11 The Ordination of Mr. Randall 1780

11 - THE ORDINATION OF MR. RANDALL 1780 AS one of the results of the doctrinal discussions, to which reference has been made, early in 1779, a church, embodied by Elder Edward Lock, composed of people in Loudon and Canterbury, New Hampshire, declared themselves Arminian. The church had largely or wholly arisen from Mr. Randall’s labors in that vicinity the previous year. In August of the same year the brethren at Crown Point, who had stood as a branch of the Berwick church, under Elder Hooper, embodied themselves into a church and also declared themselves Arminian. Elder Tozier Lord, having been previously ordained at Lebanon, Maine, by Dr. Samuel Shepard and others, espoused the free-grace cause, withdrew from the Calvinistic church, and in the same fall became a member of the Crown Point church as its pastor. In March, 1780, Mr. Randall presented himself and was received to membership in the Crown Point church. During this spring season a precious work of grace was in progress at New Durham. The time having arrived when the interests of the cause demanded the ordination of Mr. Randall, it was regarded as a special providence that the way for this step had been prepared by the establishment of those two Free churches.

It appears that the idea of the brethren was, that to render an ordination valid beyond all question, at least two regularly ordained ministers, in good standing in some church, should lay hands on the candidate; while lay brethren might properly assist. True, they could point to precedents where, in very urgent, exceptional cases, even among those who were sticklers for good form, one duly ordained might, with lay assistants, do the work of ordination. But here were two churches properly constituted, with their pastors duly qualified. Hence, they were prepared to comply with best accepted usages for induction to the gospel ministry. In arranging for the ordination of Mr. Randall, the Crown Point church consistently took the lead. The time agreed upon was Wednesday, April 5, 1780; place. New Durham. The Crown Point church chose its pastor and one lay delegate to attend, and invited the Loudon and Canterbury church to do the same, which it did. The council met on the day appointed and proceeded to their work, setting apart the candidate in due form to the work of an evangelist. Elder Lord preached the sermon from Acts 13:2-3 : "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." Lord also gave the charge. Lock gave the hand of fellowship and probably offered the prayer of consecration. Thus, so far as ecclesiastical forms were concerned, Mr. Randall was duly qualified for the work of the gospel ministry. The title "elder " is variously used in the Bible. The same is also true respecting its use in some modern religious bodies. In the Baptist denomination, in the eighteenth century, more commonly than now, it was given to gospel ministers. This title, which was given to Mr. Randall by virtue of his ordination, and which he carried and honored for thirty years, may in the following pages be prefixed to his name.