THE TOWN'S CHURCH AND ITS DIVORCE. 367 



" church " was held which decided to call " Mr. Josiah C. 

 Shaw" to its ministry, seventeen members being present. 

 Immediately afterwards on the same day the town "voted 

 to concur with the church in giving Mr. Shaw a call " at 

 one hundred pounds a year salary, with a bonus of one 

 hundred pounds more for settlement. When the new 

 minister was ordained, October, 1792, the town paid for 

 the ordination dinner, though the church called the council. 

 Thus a distinct cooperation was expressed between the 

 ecclesiastical body and the political. 



After the unpleasant termination of Mr. Shaw's pastorate 

 four years later (June 3, 1796), the church and the town 

 again united in calling a minister, Rev. Jacob Flint, 

 December 18, 1797. 



This was the last pastorate under the old reghne of the 

 town's authority in religious matters. Before his thirty- 

 seven years of ministry were finished two other churches 

 had been planted within the town, without the need of any 

 concurrence by the votes of a town meeting — simply by 

 the rights of citizens to unite in the form of a church accord- 

 ing to their own preference. 



The first of these two churches was formed in the com- 

 munity called Jerusalem, at the northern part of the town. 

 The gradual alienation of that section from the old 

 church on account of its three miles distance has been 

 already noted. The large number who did not attend 

 church at all, impressed the more devout people of that 

 community, and they attempted to improve matters by 

 holding gospel services in private houses. 



Some Methodist itinerant preachers, coming at inter- 

 vals of a fortnight or a month, succeeded in organizing a 

 church, December 17, 1818.* The Methodist church of 

 Hingham mothered this new one; indeed, all the inhab- 

 itants on the west side of the street — Hull Street — were 

 as now citizens of Hingham. Their first little meeting- 



* In the History of Norfolk County, Rev. Joseph Osgood sets the date 1817. 



