USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > North Brookfield > Sermon : containing a brief history of the town and especially of the church and parish of North Brookfield from 1798 to the present time > Part 2
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Since all were obliged to do their proportion in support of the gos- pel, and must do it where they resided, unless they were connected with some incorporated religious society abroad of a different deno- . mination, almost all the families within the limits of this town be- longed to this religious society. A very few of the Baptist denomi- nation belonged to the incorporated society in Brookfield, and they were obliged to maintain regular preaching for six months in a year. No society could then exist without public religious instruction one half the time, or pay a heavy fine. So important did our laws consi- der the preached gospel to the existence and welfare of civil society -they viewed it as intimately connected with civilization, improve- ment of intellect, preservation of peace and order and general thrift, the prevention of crime, the promotion of virtue, the preservation of our liberties and the universal welfare of society. So that every man in the North Parish of Brookfield paid his mite in support of the gospel in his own form, if he could find such form as suited him, and if not, in the form existing in the place of his residence : but in some form or other, he must do his part, just as he now does in the concern of education, even though he have no children of his own, and care not for the education of others .*
This state of things prepared the way for a civil action to be com- menced against the Parish, by a man named Turner, who preached universal salvation in this vicinity, and on whose instructions several men in the Parish occasionally attended. He sued for what these men paid toward my salary. In order to establish his claim and sus- tain the action, it became necessary for him to prove that he was duly
* Note E.
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authorized to preach the gospel and be a teacher of morality and re- ligion. For this purpose he produced a paper, showing that on a certain time, certain men commissioned him to preach salvation to the " whole race of Adam." He failed of sustaining his action, though he was thought to have a sweeping commission and a very large parish. How little confidence he had in his commission, may be learned from the fact that more than twenty years after, he was baptized in Charlton and ordained over the Unitarian Society by a Council composed of Unitarian and Universalist ministers ; and as he afterwards published, ' without giving up any of his former opin- ions.'
I have mentioned these things, not to show what plan of support- ing the gospel is the best ; but to show the difference between former times and the present. In lell a new law was passed respecting the support of public worship, so that any number of men exceeding five could unite and appoint a clerk, and by going through certain forms, become a religious society and be free from obligation to all others. A few years since, that article in the bill of rights, which recognized the obligation of all the citizens of the State to support public reli- gious worship in some form, was expunged, and any one may now excuse himself from doing any thing toward the support of the gos- pel in any place, or in any form. Those who now wish the preach- ed gospel to be sustained for their own benefit, or that of their fami- lies, or their neighbors, or their country, because they think that soon our liberties and prosperity and hopes of a better life will all be gone without it ; they are the ones, and they only, to support it. Profes- sors of religion indeed, are every where expected to defray their share of the expense, whoever else may be excused ; for the obligation they have recognized, and a virtual engagement to that amount they en- tered into, when they professed faith in Christ, and united in cove- nant with God's people. So that all the church will always unite their strength to support the ordinances of the gospel, and none wish to excuse themselves from their proper share of the burden .*
What proportion of the property in the town is now held for the support of the gospel, I am unable to say. In 1835 the property that supported the gospel in this society was valued at $218,266,66, con- stituting perhaps two thirds of all the property in town, as usually valued. What portion of the remaining $109,000 as we may call it,
* Note F.
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does little or nothing for the support of the worship of God in any place, I have not the means of ascertaining. For the welfare of the owners thereof and the good of the community, I could wish, that not a cent of it was exempted by the consent of the proprietors. But I fear that a very large share of it, and that share which above every other is the best able to bear it, is, by the sincere and most cordial desire of the owners, wholly exempted. Not that we need their aid ; no, but they need the blessing-their families need it-their neigh- bors and their section of the community need it. 'Bring ye all the tithes into the store house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord, and see if I will not pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.' Let the gospel go down and un- numbered blessings go with it. O that all the people knew what a privilege they have in the gospel, and how much they are indebted to it for what they enjoy as citizens, as freemen, and as social and intellectual beings. When we become what we should be and what we must be, in the best state to which men can arrive in this imper- fect and dying world, all will cheerfully sustain the pure gospel of Christ by their influence and their substance, and resort with their families to the house of God and enjoy with united hearts and im- mortal hopes, all the rich institutions of divine grace. That portion of their substance required for the support of divine institutions and the promotion of Christ's kingdom and men's salvation, will be of all others, the most freely given and the last to be withheld.
. II. Having given you the history of this religious Society, I will now give you a brief history of the Church of Christ. At the time of my ordination the church consisted of 80 members, most of them in the decline of life; I find but two who were not more than 40 years of age-and not a single youth-the youngest was thirty-two and in married life. As it might have been expected, no small por- tion of them soon died, and the male members were in a few years reduced to a very small number. I have ascertained that twenty-five acted in giving me an invitation to become their Pastor, two of whom expressed a desire to hear further. In the Parish 79 expressed a de- sire by vote, that I should settle with them, and 15 voted in oppo- sition.
Considering the small number embraced in the church, and the declining age of many, some people expressed a fear lest the church should dwindle to nothing ; and one gentleman in the vicinity gravely
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advised me to introduce what was then called, " the half-way cove- nant," i. e. (for it now needs explanation,) let baptized parents of good morals, though destitute of piety, or pretensions to experimental religion, dedicate their children to God in baptism, and still not com- memorate the dying love of Christ, because they think themselves unqualified for this ordinance. It amounts to this, either that they believe they have no piety, or else that something more than credible evidence of piety, is necessary to come to the Lord's table. But this scheme was never adopted by this church, and though practiced in many places in the vicinity, it is now wholly exploded as unscriptural and pernicious. To build up a church by such means and with such materials, is one of the last things a Pastor should consent to do. It is very easy to have a church larger than the state of religion in a place will justify ; but never desirable. The only way in which a church can be consistently enlarged, is by the revival of God's work among a people, or the removal of Christians from other churches. To adopt any human expedient to enlarge a church without the con- version of sinners and the increase of pious men, is an unholy and presumptuous step. We might as well think to enlarge and strengthen a man that becomes feeble and emaciated, by binding to his body masses of dead flesh, which in fact would only increase his size and weight, but render his condition the more wretched, and death the more certain and near. A huge mass of a church without vitality- a gigantic body without a soul, reminds us of one of Solomon's say- ings " A living dog is better than a dead lion."
I am informed that in the early period of this church, the only qualifications required were a fair moral character and maintaining religious order in the family, without any other evidence of being born of God. This well corresponds with the records, where, under the ministry of the first Pastor, but exceedingly few united with the church in single life, and when one of a married pair made a profes- sion of religion, both did the same." But whatever the principle of admission, the church was never large : yet perhaps as large as cir- cumstances would at any ime justify. A few have been excluded in a regular course of discipline ; yet I am persuaded, not so many as the honor of religion and a healthy state of the church and the spirit- ual good of individuals imperiously demanded.
But few of the second church in Brookfield remain, who were
* Note G.
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members at my ordination. All the male members were gone, when four years since we housed in the grave the remains of the Hon. Thomas ITale, aged 90; and but two females survive, known as members of the church at my settlement, one only able to congregate with us on the Sabbath .*
Verily we may say, ' Except the Lord had left us a seed we should have been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah,' with scarcely a righteous man among us. Ever since 1808 the church has been increasing. Besides small additions by letter, and one after another falling into the ranks of God's people from those of the world, the church has been replenished and enlarged at several different times by seasons of special revival. More than 90 years since, when the whole of Brookfield worshipped in one house, on what is com- monly called Foster's Hill, Rev. George Whitefield passed through the country, and, not being allowed to occupy the Meeting House, because by some he was considered irregular, made a large rock in the field his desk, and there preached Christ and his salvation to the many who thronged to hear him. Though attended with more ani- mal excitement than was desirable, his preaching was instrumental of much good in converting men to God, and staying the wicked in their course. There was much chaff mixed with the wheat. The irregularities in some who took part in this work, and the great ex- citement of the animal passions which was in some instances very evident, served to prejudice the minds of some Christian people against what were called at that day, religious awakenings. They failed to discriminate between what was animal, and what was spirit- ual, scriptural, and rational. From that time to 1817, being about 75 years, there was no extensive religious movement upon the minds of the people by the Spirit of God. The first revival of religion with which God ever blessed this people commenced in the autumn of 1816 ; this was followed by another two years after, which resulted in the addition of more than eighty to God's professed people, some of whom continue among the most active and substantial members of this church. But I was surprised when examining the records, to see what a large portion of those 80, who united in 1817 and 1819, and mostly young people, are now no more either amongst us, or amongst the living. Time and death have scattered them abroad, or housed them in the tomb ; so that we may almost say again, " Had not the Lord left us a seed, we should have been as Sodom."
Note H.
3
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In 1827, God in his great mercy favored us with another refresh- ing season of divine influence, which occasioned a new addition to the church of twenty-seven, which served to repair the nine years' desolations by death and removal to other sections of the land. The year 1831 is memorable in the annals of this church, and glorious in the eyes of God's people. It is distinguished above all others in my ministry, for movements and changes, storms and calms, sudden and unexpected, painful and pleasant. It was a year of the right hand of the Most High, in which he rejoiced the hearts of his people and honored both his power and his grace, when so many were led willing captives by Christ. This revival, which took place in the most busy season of the year, made great encroachments upon the kingdom of sin and brought about sixty souls into the fold of the Great Shepherd. God, rich in mercy, did not satisfy the desires of his compassionate heart with this display of his grace; but in 1837 repeated his kind visitation and honored both the cross of his Son and the power of his Spirit in subduing many hearts to his sceptre. More than seven- ty have expressed a hope that they have become the children of God, and about fifty have professed their faith in Jesus Christ and entered into covenant with God and his people.
The whole number that have been admitted into the church during my ministry is 348. Fifty-eight by letters of recommendation from other churches, and 290 by profession ; while fifty-five have. been dis- missed to other churches, 127 deceased, and four excluded. There now remain members of this church, resident and non-resident, 242. There have been 485 baptisms. The ministry of Rev. Messrs. Forbes and Appleton with the intervals in which the church had no Pastor, extended from 1752 to 1798, forty-six years. When the church was embodied, if I rightly understand the records, there were 58 members,-26 males and 32 females; 182 were added during the ministry of Mr. Forbes ; 47 during that of Mr. Appleton, and seven during the time of your destitution. So that 236 were added from the time the church was first embodied to that of my ordination, when the church consisted of 80 members ; all the rest, being 214, had re- moved to other places, or gone to their beds of dust, or been exclud- ed from the church. Through the abounding grace of God toward us, this church now embraces three times the number it did at my or- dination, and many of them in their youth, and more than one half in younger life.
The revival seasons with which God has blessed us and made our
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hearts glad, have been such as to constrain all but sceptics to say with the Magicians of Egypt on witnessing one of the miracles of Moses which they could not imitate, " This is the finger of God." The revival in 1817 commenced when nobody was looking for it, as far as known, and neither Pastor nor church was doing any thing more than they were always doing, and when there was no special attention to religion in the surrounding region, and when in all the region there had not been a general revival of religion for at least 60 or 70 years, and when too, there had never been such a thing in the place before. It began in the hopeful conversion of one of the rudest young women in town, to whom, as far as I know, nothing had been said upon her soul's concerns, any more than to every body else. If any one can explain this, without admitting that the gracious power of God can, and docs impress the mind and renew the heart he pleases, he can do more than ever yet has been done; and if he will ascribe such a revolution in religious views and moral feelings and chosen objects of pursuit, to mere human management or influ- ence, what is there that he may not ascribe to the same cause ? This revival was marked with great stillness and a gradual extension, more especially, in the east half of the town.
The revival in 1819 was more sudden in its rise, more rapid in its progress, and sooner on the decline, and more in the west part of the town. It had a much greater mixture of animal passions, and much more connection with human sympathies and agency both in its rise and progress. This happened when revivals were multiplied around us and sinners flocked to Christ as doves to their windows. Very many were awakened to most solemn concern and brought un- der deep conviction of sin, and some even to a hope in Christ, who turned back as the dog to his vomit. But there were some very pre- cious fruits of that affecting season, which, to this day, prove that when God comes to build up Zion he appears in his glory. No per- son who took knowledge of the changes and events of that day and the permanent fruits of that work, can doubt for a moment whether the agency of God's Spirit, who teaches as no other can teach, was concerned in it.
The work of divine grace in 1831, was marked somewhat diffe- rently still. It was the result of no human device or effort. Though Christians prayed for it, and the Pastor preached for it, as usual : yet it came when no one was expecting it more than at another time. The first symptom that God was about to enlarge his heritage and
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refresh it, was the call of a thoughtless young man upon the Pastor, with the apology that he was not very well and wished to rest. It was the first time he ever had entered my door. I conjectured that his disease was that of the mind. A few words showed that my con- jecture was correct. This was the first token that God's gracious presence was among us-the little cloud like a man's hand, which gave forth the sound of an abundance of rain. One deeply convicted, subdued sinner, kindles up the hope that soon we may witness the great rain of God's strength. However great and joyful that season was, God made a short work of it, a work however, which will tell upon the eternal destiny of many souls and families in this place.
The other season of refreshing from the presence of the Lord which we witnessed the last year, seemed more connected in its com- mencement with human agency and the efforts of the church, than any former revival. Still such was its progress as to show "that it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." One was taken and another left. Some upon whom much labor was bestowed remain in sin to this hour : while others to whom nothing in particular was addressed, were brought under solemn impressions and pursued by the Spirit of God in all their retreats, till they were laid with a subdued spirit at the feet of Christ, He took the work out of men's hands to show that it was his own work ; while he honored his institutions and answered the prayers of his people. This season of revival, this cloud of spiritual blessings which has just passed, and upon which you still see the bright bow of promise, is the more remarkable, since it is such an isolated case-no other instance in the region. God raineth on one city and raineth not on another, and the city on which there is no rain withereth. This is equally true in all its parts, both in a natural and spiritual sense. There is ever encouragement for good men to pray and to put forth efforts for the progress of the church and the conversion of sinners, and also for ministers of the gospel to preach and labor in their work, both in season and out of season; still the more this is done with a deep sense that God alone can give the in- crease, and the more disposed men are to give all the glory to his name, the more cheering the prospect of success .*
For 40 years past, this church has enjoyed a good degree of peace and union. They have generally moved in concert and have been * Note I.
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very harmonious in their measures to promote the great ends of Christian institutions. Nor has there ever been any great discrepan- cy of opinion, except in one unhappy case of discipline, in which, by a peculiar combination of circumstances, the minds of many were blinded, and the feelings of most unduly and unseasonably excited. That case taught every man one important lesson, viz. to judge no- thing before the time, nor without candid and proper inquiry.
When the Church was embodied, they adopted a Covenant, to which all who united with it gave their assent. This Covenant im- plied a general belief in the holy scriptures, and an engagement to instruct our children in divine truth by the use of orthodox cate- chisms ; but recognized no particular doctrine, except the being of a God as the object of worship, the Bible as his word, Jesus Christ as a Savior, the Church as his Mystical Body, and the public worship of God, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, as divine institutions. In 1827 it was conceived important both by this church and most others in the vicinity, that every church should have a few articles of faith to which all should give their assent who united with the church, and that all the churches in the region, if disposed, should adopt in sub- stance the same articles of faith and the same covenant. Such arti- cles and covenant were prepared by Brookfield Association and sub- mitted to the churches, who adopted them, and this church as well as others. All who were already members, and objected to the new co- venant and articles, would stand upon the Covenant into which they entered the church ; but none should in future be admitted, only by assenting to the articles and the covenant recently adopted. This transaction took place in May, 1927, with only two dissenting votes.
Much dishonor having been done to the cause of religion by the influence of ardent spirit, ever since it has been used as a drink, the church thought it their duty to adopt some measure to prevent the evil and let the whole community know their views of the subject, and accordingly passed the following resolutions, which they procur- ed to be printed and sent into every family in town :
Resolutions.
" Resolved Ist. That intemperance, notwithstanding all the efforts to check it, is still productive of great and multiplied evils in the community-that it has been the occasion of many unhappy cases of discipline in the church, and of more dishonor to religion than any
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other sin that can be named, and that all intemperance is the growth and effect of a moderate and habitual use of intoxicating liquors.
"Resolved 2dly. That every Christian church ought to practice up- on the principle of entire abstinence from ardent spirits as a drink, and from foreign wines and strong beer, as a substitute; and that no person should be admitted into the church of Christ, and that no one shall hereafter be received into this church, but upon the principle of entire abstinence from the use, the manufacture, and sale of ardent spirit as a drink.
" Resolved 3dly. That in consideration of the important and solemn bearings of the Temperance Reformation upon the peace and happi- ness of society, upon the success of the gospel and the salvation of the world, it becomes the indispensable duty of all professed Chris- tians to refrain from impeding, and to aid in advancing, this great work, by their example, their personal efforts, and their whole influ- ence.
" Resolved 4thly. That it is with grief we see any of our brethren, who, neither for their own safety, nor for the benefit of their families, nor for the sake of a suffering community, nor yet for the honor and prosperity of religion, can be persuaded to abstain from the use of ardent spirit as a drink ; and that we cannot look on those members who continue the habitual use of it, but as spots in our fcasts of charity."
In 1817 the church by special vote admitted persons who give sa- tisfactory evidence of piety, but who are not yet convinced that In- fant Baptism is a duty divinely enjoined upon Christians, and of course do not present their children to God in this ordinance. They adopted this course ; not because they had the least doubt that infant baptism is a divine ordinance, any more than they doubted whether circumcision was a divine institution ; for the church to which Abram belonged is the same church to which Paul belonged, after his con- version, and was founded upon the same covenant of grace : and all the objections which lie against infant baptism, lie equally against in- fant circumcision .- Nor did the church adopt this course, because they any less believed that infant baptism is an institution very useful in the kingdom of Christ and an important duty which parents owe their children, thus to dedicate them to the Lord-a duty that our Savior implicitly recognized when he encouraged believing parents to bring their children to him, by the command and declaration, ' Forbid them not ; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.' Neither
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did the church vote to admit such persons as neglected to present their children to God in baptism, because they did not think that they were doing wrong in this neglect ; but they adopted this course, be- cause they were convinced that there were many pious people who do not believe in infant baptism, as a divinely required duty, and who, though not to the best advantage because of this one neglected duty, labor to train their children for God ; and also, because this course better corresponds with Christian love and liberality. Without adopt- ing it under existing circumstances, we should practice too much upon the principle of close communion, of which some complain, and perhaps, not without reason. This is a principle too close, too nar- row, too exclusive, for a state where all good men cannot see alike. And when our churches have ceased to require it as an indispensable condition of admission, that parents shall present their children in baptism ; and when our Baptist brethren shall allow us to judge for ourselves, whether we have received Christian baptism, as undoubt- edly they ought ; then the wall of partition will be demolished, and we shall be one church-one people. And to this state of harmony and Christian fellowship among pious people, a little more expansion of mind by increased light,-a little more enlargement of heart by Christian love,-a little more yielding to the infirmities of the weak, will bring all converted and unbigoted men. Many good people need widening-they are too narrow both in their views and feelings. The light and spirit of the Millenian day will give them an expansion of heart to which many are now strangers, who are disposed to cut or stretch every man to the length of his own bedstead .*
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