19 Higher Organization 1792

19 - HIGHER ORGANIZATION 1792

EXPERIENCE had taught Mr. Randall and his brethren that the denomination, in its expansion, had outgrown its representative arrangement entered into nine years before, in the Quarterly Meeting formation. It had become impossible for every church to report itself to every session of the body as the rule required.

Feeling the importance of a remedy, Randall introduced the matter to his home church, assembled May ninth, when the question was duly considered. He and seven others were chosen to meet delegates from all his other churches in New Hampshire, to devise some means of relief. Results were to be presented at the next Quarterly Meeting session, and to be adopted if there thought best. The proposed meeting was held May twenty-third, at the residence of James Lock, in Barnstead. It consisted of representatives from New Durham, Pittsfield, Middleton, and Barrington. It was agreed: That the name of the present Quarterly Meeting, holding its annual sessions at New Durham, be changed to that of a Yearly Meeting. That a new class of meetings, each to be held once in three months, be introduced between this and the churches, with the name of Quarterly Meetings. That each church attend to all its local business, maintain good discipline, take the scriptural steps with delinquents, to the last admonition; then, if unsuccessful, refer the matter to the Quarterly Meeting. That each church, as now, have a clerk to keep its records, full and plain. That the church send its clerk to each session of the Quarterly Meeting, with his book of records, and several others as messengers. That through its clerk and messengers, each church report its condition to each session of the Quarterly Meeting.

It was agreed that the messengers representing the several churches belonging thereto constitute the Quarterly Meeting potential. That the Quarterly Meeting hold its sessions at such times and places as agreed upon. That it have a clerk who shall keep a full and plain record of all doings, and transcribe in his book the records of the several churches. That the Quarterly Meeting adjust all difficulties that may be referred to it by the churches, or arise in its executive sessions, if able; but if not, refer the same to the Yearly Meeting. That the Yearly Meeting consist of delegates from the several Quarterly Meetings, hold its sessions annually, at times and places agreed upon, adjust all matters referred to it by the Quarterly Meetings, and transact any other legitimate business. It shall devise ways and means for the welfare and efficiency of its constituency, and exercise a general supervision over the entire denomination. The new system was unanimously adopted and was to go into operation at once, with Mr. Randall as recording secretary.

It was also recommended that the same plan be adopted by the gatherings at Edgecomb, Gorham, and Parsonsfield, Maine. These recommendations were approved and adopted by these bodies. This system provided that each church have a monthly meeting for the transaction of its local business; that several contiguous churches constitute a Quarterly Meeting; and that all the Quarterly Meetings covering a State, or other agreed-upon territory, combine for an annual session, to be called a Yearly Meeting. This was the ideal. But it took several years of working the plan for the several bodies in the combination to learn their exact relative duties. To meet the demands of new conditions, which arose from time to time, alterations, amendments, and supplements were demanded and made. For more than fifty years, until the organization of General Conference, the Yearly Meeting was the highest ecclesiastical court of the denomination. It served the purpose intended, and its decisions were respected by the people.

Thus far these organizations have been considered mostly from a business standpoint. But their sessions were of interest to the general public, mainly as centers of religious instruction and worship. Most of the business was done at side sessions, leaving much time for meetings of a purely religious nature. People came to these meetings from near and far, many of whom were hungering and thirsting for the gospel as proclaimed by the preachers of free grace. In confirmation of this statement, John Buzzell’s testimony is instructive and interesting :

These meetings called the attention of thousands to hear the word of God who, perhaps, would have remained ignorant of these things if their attention had not been excited by these means. I have known persons of respectability to travel nearly twenty miles to attend a Monthly Meeting; and have seen as many as a hundred spectators at a church conference, when the church consisted of only ten members. At Quarterly Meetings I have often seen thousands flocking from different parts to hear the word. And when we have been under the necessity of repairing to groves for want of room, I have frequently seen them climb the trees, like Zaccheus, to see and hear, as it seemed, at the hazard of their lives. Yet I never knew a person to receive harm on such occasions.

Many who have come to these meetings have returned new creatures, praising God for redeeming love and saving grace. The Yearly Meetings have also been attended with an equivalent blessing. Hundreds of souls that now belong to this denomination, and others, have located their first religious awakening in one of our Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly Meetings.

Here we have an illustration, in part, of Mr. Buzzell’s general statement. The scene was at a country town in Maine. The local church had invited the Yearly Meeting. They had raised and covered in a meetinghouse of goodly proportions. They had laid loose, temporary floors, and fitted up rough-board seats for the occasion. Here they held the preliminary sessions and services. Here Mr. Randall preached the first sermon. But the coming multitude soon outgrew the capacity of the house. Here we will let one who constituted a part of that assembly finish the story; .his language shows the impressive nature of the scene.

It was September: a beautiful Sabbath morning, the day of the great gathering of the new sect. Nature had just put on her brilliant attire, as if vying with man in worship to the Maker of all. My father, though not given to piety, consented to take all- mother, brothers, and sisters-to the spot where the public mind, as with one accord, seemed centering. Approaching with others, we entered a beautiful grove, and soon came to a widely extended ledge, of almost snowy whiteness. Upon this was erected a speaker’s stand, with a table near, spread with communion service. The vessels were bright and glistening; the table coverings and nap-Idns were as clean as the purest snow. The immense congregation, sitting around under the forest shade, were giving close attention to a sermon by Elder Tingley. I then, for the first time, saw Elder Randall, who was sitting upon the stand with other speakers. A heavenly glow seemed to rest on his countenance. How impressively did the whole scene strike my young heart, over which only thirteen summers had passed!

I had read of the crucified Saviour, wrapped in clean linen, and could hardly divest myself of the idea that the real body of Christ was lying upon that table before us, hidden from view only by those coverings, and that this was almost an exact representation of apostolic times. As for the speaker, his manner was peculiar. He would strike the first of his sentence on a high key and drop to a lower on the latter part. He would comprehend much in a few words; but soon, how I wished him through, and that Randall would commence! In this I was at length gratified. And oh, how he spoke! burning words, right to the heart. The impression then received by me can never be erased from the tablet of my memory. The influence was to change the entire habit of my thinking, to set me wholly upon a new course, and control my subsequent existence for good. I praise God for that day!