4

RELIGION.

RELIGION.

The constitution of New-Hampshire guarantees to every individ-
ual the right to worship God according to the dictates of his own
conscience, provided he does not disturb the public peace, nor dis-
turb others in their religious worship. In July 1819, the memora-
ble act called the toleration law, was passed by the legislature of
New-Hampshire, which provides that no person shall be compelled
to join, or support, or be classed with, or associated to any church or
religious society, without his express consent first had been obtained,
and that any person may withdraw from a society of which he is a
member, by leaving a written notice with the clerk of the same.

The following notes comprise accounts of all the principal de-
nominations found within the limits of our State.

ORTHODOX.

CcongregationAlists.—* The organization of the first Congre-
gational Church in New-Hampshire was in 1638, 18 years subse-
quent to the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, at Plymouth. It
is an unsettled question whether the first church was that at
Exeter, of which the celebrated John Wheelwright was pastor, or
that at Hampton of which the Rev. Stephen Bachilor was pastor.
Both doubtless were formed in 1638—the latter in the fall of that
year. Settlements had previously been begun at Dover and Ports-
mouth. In the former place, a meeting-house was erected as early
as 1633, and William Leverich, “ a worthy and able puritan min-
ister,” was engaged as a preacher. To him succeeded one Burditt,
and then Hanserd Knollys, or Knowles. But a church was not
formed in Dover till 1639, and no pastor was regularly settled till
1642. However it may be a question whether Wheelwright, of Ex-
eter, or Bachilor of Hampton was first in the order of New-Hamp-
shire pastors, it should be acknoweledged that the oldest church
now in existence in the State, is that of Hampton, the first Exeter
church being dispersed on the removal of Wheelwright, about four
years afterwards, to Wells, in Maine. The only towns in the prov-
ince in which ministers had been settled, previous to 1670, a half
century from the landing of Pilgrims, were Hampton, Exeter, and
Dover. Of the seven that had been pastors in those towns, only two
were then in office, viz., Samuel Dudley, of Exeter, and Seaborn
Cotton, of Hampton. In 1671, a church was organized, and Rev.

■fc.I’rom historical discourse by Rev. Nathaniel Bouton, D. I).