USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Harpswell > Historic Harpswell, Harpswell, Maine, its historic Congregational church and famous ministers. 1758-1903 > Part 2
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you will remain till night I will call the people together on the Com- mon, and I will speak to them from the horse block. The story of what followed is from his own lips. "When the services of the day were over I went to my house, opened the Bible, and my eyes fell upon these words, 'Cursed be he that holdeth back his sword from blood.' I spake an hour from these words, and there were thirty men ready to march the next morning." An examination of the war-rolls of May, June and July 1775 shows that there were two brothers who enlisted from several Harpswell homes, and from the Johnson home came three, David, James and John, enlisting on the 17th of May, 1775. Every strong old family of this church and town was represented in this early struggle for liberty.
How the influence of this scene before the old church went down through the years is well revealed in the poem of Capt. L. H. Stover of Brunswick, from which a quotation was made at the be- ginning of this sketch :
" This also was the training ground, And I can almost hear the sound Of fife, and drum, and clarinet, Music that I shall ne'er forget.
Old Yankee Doodle, White Cockade, And march to Boston, quickly played, To us seemed grand as grand could be, And filled our youthful hearts with glee.
The captains, and lieutenants all, In their plumed hats, looked straight and tall,
The men in common clothes were drest, And each one differed from the rest.
All armed with guns with old flint locks, With bayonet and cartridge box, Old Hessian guns, with muzzles thin, And some with ram-rods rusted in.
In answer to the long roll call They quickly into line would fall, Then the inspector made his round, And many were the faults he found.
Then they were formed in ranks of four, And drilled, and marched, an hour or more, Then countermarched, and wheeled around, And stacked their arms down near the pound.
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The horse-block held the earthen jug, Molasses crock and pewter mug, Where each and all, from last to first Gathered around to quench their thirst."
" Though like the rest of his party, patriotic at heart, the Rev. Samuel Eaton was a Federalist in his belief, and bitterly opposed the embargo of 1812. Preaching at that time at Freeport, he began his prayer thus, 'Lord, thou hast commanded us to pray for our enemies, and we will commence with Tom Jefferson, if he is not beyond the reach of mercy.' He proceeded in like manner to pray for each member of the Cabinet. According to the traditionary account of this service, the Secretary of State was present, being accidentally detained there over the Sabbath, while on a journey. In old times it was customary for the Judges of Court to ride together over the circuit. Upon one occasion they reached Brunswick on Saturday evening, and concluded to remain until Sunday afternoon, and then proceed to Wiscassett where the court was to be held. The parish of Brunswick was then without a pastor, and Parson Samuel Eaton was therefore sent for, to preach in the forenoon. He did so, preach- ing a powerful sermon, and at the close of his remarks, knowing the intention of the Judges to travel in the afternoon, he alluded to their presence in his prayer, thanking the Lord 'that the magis- trates of the Commonwealth cherished such respect for the laws and the Sabbath, that they would not violate them on the Lord's Day.' The Judges were so much interested by the sermon, and so amused by the palpable hit given them in the prayer that they re- solved to remain and attend service in the afternoon. During the intermission they sought an introduction to Mr. Eaton, and were much pleased by his conversation. On their way to Wiscassett the next day they made a contribution, and sent to Boston, and pur- chased a very fine wig, which had belonged to Judge Lothrop, and sent it to Mr. Eaton as a token of their esteem. The Parson was burned with this wig on his head."
After the passing away of such a strong, brilliant, and good man as the Rev. Samuel Eaton, it is no wonder that the church work here seemed under the shadow of a heavy and stubborn cloud. All the parish records and memories which have come down to us from that period suggest a scene with which many of the strong old men had become familiar at sea, where, in the midst of darkness and howling winds and waves, the brave Captain had been hurled from the deck. There were those whose cries of dispair were heard, "We shall never find another like him. We have known and loved him
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in all our lives ! His was a true hand on the helm. How can we go on without him ?" And others answered, "I fear we must give up the ship "? And others said quite as dolorously, " We must try and carry this work on, but we must be satisfied with a man of ordi- nary talents, such an one as we can hire with the money we can raise." But others evermore answered by word and deed in the sturdy vigor with which they had grasped the helm when the hand of the Captain could touch it no more, or the ropes when the hands of brave sailors were suddenly stilled in death, "Nay, but we shall weather this gale - and many more." "God is our refuge and strength ; and so he ever taught us whom an all-wise God hath now taken to himself. God perhaps has for us a truer leader even than even this noble man. We must wait the time until the Lord shall reveal him unto us. Pray, brethren, pray!" So, though we find the committee for pulpit supply hiring one minister and another for short periods, and that hands were reached waveringly out as those who grope in the dark tempest, the influence of these other sturdy and true men and women is felt through a period of nearly twenty years before a pastor whom all thought truly sent of God for this great work was with the people as one born among them. It was in 1844 that Elijah Kellogg came to this parish, the man whose fame as minister, writer, and lecturer, was to reach out even more widely than the influence of the famous Parson Eaton, whose name was so long a household word. Long years after his coming Mr. Kellogg said of this event with the tears of gratitude shining in those clear eyes of his. " It was a case of love at first sight with both parties, and the honeymoon is not yet over. I love my people fondly, and they dearly love me."
The wonderful hardihood of those who had watched and prayed for the coming of a man like Elijah Kellogg is seen in many glimp- ses in the scanty parish records. On Dec. 30, 1823, the parish voted to assent to the Cumberland Church Constitution. In Jan. 21, 1829 the church voted to have a copy of the covenant and articles of faith distributed to each family connected with the church. When on July 14, 1828 the parish voted to call Rev. Mr. Halping to the pas- torate of the Church there were those who said in the positive way in which people of this old town have often spoken, " We want a helping hand - not a Halping. Let us be sure the help is there!" These secured a vote that a wise committee call on this candidate and put plainly before him the true condition of the church and parish. There is no record to show that Mr. Halping preached many Sabbaths in the church. After this it was voted to have Rev. Moses
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Welch for one year. Oct. 3, 1831 the church and parish asked Rev. William Harlow to be their pastor, as he had preached to them through the summer, and he accepted this call and was ordained and installed Jan. 25, 1832. His departure before the winter of 1838 caused considerable division in the parish, but sturdy ones still held fast to the helm, and often repeated, "God has the right man for us and we shall see him yet." Rev. Jotham Sewall pastor at Freeport, Me., preached here for awhile and greatly helped the people. After this came in quick succession Reverends Clark, Cornish, Gillett, Kén- drick, Purington, Merrill, Parsons and Peaseley.
And during this period the President and Professors of Bow- doin College had done much to help this Church out of its difficul- ties by preaching services, gifts of money, and wise counsel which evermore ran in the same line with the thought of the truest mem- bers of this church and parish, " We believe God has for us a strong, true, talented, educated man." Professor Upham of Bowdoin Col- lege was unwearied in his work for this old church, and he probably had much to do with the coming thither of Rev. Elijah Kellogg.
But all this sturdy trust found its grandest culmination in the resolve to form a new parish, build a new church and go steadfastly on its way. A meeting for this purpose was held on Sept. 27, 1843, and what is now the Center Congregational Parish was formed, and a very strong constitution was adopted. The original signers of this constitution held the names of the strongest old families which set- tled in the town, and shows clearly the mighty influence of this church through its long history: Silvester Stover, Joseph Eaton, James Stover, Simeon Orr, Jacob Merryman, Benjamin Dunning, George S. Dunning, Arthur Orr, Thomas U. Eaton, Lemuel H. Stover, Shubal Merryman, William C. Eaton, Daniel Randall, Henry Barnes, Joseph Stover, James Merryman, James Dunning, Jere- miah Merryman, Angier H. Curtiss, Albert Stover, Paul C. Randall, Domnicus Jordan, William Barnes, James Curtiss, Joseph Curtiss, John Durgin, H. C. Martin, Ralph Johnson, Joseph A. Stover, Elisha S. Stover, and Isaac Merryman.
It was also voted at this time to accept the meeting house offered by the proprietors and to assume all the liabilities and duties of the latter. The next day the new church was dedicated with highly interesting services, the sermon by Rev. J. W. Chickering and a noble address to the Church by Rev. George E. Adams, Pas- tor of the Brunswick Congregational Church.
And then, as we have seen, the dark cloud lifted more and more and the man of learning, wit, fervent piety and familiar with all
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things pertaining to life on the sea and shore, came among the peo- ple, and the town was full of thanksgiving. "A true Elijah has come to us in God's good time."
The people had looked him over in many a day before, for Elijah Kellogg had often been in Harpswell in his College days, at Brunswick, and when once asked if he would not come there and preach he had replied, " Oh, yes, if you keep the old church as it is for a memorial of God's goodness and build a new one as a pledge that you believe He will guide you forever." At the dedication of the church the first item is "Reading of the Scriptures by Elijah Kellogg, then on a missionary tour."
" On April 25, 1844, the Church voted, in connection with the parish, to extend an invitation to Rev. Elijah Kellogg to settle as their pastor for three hundred dollars per year for four years. The invitation was accepted, and was subsequently renewed for an in- definite period. Mr. Kellogg's pastoral relation with the church was never dissolved until the Angel Death came to him -"And then he was still more dear to us," one noble friend said. He came to this church full of life and faith and at once set himself with untiring zeal to the upbuilding of the work of it, and firm character in every man, woman, and child under its influence.
Elijah Kellogg was born at Portland, Maine, May 20, 1813, the son of a noted Congregational minister in that city. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1840, and from Andover, Mass. Theologi- cal Seminary in 1843. In 1854 Mr. Kellogg gave up the immediate charge of the church that he might devote himself more carefully to the writing of the books for boys which have had so wide a reading. In his absence good men and true supplied the church. He did not take up this work again until 1865, though he often preached here in the summers, while he had charge of the Seamen's Bethal in Bos- ton, Mass. Thus for a period of over forty-six years he served the church with rare faithfulness until his death on that quiet Sabbath, March 17, 1901, being then in his 88th year. Not many evenings before his passing away I sat in his home and heard him read the 107th Psalm, which was so dear to him, and shall never forget the prayer which followed in which he so earnestly asked the Master to bless His work, especially among those far out at sea.
And then he came to the door with me, and looked around on the place which had been his home so long. "This is the dearest spot on all the earth to me," he said. "These are the trees I planted when they were little shoots; and about me are the people who have been so good to me."
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And I could not but think " And to so many young men and boys this has been and ever will be the dearest spot on earth." For many a College boy had here learned intense love for study and the Master's service. From this home sailor boys had gone out by scores with his blessing resting on them. Here had been written the many sermons and books which had turned so many to the service of God and to noble living.
For, thought it has been but little mentioned in all that has been written of this simple-spirited, brave old man, his earnest mis- sionary spirit was the strongest part of his being. His prayers, and love, and gifts, were constantly going out to others. And as he was on "a missionary tour" when he read the Scriptures at the dedica- tion of the new church so his life was ever on the same great touring for the sad and the lost. It was no doubt the chance for such work which largely influenced him in choosing Harpswell as his parish in- stead of the many city fields of work which he could have filled so well. He saw here that this spirit had been glowing among the peo- ple here, and he did not wish it to die out.
Every year it quickened and glowed under his loving care, and there were every now and then the seasons when many were gathered into church membership. Each summer since his first books were printed has seen in his church strangers from every State in the Union, and some from across the seas - strangers to his sight, but who greeted him as a friend whose words had helped them over many rugged ways of life. "The man who wrote 'Spartacus to the Gladiators,' 'Good Old Times,' the 'Elm Island Stories,' and other like books," was a man dear to thousands of hearts. Their letters to him were a constant source of comfort.
"Of a genial disposition, and with a lively fancy, abounding in anecdote and humor, and, withal, easy of access, a welcome guest at every fireside ; and an incomparable host, his name will be esteemed and cherished by all whose fortune it has been to come within the range of his influence.
In his last words he sent his love to "all the people of Harps- well," and then, repeating the 23d Psalm, he passed out to his great reward.
A funeral service in the Church at Harpswell was largely at- tended by Bowdoin College Professors and students, Professor Henry L. Chapman giving a fine tribute to this strong old friend. The concluding service was in the Second Parish Church in Port-
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land, Me., where his father preached so long. He was buried in the family lot in the city.
And the Harpswell people, sturdy and strong, look up to God through the mists and shadows, believing that the hand of Him who led the fathers thither, and gave them such men as Parson Samuel Eaton and Elijah Kellogg, still has care over this old church. "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved."
MAY 75
N. MANCHESTER, INDIANA
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