ETHAN SMITH*

1790—1849.

Ethan Smith was the son of Deacon Elijah and Sibbil (Worthington) Smith, and was born at Belchcrtown, Mass. on the 19th of December, 1762. His parents wore both eminently pious persons; and his mother particularly spared no pains to give the minds of her children a right direction. His father was much engaged in public life, and serveded his country in the French war, as Captain under Sir William Johnson, in the regiment of Colonel Ephraim Williams. He died when his son was in his eighth year; shortly after which, the son was sent from home to live with some of his relatives. In consequence of being thus withdrawn from the good influence of his mother, and finding nothing in his new situation that could be a substitute for it, he gradually lost, in a measure, the serious impressions of his earlier years, and, until he had reached his eighteenth year, was absorbed in the vanities and gaieties of life. He had, during this period, learned the trade of a boot, shoe, and leather manufacturer.

In the year 1780, he joined the American army, and was at West Point, at the time of the detection of Arnold's Treason. On leaving the army, he returned to South Hadley, where he had before resided. The state of religion there at that time was deplorably low, and almost every species of wickedness seemed to be in the ascendant. The impressions which parental faithfulness had early made upon him, now revived, and he was shocked at the part which he found himself acting, in connection with his wicked companions. He suddenly withdrew from their society, and gave much of his time to serious meditation and prayer. It was not, however, until after a protracted course of inward conflict, that he was brought, as he believed, to repose in the gracious economy of the gospel. He united with the church in South Hadley in the autumn of 1781.

Shortly after this, he went to a town about twenty miles distant, with a view to set up the business to which he had served an apprenticeship; and there he was met with a cordial welcome by a number of pious people, who very readily co-operated with him in establishing prayer meetings on weekday evenings. A clergyman whom he met about this time, and whom he had heard preach, suggested to him the idea of commencing a course of study with reference to the ministry; and when he urged his poverty as an objection, the clergyman kindly offered to assist him, and expressed his confident conviction that he would succeed. He consulted some of his friends, especially his mother and his pastor, and they both looked upon the project with warm approbation. He then went to his father's minister, the Rev. Justus Forward of Belchertown, who had baptized him in infancy, and he not only cordially concurred with his other friends in their approbation of the measure, but actually offered to superintend his preparation for College, without any compensation. He thankfully availed himself of the generous offer; and while he was prosecuting his studies, was a main instrument of bringing about an extensive revival of religion in Mr. Forward's parish. Having gone through his preparatory course, he entered Dartmouth College in 1786. He found but little of the spirit of religion there; but there were still a few, who were alive to Christian obligation, with whom he was accustomed to take sweet counsel. He passed reputably through College,—occasionally teaching a school for a few months, and graduated honourably in 1790.

Though much of his reading, for the ten preceding years, had been upon theological subjects, it was his intention to devote one entire year, after his graduation, to the study of Theology, under some competent teacher; but on referring the case to the Association of ministers in the neighbourhood of Hanover, they advised that he should enter at once on the duties of the ministry, and actually gave him license to preach within about a month after he was graduated. He commenced preaching at Haverhill, N. H., on the 1st of October, being then in his twenty-eighth year. After preaching there seven or eight months, he was ordained as the pastor of that church.

On the 4th of February, 1793, he was married to Bathsheba, daughter of the Rev. David Sanford of Medway, Mass. Another daughter of Mr. Sanford was married, at the same time, to another clergyman; the ceremony being performed in the meeting-house, and a sermon preached on the occasion by the Rev. Dr. Emmons, from the text "I will walk within my house with a perfect heart."

Mr. Smith remained at Haverhill, and in great harmony with his people, nine years; when he was induced to leave them for want of an adequate support. He was immediately called to three different places, but he chose Hopkinton, N. H., where he was settled in the winter of 1799, and had a ministry of eighteen years. Here again, his salary ultimately proved insufficient for the support of his family, and in the winter of 1818, he took the pastoral charge of the Presbyterian church in Hebron, N. Y. His expectations here not being realized,—after remaining two or three years, he accepted a call from the Congregational church in Poultney, Vt., where he continued a little less than five years, and was honourably dismissed at his own request. After this, he became the pastor of the Congregational church in Hanover, Mass.; but he found many of the people there holding doctrines so different from his own, that he could have but little satisfaction in his ministry, and after a brief sojourn among them, he resigned his charge, and accepted an appointment as City Missionary in Boston. After this, he was never settled, but laboured incessantly in vacant congregations and in important agencies.

Mr. Smith had a robust constitution and vigorous health, as is sufficiently indicated by the fact that he never lost a Sabbath from bodily indisposition, till he had been preaching nearly thirty years; and only two or three during his whole ministry. He continued to preach until within two weeks of his death. Soon after he reached the age of eighty, his sight, from being overtasked, became very dim, and he was no longer able to read, though he never became totally blind. So familiar was he with the Bible and Watts, that it was his uniform custom to open the book in the pulpit, and give out the chapter and hymn, and seem to read them; and he very rarely made a mistake, to awaken a suspicion that he was repeating from memory. He died after an illness of a few days, at the residence of his son-in-law, the Rev. William H. Sanford of Boylston, Mass., on the 29th of August, 1849, in the eighty-seventh year of his age. His last days and hours were full of peace and joy, and he passed away from all earthly scenes in a manner well becoming "an old disciple." His funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Nelson of Leicester.

Mrs. Smith died suddenly at Pompey, New York, on the 5th of April, 1835, at the age of sixty-four. They had ten children,—four sons and six daughters. Three of the sons received a collegiate education—two entered the ministry, and one the medical profession. Three of the daughters were married to clergymen.

The following is a list of Mr. Smith's publications:—A Farewell Sermon at Haverhill, N. H., 1799. A Sermon preached at Hopkinton, N. H., the Sabbath succeeding his installation, 1800. Two Sermons on Jeremiah VII, 8, preached on an exchange in Washington, N. H., 1805. A Thanksgiving Sermon at Newburyport, 1809. A Sermon preached to a Ladies' Cent Institution, Hopkinton, 1814. A Sermon preached at Dunbarton, at the funeral of the wife of the Rev. Dr. Harris, 1815. Two Sermons preached at Hopkinton on Matt. XXVIII, 18-20, 1816. A Sermon at the ordination of the Rev. Stephen Martindale at Tinmouth, Vermont, 1819. A Lecture on Infant Baptism, 1824. A Sermon at the ordination of the Rev. Harvey Smith, at Weybridge, Vermont, 1825.

Besides these single sermons, Mr. Smith published the following larger works:—A Dissertation on the Prophecies, 1809. A Key to the Figurative language of the Prophecies, 1814. A View of the Trinity, designed as an answer to Noah Worcester's Bible News, 1824. A View of the Hebrews, designed to prove among other things that the Aborigines of America are descended from the ten tribes of Israel, 1825. Memoirs of Mrs. Abigail Bailey. Four Lectures on the subjects and mode of Baptism. A Key to the Revelation, 1833. Prophetic Catechism to lead to the study of the prophetic Scriptures, 1839.