USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Derry > The history of Londonderry : comprising the towns of Derry and Londonderry, N.H. > Part 16
USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Londonderry > The history of Londonderry : comprising the towns of Derry and Londonderry, N.H. > Part 16
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The following minute from the records of the session of the first church, may serve to show the want of Christian fel- lowship which then existed between the two churches.
"James Wilson came to the session and desired to be admitted to the sacrament, to which Mr. Davidson told him, with the session, that we admitted none that partook with Mr. MacGregor; and was inquired of, whether or not it was a personal quarrel with his minister that made him decline from him. He answered it was not, but only the tenents they held up amongst them, and that he would not join with them for the future, and upon these he got a token of admis- sion." It is cause of thankfulness that no such alienation of feeling now exists; that for almost a century uninter- rupted harmony and Christian intercourse have prevailed between these ancient churches, and their respective pastors.
The original or East Parish, at a meeting in 1739, appointed a committee to unite with the session of the
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church, in presenting a call to the Rev. William Davidson, who had supplied the desk for a time, to settle with them in the ministry, engaging to give him one hundred and sixty pounds as a settlement, and the same sum annually as his salary. He accepted of their invitation, and was installed as their pastor the same year. He married the widow of the Rev. Mr. Thompson, his predecessor. She was a lady highly respected. She survived her second husband some years, and died September 3, 1796, at the advanced age of eighty-six years.
During Mr. Davidson's ministry of more than fifty years, vacancies occurring in the session were supplied by the fol- lowing individuals, who were, from time to time, consecrated to the office of ruling elder : Abraham Holmes, John Alex- ander, Thomas Cochran, Moses Barnett, Hugh Wilson, John Moor, Samuel Morrison, James Alexander, Matthew Miller, Thomas Wilson, David Morrison, Peter Calhoun, Robert Moor, John Holmes, and David Patterson.
The great awakening, or extraordinary seriousness and attention to religion, which, in 1741, in the days of the Ten- ants, of Edwards, and of Whitefield, so extensively prevailed in this country, pervading New England and most of the American colonies, extended to this town. During this period, the Rev. David MacGregor visited Boston and some other places favored with the divine manifestations, and having witnessed most striking displays of divine grace, in the hope- ful conversion of multitudes, he returned to his people greatly enlivened and deeply impressed with the subject of a revival among his own charge. He accordingly delivered a series of very impressive discourses from Eph. 5: 14, " Awake ! thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give thee light." The word, thus solemnly and pungently preached, was blessed as the means of awakening many of his people to a deep conviction of their guilt and danger, and led to their hopeful conversion to God. Meetings for religious conference
13 *
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HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY.
. and prayer were frequent. The work extended to all classes, embracing more particularly the young, and a happy addition was made to the church. But while one flock in the town was, like Gideon's fleece, thus watered with the dews of heaven, the other remained dry. Mr. Davidson and his church stood aloof from all participation in the work, and rather deprecated its approach. During this season of re- ligious attention, the celebrated Whitefield visited the town, and preached to a very large collection of people in the open field, the meeting-house not being sufficiently large to ac- commodate the multitude assembled.
In regard to the character of the work which then per- vaded the colonies, through the instrumentality of this dis- tinguished preacher of the gospel, ministers in New England were greatly divided ; as in this town, - some favored, some opposed, the work. To the testimony of an assembly of pas- tors, at Boston, July 4, 1743, expressing their belief " that there had been a happy and remarkable revival of religion in many parts of the land, through an uncommon divine in- fluence," among the names of the New Hampshire pastors appended, is that of David MacGregor, of the Presbyterian church in Londonderry. And in a letter, accompanying his testimony, afterwards published in Prince's History, vindicat- ing the work against the charges brought by its opposers, as partaking of antinomianism and fanaticism, he says : " For my own part, I have seen little or no appearance of the growth of antinomian errors, or anything visionary or enthusiastic, either in my own congregation, or among the people in the neighborhood where I live. Indeed, if asserting justification by faith alone, and denying it by the law, as a covenant of works, while the eternal obligation of the law as a rule of life is strongly maintained in practice as well as profession, - if this, I say, be antinomian doctrine, then we have a great growth of antinomianism. Again, if asserting the necessity of supernatural influence, or divine energy, in conversion, or
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the reality of the immediate witnessing and sealing of the Spirit, be enthusiasm, then we have a remarkable spread of enthusiasm : and in these senses, may antinomianism and enthusiasm grow more and more, till they overspread the whole land."
Unhappily, Mr. Davidson dissented from such evangelical views, opposed the religious movements of the day, and, as the consequence, shared not in the refreshing influences which descended copiously upon sister churches and congregations. Although he, and those in the Presbyterian connection who sympathized with him, adhered to the confession of faith, and had in constant use the Assembly's Larger and Shorter catechism in their families, schools, and congregations ; yet, in their preaching they left out, as has been justly said, the distinctive doctrines of the Calvinistic system ; dwelt chiefly on moral and practical duties, were not zealous for the con- version of sinners, and in their preaching and devotional services lacked that unction and fervor which distinguished the advocates, promoters, and subjects of the great revival. The result was, that vital godliness greatly declined in this church, few were added by profession, discipline was much neglected, and the distinctive lines between the church and the world nearly obliterated.
The session of the church in the West Parish, during Mr. MacGregor's ministry, consisted of the following individuals, who were at different periods elected and consecrated to the office of ruling elder, viz., James McKeen, James Leslie, James Clark, James Nesmith, James Lindsley, George Dun- can, John Duncan, James Taggart, John Gregg, Robert Morrison, John Hunter, John McKeen, Samuel Anderson, Samuel Fisher, John Aiken, and James Reed.
In 1769, anew meeting-house was erected in the East Parish, located a few rods south of the site occupied by the first house of worship. Its dimensions were sixty-five by forty-five feet, with a steeple. It was well finished, and equalled, if it did not
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surpass, in its appearance, most of the church edifices of that period. The undertakers of the work were Col. Daniel Rey- nolds and Joseph Morrison. So excellent was the timber em- ployed in its construction, that the original frame, on being en- largedin 1824, by the insertion of twenty-four feet, was found to be without defect. In 1845, the house was remodelled, as to its internal construction, and so arranged as to afford, not only a large and spacious church, but also a town hall, a vestry, a room for the session, and another for the parish library, the meetings of committees, and other uses. Occupying a com- manding position, on an elevated ascent, with its lofty spire, it attracts the eye for miles in every direction. Tastefully arranged, it is, in its internal structure, " one of the neatest, in a country of beautiful sanctuaries." Its location evinces the wisdom and taste of the early settlers ; and around this spot, on which their first altar was reared, and where they statedly met to worship God, the most hallowed associations will ever cluster in the breasts of their descendants.
The change which has taken place in the structure of houses of worship, correspond with the changes which have taken place in the state of society. "It is not trifling to attend to the arrangements in meeting-houses, and the forms of dress. They are material forms of human society, and exhibit to us the minds, the morals, and the manners of mankind. Distinc- tions of rank among different classes of the community, a part of the old system, prevailed very much before the Revolu- tion, and were preserved in the dress as well as in the forms of society. Meeting-houses were constructed to suit, in some degree, the existing state of society. The construction of the pulpit with its appendages, in Presbyterian communities, corresponded with their form of ecclesiastical government. As you entered the pulpit, you first came to the deacons' seat, elevated, like the pews, about six inches from the floor of the aisles, or passages. In the deacons' narrow slip usually sat two venerable men, one at each end. Back of the deacons' seat,
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PRESBYTERIAN MEETINGHOUSE DERKY
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and elevated ten or twelve inches higher, was the pew of the ruling elders, larger than that of the deacons, and about square. Back of the elders' pew, and two or three feet higher, and against the wall, was the pulpit." Such was the arrangement in the house of worship, in the East Parish of Londonderry, when the present pastor commenced his ministry. There was also appended to the pulpit an iron frame for the hour- glass, that was turned by the minister at the commence- ment of his discourse, which was expected to continue during the running of the sands. Sometimes, when the preacher deemed his subject not sufficiently exhausted, the glass would be turned, and another hour, in whole or in part, occupied. Whether this arrangement of the deacons' and elders' seats, which became general throughout New England, grew out of pure Presbyterianism, we are not able to say. The Congrega- tional Platform also provides for ruling elders in each church, but they have never been common in Congregational churches. In many of the meeting-houses of that day, there were, on each side of what may be called the centre aisle, and in front of the pulpit, two or three seats, of sufficient length to accommo- date eight or ten persons. These were designed for the elderly portion of the congregation, and for such as had not pews. In these, the men and the women were scated separately, on opposite sides. On these plain seats, our grave and devout forefathers would contentedly sit during a service of two hours, without the luxury of cushions or carpets, and, in the colder seasons of the year, without stoves, and in houses not so thoroughly guarded against the penetration of the cold as those of the present day.
The Rev. David MacGregor died May 30, 1777, aged sixty-eight years. He was the third son of the Rev. James MacGregor ; was born in Ireland Nov. 6, 1710, and baptized, as the record states, by William Boyd, the agent of the com- pany of emigrants who visited America in 1718. He was greatly respected, and his death sincerely lamented by the
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people of his charge. He stood deservedly high in public estimation, as a preacher and a divine. Few, if any then upon the stage, were considered his superiors. His praise, as a bold, faithful, and successful minister, was in all the surrounding churches, and his services eagerly sought. Though not favored with a collegiate education, yet, under the private instruction of Rev. Mr. Clark, and by his great assiduity and application in the acquisition of knowledge, he became a scribe well instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, and was able at all times and on all occasions, to bring forth out of his treasure things new and old. He was an animated and interesting preacher. His pulpit talents were considered superior to those of his father. His voice was full and com- manding, his delivery solemn and impressive, and his sentiments clear and evangelical. His house of worship was usually thronged. Many from neighboring towns attended regularly upon his ministry. He excelled not only as a preacher, but as a pastor. In the discharge of parochial duties, especially in catechizing his flock, he was eminently distinguished.
The following anecdote of Mr. MacGregor has been pre- served, and proves that he was not deficient in that ready wit, which was characteristic of the Scotch-Irish generally. " William Stinson was one of the first settlers of Dunbar- ton. He was born in Ireland, and came to Londonderry with his father, while young. From thence he went to Dun- barton. For some time, he lived alone in his log house, destitute of most of the conveniences of domestic life. On a certain time, the Rev. D. MacGregor of Londonderry called upon and dined with him. Not having a table, or anything that would answer for a better substitute, he was obliged to make use of a basket, turned up. The Rev. Mr. MacGregor, being requested to solicit a blessing, perti- nently and devoutly implored that his host might blessed ' in his basket and in his store.' This was literally verified,
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as Stinson became one of the most wealthy men in the vicinity."
Mr. MacGregor possessed, in an eminent degree, a spirit of firmness and independence, which deterred him from shrinking from duty on account of apparent danger or diffi- culty. The following fact may serve to illustrate this trait of his character.
Mr. Jotham Odiorne, a gentleman in Portsmouth, received two letters from an unknown hand, in which the writer threatened that his buildings and other property would be burned, and his life endangered, unless the sum of five hundred pounds, should be left at the westerly end of " the long bridge, which is between Kingston and Chester," on a certain day. The money was accordingly deposited, and a guard placed near to arrest the person who should appear to take it. Capt. John Mitchell, a respectable citizen of Lon- donderry, having occasion to travel that way in the night, alighted from his horse near the spot where the money was deposited. He was immediately arrested by the guard, as the supposed incendiary, and, notwithstanding his protesta- tions of innocence, was conveyed directly to Portsmouth and . committed to prison. Owing to the singular concurrence of circumstances, the public sentiment was very generally and strongly excited against him.
In this painful situation, separated from his family, and laboring under the imputation of so foul a crime, he found it difficult, as his trial approached, to obtain a suitable advocate to manage his defence, there being at the time few attorneys in the county, and the most able being retained by the pros- ecutor. Mr. MacGregor, convinced of Mitchell's innocence, and strongly interested in his behalf, offered himself as his advocate, and undertook to manage his cause. He accord- ingly, by permission of the court, took his seat among the legal gentlemen at the bar, who were no less amused than surprised, on receiving their clerical associate. Although
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Mr. MacGregor was not particularly versed in the forms and technicalities of the law, yet he managed the defence with much ability and address, and supported it by an in- genious and powerful argument. The evidence for the prosecution was so clear, however, that Mitchell was convict- ed, notwithstanding all the efforts of his advocate, and was sentenced to pay a fine of one thousand pounds, and costs of prosecution, and to recognize for his appearance at the next term of the court. Being unable to meet this sentence, Mitchell was kept in confinement, until, by the exertions of Mr. MacGregor, a sufficient bond was procured and filed. This bond was renewed from time to time, until at length the innocence of Mitchell was made manifest, and he was fully acquitted. It should be noted, as illustrative of Mr. Mac- Gregor's disinterestedness, that Capt. Mitchell was not a member of his society, but, having on some accounts become inimical to him, was a decided opposer.
Although Mr. MacGregor had not passed through the regular course of education at any of our colleges, yet, such were his attainments in general science, and such his high reputation, that he received the honorary degree of Master of Arts, from Princeton College, in New Jersey. In 1755, the Presbyterian church and congregation in the city of New York, afterwards the charge of Dr. Rogers, and now of Dr. Spring, being then vacant, extended a call, by the advice of the presbytery, to Mr. MacGregor, to become their pastor ; which call, though urged upon him by many considerations, he however declined, preferring to remain the minister of his own beloved flock, many of whom had been the charge of his venerated father.
Mr. MacGregor did not survive his active usefulness. He continued in the faithful and acceptable discharge of the duties of his sacred office until removed by death. His last Sabbath on earth was a communion season with his church. On this occasion he preached, as usual, and manifested,
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during the services, his accustomed zeal and earnestness. At length, exhausted by the effort, he sank down in his desk, and was carried out of the assembly. He however so far revived as to return to the house of God, and there give a short and parting address to his beloved people, whom he had served so long and so faithfully in the gospel. The scene was deeply affecting. He died the following Friday. During his short confinement, his mind was calm and resigned. His faith in that Saviour, whose character he had. so fully exhibited in all his offices, was now his unfailing support. It disarmed death of its sting. To one of his elders, he observed, referring to Christ, "I am going to see him as he is." Addressing some of the brethren of the church, in reference to the destitute situation in which they would be placed, he exhorted them to look to the great Head of the church, who is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and bore repeated testimony to the truth and importance of those doctrines, which for more than forty years had been the subject of his preaching, and which are usually termed the doctrines of grace. If
" The chamber where the good man meets his fate Is privileged beyond the common walk. Of virtuous life, quite in the verge of heaven,"
much more is that in which the good minister of Christ closes his life of labor, and thence departs to meet his reward.
Dr. Whitaker, pastor of the Tabernacle church, in Salem, Mass., preached the funeral discourse of Mr. MacGregor, from the words of Elisha, on the removal of Elijah: "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen . thereof." Truly had he been a father, a defence and protec- tion, to the religious and moral interests of this community. The only published performances of Mr. MacGregor, which are now extant, is the letter before referred to, in vindication
14
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HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY.
of Mr. Whitefield, and of the great revival of that day, and a sermon, preached by him at the funeral of Rev. Mr. More- head, of Boston.
A notice of Mr. MacGregor's family may be found in a subsequent chapter.
In 1778, the forty families which had been allowed, for some years, to pass from one parish to the other, for the more satisfactory enjoyment of religious privileges, having increased to nearly seventy, were confined by an act of the General Court, to their respective bounds as parishioners, and taxed accordingly, for the support of the gospel. The greater part of them, however, continued for a time to worship as they had formerly done.
The West Parish, after remaining destitute of a pastor six years, and having made trial of a number of candidates, was unanimous in the choice of Rev. William Morrison, a licen- tiate of the Associate Reformed Presbytery of New York. The presbytery having sustained the call which had been presented to him, he was "ordained February 12, 1783, and set apart to the work of the gospel ministry, to take the charge of the second parish in Londonderry." Rev. David Annan preached the ordination sermon.
Soon after Mr. Morrison's settlement, the session of that church, which had been reduced by death, was enlarged by the addition of John Bell, John Pinkerton, Robert Thompson, Abel Plummer, James Aiken, Jonathan Griffin, Abraham Duncan, Thomas Patterson, and James Nesmith. Subse- quently, and during Mr. Morrison's ministry, James Pinker- ton, William Adams, David Brewster, John Fisher, Jonathan Savary, Thomas Carlton, and John Pinkerton, Jr., were elected and consecrated ruling elders.
Previous to the death of Mr. MacGregor, the West Par- ish had erected a new meeting-house, on a site more central, in which he preached a certain part of the time. In this house, situated a little east of the graveyard in that parish,
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OLD PRESBYTERIAN MEETINGHOUSE AND SESSION HOUSE LONDONDERRY
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Mr. Morrison was ordained, and in this he fulfilled his min- istry. It has been recently taken down, and a new house erected by the society, a mile west, on the Mammoth Road.
The Rev. William Davidson, who sustained the pastoral charge of the first church and society, continued to officiate as their minister, more than half a century. He was ordained in 1740, and died February 15, 1791, at the advanced age of seventy-seven years. He was born in Ire- land, but educated at the university in Scotland. He grad- uated in 1733, being but nineteen years of age. He was a man of very amiable character, possessing a peculiarly mild, friendly, and benevolent disposition. He was exemplary in his deportment, and devoted to the interests of his people. He did not excel as a theologian, or as a public speaker. His doctrinal views were not characterized by the clearness and discrimination of many of the preachers of that time. He was supposed to incline to Arminianism ; yet as a pastor, he was diligent and affectionate. He was not distinguished for the brilliancy of his talents, but he was beloved and respected for the qualities of his heart, and the virtues of his life.
An aged and highly respected gentleman, now living, says, in a communication respecting the history of this town: "I have very often heard Mr. Davidson preach aboot Saint Pa-al," alluding to his peculiarly broad pronunciation, and very fre- quent reference to the great apostle in his discourses, "and if he had been brought before me charged with any crime, as a judge, I should have acquitted him," so expressive of benignity were his features. He did not, in any degree whatever, entangle himself in the affairs of the world. Attentive to the duties of his office and the calls of his par- islı, he left the management of his temporal concerns, in a great degree, to Mrs. Davidson, a lady well qualified to fill the station in which she was placed. He studied to preserve the peace and harmony of his society. He frequently remit- ted his demands upon his parishioners when requested, never
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suffering any to be distressed in payment of their tax for his support. He died sincerely beloved and respected by those among whom he long labored, and in whose service "his locks had whitened, and his eyes grown dim."
He left four children, two sons and two daughters, one of whom was married to the Rev. Solomon Moor, of New Boston. The other remained unmarried, occupying, until her death, April 10, 1836, the homestead of her father. His eldest son joined the British, during the revolutionary war, and settled in Nova Scotia, and sustained there important civil offices. The younger brother, Hamilton, also removed to the same place after the Declaration of Independence.
After the decease of Mr. Davidson, the parish remained destitute of a settled ministry until 1795, when the Rev. Jonathan Brown was ordained their pastor, by the London- derry presbytery. Mr. Brown was a native of Pittsfield, N. H. He was early a hopeful subject of divine grace, and gave pleasing promise of usefulness in the church of Christ. Although in indigent circumstances, he sought an education for the gospel ministry. Becoming acquainted with the Rev. Mr. Murray, of Newburyport, he was encouraged and sus- tained by him in prosecuting his object. On being licensed, he was solicited by a number of vacant parishes to become a candidate for settlement. He accepted the invitation from Londonderry. There was, however, in this place, a strong and determined opposition to his settlement, by a large minority of the parish. But notwithstanding their remonstrance, the presbytery saw fit to ordain him. In doing this, they did not act with that wisdom which subsequent experience has fully taught ecclesiastical councils. It has been long found unad- visable to force a candidate upon a people, where an opposition of any importance exists. Though it may not be strong at first, it more generally increases, tending not only to divide and weaken the society, but greatly to mar the peace and counter- act the labors of the pastor. It proved so in this case. While
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