USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > North Middleborough > The history of the Church of North Middleborough, Massachusetts : in six discourses > Part 5
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* The widow of Dr. Robinson, whose family, their nearest neighbors, were greatly attached to Mr. Colby and his family, tells me that she remem-
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CHURCH OF NORTH MIDDLEBOROUGH.
tion which sounds strangely to us of to-day, and proves the unwisdom as Solomon says, of inquiring if " the former days be better than these?" Voted, "to allow for spirits for ordination, $8.90, and again for spirits, $2.39, and yet again next year "for spirits not bro't into former bill, $2.50," a grand sum total of $13.79. About this time, too, parish land was sold, and there was allowed "for spirits used in venduing precinct land, $2.51." These must have been days of ignorance touching the evils of intemperance. We have certainly learned something as to the best way of reducing expenses in the matter of ordination and the "venduing" of land. It was in the year 1817, March 25th, that " certain individuals " are referred to, " who have agreed to build a house for the use of the minister," and to them is leased "for the term of nine hundred and ninety-nine years the half acre of land, being the north-west corner of the parish lot, opposite the meetinghouse." This was the beginning of what is now known as the parsonage .* But before we enter upon the account of the ministry of him, who is to be the first occupant of the parsonage, and who has already been ordained the pastor and teacher of this people, we will inquire into his early history, and the call which he had from God to the work of the ministry. Rev. Philip Colby t was born in Sanbornton, N. H., the 30th of July, 1779. The name of his father was Isaac Colby, a farmer of great in- dustry and strong mind, strict integrity, sterling common sense. The maiden name of his mother was Phebe Hunt, daughter of Philip Hunt of Newburyport, Mass., very domestic in her habits, and of a very tender, loving heart.
bers distinctly the day of ordination, and that additional to the excitement of ordination, was the extraordinary appearance of a whale in the " great Taunton river," which attracted crowds of people to the river-bank.
* This House, before it was owned by the parish, was held in shares, the most of which were bought up by Mr. Zebulon Pratt, and by him very gen- · erously at a low figure, sold to the society. It is in an excellent state of preservation, and is one of the best parsonages in the State, as we who live in it, have a right to affirm.
t See a sermon preached at his funeral, by Rev. Dr. Huntington of North Bridgewater.
51
THE FAMILY OF REV. MR. COLBY.
Mr. Colby was one of nine children. In the year 1800 he went to Portland, Me., as a merchant's clerk, and afterward established himself in mercantile pursuits in Hallowell, Me., which he followed for eight years. Six of these years he had been married to his first wife, Miss Harriet Sewall, daughter of Mr. Thomas Sewall of Vassalboro', Me. They were married the 28th of June, 1804. They had two chil- dren. On the 24th of October, 1810, the eldest, a lovely boy of five years, died .* In the February of the following year, the 28th, 1811, the mothert also died. Thus it was, the hus- band and father was led to Christ. In the mother's sick room, in the month of July, 1810, the parents were both admitted to Rev. Mr. Gillett's church, in Hallowell, and their children were consecrated to the Lord in baptism. When his family was reduced to himself and one ; mother- less child, he closed up his business, came to Salem, Mass., and spent nearly four years in studying with Rev. Dr. Wor- cester, pastor of the Tabernacle church and corresponding . secretary of the American Board of Missions. This course of study additional to his academic course in Gilmanton, N. H., and supplemented by a large acquaintance with men and things in a long mercantile life, above all, aided and
*He is described in a letter just received from Miss Caroline Colby., , daughter of Judge Colby, as "a very remarkable boy." His name was Ham- ilton Van Rensalaer.
t Of this mother, the grand-daughter, Caroline Colby, writes : "A woman of very fine and most lovely character." She also adds : "These, the mother and son, are buried side by side at Augusta, Maine."
# Afterward Judge Colby of New Bedford. The daughter Caroline writes : "He died Feb. 22, 1853, and is buried in New Bedford. Four children, three daughters and a son, survived him, the latter being the youngest child and now an officer in the U. S. Navy, at present attached to the S. S. Ten- nessee, on her way to China. I have the honor and privilege of being the eldest of the family, and my mother has all her daughters with her except the beloved sister next to myself, who died ten years since, leaving a daugh- ter, the only grand-child, as none of the others have ever married." "It was pleasant," writes the grand-daughter already referred to, "to receive a letter bearing the old familiar heading of North Middleborough, a name and place associated with some of the very happiest days of my life, and going to 'Titicut' to visit our grand-parents was all through our childhood and girl- hood, one of the greatest pleasures, both of my sister and self-a home now enshrined among the dearest and brightest of life's memories. A most cor- dial and generous hospitality was always dispensed by my grand-parents, and no one ever visited them but delighted to go again." And of the last Mrs. Colby, not her father's own mother, she again speaks, as "the good, kind grandmother we all dearly loved."
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made available by the teachings of the Spirit and the grace of God, made him now, a man of six and thirty years, to be "a workman, that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," aye, " to behave himself as he ought, in the house of God." That he was held in high es- timation as a man in Maine, before he left to study for the ministry, appears from the fact, that in 1806, he received a commission as justice of peace from Gov. Strong, of Massa- chusetts, (Maine being then a part of this State), and he was also elected the same year, one of the three selectmen and assessors of the town, and school agent, being at the time but twenty-seven years of age. On completing his studies with Dr. Worcester he engaged for six months as travelling missionary of the Massachusetts Home Missionary Society in Maine. He declined several calls to locate and settle be- fore he accepted of the call to North Middleborough. It was certainly fortunate for this church that they were able to secure such a minister, a man of rare wisdom and minis- terial qualifications. Owing to his age, when brought to Christ, he was debarred from the privilege of a full colle- giate course, but his attainments were such, that Brown University, the same year that he was ordained, conferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of Arts, thereby also conferring honor on herself. The pastorate of Mr. Colby in this place is memorable as giving birth to the sab- bath school institution. The first summer of Mr. Colby's settlement, that is the summer of 1817, as I learn from some of the older members of the church, there was a meeting for children to recite verses from the Bible on Saturday after- noon. There were no classes formed, and it could not prop- erly have been called a sabbath school, as it was held on Saturday. The pastor took charge of the service. But in the summer of 1818, it was transferred to the sabbath, imme- diately after the morning service, as now, and took the . form of a sabbath school. Classes were organized and Mr. Bela Kingman was the first superintendent. Mr. Zephaniah Fobes succeeded him. I am sorry that I have not a com- plete list of the officers of the school and the time they
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THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
served, but unfortunately no records were kept till 1859, and we have no certain knowledge of these things. The school was suspended during the winter months, as there were no stoves in the meetinghouse. The first notice of a stove, in the records of the parish, is in 1828, the 10th of March, "Voted, to accept of a stove * and pipe and support it, provided it shall be procured at individual expense. Voted, to choose a committee of three to set it up. Voted, that the stove stand in the porch." Probably this was the time the sabbath school began to continue through the win- ter months. It was not considered essential, in those days, that the teachers or even the superintendent should be con . nected with the church. And one who was a teacher but not a professor of religion at the time, has told me, how when good Dea. David Keith, for a long time superintendent, and a most excellent one, requested all the teachers to ob- serve a certain hour of the week as a concert of prayer for their classes, his own mind was very much exercised on the subject. How could he pray for his class, when he had never prayed aright for himself ? But he did not quite dare to neglect; and so he would go away into the woods, out of sight and hearing, and try to pray. He thinks this, with other influences, brought him to Christ. The sabbath school has two record books, which were commenced in 1859. The secretaries have been Jared F. Alden from 1859 to 1862; Wales Hayward from 1862 to 1866; Daniel E. White from 1866 to 1867 ; N. Williams Keith from 1867 to 1871 ; and Wales Hayward, the second time, from 1871 till now. The records have been faithfully and ably kept. From these it appears that your superintendents since 1859 have been, Dea. Hol- den W. Keith,t and Rev. E. G. Little, one year; Zebulon Pratt, six years; Dea. Solomon White, three years; Dea.
* I understand that this stove was given by Gen. Leach of Easton, and that Messrs. Nahum Keith and E. E. Perkins went to Boston after it and . set it up. A second stove was given by Mr. Albert Pratt of this place, of his own manufacture.
t In addition to the statement of the records, I learn that Dea. Holden W. Keith served as superintendent seven years, and at the close.of his term of office, received the present of a large quarto bible from the school. Sim-
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CHURCH OF NORTH MIDDLEBOROUGH.
Wales Hayward,* one year; and N. Williams Keith from 1871 till now. The attendance in such a stationary popu- lation as this could not be expected to vary much in a long course of years. From the classes of the sabbath school have come the principal accessions to the church. Of the seasons of special religious interest, I shall speak hereafter. The records of this parish or precinct are, fortunately, pre- served, and have been faithfully kept from the beginning. As the credit of this is due to the parish clerks, I propose giving you their names from the first, in the order in which they were appointed : Amos Keith leads the list in 1743, old style, and re-elected every year until 1749, when James Keith was chosen, who was followed in 1754 by Daniel Keith, who again in 1755, gave place to James Keith, serv- ing a second time. He was followed in 1757, by Joshua White, who served till 1775, eighteen years! Then was chosen Abner Kingman, who served from 1775 to 1793, another eighteen years ! He was followed by Solomon Keith, who served till 1798, five years. Avery Fobes, Daniel White, Daniel Crane, Charles Hooper, Samuel Dunbar, Jr., Luke Reed, Jonathan C. Keith, followed for shorter periods, when in 1817, Bela Kingman was chosen, who retained the office till 1826, nine years, succeeded by Geo. W. Pratt, who con- tinued in office till 1837, eleven years. Solomon White was then chosen, who served till 1855, eighteen years, when his son, Solomon White, was chosen, who still retains the office, twenty years.
The office of treasurer in a parish is attended with responsibility and perplexity. The position is laborious, and those who have served in that capacity should be grate- fully remembered. The list is led by Nehemiah Wash-
ilar donations were made Bro. Williams Keith and Dea. Hayward last year. Dea. Keith was preceded as superintendent by Bro. Ebenezer Shaw. I learn that Dea. David Keith and Solomon White, senior, served also as superin- . tendents, beside Mr. Kingman and Mr. Fobes. There may have been others.
*Dea. Hayward has also led the singing in the sabbath school since 1871, following in that position Mr. Charles E. Alden, who was the first to be appointed to that work regularly and who faithfully taught the children. from 1862 to 1871 - nine years.
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THE TREASURERS OF THE PARISH.
burn in 1743, who also acted as moderator at the first pre- cinct meeting, held at his house, in Bridgewater, for organi- zation. He served but one year, and was followed by Joshua Fobes, Thomas Knowlton, Samuel Keith, Amos Keith, Ephraim Keith, David Alden, Jr., Abieser Edson, Jabez Eaton, Daniel Leach, Daniel Keith, Wm. Fobes, whose term of office was brief, but Job. Alden served from 1766 to 1770, and again from 1779 to 1788, and again from 1797 to 1799, fifteen years. He was followed by Solomon Keith, Daniel Leach again, Zephaniah Shaw, David Rich- mond, Solomon Keith, Jeremiah Keith, Wm. Pratt, Job Alden. again, either the father or his son, Charles Hooper, Daniel Crane, Luke Reed, Calvin Pratt, Greenleaf Pratt, Jonathan C. Keith, Wm. Pratt again, Dr. Morrill Robinson, Elijah E. Perkins, when in 1835 Solomon White was chosen, who held the office till 1855, or twenty years, when his son, Solomon White, succeeded him, who still retains the office, twenty years. Much of the financial credit of the parish, and promptness in fulfilling its engagements are due to the fidelity and painstaking of the treasurer. The question has been once and again agitated in the precinct, of being set off from Middleborough and Bridgewater as a distinct town - first in 1743, when the precinct was established, again in · 1792, and the third time in 1821. It may have been agitated since, but as yet without success.
When the parsonage was made ready, the minister, Rev. Mr. Colby, was ready to occupy it, with his second wife, Maria Otis of Barnstable, daughter of Gen. Joseph Otis, and niece of James Otis, of Revolutionary memory, to whom he was married the 1st of January, 1818. Mr. Colby had already named a son of his first wife Harrison Gray Otis, after a friend whom he much respected, in Boston. This son, assisted to an education by his mother's brother, . Dr. Sewall of Washington, became a distinguished member of. the Bristol county Bar, married a daughter of John Avery Parker of New Bedford, and was promoted to the Bench. His wife still survives him as Mrs. Dr. Lambert of Charlestown. The second Mrs. Colby lived about three
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CHRUCH OF NORTH MIDDLEBOROUGH.
years, having deceased in 1821. 20th of May, and is buried with her only child, Wm. Otis Colby, who died in infancy, July 17th, 1820, in Barnstable. The third Mrs. Colby was Eliza S. Standish of New Bedford, an own cousin of his first wife, to whom he was married the 8th of January, 1824, who survived her husband and lies buried by his side in the neighboring cemetery. Two of their little children sleep with them, Alexander Hamilton, who died Sept. 11, 1826, aged one year and eleven months ; and Philip H., who died July 11, 1831, aged three weeks. On their stones, parental love inscribed, "Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven," and "Suffer little children to come unto Me." Harriet reached adult age and married Mr. Warren Wheeler of West Roxbury, but she is now dead, leaving three chil- dren. During the four and thirty years of Mr. Colby's pastorate, the church was invited by pastor and delegate to sit in council thirty eight times; once to consult about the division of a church, four times to assist in organizing a church, on eight occasions to consider and assist in heal- ing church difficulties- to consult, and if thought best, . assist in dismissing eight ministers, also in ordaining and installing seventeen. Mr. Colby has recorded one hundred and fifty nine marriages as solemnized by him. Also, four hundred and four deaths in his parish, making an average of about four marriages and twelve deaths each year of his ministry. In 1818 Dea. Elijah Eaton, one of the two dea- cons, Dea. Isaac Wilbur being the other, having become aged and infirm, requested another to be chosen, to occa- sionally act in his place. " On calling for the votes, Bro. Oliver Keith had a majority and was chosen." In 1823, Bro. Keith "having removed out of the parish and been dis- missed from the church, Bro. Job Alden, Jr., was chosen in his place." In 1827, by request of Dea. Wilbur, a deacon was chosen to relieve him, on account of the infirmities of ·age. Bro. Azel Perkins was first chosen but declined, after which Bro. David Keith was chosen and accepted. In 1850, Sept. 20th, Bro. Elijah E. Perkins was chosen deacon. Nov. 1st of the same year, Bro. Holden W. Keith was
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REVIVAL SEASONS.
chosen, and both these brethren remain in office. In 1828. the church voted, on the recommendation of the pastor, to unite with the other churches of the Taunton and vicinity association, in a conference of churches, and delegates have been appointed ever since to represent the church in confer- · ence meetings. The discipline of the church appears to have been faithfully but kindly administered in Mr. Colby's time, eventuating in the recovery and saving to the church, of all but four, who, after due efforts to reclaim, were ex- cluded. The recorded dismissions from the church during Mr. Colby's pastorate, are forty. The baptism of infants is singularly small, indicating an almost entire neglect of the ordinance, in its application to the children of believers. I find only sixteen recorded-and of these, three were the pastor's own children - and baptized by Rev. Enoch Pratt. Of the remaining thirteen, seven were in one family, and two in each of three other families-so that four families only beside the pastor's, appear to have practiced the ordi- nance during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Colby, according to the records. We come now to the admissions to the church by profession and by letter. The pastor himself is at the head of the list, received by letter from the church of Christ, in Hallowell, Me., under the pastoral care of Rev. Mr. Gillett, and during the thirty-four years of his ministry, it: was his privilege to receive to the church, including himself, one hundred and seventy-eight members -principally by profession, and the larger part, as the fruit of seasons of special religious interest. These seasons are readily found. on the records, in the multiplied accessions to the church. The first occurred in 1824, during which year thirty-nine were received to the church. The second was in 1831, the year of a great awakening through all the land, in which year seventy-one united with the church, and of these fifty-four at one time, the 16th of October. There was an accession of seven in 1842, of eleven in 1843, and of nine in 1850; subtracting these accessions during five years, one hundred and thirty-seven, from one hundred and seventy- eight, the whole number received, and there remain forty-
8
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CHURCH OF. NORTH MIDDLEBOROUGH.
one for the remaining twenty-nine years. Alas! that so many should wait for such a revival season, which may never come in their lifetime, when it is written : "Behold now is the accepted time-behold, now is the day of salva- tion." There were seasons of sad decline, when everything languished. How difficult it was to meet the expenses of the parish ! The people were almost ready to charge the. minister with the blame, and make him the scapegoat for their sins. But when minister and people sought unto the Lord and laid all. their sins on Jesus, and scores were brought sorrowing to His feet, what a change ! The records show it. It was only in February, 1831, that a committee was appointed to confer with Mr. Colby about less salary. and this when only three hundred dollars were raised by tax, relying on the fund for the rest .* But after the revival, you hear no more of this, rather you hear of an additional . sum raised for the minister, and the same year, 1832, it was voted to renovate, repair and paint the old meetinghouse, to put in an additional number of stoves, and warm up, not only the entry, but the whole house, to build sheds, remem- bering that the "merciful man is merciful to his beast," and to lower the pulpit so as to bring the minister nearer to the people. Indeed, after the revival, they appear to have felt equal to almost anything. It was soon after this the church procured a new service of plate for the communion table. It was after the religious awakening of 1824, that a new bell was secured, weighing nine hundred' and four pounds.
The only printed sermon of Mr. Colby which I have seen, was preached at the fourteenth anniversary of the Palestine Missionary Society in 1835, in Randolph, from the text in Isaiah LXV : 8-10, in which the conversion of the
* Mr. Colby, like his predecessor, Mr. Gurney, for some years took scholars, and thus increased the means of his support. Some, who were his pupils, speak of him with great reverence and affection. He was every inch of him, a gentleman - and none, whether young or old, could ever approach him without respect and admiration for those royal qualities, which made him the man he was.
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MISSIONARY WORK.
Jews and their restoration to Palestine are forcibly pre- sented. It was one of the earliest movements of Mr. Colby, in coming to North Middleborough, to suggest the forma- tion of a ladies' society,* to assist in the missionary work. Mrs. Colby was president. Money was raised toward the support of Messrs. Fisk and Parsons, in Palestine. The constitution declared its purpose to be, "to promote the. glory of God and the good of humanity." I have secured the loan of a manuscript sermon of Mr. Colby, preached on the occasion of the death of the mother of Dea. Perkins, from the text, 2d Tim. IV : 7, 8,-" I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course- I have kept the faith." The sermon contains an admirable exposition of the text, and an application to the decease of a most worthy and valued member of the church of Christ in this place for thirty-three years. Mr. Colby was a writer of hymns. You may remember one which he wrote for the occasion of a parish visit at the parsonage, bearing date " Nov. 9, 1848." "On Afric's desert sands so drear, O'er bleak Sahara's arid soil, With weary steps, 'mid hope and fear, The vent'rous travellers onward toil.
'Mid the wide waste, with eager eye, While they their lonely way pursue. A sweet oasis, fresh and nigh, With lovely verdure, meets their view.
Here let them pause - the scene enjoy, Pure waters drink, breathe fragrant air; Remit awhile their stern employ, Regal'd with all that's fresh and fair.
So christian pilgrims on the road Across the world's wide moral waste. While travelling homeward to their God, Eager the promis'd bliss to taste,-
A verdant flowery vale descry, Where virtue grows, and friendships bloom, And love's pure fires, that never die, Burn bright to dissipate the gloom.
* The Ladies' Benevolent Society, at present in existence, is not the same but similar -not limited to any one object, but ready for every good work and labor of love. It has been in existence about thirty years only. It has provided an organ for the church at a cost of thirteen hundred dollars, and now proposes re-carpeting the church. The ladies also have maintained for many years a prayer meeting, now held at private houses on Saturday evening.
60 CHURCH OF NORTH MIDDLEBOROUGH.
Here, in this lovely vale we meet In sacred friendship's bowers embrace, Here hold communion pure and sweet, As friends of God, and heirs of Grace.
Pure friendships built on love divine, Survive the tomb and live on high,- There ripening, grow, expand, refine, In worlds of bliss, above the sky.
As we pursue our heavenly way, Such may our christian friendship prove,
Till raised to realms of endless day, Where trees of life bear fruits of love,-
There 'mid the blood-wash'd, holy throng, In robes of white, with praise and joy,- With victor's palms and choral song, May we eternity employ."
I requested an intimate ministerial friend and neighbor. of Mr. Colby, Rev. Enoch Sanford of Raynham, to give me his impressions concerning his ministry. They are as follows :
"He had a good capacity for self-culture, which he failed not to improve. By his good sense and pastoral habits, he soon gained the affections of the people. "As a preacher, he was considered by his brethren and his hearers generally, both interesting and edifying. The style of his discourses was plain, scriptural and impressive. They possessed those excellencies, called by Cicero, 'lucidus ordo,' and by Dr. Blair, 'perspicuity.' No one, in going away from hearing him, would have to ask,- what was his subject, what did he prove, what was his application, for these were all made so plain that few would fail to know them. He was a prac- tical preacher as well as doctrinal. He never aspired to rise into mysterious points of theology, which have been sub- jects of contention for centuries, and are not yet settled to the satisfaction of the learned. He aimed at teaching men the fundamental truths of the gospel, and adapting his style to their capacities. Hence he made no attempts at oratory or to show his knowledge of philosophy or literature. Divine subjects seemed to be clearly apprehended, and he had a happy faculty of clearly exhibiting them. He was judicious in his texts and in the arrangement of the parts of his dis- course. While he aimed at no eloquence, he endeavored to impress upon the minds of his hearers the truths he was uttering. He used illustrations and figures of speech -but they were always dignified and comely. He never descended to the low and vulgar. All his discourses at extra meetings were without notes, and his extemporizing was easy and
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