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Gc 974.2 N41255m 1878 New Hampshire Baptist Convention. Minutes of the New Hampshire Baptist Convention
MINUTES
OF THE
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Baptist Anniversaries,
FOR THE YEAR
.
1878.
..
NASHUA, N. H .: PRINTED BY H. R. WHEELER, STEAM BOOK AND JOB PRINTER. 1878.
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
Officers of Convention, .
2
Constitution and Rules of Order, 3, 4
Proceedings of Convention, 5-10
Report of the Board, 11-23
Reports from Associations, 24-28
Circular Letter, . 29-34
List of Ordained Baptist Ministers of the State, 34
Constitution of the Associations, 35
Rules of Order of the Associations, 35
Minutes of Meredith Association,. 36-40
" Dublin 66
40-43
" Salisbury 66
·
43-46
" Milford
46-50
" Portsmouth
66
50-53
" Newport 66
53-58
" White Mt. 66
58-60
" N. H. Baptist Sunday School Convention, . . 60-61
" N. H. Baptist Pastoral Association . 62-65
" Conference of Baptist Ministers in N. H.,
66-68
General Tabular View-Meredith Association 69
Dublin 70
71
66
Milford ·
72
66 Portsmouth 66
73
66 66
Newport
66
74
66 66 White Mt.
75
Summary.
75
Disposition of moneys-tabular statement,. 76
Statistical Report. . 76
Compendium, with arrangements for next year,
77
Treasurer's Report,.
78
Compendium of Pastoral Association,
79-80
66
Salisbury 66
4830
MINUTES
OF THE
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Baptist An
FOR THE YEAR
1878.
NASHUA, N. H .: PRINTED BY H. R. WHEELER, STEAM BOOK AND JOB PRINTER. 1878.
OFFICERS OF THE CONVENTION.
PRESIDENT, G. W. NICHOLSON.
VICE-PRESIDENTS,
W. V. GARNER,
J. N. CHASE.
SECRETARY,
W. HURLIN.
TREASURER, A. J. PRESCOTT.
TRUSTEES,
W. H. EATON,
J. S. SWAIM,
E. E. CUMMINGS,
F. MERRIAM,
J. D. TILTON,
S. A. READ,
N. HOOPER,
E. PEPPER,
A. SHERWIN,
C. WILDER,
S. C. FLETCHER,
J. S. BROWN,
D. H. STODDARD,
N. T. GREENWOOD,
W. H. ALDEN,
E. A. BALDWIN,
R. B. MOODY,
G. W. FLETCHER,
W. H. LEAVELL,
J. M. TEBBETS,
W. B. SMITH,
L. W. CLARK.
AUDITORS,
S. HUMPHREY,
F. S. CRAWFORD.
PRUDENTIAL COMMITTEE. .
G. W. NICHOLSON,
W. V. GARNER,
J. D. TILTON, A. SHERWIN,
A. J. PRESCOTT.
LETTERS of business should be directed to Rev. WM. HURLIN, Secre- tary, Antrim.
Applications for aid, together with the last quarterly reports from churches aided, should be forwarded to the Secretary, by the twentieth of September.
Clerks of Associations are requested to send to the Secretary, a manu- script copy of their Minutes on or before the first of October.
All moneys contributed for the Convention should be forwarded to the Treasurer, A. J. Prescott, Esq., Concord, on or before the second Wednes- day in October, which is the date for closing the accounts for the year.
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CONSTITUTION.
NAME.
I. This body shall be known by the name of the New Hampshire Baptist Convention.
OBJECT.
II. The grand object of this Convention shall be to promote the preaching of the gospel in this State.
MEMBERSHIP.
III. This Convention shall be composed of ordained ministers who are members of Baptist churches in the State, of messengers from churches which contribute to its funds, and of life members.
IV. Members of Baptist churches, in good standing, may become life members by the payment of twenty dollars, with the understanding that they forfeit their life membership if they lose their standing in the church.
V. This Convention will receive no more than two messengers from any one church, and it will require of them a certificate of their appoint- ment from the church to which they belong.
OFFICERS.
VI. The officers of this Convention shall be a. President, two Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer.
BOARD.
VII. This Convention shall annually elect twenty-two trustees, seven of whom shall be laymen from each Association; and these, with the officers of the Convention, shall constitute the Board of the Convention. The President and Secretary of the Convention shall also act as Presi- dent and Secretary of the Board. At all meetings of the Board, five shall constitute a quorum.
VIII. The Board shall annually appoint a Prudential Committee of five, with whom the Secretary and Agent may confer whenever desira- ble, and at whose request the Secretary shall, at any time, call a special meeting of the Board.
IX. It shall be the duty of the Board to provide measures for raising funds for the Convention ; also, to dispose of said funds agreeably to the provisions of the Charter and this Constitution, and to transact any other business connected therewith. They shall report their doings an- nually to the Convention.
X. All money, specifically designated for any religious object, shall be faithfully applied according to such specification, or returned to the donor.
XI. If any vacancy shall occur in the Board during the recess of the Convention, they shall liave the power to elect, by ballot, some one to fill the same.
SECRETARY.
XII. The Secretary shall keep a fair record of all the doings of the Convention and of the Board; shall conduct all correspondence; shall give notice of the meetings of the Convention; and shall take charge of all the papers committed to his care, all of which shall be open to the inspection of any member of the Convention.
TREASURER.
XIII. The Treasurer shall take charge of all money and other prop- erty committed to his care; shall keep a fair record of the same; shall
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take special care to enter the names of donors and contributors to the funds of this body, together with the objects for which they were con- tributed, and shall pay them out pursuant to an order of the Board, signed by the Secretary. He shall give bonds for the faithful discharge of the duties of his office. He shall annually report to the Convention the state of the funds, and at any other time when called upon by the Board.
ANNUAL MEETING.
XIV. The Annual Meeting of the Convention shall be held on the third Wednesday of October, at 10 o'clock A. M., in such place as may be agreed upon; and a sermon shall be preached by some person previ- ously appointed.
MISCELLANEOUS.
XV. It shall be the privilege of the Clerk of each Association to present to the Convention a full and correct account of the condition of the churches belonging to the Association which he represents, the number of destitute churches, together with such other information as the Convention may from time to time require.
XVI. At every annual meeting there shall be a free public conference, in which individuals from each Association shall be invited to give an account of the state of religion within their respective limits.
XVII. No resolution or motion implicating, or in any way interfer- ing with the independence of the churches, shall be entertained by this Convention.
XVIII. This Constitution may be altered or amended by a vote of two thirds of the members present at any annual meeting of the Convention.
RULES OF ORDER.
1. Every sitting of the Convention shall be opened and closed with prayer.
2. Soon after the opening of the Annual Meeting, the Committee of Arrangements shall make a report respecting the order and business of the meetings of the session.
3. Every person who speaks shall rise and address the President; and no person shall speak more than twice on the same subject without leave of the presiding officer.
4. If, when a motion has been made, or during the discussion, a mem- ber opposes its being discussed, the President shall immediately put the question, "Shall the question be discussed?" If decided in the nega- tive, the subject shall be considered as not debatable, and the vote shall be taken on the main question.
5. Those subjects shall be considered as constituting the business first in order, which relate to the interests of the denomination in our State; and all other topics shall be introduced through the Committee of Ar- rangements.
6. All committees shall be nominated by the President, unless other- wise ordered by the Convention.
7. The Committee of Arrangements for the next Anniversary shall be Committee on the Order of Business for the same; and the pastor of the church, with which the Anniversary is held, shall be a member of the Committee.
8. These rules shall be read by the President at the opening of the session.
·
FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING
OF THE
NEW HAMPSHIRE BAPTIST CONVENTION.
EXETER, Oct. 16, 1878.
The Convention met in the Baptist Meeting House, at 10 o'clock A. M., and was called to order by Rev. A. Sherwin, Pres- ident. Hymn 258 in the Service of Song, was sung, and pray- er was offered by Rev. E. E. Cummings, D. D.
1. The President read the Rules of Order.
2. Voted, That visiting brethren be invited to enroll their names, and participate in the deliberations of the meeting.
3. The President nominated the following Committees :
On the order of Business-Revs. J. N. Chase, J. D. Tilton, S. C. Fletcher, W. B. Smith, E. J. Emery, H. C. Leavitt, N. Hooper, W. H. Alden.
On Enrollment-Revs. J. F. Fielden, J. S. Swaim, T. C. Glea- son, A. S. Stowell.
On Arrangements for next Year-Revs. E. C. Spinney, W. H. Eaton, C. A. Towne, W. H. Leavell, R. B. Moody, G. A. Glines.
On Nominations-Revs. W. V. Garner, D. H. Stoddard, G. W. Kinney, E. Pepper, W. Hurlin, F. Merriam, and Bro. N. T. Greenwood.
On Circular Letter-Revs. G. W. Nicholson, O. P. Fuller, C. Newhall, D. Gage.
4. Heard the report of the Committee on the order of busi- ness, in part, through Rev. J. N. Chase. Adopted.
5. The Committee on Enrollment subsequently reported the following list.
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PASTORS.
W. H. ALDEN, Portsmouth,
I. J. BURGESS, Hampton Falls, J. N. CHASE, Exeter, W. H. EATON, Keene,
S. C. FLETCHER, New London, O. P. FULLER, Plaistow,
J. F. FIELDEN, Franklin Falls, W. V. GARNER, Concord, T. C. GLEASON, No. Conway, G. A. GLINES, Cornish, > K. S. HALL, Lake Village, G. W. KINNEY, Hudson, W. H. LEAVELL, Manchester, W. LIBBY, Wilton, F. MERRIAM, Danbury.
R. B. MOODY, Milford, C. NEWHALL, Brentwood, G. W. NICHOLSON, Nashua, E. PEPPER, Bradford, E. L. SCOTT, So. Hampton, A. SHERWIN, Manchester, W. B. SMITH, Fisherville,
E. C. SPINNEY, Concord,
D. H. STODDARD, Great Falls,
A. S. STOWELL, Salem, J. S. SWAIM, Claremont,
J. D. TILTON, Rumney,
C. A. TOWNE, Dover,
J. H. WELLS, Newton,
J. L. WHITTEMORE, Richmond.
DELEGATES.
J. G. ABBOTT, Antrim,
J. D. AKERMAN, Portsmouth, C. E. ALBEE, Claremont, F. C. BBOWN, Chester, T. BUTTERS, Concord, F. S. CRAWFORD, Concord, D. FLANDERS, Plaistow, W. H. FOYE, Dover,
J. FRENCH, Portsmouth,
T. B. GARLAND, Dover,
S. M. GREENE, Cornish,
N. T. GREENWOOD, New London,
J. G. HUTCHINSON, Goffstown, D. JEWELL, Brentwood,
A. J. KIDDER, New London,
R. T. KING, Nashua,
S. F. LEARNED, Chester,
MRS. L. MERRILL, Rumney, H. C. MOSES, Exeter,
J. PAIGE, E. Weare,
D. P. PERKINS, Manchester,
A. J. PRESCOTT, Concord,
I. F. PURINTON, So. Hampton,
D. SMITH, Exeter,
J. SPEAR, Manchester,
D. STEVENS, Deerfield, J. M. TEBBETS, Great Falls, MRS. J. D. TILTON, Rumney,
E. B. TOWLE, Hampton Falls, P. P. WHITEHOUSE, So. Hampton ,
C. WILDER, Peterborough,
J. WILLIAMS, Plaistow,
B. G. YOUNG, Franklin Falls.
MINISTERS NOT PASTORS.
A. BROWN, Newton,
J. CLEMENT, Chester,
E. E. CUMMINGS, Concord, J. E. DAME, Farmington, T. B. EASTMAN, No. Sutton,
D. GAGE, Manchester, N. HOOPER, Exeter, W. HURLIN, Antrim, J. UPTON, Brentwood, S. S. WHITE, So. Hampton.
VISITING BRETHREN.
W. C. BARROWS, Biddeford, Me., H. H. BEAMAN, W. Bridgewater, Mass.,
N. J. CLARK, Philadelphia, Penn., G. W. GARDNER, Boston, Mass., G. W. GILE, Lawrence, Mass., L. HAYDEN, Washington, D. C., C. F. HOLBROOK, Saco, Me.,
B. KNIGHT, Salem, Mass., J. L. SANBORN, Waterboro, Me., G. S. SMITHI, Shapleigh, Me., J. STORER, E. Haverhill, Mass., A. WEBSTER, Hyde Park, Mass., E. WORTII, Kennebunk, Me., T. E. BALCH, Wakefield, Mass., E. J. MACEWAN, New London.
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6. The Secretary, Rev. K. S. Hall, read the report of the Board.
Hymn 747 was sung.
7. Voted, That the report of the Board be laid on the table.
8. The Committee on the Circular Letter reported, recom- mending that it be read before the Convention. Adopted.
9. The Treasurer read his report.
10. The Circular Letter was read by its author, Rev. G. W. Kinney, and it was adopted, and ordered to be printed in the Minutes.
Adjourned. Prayer by Rev. D. Gage.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Met pursuant to adjournment. Hymn 757 was sung and prayer was offered by Rev. L. Hayden, D. D.
11. Rev. W. V. Garner, for the Committee on Nominations, reported a list of officers, omitting the Secretary, on account of a recommendation in the Reports of the Board, which had not been considered by the Convention. Report adopted. (See page 2.)
12. Heard the Reports from the several Associations.
13. Rev. G. E. Street, of Exeter, Delegate from the Gener- al Association of New Hampshire, (Congregational,) presented the christian salutations of that body.
14. Rev. W. V. Garner, reported his visit to the last meet- ing of the General Association, which was held in Concord.
15. Dea. Brown spoke in behalf of the N. H. Bible Society.
16. Voted, That the Reports from the Associations be print- ed with the Minutes. (See page 24.)
17. Voted, That the Report of the Board be taken from the table. The suggestions of the Prudential Committee, present- ed in that report, with reference to new plans of work, were then considered, and after a somewhat animated discussion, in which Brethren Cummings, Stoddard, Webster, Eaton, J. D. Tilton, Fielden, Sherwin, Libby and Gage, participated, the first, second and third suggestions, were adopted. (See page, 13.)
Pending a motion to adopt the fourth suggestion, the follow- ing Brethren spoke, viz: Hurlin, Wilder, Merriam, Fielden,
8
Garner, Kinney, Eaton, Sherwin, J. D. Tilton, and Cummings. The hour of adjournment having arrived, it was
Voted, That fifteen minutes be added to the time. The dis- cussion of the subject was then continued by Brethren Stod- dard, Prescott and Garner. It was then
Voted, That this suggestion be referred to the Prudential Committee for re-consideration, and that they report to-morrow. Adjourned. Prayer by Rev. E. Worth.
EVENING SESSION.
The Convention met at half past 7 o'clock.
18. After prayer, Rev. G. W. Gardner, D. D., spoke on be- half of the Baptist Missionary Union, and made special refer- ence to the wonderful work among the Teloogoos.
19. Professor MacEwan, Principal of Colby Academy, spoke on behalf of that Institution.
20. The Annual Sermon was preached by Rev. J. F. Field- en. Text, John 1, 23.
21. Rev. J. N. Chase presented a further report, from the Committee on the Order of Business, which was adopted.
Adjourned. Prayer by Rev. E. Pepper.
THURSDAY MORNING.
-
The Convention met at 9 o'clock. After singing, "I Need Thee Every Hour," prayer was offered by Rev. S. C. Fletcher.
22. Heard a report from the Prudential Committee, through Rev. W. V. Garner, with reference to their fourth suggestion, as follows :
Your Committee recommend that the Convention devise means and plans for the speedy creation of a permanent fund for the purpose of erecting houses of worship in new localities which give promise of growth.
Voted, That this report be referred to the Board.
23. Voted, That Rev. N. F. Tilden be a delegate to the Congregational General Association, and that Rev. E. E. Cum- mings, D. D., be a delegate to the Methodist Conference.
24. The Committee on Nominations reported the name of Rev. A. Sherwin for Secretary. Adopted.
9
25. Rev. W. V. Garner offered the following resolution, which was adopted by the members of the Convention rising :
"That the thanks of this Convention are due, and are hereby tendered to Rev. K. S. Hall, on his retirement from the office of Secretary, for the able and faithful manner in which he has performed the duties of the position for the long term of eighteen years."
26. Rev. J. D. Tilton, on behalf of a Committee appointed by the Board, presented the following resolution, which was also adopted by the members of the Convention rising :
" Whereas, Rev. D. Gage has closed his labors as our Mission- ary and Agent, in which capacities he has served for twenty- three years with great fidelity, perseverance and efficiency, we would, in closing these special relations, which have been so long sustained with a great degree of satisfaction to our denom- ination throughout the State, express our high appreciation of his arduous work in which he has become worn, and has attain- ed to a good old age, and a good degree ; we extend our warm sympathy and cordial christian regard for him as a dear brother in Christ and fellow worker in the ministry, and assure him that our prayers shall still be offered for him, that the blessing of God may be with him, rendering his future as genial, joyful and spiritual as the past of his experience, and abundantly more so to the glory of God, and his usefulness in whatever depart- ments of labor he may be employed, and we would commend him to our churches who may need pastoral work."
27. Rev. A. Sherwin declined serving as Secretary, and his resignation was accepted, and the Committee on Nominations were requested to present another name.
28. The Committee on Arrangements for next year, report- ed through Rev. E. C. Spinney, as follows : Place of Meeting, New London ; Preacher, Rev. W. H. Leavell ; Alternate, Rev. J. S. Swaim ; Circular Letter, Rev. A. V. Tilton ; Alternate, Rev. A. J. Hopkins
29. The Committee on Enrollment reported. (See page 6.)
30. Voted, That the Report of the Board be printed with the Minutes.
31. Voted, That the Treasurer's Report be adopted and printed.
32. The Committee on Nominations reported the name of Rev. Wm. Hurlin, for Secretary, and the report was adopted.
10
33. Rev. W. Libby presented the following resolution which was referred to the Board :
"That the Secretary shall keep himself in communication with the several churches of the Convention, in order to secure collections and legacies for the benefit of the Convention, and shall also advise and consult with the feeble churches, to the end that all may have and sustain settled pastors."
34. Voted, That the thanks of this Convention be tendered to the Baptist church with which we are assembled, and also to to its friends for their generous hospitalities ; to the choir for their acceptable services, and to the several railroad companies which have reduced their fares.
35. Voted, That Rev. E. Pepper be a member of the Board of Trustees.
36. Voted, That we recommend the observance of the week of prayer, in January, by the Baptist churches of this State, in common with other evangelical churches throughout the world, with the request that Thursday of that week be observed as a day of special prayer for Colby Academy at New London, and all other institutions of learning.
After prayer by Rev. W. H. Eaton, D. D., the Convention ad- journed to meet in New London on the third Wednesday in October, 1879.
G. W. NICHOLSON, President.
WM. HURLIN, Secretary.
ANNUAL REPORT.
With grateful acknowledgement of the mercy that has spared us thus far, we commence this report of another period of ser- vice in behalf of the Baptist churches of New Hampshire.
But while we are continued for a longer term of labor, the past year has witnessed the departure of some who were for- merly associated with us. After the lapse of more than fifty years from its formation, the last of the corporate members and first Secretary of the Convention, Rev. James Barnaby, died at West Harwich, Mass., Dec. 10, at the advanced age of 90.
Rev. Philip Chamberlain died at Milford, Feb. 19, aged 82. Rev. Horace Eaton, who was supplying the church at Chester, was smitten with disease and passed away from his home in Wakefield, Mass., in June, and Rev. Phineas Bond died in Maine a few weeks since. All of these brethren had held sev- eral pastorates each in the State, and only laid off the harness after years of toil.
We are painfully conscious in rendering up our account, of our failure to accomplish all that might have been exbected of us, as almoners of the bounty of the churches. We can but wish it had fallen to the lot of wiser heads and warmer hearts to plan more aggressive movements upon the kingdom of dark- ness and more successful methods for the advancement of the cause of truth and righteousness. The year just passed has been one of depression and trial for many of us, and various ob- stacles have beset our paths, which leads us to enquire whether the former days were better than these ?
In olden times, the promulgation of our principles awakened much opposition, and sometimes was followed by fines and im- prisonment ; but no such opposition or injustice raise a barrier to our progress at the present day. Instead, we encounter an apathy that is hard to arouse, or a grovelling, discontented mur- muring about the scarcity of financial resources, which makes
-
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the enjoyment of religious privileges, or the response.to the calls of benevolence a grievous hardship. Was there no such trouble in the days of our fathers ? Was there generally a read- ier response to the appeals of the gospel than now ? Did the majority of church members in their days estecm it a luxury to contribute of their substance for the expenses of religious wor- ship ? Or have we fallen upon peculiarly evil times, which would put to the test a stronger faith and zeal than were pos- sessed by the fathers ?
It is with sadness that we sum up the meagre results of the past season. At the last annual meeting of the Convention it was strongly urged that we should put forth more vigorous and aggressive movements in behalf of our home work, and we had fondly hoped to realize this result. But we have struck out no new paths, entered no new fields, organized no new methods, and employed no new agencies for the prosecution of new enterpri- ses. We have been fettered by untoward circumstances. Butit ma y well be a question how much of this bondage has been real and how much fancied ; how much placidly acquiesced in, and how much necessarily, but unwillingly endured .It is a matter for grave enquiry whether the straitness of the times has not been made a charitable mantle to cover a multitude of sins of needless omission. We are only required to bring in the tithes into God's store-house ; but have we brought in the tithes ? Has the Lord of the harvest received all that he claims for his own ?
At the last annual meeting of the Board, the Prudential Com- mittee were authorized to appoint an exploring agent and mis- sionary in the State, for the term of three months or more, as soon as in their judgment a suitable man could be found to enter the field. The Committee have not been able to carry out this arrangement, so much needed, in the judgment of the Board, for the more vigorous prosecution and greater success of our domestic work. They have found neither the man nor the means requisite to this result.
The report of the Committee to the Board, an extract of which is here given, shows that they have labored with zeal for the enlargement and suceess of the cause held in trust.
After referring to the matter of devising and adopting new
13
plans and measures for the more successful prosecution of our State work as suggested by the Board, the Committee report that-
"This duty has not been ignored, though but little in the line of practi- cal changes has been accomplished. Your Committee have felt that in some directions at least, there should be radical changes and a complete overturning in our methods of work, if we would secure the best denom- inational results. But the changes which they deem not only desirable but necessary to the growth and enlargement of our denomination in the State, are so radical in their character that they have no place within their limited province, but properly belong to the larger and more authoritative bodies which they represent; to wit, the Board and the churches associa- ted in Convention.
Your Committee have been unanimous in the opinion that there are new fields rich in promise which might be entered and secured with a comparatively small outlay, and that some of our feeble interests might be developed into stronger churches, if the right men could be put in charge. But in the matter of establishing new interests, the Committee could do nothing, inasmuch as no provision had been made by the Board for defray- ing the expenses which would necessarily be incurred in such an enter- prise.
In the matter of ministering to the wants of some of our most destitute churches, something has been done. Early in the year, your agent was directed to proceed at once to Coos County where there was not a single Baptist pastor, and labor with the churches in that region until the meet- ing of the White Mountain Association. When that Association met in the month of June with the church in North Stratford, every member of your Committee was on the ground and carefully canvassed the field. The church at North Stratford was regarded as the key to the position and it was deemed of great importance that a good and true man should be placed in charge at once. * * * Brother Samuel A. Reed, a recent gradu- ate of the Newton Institution was sought out and finally engaged to go to Coos County, survey the field, and ascertain what, if anything could be done. The result of his visit has been his settlement as pastor over the church at Stratford.
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