USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Derry > The history of Londonderry : comprising the towns of Derry and Londonderry, N.H. > Part 15
USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Londonderry > The history of Londonderry : comprising the towns of Derry and Londonderry, N.H. > Part 15
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The session, in noticing his removal, on their records, speak of " his peaceful and triumphant death, of his victori- ously entering into the joy of his Lord." He was fifty-two years of age at his death. He left a widow and seven children. His personal appearance was commanding; his
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stature tall and erect, his complexion rather dark, and his countenance expressive .*
Soon after the death of Mr. MacGregor, the Rev. Matthew Clark, having received ordination in Ireland, came to this country and immediately repaired to Londonderry, where his countrymen and many of his former acquaintance now resided. At the request of the church and congregation, he supplied the desk and took the pastoral care of the people, although not formally installed as their pastor. Possessing distinguished literary acquirements, he also officiated as an instructor in the higher branches of education. Though about seventy years of age when he came to this town, yet he continued in the vigorous discharge of his duties for more
* As illustrative of the practical customs and manners of the clergy- men of those days, and of Mr. MacGregor's prompt and decided char- acter, it is related, that during the time of the first harvest after the settlement, a party of men, strong in numbers, came up from the neigh- boring town of Haverhill, Mass., as it seems had been their, custom for some years previous, to mow and carry off the grass from the fine natu- ral meadows. This was not unexpected; but it was supposed that, a manly and explicit explanation being given, they would at once desist ; and at the suggestion of their pastor, Mr. MacGregor, a committee of four or five men went out to meet them, for this purpose. The representa- tions of this committee, however, were treated with derision, which being reported, some others went forward, headed by their pastor, who in very decided though dignified terms, and with some warmth, told them that the title of the proprietors of Londonderry to the grass was direct and perfect, and ordered them off the ground. The leader of the party immediately walked up to Mr. MacGregor, and shaking his fist in his face, in an angry, threatening tone, exclaimed, alluding to his clerical costume, "Nothing saves you, sir, but your black coat." Mr. Mac- Gregor instantly replied, " Well, it shan't save you, sir," and throwing off his coat, was about to suit the action to the word, when the party, with their boasting leader, beat a retreat.
It was the custom, at that day, for all " able-bodied men " to go to church well armed, in order to be prepared to repel any sudden attack from the Indians, and their pastor always marched into his pulpit with his gun well loaded and primed.
12*
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than six years. He had served as an officer in the Protest- ant army during the civil commotions in Ireland, and was, as already stated, active in the defence of Londonderry, during the memorable siege which it endured. In one of the sallies which were frequently made by the besieged, ne received a wound, the ball grazing the temple and so affect- ing the bone, that it never healed. The sore was concealed by a black patch, as his portrait now shows, and may be regarded as an honorable testimonial of his military services. After the civil commotions in his native land had subsided, he quit the military service, and having qualified himself, became a preacher of the gospel, laying down the sword of a hallowed defence for the purer service of the sons of Aaron. He was very eccentric in his manners, possessing it is said, a peculiar vein of humor, which would occasionally appear in his more public services .* He was sound in the faith,
* During the period of the " old French war," a young, large, athletic, and fine-looking British officer, happening, during his furlough, to be at Londonderry, attended church on the Sabbath, and standing about the door till after service had commenced, was accosted by an clder, and told that " he had better walk in." He did so while the congregation were engaged in prayer, and taking a conspicuous position, stood up, as was the general and appropriate custom of those days, during prayer ; but being, probably, desirous of showing what he thought a good speci- men of a British officer, in bright scarlet uniform, continued standing until the sermon was somewhat advanced. Mr. Clark, on glancing around, discovered, much to his annoyance, that the attention of most of the congregation, including nearly all the young ladies, was engrossed by the handsome officer ; whercupon he paused, laid down his sermon, and abruptly, with a significant gesture, and in his own emphatic Scotch dialect, thus addressed him: " Ye are a braw lad, ye ha'c a braw suit o' claithes, and we ha'e a' seen them, ye may sit doun."
It may be hardly necessary to add, that the courage of the soldier, which was undoubtedly amply sufficient for all ordinary emergencies, failed him here, and he instantly sat down; when Mr. Clark went on with his sermon, as though nothing had happened.
It is also related of him that in preaching on the confidence of Peter, that he would not deny his Lord, and his subsequent fall, he remarked :
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decided and independent in his sentiments, and fearless in defence of what he judged to be correct in doctrine, or in practice. In his mode of living he was singularly temperate. He wholly abstained from all kinds of flesh, and never ate of anything which had possessed animal life. His martial spirit, though he had become a minister of the Prince of Peace, would not unfrequently be revived. It is among the traditions of the people, that, while sitting as moderator of the presbytery, the martial music of a training band, recalled his youthful fire, and for a while he was incapable of attend- ing to the duties of his office. To the repeated calls of the members, his reply was, "Nae business while I hear the toot o' the drum." He married, as his third wife, the widow of the Rev. Mr. MacGregor. He died January 25, 1735, aged seventy-six. His remains, in compliance with his special request, were borne to the grave by those who had been his fellow-soldiers and fellow-sufferers in the siege of Derry.
Previously to the death of Mr. Clark, the people, desirous of obtaining a minister from their native land, had made appli- cation to the presbytery of Tyrone for a candidate. In 1732, Mr. Robert Boyes was appointed by the town their com- missioner, who, with the advice and in concurrence with the Rev. Mr. McBride of Ballymony, was empowered to invite " a suitable, well-qualified, and accredited minister, to take charge of them in the Lord, engaging to pay any one who should consent to come, one hundred and forty pounds annu-
"Just like Peter, aye mair forrit than wise, ganging swaggering aboot wi' a sword at his side; an' a puir han' he mad' o' it when he cam' to the trial, for he only cut off a chiels' lug, an' he ought to ha' split doun his heed."
On another occasion also, he is said to have commenced a discourse, from Philippians 4 : 13, in the following manner : " ' I can do all things ;' ay, can ye Paul ? I'll bet ye a dollar o' that, (placing a Spanish dollar upon the desk,) Stop ! lets see what else Paul says : ' I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.' Ay, sae can I, Paul, I draw my bet," and he thereupon returned the dollar to his pocket.
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ally, besides the expenses of his voyage, and also to give him, as a settlement, one half of a home-lot and a hundred-acre out-lot, as it was then termed. These two lots, with the minis- terial lot adjoining Beaver Pond, subsequently constituted a valuable farm, and was owned and occupied by Rev. Mr. Davidson. This was a salary much larger than is now usu- ally received by settled ministers; and, considering the time when it was granted, evinces the zeal and liberality of the early settlers in supporting the gospel, and its institutions. In those days, as we learn, the colony gave the governor but one hundred pounds a year; and Portsmouth, the capital, gave its minister a salary of only one hundred and thirty pounds. But this people had been taught the value of the gospel, and the free enjoyment of divine ordinances. They were forward to honor the Lord with their substance and the first fruits of all their increase, - and they realized the fulfil- ment of the divine promise, and were blessed, as a commu- nity, in their basket and in their store.
In October, 1733, Mr. Boyes returned from Ireland with the Rev. Thomas Thompson, who, having accepted the invita- tion given him in behalf of this church and congregation, had been ordained as their pastor by the presbytery of Tyrone, and was, by that body, amply recommended to this people. On his arrival, he was cordially received by them as their minis- ter. A number of emigrants accompanied him, who became members of his society. His first sermon was from those appropriate words of Peter to Cornelius, Acts 10: 29, " There- fore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for : I ask, therefore, for what intent ye have sent for me?" The session, in behalf of the church and society, en- tered the following minute on their records in respect to him : "The session having seen and approved Mr. Thompson's testimonials of not only his trials but ordination to be our minister in the Lord, by the presbytery of Tyrone, together with a letter from said presbytery, wherein they largely set forth the great satisfaction which they had, not only of his trials,
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but also of his Christian life and conversation, all which we heartily and cheerfully accept, and receive him to be our minis- ter in the Lord ; promising, as God shall enable us, to yield all due subjection and obedience to him in the Lord, and to respect him as an ambassador of Jesus Christ, for his work's sake."
Mr. Thompson was twenty-nine years of age when he came to this country. He had married, before he left Ireland, a Miss Cummings, daughter of an officer of the British navy, and a lady of accomplished education. On his settlement in this place, he not only received the lands voted him by the town, but was aided by the people in the erection of a commo- dious house, - the one afterwards occupied by Rev. Mr. Davidson, his successor, and not long since taken down. The church enjoyed the pastoral labors of Mr. Thompson but five years. He died Sept. 22, 1738, leaving a widow and one child. Though his ministry was short, it was highly accept- able to the people, and attended with the divine blessing, the church being very considerably increased during the period of his connection with it.
From the few facts and traditionary notices of him that have come down to us, it appears that he was a man of promising talents and varied accomplishments, easy, affable, and pleasing in his manners, and interesting as a public speaker. At his decease, the town, from attachment to his family and respect to his memory, and with a liberality highly commendable, voted to bestow seventy pounds towards the education of his infant son.
In those days, the character of the minister was faithfully protected, by the church, against the scandals and malicious designs of those who desire to destroy his influence. Defam- ers of the ministry were not then countenanced and sustained, as they now are, by numbers in almost every community. We find that a Mr. John Taggart was arraigned before the session for uttering reproachful words respecting Mr. Thomp- son, charging him with being false, and not having the truth in him. Taggart appeared before the session and acknowl-
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edged his fault, in expressing himself so rashly and unad- visedly as he had done; which confession, after he was rebuked and exhorted to be more cautious and watchful of his words for the future, was read before the congregation. There is no class of men more open to the envenomed shafts of the defamer, and none, owing to their peculiar situation, less able to repel the assaults, than the ministers of the gos- pel. It is only by well-doing that they can put to silence the reproaches of ungodly men ; but this often requires time. It would be well, therefore, if churches, or church sessions, would, on certain occasions, as was done in the case referred to, throw around their pastor a protecting influence, and cause the defamer to feel its power.
During Mr. Thompson's ministry, the church was very considerably increased. At a sacramental occasion in 1734, only fifteen years after the settlement of the town, there were present, as appears from the church records, seven hundred communicants. This number included, as we suppose, many from other towns, where settlements had commenced; and those also who, retaining a relation to this church, but resid- ing elsewhere, returned, on such occasions, to enjoy the privilege of communion with their brethren. These seasons, recurring but twice in the year, were regarded by the people as important occasions, - something like the assembling of the ancient, tribes, on their national festivals. This mode of con- ducting the sacramental service, had its origin in the churches of Scotland. "At the commencement of the Reformation, in that country, the Lord's supper was administered four times in each year. Afterwards, for reasons which we are not able to state, that ordinance came to be administered less fre- quently, -in some churches once only in the year, and in none more than twice. One consequence of this arrangement was, that, whenever the ordinance was dispensed in each church, it was made an ecclesiastical occasion. The pastors of three or four neighboring churches left their own pulpits on that day, went to the aid of their brother, and took the
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mass of their congregations with them, to enjoy the privilege of communing with their sister church."
The sacramental service was commonly preceded by preaching on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the first of which days was observed as a sacramental fast, and observed as such with great strictness, the families abstaining from food and all kinds of worldly labor. Any violation of the day by secular concerns, was a disciplinable offence. A complaint was, on one occasion, brought against a member of the church, for spreading out grain on that day to dry, for which he was duly admonished by the session. The Monday following the sacrament was a day of thanksgiving.
" These extra services gave rise to much preaching, which rendered the aid of several ministers highly desirable, if not necessary. When the Sabbath came, which was the great day of the feast, the ministers, ruling elders, and communi- cants of several different churches, were all assembled, pre- pared to gather round the sacramental tables. In these circumstances, the question would arise, how should those who were really communicants, in good standing, be distin- guished from unworthy intruders, who belonged to no church, and were, perhaps, even profligate : but who, from unworthy motives, might thrust themselves into the seats of worthy communicants, and thus produce disorder and scan- dal ? To meet this difficulty, the plan was adopted to depos- ite, in the hands of each pastor and his elders, a parcel of cheap metallic pieces, stamped with the initials of the church, called " tokens," which they were to dispense to all known members of their own church who were in attendance, and wished to commune. Thus, although not a quarter part of the communicants were personally known to the pastor, or elders of the church in which the sacramental service occurred, yet these cheap and convenient little certificates of church membership, for such they were intended to be, being re- ceived by each communicant from the minister and elder of his own church, prevented imposition and secured regularity
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and order." Such was the origin of "tokens," which for more than a century were used in our Presbyterian churches in this country, even many years after the occasion for them had passed away.
The administration of the ordinance on the Sabbath was attended with certain ceremonies and services, not generally observed at present. A long but narrow table, or rather elevated form, was placed in each aisle, with lower ones on each side for seats. Before these were filled by communi- cants, and before the elements were distributed, the tables were barred, or "fenced," as it was termed, by the officiating minister. In this exercise, the requisite qualifications for acceptable communion were stated, and those sins, secret or open, which in the sight of God, and according to his word, would debar one from the table of the Lord, detailed at some length. This more usually included a brief exposition of the decalogue. After this service, occupying from thirty to forty minutes, the seats at the tables were first filled by the more elderly portion of the church. After an address to them, in reference to the occasion, the elements were duly conse- crated, and passed along the tables by the officiating elders. This company being served, retired from the table while a hymn was sung, and another company approached and took their seats, to whom the elements were imparted in like manner, accompanied with an address from the minister. There would sometimes be three or four sittings or services at the table, before the whole church could be served. The whole was followed by a warm and faithful exhortation from the pastor, to walk worthy of their high vocation, and adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things. After a short recess, the congregation reassembled, when an appro- priate discourse, with the usual devotional exercises, closed the public services of the day, which were often protracted to the going down of the sun.
These forms and extra services are now in most of our churches in a great degree laid aside. Pews are occupied,
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instead of seats, at the table. 'The whole church commune at the same time. The Saturday and in some cases the Monday services are omitted, and although the day of fast is maintained in most if not all the Presbyterian churches, as a season preparatory for the communion ; yet even this is by too many professors neglected, or very formally observed. It would be well in this case to inquire for the old paths ; where is the good way. Such solemn and devout convo- cations, such assembling of the people for several consecutive days for prayer and praise and preaching, if the practice were revived by the churches, would happily serve, it is believed, to promote their spirituality, and bring down the divine influences in more copious effusions. Such meet- ings, in connection with the administration of the Lord's supper, are in accordance with the directory for worship, as contained in the Confession of Faith, and in many instances have been attended with most signal manifestations of the divine presence. Such was the fact in the days of the Erskines, and other powerful preachers of the Scottish church. Their sacramental seasons were, in most instances, times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. There was a most remarkable display of divine grace, during such a communion season, in 1630, at the Church of Shotts, a small town between Glasgow and Edinburgh, at which nearly five hundred are said to have been awakened, most of whom gave good evidence of a saving change of heart, in their subse- quent lives.
Similar instances of the divine manifestations in Scotland, and in Ireland, were repeatedly witnessed at these pro- tracted meetings of the people of God; and although these extra services on such occasions may have become in many cases mere formal observances, yet it is to be regretted that they should have been so generally laid aside. "Man," as Cecil remarks, " is a creature of extremes. The middle path is generally the wise path; but there are few wise
13
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enough to find it." Because our fathers may have made too much of forms and outward services, we have made too little of them. The form of godliness, without the power, is worthless ; but so long as we are creatures of sense, and not all spirit, godliness must with us have a form. While some consider grace as inseparable from the participation of the sacraments, others lose sight of them as instituted means of conveying grace to the heart.
In 1736, the session, having been reduced by death, was increased by the addition of John Moor, Sen., John Moor, Jr., Peter Douglass, Thomas Steele, Alexander Rankin, and Ninian Cochran. The manner of electing and inducting these officers of the church, differed, as it appears, from the course now generally pursued. The following extracts from the records of the session will exhibit the spirit and manner of procedure in a business so solemn and important in its influence upon the church.
"March 11, 1735-6. The session being met and consti- tuted by prayer, after due deliberation and calling on God, to direct and assist in this weighty affair, did all agree to make choice of a certain number to be added to the session, and in order to carry on the same we had long communing, who shall be fixed on, and having agreed upon them, they were as followeth," (the individuals above named.) "They are to be spoken to and dealt with, that they may joyn members in this session, and give their answer at our next meeting, which is to be upon the 25th of March. And so concluded by prayer."
" March 25, 1736. The session being met and constituted with prayer by the moderator, Rev. Mr. Thompson, the above-named John Moor, Sen., John Moor, Jr., Thomas Steel, Peter Douglass, Alexander Rankin, Ninian Cochran, having been formerly nominated and invited to be joined members of this session, and as was appointed, do appear and being asked if they would answer the session's desire,
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and their objections and discouragements being heard and answered, they all owned that it was their duty to serve God and his church, as far as they were capable, and if the Lord would clear their way, they would answer their desire, and join with them. And the above named having been nom- inated to the presbytery, the session agreed that their names should be published before the congregation." At a subse- quent meeting, "June 10, 1736, the session having delib- erately proceeded with the above-named men to be added to the session, by nominating them to the presbytery, as also their names to the congregation, do agree that they shall be ordained elders upon the 23d of this inst., June. And according to this appointment they were ordained and joined as members with the former session."
The settlement continuing to receive accessions from Ire- land and elsewhere, and the remoter sections of the township becoming inhabited, sundry persons in the westerly part, having petitioned for that object, were set off as a religious society, and in 1739, were invested with parish privileges by the General Court, and styled the West Parish in London- derry.
Rev. David MacGregor, son of the Rev. James Mac- Gregor, the first minister of the town, took the pastoral charge of the newly-formed church and society. He had received his literary and theological education chiefly under the tuition of the Rev. Mr. Clark, his father's successor. He was ordained in 1737. The house of worship in which he ministered to this people of his charge, until nearly the close of his life, was located in the Aiken's Range. He however occasionally preached in what was termed the Hill meeting- house, nearly a mile west. This was the site first selected by the West Parish as the place of worship, and a house was there erected. But a number of families residing in the easterly part of the town, being dissatisfied with Mr. David- son's ministry, and particularly attached to Mr. MacGregor,
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as he was the son of their former pastor, and more evangel- ical in his doctrinal views, and a more talented preacher than Mr. Davidson, united with the newly-formed parish, and thus occasioned a change in the location of their house of worship, from the Hill, so called, to the Aiken's Range. This, of course, disaffected that portion of the parish residing west of the house first erected, and induced nearly the same num- ber of families (about forty) to withdraw from the West, and unite with the East Parish. Thus, while a portion of the inhabitants passed by Mr. Davidson's house of worship to that of Mr. MacGregor, an equal portion passed by Mr. MacGregor's house to that of Mr. Davidson. This unhappy division, which continued for nearly forty years, was produc- tive of evils long felt in the town, not only occasioning alien- ation of feeling, and often bitter animosities between the members of these two religious societies, but also preventing all ministerial and even social intercourse between the pas- tors of these flocks.
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