USA > Vermont > Orange County > Chelsea > Manual of the Congregational Church in Chelsea, Vermont : with historical sketch and catalogue of membership, from organization to June, 1882 > Part 2
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John iii. 36 .- "He that believeth on the Son, hath ever- lasting life : and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him."
5. We believe: That salvation is freely offered to all; but that all mankind are naturally so depraved, and such enemies to GoD and the Saviour, that, although they can at any time accept this offer, yet no one will accept it, until God. according to his eternal purpose, draws him to repentance and faith in Christ by the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Rev. xxii. 17 .- "And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." See, also, Luke xiv. 16, 24.
Isa. xlv. 22 .- "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else."
Isa. lv. 1 .-- "Ho! every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."
John iii. 19, 20 .- "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather
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ARTICLES OF FAITH.
than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."
John vi. 44, 45 .- "No man can come unto me, except the Father draw him. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man, therefore, that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh to me."
John v. 40 .- "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life."
Ps. cx. 3 .- "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power."
John iii. 5 .- "Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Titus iii. 5 .- "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
Eph. ii. 9, 10 .- "Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Eph. i. 4 .- "According as he hath chosen us in him, be- fore the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him, in love."
Rom. viii. 28 .- "And we know that all things work to- gether for good to them that love God; to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Rom. ix. 11 .- "That the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth."
6. We believe: That all true believers persevere in faith . and holiness, being kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, and that obedience to the law of God is the fruit and the evidence of their faith.
John x. 27-29 .- "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any one pluck them . out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all; and no one is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."
Rom. viii. 38, 39 .- "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Phil. i. 6 .- "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."
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MANUAL OF THE CHELSEA, VT., CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
1 Peter i. 5 .- "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Matt. xxii. 37, 40 .- "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy- self. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Gal. v. 22, 24 .- "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."
7. We believe that CHRIST has a visible Church in the world, to which all true believers in Him, and they only, should belong.
Eph. v. 25 .- "Christ loved the church and gave himself for it."
Matt. xvi. 18 .- "Upon this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Acts ii. 47 .- "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."
2 Cor. vi. 17 .- "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."
Ps. 1. 16 .- "But unto the wicked, God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth."
8. We believe that the Sacraments of the Christian Church are Baptism and the Lord's Supper; that all visible believers and their households, and these only, should receive Baptism, and that those who have confessed their faith and made a covenant with God through Baptism, and they only, should partake of the Lord's Supper.
Matt. xxviii. 19 .- "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
Mark xvi. 16 .- "He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved."
Matt. xxvi. 26, 27, 28 .- "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the dis- ciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it: for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
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ARTICLES OF FAITH.
HOUSEHOLD BAPTISM.
Gen. xvii. 5, 7, 10, 11 .- "Thy name shall be Abraham ; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant; to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. Every man- child among you shall be circumcised. And it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you."
Rom. iv. 11 .- "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet be- ing uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteous- ness might be imputed unto them also."
Gal. iii. 7, 9,13, 14 .- "Know ye therefore, that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ." 28, 29 .- "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor fe- male : for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
Acts ii. 39 .- "For the promise is unto you, and to your children."
Isa. lxv. 23 .- "For they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them."
1 Cor. vii. 14 .- "For the unbelieving husband is sancti- fied by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy."
Acts xvi. 15, 33 .- "And when she was baptized and her household." "And was baptized, he and all his, straightway."
Matt. xix. 14 .- "Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
9. We believe that there will be a general resurrection of the bodies, both of the just and of the unjust; that all mankind must one day stand before the judgment-seat of CHRIST, to receive a just and final sentence of retribution, ac- cording to the deeds done in the body ; and, at that day of judgment, that the state of all will be unalterably fixed; and that the punishment of the wicked and the happiness of the righteous will be endless.
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MANUAL OF THE CHELSEA, VT., CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
John v. 28, 29 .- "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming in the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation."
Acts xxiv. 15 .- "There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust."
2 Cor. v. 10 .- "For we must all appear before the judg- ment-seat of Christ: that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
2. Thes. i. 7-10 .- "When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glori- fied in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, in that day."
Matt. xxv. 34 .- "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Verse 41 .- "Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever- lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Verse 46. -"And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal."
PRINCIPLES AND STANDING RULES.
I. GOVERNMENT.
1. The government of this church is vested exclusively in the body of believers who compose it, and whose majority vote is final. It acknowledges the Lord Jesus Christ as its Supreme Head, and receives the Scriptures as its only infalli- ble guide in matters of Truth, Order and Discipline.
2. While this church is independent of all other ecclesi- astical bodies and will control its internal affairs according to its understanding of God's Word, it yet recognizes the obli- gations and the privileges of the communion of churches, and will cordially extend to other churches holding a common faith, and receive from them, that fellowship, advice and assis- tance which the law of Christ requires.
II. MEMBERSHIP.
1. The qualifications for membership are credible evi- dence of repentance for sin, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and assent to the Confession of Faith and Covenant of this church.
2. Candidates for admission to this church by profession of faith may be examined by the Standing Committee, or, if the church shall so direct, by the whole church, at any regular meeting; and when such candidates are approved by vote of the church they shall be propounded at least one week before the Communion Sabbath, and shall become members in full by giving public assent to our Confession of Faith and Cove- nant.
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MANUAL OF THE CHELSEA, VT., CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
3. Members of other churches, in fellowship with this, will be received into membership by vote of the church, on presenting proper letters of dismission and recommendation and by giving assent to our Confession of Faith and Covenant.
4. Members of evangelical churches, in good and regular standing, coming to reside here, are cordially invited to com- mune with us till they can conveniently obtain letters. If, how- ever, more than a year elapses before they present letters, a reasonable excuse for such delay will be expected before they are received by us.
5. Members of this church, in good and regular stand- ing, wishing to remove their connection from this to another church in fellowship with this, shall, at their request, be enti- tled to, and shall receive, by vote of the church, letters of dis- mission and recommendation, but such letters shall be valid for only one year from the time they were given, and the let- ters shall so state.
6. When members of this church shall remove their residence to the vicinity of other evangelical churches, they shall take letters from this church within one year after such removal. Should any member, so removing, fail to ob- serve this rule, it shall be the duty of the clerk to send such member a copy of it, requesting compliance therewith. If, after waiting a reasonable time, no notice is taken of this re- quest, the clerk shall report the fact to the church at its next annual meeting, and such person shall not be entitled to a letter in the usual form without satisfactory explanation.
7. On the recommendation of the Standing Committee the church shall, from time to time, revise its roll by drop- ping the names of absentees who have not been heard from for three years, or who have neglected or refused to take let- ters to other churches; also the names of those members who may have joined other churches without applying for letters. No name shall be so dropped except by vote of the church, and the reason shall be stated in the record.
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PRINCIPLES AND STANDING RULES.
III. OFFICERS.
The officers of this church shall be-
1. A Pastor, who shall have control of the pulpit and the exercises of public worship; shall preach the Word; ad- minister the sacraments; preside in meetings of the church, and take a spiritual oversight of the flock.
2. Two or more Deacons, who shall provide for and aid the pastor in the administration of the Lord's Supper; have charge of the communion service; take the oversight of poor members needing pecuniary relief; assist the pastor in the spiritual care of the congregation, and in his absence preside at meetings of the church.
3. A Clerk, who shall make a faithful record of all the business transacted by the church; keep a register of the church members, with the date and manner of their reception and removal; the names of all persons baptized, whether in- fants or adults; issue letters of dismission when voted by the church; and at the annual meeting submit a written state- ment of the whole number of members, resident and non- resident, the admissions, deaths, removals and baptisms during the year past, and also the names of such members as having been absent for more than a year, and having been re- minded of our rules, have neglected to take letters of dismis- sion. The clerk shall record all the reports submitted at the annual meeting and call special business meetings of the church.
4. A Standing Committee, consisting of the pastor and deacons, with such other members (not exceeding four) as may be annually chosen, to consult and advise in regard to church work; examine candidates for membership and recom- mend those whom they approve to the church; inquire into all cases of scandal or public offence by members of the church which may come to their knowledge, by complaint or other- wise, and seek by all means in their power to promote the 4
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MANUAL OF THE CHELSEA, VT., CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
purity, growth and efficiency of the church. In especially authorizing a standing committee to perform these duties it is not intended to absolve the other members from their obli- gations to work for Christ or to reprove, watch over and ad- monish each other.
5. A Treasurer, who shall see that the public collections, authorized by the church for benevolent objects, are taken up at the right time. He shall receive and properly forward the sums so collected, and submit a written statement at the an- nual meeting of the amount collected and the disposition made of it.
6. A Superintendent and an assistant Superintendent of the Sabbath-school, who shall have a general oversight of the school, secure proper teachers for the classes, and with the teachers labor for the increase and profitableness of the school, keep a record of the number of classes and the attend- ance of teachers and pupils, and of the collections in money taken up, and at the annual meeting of the school submit a written report of its condition and needs. The officers of the Sabbath-school shall be elected by the members of the school at the last session of the school for each year.
. 7. A Chorister and an assistant Chorister, who shall . lead the singing on the Sabbath, at funerals, and at all re- ligious meetings as far as practicable. The officers of the choir shall be elected by the members of the choir on the last Tuesday of each year.
IV. MEETINGS.
1. It is the duty of all members, unless providentially prevented, to attend the regular meetings of the church and such other meetings as may be appointed by special vote.
2. Meetings for public worship and the preaching of the gospel and for the Sabbath School service shall be held on the Sabbath ; the number and order of these services shall be arranged as the church may direct.
27
PRINCIPLES AND STANDING RULES.
3. The sacrament of the Lord's supper shall usually be administered on the first Sabbath of January, March, May, July, September and November. The preparatory service shall be held on the Thursday preceding, unless otherwise ordered.
4. There shall be a prayer and conference meeting on Tuesday evening of each week. On the Thursday afternoon preceding the first Sabbath in each month there shall be a prayer and conference meeting, unless the pastor prefers to give a lecture for the preparatory service before the sacra- ment.
5. There shall be a missionary meeting on the first Sabbath of each month.
6. There shall be an annual business meeting of the church on the Thursday next preceding the first Sabbath of January, either in place of or at the close of the preparatory lecture.
The order of business at this annual meeting shall be :-
1. Prayer.
2. Report of Deacons.
3. Report of Treasurer.
4. Report of Clerk.
5. Report of Standing Committee.
6. Election of Treasurer.
7. Election of Clerk.
8. Election of Standing Committee.
9. Determining the objects for which collections shall be taken during the ensuing year.
10. Any other business.
7. Special business meetings may be called at the dis- cretion of the standing committee or on application to the clerk in writing of five members. Public notice of all such meetings shall be given by the pastor or clerk on the Sabbath preceding.
8. All meetings of the standing committee for the exam- ination of candidates shall be announced from the pulpit on
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MANUAL OF THE CHELSEA, VT., CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH:
the Sabbath preceding. Any member of the church who de- sires may be present.
V. COLLECTIONS.
A collection shall be taken in the church on the Sabbath, according to some schedule to be adopted by vote of the church at its annual meeting for the year ensuing. Besides this, spe- cial collections may be taken at the discretion of the pastor and deacons, for any object of Christian benevolence.
VI. DISCIPLINE.
1. In all cases of discipline for alleged personal or pri- vate offences, the directions of our Saviour in 18th of Matthew shall be the rule of proceeding.
2. In all cases of public offence or when members are living in the open and continued violation of any covenant obligation, or so as to bring reproach on the Christian name, it shall be the duty of the standing committee, when possible, by private conference to reclaim the offender ; but if they fail of this, they shall, if in their opinion the purity of the church and the honor of Christ require it, report the facts to the church with the measures, which, in their judgment, should be adopted.
3. When any member is brought before the church for trial by the standing committee or any other person, for an alleged offence, he shall previously be furnished with a written statement of the charges preferred against him, the names of the witnesses and of the time and place of trial, and no vote of suspension, censure or withdrawal of fellowship shall be passed except after the accused member has had an ample op- portunity for defence, and such vote shall not be valid except it be approved by two-thirds of the members present at a regular meeting.
4. If any person shall withdraw from our communion for any reason appertaining solely to himself or shall habitually
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PRINCIPLES AND STANDING RULES.
and intentionally absent himself from the sacrament of the Lord's Supper or other public services, or shall refuse to aid according to his means, in the support of public worship, and after suitable private efforts to reclaim him he shall persist in his wrong course, while guilty of no immorality or other un- christian conduct, the church may, on the recommendation of the standing committee, by vote of two thirds of the members present, declare their withdrawal of fellowship from him till such time as he shall return to the path of duty.
5. Any person from whom fellowship has been with- drawn for immorality or any other cause, may be restored to good standing by vote of the church on evidence of repent- ance and a satisfactory confession.
VII. RELATION OF CHURCH AND SOCIETY.
1. This church has associated with it an ecclesiastical society, called The Voluntary Congregational Society of Chelsea, which owns and has the care of the house of wor- ship. This society, by mutual understanding with the church, provides for and pays the salary of its pastor, and raises and disburses all funds needful for the support of public worship.
2. Whenever the pulpit is vacant, by the absence or dismission of the pastor, the standing committee, in connec- tion with a committee of the society, shall procure a minister ; or, if they choose, they may leave it to the committee of the society to secure the needed supply.
3. In the settlement of a pastor, the church will take the first step in voting a call ; after which the society shall be asked to concur in the action of the church, and when a call is given, it shall be by the joint action of the church and society.
4. Persons desiring seats in the church should apply to the committee of the society.
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MANUAL OF THE CHELSEA, VT., CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
VIII. AMENDMENTS.
These rules or the articles of faith and covenant may be altered or amended at any business meeting of the church, of which public notice with distinct announcement of the pro- posed business shall have been given on the preceding Sab- bath, by a vote of two-thirds of the voting members.
OFFICERS.
DEACONS.
Election.
Samuel Linkon,
April 10, 1789,
Enos Smith,
May 30, 1800,
Ivory Douglass,
Later than 1805,
Samuel Douglass,
About 1825,
Henry Barnes,
About 1825,
John W. Smith,
1839,
January 18, 1875. May 25, 1865.
Ziba Woodward,
1839,
Harvey Hood,
1839,
May 2, 1862.
Carlos Moore,
September 5, 1862,
November 19, 1879.
Franklin Dearborn,
August 29, 1872.
John B. Bacon,
December 11, 1879.
Aaron Davis,
December 11, 1879,
November 4, 1881.
OLERKS.
Samuel Linkon, April 10, 1789,
December 1, 1800.
Enos Smith,
March 28, 1805, 1827.
John W. Smith,
About 1870.
John B. Bacon,
April 27, 1834, About 1870.
Termination of Office. December 1, 1800. April 1, 1844. August 1, 1825. 1830. About 1839.
Since August 22, 1827, the pastor has acted as clerk, the clerk usual- ly keeping the records only during the former's absence.
ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE OF MEMBERS.
The first column gives the name in full as the person was last called while a member of this church, a brace joining the names of husband and wife; in the case of a married woman whose husband was not connected with this church, his name fol- lows hers in brackets; the maiden name of married women is given in parenthesis. The second column gives the date and man- ner of uniting with the church, p indicating profession, and ¿ letter. In the third column, the star indicates that the person died while a member of this church, and the date is given when it could be ascertained; the name of a place in brackets indicates that the person died at that place ; when not otherwise specified, the death is understood to have taken place in Chelsea. Dismis- sal is indicated by d, the name of the church to which dismissed and the date being given when possible, excommunication by e, and dropping of the name by dr. All places are supposed to be in Vermont and all churches to be Congregational, unless other- wise indicated. An interrogation point indicates doubt.
Mrs. S. (Bigelow) Abbott, (see Sophia Bigelow.)
JJJoseph Akerman,
P
Mrs. Lizzie (Currier) Akerman,
SSluman Allen.
Mrs. Hannah (Storrs) Allen,
Mrs Lucy (Andrus) Allen [Comfort], 2
Laura Allen,
Hannah Allen.
§ Erastus Allen,
Aug. 7, 1875. Jan. 16, 1877.
Mrs. Elizabeth (Bliss) Allen
Sept. 4, 1831, Sept. 4, 1931, Mar., 1836. Jan .. 1837, *
*
( Daniel Henry Bliss Allen,
1 Elliot Ch. Lowell, Mass.,
( Mrs. Sarah Cornelia (Arnold) Allen,
2 1st Ch. Brookfield,
Mar. 23, 1865, Mar., 1836, * [San Francisco, Cal ]
Sept. 25, 1877.
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MANUAL OF THE CHELSEA, VT., CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
Mrs. Lucretia (Woodward) Allen,
Jan. 16, 1845. July 7, 1874.
Mrs. Lydia (Gustin) Allen [Sereno],
Sept. 20. 1874. Sept. 20, 1874. Mar. 19, 1S09, May 1, 180S, 1809, * Apr. 15, 1834. Jan. 3, 1858. Feb. 14, 1813. Nov. 7, 1819, d P. Ch. Chippewa Falls, Wis., Aug. 19, 1858. 1820-6, d P. Ch. Chippewa Falls. Wis., Aug. 19, 1858.
-
or
{ Sydney Allen, Mrs. Maria S. (Buel) Allen, §William Abijah Allen, Mrs. Emily (Herrick) Allen, Richard Andrus,
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