Confession of Faith and Covenant of the Congregational Churches of Otisfield & Harrison (with Letter from Founding Pastor Written 35 Year Later and Laid in Rare booklet)
Maine: Unknown, 1834. Original Wraps Bound in Boards. 24mo - over 5" - 5¾" tall. Good. Item #014143
A rare item (only recorded copy is at the American Antiquarian Society). 8p. Laid in is 2ALS letter of pastor Josaih G. Merrill who was one of the pastors written more than a generation later. Writing from Cambridge Mass in 1869, he addresses an inquirer about the early history. He writes about (1) the commencement of the revival; (2) the number of hopeful converts; (3) the number in your society; and (4) the families to which they are connected...I have the happiness to inform you that the [North?] Orthodox Congregational Church and the Calvinistic Baptist Church in ...Cambridge ...have been waiting in prayer and conference several evenings in the week are now favored with the evident tokens of the presence of the Holy Spirit in His course...it is too early now to count the number of hopeful conversions but there have been already quite a number...Josaih G. Merrill. Those interested in genuine revival will find this letter instructive. It does not rely on numbers to report and contribute to the false conversions counted in the 20th Century; rather it notes that while there has evidenly been a move of God, they are waiting to see if those who have professed conversion show the levels of fulfillment which evidence reality versus a verbal declaration. (According to the booklet Rev. Joseph G. Merrill began his pastorate at Otisfield in 1814 and continued until 1830 when he was dismissed as pastor. On page 3 there is a list of the ten people which began the church when he was ordained, five had died in the next twenty years, and in the second list one was dismissed and in the last list two are noted who were excommunicated. Here is a history of a small congregation that experienced revival, conflict, and there was sufficient church discipline exercised to lead to excommunications. The letter with this rare booklet presents an amazing picture of the revivals that took place in early America before the professional "revivalistic" tendencies of Finney and his unfortunate successors. Blindstamp showing it to be ex-library but undoubtedly among the rarest items of its kind.
Price: $170.00