USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Plymouth church records, 1620-1859 > Part 21
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A chh-child was admonished for sinne.
1 Here "towards" is crossed out.
1
1088:
.
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163
RELATIONS IN PRIVATE ALLOWED FOR CAUSE, 1688
The chh set apart May, 3: as a Fast because of great drought, great 1 raine came that very day & after, soe ready is God to heare the prayers of his people.
June, 17: the Elders stayed the chh after the publick worship was ended & propounded to them, that seeing divers men who offered themselves to chh-fellowship were bashfull & of low voices & there- fore not able to speak in publick to the edification of the congrega- tion, nor to the hearing of the whole chh who should be satisfyed before they vote for their Admission, it was expedient the bretheren should expresse what way they Judged best for helpe & satisfaction herein; the Elders & all the bretheren exprest themselves man by man & the generall conclusion of the body of the chh was, that those who could speak to hearing should soe doe in the whole congregation as formerly, but if the Elders Judged any man not capable thereof, they should call the chh together in private to heare such make their relations, but voting their Admission & covenanting with them should be deferred to be done in publick; sundry of the bretheren then desired that the Relations made by such might by the Elders be made knowne to the whole Congregation at their admission, as Judging it would be for the edification of others, which Proposall, though it was not opposed by any, yet was left undetermined, & as God directed in the particular cases, wee are to doe as should be Judged for the best.
June, 21: a private Fast was kept by about 50 of the chh on short warning, on behalfe of some of our bretheren & neighbours who were that day before the Councill at Boston, though not for evill doing, but by reason of an ill instrument, exposed to trouble. [16]
A child of the chh, living in another towne fallen into sin, the chh sent a letter of Admonition to her subscribed by the Elders in their Name.
The chh set apart october, 30: to be a fast, on account of the Easterne war with the heathen broken forth, great sicknesse at Boston, the troubles that day of our bretheren & neighbours at Boston-court.
In 1689:2 eleven times the Lords supper was administred, five 1080: members were admitted, & 27 children were baptized.
1 Here a word or letter is crossed out.
" Here "were" is crossed out.
164
PLYMOUTH CHURCH RECORDS: VOLUME I, PART II
4
March, 7: was kept as a day of publick Thanksgiving for all the mercies of the yeare 1 past, & in spetiall for answers of prayer in Raine.
The chh appointed & kept April, 10: a fast for the mercies of the yeare.
A chh-child was admonished for sin.
At a chh-meeting July, 3: a chh-child having sent a letter to the chh manifesting her Repentance for the Evill they had admonished her for, the letter was read & accepted.
At 2 that meeting, a sister have given offence to another of the chh in words & actions, was sent for to come before the chh, matter of fact was made evident, & she carrying her selfe offensively the chh declared their offence at her, & that they expected she should give satisfaction by Repentance & ordered her to withdraw. A chh- child who had offended was then sent for, but he told the messengers he would not come, he had not nothing to say to us, nor would have any thing to doe with us; the chh then sent two' other bretheren to require him to attend the chh in publick assembly the next sabbath, but he came not, soe for his not hearing the chh added to his other offences, he was by the Elder in the name of the chh (who voted it should be soe) cutt off from his relation to the chh.
The chh appointed & kept July, 30: as a day of Fasting & prayer, on the account of drought, great sicknesse, war Eastward etc.
A Brother was dealt with & admonished for disorderly walking, who formerly had bin dealt with for like evills:
The chh kept Feb: 12: a day of Fasting & prayer for a blessing on the Agents" now in & going for O: E: to prevent spreading the small pox, & that God would put an end to the war with the Heathen, & that God would heale & spare the life of our aged Elder: God then restored him.
Feb: 9: the Pastour propounded that some Brother might read the Psalmes in the Elders absence, the chh voted that one of the Deacons should doe it. Deac: Morton excused him selfe because
1 Altered from "yeares."
" Here a word is crossed out.
" Written above a word, apparently "to," crossed out.
" The agent from Plymouth Colony was the Rev. Ichabod Wiswall; the agents from Massachusetts were the Rev. Increase Mather, Elisha Cooke, and Thomas Oakes.
,
165
CHARACTER AND DEATH OF THOMAS CUSHMAN, 1691
aged, upon which Deac: Faunce was desired to doe it, who did attend that service till the Elder returned.
This chh & people made a large contribution in the time of the. first warrs for the reliefe of those impoverished at & about Rehoboth; The like they did also in these wars & sent it to the distressed East- ward; Also divers times for particular families whose houses were burnt, & for sundry persons brought low by sicknesse & long affliction; This may truly be left on record, That upon any motion from the Elders for a contribution on such accounts, there was a great ready- nesse in the people to hearken thereunto & give freely & abundantly, the Lord reward it.1
In 1690: the Lord supper was ten times, two members were ad- 1690: mitted, & 19 children were baptized.
A brother being called before the chh for unsutable walking, the chh accepted his expressions of sorrow & forgave him.
The sister above mentioned manifested her Repentance before the chh for her irregular actings & the chh forgave her.
A child of the chh, living else where, had an Admonition sent her from the chh, as had bin to others in like case.
The brother above-mentioned, upon his Repentance was forgiven. September, 24: was kept a Fast for the Canada-expedition. [17]
In 1691: the Lords supper was ten times, seven members were 1001: admitted & 34 children were baptized:
A chh-child made his relation in private at the Pastors house be- fore the chh & was the same sabbath in publick admitted to full communion.
The chh of Barnstable 2 sent to our chh for messengers to asist in Councill in their troubles, but the season permitted not some who lived more remote to attend at the time appointed, the Pastor & Deacon Morton were chosen, but on that account went not.
It pleased God to seize upon our good Elder, m' Thomas Cush- man by sicknesse & in this yeare to take him from us, He was chosen & ordained Elder of this chh, April, 6: 1649: he was neere 43 yeares in his office, his sicknesse lasted about 11 weekes: he had bin a rich blessing to this chh scores of yeares. he was grave, sober, holy & temperate very studious & sollicitous for the peace & prosperity of
1 This paragraph is written in the margin.
Here a word is crossed out.
.
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH RECORDS: VOLUME I, PART II
the chh & to prevent & heale all breaches; He dyed, December, 11: neere the end of the 84th yeare of his life: December, 16: was kept as a day of Humiliation for his death, the Pastor prayed & preached, m' Arnold & the Pastors 2 sons asisted in prayer; much of Gods prescence went away from this chh when this blessed Pillar was removed.
A liberall contribution was made that Fast day for the Elders widow as our acknowledgment of his great services to the chh whilst living.1
A chh-child was publickly admonished for sin.
seven members more dyed this yeare, some of them of the best.'
December, 27: the Pastor propounded to the chh to choose meet persons to be present with him in the private examination of persons in order to chh-fellowship, the two Deacons & any other Brother whom the Pastor might see reason to call to the worke, the chh voted their acceptance of.
Feb: 10: was kept as a day of Thanksgiving for the many mercies of this yeare.
In 1692: the Lords supper was 11 times, 13 members were admitted & 318 children were baptized.
March, 16: the Pastor propounded to the chh to endeavour the worke of reformation in ourselves & families, & that the children of the chh should be more diligently watcht over, the chh voted to call all the Adult seed before them to apply sutable counsells & rebukes as there might be occasion;
April, 3: publick notice was given hereoff that all concerned might prepare themselves accordingly.
April, 24: the Pastor called the chh between the meetings to his house & moved them to renew a covenant for Reformation on the approaching day of Humiliation, & to quicken thereunto he read to them the record of what the Church had done in that kinde, 1676: as also two other papers, the one from the Elders of this Plymouth- Colony & the other froin many Elders of Boston-Colony in which were counsells, exhortations & encouragements to a thorough Ex- amination of our hearts & wayes & Reformation of heart & life, both
1 This paragraph is written in the margin.
" This paragraph is written in the margin.
' Perhaps altered from "30."
1003:
LETTER OF PLYMOUTH COLONY PASTORS TO CHURCHES, 1692 167
which papers are here next written downe, concluding they may be of use to those that shall succeed in after-generations.[18]
The letter from the Elders of this Colony to the severall ches therein:
BRETHEREN & DEARLY BELOVED IN OUR LORD JESUS,
Wee acknowledge our selves to be under solemne & awfull bonds & obligations of Duty to God & to your selves, our Soveraigne Lord having placed us (how unworthy soever in our selves) as his watchmen, & there- fore giving us in charge not to keep silence in a day of approaching danger & evill, but faithfully to admonish & give warning to all, that thereby impending wrath may be diverted, the soules of those committed to our. charge may be preserved, & wee ourselves delivered from the guilt of the blood of soules; It being a duty incumbent not only upon us but upon every one to consider the words of the Lord & to regard the opera- tion of his hands, wee cannot but minde ourselves & you, of the Lords walking towards us in the way of his Judgments, in particular, the sword of war is drawne in our land, it is now more than 3 yeares since the Heathen & Antichristian enemy hath been seeking & spilling the blood & con- suming the habitations & estates of our country men in the Easterne parts of the country, which though remote from us, yet some of the bitter effects of it wee have felt & tasted, & verily the Holy God thereby saith, Except wee repent wee likewise shall perish; The Dreadfull Hand of God in blasting the designe against Canada, & the death of soe many hundreds occasioned thereby, & the great impoverishing of the country following thereupon is a very humbling stroak & not to be forgotten, Moreover those malignant feavors & burning agues (which God threatens to send upon his people for breaking his commandments) that have bin soe greivous & deadly among us, cry aloud in our eares, that God is very angry with us;
And as to our selves (not to omit the hitherto unsetled & doubtfull state of the whole country) wee in this colony are brought exceeding low as to our civill Government, many openly casting off the yoke of subiection to our civill rulers, & there being noe strong rod for a scepter to rule, whereby wee are in great danger of being given into the hands of strangers to manage us at their pleasure, & soe of loosing the liberty of those most pretious enjoyments for the sake of which our blessed fathers followed God into this wildernesse:
Upon these & many other affecting considerations that might be men- tioned, wee the servants of God & of our Lord Jesus in the worke of the ministry, doe sincerely & affectionately commend 1 to all the churches
1 Altered from "commended."
168 PLYMOUTH CHURCH RECORDS: VOLUME I, PART II
& people of God in this Colony, the serious meditation upon & laying to heart these things, And inasmuch as sinne is the procuring cause of all our troubles, our earnest desire & solemne Proposall is, that each church & congregation (as well as every particular person) would make diligent search into their owne hearts & wayes, & by the helpe & strength of God labour to the utmost for the finding out those provocations of Divine anger that are in the midst of us, & therein deale faithfully & impartially, as in the presence of the searcher of all our hearts (who hath knowne us above all the [19] families of the earth, & therefore will punish us for all our iniquities, if wee repent not) & that there be deep Humiliation for & unfeigned, ponetentiall confession of all our guilt before the Lord, with a holy resolution & engagement by divine asistance to set upon & be thorough in the worke of Reformation, that magistrates & ministers & this whole people may be turned as one man unto the Lord, which if in good earnest wee engage in, who can tell but God will returne & yet leave a Blessing behind him, & revive his worke in the midst of us, & give us to rejoyce under the shadow of his wings as in the dayes of old, All which Grace the Lord grant to his poore people for his mercies sake in Jesus Christ;
wee subscribe our selves,
your friends & servants for Jesus sake
SAMUEL ARNOLD
JOHN COTTON
ICHABOD WISWALL
JAMES KEITH
SAMUEL TREAT
JONATHAN RUSSELL
JERIMIAH CUSHING
SAMUEL DANFORTH
SAMUEL ANGIER
This following was sent to us from the ministers subscribed.
Cambridge, 6 d, 1 m, 1692:
Whereas the most heavy & wasting Judgments of Heaven upon our distressed land, loudly call upon us, noe longer to delay the taking of some hitherto untaken steps towards the Reformation of our provoking evills & the recovery of practicall Religion in our hearts & lives; Among expedients in order hereunto, wee cannot but Recommend it as advise- able, That the severall churches, having in an instrument proper for that purpose, made a catalogue of such things as can indisputably be found amisse among them, doe with all seriousnesse & solemnity passe their votes, That they count such things to be very offensive Evills, & that renouncing all dependance on their owne strength to avoyd such evills, they humbly aske the helpe of the Divine Grace to asist them in watching against the said evills both in themselves & in one another;
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169
RENEWAL OF CHURCH COVENANT, 1692
And that the Communicants doe often reflect upon these their Acknowl- edgments and Protestations as perpetuall monitors unto them, to prevent the miscarriages wherewith too many Professors are too easily overtaken.
Voted, That Letters be written unto the Elders of the other Associa- tions to represent unto them our desire of their concurrence with us in what they shall Judge practicable & profitable as to this matter.
CHARLES MORTON JAMES ALLEN
JOSHUA MOODEY
SAMUEL WILLARD
JABEZ FOX
NATHANIEL GOOKIN
COTTON MATHER
NEHEMIAH WALTER
JONATHAN PIERPONT
[20]
These papers being read, the chh agreed that on April, 27: they would attend that duty, & that the Adult male children of about 20 yeares old & upwards should come to the Pastors house on the morrow, & the Females on the Fast day betweene the meetings to heare what was desired & expected of them, of which the Pastor gave them publick notice in the congregation that afternoone. Accord- ingly, April, 25: there was a very great & generall appearance of all the male children 1 of the chh (those very few absent being out of towne or necessarily hindred, not one refusing to owne his Covenant- relation to the chh) the Pastour spent neere 2 houres with them in . prayers & solemn Exhortations, counsells & Admonitions to all sorts of them according to their particular circumstances & then read to them what they had many of them solemnly transacted before the Lord & his people, Anno, 1676: & asked them if they were now willing to acknowledge the Lord God of their Fathers, & in like manner on the approaching day of Prayer renew the Covenant for Refor- mation etc;
This they universally consented unto; it was observed by divers of the chh then present that many were much affected at what was spoken, neither did they spend that training-day evening as formerly too many of them used to doe.
April,2 27: the chh & congregation kept as a day of Fasting & Prayer; the morning was spent in Prayers & Preaching, between the meetings, the Female chh-children came to the Pastors house, &
1 Altered from "males-children."
' A word, doubtless "on," is crossed out before "April.".
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH RECORDS: VOLUME I, PART II
.
great assembly of them, the Pastor prayed with them, exhorted etc about an houre & did all as with the young men 2 dayes before, & with like successe & issue: The Text in the forenoone was, in 1 Ezek: 9:3: for: part: in the Afternoone, Isa: 58: 1: 2 After which the Pastor stood up & having made some Preface grounded on Joshua, 24:15: etc he read those 2 Papers in the two pages immediately before this; And then called upon all the members of the chh in full communion & desired them all both bretheren & sisters to manifest their consent in renewall of Covenant by standing up all the time the Paper was reading, the whole chh reverently then stood up, the Pastor then read the Paper containing the confessions of our particular sins & engagements for Reformation, the Paper was the same that on the like occasion had bin improoved, 1676: (recorded here, Pag: 6: & 7:4) only some further addition there was in the matter of our con- fession which our present condition called for, namely, our breach of promise in not performing our vowes to God in that covenant before renewed, Pride, increase of sensuality, too much neglect in the education of our children, not duly catechizing them, not calling upon them to remember at sermons, suffering them to play on Sabbath-evenings: Then the chh sat downe; the Pastour proceeded, & called upon all the children of the chh to stand up, which they universally did, whilst He read a paper unto them, the same before used on like occasion (here recorded [21] pag: 7:8: 5) only with some addition as in the other; the whole solemnity was concluded with prayer; It was observed that many of all sorts were much affected in the time of this solemne transaction, the Good Lord accept us in
" There is an asterisk before "Ezek:" and in the margin is written in a later hand (perhaps that of the Rev. Ephraim Little):
"1. Fast Text *And y" Glory of / G. of Israel was gone up fr. ye Cherub w upon he was to the Threshold of y" house. And he calld to / man clothed with Lin- nen, we had the writers inkhorn by his side - And yº L. sd unto - go thro yº midst of / City, & set a mark on y" forheads of / men yt sigh for all yº Abomina- tions yt be done in / midst thereof."
" The words "Isa: 58: 1:" are underscored, there is a dagger before "Isa:" and in the margin is written (in the same hand as the preceding marginal entry):
" t Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, & shew my people their transgression, & the house of Jacob their Sins."
" The reference is to pp. [18-19] of the text, or pp. 167-169 of this volume.
" The reference is to pp. [6-7] of the text, or pp. 149-150 of this volume.
" The reference is to pp. [7-8] of the text, or pp. 151-152 of this volume.
1
·
.
1
1
171
AINSWORTH'S PSALMS TOO DIFFICULT TO SING
christ & enable us all by his Holy Spirit to performe our vowes & covenant-ingagements to him. Amen.
Letters came from the chh of Barnstable, renewing their desires that wee would attend in councill with other ches on May, 18: the chh sent the Pastor & Deacon Faunce, who went at the time appointed.
A sister, was admonished for sin, & the yeare after upon repentance, forgiven
June, 19: the Pastor stayed the chh after meeting & propounded, that seeing many of the Psalmes in m' Ainsworths Translation which wee now sung, had such difficult tunes that none in the chh could sett, that the chh would consider of some way of Accomodation that wee might sing all the Psalmes, & left it to their consideration.
August, 7, at the conclusion of the sacrament, the Pastor called upon the chh to expresse their Judgments about this motion; the vote was this. when the tunes are difficult in the Translation wee use, wee will sing the Psalmes now used in our neighbor-ches in the Bay; not one brother opposed this conclusion; the sabbath following, Aug: 14: wee began to sing the Psalmes in course according to the vote of the chh1
September, 15: (some motion from some in Authority to the ministers inviting thereunto) the chh set apart & kept as a day of Fasting & prayer for the Army gone Eastward etc.
A chh-child was Admonished for intemperance, & soone after another for like offence.
Some of our chh & neighbours, living at a village in our Township, invited a Brother to carry on some worship among them on Sabbath dayes, which he did, not consulting the chh or Elder about it, Nov: 16: being sent to they were with the chh, & said they were sorry they had therein given offence to the chh, the chh then declared that they faulted not their soe meeting in short dayes & when the weather was unseasonable, but when seasons were comfortable for travelling they approved not their absenting from the publick worship with ? the chh.
A chh-child, living out of towne, the chh sent an Admonition a
1 See The Psalmodies of Plymouth and Massachusetts, by S. L. Thorndike (Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, i. 228-238).
' Written above a word crossed out.
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH RECORDS: VOLUME I, PART II
pointentiall answer was soone returned to the chh, upon which the chh forgave the offender.
Another chh-child was Admonished for sinne.
A motion was made by the Pastor, that some other might be ap- pointed to read the Psalmes when Deac: Faunce was sick (as he then was Sep: 11:) the answer was, that the Pastor might call any of the chh whom he had then nominated or any other of the bretheren that might be Judged meet for that service.
In 1693: The Lords supper was ten times, seven members were admitted, 29 children were baptized.
April, 5: the chh set apart for a day of Thanksgiving, for the Preservation of King & Queen etc for our Gospel-mercies, health, harvest, destroying caterpillars last summer, saving ours in stormes checking the enemy at wells, returning Agents, & for that the Govern- ment over us is yet in the hands of saints. [22]
The chh set apart & kept, May, 24: a Fast, wherein to humble our selves for sin, to seeke mercy for the Army & that God would restore peace & give the blessings of the yeare, mercy to O: E: suc- cesse to the King etc.
The chh met, June: 11: in the Pastors house to take the relation of a man in order to chh-fellowship & accepted him according to their former vote.
Leiftenant Ephraim Morton, the Deacon dyed, october, 7: about 70 yeares of age, He was not only serviceable to the chh in that office, but usually a Select man, & principally imployed in the civill & military services of the towne for many yeares.
Two chh-children were together Admonished for sinne.
At a chh-meeting Feb: 4: the chh voted to sing the spirituall songs in scripture as translated into meeter in our new Psalm-booke the chh was then desired to warne their children & servants not to depart the assembly before the Blessing, as also to acquaint them, that the ordinance of catechizing them should shortly be revived, the chh unanimously agreed hereunto.
It was then propounded, whether Parents not in full communion might without offence hold up their children to Baptisme? some spake for it, some said it was an indifferent thing, but generally the bretheren seemed not free to admit of it, but to continue the practice in that matter as formerly.
1098:
173
TWO ELDERS AND THREE DEACONS CHOSEN, 1694
Letters came to us from the chh of Yarmouth to desire our presence & asistance at the ordination of m' John Cotton Junior to be their Pastor on November, 22: the chh chose to accompany their Pastor two bretheren, Thomas Clarke & Samuel Sturtevant, who then at- tended that service.
In 1694: the Lords supper was ten times, foure members were 1004: admitted, & 37 children were baptized.
March, 7: was a chh meeting, which the sabbath before the chh had notice of & were then desired to prepare their thoughts to nom- inate some bretheren to serve in the office of Elders & Deacons: The chh spake man by man & all but 2 or 3 of the bretheren nominated Deacon Faunce & Bro: Isaac Cushman for Elders; And then each brother was called upon to nominate 3 for Deacons; many of the chh being absent the compleating of the Nomination was deferred till the next sabbath, the bretheren before absent nominated those for Elders above named, & for Deacons, Nathaniel Wood was highest in Nomination, George Morton & Thomas Clarke were æquall in the votes:
The Pastor on March, 25: stayed the chh & told them, he thought it best that the bretheren nominated for Elders should hence- forward be accepted by him & improved with him in all actions that relate to the rule & government of the chh in a way of probation for a time with which the chh readily manifested their concurrence by a ready lifting up of their hands; accordingly the Pastor alwayes called those 2 bretheren to be with him in triall of persons that offered themselves to the fellowship of the chh, & in case of any offence, or to prepare any matter that was to be brought before the chh. [23] on this march, 25: the Pastor moved to know the mindes of the chh, whether they would have all the 3 that had most votes for Deacons or but 2 of them, many spake for 3 seeing 2 of them were squall in votes, some thought 2 might suffice but would freely rest in the act of the chh whether it were for 2 or 3: the Pastor then put to vote, namely, If they did make choice of those 3 bretheren George Morton, Nathaniel Wood & Thomas Clarke to be Deacons of the chh they should manifest it by lifting up their hands, which they did very generally, & after the afternoon sermon the Pastor declared if any in the whole congregation had ought to say why the chh might not proceed to ordaine those 3 bretheren for Deacons, they had their
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