USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wakefield > Wakefield Congregational church; a commemorative sketch. 1644-1877 > Part 2
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for their brevity, and this is sufficiently so to justify me in quoting it.
At a meeting of the church. Sept. 1. 1768, Dea. Samuel Bancroft being Moderator, the church voted-"That, where- as we have for a considerable time past lived in neglect of the Lord's Supper, by means of some perplexing circumstan- ces attending our affairs, we unitedly humble ourselves before God for our sinful neglect, and implore forgiveness through the blood of atonement, and grace for the future to honor Christ by a careful attendance on all his ordinances : and our purpose is, by the leave of Providence. to attend the holy supper with all convenient speed. hoping there to meet with Christ, and sit together as friends and brethren, forbearing one another and forgiving one another, as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us." Fewer church difficulties would vex the hearts of men if such a spirit could be brought to bear upon them.
The position of this church during the carly part of its his- tory was one of greater relative importance than that which it has maintained since. Being the first church established within a circuit of several miles, it was the centre of more extended influences. The churches of Lynn on the east, Charlestown on the south, and Woburn on the west, were the nearest it ; while there was none on the north. The peo- ple settling in that part of Charlestown now covered by the towns of Melrose and Stoneham, in that part of Lynn now called Lynnfield, and over all the tract embracing the towns of Reading, No. Reading and Wilmington, came here to worship. In none of these places, however, had the number of members increased sufficiently to justify the. formation of other churches till the year 1720-seventy-six years after this church was formed. The membership of this had then reached 236-a larger number than it has ever attained since. till very recently. The year 1720 was signalized by the sending forth of two colonies-that of Lynnfield. and that of No. Reading. In 1729 the church in Stoncham was formed. and in 1733 that in Wilmington, chiefly from this church ; while it was not till the year 1770, or 126 years after this
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church was formed, that the Old South in Reading was es- tablished. The formation of the church last named was a great grief to this. It took from it 88 members. among whom were many of the wisest and best of its number. It would now be thought very strange should any one suggest that the people of that town should come to this to attend church. for even some of our own school districts are thought quite too far away to permit their inhabitants to come hither to worship. But our fathers had different ideas. Physically, they required less nursing than we : and perhaps their minds were less uneasy, their tempers less impatient, their faith more steady, and their principles better established. Cor- tain it is, that exercise which was play to them is toil to us. and fatigue which they did not notice, becomes an attack of almost fatal discase to their children. They were. however, susceptible to the influences of inclement weather. for there is one entry in the record which informs us that, contrary to the pastor's wish, a church meeting was once held in his kitchen, because of the "sharpness of the present cold."
This church did not cease to enrich other churches when her own particular colonies had all been sent forth. It is among the arrangements of Divine Providence that some of the most influential things we do are those done contrary to our own wish. It was by no means a pleasant thing to the old church, but nevertheless it was a very useful thing, that the Baptist church in this town. three quarters of a century ago, took a portion of the strength and vitality of this body. The gospel as preached by the pastors of this church is in the very life blood of families which have fin- nished many of the most honored and influential members of that church. As a matter of church pride we should be glad if those families were still identified with us, but in a broader view it is no doubt better that they have been led to enter another portion of the common vineyard. There may have been, in former times, a rupture of old friendships, and a loss in some degree of christian charity and brotherly love. but, on the whole, the cause has gained. And if we can but preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, the ap-
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propriate work of churches will be more thoroughly done. and the hopes of christians will receive a more ample fulfil- ment, from the divisions which a former generation witnessed. The Universalist church in like manner received much from this, though without its consent and against its protest ; vet for all the good which that church has accomplished this is quite as ready to thank God as though it were done by itself.
Though there have been great changes in this church since its establishment. yet it is evident. from many facts, that the love of change, for its own sake, has never been one of its failings. Changes in it have been as gradual as those in the general habits of the people. Should you allow your imagina- tion to carry you back one hundred and twenty-five years you would see in the pulpit a venerable predecessor of mine, Rev. Wm. Hobby, with powdered wig, and gown and bands. About him you would perceive an odor of sanctity and authority which the clergy of modern days find it quite impossible to obtain. The Deacons would be sitting near the pulpit in places of honor, and a flavor of sacredness, somewhat milder, but still very marked, would emanate from them. The con- gregation would be seated according to ideas of priority and seniority-the more grave and wealthy and revered occupy- ing pews which the deference of the people had permitted them to cushion and ornament, while, in carefully estimated rank, the less rich and influential are assigned to seats corre- sponding to their degree." Tithing men, ever ready to mag- nify their office, preserve decorum among the young people. and drive out the dogs. The scriptures have no place in the church, and are never read. One of the deacons.reads the hymns line by line as they are sung. The sermon is from one to two hours long, and the prayers are but little shorter ; and when the service is over, the people retain their seats
* Under date of 1730, the parish passed the following: . That Real Estate and Age are the two first aud chiefest rules to go by in seating the meeting house." Then they declared by vote that certain persons who bad attempted to obtain eligible seats in contra- vention of that rule, were acting "disorderly," and ordered them to go back to their former pews. One of the men, not wishing to have such a stigma rest upon his reputation, brought the matter before the next parish meeting, and in consideration of the fact that he had years before expended money on the pew, the disgrace was by vote removed.
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while the parson, with stately tread, walks down the aisle. recognizing by a formal bow the worth of some prominent parishioner, and impressing all but the irreverent with the solemnity of religion.
You need not be told that all this assumption of superiori- ty and portioning out of dignity has passed away. But it faded out naturally. There was no foundation in political theories or prevalent ideas of human equality, for distinctions of this nature. Till the Revolution. there was a hope con- stantly asserting itself, and constantly proving itself futile. that some way would be devised to create an aristocracy in this land ; and that pride which could find no other theatre went into the churches, and sought to createorders there. But the soil of this country never would produce certain kinds of fruit, and this was one of them. The levelling pro- cess began when the colonies were founded, and though many families with courtly ideas fought against it, the con- test was useless. The Revolution was the culmination not alone of political theories, but of social as well. Powdered wigs were thrown aside. Formal distinctions that had lived with difficulty, died easily, and men, both in churches and out of them, came to the conclusion that the only thing that can elevate one above another is substantial worth.
But, though some things have changed in the administra- tion of church affairs, others have not. You have already been reminded that the creed of the church is, almost word for word, the same that was adopted 112 years ago. There are other things that have had a still longer life. Up- on the admission of members, as you know, we ask of them a written or oral public relation of their christian experience. This practice is unknown in many churches, and probably will be found in but few. Should you trace the history of it you would go back 197 years, and you would fall upon a cu- rious record which states that some, having on account of some weakness complained that they could not make their "relations before many." the church was asked whether it would release them, but refused to do so. The liberal ideas of Mr. Prentice led. one hundred years later, to the suspen-
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sion of the practice for a time, but the more conservative views of Mr. Emerson, who followed him, procured its re- instatement, and no one has interfered with it since. The introduction of singing "by rule" savored so much of popery in the estimation of some, that the pastor, Rev. Richard Brown, ventured to favor it with great care. Under date of 1722 he describes with great particularity the steps he took. The account will be found in the town history. Until one hundred years ago the Bible, for a similar reason, was never read in church; but the gift of a handsome folio copy by Maj. Nathaniel Barber of Boston, led to the adoption of the practice. Eighty-six years ago, the rule of inviting mem- bers of other churches present at a communion season to participate in the service, was, by a formal vote, estah)- lished.
For convenience in managing the government of Congre- gational churches, the practice has become universal of ap- pointing yearly a Church Committee, charged with the duty of attending to the spiritual interests of the body. This innovation was made in this church in the year 1823. The arguments for it seem to have been thoroughly canvassed. and the Church voted unanimously to establish such a com- mittee, defining at the same time somewhat minutely its duties.
Social customs always affect, more or less, ecclesiastical in- terests ; and it cannot fail to surprise us, to know that when Mr. Hobby was installed, the occasion demanded the pur- chase of a full barrel of wine. It will surprise us less to know that discipline for drunkenness, even when prominent church members were the culprits, was not of rare oceur- rence. It was a long time before the churches understood, if indeed they yet understand, that of all the foes of religion, the use of intoxicating drinks is the worst.
This evil sometimes gave rise to nice questions of casuistry in the church. In the year 1736 Brother Bryant accused Brother Damon of slander in calling him a drunkard. . 1 church meeting was held. Bro. Damon persisted in charg- ing Bro. Bryant with drunkenness. The record proceeds. "Bro. Bryant, though he disowned the charge of habitual
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drunkenness, yet seemed disposed to acknowledge that he had been overtaken with the sin of drunkenness, provided it might be thought an unchristian procedure in any to call him a drunkard upon such acknowledgment. Whereupon the church passed a vote that it would be looked upon as some- thing unchristian and unjustifiable to call Bro. Bryant a drunkard upon his acknowledgment." He then acknowl- edged and was restored to "charity." The church assented to his proposal, that. if they would stigmatize it as unchrist- ian to call him a thorough drunkard, he would confess that he had been a modified one. The church fulfilled its part of the contract ; he fulfilled his : and the charge of slander was suffered to rest.
Some one has said that the best evidence of the faithful- ness of a church is to be found in its records of charity. Judged by this rule, this church has been faithful. It re- membered with generous contributions its poor members, its colonies, and other churches, even as remote as South Car- olina. In recent times it has given liberally to missions. both home and foreign. During several successive years its charities have exceeded a thousand dollars yearly.
If christian patriotism be another sign of fidelity, the church has at various trying periods given it. A goodly number of its members are found upou the rolls of soldiers engaged in the French and Indian war, that of the Revolu- tion, and that of the Rebellion. One of its prominent mem- bers -- Col. Ebenezer Nichols-commanded a regiment in the French war, and another-Dea. Benjamin Brown-was a Colonel in the Revolutionary war, and afterward a Brigadier General. Several others attained the rank of Captain. The pastor of the church in 1775. Rev. Caleb Prentice, shoul- dered his musket, and, followed by many of his flock. par- ticipated in the Concord fight. while this meeting house served as a place of storage for a large amount of army sup- plies brought from Salem, and afterward removed to Water- town.
The church has enjoyed many revivals, one of the most memorable of which occurred in the year 1803. The parish
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had become divided in theological sentiments. Mr. Prentice. who died in February of that year, had preached the general system of religious belief that Dr. Channing afterwards elab- orated. Though he was personally beloved by the entire community, some of the church did not accept his views. and withdrew to neighboring churches. He was, doubtless. sustained by the majority of his people. Before the year closed, and while a more decided advocate of liberal views was preaching as a candidate, the younger portion of the congregation were suddenly and mysteriously moved by deep religious feeling. The incumbent of the pulpit was not in sympathy with it, and sought to arrest it, whereupon, those who were awakened went from his meeting to one which a few people of the Baptist persuasion had just commenced. This movement alarmed the church ; the candidate was re- lieved from duty ; and a pastor was sought who should be acceptable to the new element. If it be asked. therefore. why a church that had for a full generation been educated by a pastor who was a Unitarian in theology, and was itself prob- ably inclined to accept the same faith, became so strongly and 'vigorously orthodox, the only reply is, that man had very little to do with the matter. The Spirit of the Lord took it into his own keeping and decided it. Of later revivals, doubtless the most general and fruitful one was that in 1875. when sixty persons united with the church by profession.
The Church has been careful to define its position on vari- ous important questions. In 1832 the members voted unan- imously to resolve themselves into a Sabbath Association based on the following article :-.. Believing that all worldly business and travelling on the Christian Sabbath. except in cases of piety, necessity and merey, and all worldly visiting and amusements on that day are contrary to the divine will. and injurious to the social, civil and religious interests of men. we agree that we will abstain from all such violations of the Sabbath and will endeavor to persuade our families and others to do the same."
In 1833 the church passed the following vote : " .. Believing . that the common use of ardent spirit is inconsistent with the
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christian character, Resolved that we will admit none into our body but those who hold to total abstinence from it ex- cept as a medicine." As this position was taken in the carly days of the temperance reformation, it proves that the church did not fear to be radical. if its conception of its duty com- pelled it to be so.
Congregational churches, though independent in one sense, are not so in another : and this church has ever cultivated in- timate relations with sister churches. The councils upon which it has been called to sit have been multitudinous. It has been summoned to churches far and near, to deliberate on all sorts of ecclesiastical questions. The most prominent of these councils was the famous one which dismissed Jona- than Edwards of Northampton, which will be noticed more at length in the succeeding sermon. Rev. William Hobby, one of the old pastors, was esteemed a wise man in his day, and so onerous became the demand for his services that the church voted on one occasion, that, as they had become so deeply concerned in the difficulties of other churches, they would not accept an invitation that had been sent them. That there was weight in the voice of the church appears from the following curious record made in the year 1748. "The Second church in Ipswich being offended with the First. and having, to no purpose, endeavored to compromise the matter, then proceeded to administer letters of admonition. which not answering the designed end, they proposed to send letters to others, particularly to the Ist church in Reading. ( Wakefield, ) desiring them to back or second the admonition. Accordingly I laid the matter before the church, who, con- sidering the importance of the case, desired that the matter might be deferred till the next Lord's day ; when. the con- sideration of the matter being resumed, not seeing sufficient reasons to grant the prayer of the petition, they voted in the negative." The church was ready, when asked by a church to assist in settling its own difficulties, to do so : but when asked to intermeddle in the affairs of another church. it un- derstood Congregationalism quite too well to do it .- a de- vision resting on principles sound enough to justify them-
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selves even at the present day. Under the pastorate of Mr. Emerson the church was represented upon councils that in- stalled Dr. Griffin over the Park Street church, and Dr. Wisner over the Old South in Boston ; and that ordained the missionaries Hall. Thompson and Parker. Within a few years it has been represented upon the council that installed Dr. Rankin in Washington, D. C., and upon the Advisory Council in Brooklyn. N. Y.
The method of conducting ordinations in early times was different from that pursued now. The candidate preached his own sermon. In the diary of JJudge Sewall there is this entry : " Attended the ordination of Rev. Richard Brown at Reading. Mr. Brown preached well." At an earlier day Mr. Pierpont doubtless preached his own sermon, since he gives the name of Dr. Cotton Mather as giving the charge. but says nothing about the preacher. At Mr. Hobby's ordi- nation Dr. Appleton of Cambridge, a man of note in his day. preached the sermon, and 37 years later he gave the charge at Mr. Prentice's ordination. On that occasion the preacher was Dr. Adams of Roxbury. At the close of the entries giving the order of services when Mr. Hobby and Mr. Pren- tice were inducted into office, this sentence, in the hand writing of cach, occurs -. May he obtain merey of the Lord to be found faithful." Upon the council that settled Mr. Reuben Emerson, Rov. Dr. Worcester of Salem, who proba- bly preached the sermon, and Rev. Mr. Chickering of Wo- burn, father of our honored fellow-member. Rev. Dr. J. W. Chickering, were called. At the ordination of Mr. Alfred Emerson, Prof. Ralph Emerson of Andover Seminary preached, and at that of Mr. Hull. Rev. Dr. A. L. Stone of Boston preached. At the installation of Mr. Johnson, the preacher was Prof. Anstin Phelps of Andover, and at that of the present pastor. Rev. Dr. E. N. Kirk preached, and Rev. Dr. R. S. Storrs of Braintree made the installing prayer.
The time allotted to me is so far consumed that I must de- fer to another occasion what I had intended to say about the old ministers of the church. Reserving for that time brief sketches of the first eight pastors. I will give the names of all
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who have been settled here, with the years upon which they began and ceased to act, adding notices of the later pastors :
Began. Ceased.
Rev. Henry Green,
1645-1648
Rev. Samuel Haugh, -
1648-1662
Rev. John Brock. -
- 1662-1688
Rev. Jonathan Pierpont, -
1688-1709
Rev. Richard Brown. -
1711-1732
Rev. William Hobby, - 1733-1765
Rev. Caleb Prentice, -
1769-1803 4
Rev. Reuben Emerson.
- 1804 -- 1850
Rev. Alfred Emerson, -
1845-1853
Rev. Joseph D. Hull.
-
1853-1856
Rev. Joseph B. Johnson. -
1857-1860
Rev. Charles R. Bliss,
1862
Rev. Alfred Emerson, after a prosperous ministry of seven and a half years, found his health to be impaired, and re- signed. Soon he was invited to become a Professor in West- ern Reserve College ; and after remaining in that position a few years, preferring the duties of a pastor, he resigned, and settled in South Berwick. Me. Thence he was called to Fitchburg in this State, where he was highly successful dur- ing a pastorate of twelve years. He now resides in Lan- caster.
Rev. Joseph D. Hull did not remain long as pastor. Dif- ficulties, arising from incongruities between that which was old and that which was young, led him to resign at the end of two and a half years. He became a teacher in Connecti- cut, and in New York City, where he still resides:
Rev. Joseph B. Johnson was a successful minister while here. He, however, soon resigned and engaged in business. Returning to the ministry again, he was settled in Uxbridge. but soon entered into business a second time. The later portion of his career has not fulfilled the promise of the earlier.
During the administration of these later pastors, the usa- ges and instrumentalities of the church have undergone
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slight changes. The Sabbath School, established in 1818. fostered in its first stages by Mr. Emerson, became. under the superintendence of Dea. Aaron Bryant-extending over a period of thirty years-an institution of great value. All the succeeding pastors have given it warm sympathy, and depended much upon it. Prayer meetings have received great attention, and the causes of Temperance, Missions, and Charity under various forms. have absorbed much of their time, study and strength.
The church has adhered to the belief that Deacons should be permanent officers ; and, among the forty members who have served in that capacity, a large majority have died in office. The number of members who have belonged to the church cannot be definitely ascertained, but it exceeds cigh- teen hundred. Of course I cannot speak of families that have from carly times been identified with the church ; of the Smiths and the Cowdreys, the Parkers and the Swains, the Harts and the Emersons, the Hartshornes and the Pools, the Wileys and the Eatons, the Damons. Batchelders and Goulds, and others equally honorable. We know less of them than we wish we knew, yet something regarding them remains. Their highest praise consists in the good work they left be- hind them. They found this spot a wilderness ; they left it a fruitful field. They were a toiling, careful, frugal people, who prized possessions much, but character more ; who loved independence, but gladly acknowledeged their dependence upon God; who had battles to fight. and in fighting grew strong. To suppose them destitute of failings would involve a grave error ; but it would involve a graver one to suppose that they did not humbly lament their mistakes, and ask God to forgive them. They had their conflicts-civil and ecclesiasti- cal-and, if they contended earnestly for the faith once deliv- ered to the saints, it can hardly be denied that they sometimes contended for points in which the faith was not involved, and the temper of the saint was not illustrated. Yet their histo- ry and work prove that that which grew out of their sturdy English resolution ; that which was personal and perhaps sometimes opinionated in them,-was, on the whole, subor-
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dinated to that which was christian and consecrated to the public good.
As we should expect, some descendants of those carly families have become prominent in the world. We find in our list of Deacons three of the name of Bancroft-Thom- as, Raham and Samuel; they were all lineal ancestors of Hon. George Bancroft, the leading American historian. Among our members is the honored name of John Bout- well ; he was an ancestor of Hon. Geo. S. Boutwell. U. S. Senator from this State. Very early among our members occurs the name of Dix ; Ralph Dix was probably an ances- tor of Hon. John A. Dix, ex-Giov. of New York. One of our earliest Deacons was John Damon ; he was an ancestor of Dr. S. C. Damon, now, and for many years. missionary at the Sand- wich Islands. Thomas Parker was one of our early deacons : his Puritan orthodoxy did not, though his blood did, flow in the veins of Theodore Parker. Thomas Eaton was a promi- nent member of the church ; he was an ancestor of Gen. Joseph II. Eaton of the U. S. Army. The lineage of several ministers of note may be traced into this church. Among them are Rev. Dr. Jacob Burnap of N. II., Rev. Dr. Aaron Bancroft of Worcester, Rev. Dr. Brown Emerson of Salem, Rev. Dan- iel Temple, missionary of the American Board, Rev. Alfred Emerson of Lancaster, and Rev. Frederick S. Wiley of N. Y.
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