The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-04-28
NEwBURYpoRrs "oHD SOUTH"
Early Presbyterianism in New England
Pastors of the Famous Old Church-A
Memorable Celebration.


Pastors of the Famous Old ohuroh-A
Memorable Celebration.
(By Rev, Horace c. Hovey, D. d.
There is only one Newburyport on
earth, and 1t is at the mouth of the
Merrimac, Its fifteen thousand inhabr
itants live mainly by manufacture.
horticulture, fishing and commerce
There was time when it was the COM
mereial rival OF Boston; forest of
masts lined its wharves; its ship-yards
employed hundreds of men; its sails
whitened every sea; it's privateers
were the dread of England; and when
q sea-eapfain sat at the end of every
pew in the Old South church, Many
causes havewrought change in all this
during the century and half since
this church was founded, but the place
retains much of it's maritime flavor
and every old residence is adorned by
marine pictures and curiosities from
India, China and Japan, Its parks,
gardens, mall and elm-shaded avenues
are charming, with views here and
there of the river, the islands and the
blue ocean. 1t is a remarkably healthy
locality Nobody thinks of calling peo-
pie old who are only seventy; at eighty
they begin to think they must take
care of themselves; While none but
those who are ninety and upwards are
regarded as really aged.
Presbyterianism had a stormy infan-
cy in New England. When old New
bury was founded, in 1886, of which
Newburyport was a portion, the inten-
ton was to make it a Presbyterian coll
ony. It's pastor and teacher, Parker
and Moves, Were of that way of think
ing, and the good ship Eagle Wing"
started with strong reinforcement
from Carldckfergus to make sure of the
Merrimac valley for the faith of John
Knox. But the wintry storms COM
PEELED them TO return Other similar
attempts ended in failure, with an &C.
casional exception, like the colony
brought over by Rev. Richard Denton
in 1880, that founded Hampstead on
Long Island; and the five ship-loads
that founded Londonderry, in New
Hampshire. Most of our churches in
New England to-day are made up of
Scotch and Scotch-I Irish, strong-bodied
strong-minded and strong-willed:
champions of ORTHODOXY of the Sab
bath and of the Word of God But the
First Presbyterian or 'Old South
church Of Newburyport is a survival of
the Presbyterian Puritan element that
was, from the first, mixed in with the
Pilgrim pioneers. Parker and Noyes,
seeing that the early settlers were cut
off from such Presbyteries as had been
j,, Tyc y1o nd
tended for what they termed "a Pres
bytery within each church" And that
was the idea of those who founded the
church of which we are now writing.
Among the most active in the Great
Awakening was the English evangel-
ist. Rev. George Whitfield, who came
to New England when he was only
twenty years of age, but was able even
then to gather at any time and any
where an open-air audience of thou
sands without offering single heretl~
cal novelty. He arrived in NeWbury
amid binding snow-storm that for
babe an open lair meeting. The only
church that opened it's doors for him
was what was then the Third Church
of Christ, but has since become Unlta-
rian. The immediate result was that
one hundred and forty-thr souls We're
added to that church. A more remote
result was the formation of new
church of those and other converts who
were excluded from their customary
places of worship.
This is often styled 'the Presbyteri-
an Schism," but it is not just, The fol-
lowers of Whitefield sought in vain for
fair hearing according to Congrega-
tional usage; and it was only after
waiting for three or four years that
they decided on the Presbyterian plan.
Even then there was no Presbytery for
them to join. The old Irish Presbyte-
ry' was in ruins and the Presbytery of
Boston was not yet fairly on it's feet.
Hence when they came to install Rev.
Jonathan Parsons, as their first pastor,
they did it with Quaker simplicity. He
stood with lifted hand and said, I'm the
presence Of God, and these witnesses, |
take this people to be my people" and
then the clerk, on behalf of the congre-
cation said, 'In the presence of God,
and these witnesses, we take this man
to be our minister" The union thus
cemented lasted for thirty years, when
it was ended by the death of the pastor.
In 174S this church joined the Presby-
terry, and it is on record that they did
so 'both by choice and by compulsion.
AS to the first statement, it means that
certain conditions We're made, none of
which would now be necessary. But
the "compulsion' meant that there was
no other way for them to escape the
double taxation then sanctioned by CO.
loniaI law. TO understand this the
reader must remember that the region
had been divided into parishes, none
but church members could vote, and all
property was taxable for the parish
The first and third parishes regarded
Whitefield's followers as O misguided
band, that mistook avarice Tor con-
science" Hence they forced them to
pay taxes to ministers on whose minis
try they did not attend. Those VINO re-
fusedNto do SO were, according to their
plaintive memorial to the king,
dragged about on the ground; dressed
in bear-skins and worried" ii. e. by