Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 6.djvu/161

 REV. JOHN HOUSTON.

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��REV. JOHN HOUSTON.

��BY REV. C. W. WALLACE, D. D.

��Rev. John Houston, the first pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Bed- ford, N. H., was born in Londonderry, N. H.,in 1723. His parents were emi- grants from the north of Ireland, and known as Scotch-Irish.

He was educated at Princeton, N. J., graduating in 1753. He studied divinity in his native town with Rev. David McGregor, pastor of the church in the east parish of that town.

Mr. Houston received his call to Bedford in August, 1756, and was or- dained in September, 1757. His "sti- pend," as it was called, was to be equal to forty pounds sterling, but there was a provision by which the town, at its annual meeting, might vote to dispense with any number of Sab- baths which they chose, and the pay- ment for those Sabbaths might be taken from the salary.

By virtue of being the first settled minister in town, Mr. Houston was en- titled to certain lands reserved for that purpose in the settlement of the town. These he received and they added much to his small salary. He was also well-reputed for classical and theolog- ical learning, and his settlement gave promise of usefulness and happiness.

From all we can learn he was thus useful and happy for a number of years. Then commenced the dark and stormy period in the history of our country. Bedford was especially patriotic. Every man in town, over twenty-one years of age, except the minister, signed the following paper, "we do hereby solemnly engage and promise that we will, to the utmost of our power, at the risk of our lives and for- tunes, with arms oppose the hostile proceedings of the British fleets and armies against the united American colonies." Mr. Houston gave the fol- lowing reasons for refusing to sign this declaration :

��Firstly, because he did not appre- hend that the honorable committee meant that ministers should take up arms as being inconsistent with their ministerial charge. Secondly, because he was already confined to the county of Hillsborough ; therefore he thinks he ought to be set at liberty before he should sign the said obligation. Thirdly, because there are three men belonging to his family already enlist- ed in the Continental Army.

These reasons were not regarded as sufficient, so, May 16, 1 775. the follow- ing article is found in a warrant for town meeting : "To see what method the town will take relating to Rev'd John Houston in these troublesome times, as we apprehend his praying and preaching to be calculated to intimi- date the minds of his hearers, and to weaken their hands in defense of their just rights and liberties, as there seems a plan to be laid by Parliament to de- stroy both."

We hear of no action on this article until June 15, 1775, when a vote was unanimously passed in which it was stated: "Therefore, we think it not our duty, as men or Christians, to have

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him preach any longer for us as our minister."

Thus closed the ministry of Rev. John Houston to the people of Bed- ford. From all the light which reaches us through the dimness of an hundred years, we have no doubt that both par- ties were truly sincere. Judged, how- ever, by subsequent events, it is evident that the people were right and the minister wrong. That is, they were right in their patriotism, and he was wrong in his loyalty to the king. Still it is worthy of notice that the removal of Mr. Houston from his pastoral office in Bedford was followed by a long period of religious declension.

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