USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Taunton > The ministry of Taunton, with incidental notices of other professions > Part 15
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The ministry of Mr. Prentice was far from peaceful. There were two parties in the church, one of them under the direction of the Pastor, and the other following the lead of Edward Hayward, Esq. A Council was called, in 1752, which, in their Result, reprove both parties, but fail of healing the difficulties. "The Council sat two days, hearing the parties, and drew up a long Result, in which," according to the Records, " not a word was said upon, or about the main, yea, only thing for which they were sent to, but blaming each party in some things, remote from the main business, upon the whole advised, that we all speedily meet together, to appoint a day for solemn Fasting and Prayer, on account of ye many sins committed in this day of temptation, and send for some neighboring ministers to assist in the solemnities thereof, and to proceed on said day, solemnly to renew the covenant the church came into previous to Mr. Prentice's Installment among them, pre- paratory to their attending the Lord's Supper together,
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which Result being left ye Council adjourned (Sine die) and went off."
They certainly left very good advice to a divided, dis- turbed church. The Result was adopted by the church, and " June 12th was appointed to be the Day of said so- lemnities," which Rev. Messrs. Porter, Crocker and Dodge were invited to attend. The day came and passed away without any permanent advantage.
Mr. Prentice, thinking the source of their continued difficulties was in their form of church government, advis- ed a change, and a majority of the church voted to attach themselves to a Presbytery ; but this worked no better, and at length, the Presbytery at a session in Easton, Nov. 12, 1754, judged Mr. Prentice unqualified for " the office of a Bishop;" and gave him a temporary discharge from Pastoral labor.
All that we know about it, is left on the Book of Records in the handwriting of the misguided, yet sincere, truly af- flicted minister,* in these words : " Because I had received a few of my fellow creatures (and fellow christians, so far as I knew) into my house, and suffered them to pray and talk about the Scriptures, and could not make any acknowl- edgement therefor, to some of my Brethren who were of- fended thereatt, nor to the Presbytery, Voted, that he, the said S. Prentice be suspended from the discharge of the public ministry, until the Presbytery meet again next April. Because by said vote I was deprived of the small subsis- tence I had among my people in Easton, I thought it nec-
* Rev. Mr. Blake of Mansfield, who is preparing a history of the Mendon Association, the oldest in the State, and has had occasion to examine its papers, remarks concerning Prentice : "he seems to have been a kind of 'New Light." Have documents about him in our Asso- ciational papers, disfellowshipping him. A heap of items."
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essary for the Honour of God, and good of my family, to remove to Grafton, which accordingly was done, April 9th, 1755. N.B. - I have never heard a word from the Pres- bytery, neither by letter, nor otherwise, nor they from me, from the day of my suspension to this day, viz: Sept. 5, 1755." Mr. Prentice died in Grafton, May 22, 1773, aged sixty-eight .*
Rev. ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL, son of the minister of Ox- ford, and a graduate of Cambridge in 1761, succeeded Mr. Prentice as Pastor of the Church in Easton. He was ordained, Aug. 17, 1763, and remained in office until July 31, 1782,t for a period of nineteen years.
Rev. WILLIAM REED succeeded Mr. Campbell. I have received the following sketch of Mr. Reed's personal his- tory and ministry from his son, Rev. David Reed :
" Rev. William Reed, of Easton was the son of William Reedt and Silence Nash of Abington, in Plymouth county, Mass. He was born on the 8th of June, 1755.§ His boyhoood and youth were spent in the usual engagements and labors of New-England farmers' sons of that day. Having enjoyed during this period the advantages of a religious home, he became early established in christian principles and exemplary habits of life. At about the age of nineteen so strong and decided was his interest in re- ligious subjects, that he expressed to his parents the desire to obtain a collegiate education with a view to the ministry,
* Mr. Blake's MS. Letter.
t The Am. Quart. Register gives a later date, but I follow the church records.
¿ He was the son of Jacob Reed of Abington, who was the son of Wil- liam Reed of Weymouth, who was the son of William Reed, who came from England and settled in Weymouth about the year 1634.
§ It was Sabbath morning, and in the afternoon of the same day he was carried two miles on horseback to be baptized.
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WILLIAM REED.
having had thus far no other advantages of instruction, than those furnished in the then very imperfect winter schools of his native town. But domestic circumstances prevent- ed his entering on his preparatory studies till the age of twenty-one. At that time, June, 1776, (having still the settled purpose of eventually preparing for the ministry,) he enlisted as a soldier in the American army then station- ed at Roxbury, in the siege of Boston.
At the expiration of his term of enlistment, having re- alized enough from his wages to procure the necessary books, he commenced his studies preparatory for college, with Rev. Solomon Reed, of Titicut parish, Middleboro'. He entered Cambridge college in 1778, was graduat- ed in 1782, and entered at once on the study of Divinity with his old teacher and relative, Rev. Mr. Reed, of Titicut.
The term of preparation, at that time, was much less than at present. Having arrived at manhood before he entered college, and having chosen his course of reading, during his collegiate life with reference to his intended pro- fession, he devoted but a single year, after leaving college, to the studies preparatory to the ministry.
Mr. Reed commenced preaching in the autumn of 1783. After officiating with acceptance in several vacant parishes, he was invited to settle as pastor of the Congregational church and Society in Easton, and was ordained on the 21st of April, 1784 .*
* On the 20th of May following, Mr. Reed was married to Miss Olive Pool, - then at the age of seventeen - third daughter of Samuel Pool and Ruth Fullerton, of Bridgewater. The children from this connec- tion were seven sons and two daughters, one of whom died in infancy. The seven sons and one daughter are still living.
After the death of her husband, Mrs. Reed remained in widowhood amongst her husband's people, upwards of forty years, beloved and res- pected for her peace-loving spirit, her gentleness and sweetness of tem- per, and her consistent and exemplary christian life. She died on the
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THE MINISTRY OF TAUNTON.
The ministry of Mr. Reed may be truly called a suc- cessful one. Though not distinguised by instances of ex- traordinary religious excitement, yet, considering its limit- ed duration, - only about twenty-five years - it proved the most important instrument, apparently, of a remarka- ble reformation in the moral character of the town, whose reputation, in most of the neighboring region, had for years previously been very low. The staid and religious character of the first settlers of the town, with some hon- orable exceptions, had not been generally maintained by their descendants, many of whom fell into the vices then common to new settlements. And these moral dangers and tendencies had been aggravated in this place probably, and the tone of society and morals disturbed and injured, by the fact that the two preceding ministries had been far from peaceful and profitable. There was room then, as well as a loud call, for reform. And it was accomplished, as became manifest to all observers, so that at the time of Mr. Reed's decease, Nov. 16, 1809, (at the age of fifty- four,) the reputation of the town, as to its maintenance of order and exemplary morals, stood on a full equality with its neighbors.
This reform, however, aided under Providence, by the increase of knowledge and the general progress of society, was effected not suddenly and with noise, but gradually and quietly as the natural result, so far as his influence was felt, of a faithful devotion to his duties as a preacher and pastor, enforcing all by his own steady and pure chris- tian example.
26th of March, 1850, at the age of eighty-three ; and her eight surviving children, from distant locations, all in health, and at the average age of fifty-four, after thirty-five years separation gathered around her bier at the old homestead, to mingle their tears and prayers, and to lay her pre- cious dust by the side of that of their honored and lamented father.
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WILLIAM REED.
As a preacher, Mr. Reed was principally distinguished for great plainness and simplicity of statement, and direct- ness of address. Though not deficient in logical power, the strong hold which he generally obtained of the atten- tion of his hearers, was much less frequently the result of dispassioned argument, than of his greatly earnest and home-thrusting appeals to the heart. In the construction of his sermons, contrary to the somewhat prevalent cus- tom of some of his contemporaries, he scrupulously avoid- ed all startling, paradoxical statements and niceties of metaphysical discussion, as worse than unprofitable, and tending rather to bewilder than to guide ; whilst on the other hand he aimed and labored with apostolic zeal by plainness of speech and direct personal appeal to enforce the duties of devotion and practical righteousness.
Such a ministry, comparatively short as it was, could not be without marked effect on the religious and devotion- al as well as the moral character of the people. And, happily at the close of his ministry its influence seemed to be set home and sealed in the minds of both old and young by the event of his death. Respected and beloved as he was by his people, and cut off in the midst of his useful- ness, that event left on their minds a general seriousness, and a more than ordinary susceptibility of religious im- pressions ; a well prepared soil in which it may be hoped the seed before and after sown has, through the divine influence, often been ripened, and for long generations to come is to be ripening into fruit for the kingdom of heaven."
William Reed, Esq., another son of the minister of Eas- ton, has furnished me with a MS. Sermon, No. 250, which is probably a fair specimen of his father's style of sermoniz- ing. It is inserted entire.
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THE MINISTRY OF TAUNTON.
SERMON BY REV. WILLIAM REED, OF EASTON IN 1784.
JONAH I. 6.
What meanest thou, O sleeper ? arise, call upon thy God.
W E shall now proceed in our subject by making some observations upon the sinner's arising and calling upon his God.
Sinners, although dead in trespasses and sins in a moral view, yet they have natural life, and natural powers and faculties, and are capable of hearing and receiving in- struction in the great things of religion.
They are capable of reflecting upon themselves, upon death, Judgment and their connexion with eternity, and they are capable of calling upon God for pardon and sal- vation.
I don't know that any body disputes, or disbelieves this. If they do, I appeal to every child of God in this house and ask whether they did not reflect upon themselves, upon their dangerous situation by nature, and cry to God for mercy, before they ever tasted the love of Christ, or were reconciled to God in the spirit and temper of their minds. And I presume they will all answer and say they did.
God commonly works by means, both in the Kingdom of nature and the Kingdom of grace. He gives us the things that are necessary for our subsistence here by means. He causes the Sun to shine and the rain to de- scend to warm and water the earth, to make it fruitful and bring forth food and raiment for man ; and our labour
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REED'S SERMON IN 1784.
is required and necessary to prepare it for use. It is true is comes from God, it is his gracious gift, but it is given in his own way, the way of his own appointment.
The Savior when on earth saw fit to use means in pro- ducing a miracle, which he could easily have accomplished with a word's speaking. When he was about to open the eyes of a man that was born blind, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go wash in the pool of Siloam, which is by interpretation Sent ; he went his way therefore and washed, and came seeing- John ix. 6, 7.
So in the kingdom of grace, God works by means. In the great work of regeneration He uses means, to open the eyes of the mind and bring dead sinners to spiritual life. He makes use of his written word and a preached gospel ; he also makes use of his providences to awaken and call up the attention of sinners.
God not only uses means, but also requires sinners to be in the diligent use of those means that he hath put into their hands for that purpose.
Can any body suppose, when the Lord Jesus Christ anointed the eyes of the blind man with clay, and told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, that he would have received his sight if he had not gone and washed accord- ing to the direction ?
I can't see what reason there is to suppose that he would.
Now God tells sinners to search the Scriptures. He also tells them to seek the Lord while he may be found, to call upon him while he is near, to ask and they shall re- ceive, to see and they shall find, to knock and it shall be
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opened to them. Now can a sinner have any reason to hope or expect that his spiritual eyes will be opened, unless he attends to and follows those directions, any more than the blind man had that his natural eyes would be opened without going and washing in the pool according to the direction of our Saviour ?
It is true that when the sinner has done all that God requires of him, he is an unprofitable servant, and must be saved, if ever he is saved, by rich, free, sovereign grace. But this is the way in which God secs fit to prepare the sinner to receive this grace. What meanest thou, O sleep- er ? arise, attend to those things and call upon God. What is meant by calling upon God, is Prayer. The Idea is arise and Pray.
Much is implied in the Idea of calling upon God, or in Prayer.
Prayer to God implies that the person believes there is a God, a God that can hear and has power to grant the thing asked for.
It also implies some sense of obligation, and a sense of need. Persons never pray to God or ask his help unless they feel some need of it.
We hear nothing about the mariners, that were in the ship with the Prophet praying till they saw their danger. When they saw that they were like to be swallowed up by the raging waves and perish in the Sea, they cry every man to his God. So it is with an awakened sinner, when his eyes are opened to see that he is in a perishing condition, liable every moment to be swallowed up in the sea of God's wrath ; he will cry to God to have mercy on him. And the sinner under the light of the Gospel has infinitely higher reason to hope that he shall be heard and answered
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REED'S SERMON IN 1784.
than the mariners had, for we know not that they had any knowledge of God but from the light of nature ; but the sinner under the light of the gospel has a clear revelation of the mind and will and character of God. From the gospel the sinner has the most encouraging invitations to pray, yea, the most positive command to pray.
Pray without ceasing, pray always, pray with all prayer, is the language of God to us in his word.
God hath prepared the way for our approach to him by the gift of his only begotten and well beloved Son. He was once in our world despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief, but is now exalt- ed at God's right hand to intercede for us, and present our supplications and prayers before his Father's throne.
Through him God can consistently with himself and all his perfections hear our prayers and communicate his grace and salvation to us. The arms of divine mercy are open- ed to receive every repenting, returning sinner.
And the storm of God's wrath is gathering over the head of every sinner that continues in his state of rebel- lion against his King and Judge.
Every sinner that has not fled to Jesus, the city of ref- uge, is under the wrath of an incensed God.
It seems that some in this place of late have been made sensible of this their situation, and have waked up from their security in sin, under the influence of the Divine Spirit, and have called upon God for his pardoning mercy, and we hope are still daily crying to him for help. Let such be directed to go on seeking, till they find the pearl of great price, till they find Christ precious to their souls. Let them not return again to the ways of folly, like the dog to his own vomit, and like the sow that was washed to her
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wallowing in the mire. Knowing that the last state of such a person is worse than the first. There are others, and we have reason to fear there are many, that are asleep and secure in sin, and cast off fear and restrain prayer before God.
Are there not those among us, that constantly live in the neglect of prayer ? If there are such persons, they may be assured that they are yet in the gall of bitterness and under the bonds of iniquity. For prayer is forever the breath of the new-born soul. Let me, my brethren, inquire more familiarly of you whether you do live in the practice or the neglect of the important duty of prayer ? What has been your conduct to-day ? Suffer me to ask your consciences this plain question, whether you have prayed to God this day - whether you have in secret poured out your hearts to God ? Your consciences will answer this question to yourselves. Does it not answer in the nega- tive with many of you ?
Permit me to ask heads of families, whether they have to-day prayed with their families ? What says conscience to this question ? Does it answer no to many of you ? If conscience does not do its office let me appeal to your chil- dren and families, and see whether they are not witnesses against you for this neglect. And will they not appear swift witnesses against you hereafter at the great and ter- rible day of account, if you continue to neglect this im- portant duty ? What meanest thou, O sleeper ? Do you mean to continue in this neglect of God and Religion ? Do you mean to continue in the neglect of this important duty of prayer, so essential to Christianity ? You that are heads of families, do you intend to live and die without ever praying with your families ? or if you intend some
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CHURCHES OF EASTON.
time or other to begin the duty, when ? Why not to-day ? When will you have a better opportunity ? Or do you intend to neglect the duties of religion and take the fatal consequences, and lie down in eternal sorrows ? Resolve what you intend to do and be sure to make a wise and fixed resolution.
Rev. LUTHER SHELDON, D. D., a native of Rupert, Vt., in 1785, and a graduate of Middlebury College in 1808, succeeded Mr. Reed in the Pastoral office at Easton. He was settled Oct. 24, 1810, and still "dwells among " his " own people."
Second Congregational Church.
A division occurred in the original parish in 1828,* and a portion of the church and society have been supplied with the ministrations of the following persons ; Rev. John Sweet ; Rev. Mr. Taylor; Rev. Mr. Dudley ; Rev. S. A. Barnard ; Rev. Paul Dean; Rev. William A. Whitwell ; who is the present minister. t
Episcopal Methodist Church.
This church was organized, (according to Mr. Reed's recollection,) in North Easton, "about fifty years ago."
The Protestant Methodist Church,
is "an offshoot from the former, and erected their first house of worship some seven years since."¿
* Ms. Letter of B. C. Dunbar, Esq. Rev. Wm. Reed of Easton thinks the separation took place in 1833. I wrote Rev. Dr. Sheldon on the subject weeks since, but have received no answer.
t Letters of Messrs. Dunbar and Reed.
# This is a statement of Mr. Reed, son of the former minister of Eas- ton. Mr. Dunbar thinks " the Protestant Society is of about sixty years standing, the Episcopal of about twelve years." Probably Mr. Reed is correct, and the Episcopal branch is the oldest. They are both located in the north part of the town, in the " Ames village," about two miles from the centre.
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THE MINISTRY OF TAUNTON.
Roman Catholic Church.
This is situated in North Easton, and has been in exis- tence "about one year. They have preaching, one service, every other Sabbath, and the largest congregation of wor shippers in town." (Mr. Reed, of Easton, is my inform ant.)
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EARLY SETTLEMENT OF RAYNHAM.
CHAPTER VIII.
CHURCHES AND MINISTRY OF RAYNHAM.
RAYNHAM was a part of the original "Tetiquet Pur- chase " in 1637. It was in this part of the ancient Taun- ton, that James Leonard, Henry Leonard and Ralph Rus- sel erected their extensive Iron Works .*
In 1731, there was a settlement of some thirty families, which seemed sufficient to authorize the petition for a dis-
The town of Taunton, (Oct. 21, 1652,) caused the following entry to be made on their Book of Records : "It was agreed and granted by the town to the said Henry Leonard, and James Leonard, his brother, and Ralph Russel, free consent to come hither, and join with certain of our inhabitants to set up a bloomary work on the Two Mile River. It was agreed and granted by a free vote of the town, that such particular inhabitants, as shall concur together with the said persons in their de- sign, shall have free liberty from the town so to do, to build and set up this work, and that they shall have the woods on the other side of the Two Mile River, wheresoever it is common on that side of the river, to cut for their cord-wood to make coals, and also to dig and take mine or ore, at Two Mile Meadows, or in any of the commons, appertaining to the town, where it is not now in propriety." Accordingly James and Henry Leonard with their associates established their "bloomary," where now are the "anchor works" of Theodore Dean, Esq., a descendant in two lines of the Leonards who obtained leave of the town in 1652, to erect an establishment which for two centuries has been uninterruptedly and successfully carried on by some member of the family. Henry Leonard left Taunton for Lynn, and afterwards Rowley; thence he went to New-Jersey; in all which places he established Iron Works. James remained in Taunton, and is the progenitor of the Leonards of Taun- ton, Raynham and Norton. King Philip, who had his summer residence in that part of Taunton, now called Raynham, was intimate with the Leonards, and liked them much. They repaired his guns, and supplied his people with tools, and provisions. He charged his Indians never to hurt a Leonard -a charge which was faithfully kept. (Baylies' Histor- ical Memoir of Plymouth Colony, vol. II. p. 268. Deane's Gencologi- cal Memoir of Leonard family, p. 5. Sanford's Historical Sermon, Note C.)
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THE MINISTRY OF TAUNTON.
tinct township. Abraham Jones was the principal peti- tioner. In their petition they represent the town as " competently filled with inhabitants." Their principal desire appears to have been, to be better accommodated as to Public Worship. The General Court incorporated them into a town, with this condition, "that the inhabitants of said town of Raynham, do within the space of three years from the publication of this act, procure and settle a learned and orthodox minister of good conversation, and make provision for his comfortable and honorable support; and likewise provide a schoolmaster to instruct their youth to read and write." Their meeting-house was already built, but not entirely finished. "The first town-meeting for the choice of town officers was held the 22d of April, 1731. On the 10th of May following, they assembled in town, that is, parish-meeting, and voted to pay all expen- ses incurred in building the meeting-house thus far, by levying a tax. At the same meeting, (a church not hav- ing been yet organized,) it was voted, to make choice of a minister. Accordingly,
Rev. JOHN WALES, who had been preaching to them about one year, was chosen first minister of Raynham;"* which call, being unanimous, he saw fit to accept. In his letter of acceptance, he thus expresses himself : "I rejoice to see you thus united for the settlement of the Gospel amongst you, and can do no less than with gratitude ac- knowledge the respect that you have shown to me in giving me the offer of settling with you; but as the work of the
* Rev. Enoch Sanford, for many years, minister of Raynham, in an interesting Historical Discourse in 1832, made the preceding statements. From him, quoting from the Parish Records, I learn that Mr. Wales' "salary at first was £100 per annum, old tenor; and he received £200 settlement. His yearly income was afterwards increased to £400, old tenor, which was £53 6s. 8d. lawful money, or $178,77."
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