USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Mason > History of the town of Mason, N. H. from the first grant in 1749, to the year 1858 > Part 31
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Thus time passed rapidly on, bringing the various changes related above, and Mr. Hill, leading a quiet and cheerful life, was silently growing old. In 1836, he was by far the oldest active pastor, in that region of country, and although appa- rently as well able to perform the duties of his office, as he had ever been, he proposed of his own accord, to his people, that they should select a young man as colleague with him, in the pastorship of the church, offering, at the same time, to relinquish his whole salary, in order that the younger man might receive a support. On this subject, Rev. John Spauld- ing, who was the one first written to by the church, to act as colleague, says "Sometime before he resigned, and before his people agitated that question, he called a public meeting
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of his people, and reminded them that he was growing old, expressed his willingness to resign, and suggested the appointment of a committee to nominate a successor. The committee was appointed, including himself as chairman. In behalf of the committee and the congregation, he addressed me on the subject, and after urging various reasons why I should leave a western for an eastern field of labor, he char- acteristically remarked, "I wish to resign my pastoral charge, now, while I am in full possession of my mental faculties, lest, in remaining longer, they become so impaired, I shall be unwilling to resign." The proposed arrangement was made in the most amicable manner, with the undiminished confi- dence and regard of all parties. Mr. Hill performed all his duties as before, until a colleague was found in the Rev. Andrew H. Reed, who was installed November the 23d, 1836.
A new society having been formed in connection with the church, a new meeting house was builtIn 1837, leaving the old one to stand unoccupied, and Mr. Hill took leave of the place where he had spent so many happy Sabbaths. In his farewell sermon delivered in the old meeting house, in No- vember, 1837, on taking leave of that edifice, he declared of the pulpit in which he was then standing, " This is the dearest spot on carth to me." In this sermon, he reviewed the his- tory of the church, during the period of its occupancy of that house. It is thought that this sermon is worthy of preser- vation, and it is included among his discourses inserted in this volume.
Mr. Reed remained until December 11th, 1839, when he was, at his own request, dismissed, and Mr. Hill again resumed his post as an active pastor, and continued his labors, until he was succeeded by his own son, Joseph Ban- croft Hill, who began his labors in August 1st, 1840, and was 'installed as co-pastor, October 20th, 1841. Mr. J. B. Hill remained, until preparations were made for the division of the church, for the purpose of forming the Mason village
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church, in February, 1847, after which at his own request, his pastoral relation was dissolved, by the result of a council held April 22d, 1847. The church did not secure a perma- nent pastor, until 1851, when the Rev. J. L. Armes was installed as colleague with Mr. Hill, and he remained pastor until the decease of Mr. Hill.
Mr. Hill was always fond of preaching. The gospel was to him, a great reality, and he was happy in his work, as a herald of its glorious truth. After his retirement from the active duties of his own parish, he still continued to preach, for many years. He preached regularly for some time in Sharon, and after the death of Rev. Mr. Tinker, of Ashby, he supplied the pulpit there, for a short time, but his most useful labors, were at Brookline. The church in Brookline was small, and disheartened by a series of untoward circum- stances. . Their meeting house, which, like the first houses in all that section, was built by the town, passed from their control, and they were left, few in number, as sheep without a shepherd. In this condition, they spoke of disbanding, and scattering to other towns, for the purposes of worship, but Mr. Hill encouraged them to remain together, and offered to preach for them until they could secure a pastor. He encour- aged and aided them in their efforts to build a meeting house of their own, remaining with them as pastor, preaching in the school houses of the town. Soon after their house was com- pleted, he met with a recent graduate of Andover, who was not then employed, and he was so much pleased with him, that he engaged him to preach for a single Sabbath, in Brook- linc, and he was there and heard him. So confident was he, that God had sent them the right man, at the right time, he at once informed the church that he should preach for them no more, and urged them to secure the services of the candi- date without delay. They followed his advice, and the result was the settlement of the Rev. Daniel Goodwin over that church, and time has fully shown the wisdom of the choice. Mr. Goodwin in a letter to the writer, says "It was through
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his (Mr. Hill's) agency alone, that I came to occupy this post."
In the year 1839, and again in 1840, Mr. Hill was elected by the town, a representative to the state legislature, and served as such, in the sessions of those years. He was never a political partisan, but he was firm and decided in his politi- cal views, and was well known as an advocate of the general policy of the whig party. While in Concord, he wrote to his youngest son, June 16th, 1839, "It has fallen to me, to perform the duty of chaplain, most of the time. Some of the members of the house, were opposed to having prayers by any person, yet there was a good majority for it, and it was determined that the service should be performed by the clergymen belonging to the house. When the search was made, it was found there were but two in the house, myself, and Mr. Whitaker of Wearc, (a Free Will Baptist.) We have leave to invite others to perform with us." The follow- ing letter was written from the house of representatives, to the same son, then a member of Dartmouth College.
CONCORD, June 20th, 1840.
MY SON :- I received yours by Mr. B --- , and was glad to hear of your health. I spent last Sabbath at home, and can inform you that all the family were then well. This week has hitherto been a noisy week; and I have been much wearied with it. I do not attempt to describe to you, the scenes of Wednesday. It has been calculated, that not less than seven thousand men formed and marched on to the hill in procession ; and I should judge there were as many in the streets, and on the hill, as in the procession. There was speaking in abundance. General Wilson took up at least two hours, in a continued strain of cloquence. Our session is short, it will close Saturday morning. It has, on the whole, been a quiet and peaceable session ; nothing of a very exciting nature has come forward, to stir up bad feelings. I send you a small sum of money, which i hope will be a supply for your present wants. I have full confidence that
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you do, and that you will, use all the economy, that is neces- sary for a poor scholar to use. But I most earnestly desire, that while you are cultivating the mind, and laboring to fit yourself for usefulness, you will have great watchfulness over your heart, and strive to grow in grace. Ambition for dis- tinction as a scholar, has often proved detrimental to spirit- ual improvement ; your only safety is in continued prayer. * *
From your Father,
EBENE. HILL.
At this time occurred an incident of a domestic character, which will long be remembered by his family; it was the meeting of his whole family, for the first and only time. Mr. Hill had a numerous family of children, and they were carly and widely scattered from their father's house. The eldest left home, and settled in Fayetteville, Tennessee, before the birth of the youngest, and he did not revisit the place of his birth, until the youngest had grown up to man- hood. In July, 1844, there was a meeting of all the living children, ten in number, at their father's house. It was a time of the deepest interest to all parties, of joy to the parents, at the sight of long absent children, pleasure among the children, of forming acquaintance with those they knew and loved by report, but who were strangers in fact.
The time spent together by the family, was quite short. The intercourse was most cheerful and social, but partook largely of a religious character ; and the father threw a hal- lowed feeling of calm religious reverence, into his most com- mon actions. The worship around the family altar, the visits at different places, were all full of tenderness, and cheerful religious emotion. After a few days spent together, the com- pany separated, each to his home, and never met again.
Mr. Hill retained all his faculties, both of body and mind, with a good degree of activity, until about the year 1846, when he began perceptibly to fail in both. There was no sudden change, but a gradual decline of all his powers. His
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health was good, but his strength was wasting away, his memory was broken, and his mind ceased to act with its accustomed vigor. It was the decline that knows no restora- tion ; the shadows of evening, precursors of the sunset of life. About the last of 1851, the childhood of extreme old age began to come over him. There was little of sickness, or apparently of pain, but a gradual wasting away of strength, until about the middle of May, 1854, when, in consequence of having taken a slight cold, there was induced a low stage of fever, under which he suffered until the 20th day of May, 1854, when he quietly fell asleep. His exit from the scenes of time, was perfectly calm; there was not a struggle or a groan ; his breathing grew difficult, short, and with intervals between each respiration, until it gently ceased forever. He slept in Jesus, on the morning of the 20th day of May, 1854, an old man, full of days. His age was eighty-eight years, three months, and twenty-one days.
On the 23d, his funeral took place. He was followed to the grave by a great concourse of relations, friends and parishioners. The day was calm and bright, in which he was laid to rest. The mild sunshine of spring fell upon the world of nature bursting into life ; the trees and shrubs, many of which planted by his own hand, bordered the road leading from his dwelling to the graveyard, awaking from the death and sleep of winter to the bloom and verdure of spring, were emblems fit of the resurrection that awaits the good, after the winter of the grave. On such a day he was borne to his resting place, into which he had seen all but a few scattered surviving remnants of his original congregation, one after another, gathered. It was fitting that he too should slumber there, pastor and people together, until the final . morning hour. Of the large concourse which followed him to the grave, few had known him before the meridian of life, and fewer still had witnessed his ordination day. But one person, who was a member of the church when he was ordained, survived him ; and the church of this day is com-
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posed mainly of the children and grandchildren of those who were his people then.
Thus within sight of the dwelling he had so long occupied, was he left to repose, in the ancient graveyard; " the garden of the dead," which in his latter years, he was wont frequent- ly to visit, and there to spend the declining hours of the summer afternoon, calling up to recollection, the forms of the departed sleeping there ; his family, his parishioners, his neighbors and intimate friends of two entire generations, whom he had attended to this, their last resting place, and whose company he was shortly expecting, and patiently wait- ing to join.
The funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. A. W. Burn- ham, of Rindge; the successor of his own venerated instruc- tor, and for many years, a valued personal friend. The following extract from this discourse, exhibits the view there- in presented of the personal and professional character of the deceased.
"As a man, our departed father was small in stature, but of a firm, vigorous, well constituted frame, of sound constitu- tion, he enjoyed remarkable health, till overtaken by the infirmities of old age. It is a singular fact, that for fifty years he was detained from public worship, but two Sabbaths. Exceedingly amiable in his disposition, moderate in his tem- perament, a mind well balanced, conceptions clear, reasoning powers of no mean order, with no inconsiderable degree of shrewdness, he had a large share of that quality so much needed, but unhappily not possessed by every minister : good common sense, sense that could be used for good in the exi- gencies of life. In his deportment, grave, as befitting a min- ister of Christ, gentlemanly and courteous in his bearing, he was instructive in conversation, familiar and pleasant in all social intercourse, in the family, among his people, and his brethren.
In his domestic relations, true-hearted, kind and careful, he aimed to fulfil every conjugal and parental duty, in the
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fear of God, and with a conscientious regard to the highest welfare of the numerous household, of which he was the head.
" As a christian, he appears to have had deep experience in spiritual graces. Profoundly reverent of God and sacred things, he was imbued with love to God, his house, people, word and worship, submissive in trials, patient in tribulation, rejoicing in hope, and relying on Christ alone for acceptance, he aimed and was enabled to maintain a devout walk with God. As a theologian he was sound in the faith, holding the system of doctrines, usually denominated Calvinistic, as set forth in the Assembly's Catechism.
" As a preacher, plain, effective and impressive, he set forth with simplicity and carnestness, in the mode and style of the generation to which he belonged, the doctrines of the gospel in their true aspects and bearings, always careful to engraft upon them, the enforcement of practical godliness, as their genuine fruit.
" In his pastoral intercourse and duties, our reverend father set an example worthy to be imitated by all who hold the same office. Deeply interested in all that affected the wel- fare of his people, he was affectionate yet faithful, and having drunk deeply of the cup of affliction himself, he was able and ready to sympathize with his people, and administer to them the same consolations wherewith he himself was comforted, of God. And as he watched for souls, as one that must give an account, God gave him success in his ministry. While under his regular ministrations, the children of God were nourished up unto eternal life, and sinners were occasionally gathered into the fold; several seasons of spiritual refresh- ing, more or less general in their extent, and abundant in their fruits, were enjoyed. In those days, the pastor rejoiced, labored and prayed with a diligence, fervency and faithfulness becoming a minister of the gospel, and evincing the tender concern he cherished, for the spiritual welfare of the flock over which the Holy Ghost had made him overseer. In a
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word, he was a good minister of Jesus Christ, one who studied to show himself approved of God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
One of his brethren in the ministry of a neighboring town, and who, in point of age, approached the nearest to the deceased, writes of the deceased, "He was a man of good intellectual powers, well educated, and his mind was well stored with theoretical and practical knowledge. He might have filled almost any department in public life, with credit and usefulness." Another, whose acquaintance with him commenced after old age had gently laid its hand upon him, writes as follows : "Were I to speak of him in general terms, I should say, he was distinguished for a somewhat rare, yet exceedingly desirable combination of qualities, which ren- dered him agreeable and instructive to all parties, gave him a peculiar ease and familiarity, and at the same time, a decis- ion, energy, dignity, and solemnity, which are rarely found in the same person.
Children were always interested in him, and I think none would be disposed, as is sometimes the case, to shun his presence, for his manner and conversation were admirably fitted to place them at their ease, and secure their confidence. He possessed, for certainly he exhibited, a great amount of kind, social, benevolent feeling. His house was always a welcome home for clergymen, and for others who sought his aid and direction. I have said he was an old man, when I first became acquainted with him, but I would rather say, that, in a most important sense, he was never old. He certainly kept up with the spirit and enterprize of the age if he did not go before it, and kept himself thoroughly versed in rela- tion to all questions of doctrine and practice, and adapted him- self with great ease and propriety, to the occuring changes and exigencies. Thus by keeping up his acquaintance with these matters till the last, he was always a warm friend of younger brethren in the ministry, and was always regarded by them
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as a father in affection and interest. Hence too, his services, after he had ceased to be the active pastor of his own church, were frequently sought, and highly prized by the neighboring churches. * As a pastor, as far as I can judge, and I speak in part from what I have felt, he had few equals. It was my privilege, when a beloved wife was lingering under a fatal disease, through ten long months, to enjoy his frequent calls, and well do I recollect how much these visits were prized, not only by myself, but by her whose spirit was ripening and longing for heaven." On this subject also, Mr. Spaulding has said, " What a father and friend was he, in the house of mourning ! how appropriate his addresses and ser- mons, how specific and well suited his prayers ! and how sym- pathetic his heart in the sick room, and on funeral occasions."
There was much of tender earnestness in his addresses at the celebration of the Lord's supper, and in all things con- nected with the examinations for admissions to the church. He loved to dwell on those themes, that are peculiarly appro- priate to the communion season; they were ever new to his taste, and sources of deep emotion, which he manifested in his addresses at such times.
A lady who united with his church quite early in life, thus writes on that subject : "Do you remember the day when we were examined for admission to the church, at the old meeting house ? There was one little incident connected with it, which I shall ever remember. As my name was called, and I started tremblingly up the broad aisle with but little thought that I should be accepted, the pastor met me, and as he took my brief "experience" from my hand, said, with his kindest look and tone, "We love to see the lambs come." How assured I felt. It seemed as if the Good Shep- herd was speaking to me through him. I always love to remember that I united with the church, when he was the only pastor."
Mr. Hill was in his person small, not much exceeding in stature five feet, but perfectly symmetrical in his limbs and
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proportions, quick and active in his movements, of a cheerful temperament, frugal and temperate in his habits, industrious and economical in worldly affairs. He enjoyed through his long life, a remarkable degree of health and exemption from sickness and pain, having never been confined to his bed for the space of twenty four hours, until his last sickness, less than one week before his death. With small means, he brought up, in a respectable style, his numerous family, all of whom were trained to habits of industry and constant em- ployment, to which they owe their success in life. He care- fully and sedulously accustomed them all, in early life, to im- prove all leisure time in reading useful and instructive books, a taste and habit which they have great reason to thank him for implanting and cultivating at that early period. He never had the means to acquire an extensive library, but he had many rare and valuable books, among which were the works of William Perkins, of whom Fuller quaintly says, "He had a capacious head with angles winding, and roomy enough in which to lodge all controversial intricacies," of Owen and other puritan divines of the age of Cromwell, some of the works of Baxter, of Bishop Patrick, of John Newton, and of the pioneers of the New England churches, Richard Mather, Samuel Shepherd, John Wise of Ipswich, " the simple cobbler of Aga- wam," Increase and Cotton Mather, and Edwards. These, with the social library, a small but well-selected collection, which he was instrumental in forming about the year 1802, were his sole reliance in the way of literature. It is a ques- tion well worth propounding, which deserved best of their gen- eration, those who collected the social library and for more than thirty years used it and preserved it in good condition, or those who sold and scattered it to the four winds of heaven. His literary taste was sound and correct. His style of writing, was plain and simple, free from ornament; the substance of his discourses was direct and practical.
Of the English poets, Milton, Pope, Young, and Cowper, were his favorite authors. But with him, the book of books
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was the bible. To it, he always appealed. From it, all his illustrations and proofs were drawn. His habits of study were little methodical. The subject upon which he was to preach, would be thought over in his own mind during the week, but generally, he would not commence writing until Saturday. Then his discourses, both for forenoon and after- noon upon the same text, would be fully written out, but often not until late in the night of Saturday. When compos- ing his discourses, he had the power of abstraction, in an unusual degree ; so that when seated by the cheerful fire, of a Saturday evening, surrounded by his family, uninterrupted by their conversation or employments, he would pursue the train of thought induced by the subject selected, and follow it with a speedy pen, with as much regularity and composure as if in the recesses of the most retired study.
Although his public discourses were all carefully pre- pared and written out, he was by no means deficient in the power of ready and forcible extemporaneous discourse. This was often witnessed on funeral occasions, and in meet- ings for conference upon religious topics. On these last occasions, frequently taking a passage of scripture, sometimes a part, or the whole of a chapter, reading it verse by verse, he would accompany the reading with an extemporaneous commentary and explanation, which would be pertinent, apt and profitable to the hearers. Such meetings were his delight. He attended them constantly and regularly, till the physical and mental disability attendant on old age, deprived him of the power so to do. And, in the last years of his life, when his mental power was broken, and his mind was often wan- dering, he would many times on a winter's evening, when the household work was done, and his family, then reduced to a small number, were seated by the parlor fire, fancy himself in the conference room, and commence an exhortation in a quiet, low, indistinct tone of voice, and continue it for the space of half an hour or more; then having closed and dismissed his meeting, he would rouse up and remark that it had been a
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very pleasant meeting, and enquire whether a goodly number had attended.
He was not fitted by nature, nor trained by habit to be a pioneer. He seldom sought out of his own accord, new paths. He was content to walk in the old and trodden ways, but still, he was always ready to welcome and further all new movements which he judged tended to the improvement and benefit of the human family. As such, he gave a ready and hearty welcome to the temperance movement, which has produced in many places, such immense good. The habit of using ardent spirits as a beverage, was universal in his carly life, and until he had passed the meridian of life, he never thought it a duty to abstain, or that the indulgence of the habit was dangerous. The same was the case, with all the clergy of his day, and indeed of all the gentry, and it may be said of all the people. Some of the clergy of his acquain- tance fell victims of this indulgence, and the wonder is, not that here and there one was swept away by the demon, but that all did not go down.
These warning examples produced no effect; but when the public mind was aroused to the consideration of this evil, he at once saw, as every man of sense must sec, that the only safe rule, was total abstinence. He readily adopted it, and from that time to the close of his life, a period of some twenty-five or thirty years, strictly practiced total abstinence from all intoxicating liquors. He also abandoned the use of tobacco, to which he had been addicted from carly life. He was ready to testify to the perfect safety of the immediate adoption of total abstinence in both cases, and to the happy effect of the reformation, whether regard be had to peace and comfort, either physically or mentally considered.
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