoon. Mr. Taylor prepared a sermon on the subject of mental derangement, not expecting that Mr. Wells would attend the meeting. But just before the ser-
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mon was to commence. he entered the meeting-house and took a seat. The preacher was a good deal disconcerted, and begged of Mr. Porter to preach in his stead. But the latter declined, and insisted that Mr. Taylor should preach the sermon which he had prepared. It proved to be a wise arrangement. Before this, Mr. Wells had not realized his mental condition ; but thought that his friends treated him strangely, and acted like enemies. Towards the close of the afternoon service, which he also attended, while pondering the question why his friends had thus treated him, he was led to the conclusion that something was wrong in himself; that he was in fact deranged. A re-ac- tion at once began : and his mind recovered its former tone and strength.
Mr. Wells continued to discharge in full the duties of pastor till 1822, a period of fifty years, when the infirmities of age, then apparently about to break down his constitution, induced him and the people to seek a colleague. At the same time he con- sented to a reduction of one hundred dollars from his yearly salary. After this date, however, he recovered in a measure his strength, and would occasionally exercise the functions of his office, till near the time of his death. His last (recorded) public act, was the marriage of his grand-daughter, Miss Sarah Wells, to Mr. Silas Rice, November 8, 1831. The entry of this in the church record in his own hand, now tremulous and uncertain, forms a striking contrast to the plain, bold penman- ship of his early prime. He died, November 8, 1834, in the ninety-second year of his age. The sermon at his funeral was preached by Rev. Nathan Perkins of Amherst, who was then the oldest survivor of Mr. Wells's particular associates.
It would be foreign to my purpose to give an extended analysis of the character of Rev. Mr. Wells. Let it suffice to say, that he was a man of undoubted piety : his sermons were largely scriptural and practical, rather than doctrinal : he rebuked and exhorted with all long-suffering and gentleness. As a preacher, he held a respectable rank among his cotemporaries ; as a pastor, he was pre-eminently a peace-maker ; as a man, he was very affable, and of good social qualities. He made no enemies, and was kind and faithful to his friends.
In the course of his ministry, Mr. Wells married three hundred
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and five couples ; and administered baptism to nine hundred and fifty-six persons. He wrote about three thousand sermons ; a few of which were printed. His last sermon, written probably with no idea that it would be the last, was on Heb. iv. 9 :- " There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."
But to return to the thread of our narrative. At a town meeting held December 21, 1821, Capt. Salmon Graves, moderator, it was voted to give Mr. Lemuel P. Bates (of Southampton,) a call to settle in the gospel ministry as colleague pastor with the Rev. Rufus Wells. Voted, to give Mr. Bates three hundred and fifty dollars salary per year, during Mr. Wells's natural life ; and four hundred and fifty dollars per year during his ministry with us after the decease of Mr. Wells.
Voted, To give Mr. Bates five hundred dollars settlement, to be paid in three annual installments ; and if he leave us before the three years are expired, he draws only in proportion to the time he preaches with us.
Voted, That Mr. Bates have the privilege of being dismissed, by giving the town one year's notice; and the town have the privilege of dismissing Mr. Bates by giving him one year's notice ; provided either party holds that mind during the year. This last vote was the occasion of some distrust on the part of the ordaining council. Dr. Lyman, of Hatfield, warmly pro- tested against the conditions therein implied ; and it was not till the parties concerned declared it was their understanding, "that Mr. Bates could not be dismissed without the advice of an ecclesiastical council," that the council consented to proceed to the examination of the candidate.
Mr. Bates was ordained February 13, 1822. The order of exercises was as follows : introductory prayer, by Rev. James Taylor, of Sunderland ; sermon, by Rev. Zephaniah Swift Moore, D. D., President of Amherst College ; consecrating prayer, by Rev. Dr. Lyman, of Hatfield ; charge to the pastor, by Rev. John Emerson, of Conway ; right hand of fellowship, by Rev. Wm. B. Sprague, of West Springfield ; charge to the people, by Rev. Henry Lord, of Williamsburg ; concluding prayer, by Rev. Vinson Gould, of Southampton.
It is a fact somewhat remarkable, that one of the above council, Rev. John Emerson, of Conway, was a member of the
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council which ordained Rev. Mr. Wells, the first pastor of the church, fifty years before.
By the terms of his settlement, Mr. Bates could claim but three hundred and fifty dollars annual salary ; the senior pastor still living. But in 1828, '29, and '32, the parish (which was organized separate from the town, April 30, 1828,) granted him one hundred dollars additional. IIe held the office of pastor for the term of ten years, and was dismissed October 17, 1832.
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