ISCO R S E S UEL1V1 March 8th and 15th, 1863, CENTURY AND A HALF FROM TUB i*n of tltc Cougt^ptionat ffilutvch i WEST HARTFORD, CONN. V M YJiON N. MOHUIS WEST BAKTFORD : PRINTED BY WILLIAM STOKER. TWO DISCOURSES DELIVERED March 8th and 15th, 1863, ON THE COMPLETION OF A CENTURY AND A HALF FROM THE isation of the WEST HARTFORD, CONN. BY MYRON N. MORRIS, PASTOR OF THE CHURCH. WEST HARTFORD: PRINTED BY WILLIAM STOKER. 1863, WEST HARTFORD, APRIL 7, 1863. REV. M. N. MORRIS, DEAR SIR At a meeting of the Congregational Church in this town, of which you are pastor, held on the 3d inst., the undersigned were appointed a Committee to communicate to you the following vote, which was unanimously adopted by the Church : " The members of this Church and Congregation having listened with great satis- faction to the recent interesting discourses of our pastor, in commemoration of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Organization of the Church ; and feeling that these Sermons ought to be preserved, as an important link in the History both of the Town and the Church ; therefore it is " Voted, That the thanks of this people are hereby tendered to Rev. MYRON N. MORRIS for his valuable Historical Discourses, and that he be respectfully re- quested to furnish a copy of the same for publication." In discharging the pleasing duty imposed on us by the Church, we must be allowed to add, that our individual wishes coincide cordially with those of our brethren ; and we sincerely hope you will not hesitate to comply with the request expressed in the vote. We are, dear sir, Yours iu Christian fellowship. HENRY TALCOTT, EDWARD BRACE, WILLIAM STORER. Mr. HENRY TALCOTT, Dea. EDWARD BRACE, and Mr. WILLIAM STORER, Committee : DEAR BRETHREN, The Discourses, of which you request a copy, were prepared without a view to their publication. My original design was simply to present, in a single discourse, such facts in the history of the Church and Society as I could immedi- ately gather from my limited sources of information. But as I proceeded, I found myself exceeding the proper limits of one discourse, and, not having time to re-write and condense, concluded to add another.' In publishing, it might be an improve- ment to reduce the two to the foim and ordinary length of a single sermon ; but I thought it might please my people better to receive them in print just as they heard them from the pulpit. 1 therefore place them in your hands with very little altera- tion. May they serve to recall grateful memories of the Past, and also to keep in mind the scenes through which we are now passing. . Yours iu Christ, M. N. MORRIS. WKST HARTFORD, APRIL 9, 1863. 2012479 DISCOURSE I. ECOLESIASTES 1 : 4, One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh ; but the earth abideth for ever. THE race of man continues, but the period during which any- one generation or individual of that race remains on the earth, is very brief. Men come on to the stage full of hope and energy ; they form their plans, and prosecute their enterprises, as though they were always to remain. But after even a brief century has passed, we can learn who they were and what they did only by searching among the records and monuments they have left us ; and these are too often so scanty as to afford us but little knowledge. The divine plan is, not that the inhabitants of the earth should remain the same from age to age, but that they should come in successive generations, and develop their powers, form their characters, and perform their work in their appointed time, and pass away, and make room for others to come after them. And this is a most wise arrangement, excellently adapted to promote the great ends of life. It is favorable to improvement and progress in that which is good. When people have passed the period of youth and early manhood, they become conserva- tive, and as they grow old, they are more and more averse to change. This indeed is a barrier against the sudden overturning of the old foundations ; but men live long enough now to hold in check the rash impetuosity of youth ; and then they pass away in season to allow of the gradual introduction of such changes as the coming generation, who are not wedded to old customs, may deem to be desirable. The passing away and the coming in of successive generations is favorable also to the moral condition of society. Had the gen- erations that lived before the flood continued to this day, there is no conceiving of what the wickedness and corruption, that pro- voked Heaven to destroy them, would have grown into ; or what would have been the evil result, had all the wicked men that have established themselves in wealth and power been permitted to strengthen themselves from age to age, and every throne of ini- quity that framed mischief by a law continued to oppress and work unrighteousness to the end of time ! But now how differ- ent ! The men of power, who have held a rod of terror over the heads of the oppressed people, have died, and others have taken their places to begin anew, for good or for evil. Those who have gathered to themselves immense wealth, so dangerous to themselves, to their children, and to the commu- nity, have gone to the grave, and their over-grown fortunes been divided and scattered. The old sinner, who has been a curse to his neighborhood, destroying much good, and working all man- ner of evil, has after a few years passed away, and that ungodly company who had gathered around him and strengthened him in wickedness, or rather have drawn from him their own power for evil, are broken up, and have lost their influence ; while the good seed which the faithful have long been sowing, with tears, in the fruitful soil of childhood and youth, springs up, and the whole moral aspect is changed. It is surely better that our race should be ever renewed by a constant supply of fresh and youthful blood ; better that they who would do good should have this plastic material to work upon ; better that when men have come to maturity and wisdom, and have lived long enough to mould aright the coming genera- tion, and to impress upon it the right image, they should pass away, and leave the world to their successors. And this is a beneficent arrangement for even those who depart ; for the right- eous go to their reward, and the wicked, by remaining, would only fill up, more largely, the measure of their iniquity. It is now a hundred and fifty years since the first pastor of this church was ordained ; and probably the date of the organi- zation of the church corresponds precisely, or very nearly, with the commencement of this first pastorate. By the favor of God, the church has continued to the present time, exerting its happy influence on this community, and on the world. But they who established it, and were its original members, are all gone. Their children are all passed away. None of their grand-children re- main. Four generations have come upon the stage, acted their important part, and mostly made their exit. And the fifth, and perhaps the sixth, generation the present membership of the church, are now having their day of responsibility, and of privi- lege. The first three pastors, who led this flock through a period of a hundred and twenty-five years, now sleep in the midst of their mouldering congregations. You very properly feel a deep interest in these departed gene- rations ; they were of your own kindred, your fathers and mothers. They are gone, but they lived not in vain, nor to themselves alone. They have left us this most precious Christian heritage, for which we have every day occasion to bless God. Let us go back to the beginning, and follow them, as far as we are able, through their toils and prayers and conflicts, and notice the principles that guided them, and the good hand of God upon them, and see how this goodly heritage came to us. In regard to the time when the settlement of this part of the old town of Hartford was commenced, how the first inhabitants lived, and what privileges they enjoyed, I have at hand no means of information. The earliest Society Records extant are in an unbound, and somewhat mutilated volume, marked " No. 2," and they commence Dec. 8, 1736, more than twenty-five years after the Society was incorporated. And there are recorded only two votes passed by the church during the ministry of its first pastor, and these were about thirty-six years after his ordination. It appears that in accordance with a vote of the proprietors of the undivided lands in the West Division of Hartford, passed Jan. 30, 1672, there was laid out, by a committee, in November, 1674, a strip of these lands, next to Farmington bounds, a mile and a half wide east and west, and extending north and south across the town. This strip was divided into lots, running en- tirely across it, each lot being a mile and a half in length, and varying in width from three to ninety-one rods, according to the interest of each of the proprietors, of whom the names of sixty- eight are recorded, with the number of the lot assigned to each. The eastern boundary of Farmington at that time was the road passing north and south by Mr. Edwin W. Belden's. The Ecclesiastical Society of the West Division in Hartford was incorporated by act of the legislature, passed at its May ses- sion in 1711, in accordance with a petition* signed by twenty- eight residents presented at its session in October of the pre- ceding year. The boundaries of the Society were, Windsor on the north, Farmington on the west, Wethersfield on the south, and on the east, " the east ends of the West Division lots." It was afterward enlarged so as to include a part of Farmington, and also extended considerably on the east. In 1806, its name was changed by the legislature to the Society of West Hartford. From 1736, the time when the records commence, onward, we find the Society pursuing what seems to have been its established course, meeting annually in the month of December, appoint- ing a Committee " to take care of the schools and other pruden- tials of the Society," directing how many schools shall be taught, * See Appendix. in what manner, and how long, and instructing their Commit- tee to carry their views into effect ; voting what they called the " minister's rate," and the " charge rate," the latter generally abont two pence on a pound, for school purposes and other charges ; and also voting from year to year the amount to be appropriated for the minister's salary.* The plan of having all the schools in a town or Society sup- ported by one common fund, raised by tax, and all under the control of one Board of Education, is not a modern one. Your fathers here adopted it, as did the people of the other towns, for it was a State requirement, and followed it* down to within about fifty years of the present time. The Society built all the school- houses, and assumed the whole direction and support of the schools. In 1746, it was " voted that there be three school- houses built in this parish, at the cost of the Society ;" and the Committee were directed to dispose of the old school-houses for the benefit of the Society. Our fathers were deeply impressed with the importance of education, and of schools as a necessary means of education. They were not satisfied with six or eight months schooling in the year ; they voted from year to year, that a school be kept eleven months, but more frequently twelve months in the year. Previous to about 1745, the schools were taught a part of the year by females ; afterward, for a long time, by males only. In the latter part of the last century, we find * The ministers were settled upon a specified salary, but such were the fluctua- tions of the currency, that it was varied from year to year in order to make it cor- respond, as nearly as practicable, in value, to the amount which had been pledged. Thus the Society voted to their first minister sums varying from 100 to 600 a year; one year 60 in silver, and his wood, or 412 "Old Tenor," and his wood. And when the second pastor was settled, his "settlement," and salary, were to be paid in currency equal to silver at six shillings eight pence an ounce. And in 1777, it was "voted to pay half of Dr. Perkins' rate in provisions," at a price which had been recently established by law ; and the following year, to give him 100 in provisions, or 300 in Continental bills, 2 10 districts coming more distinctly into view, and the Society voting school privileges to the " East Side," and to the " West Lane." The very intimate relation between the Ecclesiastical Society and the Church, between religion and education, renders these somewhat secular topics quite appropriate to my purpose. It was the glory of the fathers of New England, the glory also of the fathers of West Hartford, that they placed their social and political fabric upon the foundation of Religion and Educa- tion ; the Church and the School-house, side by side, early planted, equally and liberally sustained, both essential to the well-being and prosperity of the community. A religious and intelligent people will acknowledge and perform their duties, will know and assert their rights. This Society was formed for the purpose of maintaining and enjoying religious and educational privileges. Your honored forefathers, who petitioned for this Society, might have saved themselves all this trouble and expense, and stayed at home on the Sabbath, as some now do, and let those who wanted schools establish them, or send their children through the wilderness to the city ; but what in that case would West Hartford have been now ? Instead of this goodly place, this intelligent, Christian and highly favored community, what a den of ignorance, and heathenism, to help the rebels in their infernal work ! A very sink of wickedness, drawing into itself all the vileness and corruption of the city and surrounding country ! As early as May, 1797, a unanimous vote was passed by the Society, to take measures to be set off as a town. This matter was prosecuted from time to time, and after a lapse of fifty-seven years, viz. in 1854, the object was obtained, and the results thus far have been happy. When the meeting-house in which the fathers first worshiped here was built, I am not informed. Some of you remember 11 what I suppose to be that same old building, with a steep roof, standing a little west of this house, and occupied as a barn. In a Society meeting, Dec. 23, 1741, seventy members being present, it was voted, fifty-five in favor, to build a new meeting- house, fifty-five feet in length, and forty feet in width.* The house was raised in June following, and taxes laid at different times to meet the expense. The building committee were, Col. John Whiting, Capt. Daniel Webster, Moses Nash, Timothy Seymour, and Stephen Hosmer.f As the expenses of the Society were always raised, not by renting or taxing the seats, but by a tax on the property of the Society, the delicate work was assigned to a committee to " seat the house," or to designate the places where each family should sit. The galleries were sometimes thus " seated." That old house must be endeared to many of you by very tender recollections. There your fathers and mothers wor- shiped. There you were publicly consecrated to God in baptism. There, in childhood and in youth you listened to the Word of Truth from revered lips, and there you experienced the life- giving power of the Holy Spirit. It was your Zion, of which it may be said, " tin's and that man was bom in her." And there you stood up before the congregation, and entered into covenant with God and His people. Nearly thirty years ago, that house passed away to make room for the pleasant one which we now occupy. On the 24th of February, 1713, Mr. BENJAMIN COLTON was ordained and installed pastor of this church, which, as I have already remarked, was organized on that same day, or not long * Our present house is sixty-eight feet in length, and fifty-six feet in width. t In 1754, it was "voted to cut up all the seats in the body of the house, and make them into pews." Seats were subsequently prepared in the aisles, to be oc- cupied by the children. 12 previous.* It was designated as the Fourth Church of Christ in Hartford, the First and Second being what are now the Center and the South Churches in Hartford, and the Third the Church in East Hartford. It was afterward more generally called the Church of Christ in West Hartford. Its original members were twenty-nine, seventeen males and twelve females. Mr. Colton's active ministry continued about forty-three years, and the earlier part of it appears to have been quite prosperous, scarcely a year passing without more or less additions to the church. In the re- vivals of 1735 and 1741, this church shared to a considerable extent. In 1735, there were thirty, and in 1741, forty-six per- sons added to the communion of the church. There had been admitted in 1719, seventeen, and in 1729, fourteen members. The whole number added during Mr. Colton's ministry, was two hundred and ninety. Mr. Colton, as I have understood, was a native of Long- leadow, Mass. He graduated at Yale College in 1710, in a class which had but two members, one besides himself, at the time of graduation. He was twenty-three years of age at the time of his settlement. He published two sermons in 1735, and after- ward an Election Sermon, which was preached May 12, 1737, on the Danger of Apostacy. He must have been a man of a se- rious turn of mind, sound in doctrine, and familiar with the Scriptures. Toward the latter part of his ministry, there was a very unhappy state of dissatisfaction and division among his peo- ple. Frequent and unpleasant meetings of the Society were held ; committees of conference were appointed ; and the Asso- ciation repeatedly applied to for advice. In his Half-century Sermon, Dr. Perkins said, " During the Rev. Mr. Colton's * The ministers called to assist at his ordination were, Rev. Messrs. Timothy Woodbridge, pastor of First Church, Hartford ; Thomas Buckingham, of South Church, Hartford ; Samuel Whitman, of Farrnington ; and Timothy Woodbridge, Jr., of Simsbury. 13 ministry, the church and parish, as appears from authentic docu- ments, had a most unhappy period, for four or five years, of very great and cruel divisions and contentions, which could not be healed or adjusted, but by calling in two whole Consociations, that of Hartford County, and Litchfield County." At length, enfeebled in health, Mr. Colton yielded to the pressure that was upon him, and entirely laid aside the duties of the ministry. This was two or three years before his death, which occurred March 1, 1759, in the seventieth year of his age. His descendants have been well and numerously represented in the ministry of the gospel. The second pastor was Mr. NATHANAEL HOOKER, JUN. In May, 1757, the Society " voted to give Mr. Nathanael Hooker, Jr. a call to preach the gospel amongst us, as a probationer in order to settlement." Two months later, in a meeting of the Society, " the question being asked whether we are so well pleased with Mr. Hooker's performances in time past, as to desire to proceed further with him in order to settlement, voted in the affirmative." After another month, it was " voted to continue Mr. Hooker here on probation." In two months more, a call for settlement was made out, which he accepted, and he was ordained on the 21st of December, 1757, a little more than four- teen months previous to the death of Mr. Colton. His ministry was short, continuing only twelve years and a half, from his ordination to his death ; but it appears to have been pleasant and useful, being characterized by great harmony among the people. Fifty-nine were added to the church by profession during his pastorate. Mr. Hooker was the son and eldest child of Capt. Nathanael and Eunice (Talcott) HQoJcerjr^affd was a descendant of Rev. Thomas Hooker, the first minister of Hartford. His mother was a daughter of Hon. Joseph Talcott, for seventeen years from 1724 to 1741 Governor of the Colony of Connecticut. He was born in Hartford, Dec. 15, 1737, was graduated at Yale 14 College in 1755, and was licensed to preach, Feb. 1, 1757, by the Hartford North Association. At the time of his licensure, he was but a little more than nineteen years of age, and he was installed pastor of this church within less than a week after he had completed his twentieth year ! They had no occasion to re- gret the choice.* From what I can learn, Mr. Hoojzer was slender in person, and in physical strength, but endowed with talents of a very high order. The last years of his ministry, he suffered greatly from from disease. His sermons, of which two at least were published during Ms life, and six after his death, all preached to his own people, exhibit good taste, easy expression, strength and culti- vation of mind, and much reflection on the Scriptures and Di- vine providence. He was a man of genial disposition, and great wit. In his epitaph we read, " He was a facetious gentleman, of an open and benevolent disposition, a universal scholar, exem- plary Christian, good minister, a celebrated preacher, and a warm advocate for civil and religious liberty ; a kind husband, tender parent, and a hearty friend to mankind. He lived in high esteem with his church, and in reputation with all who knew his real worth, and died extremely lamented, June 9, 1770, in the thirty- third year of his age, and the thirteenth of his ministry." His fu- neral sermon was preached by his friend, Rev. Joseph Perry, pastor of the First Church in what is now South Windsor, who also published the six sermons before alluded to. His wife was Ruth, daughter of Timothy Skinner, of this place, and grand- daughter of Rev. Benjamin Colton, his predecessor. He left one daughter, the mother of Mr. Nathaniel H. Whiting. After the death of Mr. Hooker, the Church and Society fell * Picture the scene of his ordination. Rev. Messrs. Elnathan Whitman of the South Church in Hartford, Hezekiah Bissell of Wintoubury, Joshua Belden of Newington, Edward Dorr of the First Church in Hartford, Eliphalet Williams of 15 into the somewhat common misfortune of vacant churches, of hearing numerous candidates. In those days, it was no trifling matter to select even a candidate for settlement. Here, there were sixteen brought upon the ground for trial. And they were all such excellent men, that each had his firm adherents. It was true here, as in the Church of Corinth, one was for Paul, and another for Apollos, and a third for Cephas, while we trust all were really for Christ. In their divided state, the Society voted, June 3, 1771, to apply to the Association for advice, and in- structed their Committee of Supply to follow such advice as should be given. They were advised to dismiss all former can- didates, and seek for some suitable person who was a stranger to them all. They sent for Mr. NATHAN PERKINS, a young man who had recently been licensed by the New London Association of Min- isters. Dr. Joab Brace, who published an interesting sketch of his life, says he preached his first sermon here on the first Sab- bath in January, 1772. Dr. Perkins himself informs us that he preached about nine months on probation. His call, which was given in May, was not entirely unanimous, several men of influ- ence being opposed to his settlement. He appears to have felt great difficulty in deciding the important question. His answer of acceptance is dated Aug. 28, 1772, and is the very personifi- cation of caution, every circumstance relating to the question being most carefully considered in all its bearings. And it is only after receiving the advice of ministers and friends, far and near, that he comes at length to the conclusion that it is his duty to ac- cept the call ; and even then, he reserves the right, in a certain contingency, to revoke his decision. His ordination took place on East Hartford, Ebenezer Booge of Northington, and Timothy Pitkin of Farming- ton, with the messengers of the churches, all assembled to lay reverend hands on the head of the boy, whom this people had chosen to be their religious teacher and spiritual guide, a youth of only twenty years ! 16 the 14th of October following, the last day of September having been set apart, by vote of the Society, as a day of fasting and prayer. I have desired to ascertain the action of the Church during these proceedings, but the records covering this period appear to have been removed, or lost, from the book.* The divisions and contentions, after a few years, seem to have subsided, and there stands out before us this long pastorate of sixty-five years, almost unparalleled in history, remarkable alike for the general harmony of the people, and the success of the gos- pel. There were timers when all was not quiet, as for example, about 1794, when several members of the church, including one of the deacons, withdrew and joined the Quakers. Occasionally members would become dissatisfied, from one cause or another, and " sign off" from the Society. But such things, and worse, are to be expected in a world like this. But the Church, on the whole, pursued " the even tenor of its way," and was greatly prospered. In reviewing the first fifty years of his ministry, Dr. Perkins says, " The peace and union of this Church and Society, for all the long period of my ministry, have been never inter- rupted, and uncommonly great, greater than any other that I know of in our land. Where can you name a Church and So- ciety, as large and numerous as this, so perfectly united and or- thodox, for such a great length of time as fifty years, and favored with so many seasons of revivals of religion ?" This is certainly saying a great deal. Dr. Perkins, in his Half-century Discourse, preached in 1822, mentions six seasons of revival as having then occurred during * Ministers present on Council, Rev. Messrs. Elnathan Whitman, of the South Church, Hartford ; Eliphalet Williams, of East Hartford ; Hezekiah Bissell, of Wintonbury, now Bloomfield; Timothy Pitkin, of Farmington; Joshua Belden, of Newington ; Thomas Russell, of Windsor ; Joseph Perry, of East Windsor, now First Church in South Windsor; George Colton, of Bolton; Andrew Lee, of Hanover, in Lisbon ; and John Staples, of Westminster parish, in Canterbury, 17 his ministry ; the first in 1787, as the fruits of which, eighteen were added to the church ; the second, which was general in the par- ish, and of remarkable power, occurred in 1799 and 1800, fol- lowing that long period of universal declension in vital piety and morals, and prevalence of error, profanity, and infidelity. " Re- ligious meetings were held, besides meetings for the anxious, al- most every day in the week." The work continued a year and a half, and resulted in the hopeful conversion of one hundred and forty souls. The third, in 1807, was confined to a single neighborhood, and twelve obtained hope of forgiveness. In the fourth, which occurred a year or two later, seventy indulged hope in Christ. The fifth was in 1815 and 1816, and resulted in the addition of twelve members. The sixth was that memo- rable revival of 1821, which extended over a large part of the State. During this year and the following, seventy professed their hope in Christ ; and in 1829 and 1830, forty-three more. There was another season of great religious interest in 1831, and during that year and the two following, fifty-six made profession of their faith. Dr. Perkins was the son of Matthew and Hannah Perkins, and was born in Lisbon, then a part of Norwich, May 12, 1748, and was consequently in his twenty-fifth year when he became pastor of this church. He graduated at the College of New Jersey, in 1770. During his last year in College, there was a~^ powerful work of grace in that institution, and his own mind was so wrought upon, that for three months it affected his bodily health. But at length he found peace in believing. He received the honorary title of D. D. in 1801, from his Alma Mater. You will hardly expect me, who never saw him, to attempt a delineation of his character, in the presence of so many who grew up under his ministry. To those of you, however, who never knew him, a few words may be ventured. From what I have been able to gather respecting him, he rises before my mind, as a large man, 18 but not tall, of unusual physical vigor, which he retained in a good degree to extreme old age, of great dignity, and a certain precise formality and condescending politeness of manner, with sufficient self-esteem to appreciate the respectability of his posi- tion, and to have the comfortable feeling that he was filling it very creditably ; a man who did not deem it sinful to enjoy, moderately, the good things of Providence, and was not inclined to disturb others in their innocent enjoyments. He was a scholar, and Christian gentleman of the old school of manners, well in- formed on general topics ; a man of remarkable wisdom and pru- dence, exceedingly careful about saying any thing, or encourag- ing any thing, likely to stir up strife ; possibly he may sometimes have preserved quietness in the community, by suppressing the agitation of some subjects that ought to have been discussed, and so allowing evils to grow up undisturbed, and to become popular ; but he knew " how great a matter a little fire kindleth ;" lie re- membered the divisions in which he commenced his ministry, and had seen churches rent by dissensions about matters of tri- fling importance, and this evil he carefully avoided. On one subject he was decided, to give no encouragement to the com- ing in of other denominations. But in liberality of sentiment, he was far in advance of most ministers of his day, and came much more readily into the spirit of revivals, and of judicious reforms. He was a decided friend and advocate of revivals ; he early introduced the Sabbath School ; and came finally with good grace into the temperance movement. If he sometimes seemed to be sole director in the affairs of the church, it was the custom of the age. He moved among his people as a father, in no danger of letting himself down by undue familiarity ; the children feared him, yet loved to see him enter the school, and when his lips graciously uttered a word of praise, were delighted ; and they grew up with the feeling, There is none like Dr. Per- kins ! And so he led them, and kept them together, until at 19 length, for many years, all the people of his parish, who were na- tives of the place, had been born and trained up under his minis- try. They knew no other pastor, and he knew no other people. As a sermonizer, Dr. Perkins was methodical and instructive, his style easy and diffuse, rather than forcible, his thoughts rather expanded than condensed. His sermons were chiefly of a doc- trinal cast, but they had a decidedly practical bearing. Many regarded his extempore discourses, in which he had a ready ut- terance, 'as more interesting than those which were written. Dr. Perkins held the Calvinistic views of theology, and had ^ little sympathy with any new forms of doctrinal statement. It was at his suggestion, and earnest request, that the first meeting of ministers was held, which resulted in the formation of the Pastoral Union, and the establishment of the Theological Insti- tute of Connecticut, at East Windsor Hill. He laid the corner stone of that institution, May 13, 1834. He was perhaps the first Home Missionary in the country. In , October, 1788, the Hartford North Association adopted " a plan for sending a missionary into the new countries for ten weeks." Mr. Perkins received the appointment, which he accented, and doubtless performed the service. His field of labor was probably in what is now the State of Vermont. Dr. Perkins assisted more than one hundred and fifty young men in their preparation for college, and had under his care, at different times, more than thirty theological students. He was respected and celebrated as a wise, judicious and able pastor, but especially as continuing his work so long and energetically in the same church. Besides a volume of twenty-four sermons published in 1795, he published four letters on the Origin and History of the Ana- baptists, and no less than fifteen discourses, delivered at ordina- ^ tions, funerals, and on other occasions. Rev. Caleb S. Henry was his colleague for nearly two years from the Spring of 1833, 20 and Rev. E. W. Andrews the last few months of his life. With these exceptions, he performed the duties of his office almost to the last. He died of paralysis, Jan. 15, 1838, in the ninetieth year of his age. His funeral sermon was preached by his former parishioner and pupil, Rev. Joab Brace, of Newington. About two years after his settlement, he married Catharine, daughter of Rev. Timothy Pitkin, of Farmington, and they had three sons and three daughters. We have now come down to the present generation, to events in which yourselves have borne a part. I have already taken up too much time, and will stop right here. I wish briefly to chron- icle the principal events which I have left, and also to speak of some things relating more directly to the principles and influence of the church. And I will endeavor to be prepared the next Sabbath afternoon. The fathers and mothers, for successive generations, have passed away ; and how much do we, who have taken their places, owe them ! Not merely that they came into these out- skirts of the town, and caused the wilderness and the solitary place to be glad, but they have done this in a spiritual sense, giving us Christian institutions. These pleasant, and in some cases, beautiful abodes, and Christian homes, are not an original creation of ours, but a precious inheritance. Our faith and wor- ship, and our educational ideas, are traditional and historic. And they have come to us, enriched and perfected by the gathering wisdom and labor and piety of these departed generations. Let us embalm the memory of these ancestors in our grateful hearts, and thank God for them. And let us also, as I verily believe we shall with the blessing of Heaven, give our descendants occa- sion for inore hearty thanksgiving on our account. DISCOURSE II. PSALM 80 : 8 10. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt ; thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. THAT was indeed a goodly vine that was transplanted from Egypt to Palestine, and the blessing that was in its clusters will never cease. That was also a goodly vine, that was brought from the old world and planted, in 1620, in this American wil- derness. But we will confine our attention to the Branch that has been growing here for one hundred and fifty years. We have followed the history of this Church, one hundred and twenty-five years, down to the period of Dr. Perkins' death, in the beginning of 1838. Some five or six years previous, the Doctor, " by reason of strength," having passed considerably be- yond his four score years, it was deemed advisable that he should have permanent assistance. Accordingly., in May, 1833, Rev. CALEB S. HENRY was invited by the Church and Society to set- tle as colleague pastor with Dr. Perkins, and was installed on the 12th of June following. He remained less than two years, being dismissed March 25, 1835, the same day on which this house, in which we now worship, was dedicated. With the ministry of Mr. Henry, there seems to have arisen a spirit of enterprise, that has greatly improved the comforts and the goodly appearance of the place. First, the Lecture Room, 22 or " Vestry," as it was called, was erected. The following year, this Church was built, according to a plan presented by Solomon S. Flagg, in behalf of a committee, consisting of James Butler, Seth Talcott, Augustus Flagg, Joseph E. Cone, Solomon S. Flagg, Thomas Brace, Albigence Scarborough, Hezekiah Selden, Nathan Seymour, Ralph Wells, Morgan Goodwin, Jr., and Theron Dem- ing. The Building Committee were Seth Talcott, Timothy Sedg- wick, Samuel Whitman, Solomon S. Flagg, Ralph Wells, Mark Gridley, and Joseph E. Cone. It was dedicated, as before stated, March 25, 1835, and the dedication sermon preached by Dr. Perkins. In 1838, the Parsonage was built, and soon after, the Academy ; so that, within a period of about six or seven years, these four public edifices were erected, viz. the Congregational Lecture Room, Church, Parsonage, and the Academy. In 1836 and 1837, the Church and Society extended a call successively to Messrs. Jonathan Brace, Tertius S. Clark, and A. R. Baker, each of whom declined. In October, 1837, they gave a unanimous call to Mr. EDWARD W. ANDREWS, who ac- cepted it, and was ordained as colleague pastor with Dr. Perkins, on the 15th of November, just two months before the decease of the latter. He continued a little more than three years, and was dismissed, Dec. 22, 1840. There were received to the church during his ministry, on profession of their faith, sixty members, forty-eight of them during the year 1838. After considerable conflict in relation to a candidate for settle- ment, a unanimous call was given, in September, 1841, to Rev. GEORGE I. WOOD, who received it favorably, and was installed on the 9th of November. After a ministry of about two years and a half, during which there were added to the church, by profession, thirty members, he was dismissed, June 5, 1844. The next pastor was Rev. DWIGHT M. SEWARD, who was in- stalled, Jan. 14, 1845. He remained nearly six years, when he was dismissed, Dec. 18, 1850. Fourteen persons were added to the church, by profession, during his ministry, and twenty-three by letter ; and besides these, several others indulged hope, and united with the church under the ministry of his successor. I have so recently given you a review of my own ministry here, which commenced July 1, 1852, that I will add nothing at the present time, except to say that there have been received to the church during this period, seventy-nine by profession, and thirty-nine by letter, and that the church at the present time numbers two hundred and twenty-eight members, including sev- enteen who are permanently absent, eighty males, and one hun- dred and forty-eight females. The following, so far as I have been able to ascertain, is a list of the Deacons of the Church from the beginning, including those now in office, mentioned in the order of their election : Abraham Merrill, William Gaylord, Daniel Webster, Abraham Merrill, (son of the preceding Dea. Merrill,) Thomas Hosmer, John Whitman, Noah Webster, (son of Dea. Daniel Webster, and father of Noah Webster, LL. D.,) Benjamin Gilbert, Abijah Colton, (son of Rev. Benjamin Colton,) Timothy Gridley, Jona- than B. Balch, Moses Goodman, Sen., Jedediah Mills, Moses Goodman, Jun., Roderick Colton, (son of Dea. Abijah Colton,) Hezekiah Selden, Albigence Scarborough, Josiah W. Griswold, Joseph E. Cone, Edward Brace, Chester Francis, George Butler. This was the only Church in West Hartford, until the year 1843, when St. James' Parish (Episcopal) was constituted. The Baptist Church was organized in 1858. A small Society of Friends, or Quakers, was formed the latter part of the last century, but it never flourished, and continued only a few years. In reviewing the history of this Church, we see clearly the wisdom of our fathers in establishing and maintaining it. And let us observe that the blessings which have flowed so abundantly 24 from this Church, have flowed also from others of its kind, and thus our New England has been greatly blessed, and been a rich source of blessing to the whole land and the world. The first settlers here surely did not know all the good they were doing. They sought privileges for themselves and their children, and they secured them for many generations. They opened the fountains of truth, and the waters have continued to flow, purer and more abundant. They planted the vine, and it has continued to grow, and its fruit has improved from age to age. The rough wilderness has given place to as pleasant a rural town as the sun ever shone upon. We have here all the elements of prosperity, the indications of a refined, intelligent, and Christian community. The sanctuary, with the preached gospel, has here been perma- nently established, and a century and a half has proved that " those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God." Where the gospel is faithfully preached, and the people are a church-going people, there intelligence pre- vails, schools are maintained and the children educated, industri- ous habits, good morals, and social order are preserved, and all things that are true and honest and of good report find favor ; and what is more, the way of holiness and eternal life is under- stood, and many walk therein. So it has been here. Error and irreligion and vice may have crept in, but they have not found a home here ; the Church of Christ and the Gospel of Christ have dwelt here, and infidelity and vice have sought concealment in their hiding places. There may have been many who would not receive the light of the gospel, but they have not prevented that light from shining on the community. Would this have been so without this Church and Society, and the Sanctuary which they have sustained ? There are those who have no great respect for the organized Church and the worship of God, and who are seldom seen in the sanctuary. I should like to ask them whether, without the 25 Church and the preaching of the gospel, the schools would have been as well maintained, and intelligence and morality and hon- esty have been as prevalent, and privileges as abundant, and their property as valuable and secure, and society as desirable to live in, as is now the case, to say nothing about the higher in- terests of the immortal soul. No, nothing like it. Without the sun, darkness covers the earth. Without a preached gospel, moral darkness is as sure to settle down on society. From the early settlement of the place, this church has continued to reflect the light of the gospel on the community, and the blessings that have been the result, no one can estimate. From time to time, individuals have withdrawn from the So- ciety, not in all cases for the purpose of casting in their lot with some other Christian enterprise, but simply for the purpose of separating themselves and families from the concern. They have doubtless acted from reasons satisfactory to themselves. We are often led to take steps which may seem best at the time, but the whole bearing and consequences of which, the result alone can determine. Now in carefully considering such cases, I must say, that I have failed to perceive any good that has come to individ- uals, or their families, from a separation from the House of God, or from the Society that supports it. I very much fear that in some instances, by such a step, unhappy influences have been entailed upon successive generations. Our Lord Jesus Christ loves his churches, imperfect as they are ; and upon those families that are in the most intimate relation to them, does He shed most abundantly those influences that tend to salvation. Things may go wrong in the Church, or in the Society, and individuals may have just cause to feel aggrieved ; but if the evil can not be im- mediately removed, it is better to bear with it, and wait patiently upon God, than to withdraw from the sanctuary, or from its sup- port, for the blessing of God is certainly found in His house, and among the people who sustain it, and worship in it. And I 4 26 would say to the young men, Give your hearts to Christ, profess your faith in Him, and enter into covenant with Him and his people ; and if his worship is maintained through the Ecclesiasti- cal Society, become members of that, and do all in your power to increase the blessed influences of the sanctuary of God, and thus prove yourselves the worthy children of those noble ances- tors who established and maintained it, the one great blessing to the place. There were some principles and practices, justly deemed, in the light in which we view them, erroneous, which were adopted by this church, in common with the other churches of the New England Colonies. One of these was the " Half-way Covenant " plan. It was a lapse from the old " Congregational way " of ad- mitting to the church only those who gave evidence of a renewed heart, and it did not come into practice without the most earnest opposition of many of the ministers and members of the churches of those days. Let us note the rise of the ideas from which it sprung. In the early working of the New England Churches, there were felt to be certain difficulties, which were sure to make trouble, unless some method could be found to remove them. For example, all were required to share in the expense of support- ing the churches, while none but the members were allowed any voice in the settlement of a minister, or otherwise in the manage- ment of affairs. Very naturally, this was felt to be an evil that de- manded a remedy. And then, there was a large class of people, seemingly of good Christian life and character, only they could not profess that they had experienced the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. They had been baptized, and were recognized as in some sense belonging to the church ; they were blameless in their lives, cherishing a respect for religion, and conforming, exter- nally at least, to all its requirements ; were doing, as was believed, all that they could do, only they had not been " effectually called" 27 by the divine working, into the kingdom of Christ. This was believed to be unattainable through any means within their reach. Should such persons, and their families, be entirely ex- cluded from church privileges ? The opinion began to be ad- vanced, that they should be admitted to all the privileges of the church, except the right of partaking of the Lord's Supper. This sentiment increased, and the churches became greatly di- vided, until in 1657, the General Court of Massachusetts advised a General Council. This Council assembled at Boston, in June, 1657 ; four delegates were appointed by the General Court of Connecticut. But the decision of this Council, which was in fa- vor of the new scheme, only increased the agitation and division to a greater degree. In 1662, the General Court of Massachu- setts convened another Council, and laid before it two questions, the most important of which was, " Who are the subjects of Baptism ?" Their answer, which was mainly in accordance with that of the preceding Council, was drawn up in five propositions, the last of which was the following : " Church members who were admitted in minority," that is, baptized in infancy, " understand- ing the doctrine of faith, and publicly professing their assent thereto, not scandalous in life, and solemnly owning the covenant before the Church, wherein they give up themselves and their children to the Lord, and subject themselves to the government of Christ in the Church, their children are to be baptized." This is the substance of what has been called the " Half-way Covenant." Several of the most pious and learned members of the Council recorded their solemn protest against it. And though in Connecticut the General Court, which considered itself responsible for the care and direction of the Churches, favored the new way from the outset, yet it was a long time before the Churches gave up their opposition, and settled down under its working. In the First Church in Hartford, the conflict was se- vere. Rev. John Whiting and Rev. Joseph Haynes, the former 28 thirty-one, and the latter twenty-five years of age, were the joint pastors, as successors of the famous Thomas Hooker and Saniuej Stone. Whiting contended earnestly for the old way, and Haynes with whom was a majority for the new. There seemed to be little prospect of peace. Mr. Whiting and thirty- one members of the church withdrew, and formed what is now the South Church in Hartford.* We do not wonder at the unwillingness to give way to this in- novation, for it seemed like subverting the foundations of the church. Its tendency and design were to merge the church in the parish, by bringing all respectable people into the church. The covenant which was entered into the half-way covenant was perhaps strong enough, certainly in its terms, but it was un- derstood as not implying a change of heart. We can easily under- stand what a death-like influence it would exert, in relation to spir- itual religion. Many who should come thus far into the church, or into the kingdom of heaven, would be likely to rest there, and come no farther. We are not surprised that when the churches had come to be fully established in this new measure, they should be prepared for another step, viz. to admit members to full com- munion on the same grounds as to the other privileges of the church, without evidence of experimental piety. This came to be extensively practiced in the churches, and at length it was earnestly advocated by Rev. Solomon Stoddard of Northampton, and as earnestly opposed by his grand-son and colleague, Presi-, dent Edwards. Mr. Stoddard regarded the Lord's Supper as a converting ordinance, not to be denied to baptized persons, though they knew themselves to be unrenewed. This practice of admit- ting members to the church without evidence of piety, on the ground of a moral life, may perhaps be regarded as the principal * See Dr. Bacon's Historical Discourse before the General Association of Con- necticut, in 1859, 29 cause of that general deadness of the churches for more than a quarter of a century previous to the " great awakening," which began about 1735. The churches had come fully into the practice of the half-way covenant, before the formation of this church, so that there was here no controversy on this subject. The first reference to it on the records is in 1718, when fifty-two were admitted ; in 1729, fifty- one ; in 1748, twenty ; in 1749, twenty-one ; and in all, there were admitted on the half-way covenant plan, two hundred and eighty, besides nine recommended from other places. Only nine thus " owned the covenant " after the commenement of Dr. Per- kins' ministry, and these were during the first two or three years. The system here seems to have quietly fallen into disuse, for I find no vote abolishing it on the records. It held its influence over two generations, and two pastorates, and gave way to a more scriptural method. In the account of admissions during the different pastorates, these half-way covenanters were not in- cluded. Members admitted in this way, at least after the com- mencement of Mr. Hooker's ministry, were propounded for ad- mission, and were under the discipline of the church, the same as those admitted to full communion. The voluntary principle, in relation to the support of religion, has very happily come to be fully established. No man is obliged, by law, to continue a member of an Ecclesiastical Society, any longer than he chooses. When he sees fit to withdraw, he is not obliged to become connected with any other Society. No man is even a member of any Society, until he expresses his wish to become such. This is right, and happy in its effects. Still, this does not destroy the moral obligation of men to bear their proportion of sustaining every system from which they derive advantage. To illustrate : When this West Division was made a Society, it was under a restriction, in accordance with the re- quest of the Hartford Committee who presented the remon- 30 strance, that the lands of non-residents, and of such as chose to continue their connection with Hartford as before, should be ex- empt from taxation for Society expenses. In 1715, we find this Society before the General Court, praying that this restriction might be removed. The lots of those non-resident owners, say they, are rapidly rising in value, in consequence of what those who reside here are expending, and the owners seeing this, re- fuse to sell, waiting for a greater rise. They are receiving pe- cuniary benefit from us, and instead of doing any thing for us in return, they are injuring our Society, by holding on to their lands, and so keeping away new settlers. Besides, we who have property in town pay rates there, and why should not the people in town, who have property here, pay rates here ? Moreover, they continue, the restriction tends to make turmoil ; for if any resident becomes disaifected, he has but to move his residence a few rods, over our bounds, and he enjoys all the benefits of our Society, and is exempt from any of the expenses. These points were well taken ; and they prove that your pious forefathers, who founded this town, saw clearly the true princi- ples, and were able to assert them. It is a manifest principle of justice, that every individual who is benefited, in property or otherwise, from the influence of a church, or a school, or any other institution, should be willing, to the same extent, to bear his proportion of the burden of sustaining such institution. Now let our churches and schools be annihilated : Would not the dis- astrous effects soon reach the interests, even of those who never appear in the house of God, or who have no children to be edu- cated? But we are all glad that Religion stands on its own foundation, that no one is compelled to do any thing for its maintenance, farther than his own inclination or sense of duty may lead him to do so. The rights and liberties and duties of the people, in relation to ecclesiastical matters, are more happily adjusted now than in the early history of our country. For ex- 31 ample, none are compelled to support a form of worship which they dislike, nor indeed any form. And they who furnish the funds can, through the Ecclesiastical Society, have the full con- trol and disposal of those funds. And as to those good people who have never been renewed from above, they are taught, more clearly we think than formerly, the way into the holiest of all, by Jesus Christ, and qualified by their entrance there, they are invited to the full communion of the saints ; while they under- stand that if they have not known Christ, they can not enter even the outer court of his temple. Time has wrought changes, and in some respects, improve- ments. Manners and customs have changed. A century and a quarter ago, the laws made the minister almost supreme in his own parish, in matters of religion. No man, clergyman or other- wise, might hold a meeting within the geographical limits of his parish, without his consent.* At the beginning of Mr. Hooker's pastorate, the Church voted, " that the Say brook Platform, established by law and founded on Scripture, shall be the rule the church shall be governed by in matters of order and discipline ; and that neither the church nor minister shall have power to act separately." It was provided that when pastor and church disagreed, a Council should be called for advice, and then, if the disagreement continued, another Council for final decision. In those days, the discipline of the church appears to have been thoroughly attended to. And here originated the appointment of a Standing Committee in this * In Mr. Hooker's day, a member of the church having invited a Separatist, or Strict Congregational minister to preach within the parish, the Church " Voted and resolved, that it is a disorderly thing, worthy of censure, and what this Church will not countenance, for any of its members to invite and to introduce into any part of this parish Separate preachers, to preach and hold forth to the people against the express disapprobation of the pastor, or without his express approbation, or the consent of the Church." church ; and as the design and business of that committee ap- pear in this first appointment, and as these seem to me important, let me call your attention to them. The pastor, it would appear, had formerly been relied on to take the initiatory steps in cases of discipline for public scandal, but the impropriety of this had be- come apparent. We find in the records, under date of June 26, 1765, this entry : " As there seems to be no propriety in a min- ister's being an informing officer to the church," etc., "there was in the year 1758, such a vote as this passed," designed to relieve him from bringing cases of discipline before the church, unless there should be a written complaint brought to him against some member ; but there was an omission or oversight, for no- body was made responsible for looking after cases of scandal, and making complaint, or as is recorded, " in which vote there is no provision made for sundry inconveniences that may arise from there being none to take cognizance of open and scandalous crimes, it is therefore voted by this church, that there be a Church Committee, to be chosen as often as the church thinks fit, whose business it shall be to exhibit a charge, as a committee, in all fla- grant instances of [immorality], and when any member is pub- licly " that is, by rumor, " impeached of scandalous immorality, or convicted of the same in a civil court, the committee shall in- quire into the matter," etc. ; that is, in all cases where members are reputed to be walking disorderly, where their character suf- fers, and the character of the church suffers through them ; all cases where the offense is not against some individual ; in all cases, where it is every body's business, and so practically no- body's, the Committee shall make investigation. They are ap- pointed for the very purpose, not of receiving complaints, but of keeping an out-look upon the church, with a view to take the initiatory steps, in all cases where there is need of discipline for public offenses. The appointment was made, because there was none to take cognizance of such offenses. The pastor might re- ceive complaints, but there were none who were responsible for looking into the matter, and bringing complaint when necessary ; and to supply this want, the Standing Committee were appointed. They are properly a Committee of Discipline, to attend to this very thing. If the discipline of the church is neglected, they are responsible for the neglect. If, in course of time, that com- mittee has come to fill the somewhat more comprehensive office of Prudential Committee, the discipline of the church is one of the most important prudential things for them to consider. But I have given you the one design for which they were originally appointed. This church has generally been alive to its responsibilities and duties. We find it, a hundred years ago, taking measures, by vote, to excite the young to a more diligent study of the Scrip- tures, and to awaken a more general interest in theological topics. The Sabbath School was established here in 1819, and has con- tinued to the present time, with a good degree of prosperity. And the faithful laborers in this field may feel assured that they have aided largely in the prosperity of the church, and the well- being of the community, and that when they rest from their la- bors, their works will follow them. The church has been greatly blessed with revivals of religion, and the Divine influence has been manifest throughout its entire history. This people have taken hold of the various objects of Chris- tian benevolence, with a steady, and we think with increasing zeal. Not alone, this small town, but the world, has been blessed by its influence.* * The church has raised up and sent forth to preach the gospel of salvation, no less than nineteen ministers, faithful men, and some of them eminent in their Mas* tor's service, viz. Eli Colton and George Colton, (sons of the first pastor, the lat- ter for nearly fifty years the far-famed pastor of the church in Bolton,) Elijmal.-t 5 34 But I must close. Until within twenty years, as before re- marked, this was the only Christian church in the place.* And through the grace of God, it has nobly fulfilled the mission of a Christian church here. It has not been the embodiment of a sect, but the brotherhood of the disciples of Christ in the commu- nity. In this respect, it has been like the churches in the times of the apostles. We hear nothing of the Congregational, or Methodist, or Episcopal, or Baptist church, in Corinth, or Ephe- sus, or Philippi, but of the Church in those places. And this was not instituted as the Congregational church, but " the Church of Christ in West Hartford." And it was designed to embrace all the disciples of Christ in this community, who should seek admission to its communion. It holds Christ as the Head, and calls no man master ; and it excludes from its communion no one who furnishes evidence that Christ has received him, though his views may differ in unessential particulars, from those of a ma- jority of the members. If a person rejects the essential doctrines of the gospel of Christ, we can not of course regard him as a disciple of Christ. But all whom we regard as Christian disci- ples, we receive to our church and communion. And here all Christian souls may walk together in the ways of God, enjoy full liberty of conscience and opinion, and sit together at the ta- Steele, Marshfield Steele, Jonathan Belden, Nathan Perkins, Jr., (son of the third pastor,) George Colton and Chester Colton, (sons of Dea. Abijah Coltou, and grand- sons of the first pastor, the former of whom has several sons in the ministry,) Harry Croswell, D. D., Joab Brace, D. D., Epaphras Goodman, Reuben Porter, Evelyn Sedgwick, Seymour M. Spencer, Richard Woodruff, Amzi Francis, Elihu Mason, Austin Isham, Hiram Elmer, and probably several others. In other professions and pursuits, many of the sons of West Hartford have honorably discharged the duties of life in various parts of the land. Some of them, as for example the world-re- nowned Noah Webster, LL. D., have become highly distinguished in their respec- tive departments. * And no other place of worship was permanently established until about twelve years ago. 35 ble of their Lord, in the highest act of Christian communion. We are not therefore a sect. Our affairs are managed by the brethren themselves, who are all equal in authority. We are bound by Christian affection to Christ and to one another, and under this bond we find our security and our Christian liberty. And thus, substantially, from the first, has this church pursued its course, enjoying the most precious tokens of the Divine love. And thus it is still pursuing its course. If any think they have found a better way, one that tends more to peace, and fellowship, and sanctification, and effectiveness in the work of Christ, one that more nearly accords with the mind of Christ, we can only pray that they may receive fully of his spirit, and enjoy his love. But for ourselves, we prefer to walk in the good old paths which our pious fathers trod, leaving behind any thing which may be found erroneous or hurtful, and to teach our children to love those ways, and walk in them, while we seek for them a richer legacy even than that which we received from the honored ones who have gone before us. I p 1 ti 4 i x * "October 12, 1710. " To