October 5, 1690 - Solomon Stoddard Allows Any in His Congregation to Take Communion

Solomon Stoddard was the Harvard University librarian and pastor of the church at Northampton, Massachusetts, until his death. In the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, church membership was necessary for citizenship, and Stoddard began to amend the church membership policy as the older generations passed. On October 5, 1690, Stoddard decided that his congregation could take Communion regardless of their assurance of salvation. His successor at the Northampton Church was his grandson, Jonathan Edwards, who was born on October 5, 1703.