Memoir of Rev. Joseph Badger / Fourth Edition

by E. G. Holland

It would seem that Mr. Badger did not so succeed in melting down the opinional partitions as to unite the whole religious community into one body, for in the following language he speaks of acknowledging a new society in the town, formed no doubt of the material created by his own recent and successful labors:—

"On the 18th we met for the establishment of a church. The persons present felt a free and a happy union. They were strong in faith. Twenty-five of us took each other by the hand in token of brotherhood and of our sacred union. We acknowledged ourselves as a church of God. Some little opposition appeared, but at the close harmony prevailed. Weapons formed against Zion are never destined to prosper."

As early as the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th of this month, we read of his visiting and preaching in the towns of Bristol and West Bloomfield; neither of the congregations he there met having ever before heard a minister preach who professedly hailed from no other creed than the Bible—from no other distinguishing name than that of Christian, and from no other test of sacred fellowship than Christian character. There was a commanding newness, an inspiring originality and freshness in the position he occupied, that, aside from the peculiar abilities of the man, awakened the thoughtful attention of the people. I would here remark, that the denomination—for indeed all great religious movements, however catholic in aim and spirit, do almost necessarily centralize themselves at last into denominational form—with which Mr. Badger stood connected, was the one known in the ecclesiastical history of the last half century as the Christian denomination; a name taken not from partisan pride, but from reverence to the New Testament Scriptures, which they declared were ignorant of the sectarian creeds and names of the Christian world, and which records a period in the Primitive Church when the disciples were called Christians, a usage which had its commencement under the apostolical ministry of Paul and Barnabas, in the city of Antioch, Acts 11: 26. It was taken in charity, not in exclusiveness, inasmuch as their dearest premises conceded to all who feared God and wrought righteousness, in every sect and nation, not only the name, but what is far better, the character of a Christian. I will here only say that though they allow a wide diversity of opinion, there has ever been a general unity of faith and usage among them, and that in the main, their leading views are sketched in the early opinions of Mr. Badger; opinions formed from reason, religious experience, and Scripture revelation, before he had known of such a people. With the first years of the present century this denomination came into being; and without any one central man to act as their founder or guide, they arose in different parts of the Union simultaneously, and though unknown to each other at first, they soon were drawn into union and concert, by the magnetism of common strivings and of common truths.

At Bristol he speaks well of the courteous treatment of the Rev. Mr. Chapman, the minister of the town, whom he describes as a man of learning; of the full attendance of the people at his appointments, the last of which was principally devoted to the examination of the commonly received doctrine of election, and to those practical persuasions that grew out of his views of the individual freedom and responsibility of men.

"At West Bloomfield, on the 7th," says Mr. B., "I spoke in the evening, at the house of Mr. French, to an audience who had never before heard one of my name and sentiments preach. Mr. Hudson, a school instructor, who, as I understood, was about to enter upon the study of divinity, came to me, desirous to converse, he said, on principles, and accordingly began with a few old questions, which I judge he had already learned from some clergyman, as I have often met them in my conversations with that class. He began in foreordination, and proceeded to the human sacrifice of Christ, as he contended that what was divine in Him did not in any respect suffer for men. The assembly that came together that evening contained several who were much prejudiced, but at the close many of them came forward and manifested great satisfaction. On the 8th I returned to Pittsford, spent there the 9th, 10th, and 11th; preached at Avon on the 12th, at Lima the 13th, at Norton's Mills the 14th; the 15th returned to Pittsford; the 18th organized the church, about which time the adversaries of the reformation took a public stand against us, spread many reports concerning the opinions and sentiments of Elias Smith, of Boston, which did us but little harm, as some of us knew as much as they about his sentiments, and as none of us felt ourselves accountable for what an individual in Boston might say or do. The 26th ordained deacons in the church, and in the evening heard Mr. Moulton, who had just returned from Ohio; the 27th, after listening to the faithful voice of Mr. Moulton, we repaired to the pure and quiet water, where I baptized seven happy converts, and on the 28th enjoyed one of the best of church meetings."

In this little nucleus his faithful watch-care centered, whilst in adjoining towns he labored like a missionary of apostolical zeal and self-sacrifice.

Parting with Mr. Moulton, March 3d, who pursued his way to Canada across the lakes, Mr. Badger started for the west; paused at Murray, now Clarendon, Orleans County, N. Y., on the 4th, to hold an evening meeting; on the 5th, rode to Hartland, Niagara County, where he addressed the people in the evening; on the 6th, starting at four o'clock in the morning, and over sleighing almost wholly gone, he advanced through drenching rain another thirty-seven miles to reach his appointment at 3 P. M., which he did without eating or drinking for the day till his end was accomplished. He said: "I was much fatigued, but this was a good day to my soul. I often find it beneficial to fast and to pray. In the afternoon the Lord's holy presence was consciously upon us. About twelve here united as a church, and in the evening we ordained W. Young to the office of deacon. As Mrs. Young desired to be baptized, I found it necessary to hold meeting at sunrise the following morning, when we met a large company to hear the preaching and to witness the baptism. I found it good to hold meeting before breakfast. In the afternoon I rode to Ogden, and in the evening addressed a respectable congregation, who were mostly Presbyterians." This month, he assisted to organize a church at Murray, which is still united and prosperous. The locality of the former church was probably at Lewiston, Niagara County, New York.

Returning to Pittsford on the 8th, he passed several days in social conversation and public discourse with the Christians of his community, who were alive in the joy, light and peace of the kingdom of God. On the 14th he attended the funeral of Mrs. Abigail Stiles, who lacked but one day of completing twenty-three years of an honored pilgrimage on earth, and who in her sickness, as the fading world grew small and dim to her vision, longed in fervent earnestness to be more conformed to the Christ of her faith and love. For the first time since the organization of his society, the symbolic bread was broken among them on the 16th, to which many came forward who never before had honored the crucified One in the silent language of symbol. He preached at Avon on the 17th, in the residence of a leading officer in the Methodist Church, Mr. Wm. Brown; at Lima, the 19th; the 23d, attended the funeral of one of his intimate friends, Mr. J. Johnson, who had fallen instantly dead in the prime of life; and omitting the details of other appointments, perhaps it may reward the reader's glance, to consider the following lines.

"On the 28th I preached again in the town of Gates, where, on my arrival, I was introduced to a young gentleman, who appeared to feel that the world held at least one highly important person in it. In a very consequential manner he brought forward theological discussion on several subjects, which might come into the following divisions: 1. That the sufferings of Christ's humanity atoned for the sins of the world. 2. That God had foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. 3. That God is the author of sin. We conversed somewhat lengthily. But as I was repelled by his manner a great deal more than I could be attracted by his matter, I was prompted to end the conversation with a plain exhortation, in which I urged upon him humility of heart and the fear of God. We parted; and both from his words and actions I conclude 'the young man went away sorrowful.'