USA > Maine > History of the Baptists in Maine > Part 4
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1 Concerning this visit of Mr. Smith to Falmouth, now Portland, Dr. Deane says in his Journal (p. 322) : "Rev. H. Smith and Burnham here. Burnham urged me to invite Smith to preach, which I refused to do."
2 William Cotton and John Cotton were sons of Dea. William Cotton of Falmouth. Bryant Morton, known as Capt. Bryant Morton, was a selectman in 1765. In 1772 he was a member of the Committee of Safety and Correspondence. Dec. 31, 1774, when Gorham voted to adopt the association agreement of the Continental Congress and a committee was chosen to see that the plans of the Continental Congress were complied with, Capt. Morton was placed at the head of the committee. At the same meeting Capt. Morton was chosen a delegate to the Provincial Congress. He was also a delegate in 1776. In 1777 he was a representative to the General Court of Massachusetts. His military title he received during the Revolution, when he commanded a company of eighty men, called Seacoast Guards, stationed at Fort Hancock, Cape Elizabeth, now known as Fort Preble. After the Baptist church in Gorham gave up its organization, Capt Morton identified himself with the Free Will Baptists. If the Mrs. Morton whom Mr. Smith baptized was Capt. Bryant Morton's wife, it must have been his first wife Thankful, and the mother of his ten children. Capt. Morton married a second wife in 1771. See Mclellan's History of Gorham, pp. 680, 681.
8 Gorham at this time was without a settled minister, and Mr. Clark was probably Rev. Ephraim Clark of Cape Elizabeth, whose pastorate at Cape Elizabeth was from May 21, 1756, to Dec. 11, 1797.
4 Possibly at Saco Falls, sometimes called the Stone Fort.
5 Massabesic, a part of Philipstown, afterward incorporated as Waterborough. It took its name from an old Indian woman who lived beside the pond that still bears her name.
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Preached in Philipstown [Sanford] meeting house from Jer. 3. 22. - Sab. 5. Preached in a barn in Philipstown, because there was not room to hold the people in the meet- ing house, and likewise because the barn was handiest to the river, where I baptized that day Simeon Coffin and Sarah Coffin. Preached two sermons in the barn, from John 15. 10 .- Mon. 6. Preached in Mr. Emery's pulpit in Berwick from Heb. 2.3 .- Tues. 7. Preached in the fore- noon, from Gen. 28.12, at Dr. Knight's, and in the after- noon at Dr. Lord's from Jer. 31. 20."1
Mr. Smith preached on Thursday and Friday at Brent- wood, and then returned home. "The Lord," he says, "I trust was with me through the whole journey, and owned my labors much." A report of his labors was given to the Haverhill church, and the ten persons whom the pastor had baptized were received into its membership.
In Mr. Smith's diary there is no record of his visiting the Province of Maine in 1768, but we know that he came hither. The journey was made in company with several of the members of the Haverhill church, including two of its deacons. June 20, 1768,2 he organized a Baptist church in Gorham. Rev. Josiah Thatcher was at that time the town minister, having been ordained Oct. 28, 1767. The members of the new church now declined to pay the min- isterial tax for Mr. Thatcher's support. Bitter opposition was thus awakened and suits were commenced for the purpose of coercing payment. The Massachusetts law8 at that time was that no Baptists were to be exempted from ministerial taxes in the places where they lived, "but such whose names shall be contained in a list or lists to be taken and exhibited on or before the 20th of July annu- ally, to the assessors of such town, district, precinct, or parish, and signed by three principal members of the Anabaptist church to which he or they belong, and the minister thereof, if any there be: who shall therein cer-
1 Guild's Chaplain Smith, p. 118.
2 Backus' History of the Baptists in New England, Vol. 2 (Ed. of 1871), p. 179.
3 It was passed Nov. 23, 1757, and was in force thirteen years.
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tify, that the persons whose names are inserted in the said list or lists are really belonging thereto, that they verily believe them to be conscientiously of their persua- sion, and that they frequently and usually attend public worship in said church on the Lord's days."1 Joseph Moody, a member of the Gorham church living in Scar- borough, presented to the parish assessors in Gorham the certificate required by law. Says Backus : "Yet distress was still made upon him for taxes to parish worship. For such a tax of about six dollars, a good riding beast was taken from him in 1771; he therefore presented proper vouchers of these facts to the Assembly at Boston, Jan- uary 26, 1774, with a petition, that like the good Samar- itan, they would again set him upon his own beast. A committee was sent out upon it, whose report was to dis- miss the petition, which was done."2
A few days after the organization of the Gorham church, Mr. Smith organized a Baptist church in Berwick. The first entry in the records3 of this church under date of June 28, 1768, when the church was organized, is as fol- lows :
"June, 1768.
"Articles of Faith adopted by the First Baptist church of Christ in Berwick :
"We, the underwriters, concluding it expedient to unite as Christian brethren in a particular Baptist church, do jointly as such profess to be built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone. This we profess in the presence of God, angels and men, and do mutually declare the old and new Testaments to be the rule of our faith and practice. And the doctrines as follows to be by us maintained.
"1. That there is but one God, consisting of three persons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost; supreme, over all
1 Backus' History of the Baptists in New England (Ed. of 1871), Vol. 2, p. 141.
2 Backus' History of the Baptists in New England (Ed. of 1871), Vol. 2, p. 179.
8 The original records are not in existence. In a book bought March, 1797, there are records, copied at that time, to Nov. 28, 1772. The next record is under date Aug. 28, 1794.
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blessed forevermore; happy in himself and not liable to any disappointment in any of his everlastingly intended operations.
"2. That these three characters, united in one, do act in conjunction to promote our salvation. The elect are the Father's gift to the Son, redeemed from death and hell by his active and passive obedience; sanctified by the Holy Ghost and made fit for glory.
"3. That there is but one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
"4. That all the elect were personally chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
"5. That in Adam all the human race fell and lost their primitive rectitude.
"6. That supernatural grace is absolutely necessary to render our persons and services acceptable in the sight of God.
"7. That baptism by immersion and partaking of the Lord's Supper are to be complied with upon a satisfactory profession of faith in having been regenerated or renewed by the Holy Ghost.
"8. We acknowledge the authority of civil government and that due respect and obedience ought to be paid to civil officers.
"9. We do promise that through the assistance of divine grace we will endeavor to perform all our respec- tive duties towards God and each other ; and practice all the ordinances of God; according to what is or shall be made known to us and in our respective places to exercise, practice and submit unto the government of Christ in his church.
"10. We do declare it our mind that none are qualified members of the church of Christ but such as have been wrought upon by the grace of God, delivered from their sins by the justifying righteousness of Christ, and have had the evidence in their lives and conversations and have made a profession of a saving interest in Christ, 4
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and have been baptized by immersion in the name of the holy Trinity.
"11. We believe that the imposition or non imposition of hands upon believers after baptism is not essential to church communication, but where the image of Christ is according to God's word and the persons keeping approved duties as the gospel directs ever complying with gospel order, we are ready to hold communion with all such walk- ing orderly in the church of Christ.1
"12. We do adopt this as our confession of faith which in a judgment of charity is agreeable to the word of God : viz., the confession of faith put forth by the elders and brethren of many congregations of Christians baptized upon profession of faith only holding the imposition or non-imposition of hands as already mentioned."
To these articles the names of the seventeen con- stituent members of the church are appended : Joshua Emery,2 John Knight,3 Wm. Taft, James Lord, Thomas
1 Roger Williams, in some of his writings (Bloudy Tenent, 21, Pub. Narraganset Club, III, 65, Hireling Ministry 6), insisted on the laying on of hands as a proper sequel of bap- tism, and a sacrament of equal importance. Some Baptists in England had adopted the practice as one required in Hebrews 6: 1, 2. The First Baptist church in Providence adopted it, and in consequence Mr. Olney, about the year 1652, led out a company of dis- senters, who formed another church, which continued until 1718. Most of the Baptist churches in Rhode Island adopted the practice, and made it a condition of communion. Soon after President Manning came to Providence as the head of the college he was invited to preach. He was also asked to partake in the communion. There were those who protested, but a large majority of the church decided to allow the president the priv- ilege of occasional communion. He also prevailed upon the church to admit other Bap- tists to occasional communion with them, but they admitted none as members until after his death. Rev. Hezekiah Smith of Haverhill was a friend of Manning, evidently shared his views, and his hand is doubtless to be recognized in the framing of these articles. See Backus' History of the Baptists of New England, Vol. 2, p. 493 (Weston's Ed.), and also Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Formation of the First Baptist Church in Providence, R. I., pp. 40, 45.
2 "A prominent circumstance connected with the introduction of Baptist sentiments into Berwick was an incident in the life of Mr. Joshua Emery. Previous to the visits of Mr. Smith, Mr. Emery had separated from the Congregational connection. Although esteemed a man of eminent talents, and a Christian sound in orthodoxy, yet, on account of his dissenting views, he obtained but little favor with the community. By way of irony and ridicule he was called a New Light. As God directed Cornelius to send for Peter and at the same time was instructing Peter to comply with the summons, so now the Holy Spirit was directing the steps of Mr. Smith this way, and also led Mr. Emery to invite him to visit Berwick ; subsequently, Mr. E. became a principal actor in the Bap- tist cause." Rev. E. Worth, Centennial Discourse, p. 11. Mr. Emery was never ordained.
3 According to the records of the Second church in Berwick (Congregational), John
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Jellison, Richard Thurrell, Abraham Lord, jr., Richard Dean, Ephraim Blaisdell, James Jackson, John Gowen, Adah Emery, Mary Knight, in the record "the first Bap- tist who ever resided in Berwick," Sarah Lord, Elizabeth Lord, Mary Grant,1 Mary Jackson.
After the above entry appears the following covenant : "Being incorporated into a Baptist church of Christ ; by considering and approving the Baptist Confession of Faith, through examining the Scriptures, we find them point- ing out that way of worship prescribed by Christ and his apostles ; we do heartily comply with them desiring these truths may spread far and wide. And as we profess this, we promise to walk according thereto as God shall enable us, and that we will help to support and assist in every- thing conducive to the spread of the gospel in this place as God shall help us, bearing our part of all necessary charges that may arise in this church of Christ hereafter."
The following were chosen officers of the church : Joshua Emery, elder ; John Knight, deacon ; John Knight, clerk ; Joshua Emery as a general moderator. The record closes with the statement, "The Rev. Hezekiah Smith and two of his members being present, the whole was concluded with their approbation and others."
Mr. Smith and his associates returned to Haverhill and reported to the church the results of their visit. July 8, 1768, the Haverhill church "Voted to approve and confirm the proceedings of our pastor, Deacon [Jacob] Whittier, Dea. [Samuel] Shepard and Elder Greenleaf, in dismissing members from this church and constituting two Baptist churches, one in Gorham and the other in Berwick."
One of the first acts of the new church is thus recorded : "Sent to the churches in Massachusetts for their fellow-
Knight was chosen deacon of that church July, 1763, in place of John Shorey, deceased. It is added : "Dea. John Knight joined the Baptist church." He resigned his deaconship in the Congregational church June 9, 1768.
1 The records of the Second Congregational church in Berwick have this entry : "Mrs. Elizabeth Lord asked to be dismissed to the Baptist church in this town. Request denied, it being a society with which we are not in communion as a regular church." This was Sept. 27, 1769.
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ship by Joshua Emery, teacher."1 This was to meet a legal requirement, and the church received the fellowship of the First and Second Baptist churches in Boston and the First Baptist church in Haverhill. In August follow- ing the church appointed J. Knight, J. Emery, W. Thurrell and J. Lord to sign the certificates required by law for exemption from the ministerial tax, and the first persons who received such certificates are recorded as follows : In the First Parish, Ebenezer Dennett, James Gray, John Gowen, John Emery ; in the North Parish, Gabriel Hamilton, Richard Ricker, George Brown, Abra- ham Lord. But the members of the Baptist church in Berwick, like those in Gorham, were not allowed to avail themselves of the exemption which the law provided. Backus states the case thus :
"Mr. Joshua Emery was their teacher, though not ordained. They gave certificates according to law, yet were all taxed to other ministers, and John Gowen was imprisoned therefor in December, 1769. The like was done to Mr. Emery the next month, and he sued for recompense in both cases, but they were delayed till July, 1770, when Emery asked for a summons to bring the collector with his warrant. The judge ordered the clerk to give one, to bring the collector with his original list. He came with it, but not the warrant, and the counsel for the defendant said there could be no trial without the warrant ; and the case was turned against Emery. He appealed to the Superior Court, where the collector was brought with his warrant; but then he swore that he did not take Emery as a prisoner. Emery told the Court that he did take him and carry him to York, and held him as a prisoner thirty hours, and requested time to prove it, either now or at the next term. This was denied him, and judgment was given against him. With difficulty he obtained a continuance of his friend's case ; and the parish committee promised to let the Baptists alone till that case was tried. Yet in a few days another tax was imposed
1 Rev. E. Worth's Centennial Discourse delivered at No. Berwick Sept. 10, 1868, p. 13.
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and demanded. Upon this a complaint was entered to authority against the former collector for false swear- ing, and he was bound over to court upon it, but he repeatedly said he hoped the day of death would come before that day of trial. And behold, he died suddenly just before the Court! Yet this did not hinder the next collector from coming and seizing Mr. Emery's horse, while he was visiting a sick person. The parish assessors were sued therefor in January, 1771, and though they tried a number of crooked ways to delay the matter, and to defeat the design, yet both this and his friend's case, that was continued, were finally turned against the assessors. John Emery of York, joined to said society, and got the same certified to the assessors of the parish where he lived ; yet he was taxed to their worship, and when he was from home, a collector came and seized his pewter therefor. But experience has since taught their oppressors to cease from such violence. This account is carefully taken from authentic vouchers now in my hands."1
Although the church was weak, and its members were subjected to such bitter persecution that we find under date of August 18, 1770, the church "chose Bro. Emery to go to Haverhill in behalf of the church, and represent the grievances," the brethren were active in Christian work. In December of that year it was "voted that Bros. Knight, Frost and Lord be a committee to go to Lebanon to enquire into the state of the church there."
Differences early manifested themselves in the Gorham church, and these at length led to its dissolution. A ref- erence to these differences we have in a record of a visit to Gorham made by Rev. Hezekiah Smith in 1772. "Mon. Jan. 20. Began a journey to Gorham. Went that day to
1 Backus' History of the Baptists of New England (Ed. 1871), Vol. 2, pp. 165, 166. Sullivan, in History of Maine, p. 79, says, "There never was anything like persecution in the District of Maine." But Backus (History of the Baptists of New England, Vol. 2, p. 482) very justly remarks: "But all ought to know that reviling and lying, as well as spoiling of goods and imprisonment for matters of conscience, are persecutions in the sight of God. Matt. 5:10, 11, Heb. 10: 42-44. And has there been nothing like these in the District of Maine ?"
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Nehemiah Gilman's in Exeter .- Tues. 21. Went to Dea. Knight's in Berwick .- Wed. 22. Went to Dea. Wooley's in Freetown on Saco River. Preached that evening from 2 Sam. 18.28, and the next day at the Stone House1 from Gen. 1.2 in the forenoon, and in the after- noon went to Capt. Lane's on Narraganset and preached that evening from John 40. [so printed] 31 .- The next day, I preached again in the forenoon from Gal. 3.9, and in the afternoon went to Hart Williams'2 in Gorham. - Sat. 25. Had a church meeting and settled the differences which had long subsisted among them. The church voted that their receiving Mr. Dawson and part of them ordain- ing him was irregular and they disproved their conduct. - Sab. 26. Preached two sermons from Rom. 3. 25, and then administered the sacrament of the Supper to them."" There are no subsequent references to Gorham in Mr. Smith's diary. The differences evidently did not remain settled, and the church, which continued pastorless, at length ceased to exist.4
1 This was probably the stone fort at Saco Falls erected in the summer of 1693 by Major Francis Hooke and Captain Hill. It may be the block house mentioned by Mr- Smith in connection with his service at Saco on his first visit.
2 Hart Williams was one of the leading men of the town. "He was a corporal in 1757 in Capt. Joseph Woodman's company in the Northern army, during one of the French wars. At the breaking out of the Revolution he was in command of a company of Gorham militia, and when the news of the battle of Lexington reached Falmouth, April 21, 1775, started to march his company to Boston, but after reaching Wells received orders to return home. On the 24th of April, Capt. Williams and his entire company enlisted in Col. Phinney's 31st Mass. regiment of foot. Jan. 1, 1776, he was commissioned captain in Col. Phinney's 18th Continental regiment, and participated in the siege of Boston, and the Ticonderoga campaign of 1776. From May 15, 1778, to Feb. 17, 1779, he served as first lieutenant in Capt. Abraham Tyler's company, Col. Thomas Poor's militia regiment in the eastern part of New York." History of Gorham, Me., by Hugh D. McLellan. Compiled and edited by his daughter, Katharine B. Lewis, pp. 838, 839. See also Nathan Goold's History of Col. Edmund Phinney's 31st Regiment of Foot, Collec- tions and Proceedings of the Maine Historical Society, Second Series, Vol. 7, p. 172.
3 Guild's Chaplain Smith and the Baptists, p. 151.
4 Some think Backus in error in saying that a Baptist church was organized in Gorham by Hezekiah Smith. "I have heard, many years gone by, that there was a person by the name of Hezekiah Smith who preached in Gorham, and that he was called a Baptist, but as to his gathering a church, I think that that was not the case. From 1765 to 1768 was a time of some dissatisfaction in the old church. Rev. Mr. Lombard had gone into secular business, and paid but little attention to his ministerial work. He preached but little, and many said his preaching was not worth half he got, and contended stoutly against paying him his ministerial tax. Many thought themselves persecuted for being
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Mr. Smith's further record of this journey is as follows : "Mon. 27. Went to North Yarmouth. Preached that evening at Briant Morton's from John 1.23 .- Tues. 28. Preached at Mr. Davis' from Ps. 139.7, and in the even- ing preached at Mr. Merrill's from Isa. 28.16, notwith- standing Mr. Gilman, their minister,1 publicly warned them against hearing me after the sermon at Mr. Davis' .- Wed. 29. Went to Falmouth and preached that afternoon at Mr. Burnam's from Rom. 5.2 .- Thurs. 30. Preached in the evening from Zech. 9.11 .- Fri. 31. Went to Mr. Littlefield's in Hollis. - Sat. Feb. 1. Went to Mr. Emery's in Berwick .- Sab. 2. Preached two sermons in the Bap- tist meeting-house in Berwick from Heb. 9.15, and Rev. 22.1, and in the evening' at Dea. Knight's from Rev. 22.2 .- Mon. 3. Went to Philips Town and preached two sermons from Rom. 3.25, and 10.4. - Tues. 4. Preached again from 1. Peter 2.4, and then went to Berwick, and preached that evening at Mr. Hambleton's from Rev. 20.12 .- Wed. 5. Went to Nehemiah Gilman's in Exeter. -Thurs. 6. Went home." 2
The next Baptist church organized within the present limits of the State of Maine was the church in Sanford. As a result doubtless of the labors of brethren connected
compelled to pay what as by law and their own agreement they were obliged to do. But this war was not so much against the doctrine as against the minister, for when Mr. Thacher was settled, who, for a time, was remarkably popular, all quieted down, and the old church went on harmoniously, and we can find of the old settlers none who appear to have seceded. If Mr. Smith preached it was probably at some time during this turmoil, and probably he had hearers, but if he got up a church it certainly was small, or some account or tradition of it would have come down to us." History of Gorham, Me., by Hugh D. Mclellan. Compiled and edited by his daughter, Katharine B. Lewis, pp. 211, 212. Some account, as we have seen, is given in Hezekiah Smith's diary. It may be added that Mr. Lombard discharged "the Proprietors from all further demands upon them, or their heirs, from him, or his heirs, for salaries forever" on May 6, 1762, and his final separation from the church took place Aug. 15, 1764. Mr. Thacher was settled as pastor of the Gorham church October 28, 1767. As Rev. Hezekiah Smith's visit, as recorded above, was in 1772, the "dissatisfaction" at the time was not with Mr. Lom- bard, but with Mr. Thacher.
1 This was Parson Gilman of North Yarmouth, whose residence, on the present line of the electric road from Yarmouth to Portland, about a mile from Yarmouth, is still stand- ing. Parson Gilman's grave is in the cemetery near by, and the large old granite stone that was placed before the entrance of his meeting-house is now resting upon his grave.
2 Guild's Chaplain Smith and the Baptists, pp. 151, 152.
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with the church in Berwick, eighteen persons met August 17, 1772, in that part of the town known as Massabesic, and after deliberation it was decided to organize a Baptist church. The organization was effected Sept. 16, follow- ing. The early records of the church do not give an account of the organization. A page or two may be want- ing. The first entry is as follows :
"After which embodying (on said Sept. 16th) the church proceeded to consider what officers are scriptural and necessary for the health of the church. Agreed that a teaching elder and deacons were needful, etc. Accord- ingly proceeded unanimously to choose Pelatiah Tingley1 to be ordained or set apart to the work of an elder, or office of a bishop, to administer ordinances wherever the Head Shepherd in his Providence may call him. And upon his consenting agreed to send to the churches of Christ in Haverhill, in Deerfield, in Stratham and in Berwick to assist in said ordination this day come five weeks." 2
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