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Biographical Notices of Distinguished Men in New England

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Biographical Notices of Distinguished Men in New England BIOGRAPHICAL N OTICES DISTINGUISHED M EN NEW E NGLAND : Statesmen, f tgttioi$ \Phystciaas, -Lawyers, Clergymen ; jjid . Mccbaiiics. BY A IDEN BRADFORD, LL. D. Memberf o the Massachusetts Historical Society ; Corresponding Member of American H istorical Socioty ; of Hist. Soc. of New York, Peon., and G eorgia ; and of Nat. Int. of Science, at Washington. BOSTON: PUBLISHED A CCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS, BY. S G. SIMPKINS. J.. G Torrey, printer. 1842... ' ADVERTISEMENT. sIt i a natural and laudable desire to know the principles, character and- services of our ancestors. Curiosity may induce us to read the history of other countries, and to learn the customs, opinions and character of the inhabitants ; and some useful information maybe thus acquired; affording infor mation and admonitions, which merit attention for the conduct of life. But a knowledge of the princi ples and chataEHter.t>f'.q,ur*.ajic.estefSi by whose insti- tutions, literary-, polrtidal, STrtd rdtgODUs, the present and coming generations: jo'Ja great measure, af fected, or to b.e "a'flfecTed}* "is fur more important. Changes in socieCy; ."WtK j»;yiejv to improvement, may be expected ; for mankind do not long pause at the point already reached. The great aim of human effort is progress — and yet a reference to the con dition and state of former generations may fur nish lessons for good, to a subsequent one. In the present volume, the desire has been to give the char acter and state the opinions and services of the pat riots of the Revolution, as well as of the original founders of New England ; some of the most dis tinguished Clergymen in every period of its history: and of men in more private life, who, by their writings or inventions, have been useful in the Commonwealth. BIOGRAPHICAL N OTICES. CHAPTER I . A ABBOT, R ev, JkBTEfc D, vrp.s/>{ a very re spectable family:ef:,AffdtWer;'* whicjivoi. its different branches,- has furnished., jnany. useful and learned instructors of youth, tiadj ciejgygien, in Massachu setts and New Hampshire.; - Whjle^it the University, Mr. Abbot had the reputation. of;a diligent student and a good scholar." He early chose to enter the clerical profession ; and in less than three years after he left the University, he was ordained as the pastor of the first Congregational Church and Society in Haverhill, in Massachusetts. He was a popular and useful preacher. His great aim was to instruct and to impress his hearers; and yet his sermons were well studied. His compositions were correct, and sometimes elegant and ornamented. His style was such as to please both the man of letters and the common class of people. He was evangelical, but not technical or scolastic. He generally was reckoned among Unitarians ; but did not adopt all their peculiar opinions. He was candid and concil iating, but could not justly be called a trimmer. His amiable temper and bland manners recommended him to all classes of persons ; aud the benevolence of 4 A BIEL ABBOT HULL ABBOT. his h eart was evident to all who often associated with him. After being several years at Haverhill, he be came pastor of the first Church and Society in Bev erly, where he remained sometime, till he fell a victim to disease in 1729, at the age of fifty-seven. Several of his occasional sermons were published ; and are unsurpassed by very few similar productions of his clerical brethren. Some of them were particularly designed for seamen. There is nothing of a contro versial spirit discovered in them. It was his wish to avoid controversy in addressing a common audience, which needed plain and practical preaching, " rather than vain disputations." Mr. Abbot was anxious to see more union among Christian ministers, and all other Christian professors : and he labored much in his day, byh.ife:6an&id/'and:a£eej^iHsodating spirit to effect it; but" tirichMiUfce su^oess.;: :/ljhere are always some men in the-Christiaa .chjjrch who prefer the Shibboleth of party.:tfc the's^ir?*: of the gospel. Dr. Abbot's letters-^ t^om'.' C&jrJa, . were published, and several o ccasional fttscp.uree>t "...'.Snot were well received. ABBOT, R ev. ABIEL D. D. a graduate of Harvard College in 1787, and now the pastor of a Congregational Church in Peterborough, New Hamp shire, at the age of seventy-five, is a relation of the afore-named; a learned theologian and of a most Christian temper and character. And Benjamin Abbot, L L. D. for fifty years the able and popu lar principal of Phillips's Academy, at Exeter, New Hampshire, is a brother : highly respectable, not only as a scholar, but as a member of society, a citizen and a Christian. He received his degree in Harvard College in 1788. But is still living. ABBOT, R ev. HULL received his public educa tion in Harvard College with the class of 1720 ; and in 1724 was ordained over the Church in Charles- HULL A BBOT. 5 town.e H remained in the pastoral office in that town for fifty years, and until his decease, in 1774, at the age of seventy-two. Mr. Abbot had the repu tation of an able theologian, and of an affectionate and faithful pastor. At that period, as well as since, the clergy in New England were well educated and exemplary : no one has enjoyed a high reputation in the ministerial office, as he did, who was not a good scholar and a faithful, devoted pastor. His whole time was given to the duties of his sacred profession. Learning and piety were alike indispensable in the clergy, " who were set for the defence of the gospel ; " who were required " to be able to teach others, and to convince gainsayers." The voluntary under taking of the office of a Christian teacher was a proof that he who assumed it felt the importance of re ligion. And as the fathers in the Church had a deep conviction of the necessity of learning in those of the clerical character, they did not " lay hands " on the illiterate or immoral. From the early settlement of New England to the present time even, the con gregational ministers have been as good scholars and as able theologians as the clergy in England, wheth er Dissenters or of the established Episcopal church. It has sometimes been supposed that the clergy were unduly revered, and that their influence was too great, in former generations. In some instances, no doubt, they have assumed and exercised more authority than reason or scripture would justify. Like other men, they are fond of power ; and in some ages and countries they have " lorded it over God's heritage." And where the people are very ignorant they will bow to the dictation of their priests, how ever unjust or unreasonable it may be. But in New England, the clergy have always been respected ac cording to their learning, and their devotion to the duties of their profession. More than in most other countries, the laity here think for themselves in 2* O J ACOB ABBOT JOHN E. ABBOT. religious a s well as political affairs. Men of learnings of every profession, in a community should have influence ; but if they assume more than their superior knowledge or their experience my justly claim for them, there can be no fear that the people will submit. ABBOT, R ev. JACOB was of the Andover fam ily, and received his education in Harvard College with the class of 1792. He was settled in 1795 over the church and society in Hampton Falls, in the State of New Hampshire, as successor of Dr. Lang- don, who was sometime president of Harvard Uni versity. Mr. Abbot had the character of an able and faithful minister of the gospel ; than which there is none more important or truly honorable among men ; as by the influence of divine truths which they teach, they " show unto men the way of eternal life." He possessed much of the spirit of the early clergy in New England ; " a spirit of love, of power and of a sound mind." In his theo logical inquiries and researches, he exercised a proper degree of independence ; at the same time, he made the doctrines of Christ and of his inspired apostles the standard and rule of faith ; and yielded not to new systems of speculative and visionary men, who assume to be equally wise in divine and spiritual things as was Jesus of Nazareth ; " whom God sanctified and sent into the world " to teach his holy will ; and who prefer to follow their own imaginations rather than the written word of Jehovah. Mr. Abbot died in 1833, at the age of sixty-four. His death was sudden, being drowned in attempting to cross a pond at Windham in New Hampshire, where he resided the latter part of his life. ABBOT, R ev. JOHN EMERY was a son of Benjamin A bbot, the precepter of Phillips's Academy JOHN L OVEJOY ABBOT. 7 in E xeter, New Hamsphire. He received his aca demical education in that seminary; and entering Bowdoin College he was there graduated in 1810. He ranked among the best classical scholars then in the college. Soon after taking his degree, he enter ed on the regular study of divinity, and was ordain ed over a congregational church and society in Salem, which had been under the pastoral care and instruction of Rev. Thomas Barnard, D. D. No one of his age and time was more esteemed than Mr. Abbot, either for literary acquirements or an amiable disposition.
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