Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-07-22
PURITAN PETITIONS.
Paper on the Churches and Congrega
lions of Early New England.

A Paper on the Churches and Congrega-
tions of Early New England.
In the small country villages, all the
inhabitants were brought together in
the closest intimacy, personal and neigh,
borly, in their several homes and in the
meeting house. They knew each others
most private affairs and experiences
the birth of a child, espousals, Sickness,
absence from home and death. What,
ever social or class distinctions existed
in any place-and there were such, fol-
the seating" of each congregation was
method of "dignifying superiors''-
the humblest family and individual
in the precinct could introduce
their wants and woes in the
public prayers. So the minister,
as he mounted the pulpit, had
in his hand one or many bills" or
notes" offered by individuals or fami-
lies by name, stating the occasion or
circumstance, specifically, under which
the sympathizing prayers of the whole
congregation were desired. Instances
were not unusual in which, if there
were many such papers, the minister,
after reading them aloud, would pin
them to the pulpit cushion, and, open
ing his eyes for an in slant, would re-
fresh his thought of them. one by one
and then frame a fitting intercession or
petition. A purposed journey or a re-
turn, the experience of n misfortune OF
disaster, the birth of child, serious or
protracted illness, bereavement, and
the various dispensations of Provi
dence, devoutly regarded, would be
the burden of these petitions There
certainly was something helpful and
touching in these usages in close COM
munities in which no one was stranger
in life or fortune to all the rest. Of
course much, very much, if not all, of
the fitness and grace of such interces-
sions depended upon the gifts of the
minister, his choice of words and
phrases his delicacy, JUNCTION, refine
ment, and dignity of manner and
speech, his saying just enough, and at
times his reserve in utterance. There
were possibilities of infelicity and
laundering, and of a large range in
failures of tastes and sentiment The
risk was of formality, repetition of
phrase, and sameness of language. The
minister might fall short of the
defniteness, the individuality, of
specific references in such cases,
disappointing the listening petitioners
for whom he was a proxy. There
were in the ministry, occasionally, and
not infrequently, men of eccentric
ways, of quaint speech, sometimes very
literal and overfrank and plain, whose
expressions might include or suggest
judgments, opinions, on matters to be
borne up in prayer. Such case comes
authenticated to us, in which husband
sought relief from the trial and ex-
haustion of tending an invalid wife in a
protracted and hopeless malady by
sending up "bill'' on several success
sive Sundays. Perhaps the minister
also shared the WEAKNESS of these re-
peated calls on his intercession, well
knowing the certainty of the impend-
ing issue. So he framed his petition,
that the Lord, if it seemed good to
Him, would raise her up, or that she
might be speedily and gently removed -
A large part of the more serious in
teresting, and important concerns in a
rural community would find their way
into the prayers of the sanctuary.
Sometimes the minister, bent on some
public or private rebulke or censure,
would dare the venture of insinuating
it in his prayer rather than in his SER
| mon. One of the members of the dis
tinguished Washburn family gave the
writer the following anecdote of his
boyhood memory. The town where he
resided, in Maine, near the seacoast,
was one of many communities in
habited by men of cross be-
| tween farmers and shippers, there
fore not fully proficient in either call
ing. Their land naturally of thin soil,
was also neglected. The minister Of d
neigh boring town, coming to exchange
with the pastor, was joined by one Of
the deacons on his walk to the meeting
house, and, as there was something Of
a drought, was asked by the deacon tc
| pray for rain. At the fitting place il
| his service the minister uttered himsel1
as follows: so Lord, thy servant is
| asked by this people to pray for rain
and he does so. But Thou l1nowest, {
Lord, that what this soil needs is dress
| in. "-Atlantic.