USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Candia > History of the town of Candia, Rockingham County, N.H., from its first settlement to the present time > Part 16
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There was some mitigation, however, of the suffering at church referred to, in the case of some of the elderly wo- men, who provided themselves with small foot stoves, somewhat less than a foot square. The sides and tops of these stoves were constructed of tin, the top being perfor- ated with numerous small holes for the escape of the heat from a pan of burningcoals, which was placed inside. By this arrangement, the feet could be kept comfortably warm for an hour or more, when it became necessary to procure another supply of live coals. For many years, Mrs. Carr and others, who resided near the church, were expected to open their doors during the intermission at noon, and furnish scores of women, who lived in other sec- tions of the town, with the means of keeping their feet from freezing. Sometimes the duty of procuring the coals was entrusted to the boys.
About the year 1821, a large cast iron stove, which was manufactured in Philadelphia and purchased by subscrip- tion, was set up in the middle of the broad aisle. It was a two-story affair, and was ornamented with small brass eagles with distended wings at each corner, and one of larger dimensions in the center of the top. A great pile of wood was required to heat the building to any degree of comfort upon a cold day in winter.
About the same time, a chandelier, made of stout . iron wire in the form of a cone, was hung from the center of the ceiling at a point about half-way from the pulpit and the stove by a common one-inch rope, the upper end of which was attached to a block of wood thrown over a beam. The block was just heavy enough to balance the chandelier, so that it could be readily moved upward or
HOVOCIS
OLD CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, BURNED IN 1838.
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downward as might be desired. There were four circles or tiers of tin sockets, one above the other, for the insertion of common tallow candles. When the chandelier was lighted for evening meetings, it was thought to be a marvel of beauty by the unsophisticated people of the times.
THE BURNING OF THE OLD MEETING HOUSE.
The old church was burned Jan. 25, 1838.
The following are extracts from a graphic description of the destruction of the old building as given by Mr. Francis B. Eaton in his history of Candia, published in 1852:
"Awakened by some noise, I saw on my chamber wall an uncertain and glimmering light, as of one passing with a lantern. While gazing upon it, the cry of "fire !" so start- ling to unaccustomed ears, was heard. The light on the wall grew brighter, as with beating heart I sprung to the floor and threw open the window. A column of smoke was pouring from the church, not a stone's throw distant. A neighbor on his steps was dressing by the light of the fire ; every line of his countenance was visible as he poured forth from stentorian lungs shout after shout. Some people
were already astir. Contributing a small shout to the in- creasing noise, I dressed, rushed out of doors and down to the walk to the rear of the meeting house. The flames were bursting from the eastern porch. The rosy red of the morning was just coming up in the cold, grey sky, when the bell began to sound the last alarm. In twenty minutes the whole town was in motion. Men, women and children, as four-score years before their fathers came to its building, came now in haste to its downfall. Household goods, that for many years had reposed in unmolested quiet, were dragged from endangered dwellings and piled in roads and fields. Wet blankets were hung on the roofs of buildings, and pails of water were spilled over all the floors. Fortu- nately, the air was still, and the ascending flames wreathed to the very steeple's top, presented a scene of great sublim- ity. There stood the huge frame of a church of molten, glittering gold, against the sky. I looked in at the front door -- above, around and below, all was fire, leaping and
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darting in forked tongues on the dry and combustible ma- terials. The sacred book, from which many a message had been delivered to erring man by lips now cold in death, lay upon the cushioned desk waiting its fate, while the flames, like demons, were creeping stealthily up and around to destroy it. Hundreds of illumined faces were turned towards the burning steeple, while groups of men · with pails and tubs of water retired to a safe distance towards the nearest dwellings. The blazing shaft, for a moment wavering, fell inward."
The building was almost totally consumed. Among the relics saved was the upper sash of the window behind the pulpit. The top of the sash was in the form of a half circle. This relic was secured by Gov. Frederick Smyth and placed the next year in the north end of his father's stable in Halls- ville, in Manchester. The Governor has it in his posses- sion. The long, stout, iron rod, which supported the weathercock, was secured as a trophy, and may still be seen in town.
It appears that there was a meeting at the church on the afternoon before the fire, and that Mr. Nath'l B. Hall, the sexton of the meeting house, took some ashes from the stove in a wooden box and placed it in the east porch. It is supposed that the ashes contained some hot coals, and that fire was communicated to the box and from that to the building.
THE NEW MEETING HOUSE.
Before the people left, who gathered at the destruc- tion of the old meeting house, notice was given that the members of the society would meet at Peter Eaton's Hall on the evening of the same day to take measures for erect- ing a new house of worship. The meeting was held at the appointed time, and arrangements were made to com- mence the work at once. The following are the names of the building committee which was appointed :
Peter Eaton, Coffin M. French, John Rowe, Joshua Lane, Capt. Abraham Fitts, True French, Freeman Parker, Henry M. Eaton.
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The owners of the dwelling houses which were situated near the old church, objected to placing the new edifice on the same site on account of danger to their property in case it should be consumed by fire. It was, therefore, deemed best to locate the new church at a point remote from other buildings.
The foundation and the frame of the building were con- structed by the society by subscription, and many of the citizens paid their subscriptions in labor. After the frame was raised, the building committee made a contract with a master builder of Concord to finish the building through- out. There were seventy-seven pews in the church, ten of which were placed in the west end of the building, five on one side of the pulpit and five on the other. The number- ing of the pews began with the pew on the west end next to the pulpit. Then the pews bordering on the north wall of the building were counted from west to east. Next, the body pews on the north side of the church counting from east to west, then the body pews on the south side from west to east. Then the wall pews on the south side count- ing from east to west, and last of all, the pews on the west end of the building south of the pulpit.
THE OLD GRANARY.
After the old meeting house was burned, the members of the society worshipped on the Sabbath at William Duncan's spacious granary, a building which was situated near his dwelling house and store on the South Road at the place now owned by Mr. Brown. Plank seats were con- structed, and the building was made quite comfortable and accommodated quite a large congregation. About the year 1850, the old building was removed to a spot on the mill stream near the railroad station and converted into a saw mill.
THE DEDICATION.
Early in November, 1838. the new meeting house was completed, painted, upholstered and made ready for oc-
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cupancy. A new bell was purchased and partly paid for with the metal of the old bell, which was mostly gathered up and saved after the fire.
The dedication took place about the middle of Novem- ber. A large congregation, among which were many people from the neighboring towns, was present. Rev. Mr. Rus- sel, the pastor of the church, preached an interesting ser- mon upon the subject of public worship. Rev. Abraham Burnham, of Pembroke, Rev. Nathaniel Wells, of Deerfield, and Rev. Jonathan Clement, of Chester, took part in the re- ligious exercises of the occasion. The choir, which was led by Dr. Nathaniel Wheat, performed some excellent mu- sic. The Washington Board of Candia was present, and assisted in entertaining the congregation.
THE CREED OR ARTICLES OF FAITH.
A history of Candia would be incomplete if it contained no account of the opinions of the people upon matters per- taining to religion as accepted and defended by their minis- ters and embodied in their creeds. It was stated in a pre- ceding chapter of this work, that the majority of the early settlers of New Hampshire were Calvinists and Congrega- tionalists. It may now be stated that a majority of the first settlers of Candia inherited their religious beliefs from their ancestors in England, who were rigid Calvinists, and these doctrines were stoutly maintained and defended at every point by the members of the Congregational Church in the town, almost without exception, for a hundred years. It may be added, however, that, during all that time, there was always a small number of people belonging to congre- gations who were openly opposed to some of the most prominent doctrines of the Calvinists.
In 1816, the Congregational Church adopted the follow- ing statement of their religious beliefs, which was con- tained in a small pamphlet that was printed at Concord, with the following title :
Articles of Faith, and Form of Covenant.
Many of the members of the church in Candia furnished themselves with copies of the work. The following is_a copy of the articles of faith referred to:
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ARTICLES OF FAITH.
I. We believe that there is but one God, the Creator, Preserver and moral Governor of the universe ; a being of infinite power, knowledge, wisdom, justice, goodness and truth ; the self-existent, independent, and immutable Foun- tain of good.
2. We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by the inspiration of God ; that they are profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, and for instruction in righteousness; and that they are our only rule of doctrinal belief and religious practice.
3. We believe that the mode of divine existence is such as lays a foundation for a distinction into three persons, the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost ; and that these three are one in essence, and equal in power and glory.
4. We believe that God has made all things for himself ; and known unto him are all his works FROM THE BEGINNING; and that he governs all things according to the counsels of his own will.
5. We believe that the divine law and the principles and administration of the divine government are perfectly holy, just and good ; and that all rational beings are bound to approve them as such.
6. We believe that God at first created man in his own image, in a state of rectitude and holiness, and that he fell from that state bv transgressing the divine law in the article of forbidden fruit.
7. We believe that in consequence of the apostacy, the heart of man in his natural state is DESTITUTE of all holiness and in a state of positive disaffection with the law, charac- ter and government of God, and that all men previous to regeneration are dead in trespasses and sin.
8. We believe that Christ, the Son of God, has by his obedience, sufferings and death made atonement for sin ; that He is the only Redeemer of sinners ; and that all who are saved will be altogether indebted to the grace and mer- cy of God for their salvation.
9. We believe that, although the invitation of the Gospel is such that whosoever will may come and partake of the
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water of life freely; yet the depravity of the human heart is such that no man will come to Christ, except the Father by the special and efficacious influence of the Spirit DRAW HIM.
IO. We believe that those who embrace the Gospel were CHOSEN in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame before him in love; and that they are saved, not by WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS which they have done, but according to the distinguishing mercy of God through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.
II.' We believe that those who cordially embrace Christ, although they may be left to fall into sin, never will be left finally to fall away and perish; but WILL BE KEPT by the mighty power of God through faith into Salvation.
12. We believe that there will be a general resurrection of the bodies, both the just and unjust.
13. We believe that all mankind must one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive a just and fi- nal sentence of retribution according to the deeds done in the body ; and at the day of judgment the state of all will be unalterably fixed, and that the punishment of the wick- ed and the happiness of the righteous will be endless.
14. We believe that Christ has a visible church in the world into which none in the sight of God but real believ- ers, and none in the sight of men but visible believers have right of admission.
15. We believe that the sacraments of the New Testament are the Lord's Supper; that visible believers in regular church standing only can consistently partake of the Lord's Supper, and that visible believers and their households only, can be admitted to the ordinances of baptism.
16. We believe it to be the duty of every one who is the head of a family to maintain daily family prayer.
The doctrines contained in the above articles of faith were preached in all their length and breadth. in Candia, and also by nearly all the ministers of the orthodox or evangelical churches in New England until within a few years, especially the doctrines of the fall of man from a perfectly holy state to that of total depravity by partaking of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, and that all of
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his posterity throughout the whole earth for hundreds of generations have been fully involved in his guilt ; the doc_ trine that God from all eternity chose, or elected, some to be saved by a special act of his grace, while others are left to perish ; the doctrine that God from the first fore-knew and fore-ordained all things whatsoever which come to pass ; the doctrines of the resurrection of the material body, and that at the last great day ofjudgment the wicked will be eternally punished in a hell of material fire, while those who had been elected to be saved will enter upon the enjoy- , ments prepared for them from the foundation of the world. Until within about seventy years the most of the Congrega- tionalists of the country believed that,
"In Adam's fall We sinned all."
as stated in the old New England Primer, and that children who died ininfancy were lost, though it was vaguely believed or hoped. by some, that the children of believers, who had been consecrated to God in baptism, would be saved, while' the children of unbelievers would be lost. The views con- cerning the condition of infants after death, which formerly prevailed, have greatly changed, and now it is almost uni- versally believed that all infants will be saved.
For the purpose of affording some idea of the religious views which were entertained by the majority of the people of New England a hundred years ago as well as at a much later date, the following extracts from a sermon upon the future punishment of the wicked, which was preached by the celebrated Jonathan Edwards, may be quoted. Ad- dressing his hearers he said :
"I entreat you to consider how awful a thing eternity is, and what it is to suffer extreme torment day and night from one day to another, from one year to another, and so on for tens of thousands of years in pain and wailing and la- menting, groaning, shrieking and gnashing of teeth, with your souls full of dreadful grief and amazement, with your bodies and every member full of racking torture, with no possibility of getting relief or of moving God to pity by your cries. How dreadful it will be when you shall wish your life could be ended. When you shall have outworn
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the age of the sun, the moon and the stars in your dolorous _ groans and lamentations, and when your souls shall have been agitated by the wrath of God all this while, you will still continue to exist. Your bodies, which have been burning and roasting in glowing flames, shall not have been consumed but will remain to roast to all eternity."
The following are extracts from a sermon of Mr. Ed- wards entitled, "The End of the Wicked Contemplated by the Righteous, or the Torments of the Wicked in Hell No Occasion of Grief to the Saints in Heaven." He said :
"The Scriptures teach us that the saints in heaven will not only see the misery of the wicked at the day of judg- ment, but many texts imply that the state of the damned in hell will be in the full view of the heavenly inhabitants ; that the two worlds of happiness and misery are in full view of each other. When the saints in heaven shall see the damned tormented it will be no occasion of grief to them. The saints in glory will be far more sensible how dreadful the wrath of God is and will better understand how dreadful the sufferings of the damned are, but they will not be sorry for the damned ; but, on the contrary, it will ex- cite them to joyful praises. They will rejoice in seeing the justice of God glorified in the sufferings of the damned, and . it will cause rejoicing in them as they will have the greater sense of their own happiness by seeing the contrary misery."
Dr. Isaac Watts, of England, was a somewhat celebrated poet, and a Calvinist of the strictest sort. A volume of hymns which he wrote was in use in the Congregational Church for many years. Among the hymns which were often sung by the choir was one containing the following couplet :
"Life is the hour which God has given,
To 'scape from hell and fly to heaven."
A hymn which was frequently sung contains the two fol- lowing stanzas :
"Far in the deep where darkness dwells, The land of horror and despair, Justice has built a dismal hell,
And laid her stores of vengeance there.
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"Eternal plagues and heavy chains, Tormenting racks and fiery coals, And darts t'inflict immortal pains, Dipt in the blood of damned souls."
A hymn by an unknown author, which was frequently sung at revival meetings in Rev. Mr. Wheeler's time be- gan with the following lines : ·
"Oh ! there will be mourning, mourning, At the judgment seat of Christ ; Parents and children there will part, Will part to meet no more."
The author of the hymn went on to describe the parting of husbands and wives, pastors and people, some going to heaven, while others were consigned to hell.
The people were urged to become converted principally for the purpose of being prepared for the joys of heaven, and to escape eternal punishment in hell.
Some of the men and women living to-day, who were subjects of the great revival under Mr. Wheeler's ministra- tions in 1822, have since declared that they were governed at the time mostly by the fear of being doomed to hopeless misery after death.
While a large majority of the people of the town who at- tended services at the Congregational Meeting House be- lieved the doctrines set forth in the creed as here presented, there was a considerable number who dissented and de- clared that they were totally unable to comprehend how a man could be an entirely free, moral agent when God, from all eternity, had elected him either to be saved or lost. And they further declared that they could not on any prin- ciples of honor or right, understand how God the Creator could consign any of his children to eternal woe, however wicked they had been. These doubters boldly avowed their sentiments to the ministers who were in charge of the church and society. As far back as Mr. Remington's day, there were a few men of this class. So, too, when Mr. Wheeler was the pastor of the church, the great debate went on, and Mr. Wheeler, in his doctrinal sermons, would often refer to the objections which were made to him in friendly
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conversation, and endeavor to answer them according to the best of his abilities. Between the years 1810 and 1820 the discussion on some points became extremely animated.
It may be stated that all the ministers who have been set- tled over the Congregational Church and society, in addition to their hearty efforts in support of the doctrines set forth in the creed, have earnestly supported the principles of justice among men, kindness, benevolence, ceace, patience, for- giveness, temperance, and all other moral doctrines upor which all good citizens of whatever creed or race have been agreed; and their influence upon the people of the town ir this respect has always been of the highest value.
During the autumn of 1843, a very amiable and upright young man nineteen years of age, died of typhoid fever at the residence of his parents in the south part of the town. He was a constant attendant of the services at the Congrega- tional Church, but he had never given any evidence that he had met with a change of heart. His funeral was attended by Rev. Mr. Murdock on a Sunday afternoon. At the ser-
vices in the church in the forenoon of that day, Mr. Murdock made the death of the young man the theme of his discourse. He did not mention his name; but spoke of the very recent death of a well-known young man, who had in all probabil- ity left the world in an unregenerated state, and, in conse- quence, was lost forever. In a most solemn manner, he urged all the people present to take the sad event into serious consideration and seek the salvation of their souls before it was too late.
Everybody present knew whom Mr. Murdock referred to, and many of the most prominent members of the church expressed the belief that his remarks on the occasion were imprudent.
In April, 1844, Rev. Mr. Murdock exchanged with Rev. C. W. Wallace, of Manchester. At the third service, Mr. Wallace, in the course of an off-hand address, spoke of the . importance of being regenerated in early life, so as to be prepared for death at all times and under all circumstances. In a most eloquent manner, he spoke of the dreadful conse- quences which follow by neglecting to seek the salvation of the soul by repentance and faith in the Saviour. In this
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connection he referred to the case of a very estimable and upright young woman, who was a very constant attendant upon his ministrations at Manchester. He said that he had often personally implored her to give her heart to God, but she put off the matter from time to time until at last she was stricken down with a raging fever. Mr. Wallace said he was called up at midnight to visit the young wo- man, who lived four miles distant from his residence. He found her in a state of great mental torture. She had neg- lected the concerns of her soul, and was unprepared to die. The speaker said he prayed with her and tried to con- sole her by urging her to surrender herself unreservedly to the Saviour ; but she said it was too late. Mr. Wallace said the young woman died in utter despair, and he left the audience to infer that as she evidently died without having experienced the great change which was necessary to sal- vation, she was hopelessly lost.
REVIVALS.
Ever since religious institutions were first established in the town, there have been seasons when the people felt and manifested a much deeper interest than usual upon the sub- ject of the salvation of their souls.
In 1822, during Rev. Mr. Wheeler's ministry, a somewhat remarkable revival took place. It commenced in the family of Mr. Joseph Carr, who resided just north of the present Con- gregational Church. Itappears that while Nathan Carr, a son of Joseph, and a neighbor were singing the hymn com- mencing with the line:
"Life is the time to serve the Lord,"
the said Joseph Carr, who had never previously mani_ fested any particular interest in religous matters, arose and offered a most fervent prayer. This strange act on the part of Mr. Carr caused much astonishment in the minds of the mem - bers of the family and neighbors. The news spread through the town, and a great religious interest was at once awak- ened. Prayer and conference meeting; were held in all parts of the town, and one hundred and thirty-six persons
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experienced religion, and soon after joined the church.
About the year 1828, protracted or revival meetings, were held in various portions of the state. The meetings, which continued for four days, were attended by crowds of people and sometimes six.or eight ministers took part in the services. Towards the lastday of the meetings, the people were generally awakened to a high pitch of ex- citement, and many professed to have been converted. Meetings of this kind took place at the Congregational Church in Candia in 1830, and also in 1832. At the meeting of the latter year, about fifty persons believed they were re- generated.
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