USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Newport > Centennial celebration of the Congregational Church in Newport, N.H. : October 28, 1879 > Part 2
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In the spring and summer of 1781 a strange case of disci- pline occurred, which evidently became a matter of consid- erable moment, so much so that the Rev. Mr. Hall, of Keene, and the Rev. Pelatiah Chapin, of Windsor, Vt., were called in to assist in conducting the inquiry. The complaint was by a prominent member of the church "against brother Benjn Giles, in ye following particulars, viz.
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"I. For causing a book to be read in public published by Mr. Whitefield, in which men in an unregenerate state are represented to be half beast & half devil.
"2. For speaking against profane swearing in public."
The record states,-
"In ye first, Brother Giles appeared ready to defend Mr. Whitefield's description of unregenerate men as true. As to ye second, Brother Giles vindicated his conduct, in public speaking against profane swearing, as no ways out of char- acter."
The record proceeds,-
" The Chh found yt nothing in this view on brother Giles' part could be considered matter of offence in ye charges brought against him."
The complaining brother was so much dissatisfied with the decision, that he requested to have his relationship with the church dissolved ; and the request was granted by the church.
With no reference but to the sentiments of our own times, it would be difficult to understand how a question like that involved in the second charge against Brother Giles could have been raised before a Christian church, if we are to regard the complaining brother as of sound mind. It is certain, however, that up to a period which, in the times of which we are speaking, is to be regarded as recent, profane swearing was a very common vice. Our English ancestors, clergy as well as laity, were so much addicted to it as to be- come the subjects of animadversion from surrounding nations. This incident seems to show that it had not in New England, in the latter part of the last century, come to be universally held inconsistent with a Christian life.
In July, 1781, although still without a pastor, there were thirty accessions to the church.
During the year 1782 much effort was made to obtain a
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minister to settle over the church. These efforts were at length crowned with success; and on the 22d of January, 1783, the Rev. John Remmele, having received a call from the church, concurred in by the town, was formally ordained as its pastor, he thereby obtaining a tract of land set apart by the charter of the town to the first settled minister. His yearly salary was seventy pounds, which, according to the above estimate, would be $233.33 in silver.
Mr. Remmele was a man of ability. He represented the towns of Newport and Croydon in the state convention for the ratification of the Federal constitution. His vote in the convention was adverse to the ratification. His ministry, however, was not a fortunate one. Serious dissensions arose in the church, which nearly wrought its destruction. Grave charges affecting his moral character were made against him;
and in February, 1791, his actual ministry ceased, though he was not formally dismissed until the October following. He carried away all the church records existing at the time, and although much effort was made to obtain them from him, they were never recovered. They were afterwards partially restored, from loose papers found in the archives, by the suc- ceeding pastor, the Rev. Mr. Wines.
Even the dates of Mr. Remmele's call and settlement were for some time lost to the church, and on the 20th day of December, 1803, a vote was passed reciting the fact, and appointing Jesse Wilcox, Uriah Wilcox, Samuel Hurd, Phinehas Wilcox, and Ezra Parmelee " a committee to attend to this business." On the 28th of the following March the committee reported that the call by the church was in De- cember, 1782; that it was concurred in by the town; and that on the 17th of January, 1783, the town voted to have Mr. Remmele ordained on the 22d of the same January. Some circumstances, however, not disclosed, seem to have led the committee to doubt as to the precise day, and they report that the ordination took place either on the 22d or 23d of that month.
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The condition to which the church had become reduced, and its own sense of weakness, are sufficiently disclosed by the following record of the meeting on July 3, 1791, at which the council was agreed on for Mr. Remmele's dismis- sion. It was then "Voted, yt ye Chh will reunite & go on together as a Chh according to ye plan & constitution yt it first settled upon in discipline, &c. 15 males & two females members present."
It is worthy of notice, that on the 9th of September of that year, Maj. Jesse Wilcox was chosen a deacon of the church by "a unanimous vote," and that " he accepted of the same." He had been chosen to that office in August, 1785, but it would appear from this record that he then de- clined it.
The following shows that at this period the church held clear views upon questions distinguishing Congregational- ism from Episcopacy.
"Jan'y 10, 1783. At a meeting of ye Chli of Christ in Newport to take into consideration ye validity of Mr. Car- penter's ordination, as he has proposed to unite with ye Windsor Association, & it is ye opinion of this Chh yt though they think it expedient in order to communion & fellowship yt ordination be performed by Chh Pastors-but are very far from thinking yt ordination or setting apart to ye work of ye ministry, is descended down to this day in a lineal suc- cession from ye Apostles, by laying on of ye hands of Chh pas- tors, but we do believe a person having ministerial gifts & qualifications, being set apart by a Chih of Christ to ye minis- try of ye gospel, has all ye essentials of a gospel minister."
We find also a record showing the spirit which at this period prevailed in the church, and the conduct expected of its members before the world.
" At a Chh meeting held in Newport Lord's day evening at Jesse Wilcox's Nov. 6th 1791, Voted, yt it is matter of grief & offence to ye Chh to have any member of it conduct
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rudely on public training days, or shoot any gun except by command of ye officer."
In the autumn of 1791 the town determined to erect a house for public worship. For this purpose, it made a pur- chase of Absalom Kelsey of the elevated land opposite his dwelling, and still so prominent above the intervale at the south and east of the present highway, as it bears to the left from the foot of the Claremont hill towards Unity; and there was erected the first house devoted to public worship in the town. The work was soon executed, and the building stood prominent above all others of the village until within the memory of many still living. The town-meetings were also held in it ; and it was designated in the town warrants, at first, as " the Meeting House ;" then, the Baptist church having been erected, it was called the "Congregational Meeting House ;" then the "South Meeting House ;" and after the erection of our present church edifice the town meetings were warned at "The Old South Meeting House" until the erection of the town hall in 1826. It had neither fire-place nor chimney. I have stood on its site, and thought of the men and the women who worshipped there; and I wished some monument might from that hill preserve the memory of Newport's ancient story.
From the dismission of Mr. Remmele the church was without a settled minister for something over four years. On the 13th of December, 1795, a call was extended to Mr. Abijah Wines to settle over the church, at a salary of forty- five pounds for the first year, with twenty cords of firewood ; the amount, in money, to be raised twenty shillings each year till it should reach fifty-two pounds. His residence had been for some years previously in Newport, and he was already a member of the church, having been received into its communion on the 6th of March, 1789. He accepted the call, and was ordained on the first Wednesday of Jan- uary, 1796. Possessing a farm, which he continued to oc- cupy, a vote was passed in December, 1798, to add to his
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salary $50, for the purpose of hiring a laborer in the sum- mer season. After the formation of the society in 1803, this additional sum was made the subject of a distinct vote each year during his pastorate. Mr. Wines was an earnest and faithful laborer in the vineyard of the Lord. In the autumn of 1798 his labors bore fruit in a large religious awakening, and from September to November there were twenty-six added to the church. From January to Novem- ber of the following year there were five more additions.
From this time there were few accessions to the church until the latter part of April, 1810, when there began a manifestation of the influence of the Holy Spirit which seems almost to remind us of the apostolic times. It cer- tainly has no parallel in the history of our own church. On the 22d of April of that year, Joseph Sawyer and his wife united with the church. Then, in the following June, there were twenty-one accessions ; after which the numbers each month were such that at the end of the following January, a space of nine months, nearly'two hundred had been added to the Christian army of Newport, besides a large number who united with the Baptist church, which was also doing a noble work in the cause of the Master.
From this time the accessions were fewer, though the numbers were considerable for several succeeding years.
About this time there began to grow up a difficulty among the members of the church, which, in the summer of 1812, reached very serious proportions. It arose in conse- quence of objections being made by two of the brethren to the reception, during the revival of 1810, of an applicant for membership. Repeated and earnest efforts were made to bring about a reconciliation, but without avail. The dis- satisfaction increased to such a degree that in the summer of 1812 the whole church seems to have become involved, and many withdrew from its communion. At length the sub- ject was submitted to that association of churches then ex- isting, called the Consociation. They advised that the
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church should set apart a day for fasting and prayer. The advice was followed ; the assistance of the Spirit was earn- estly invoked, and not in vain ; hearts became softened, the spirit of charity and Christian forgiveness came to pre- vail, the disaffected members returned to the bosom of the church, and they again went forward unitedly in the strength of the Lord.
In March, 1816, in consequence of a remissness in the payment of his salary, Mr. Wines asked a dismission. The church, however, were unwilling to part with so faithful a · shepherd ; better regulations were adopted for his support, and he for the time withdrew his request ; and from July I to November 8, of that year, there were twelve accessions to the church.
On the 25th of November, of the same year, the pastor again asked his dismission, specifying the following reasons :
" I. I have settled convictions that I can be more useful in some other part of Christ's vineyard.
" 2. For a considerable time I have had an ardent desire to go into the Western States and territories, to see what can be done to promote the cause of the Redeemer among the destitute people there.
" 3. With this conviction and this desire, I do not believe I can be useful and happy, if I can be compelled to continue here.
" 4. I find it to be a fact, that, considering the want of punctuality in the payment of my salary, I cannot support my family comfortably on my salary and the income of my property unless I labor with my hands, which I do not think it my duty to do."
In answer to this request, we find recorded the following :
"Voted, not to grant the pastor a dismission for all the reasons which he urges. The 4th reason was objected to.
"Voted, to grant him a dismission on the ground that the
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parish have granted him a dismission, namely, the prospect of his greater usefulness in some other place."
A council ratified the dismission on Dec. 4th, thus ending a pastorate of nearly twenty-one years, the faithful labors of which, with God's blessing, had raised the church from a state of extreme depression to one of prosperity and strength.
In the following April, and again in July, a call was extend- ed to the Rev. Caleb Clark to settle over the church as its pastor. These were not accepted.
The seed sown by Mr. Wines continued to bear fruit ; and during the year succeeding his dismissal fifteen were added . to the church. Among these were Loviney and Lydia Bas- com.
On the first of September, 1818, it was voted by the church to give Mr. James R. Wheelock, a son of President Wheelock of Dartmouth college, a call to the pastorate. His letter of acceptance, bearing date the 6th of the follow- ing November, is worthy of presentation. It is in the fol- following words :
To the Congregational Church in Newport :
MY CHRISTIAN BRETHREN : Your invitation to me to take the pastoral charge of your Church, I consider as an invita- tion to enter upon a connection that involves a responsibility the most mighty that can rest upon a mortal. Weighty as it is, relying, I trust, on Divine assistance, I have concluded to accept your call, and do hereby consent to take the Pas- toral charge of your Church.
Eternity alone can unveil the important consequences that depend on the proposed relation. In view of it, and in view of the solemn day when I shall stand before my Final Judge to render an account of my stewardship, what reason have I to tremble lest the curses reserved for the unfaithful steward may on that day await me.
I hope I feel in some degree my own insufficiency for the
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work ; and the need I shall have of His aid who has prom- ised His presence and assistance to all His faithful servants, even to the end of the world. I need your prayers that I may receive that Divine aid, and I hope, my brethren, I shall not only have your prayers, but your candor and your friend- ship. While the Church expect me to be faithful in all du- ties as its Pastor, I trust they will not forget their duty to be faithful with me.
Praying that the connection may be for the good of Zion, and that God's blessing may continue to rest upon you col- lectively and individually, I subscribe myself your friend and brother in the Gospel,
JAMES R. WHEELOCK.
Hanover, Nov. 6, 1818.
Mr. Wheelock was ordained on the 2d of December. He was a man of ardor and earnestness. It was early in his pastorate that the Sabbath-school was first instituted, which has proved so efficient an auxiliary to the church. No rec- ord remains of its formation ; but from circumstances clearly in the memory of those with whom I have conversed, taken in connection with the records of the church, there seems to be no reasonable doubt that it was formed in the summer of 1819. It embraced as pupils only the smaller children, and was held on Sunday mornings, before the church service, in the school-house which then stood on the easterly side of the river near the intervale bridge. The pastor at first act- ed as superintendent ; and our present Dea. Joseph Wilcox, having then recently united with the church, was one of the first teachers. The exercises consisted of recitations of verses of scripture by the pupils, which they had learned during the week. Dea. (then Mr.) Wilcox was the first superintendent after the pastor gave up that service.
Mr. Wheelock's pastorate continued little over four years, he being dismissed by a mutual council, February 23, 1823. There were, however, in that short period, 148 added to the
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church. Among these, besides Joseph Wilcox, were John Trask, Jr., Lemuel Osgood, Dr. John B. McGregor, Mary McGregor, Frederick Aiken, Frederick Claggett, Daniel Wilmarth, Lucretia and Nancy Wilmarth, Elmira Hurd, and Eunice Bascom.
It was during this pastorate, in the year 1822, that the church edifice where we now worship was erected.
From the dismission of Mr. Wheelock there was a vacancy in the pastorate until the following January, during which time difficulties arose between some members of the church, which proved so serious as to require for their settlement the assistance of an ecclesiastical council, which was held on the 17th of September. It advised terms of adjustment, and recommended to the church to set apart a day to be observ- ed as a day of fasting and prayer, which was accordingly done, the day appointed for the purpose being the 6th of November, 1823. In the morning a sermon was preached, from the text of Rev. 2 : 4, 5: " Nevertheless, I have some- what against thee, because thou has left thy first love. Re- member, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works ; or else I will come unto thee quick- ly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
By whom this sermon was preached, no record states. There is reason to believe, however, that it was by the Rev. John Woods ; for it appears, by a vote of the church of the date July 2, 1823, "that the Rev. John Woods be acting moderator while residing among us." He had formerly been settled in Warner; but his pastorate there had ended, and he was then residing in Newport. In the afternoon, a paper, previously drawn up and signed by the members, containing mutual acknowledgments, was read; the members then sol- emnly renewed their covenant with God and with each other, agreed to sit down the next Sabbath to the table of the Lord, and separated better Christians, and, it is to be hoped, better men.
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Harmony prevailing now among the brethren, they were ready to go on together in the work of the Master; and one week after the last event here recorded, being Novem- ber 13, the church voted to extend to Mr. Woods a call to become its pastor. The call was accepted, and he was installed on the 28th of January, 1824. His yearly salary was $450.
A learned scholar, a clear thinker, a sound theologian, discreet and judicious in affairs, Mr. Woods entered upon his pastorate with the united confidence of the church. How well he acquitted himself in his high trust is fresh still in the memory of many of our people. They remem- ber him, as, with dignified and courteous mien, solemn and thoughtful, with decision and firmness in all his purposes, he went in and out before the people to break to them the bread of life; which he continued to do for over twenty- seven years. Many of our present membership date the beginning of their Christian lives during the ministry of Mr. Woods. There were added to the church during his pastorate, 329.
During this period the interior of the church edifice un- derwent extensive modification to bring it within the re- quirements of more modern ideas. By the exertions and liberality of many of the members, of whom, I am told, Dr. John B. McGregor was foremost, the church was supplied with an organ, which, for many years, under the presiding genius of his daughter, our present esteemed friend Mrs. Christopher, added largely not only to the music, but to the · general spirit of the service.
This period also covered the semi-centennial year of the existence of the church, which was appropriately observed. Of the date April 15, 1829, there is remaining the following record : "Voted, to observe the 28th day of October next, it being then half a century since this Chh was gathered, as a season of Thanksgiving to God in view of signal mercies bestowed upon the Chh in times past, and united prayer for
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the continuance of his goodness." The day was accord- ingly " observed," says the record, " as a season of praise to God for past mercies, humiliation for present lukewarmness, and prayer for future blessings. A sermon was preached by the pastor from Deut. 8 : 2 : ' And thou shalt remem- ber all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.''
Mr. Woods was an early and earnest worker in the tem- perance reform. As early as March, 1821, the church had passed a vote disapproving the use of spirit at funerals, and in May, 1828, a resolution "that, as friends of morality and religion, they will in their families and spheres of action use their influence by all proper and laudable means to check the progress of intemperance and promote the cause of temperance." But there appears, in the hand-writing of Mr. Woods, drawn up in March, and adopted by the church Aug. 31, 1832, a report of a committee, powerfully and graphically portraying the evil consequences of the use of alcoholic liquors ; declares, among other things, that it has been ascertained, by diligent and careful inquiry, that more than half the excommunications from the churches in New England, for the preceding fifty years, had been for the sin of intemperance ; that more than half of the remaining half of the cases of discipline which had disturbed the peace, weakened the strength, and marred the beauty of the church, had originated in the use of strong drink ; and recommends the passage of a resolution requiring a pledge of total absti- nence from the sale or use of spirit as a condition of future admission to membership. In September, 1841, the church adopted the rule of total abstinence as a requirement appli- cable to all members.
But towards the last of his pastorate, dissensions arose in the church, which grew to such proportions as seriously to affect, for the time, its prosperity. Although in no way
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responsible for them, either in their origin or their progress, the pastor's situation was such as necessarily to bring him within their influence, and in consequence his usefulness became impaired. The details of the schism need not be rehearsed. To many they are still fresh and vivid, and the tale when told seems like a drama. Happily, it has passed away. But it erected its monument; and the Methodist church of our town, doing faithful work, as we ought to be glad to believe, in the cause of the Master, will continue to tell to the children how the fathers fell out by the way.
These circumstances so wrought upon the sensibilities of the pastor that he several times expressed a wish to resign.
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This was not acceded to by the church until the summer of 1851, when it came reluctantly to the belief that it would be better to grant his request. A united and unanimous call by the church and society was extended to Mr. Henry Cummings, then a young man, and a student in the Ando- ver Theological Seminary, with an offer of an annual salary of $700. This call was accepted, in a letter which I cannot refrain from reproducing. It forms a new era in the progress of our history, and is worthy to be preserved as one of its landmarks. Its introductory parts are explained by the fact that he had preached for several preceding Sab- baths with a view to such a call. He says,-
BRETHREN AND FRIENDS : I have, through your respective committees, received from you, as a Congregational Church and Society, a united and cordial invitation to become your pastor. Such an invitation had not for some time past been wholly unexpected, save in the unanimity. For weeks the decision to which I ought to arrive, in view of it, has been with me a subject of prayerful deliberation, and upon it the advice of several of the older brethren and fathers in the ministry has been solicited.
When I thought of the varied and heavy duties which are assumed with a pastoral charge; when I remembered that
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many of its labors took directly note of another life, and that to many precious souls they might prove "a savor of death unto death,"-the question forced itself upon the mind, "Who is sufficient for these things?"
When I called to mind your delicate position as a church, and the embarrassments in which you have been recently involved ; when I contrasted the age and experience that had so long been at the helm, with my own youth and inexperi- ence,-I instinctively shrunk from the responsibility to be proffered me.
But the kind reception that I have uniformly found in your families ; the desire that you have as a Church and So- ciety publicly expressed ; your liberal provision for my sup- port, so unitedly made; the indications afforded that you will cooperate in carrying out the spiritual work for which the ministry was instituted ; the warm wishes of your pastor (which he has personally expressed to me) that a younger brother should be invited to this ministerial field; and the advice of older clergymen whom I have consulted,-all com- bine to obviate some of the objections, and to diminish the force of others.
Hence, in accordance with my present convictions of duty, I cannot refuse the service to which you have called me. But, recognizing as I do in your request a call from the great Head of the Church, I also esteem it a privilege to ac- cept of that invitation.
Praying fervently that this union, if perfected, may result in our highest spiritual good ; and that we who unite to wor- ship our Saviour on earth may all be accepted of him in heaven,
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