USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Norwich > The Congregational heritage : 1770-1961 in Norwich, Vermont > Part 4
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For Herbert Searles and Herbert Dixon I have an especially warm place in my heart. We were kids in our twenties together. One Sunday Mr. Dixon had a bouquet of roses on the pulpit. There was a hedge of them along the walk outside in its full glory, and Mr. Dixon said: "As I came to church this morning, I thought how nice it would be if we had some of these roses
on the pulpit. Then I thought, but it is too bad to pick them when they are so beautiful here. This bouquet, however, will never be missed outside because every rose in it was hidden out of sight." A simple message, but it has often led me to wonder if we don't say too easily that the busiest person you can find is the one to ask if you want anything done. Who knows how many good helpers need only to be discovered?
The Reverend John O Paisley came here from a city church for a few years in the country before retiring. It was during his pastorate that the parsonage was destroyed by fire-origin unknown. It seemed at the time like a terrible calamity, but Mr. and Mrs. Paisley were the right people in the right place when it came to rebuilding. One of his successors remarked to me that we little appreciated the debt of gratitude that we owed the Paisleys on account of the par- sonage. Said he: "You can't go anywhere around the place but what you find some- thing nice."
Here are a few highlights from Mr. Paisley's preaching :
"The only way to really live is to for- get yourself in the service of something greater than yourself."
"If God wants you to wait, you can af- ford to wait."
"If we would only put our Christianity into practice here, we wouldn't need to send missionaries to preach the Gospel to the heathen. They would come here to learn it."
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the end of all other fear." How the world needs that message right now!
I do not speak of more recent ministers, partly for lack of space and partly because they are already well known to many of our people; but may I say in closing, that, among other things, my Church has been my College, and I am glad of this oppor- tunity to pay tribute to my good Pastors and Teachers: the Norwich Ministers that I have known.
Fred E. Metcalf
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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS
THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH of Nor- wich, Vermont had just installed a pipe organ, in the rear gallery. At the church service that Sunday morning, a small boy named Lucian Matthews was sitting in the back pew, under the gallery, behind two ladies. After the service began, one lady said to the other: "I suppose it is because I have no ear for music; but for the life of me I can't tell the difference between the new organ and that old seraphine that we have used all these years."
Said the other lady "It does beat all how little ear for music some people do have, Now to me, this beautiful new organ is no more like that old seraphine than day is like night."
It was the seraphine to which they were listening. There was to be a dedicatory re- cital on the new organ very soon, when it would be heard publicly for the first time. Lucian Matthews told me the story when he was an old man, still chuckling over it.
A seraphine is defined in an old dic- tionary as follows: A wind instrument whose sounding parts are reeds, consisting of a thin tongue of brass playing freely through a slot in a plate. It has a fixed case, like a piano-forte, and is played by a similar keyboard. Its bellows is worked by the foot. The melodeon is a portable variety of the instrument.
An old record of the days before any in- strument was used is as follows: "Tuning of the Psalms was carefully provided for. A member was chosen to lead the singing who usually stood up front and got the pitch with a tuning fork which gave one note. From that note he gave the correct one for the psalm or hymn, sometimes sing- ing a line followed by the congregation singing it after him." This latter practice was known as "Lining out the hymns." I suspect that many an old-time singing- master would have considered a modern pitch-pipe "sissy." If a body couldn't sing
any desired note, given one note to go by, better learn his business before trying to lead the singing.
The first organist of our church that I remember was Mrs. Emma Hutchinson. She never tired of reminding me that once when a bunch of us kids were practicing for Children's Day, I looked up in the rear gallery where the old organ still stood and said "When I grow up, I'm going to play that organ."
Other organists who played for a con- siderable time were Miss Bessie Lord and Mrs. Lilla Smith. Bessie Lord played as a girl and young woman while she took les- sons, first of Mrs. Emma Huntley and then of Professor Charles H. Morse of Dart- mouth College. Her playing days on our organ ceased when she went to Boston to study, and then married and went to the Southwest to live.
Lilla Smith began playing as a girl in her 'teens and played for a dozen or fif- teen years with no thought of pay, and with a faithfulness and competence that no money could have bought. She was the kind of accompanist that one dreams about, an excellent sight reader and right with the singers no matter what happened or didn't. She died during the influenza epidemic of 1918, and I can appreciate the feeling of helplessness with which our church and community faced the future when, years too soon, they faced it without her.
Also deserving of special mention is Mrs. Emma Huntley. She was not primarily an organist; but a pianist and piano teacher. Yet, times without number, she "pinch- hit" at the organ as needed.
The story of Norwich church music would be most incomplete without mention of good, kind-hearted, irascible Mrs. Hanks. She was a Norwich girl who married a New York doctor, and began coming back to Norwich summers when the first world- war put a stop to her trips to Europe. She
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was not a professional musician but a very enthusiastic amateur organist. She was the only musician I ever knew who specialized in improvisation. Strangely and sadly, she never learned to write music, so, as this was before the days of tape-recorders, her mu- sic died with her but those of us who heard her remember her music as a per- petual thrill and delight. She gave Lilla Smith and me our first organ lessons, and so may be said to have had a hand in the music of our church for over half a cen- tury.
It would be quite out of the question to name all the singers who have led us in praise over the years. I shall mention five: Mrs. Ellen Knight, Mrs. Ursula Kew, Mr. Josiah Huntley, Mr. Thomas Hazen, and Mr. Ralph Doble. Ralph took over as choir-leader in December of 1910, and for about a year gave us a vision of what our music might be that we never quite got over. Some of the music that he taught us is still in occasional use.
In the winter of 1959, Frederick H. Johnson, Jr., our local piano tuner and or- gan builder, rebuilt the little old tracker organ, saving the best of the old pipes, adding others, and putting it under the control of a standard two-manual console. Now, at long last, the standard organ litera- ture can be played, "as is," and any prop- erly trained organist can sit down and play it. The new organ was dedicated on April 5, 1959, with the following programs:
ORGAN DEDICATION SERVICE 11:00 A.M.
Organ Prelude
Bach-From God I Ne'er Will Turn Me Handel- Air from the Water Music Hymns-No. 10, Come Thou Almighty
King; No. 400, Forward Through the Ages; No. 233, Spirit of God, Descend upon my Heart
Anthem: Shaw-With a Voice of Singing Offertory Beethoven-Theme from the Archduke Trio
Sermon Bound Together in Perfect
Harmony, description of organ music with illustrations; adapted from similar service at New Canaan, Connecticut Act of Dedication Minister and Congregation
Organ Postlude
Bach-To God on High All Glory Be
DEDICATORY ORGAN RECITAL 4:00 P.M.
Corelli-Prelude in G Minor, Adagio in G Minor, Fred E. Metcalf Bach-Short Prelude and Fugue in B Flat Mendelssohn- Adagio from Sonata
in F Minor, Catherine Smith Handel-Sonata in A Major (violin and organ) Leslie Dewing and Fred E. Metcalf Beethoven-Adagio from Sextet in E Flat for String Quartet and Horns; Theme from Trio, Opus 1, No. 3,
Fred E. Metcalf Gluck-Buck-
O Savior, Hear Me (violin obbligato)
Lynes- Seek Ye the Lord
Barbara Davis (soprano) Bach-Wilhelmj- Air for the G String, Leslie Dewing Bach-Now Let Every Tongue Adore Thee Fred F. Metcalf
As this is written, we are especially happy about the installation of a set of organ chimes, the best to be had-the gift of an anonymous donor. They are not only a beautiful addition to our services; but an example of how much we owe to our un- known friends.
Fred E. Metcalf
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EARLIEST ARTICLES OF FAITH AND COVENANTS
WE BELIEVE that there is one God sub- sisting in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who existed from eternity by whom the heavens and the earth and all things were made.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the only Mediator and that through him the chief of sinners among mankind may find pardon and salvation.
We believe that Christ will descend to judge the world at the last day and that all the dead shall arise and those who believe in Christ shall go into life eternal and those who do not shall go into everlasting pun- ishment.
We believe the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God and the only rule of faith to prac- tice and do so understand them as they are explained in the shorter catechism agreed to by the assembly of Divines at Westmin- ster.1
EARLIEST COVENANT
WE being in some measure sensible of our fallen sinfull and guilty state and condition by nature, of the corruption of our hearts and sins of our lives, of our utter unwor- thiness of any favor from God, of our just desert of the divine and everlasting dis- pleasure, and therefore wholly disclaim- ing ourselves and acknowledging our ab- solute inability of ourselves to do anything well pleasing to God and with adoring ap- prehensions of the exceeding riches of God's grace in Christ Jesus manifested in the gospel for the recovery and salvation of sinners of mankind; do desire with all hu- mility and reverence relying upon the Lord Jesus Christ and in his name with the as- sistance of the Holy Ghost venture to draw near and take hold of God's gracious cov- enant.
We do therefore freely and solemnly
avouch the Lord, the Lord Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost to be our God and give up ourselves and our seed unto him to be his only and forever devoted to his fear and service, his honour and glory as our chief and best good.
We promise by the assistance of divine grace to forsake the vanities of this world and to cleave unto the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all our souls and to seek and serve him in sincerity and in truth knowing that the Lord searcheth all hearts.
Moreover, we take the holy word of God to be our only rule of faith and practice and engage by divine grace to walk accord- ing to that perfect rule, adorning the doc- trine of God our Saviour in all things. And as Christ hath appointed ordinances to be attended by his people as the word sacra- ments prayer and we promise through his grace duly and faithfully to attend them. We will therefore maintain the worship of God in our families and closets and attend the seal of the Covenant baptism and the Lord's supper and the other duties of pub- lic worship as God shall give us oppor- tunity.
We will also endeavor to be faithful in catechising, instructing and governing our children and servants bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and set examples of piety and holiness be- fore them.
Furthermore, as Christ hath appointed a government in the church, we promise to attend the divine rule in watching over, exhorting, admonishing, and counseling one another endeavoring the best edification of the whole body and of each member as we shall have opportunity, and when and so often as there shall be apparent occasion we promise to do our endeavor to bring to proper discipline all open offenders in the church against the laws of Christ, and to
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seek the peace, purity, and enlargement of this church and of all our sister churches as far as in us lies.
Once more we promise to walk in love as Christ also hath loved us exercising all reasonable patience, and forbearance to forgive and restore the penitent and to strive by all possible precedent methods to build up and advance the kingdom and in- terest of Christ among ourselves and others as we shall have opportunity.
And now looking to the blood of the covenant for pardon and acceptance we bow ourselves in humble gratitude to the only wise God our Saviour to whom be glory in the church by Jesus Christ, world without end. AMEN.2
ARTICLES OF FAITH AND COVENANT AT THE SOUTH CHURCH (1819)
WE BELIEVE that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the word of God and the only perfect rule of faith and practice.
Article I The Scriptures reveal the exist- ence of one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the same in all divine attributes.
Article II God has made the world by His Power, and exercises a universal government over it. He has known the end from the beginning, and ordered all things as they subsequently come to pass.
Article III God created man upright.
Article IV Man fell from his state of rectitude by eating the forbidden fruit.
Article V All the posterity of Adam par- take of his fallen nature, and are involved in the consequences of the fall.
Article VI Man in his fallen state has no love to God, nor desire to obey his will.
Article VII Those who follow the nat- ural inclination of the human heart go on in sin, waxing worse and worse until death, when they immediately become the sub- jects of that misery due to all mankind for sin.
Article VIII Christ died for all mankind by answering the demand of the law, and rendering it consistent for God to have mercy on whom he will have mercy.
Article IX Salvation is of grace and is freely dispensed to all who exercise sincere repentance for their sins, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Article X Those who shall be saved are effectually called to life by regeneration, a work of God's spirit on the heart.
Article XI The regenerate only are quali- fied to become members of the visible church, and as such are entitled to the sac- rament of the Lord's supper for themselves, and of baptism for themselves and off- spring.
Article XII Those who are effectually called into the liberty of the Gospel by re- generation, are sanctified by the spirit and enabled to persevere in the ways of holiness until death when they are immediately re- ceived into the enjoyment of God.
Article XIII There will be a day of Judgment; when the bodies being raised, all men shall stand before the bar of Christ, and be judged according to the deeds done in the body. The righteous will be openly justified and acquitted, and receive the pledge of everlasting happiness. The wicked, being condemned, will receive the pentence of everlasting misery, and remain forever monuments of God's hatred of sin.
(Bible references accompany each article in the printed form.)
COVENANT
HOPING that by the grace of God in Jesus Christ we have been called out of darkness into marvelous light, and into the liberty of the sons of God: We now consecrate our- selves and all we have to Him. Utterly dis- claiming our own righteousness, and trust- ing in Christ alone for justification, we receive Him for our Prophet, Priest, and King to rule in and reign over us. We will strive henceforth to walk no more after the flesh, but after the Spirit, and feeling our own inability to stand, we ask the grace
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of God to assist us, and the advice, warning and reproof of His people. We covenant with God to be His forever. We covenant with one another to seek each other's peace and edification in the Gospel, to re- prove and exhort with all long suffering. We promise to be faithful to the Church, and seek the interest, happiness and reputa- tion of all its members. We promise in de- pendence on the grace of God to deny all ungodliness and every worldly lust, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present evil world. We promise to main-
tain public, family, and private worship, so far as these duties may depend on us, and to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We promise to come out from the world and be separate from its sins, and let our light so shine be- fore men, that others seeing our good works may be led to glorify our Father who is in heaven, and to this end we promise to pre- sent our bodies a living sacrifice to God as our reasonable service, looking to the right- eousness of Christ to make them holy and acceptable.3
1 Church Records, Volume I, page 125.
2 Church Records, Volume I, pages 125-127.
3 This covenant was printed in the manual prepared in 1875 and continued in this form until 1909.
CHURCH DISCIPLINE
"AS ALL OFFENCES against Christian duty and character are breaches of covenant ob- ligations, they are therefore proper sub- jects of church discipline. The following practices that prevail in the world are re- garded by this church as inconsistent with Christian character and therefore censur- able.
1. The traffic and use of ardent spirits as a drink.
2. The frequenting of assemblies con- vened for the purpose of revelling, ban- queting and dancing by the sexes promis- cuously, especially in the night, and in general, all such dissipating amusements of the carnal mind as are either sinful in them- selves, or are inconsistent with Christian character and duty by reason of their usual concomitant or necessary consequences.
3. The profanation of the Sabbath in labor for worldly gain or in worldly amuse- ments.
4. The habitual neglect of family or public worship unless some providential or physical cause prevents.
5. The refusal to assist in sustaining the means of grace according to the ability God has given."
Time was to be given to an offender so that he might make public confession of his sin. If such confession was considered sat- isfactory, the matter ended and he was restored to good standing.
"The censures of this church shall be of three grades, according to the nature and turpitude of offenses and their circum- stances of aggravation or of exculpation, as judged by the Church, viz. 1st-A public rebuke and admonition of the offender ad- ministered by the Pastor in the name of the church. 2nd-Suspension from the privi- lege of church fellowship till the offender is brought to repentance. . . . 3rd-Ex- communication from church membership on the ground of his having forfeited by his sin and impenitence all claim to be re- garded as a true Christian, having a right to membership in the Christian Church."
A member or members were allowed to ask for an Ecclesiastical Council unless a three-quarters majority of the members believed it unnecessary.
"The Confession of Faith and Cove- nant and Rules of the Church shall be pub- licly read at the first communion of each year."
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Reference was repeatedly made to the 18th chapter of Matthew, quoting our Lord's teaching in verses 15-17: Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
SOME CASES OF DISCIPLINE Taken from Church Records
FEBRUARY 1, 1805 At a meeting of the church to hear the complaint of Paul Brig- ham and Ebenezer Percival against Israel Brown for the breach of covenant obliga- tions in the following things:
1. For embracing and inculcating the senti- ment of universal salvation.
2. For neglecting public worship.
3. For neglecting baptism of his child and the Lord's supper.
4. For neglecting family religion or morn- ing and evening prayers.
Voted that the complaint is fully sub- stantiated. The church deferred acting on the first article alleged in the complaint on account of the small number of members who were present. For the neglects stated in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th articles of the com- plaint voted that said Brown be publicly admonished the second Sabbath in Feb- ruary instant.
JAMES W. WOODWARD, Pastor.
February 10. A letter of admonition was read agreeably to the above vote.
JAMES W. WOODWARD
Mr. Joshua Jackson was accused of de- parting "from divine rule" in planning to set out with a load of grain on the Sabbath day and for doing business thereon. He was also accused of "recommending a horse to Mr. Colby beyond its true value." In the hearing a witness testified that he only told Mr. Jackson the horse might be worth that
sum to Mr. Colby if it was as good as he recommended. Mr. Colby testified that Mr. Jackson said the horse was good to draw before cattle and for women to ride, and that upon trial women could not ride the horse nor would it draw before cattle. Yet after Mr. Colby had found the horse did not answer the purpose which Mr. Jackson gave him reason to expect it would, Mr. Jackson took three dollars of him to give up the bargain and take the horse back again." When the church meeting was held on November 23, 1807, Mr. Jackson said . .. "I must confess that I have said that which was inconsistent when conversed with on the subject, which thing I am very sorry for and I must say to my shame that I do not give the evidence of a Christian that the word of God and my profession re- quire."
The church voted satisfaction at his re- flections and did not believe the evidence brought forth was sufficient to prove Mr. Jackson guilty of a censurable evil.
In 1822, Richard Lord was charged with: 1. Neglect of attendance at communion.
2. "Unchristian conduct toward Andrew Hovey, son of Mr. Isaac Hovey-assaulting and striking him with a whipstock in a passionate manner."
3. "Speaking in a disrespectful manner of members of the church."
He was requested to be present at a meeting of the Church on November 27, 1822. As he did not appear, a letter was prepared by Samuel Goddard, Pastor, in be- half of the church. Here are some quota- tions from that letter:
"The first Congregational Church of Christ in Norwich to Richard Lord:
Dear Sir, In love and tender compassion we beseech you to hear us, while as a church in the name of the Lord Jesus we reprove and exhort you. Before God, Angels and men you have solemnly covenanted with God and with us to walk in the duties and ordinances of the Gospel-to unite into such covenant is our reasonable duty; but it is a most solemn transaction. To trifle with such transactions or to break such cov- enant is exceedingly criminal.
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1
1
1
You admitted the charges against you were true.
Now, dear Sir, be entreated to consider your conduct and compare it with the com- mand and rules given in the word of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ who shed his blood for us has commanded us in reffer- ence to the holy ordinance of the Lord's Supper Do this in remembrance of me. . . . you have neglected to do it.
Passionately striking your fellow creature is far from the spirit of Christian religion.
Remember the vows you have taken and that soon you must stand before the judg- ment seat of Christ to give an account for all the things you have done.
Gladly would we yet embrace you as a dear brother if you would return with a contrite spirit.
Other reasons for discipline appear in the records: drunkeness, profane swearing, justifying the pernicious practice of young people's attending dancing schools and balls and allowing children to attend in the knowledge that such conduct was offensive to the church.
POLICY ON CASES OF DISCIPLINE AT SOUTH CHURCH
WE HAVE SEEN how cases of discipline have been brought before the church as was customary in Congregational churches of early days. The church records of January 1, 1820 contain a section which explains in detail just how the 18th chapter of Matthew was supposed to be used:
"Voted, as expression of the unanimous sentiment of this church; that we have contemplated with anxiety the desolations to which the Churches of our Lord and Savior are exposed from a mistaken disci- pline. That this subject may be more suit- ably felt, and better understood by us, we have thought proper to record as our united opinion, that in the case of offenses a very clear and explicit course is pointed out by our Savior in the eighteenth Chapter of
Matthew; and one admirably calculated to bring existing difficulties to a close in the most direct and expeditous way. In the first place, the step by which the discipline of a member is commenced, is well adapted to bring him to repentance, and if rightly conducted on the part of the offended brother will rarely fail to do it. We believe that this step ought to be undertaken in a spirit of love, of prayer, and of considera- tion, and with a disposition to put the most favorable construction on the conduct of the offending brother, which the circum- stances of the case will allow. Every kind. of invective or reproach, therefore, should be discarded, and the offender addressed by an appeal to the bowels of mercies, which are in Jesus Christ. We believe the offended brother ought to labor to convince the of- fender of his error, and to press the sub- ject with an earnestness and zeal derived from the most sincere desire to be satisfied and to proceed no farther.
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