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LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 Mr. Kenneth McKenzie 
 
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 LECTURES U N0V 4 1941 
 
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 THE HISTORY 
 
 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 ALEXANDER McKENZIE, 
 
 PASTOR OF THE FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE AND SHEPARD 
 CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 CONGREGATIONAL PUBLISHING SOCIETY. 
 
 1873. 
 
University Press : Welch, Bigelow, & Co., 
 Cambridge. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THE materials for these lectures have been found 
 in part in various histories which treat of the 
 different periods and events, and in part in the records 
 of the church. I have freely introduced collateral mat- 
 ters whenever they explained the position or action of 
 the church. 
 
 The first lecture was delivered December 18, 1870, 
 and the last April 14, 1872. This will account for 
 some repetitions which would have been out of place 
 in an ordinary history. 
 
 I am indebted to Eev. John L. Sibley of the Univer- 
 sity Library for advance sheets of his Memoirs of 
 the Graduates of Harvard College, and for advice from 
 time to time. I wish also to acknowledge the con- 
 tinual encouragement I have received from my own 
 parishioners, and especially from William A. Saunders, 
 Esq., whose interest in our personal and local history 
 has been of the greatest service to me. As this book 
 
i v PREFACE. 
 
 is now to be given to the public, I desire to dedicate 
 its pages to those who in their turn constitute the 
 First Church in Cambridge and the Shepard Congre- 
 gational Society. 
 
 ALEXANDEE McKENZIE. 
 Cambridge, 1872. 
 
FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 LECTURE I. 
 
 " We have heard with our ears, God, our fathers have told 
 us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old." — 
 Psalm xliv. 1. 
 
 IT is in the order of nature and Providence, that one 
 generation shall praise the works of the Lord to 
 another, and shall declare his mighty acts. He teaches 
 men by men, using them to illustrate his character and 
 will, to announce his purposes, to glorify his name. 
 Holy men of God, speaking as they were moved by 
 the Holy Ghost, have given much of their teaching 
 to the world by relating the history of men and nations. 
 Inasmuch as the Lord changes not, and men are of one 
 blood, the story of any human life, whenever, wherever 
 its course may have run, is instructive to those who 
 shall hear it. Not those alone who have found men- 
 tion in sacred history, but others, in every age of the 
 world, can teach us out of their experience, and reveal 
 to us the ways of God with man. If it be true in 
 other lands that the fathers can instruct the children, 
 and that the lives of the fathers deserve the devout 
 study of the children, surely here, in a land sought out 
 in the name of God, and consecrated to his service at 
 the beginning, by men who for love of him and of his 
 1 
 
2 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 truth made themselves homes in the wilderness, and 
 built up churches and schools and the institutions of 
 free government, with his Word for their guide, his 
 commandments for their statutes, his goodness for their 
 comfort and strength, — surely here we must inquire 
 concerning the former times, that we may know our 
 place and duty, may preserve the memories and vir- 
 tues of those into whose labors we have entered, may 
 honor him who by his right hand and his arm and the 
 light of his countenance gave them the land in posses- 
 sion, because he had a favor unto them. 
 
 We are following the Divine method when we trace 
 out the history of this ancient church, remembering the 
 days of old, considering the years of many generations, 
 asking our fathers that they may show us, our elders 
 that they may tell us. From the tale which they have 
 written, which has remained after their hands have be- 
 come still, we are able to tell again what work the Lord 
 did in their days, and by what men he gave to us the 
 inheritance for which we bless him. The fathers of 
 our land, of our church, were Englishmen. The spirit 
 which compelled them to abandon the land which had 
 given them birth, and the church in which they had 
 been reared, belonged to the manliness of England's 
 better days. They wanted purity and liberty in state 
 and church. Willing to submit to all rightful author- 
 ity, they could not consent to a tyranny which was both 
 grievous and perilous, to oppression which burdened the 
 conscience and blighted the life. They asked for other 
 things for themselves and their children. They asked 
 in vain. Some went out from the national church to 
 secure by themselves what they must have at any cost. 
 Separation dates from 1567. Scorned, hunted, afflicted 
 
LECTURE I. 3 
 
 in many ways, these little bands of Separatists suffered, 
 and kept the freedom and the faith. One of these new 
 churches, founded after the Apostolic model in the year 
 1606, in the village of Scroohy, in Nottinghamshire, 
 tarried for twelve years in Holland, then crossed the 
 seas, and at Plymouth became the first church in New 
 England ; for nine years the only Protestant Church in 
 the Western World, unless there were some remains of 
 an ecclesiastical organization in the almost forsaken 
 colony of Virginia. But many who were greatly dis- 
 contented with the Church of England were not willing 
 to become Separatists, but sought to find within its fold 
 the freedom and purity they desired. These were the 
 Puritans, as their enemies called them in derision. It 
 became plain to many of these, at last, that the hope of 
 reformation was vain, and that the liberty sought could 
 only be found in another land. They turned their eyes 
 westward. Colonization in New England was much 
 discussed among the Puritans. A company known as 
 the " Dorchester Adventurers" came over in 1624, and 
 two years later settled down in Naumkeag. In 1629 a 
 royal charter created a corporation under the name of 
 the " Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay 
 in New England." Under this charter the colony of 
 Massachusetts conducted its affairs for fifty-five years. 
 The charter said nothing of religious liberty. Great 
 accessions were made to the settlement at Naumkeag, 
 which was changed to Salem, and in this year (1629) 
 the second church on these shores was organized. It is 
 clear that these settlers at Salem had no intention of 
 separating themselves from the English Church when 
 they gave up their home. But the formation of a new 
 church came about naturally, providentially. There was 
 
4 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 much sickness among the colonists, and Samuel Fuller, 
 the Plymouth physician, was called to their aid. He 
 was a deacon as well as a doctor, and, besides caring for 
 the physical wants of the sick, gave the new-comers 
 information concerning the church at Plymouth. His 
 account of things in the older settlement was instructive 
 to those who had heard a far different report of their 
 Separatist neighbors. Governor Endicott of Salem wrote 
 to Governor Bradford of Plymouth acknowledging his 
 love and care in sending Dr. Puller, and added, " I re- 
 joice much that I am by him satisfied touching your 
 judgment of the outward form of God's worship." The 
 Salem colonists proceeded to organize a church. There 
 were with them two nonconformist clergymen of the 
 Church of England, both men eminent for virtue and 
 learning, and these were chosen to the chief offices. 
 Mr. Samuel Skelton was chosen pastor, and Mr. Francis 
 Higginson, teacher. Mr. Higginson, at the request of his 
 brethren, drew up a " Confession of Faith and Cove- 
 nant." On a set day, with preaching and praying and 
 fasting, thirty persons assented to the Declaration which 
 had been prepared ; and, after thus constituting them- 
 selves a church, ordained their pastor and teacher with 
 the laying on of hands. In their proceedings they 
 sought the fellowship and counsel of the Plymouth 
 church, which was represented by Governor Bradford 
 and others, who were so long hindered by cross-winds 
 that they came in too late for the earlier services of the 
 day, but were in season to extend the right hand of fel- 
 lowship, and to give to their brethren their blessing and 
 good wishes. These Salem Puritans builded larger and 
 better than they thought. Accused of being Separatists, 
 the ministers replied, " that they did not separate from the 
 
LECTURE I. 5 
 
 Church of England, nor from the ordinances of God there, 
 but only from the corruptions and disorders there ; and 
 that they came away from the cumbersome prayers and 
 ceremonies, and had suffered much from nonconformity 
 in their native land, and therefore, being in a place where 
 they might have their liberty, they neither could nor 
 would use them, because they judged the imposition 
 of these things to be sinful corruptions in the worship of 
 God. The Governor and Council, and the generality of 
 the people, did well approve of the ministers' answer." 
 
 But this was, in fact, separation from the English 
 Church, and their other proceedings were independent 
 of her usage and her authority. The ministers who 
 had received Episcopal ordination were ordained by 
 their own church to the particular care of that church. 
 Elders and deacons were also chosen and ordained by 
 the church. 
 
 This was building on the ancient foundation. These 
 men had learned something in their days of trial at 
 home, something in the study and meditation of their 
 long voyage, with the Bible to teach them the ways of 
 the primitive churches. In a new land, filled with a free 
 spirit, glorying in the liberty wherewith they had been 
 made free, encouraged by the example and counsel of 
 the Pilgrims, it is not strange that they went back to 
 the former simplicity, and built upon the foundation of 
 apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself for the 
 chief corner-stone. 
 
 I have dwelt upon this procedure, because it was the 
 first instance in which Puritans, not Separatists, formed 
 a Congregational Church. Other churches followed in 
 Charlestown, Dorchester, Boston, Eoxbury, Lynn, Water- 
 town. With Congregational churches at the basis of 
 
6 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 civil society, a Eepublican form of government for the 
 State was inevitable. These earliest churches were a 
 prophecy of the Nation. We come now to Cambridge. 
 It was at first designed to build here a fortified town, 
 and to make it the capital of the Province. The ground 
 was laid out, the lines of the fortification drawn, the 
 streets arranged at right angles. Some idea of the topog- 
 raphy of the place may be derived from such names as 
 Market Square, Creek Street, Water Street, Crooked 
 Street, Spring Street, Long Street, Marsh Lane. Gov- 
 ernor Winthrop set up the frame of a dwelling-house 
 on the spot where he first pitched his tent. The Deputy- 
 Governor, Dudley, completed a house and moved his 
 family into it. Other gentlemen of high standing pre- 
 pared to reside here. The place received the appro- 
 priate designation of Newtown. 
 
 As the relations with the Indians became more settled, 
 it was thought that the neighboring peninsula offered 
 superior advantages for the capital, and it was accord- 
 ingly established in Boston. The removal of Winthrop's 
 house to Boston greatly offended Dudley, and " the 
 ministers, for an end of the difference, ordered that the 
 governor should procure them a minister at Newtown, 
 and contribute some toward his maintenance for a time," 
 or else make Dudley a suitable recompense. It was in 
 1631 that the plan for Newtown was changed. There 
 seems still to have remained some thought that this 
 place might become the metropolis, and it received legis- 
 lative patronage. In 1632 the Court of Assistants 
 levied an assessment upon the several plantations " to- 
 wards making a palisade about the new town." A 
 writer who was here at this time thus describes the 
 place : " This is one of the neatest and best-compacted 
 
LECTURE 1. 7 
 
 towns in New England, having many fair structures, 
 with many handsome contrived streets. The inhabi- 
 tants, most of them, are very rich." In some of the 
 earliest years the annual election of the governor and 
 magistrates was held here, when the people assembled 
 under an oak which stood upon the northerly side of our 
 Common. In this year (1632) the town received a con- 
 siderable addition to its numbers by the arrival of the 
 Braintree Company, as it was called, better known to 
 us as Mr. Hooker's Company. Thomas Hooker was a 
 graduate and Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 
 England, where he displayed great ability and fidelity. 
 After leaving college he preached with acceptance and 
 success. In 1630 he was silenced for nonconformity, 
 to the great regret of many of the clergy of the Estab- 
 lished Church. He taught school for a time, having 
 John Eliot, afterwards the apostle to the Indians, as an 
 usher. It was while in the family of Hooker that Eliot 
 was converted, and under his influence that he decided 
 to devote himself to the Christian ministry. Besides 
 being silenced, Hooker was put under bonds to appear 
 before the High Commission Court. His bond was 
 paid by a friend, and he remained for a short time in 
 retirement, and then crossed to Holland, where he re- 
 mained for three years. Meanwhile the emigration of 
 the Puritans to this country was going forward, and 
 many of Hooker's friends came over. There were about 
 two hundred emigrants in one company. Many of these 
 settled in Newtown, where they erected a meeting-house 
 preparatory to the full establishment of the ordinances 
 of religion. Having enjoyed Mr. Hooker's ministry in 
 other days, they desired to have him accompany them, 
 which he was unable to do. But returning to England, 
 
8 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 and with great difficulty escaping from his enemies, in 
 the midsummer of 1633 he sailed for New England, in 
 company with John Cotton and Samuel Stone. A pas- 
 sage of six or seven weeks brought them to Boston. 
 The voyage was enlivened with three sermons or expo- 
 sitions on almost every day ; and also with the birth 
 of a son to Mr. Cotton, who at his baptism was called 
 Seaborn. 
 
 The people could hardly fail to play upon the names 
 of the ministers, and liked to say, merrily, " that their 
 three great necessities would now be supplied ; for they 
 had Cotton for their clothing, Hooker for their fishing, 
 and Stone for their building." 
 
 A Church was organized at Newtown, and with fast- 
 ing and prayer Mr. Hooker was chosen pastor, and Mr. 
 Stone teacher. Both had received ordination in Eng- 
 land, but were again ordained by their own church to 
 the offices to which they Avere elected, in the presence 
 of "neighbor ministers," who gave the right hand of 
 fellowship. What their meeting-house was we are not 
 told. In the year of its erection the first house of 
 worship in Boston was built. That had mud walls and 
 a thatched roof. Into that house came John Cotton from 
 St. Botolph's Church in Boston, England, one of the 
 most stately parish churches in • the land, and able to 
 contain five thousand people. It was a change, from 
 the lofty cathedral tower to the low door of the New 
 England meeting-house. It was more than balanced by 
 the joy of preaching the gospel, a free man to free men. 
 But to guard against fire, it had been ordered in the pre- 
 vious year that in Newtown no man should " build his 
 chimney of wood, nor cover his house with thatch." It 
 is probable, therefore, that the house here was of logs. 
 
LECTURE 1. 9 
 
 Many years after its erection a vote was passed in Town 
 Meeting that the church should be repaired " with a 4 
 square roofe, and covered with shingle." This house 
 stood on the west side of Water, now Dunster Street, 
 a little south of Spring, now Mount Auburn Street. 
 It is particularly recorded that the house had a bell 
 upon it. It must have been a small, plain structure. 
 The plainness of the early churches was in part a neces- 
 sity, and in part an intentional departure from the archi- 
 tecture which had been left. The colonists built for 
 use. They needed a house to meet in, and one which 
 would answer this purpose made them quite content. 
 They gave it a name which clearly explained its use, 
 and called it the meeting-house. It was used for the 
 general gathering of the people. In many cases it was 
 furnished with means of defence against the Indians. 
 
 In a few months the people of Newtown complained 
 that they were straitened for want of room. They 
 asked of the General Court leave " to look out either 
 for enlargement or removal," which was granted. At 
 the next meeting they asked leave to remove to Con- 
 necticut. They said that there was not land enough, 
 especially meadow, so that they could not maintain 
 their ministers, nor receive more inhabitants. Mr. 
 Hooker said that it was an error that towns were set 
 so near together. By removing, as they proposed, they 
 would get more room, and keep out other settlers from 
 the place they should possess. It has been conjectured 
 that there were certain personal jealousies between the 
 leading men in Boston and Newtown, which made 
 a separation desirable. But this cannot be proved. 
 Strong objection to the removal was made, and the 
 matter was found difficult of adjustment. After the 
 
10 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 excellent custom of the time, the whole Court agreed to 
 lay the question before the Lord, and a Fast Day was 
 kept in all the congregations. When the Court as- 
 sembled again Mr. Cotton preached from Haggai ii. 4, 
 upon the relations of the magistracy, the ministry, and 
 the people. The fasting and preaching seemed to have 
 a good effect, as the Newtown congregation " accepted 
 of such enlargement as had formerly been offered them 
 by Boston and Watertown, and so the fear of their 
 removal to Connecticut was removed." But the result 
 was only temporary ; the desire to remove continued. 
 At last leave was granted, and in the summer of 1636 
 Mr. Hooker's church and congregation, a hundred in 
 number, with great difficulty made their journey of 
 above a hundred miles, travelling by the compass, 
 through a trackless wilderness, driving their cattle with 
 them. Mrs. Hooker, being in feeble health, was carried 
 in a horse-litter. The company formed a settlement in 
 Connecticut, where some preparation had already been 
 made, and called the place Hartford, after the birth- 
 place of Mr. Stone. Mr. Hooker was at Newtown less 
 than three years, but he distinguished himself as a 
 preacher and counsellor, and was an efficient man in 
 the affairs of both church and state. After his removal 
 he was connected with many important movements 
 through the New England colonies. He was one of the 
 moderators of the Synod held at Cambridge in regard 
 to Anne Hutchinson. He was invited to be a member 
 of the Westminster Assembly of Divines which formed 
 the famous Catechisms. He left at his death a goodly 
 number of printed works. He died in 1647, at the age 
 of sixty=one. Some one standing in tears by his bed- 
 side said, " Sir, you are going to receive the reward of 
 
LECTURE I. 11 
 
 all your labors." He replied, " Brother, I am going to 
 receive mercy." John Cotton honored his memory 
 with elegiac lines of which I give the first two stanzas : 
 
 " To see three things was holy Austin's wish, — 
 Rome in her flower, Christ Jesus in the flesh, 
 And Paul i' the pulpit : lately men might see 
 Two first, and more, in Hooker's ministry. 
 
 ' ' Zion in beauty is a fairer sight 
 Than Rome in flower, with all her glory dight ; 
 Yet Zion's beauty did most clearly shine 
 In Hooker's rule and doctrine, both divine." 
 
 With this we come to our own church. There were 
 those who had more recently come out from England 
 who stood ready to purchase the meeting-house and 
 dwelling-houses and other immovable property which 
 Hooker's company desired to leave, and these things 
 were accordingly transferred to them. It was not their 
 design to remain here permanently, but here they 
 stayed. Here their successors w r orship, even in this 
 house. We must read again the story of their leader, 
 whose name is preserved in connection with the church. 
 I shall give you this story somewhat in detail be- 
 cause of its historical value, as showing the position 
 of the Puritans at that time, and the causes which 
 drove them across the seas. Thomas Shepard was 
 more than a founder, for he shaped the beginnings of 
 the church and gave it a character, a strength and 
 beauty, which have endured, and shall stand through 
 the long future. If we study the character of the man, 
 or survey his works, we admire him, and give him 
 praise for that he wrought out. I would that we all 
 were familiar with his life and with his works. His 
 written words should be in every house, that he may 
 
12 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 still teach in a perpetual pastorate. I have in my care, 
 as his successor, a small book, some five inches long, 
 which contains in his own handwriting the Biography 
 and Diary of Thomas Shepard, and a few pecuniary 
 accounts. He lives, therefore, in his own record of his 
 life. An excellent Memoir of Shepard, with a brief but 
 instructive account of the times in which he lived, was 
 written by the late lamented pastor of this church, and 
 is now in our Sabbath School Library. 
 
 The year 1605 was marked in England by the in- 
 famous plot to destroy the King and Parliament. On 
 the 5th of November, the day when the plot was dis- 
 covered, " and that very hour wherein the Parliament 
 should have been blown up," there was born in Tow- 
 cester, in Northamptonshire, a child who was named 
 Thomas, after the doubting disciple, because the father 
 thought his son would hardly believe that " ever any 
 such wickedness should be attempted by men against 
 so religious and good a Parliament." William Shepard, 
 the father, was a prosperous grocer, a wise and prudent 
 man, and " toward his latter end much blessed of God 
 in his estate and in his soul." So earnest was he in his 
 love of the truth, that he removed from a town where 
 there was no good ministry, that he might be under the 
 stirring preaching which the Puritans offered. The 
 mother died when Thomas was about four years old, 
 when the father married again. He died when the son 
 was about ten years of age. The childhood of the boy 
 was unpromising. He was sent when very young 
 to his grandparents, where he was surrounded with 
 ignorance, and much neglected. He was then sent to 
 his uncle, who lived in " a little blind town," where he 
 was more content, and learned the corrupting sports of 
 
LECTURE I. 13 
 
 the youth of that day. On his return home his step- 
 mother treated him harshly, and his father sent him to 
 a free school in Towcester, kept by a Welshman, who 
 was exceedingly cruel towards him, so that the boy was 
 wholly discouraged from desire of learning, and often 
 wished he was a keeper of beasts instead of a school- 
 boy. But upon the death of his father he was taken ' 
 by his brother, who agreed to bring him up for the use 
 of his portion of £100, and who was faithful to his 
 trust, being both father and mother to the orphan boy. 
 He had prayed heartily for his father's life while he 
 was sick, and promised to serve God better if his prayer 
 should be granted. His religious impressions were 
 therefore early. He came under the care of a better 
 teacher, who gave him a desire to be a scholar, and at 
 fourteen he was admitted a pensioner at Emmanuel Col- 
 lege, though " very raw and young." He was studious 
 in college, and became proud of his attainments. But 
 he lived in neglect of God and private prayer. There 
 were times when his heart was touched, but he resisted 
 all good influences, and fell into bad company, and 
 even became intoxicated once or twice. Shame and 
 remorse followed his indulgence. The searching 
 preaching of Dr. Preston, Master of the College, gave 
 him knowledge of himself, and he determined to flee 
 from the wrath to come and to lay hold upon eternal 
 life. He found the way hard and long. Doubts and 
 questionings assailed him. His struggle was severe and 
 protracted. But he prevailed, and at last he found rest. 
 " The Lord gave me a heart to receive Christ, with a 
 naked hand even a naked Christ, and so he gave me 
 peace." The God of his father and mother remembered 
 the youth, and he was blessed according to their desire. 
 
14 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 The covenant which parental faith had made and sealed 
 brought its blessing to the favored child. He left col- 
 lege with a high reputation for scholarship, and with 
 the usual honors of the University. He was unde- 
 cided what to do next. In the religious condition of 
 England, his way was much hedged up. He came 
 for a time under the ministry of Thomas Hooker, which 
 he found profitable. There was a plan in those days 
 for supplying with preachers parts of the country 
 which were without a proper ministry. The Puritans 
 raised a fund for this purpose, and the men who were 
 appointed were called Lecturers. They were not to 
 remain in any place, upon this foundation, for more 
 than three years. Thomas Shepard was appointed a 
 Lecturer, and received Deacon's orders in the English 
 Church, "sinfully," he afterwards thought. He was 
 sent to the town of Earles-Colne, where, so far as he 
 could find, there was but one man who had any god- 
 liness. But his earnest labors were widely blessed, 
 especially to the chief house of the town, where he won 
 to the Lord and to himself his steadfast friend Roger 
 Harlakenden, whose mortal part now lies in yonder bury- 
 ing-ground. Then " Satan began to rage, and the com- 
 missaries, registers, and others to pursue him as thinking 
 he was a nonconformable man, when for the most of that 
 time he was not resolved either way." He stood on 
 the original Puritan ground, loving the Established 
 Church, reluctant to leave it, willing to conform to its 
 rules and customs in many things, unwilling to conform 
 in others. Being such a man as he was, and the tem- 
 per of the rulers what it was, the result could hardly be 
 other than separation, gradual at first, but complete at 
 last. He was busy at this time with what seemed to 
 
LECTURE I. 15 
 
 him weightier matters than forms and ceremonies. " The 
 course I took in my preaching was, first, to show the 
 people their misery. Second, the remedy, Christ Jesus. 
 Third, how they should walk answerahle to his mercy 
 being redeemed by Christ." He finished his three 
 years, and remained about half a year longer, at the 
 request and charge of the people, when Laud, Bishop of 
 London, summoned him to answer for preaching in his 
 diocese. The Bishop was in a rage, and " looked as 
 though blood would have gushed out of his face, and 
 did shake as if he had been haunted with an ague-fit." 
 At the request of Shepard that he would excuse him, 
 the Bishop railed upon him. " You prating coxcomb, do 
 you think all the learning is in your brain ? " At last the 
 sentence came. " I charge you that you neither preach, 
 read, marry, bury, or exercise any ministerial functions 
 in any part of my diocese ; for if you do, and I hear of 
 it, I '11 be upon your back and follow you wherever you 
 go, in any part of this kingdom, and so everlastingly 
 disenable you." Shepard asked mercy for the poor 
 town, and prayed that he might catechise on Sabbath 
 afternoons. The Bishop answered, " Spare your breath ; 
 I '11 have no such fellows prate in my diocese. Get 
 you gone, and make your complaints to whom you 
 will ! " " So away I went, — and blessed be God that I 
 may go to him." The wrath of man praises God : the 
 rage of Laud gave this church of ours its first minister. 
 Not just then. Shepard was silenced there. " I did think 
 it was for my sins the Lord did set him thus against 
 me." Samuel Stone, who preceded him in the ministry 
 here, received, by Shepard's proposal, the Lectureship 
 he relinquished, and was sent with it to Towcester, 
 Shepard's birthplace, where he accomplished much 
 
16 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 good. It is interesting to find their names, afterwards 
 to be associated here, so early united beyond the seas. 
 But the oppressed, silenced preacher was not alone. 
 He found friends. The Harlakendens were so many 
 fathers and mothers to him. He remained about six 
 months with them, and " the Lord let him see into the 
 evil of the English ceremonies." Then the Bishop was 
 again upon him, and cited him to appear before his 
 court, when he charged him to depart the place. He 
 was then invited to go to Yorkshire and be chaplain in 
 the family of Sir Richard Darley, at a town called But- 
 tercrambe. He was unwilling to go so far from his 
 present post, unless compelled to do so. " I did not 
 desire to stir till the Bishop fired me out of this place." 
 The Bishop was not long in doing this. A few clays 
 after he had ordered Shepard away, he held a visitation 
 in a neighboring town. With a companion, one Mr. Weld, 
 already excommunicated, Shepard travelled to the place, 
 discussing as they went the plan of going to New Eng- 
 land. They thought it was better to go to Ireland and 
 preach there. That was not God's plan for Shepard, or 
 for us. They drew near to hear the Bishop's speech, 
 when Weld was recognized by the Bishop, and arrested 
 for being on forbidden ground, and Shepard was saved 
 from the same fate by being seized away by watchful 
 friends while the officers were looking for him. He 
 was again urged to accept the position in Yorkshire, 
 and decided to do so ; " the rather because I might be 
 far from the hearing of the malicious Bishop Laud, who 
 had threatened me if I preached anywhere." It was a 
 weary, perilous journey, and late on Saturday night he 
 reached the house where he was to serve. The prospect 
 was dismal enough. He found " divers of them at dice 
 
'LECTURE I. 17 
 
 and tables." He was far from all friends, " in a pro- 
 fane house," " in a vile, wicked town and county," 
 with small likelihood of doing any work, and the 
 consciousness of ill-desert burdening his troubled 
 soul. But things were to come out better than this 
 homesick stranger dared to think. Sir Eichard treated 
 him kindly, and he found three servants who were 
 friendly. The name of one of these stands upon the list 
 of the members of our church. Another, the knight's 
 kinswoman, with the hearty approval of the family, 
 became Shepard's wife, and came hither with him. The 
 words of the preacher were blessed to those with whom 
 he labored. A sermon, on the occasion of the mar- 
 riage of one of the daughters of the house, wrought 
 great changes for the better with all the household. 
 But the life of Shepard was not to be spent in that 
 obscurity. His good wife was unwilling to remain 
 there, and another Bishop was on his track. The Lord 
 gave him a call to the town of Heddon, in Northumber- 
 land, a place where he " might preach in peace, being 
 far from any Bishops," and thither he went. He found 
 friends, and his labors were blessed, but his tarry was of 
 more importance in that, as he has written it, " I came 
 here to read and know more of the ceremonies, church 
 government and estate, and the unlawful standing of 
 Bishops than in any other place." The poor man had 
 troubles in all their variety. For some reason he re- 
 moved from Heddon after a year's preaching, and came 
 to a town near by, where he dwelt " in a house which 
 we found haunted with the Devil as we conceived, for 
 when we went into it a known witch went out of it, 
 and being troubled with noises four or five nights 
 together, we sought God by prayer to remove so sore a 
 
 2 
 
18 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 trial ; and the Lord heard and blessed us there, and re- 
 moved the trouble." But there was no rest, for the 
 Bishop put in a priest who would not suffer him to 
 preach publicly any more, and no efforts could secure 
 him the liberty, so that he preached up and down the 
 country and in a private house. But things were work- 
 ing well. The wrath of man was beginning to praise 
 God more clearly. At this time there came to him a 
 call from divers friends in New England to come over 
 to them, and many in Old England desired him to 
 go, and promised to accompany him. Cotton, Hooker, 
 Stone, and Weld had already come, and to his mind 
 the Lord seemed to have departed from England with 
 them. Shepard resolved to come with his friends, to 
 seek here the liberty and purity which he could not find 
 in England. He has left us the reasons of his decision, 
 which were in all respects honorable and sufficient. 
 He was willing to stay and to suffer, if that was best, 
 but he turned with relief to the door of escape which 
 the Lord had opened. " I saw no reason to spend my 
 time privately, when I might possibly exercise my 
 talent publicly in New England." Let us cherish the 
 memory of Margaret Shepard. " My dear wife did 
 much long to see me settled there in peace, and so put 
 me on to it." He came down- from the North with his 
 wife and child, in a ship laden with coals, coming " in 
 a disguised manner," and at length reached his old 
 home at Earles-Colne, where he waited privately at the 
 house of his friend Richard Harlakenden, the brother of 
 Roger. After a prolonged delay, the ship was ready to 
 sail. It was very late in the year, but he would not turn 
 back. Soon after he sailed there came a violent storm, 
 and the heavily laden ship was nearly driven upon the 
 
LECTURE 1. 
 
 19 
 
 sands, and for a time all hope was gone. Prayer brought 
 help. The wind abated, the anchor held, and boats 
 came from the shore, and the tossed preacher and his 
 little family were again upon the land. God's time was 
 not yet. After a sickness of two weeks his child died, 
 and was buried privately at Yarmouth. The father did 
 not dare to be present at the burial, lest the officers of 
 the church should seize him. His afflictions and dis- 
 appointment made him more ready to remain in 
 England. He found the reason for his troubles in his 
 own guiltiness, and feared he had gone too far in sep- 
 aration from the "Assemblies in England." He had 
 not gone too far. Why should he stay ? Honorable 
 martyrdom is honorable, yet one is not called to throw 
 away his life. This young minister must have bread 
 for his household, must preach the gospel, must preach 
 it in its own freedom and its own simplicity. That sea- 
 girt isle, dear as it was, was not all the world. God had 
 his plan, which he was leisurely working out. 
 
 Which way should the poor man turn? He was 
 offered a vacant house in Norfolk, owned by an ao-ed, 
 pious woman, and there he passed the winter out of 
 sight of his enemies, with his expenses defrayed by 
 Roger Harlakenden. Though he could not preach pub- 
 licly, he was busy with his pen, and wrote some things 
 which we can read to-day. Out of this time came his 
 treatise entitled "Certain Select Cases Eesolved; spe- 
 cially tending to the right ordering of the heart, that we 
 may comfortably walk with God in our general and 
 particular callings. In a letter to a pious friend in 
 England." Silenced, his words went out to the end of 
 the world. In the spring of 1635 he went up to Lon- 
 don with his good friend, to prepare again to leave 
 
20 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE 
 
 England. It was dangerous ground, for his great enemy, 
 Laud, ruled there. He found a very private place, where 
 another son was born to him, who, like the former one, 
 was named Thomas. This was he who was after- 
 wards pastor of the First Church in Charlestown, and 
 was succeeded in that pastorate by his son Thomas. 
 The birth of this child was kept secret, so that he was 
 not baptized till he was brought to New England. The 
 officers found out in some way that Shepard was in 
 London, but he e'scaped to another house the very night 
 they came to search for him. Then the Lord seemed to 
 make his way plain to come to New England, and in 
 August he embarked with his wife and child, his brother 
 Samuel who had befriended him in his troubles, Mr. 
 Roger Haiiakenden, and other precious friends, lament- 
 ing the loss of their native country when they took their 
 last view of it. It is supposed that Shepard sailed under 
 the name of his brother, inasmuch as the list of passen- 
 gers has the name of " John Shepard, husbandman, aged 
 thirty-six." It was exceedingly difficult for ministers to 
 escape from England, and it may have seemed necessary 
 to resort to this disguise. We cannot help regretting 
 his course, while we cannot doubt that he acted consci- 
 entiously. It is possible that the register of his name 
 may have been made by some one else. The ship was 
 the " Defence," of London, and she was " very rotten 
 and unfit for such a voyage, and at the first storm began 
 to leak badly, so that the passengers thought they 
 might have to turn back." There were many storms, 
 but after " a longsome voyage " they reached Boston, 
 where they were welcomed by many friends with much 
 love. On the second day after their arrival Shepard 
 came with his family to Mr. Stone's, in Newtown. This 
 
LECTURE I. 21 
 
 was just at the time when the congregation here were 
 preparing to remove to Connecticut. Shepard and his 
 friends, numbering about sixty persons, purchased the 
 houses of the Hooker Company, and decided to remain 
 here until they could find a better place ; a few of the 
 former congregation remained with them. On the 1st 
 of February, 1636, 0. S., they organized their Church, 
 with the assistance and fellowship of the neighboring 
 churches. Soon after Mr. Shepard was installed as 
 pastor. Here beginneth the present First Church in 
 Cambridge. 
 
 Here we must pause. But as we bring the past into 
 the present, shall we not gain an impulse which shall 
 bear us on through all the work which is given us 
 to do ? " One generation passeth away and another 
 generation cometh." It is something to have an hon- 
 orable record for two hundred and thirty-four years. 
 It has been gained by the piety, devotion, and gener- 
 osity of those who have been before us. This church 
 has been rich in saints, and is blessed still through those 
 who have fallen on sleep. They were thoroughly in 
 earnest, from first to last. Their labors, example, spirit, 
 are our inheritance. Their tears and prayers, — "are 
 they not in thy book ? " We have planned well for the 
 generations to come. Should we not, while we glory in 
 those which are passed ? Where will you set the name 
 of that first minister ? When ? In what spirit ? It 
 has come to be our turn to build a meeting-house. We 
 shall do it. We shall do it well. It has begun well, 
 on paper and in stone. We should not blush if we saw 
 the phantom " Defence " sail up our river, and yield its 
 burden of men to these seats and this pulpit, and send 
 the former residents of Cambridge beneath the shade 
 
22 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 of our venerated Elm. A good present is secure 
 thus far ! What shall another Sabbath show ? 
 my brethren, join heartily in the good work which 
 comes to you to-day. Let every hand help it forward, 
 every voice speak words of cheer, every treasury yield 
 its treasure. With promptness and decision we will 
 give as it is given to us. Two centuries, and more, 
 speak to us from the ground where our first sanctuary 
 stood, and from the unknown grave of Thomas Shepard. 
 We hear. We will heed. The generous beginning we 
 have already made shall have a grand consummation. 
 And here and in our finished sanctuary the praise shall 
 be to Him of whom are the fathers, unto whom is our 
 homage for ever and ever. 
 
LECTUEE II 
 
 " For thet got not the land in possession by their own sword, 
 neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and 
 thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst 
 
 A FAVOR UNTO THEM." — Psalm Xliv. 3. 
 
 HISTORY is the record of God's plan. It is easy 
 to trace his working in the deeds of our fathers. 
 We praise the men, yet the honor which we pay them 
 goes beyond, and rests on him. For love of him and 
 his truth, for the freedom of the conscience which he 
 had implanted, for liberty to worship him in simplicity 
 and purity, for the privilege of widening his kingdom 
 and blessing those who should come after them, they 
 deserted a land they loved, and the church in which 
 they had been reared, to found on these open shores a 
 free state and a free church. They accomplished their in- 
 tent, and wrought out greater things than they imagined. 
 The homage of a continent is their due ; the world owes 
 them admiration. But while we honor them, we glorify 
 Him whom they served, whose hand and arm gave them 
 the land in possession, the light of whose countenance in 
 the constancy of his favor made them a people. In 
 tracing the history of a church we follow out the lives 
 of the good men who laid its strong foundation and 
 began the enduring superstructure. Yet all is of God. 
 Unto him be the glory of all we admire, the gratitude 
 for all we enjoy. 
 
 It was on the first day of February, in the year of our 
 
24 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 Lord 1636, that this First Church in Cambridge was 
 organized. It was the year in which, on a later day, 
 Henry Vane was chosen governor of Massachusetts. 
 A man of twenty-three years, born of an ancient line, 
 son of a Privy Counsellor of England, prizing the pure 
 ordinances of the gospel more than the preferments of 
 Court, sent hither by the command of the King who 
 knew his desire to come, whom Milton has described as 
 
 " Young in years, but in sage counsel old. 
 
 On thy firm hand Eeligion leans 
 
 In peace, and reckons thee her eldest son." 
 
 Sagacious, vigorous, prompt, restless in any condition 
 which might be improved, eager for reform, willing to 
 lead the way; entering on his office amid the enthusiasm 
 of the people, with John Winthrop for his deputy and 
 successor ; after the troubled service of a single year to 
 seek the stirring scenes of his native land to find in them 
 " higher and harsher fortunes " ; to die on Tower Hill 
 after the Eestoration, speaking for liberty and right, 
 praying calmly and confidently through the blast of 
 trumpets, " Father, glorify thy servant in the sight of 
 man, that he may glorify thee in the discharge of his 
 duty to thee and to his country." 
 
 Yet brief and disturbed as were his tarry and service 
 here, there came to him rare honor, in that he was per- 
 mitted to preside over the first assembly of men " in 
 which the people, by their representatives, ever gave 
 their own money to found a place of education." " The 
 ancient world in all its monarchies or republics," Eng- 
 land with its ancient schools and universities, furnished 
 no precedent for the public action out of which rose 
 Harvard College. 
 
LECTURE II. 25 
 
 That was in September. This was the time when 
 John Hampden, of Buckinghamshire, determined to re- 
 sist the imposition of a tax for ship money, laid upon 
 people who never saw a ship, by a fiction of government 
 which made a country a hundred miles inland border 
 upon the sea, and refused to pay the assessment of 
 twenty shillings upon his estate. He was defeated in 
 the courts, but out of his defeat grew larger liberties 
 than he sought, and the King; who had beaten him went 
 through the window of Whitehall Palace and laid his 
 head upon the block. That was in the year in which 
 the first pastorate of this church came to an end, by the 
 death of a man whom Charles's Primate had driven across 
 the seas. The reforms wdiich were entered upon by the 
 Long Parliament were felt in these colonies, distant 
 but closely allied with the mother-land. Strafford was 
 beheaded, Laud imprisoned to be afterwards beheaded, 
 and many other persons of unhappy notoriety, bishops, 
 judges, officers, were reckoned with for their deeds of op- 
 pression. England promised to become a home for free- 
 men. There was less need for men to flee the country. 
 Those who would have come hither waited for a new 
 world in the old land. Emigration stopped. In 1640 
 some four thousand families, embracing about twenty-one 
 thousand persons, had come to New England. For a 
 century and a quarter after that " it is believed that more 
 had gone from hence to England than had come from 
 thence hither." For two hundred years there was noth- 
 ing which could be called an immigration. The Puritan 
 ranks abroad w r ere reinforced by New England men. 
 Many of the early graduates of our College sought 
 service in the busy field from which their fathers had 
 turned away in a time when there was less to do and 
 
26 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 less to hope. It is said that the abler part of the first 
 graduates always returned to England to render, there 
 the service of their lives. The effect of this turning 
 of the tide is manifest. New England needed the men 
 whom Old England claimed. But the contest for liberty 
 and right must be waged on both sides of the wide sea. 
 The cause was one. The victory would be the common 
 advantage. Still, the colony, left to itself, would have 
 but a slow growth, and the state would be delayed. 
 Eemembering this, the vigor and advance here will seem 
 the more remarkable. 
 
 I take up our own history again. It is coming into 
 quiet out of tumult. The field seems narrower. Yet the 
 deeds done upon it were of wide and lasting influence. 
 Our church history blends with the colonial history, 
 which widens into our national career, and takes a large 
 place in the annals of the world. It was a simple 
 thing done on that winter day, but the end is not there, 
 is not yet. Thomas Shepard and his company, about 
 sixty persons in all, had purchased the houses of 
 Thomas Hooker and his company, and were ready to 
 form themselves into a church. Governor Winthrop 
 has described the proceedings at length. The magis- 
 trates were informed of the desire of these new-comers 
 and gave their approbation. The neighboring churches 
 sent their elders, by invitation, to give their assistance. 
 A great assembly was convened. It was a grand com- 
 pany, containing as it did the chief men of the churches 
 and of the colony. The two Winthrops we must 
 imagine here, and Dudley, and Haynes, and Vane, and 
 Peters, and Wilson, and Cotton, and Mather, and Hook- 
 er, and Stone. It is a fine sight as we look back upon 
 it. Mr. Shepard and two others who were afterwards 
 
LECTURE II. 27 
 
 to be chosen to office sat together in the elders' seat. I 
 think that one of the two was Edmund Frost, who 
 preceded Shepard to these shores, and was made one of 
 the first ruling elders of the church. The other may 
 have been Thomas Marriot, who was one of the first 
 deacons. " The elder of these began with prayer. Mr. 
 Shepard prayed with deep confession of sin, and ex- 
 ercised " out of that glowing passage of St. Paul, " That 
 he might present it to himself a glorious church." The 
 cause of the meeting was declared, and it was asked 
 how many were needful to form a church and how they 
 should proceed. Some of the ancient ministers con- 
 ferred together, and reported that seven was a fit num- 
 ber. In accordance with their further counsel, those 
 who were to form the church, beginning with Mr. 
 Shepard, made confession of their faith and of their 
 personal religious experience. Then the covenant was 
 read and assented to. Mr. Cotton of Boston, on behalf of 
 the churches, gave the right hand of fellowship. Mr. 
 Shepard made an exhortation, explaining the nature of 
 the covenant and urging his associates to stand firm to 
 it, closing with " a most heavenly prayer." The Elder 
 then announced that the church proposed to choose Mr. 
 Shepard for their pastor, and gave the members of the 
 council thanks for their assistance, " and so left them to 
 the Lord." At a subsequent day, which cannot be pre- 
 cisely determined, Mr. Shepard was installed in the 
 pastoral office. 
 
 Let us linger for a moment upon the constitution of 
 this church. At its beginning and during its early 
 years, as at a later time, it numbered among its members 
 various men of influence, whose names are found in 
 other connections. Of Shepard himself I can speak 
 
28 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 better in another place. We know through what toils 
 and trials he found the repose of this wilderness and 
 liberty to preach the Word. Besides his Autobiography, 
 he left a small book in which he had recorded " the 
 confession of divers propounded to be received, and who 
 were entertained as members." From that and other 
 sources we learn the names of many of the early mem- 
 bers of the church, and something of their history. So 
 long as the law required the freeman to be a member of 
 the church, the list of freemen gives us the names of 
 many members. If there were any complete church 
 records prior to 1696 they have disappeared, and we 
 are compelled to gather up the fragments of our early 
 life wherever they can be found. Happily, many of the 
 events in which this church and its ministers bore a 
 part were of sufficient public importance to gain a place 
 in the histories of the times. Among those early mem- 
 bers was John Haynes, Governor of Massachusetts 
 when the church was organized, who came over with 
 Thomas Hooker and John Cotton ; a man of good family, 
 rich enough to be able, generous enough to be willing, 
 to refuse the salary of his office. " A heavenly man," 
 Eoger Williams said. He married Mabel, the sister of 
 Koger Harlakenden,and in 1637 removed to Connecticut, 
 where he was made governor. A man of sterling worth, 
 of courteous manners, of public spirit, who never lost the 
 confidence of those whom he served in his high station, 
 and filled a large place in the rising state. There was 
 Eoger Harlakenden, of that house which protected and 
 supported the young Shepard and his family in the days 
 of their persecution, who came with them to this country, 
 and after three years was called up higher. Winthrop 
 says of him, " He was a very godly man, and of good 
 
LECTURE II. 29 
 
 use both in commonwealth and in church. He died in 
 great peace, and left a sweet memorial behind him of 
 his piety and virtue." As he was lieutenant-colonel, 
 he was buried with military honors, but now no man 
 knoweth of his grave. And Eichard Champney, ruling 
 elder of the church, descended from Sir Henry Champ- 
 ney, one of the thirty brave warriors who fought in 1066 
 at the battle of Hastings, under William the Conqueror. 
 There was Samuel Green, who came in 1632, and was 
 for fifty years a printer, whose greatest work was the 
 Indian Bible, which he and Marmaduke Johnson brought 
 out. John Dunton speaks of him in terms of great 
 friendliness, while he lavishes admiration on his wife. 
 And Matthew Day, the first known steward of the Col- 
 lege, son of the first printer ; who died in 1649, and in 
 his will left 20s. to his minister, and "a table-cloth 
 and napkins not yet made up " to his minister's wife, 
 and gave tokens of remembrance to little Samuel and 
 Jeremy Shepard. There was Thomas Cheeseholme, 
 the second steward of the College, a tailor by trade, but 
 apparently the first person in Cambridge licensed to 
 keep a house of entertainment and to draw wine. And 
 Edward Winship, for many years honored by his fellow- 
 citizens with election to office, and giving to the town 
 his daughter Joanna, who was long the maiden school- 
 mistress. And Nathaniel Eaton, of whom we do not 
 boast, who was the first head of the embryo College, 
 but who, for beating his tutor and abusing his students, 
 with other misdemeanors, was thrust from his place 
 and fined, and subsequently cast out of the church. 
 
 There was the first of the Sparrowhawkes, the house 
 which in different generations gave the church four 
 deacons, and served the community in other offices of 
 
30 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 trust. And Edward Collins, the deacon, father of fa- 
 mous sons, one of whom, after joining the church, was 
 the chaplain of Monk when, Jay Cromwell's orders, he 
 brought Scotland into subjection to the Parliament. 
 There was Henry Dunster, the first President of the 
 College, who after fourteen years of service was com- 
 pelled to resign his place. He went away in sadness, 
 and at his death gave directions that he should be 
 buried here, by the side of the school he loved. So it 
 was, and careful research has discovered his grave ; 
 "as true a friend," says Mr. Quincy, "and as faithful a 
 servant, as this College ever possessed." Among the 
 records to which I have alluded is a long statement of 
 his religious belief and character, evidently made by 
 himself when he united with this church. And Thomas 
 Danforth, Treasurer and Steward of the College, Eep- 
 resentative, Assistant, Deputy-Governor, President for 
 Maine, and Judge of the Supreme Court for the pro- 
 ceedings against witches. And Daniel Gookin, the 
 " Worshipful Captain," Representative, Speaker, As- 
 sistant, Major-General ; who had a prominent part in 
 public affairs at home, and an influence which was 
 recognized abroad ; the friend of the Indians ; the pro- 
 tector of Whalley and Goffe, yet loyal enough to dedicate 
 his Historical Collections to the King. There was 
 Herbert Pelham, who, after befriending the cause 
 of the colonists for ten years as a member of the com- 
 pany in London, came to this country. He was of high 
 rank, matriculated at Magdalen Hall in Oxford, and for 
 a long time engaged in public service. He was the first 
 Treasurer of our College. He married the widow of 
 Roger Harlakenden, and in 1649 returned to England. 
 There was Elijah Corlet, for more than forty years the 
 
LECTURE II. 31 
 
 schoolmaster here, and highly approved for his " abil- 
 ities, dexterity, and painfulness in teaching." These 
 Yv-ere all in Shepard's time. These selected names sug- 
 gest a goodly list for the day of beginnings. Our 
 ecclesiastical ancestry is noble. 
 
 "What was this organization ? It was a Congregational 
 church. Its members were men and women who con- 
 fessed God as their Creator and Sovereign, and Jesus 
 Christ as their Saviour. They confessed the Bible to 
 be the word of God, and promised to walk by its pre- 
 cepts. They professed to have been born again by the 
 Holy Ghost, and to have entered thus upon a new life, 
 whose inspiration was from heaven, whither its aspira- 
 tions bore it. They banded themselves together for the 
 worship of God and all the ordinances of religion. They 
 made covenant one with another, and all with God. 
 They claimed the right to order their affairs for them- 
 selves, subject only to the Great Head of the Church, 
 and obedient to his revealed will. But they owned the 
 fellowship of the churches, and asked counsel in their 
 important affairs, and held themselves bound by the laws 
 of Christian communion and affection. Their model was 
 in the first Christian churches. They had suffered from 
 human inventions, and found comfort and strength in 
 the simplicity which is in Christ and his Apostles. 
 The infant colony has become a mighty nation ; many 
 generations have come and gone ; but their church re- 
 mains, cleaving as fondly and firmly as ever to the faith 
 and order which were once delivered unto the saints. 
 Time testifies to their wisdom. 
 
 The form of covenant to which this church assented 
 has not been preserved. But we have the covenant of 
 the First Church in Charlestown, formed a little earlier, 
 
32 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 and it is probable that the covenant here agreed sub- 
 stantially with that. The Charlestown covenant is in 
 these words : " In the Name of our Lord God, and in 
 obedience to his holy will and divine ordinances. We, 
 whose names are here written, being by his most wise 
 and good providence brought together, and desirous to 
 unite ourselves into one Congregation, or Church, under 
 our Lord Jesus Christ our Head, in such sort as be- 
 cometh all those whom he hath redeemed and sanctified 
 unto himself, do here solemnly and religiously, as in his 
 most holy presence, promise and bind ourselves to walk 
 in all our ways according to the Eules of the Gospel, 
 and in all sincere conformity to his holy Ordinances, 
 and in mutual love and respect each to other, so near 
 as God shall give us grace." There was another 
 covenant, in almost the same words, with the change of 
 form which was needed, to which those assented who 
 were received to the church after its formation. 
 
 There was no written confession of faith besides this. 
 The church at Salem had a fuller confession, framed by 
 Mr. Higginson, but that was not usual. The fathers 
 did not think it needful to make a formal statement of 
 doctrine which should be peculiarly their own. In 
 doctrine they agreed with other reformed churches, and 
 it was not on that matter, but upon the question of 
 worship and discipline, that they separated themselves 
 from the English Church, and came out into a new land 
 They thought it an advantage, and to the honor of their 
 Lord, if many churches could unite in the same con- 
 fession. In 1648 the Synod composed of the Elders and 
 Messengers of the churches, which met here and framed 
 the Cambridge platform of church discipline, having been 
 requested by the magistrates to draw up a public con- 
 
LECTURE II. 33 
 
 fession of that faith which was constantly taught and 
 generally professed, thought it good to present to the 
 churches the confession which had been recently issued 
 by the Westminster Assembly of Divines, excepting cer- 
 tain parts which related to discipline. In 1680, by the 
 call and encouragement of the General Court, the elders 
 and messengers met again in council in Boston, and 
 prepared what is known as the Boston Confession. It 
 was a declaration of faith. For matters of discipline 
 they referred to the Cambridge Platform. These two 
 documents have been essentially the constitution of our 
 churches, while it has become almost universal for each 
 church to have an abridgment of their statements for 
 common use. But while our earliest churches had no 
 written confession, they required of their members as 
 full and distinct an avowal of their faith and their per- 
 sonal religious life as has ever been demanded. They 
 had their creed. Every church has. It may be written 
 or unwritten. But a body of men formed for a distinct 
 purpose must believe something in common, and that 
 belief, be it ever so narrow, be it on paper or in the gen- 
 eral consent, is a creed. Men may contend against this 
 or that particular statement, but warfare against creeds 
 is simply beating the air ; it is warfare against belief, 
 that is, against reason, intelligence, conscience. Our 
 fathers left no one in doubt regarding their views of 
 truth. They knew the men whom they admitted to 
 the establishment and increasing of a church. The 
 covenant itself was no blind confession, as we have 
 seen. The book kept by Thomas Shepard, of which I 
 have spoken, gives us the confession of fifty persons. 
 On the day of the organization here, those who were to 
 be formed into the church made public confession of 
 
34 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 their faith. These statements agreed in point of doc- 
 trine. The preaching of such men as Shepard would 
 keep the people instructed in the truth and prepared to 
 make covenant with God and their brethren. " The 
 matter of a visible church are saints by calling," so they 
 said here. The theory of the fathers was that each 
 church should make its own officers and administer its 
 own affairs. But in doing this they were working in 
 fellowship with others who were seeking the same ends 
 by the same means, owning allegiance to the same Lord 
 and Saviour, following the precepts of the same inspired 
 Word. In their statements they emphasize the freedom 
 of each church. They are the more careful to do this 
 because they have broken away from a consolidated 
 body, with a hierarchial clergy. Their past sufferings, 
 their present exile, their own experience and dread and 
 hope, put the stress upon their independence. Yet 
 they loved the other churches, and lived in fellowship 
 with them. One chapter of the Cambridge Platform is 
 devoted to " the communion of churches one with 
 another." Their common history, position, perils, de- 
 sires, united them. Advice, assistance, communion, we 
 may call that which the churches gave and took among 
 themselves ; but in meaning, in force, in regard, it was 
 law. There are no bands stronger than love throws 
 around us. Silken and soft, they hold when iron breaks. 
 The decrees of the High Commission Court came with 
 more sound of authority, but men resisted them and 
 turned their faces to the wilderness to render willing alle- 
 giance to the elders and messengers of the churches. We 
 find freedom at the Mount of the Beatitudes ; yet from 
 the lips of our Lord Christ fall commandments as strict, 
 as exacting, as were heard amid the thunders of Sinai. 
 
LECTURE II. 35 
 
 I dwell on this now, because there is some tendency 
 towards a mere independence among our churches. 
 Congregationalism confers independence under the law 
 of Christian fellowship. For men, for churches, the 
 commandment is one : Love thyself ; love thy neighbor 
 as thyself. Under this the Fathers acted ; in this is 
 our safety and honor. In the view of the fathers a 
 church should have five officers, — pastor and teacher, 
 who were called elders, ruling elder, deacon, and deacon- 
 ess. The last I do not find that they ever had in form. 
 These officers were to be chosen and ordained by the 
 church in which they served. The pastor's special work 
 was to "attend to exhortation, and therein to admin- 
 ister a word of wisdom." He was to apply the pre- 
 cepts of Scripture to the lives of men. The teacher was 
 to " attend to doctrine, and therein to administer a word 
 of wisdom." The one, therefore, had what we should 
 term the practical, and the other the doctrinal, part of 
 the present ministerial office. Both were to administer 
 the sacraments of the church. Both were also " to exe- 
 cute the censures." The earliest church here had both 
 pastor aud teacher, but in our own church the two 
 offices seem to have been combined from the beinmiino-. 
 The ruling elder was to attend to the discipline of the 
 church, and to take the lead in all matters of business. 
 " To feed the flock of God with a word of admonition, 
 and as they shall be sent for, to visit and pray over 
 their sick brethren." The office was not of lono- con- 
 tinuance. In fifty years from the settlement of the 
 •country it had fallen into comparative disuse, although 
 it was continued here till near the close of the century. 
 The deacon was to be a man proved and found blame- 
 less. His work was " to receive the offerings of the 
 
36 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 church, and to keep the treasury of the church, and 
 therewith to serve the tables which the church is to 
 provide for ; as the Lord's table, the table of the minis- 
 ters, and of such as are in necessity, to whom they are 
 to distribute in simplicity." Some churches had one 
 deacon, some two, some three. The number of elders 
 varied in different churches. In the two hundred and 
 thirty-five years of the history of this church there have 
 been eleven pastors ; and I find the names of four 
 ruling elders and thirty-one deacons. Having seen the 
 constitution of the church, shall we look now at its 
 methods, and somewhat at the ordering of the social 
 life about it ? 
 
 " The public worship," says an early writer, " is in 
 as fair a meeting-house as they can provide, wherein, 
 in most places, they have been at great charges." If we 
 could go within the rude sanctuary which once stood 
 near this spot, we should find a rough room, divided by 
 a central passage, and furnished with benches. On one 
 side of the house the males would sit, on the other the 
 females. Very likely some of the men would have carnal 
 weapons. The pulpit would be found to be a stand or 
 desk, within a railing, and in its plainness in keeping 
 with its surroundings. On the Lord's Day there was a 
 bell here to call the people, but for some reason there 
 was at one time the beating of a drum for the same 
 purpose. In our town records for 1646 is an entry of 
 " fifty shillings paid unto Thomas Langhorne for his 
 service to the town in beating the drum these two 
 years past." It was common to have an hour-glass in- 
 the church by which to measure the time of the services. 
 When the people became able to arrange the meeting- 
 house according to their idea of the fitness of things, 
 
LECTURE II. 37 
 
 the ruling elders had a seat below the pulpit, and the 
 deacons a seat a little lower down, where they faced the 
 congregation. The pulpit was an elaborate structure 
 under a sounding-board. The boys had a place by 
 themselves, in one of the galleries, with a tithing-man 
 to maintain order. In 1666 we have this record on the 
 town-book, " Thomas Fox is ordered to look to the 
 youth in time of public worship." In 1669 there was 
 complaint that sundry persons were spending holy 
 time unprofitably without the meeting-house, and the 
 constable was ordered to see " that they do attend upon 
 the public worship of God." In many cases the meet- 
 ing-house was finished by degrees. At first benches 
 would be put in. A man could obtain a deed of a 
 space on the floor, some six feet square, and erect a pit 
 or pew upon it. He was to keep his pew in repair, and 
 " maintain all the glass against it." Where there was 
 no such private arrangement, the people had seats 
 assigned them by a committee, according to rank or 
 property or age. This was called "dignifying" a 
 ,house. Here is an order of 1658 : " That the elders, 
 deacons, and selectmen for the time being shall be a 
 constant and settled power for regulating the sitting of 
 persons in the meeting-house from time to time as need 
 shall require." Here is the committee's appointment 
 for 1662. I will not read it, but it begins in this way : 
 " Brother Jackson's wife to sit there where Sister Kemp- 
 ster was wont to sit. Mrs. Upham with her mother. 
 Esther Sparhawke in the place where Mrs. Upham is 
 removed from," and so on. In the New England cus- 
 toms the congregation met as early as nine o'clock on* 
 Sabbath morning and about two in the afternoon. The 
 services consisted of prayer, singing, reading and ex- 
 
38 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 pounding the Scriptures, for it was generally accounted 
 improper to read them without exposition, — " dumb 
 reading," they called it. There was a sermon also by 
 the pastor or teacher. As they accounted a man a 
 minister only in his own congregation, when one was in 
 the pulpit of another clergyman it was common for the 
 ruling elders of the place to give him authority to speak 
 in some such form as this : " If this present brother 
 hath any word of exhortation for the people at this 
 time, in the name of God let him say on." His " saying 
 on " was called prophesying. An hour was considered 
 the proper length for a sermon, although upon occasions 
 the preacher might " take another glass," as it was 
 sometimes facetiously described. The sermon was 
 usually preached without notes in the first century. 
 The prayers were, of course, extemporaneous. Children 
 were baptized in the meeting-house, generally on the 
 next Sabbath after their birth, sometimes on the day of 
 their birth. The pastor or teacher stood in the deacons' 
 seat, as that was an " eminent place," and with an 
 address to the church and the parents, and two prayers, 
 administered the sacred ordinance. " No sureties were 
 required." The Lord's Supper was administered once 
 in each month, at the morning service. The form was 
 very much like our own. Persons w r ere received to 
 membership in public, but with more of examination 
 and profession than with us. Cases of discipline were 
 more publicly dealt with than is usual now. It is to 
 be remembered that the whole life of the people was 
 marked by a simplicity and frankness and familiarity 
 which have lessened with the changes which have come 
 upon society. Every Sabbath afternoon there was a 
 contribution. One of the deacons stood up in his 
 
LECTURE II. 39 
 
 place, and said, " Brethren of the congregation, now 
 there is time left for contribution, wherefore, as God 
 hath prospered you, so freely offer." "On some extraor- 
 dinary occasions," says an old writer, " as building 
 and repairing of churches or meeting-houses, or other 
 necessities, the ministers press a liberal contribution, 
 with effectual exhortation out of Scripture." Then the 
 people passed up to the deacons' seat with their offer- 
 ings. " The magistrates and chief gentlemen went first, 
 then the elders, then all the congregation of men, and 
 most of them that are not of the church, all single per- 
 sons, widows, and women in absence of their husbands." 
 Money and papers were dropped into a box ; if the 
 offering were " any other chattel," it was set down 
 before the deacons. The writer just quoted says, " I 
 hav r e seen a fair gilt cup with a cover offered there by 
 one, which is still used at the Communion." It was 
 customary for visitors in the congregation to make an 
 offering which was called " the strangers' money," and 
 was often stipulated for by the clergyman as a per- 
 quisite of his office. At first the minister's salary was 
 paid from the voluntary contribution made on the Sab- 
 bath, but this soon gave way to the system of taxation. 
 In a list of the salaries given to different ministers 
 during the first tw r enty years of the Massachusetts 
 colony, Mr. Shepard's salary is stated at seventy pounds- 
 This was among the largest salaries of the time. Two 
 are given at ninety pounds, three at eighty pounds, and 
 they decrease gradually to thirty pounds. At almost 
 every point we can see where the fathers were swinging 
 away from the customs of the church in which they 
 had lost and endured so much. Thus, marriage was not 
 a sacrament, but a civil contract, entered into by the 
 
40 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 parties before a magistrate. This marrying by a magis- 
 trate was for the Pilgrims " according to the laudable 
 example of the Low Countries in which they had lived." 
 To perform this ceremony was nowhere found in the 
 gospel to be laid on the ministers as a part of their 
 office. Winthrop mentions a great marriage to be 
 solemnized in Boston, when the bridegroom invited his 
 minister to preach on the occasion. " The magistrates 
 sent to him to forbear. We were not willing to bring- 
 in the custom of ministers' performing the solemnity of 
 marriage, which sermons at such times might induce ; 
 but if any minister were present, and would bestow a 
 word of exhortation, etc., it was permitted." In like 
 manner funerals were stripped of the ceremonies which 
 had attended them abroad. The dead were no longer 
 buried with imposing rites beneath the floor of the 
 church or in consecrated ground, but were laid in some 
 convenient enclosure, without even a prayer. Lechford, 
 writing in 1641, says, "At burials nothing is read, nor 
 any funeral sermon made, but all the neighborhood, or a 
 good company of them, come together by tolling of the 
 bell, and carry the dead solemnly to his grave, and there 
 stand by him while he is buried. The ministers are 
 most commonly present." No burial was allowed on 
 the Sabbath, except by leave obtained from a justice. It 
 was long the custom when a woman was buried for the 
 women to walk first in the procession ; the men when 
 a man was to be interred. Funerals were somewhat 
 expensive, although not in the same direction as at 
 present. This was especially the case when a person of 
 note was buried : wine, cider, gloves, were provided ; 
 and in one case, in Ipswich, at the funeral of a minister, 
 in 1768, the bearers were furnished with gold rings, one 
 
LECTURE II. 41 
 
 of which was also given to " a candidate who was 
 preaching for them," and the attending ministers re- 
 ceived eighteen pairs of white leather gloves. At 
 length an Act was passed to retrench extraordinary ex- 
 penses at funerals. They kept none of the former holy 
 days, except the Lord's Day, associating the observance 
 of them with superstition and oppression. But they 
 instituted days of public fasting and thanksgiving. In 
 addition to the Sabbath services there was a weekly 
 lecture. The Thursday lecture in Boston has come 
 down to our own time. They gave great heed to the 
 training of the young in religion and good learning. 
 This town was early divided into districts, which were 
 assigned to certain persons who were to see to the cate- 
 chizing and educating of the youth. The school which 
 here grew into the College was established the same year 
 with the church, and w r atched over with interest and 
 generosity. In 1648 is an order that a part of the Com- 
 mon shall be sold " for the gratifying of Mr. Corlet for 
 his pains in keeping a school in the town." In 1644 
 the General Court granted, on the petition of Cambridge 
 and Charlestown, one thousand acres of land to be for- 
 ever appropriated to a grammar school ; and also made 
 a grant of two hundred acres of land to Mr. Corlet. 
 The instruction in the family and school was simple, 
 compared with that which is now given. There were 
 no spelling-books, no English grammars, little of what 
 is now considered the essential apparatus of instruction. 
 Children learned to read from the Bible, taking in 
 truth with the letters and syllables. An out-of-door life 
 gave the youth object-lessons and teaching in practical 
 mechanics. A grammar school was one where Latin 
 and Greek were taught. Students learned to talk in 
 
42 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 Latin, and gained a familiarity with its usages which 
 our present system hardly gives. Our schools are in 
 advance of the old, doubtless. But there was some 
 advantage in having only a few books, and those the 
 best, which were to be read till they were almost 
 known by heart. Printing in this part of America 
 began here. The first printer was Stephen Day, who 
 brought out "The Freeman's Oath" in 1639; an al- 
 manac by William Pierce, Mariner, in the same year, 
 and in the following year a psalm-book. The singing 
 in the churches was without instrumental accompani- 
 ment. This was thought to be forbidden by the words 
 of Amos, " I will not hear the melody of thy viols." It 
 was compared to the idolatrous performance which 
 Nebuchadnezzar delighted in, " the sound of the cornet, 
 flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all 
 kinds of music." Through the first century there were 
 not more than ten different tunes, it is said, and few con- 
 gregations could sing more than five. In the singing it 
 was customary for the ruling elder, or deacon, or some 
 other proper person, to read the hymn line by line and 
 give out the tune. When a line had been read, it could 
 be sung by the people. The amount read at each time 
 was increased in some cases, and after a time the whole 
 hymn was read at once by the minister. In the old 
 Ipswich church in 1763 there were seats assigned the 
 choir, " two back on each side of the front alley." After- 
 wards the choir went into the gallery. The rude 
 simplicity of our fathers had some things to recommend 
 it in comparison with the services which in some places 
 have of late been thrust into public worship under the 
 guise of sacred song. The version of the Psalms in use 
 here, as far as I can determine, was that made by Stern- 
 
LECTURE II. 43 
 
 hold and Hopkins, and printed at the end of the Bible. 
 But there was a desire for a better book. There was 
 complaint that the translation in use had "so many 
 detractions from, additions to, and variations of, not only 
 the text but the very sense of the psalmist, that it was 
 an offence unto them"; so Cotton Mather explains it. A 
 number of prominent divines were appointed to make a 
 new version. Eliot of Boxbury and Mather of Dor- 
 chester were among them. Our Thomas Shepard gave 
 them warning in a stanza which makes us submissive to 
 his absence from the committee, and reminds us that 
 great men are not always poets. 
 
 " You Roxb'ry poets, keep clear of the crime 
 Of missing to give us very good rhyme. 
 And you of Dorchester, your verses lengthen, 
 But with the text's own words you will them strengthen." 
 
 The book came out in 1640, and was well received. 
 It was revised by Mr. Dunster, and received the addi- 
 tion of " spiritual songs." It passed through seventy 
 editions, and was used extensively in Great Britain, 
 especially in Scotland. It was in use in some of our 
 churches until after the Bevolution. It was entitled 
 " The Bay Psalm Book," and afterwards, " The New 
 England Version of the Psalms." In order to compare 
 it with the work which it displaced, I give a part of 
 the Twenty-third Psalm, first in the version of Stern- 
 hold and Hopkins : — 
 
 " My Shepheard is the living Lord, 
 
 Nothing therefore I neede ; 
 In pastures faire, with waters calme 
 
 he sets me for to feede. 
 He did convert and glad my soule, 
 
 and brought my mind in frame ; 
 To walke in paths of righteousnesse, 
 
 for his most holy name." 
 
44 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 This is from the new book : — 
 
 " The Lord to niee a Shepheard is, 
 
 want therefore shall not I. 
 Hee in the folds of tender-grasse, 
 
 doth cause mee downe to lie : 
 To waters calme nie gently leads 
 
 Restore my soule doth hee : 
 he doth in paths of righteousnes 
 
 for his names sake lead mee." 
 
 It is pleasant to linger upon the customs of our 
 fathers, but the sands warn me that your patience must 
 be run out. These glimpses will show something of the 
 life that was once going on here where we are living. 
 These usages- seem strange, sometimes uncouth to us ; 
 but if we had been born into them it would have been 
 different. They may suit our taste now hardly better 
 than the garments of our ancestors ; but they were 
 fashionable and natural once. They must be estimated 
 in their surroundings ; judged in their relation to those 
 who employed them. Yet it is good to think that if 
 those sturdy men should enter this house to-day, 
 they would find the same simplicity of worship which 
 they left ; that the early ministers might resume their 
 place and seem little strange in it. No institution 
 binds us more closely to our past than our congrega- 
 tional churches and modes of worship. In thinking of 
 the ancient times, let us keep it in mind that the ruling 
 spirits here were men, gentlemen, scholars ; not boors 
 nor bigots. Newtown had her share of the choice wheat 
 which came from the sifting of a whole nation. We 
 see this in the names we have read to-night, and it will 
 continually appear as we pursue this story. They were 
 men determined in character, in opinion, in conduct. 
 These New England colonists differed from those who 
 
LECTURE II. 45 
 
 had sought other places in that, contrary to the vain 
 experiments of the preceding century, the women came 
 with the men, and homes were established with all 
 their security and influence. It is partly because we 
 see so little of the home life, of the lighter side of the 
 men, that they look to us austere. They had little 
 time or taste for idle sport ; but they had comfort in a 
 strange land, and found enjoyment in their rugged path. 
 It is the solid part of their character and work which 
 has remained ; their graces and adornments have been 
 lost. We see their face in repose, or in work, after the 
 smile has passed away. But men smiled, children played; 
 they were married and given in marriage ; and here and 
 there the wilderness blossomed with the rose. We talk 
 of amusements ; some may fancy those were dreary 
 years which lacked the modern improvements for wast- 
 ing time, and trifling with these years of trial. They 
 might have done differently. The money they put into 
 Harvard College would have furnished public sports for 
 a small portion of the year. Would it have been better 
 spent ? These men knew literature. Shakespeare died 
 in 1616, and possibly some of these men had seen him 
 face to face. Lord Bacon died in 1626. Our fathers 
 stood close to them. They believed in learning and 
 goodness. They had confidence in men who had studied, 
 thought, wrought. They had confidence in such men as 
 Thomas Shepard and Henry Dunster and Elijah Corlet 
 and Samuel Green, for the conservators and promoters of 
 intelligence and piety. King James passed the manor- 
 house of Scrooby on one of his hunting days. He 
 thought lie should like to buy the place. Every Sab- 
 bath, at that time, there gathered a company of plain 
 men and women under that roof. They met to pray 
 
46 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE 
 
 and worship God. Who has lived, — James, the royal 
 hunter, or Brewster, the Separatist worshipper ? What is 
 a royal palace beside Plymouth Eock ? Not the employ- 
 ments of idleness and recklessness, but the pulpit, the 
 school-room, the printing-press, were to make the state. 
 They did make it. We should choose such men, and 
 not others, to make a state again. There was spirit 
 here and life, unrepressed, exuberant. The woods and 
 streams offered recreation to the boys when their tasks 
 were done. The girls had their quiet enjoyment in the 
 safety of their homes, in the companionship of their best 
 friends. Morality was abroad in the earth. " One may 
 live there from year to year, and not see a drunkard, 
 hear an oath, or meet a beggar," wrote the author of 
 " New England's First Fruits." They built houses, 
 churches, schools, colleges. They took pains to get good 
 citizens and to keep them good. In this practical age, 
 it should be some honor that they succeeded in their 
 undertaking. The Congregational Church held the germ 
 of the nation. The devotion, intelligence, religion of 
 these Puritans have given us our glory, which must be 
 preserved through the like virtues in these later days. 
 We go back to them, and they are gathering in their 
 rude meeting-house, they are bending over their Bible, 
 they are bowing the knee at the mercy-seat of God. 
 Behind them is their Father and ours. His is the wis- 
 dom, his the might, his the success. For his right hand 
 and arm, and the light of his countenance, gave pros- 
 perity, because he had a favor unto them. 
 
LECTUEE III. 
 
 "There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the 
 city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most 
 High." — Psalm xlvi. 4. 
 
 THE two things in history which preserve the reign 
 of James from contempt are the translation of 
 the Bible and the settlement of America. And I can 
 give no better illustration of the way in which history 
 has been written in the past, than by saying that in the 
 two great English histories of this reign the translation 
 of the Bible is not so much as mentioned, and that 
 Lingard does not give a word to the planting of America. 
 Hume only squeezes out for it a wretched page." These 
 remarks of a recent writer remind us how easy it is to 
 overlook the grand glories of any time, the great causes 
 which are moving quietly forward to the accomplish- 
 ment of results which shall compel the notice and 
 admiration of the world. That to a mind blinded or 
 prejudiced, the large and small affairs of kings and courts, 
 the changes in material and political interests, are likely 
 to be more attractive, and seem more important, than 
 the deep principles of religion and liberty, the unob- 
 trusive movements which immediately concern the 
 kingdom of God. It is a happy fact in our own 
 national history, that it can never be dissevered from its 
 sources, — from the fear of God, the regard for truth 
 and purity, the determination to have a free church with 
 a free worship. Our history can never be profane, 
 
48 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 secular. He who writes of the state writes of the 
 church. In idea, in the order of events, the State House 
 is within the meeting-house. Men's motives and deeds 
 are directly related to their religion. " It concerneth 
 New England always to remember," said the venerable 
 Higginson of Salem, " that they are originally a planta- 
 tion religious, not a plantation of trade If any 
 
 man among us make religion as twelve and the world 
 as thirteen, such an one hath not the spirit of a true 
 New England man." 
 
 It is plain, therefore, why it is that he who attempts 
 to follow out the life of our early churches, especially of 
 one which, from its location and the character of its 
 membership, was as influential as this whose narrative 
 we are reading together, is continually led beyond the 
 local church, and compelled to treat of affairs which 
 move in larger circles. Matters of colonial politics, of 
 the higher education, of missionary work, of ecclesias- 
 tical government, come before us to-day, even in the 
 brief period of our history which we are to survey. For 
 these to a large extent centred here, and from this 
 place went forth an influence to be long and widely felt. 
 The colonies flourished, passed on into an independent 
 national existence, and have gained the foremost place 
 among the nations. We are at no loss to find the cause 
 of this stability and advancement. There has been a 
 river, — the stream of piety, of devotion, of regard for 
 religious liberty, of zeal for the greatest good of man, — 
 there has been a river, the streams whereof have made 
 glad the city of God. While we rejoice in the verdure 
 and luxuriance which surround us, the streams have 
 been found full of water, and have flowed for the en- 
 richment of the land. We will not forget them. Shall 
 
LECTURE III. 49 
 
 we not deepen and widen their channels, that they may 
 flow over our spreading domain, till the fruitfulness 
 which gladdens us shall make the whole land rejoice ? 
 
 We have already witnessed the formation of this 
 church and marked the installation of Thomas Shepard, 
 its first minister. That was in 1636. Of the number 
 of those who united in the church we can give only a 
 conjecture. There were about sixty persons in Shepard's 
 company. Our new church manual will give the names 
 of fifty-seven persons who are presumed to have been 
 members of the church during the first year. The 
 original design of the company was to remain here for a 
 time, while they could look about them and find a more 
 favorable place in which to make their permanent set- 
 tlement. Their desire to tarry was furthered by the 
 opportunity to purchase the buildings of Hooker's 
 company. But it was soon manifest to* the majority 
 that it was best to remain here permanently. They 
 found ample means of subsistence ; they remembered 
 that their lives were short, and that removals to new 
 plantations were full of troubles ; and they prized the 
 fellowship of the churches, a novelty and refreshment 
 in the wilderness. Hence the church was organized. 
 The hand of Providence is seen in bringing them hither 
 at the very time when houses waited for them, and in 
 keeping them here where their influence would be so 
 widely felt. 
 
 Mr. Shepard, at the time of his installation, was thirty 
 years old. He is described by a contemporary as a 
 "weak, pale-complexioned man." He was a man of 
 unusual talent, of liberal learning and deep piety. His 
 own character had been matured in the trials and toils 
 of his earlier life. He was well suited to the new labors 
 
 4 
 
50 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 to which he was called, and well fitted to enjoy the 
 repose and freedom of the new world where he had 
 sought a refuge and a work. We shall find this promise 
 of the beginning abundantly fulfilled. His ministry 
 began with sorrow in his own house. The health of his 
 wife had been failing for some time. The exposure to 
 which she was subjected, and the care of her feeble and 
 froward child, during the long, stormy voyage from 
 England, exhausted her strength, and she soon passed 
 into a consumption, and was taken from the world. But 
 before her departure she had the satisfaction of seeing 
 her husband settled in a safe place, of being herself 
 received to membership in his church, and of having 
 her child baptized. The account which Mr. Shepard 
 gives of her admission to the church upon the day of its 
 formation is one of the most touching passages in the 
 annals of the time. After the public services of the day 
 were ended, "we came," he says, "to her chamber, she 
 beine unable to come unto us. And because we feared 
 that her end was not far off, we did solemnly ask her if 
 she was desirous to be a member with us, which she 
 expressing, and so entering into covenant with us, we 
 thereupon all took her by the hand, and received her as 
 became one with us, having had full trial and experi- 
 ence of her faith and life before. At this time and 
 by this means the Lord did not only show us the worth 
 of this ordinance, but gave us a seal of his acceptance of 
 us and of his presence with us that day ; for the Lord 
 hereby filled her heart with such unspeakable joy and 
 assurance of God's love, that she said to us she had 
 enough ; and we were afraid that her feeble body would 
 have at that time sunk under the weight of her joy." 
 " A fortnight after which," he writes in another place, 
 
LECTURE III. 51 
 
 " my deare wife Margaret dyed." She was " exceedingly 
 cheered and comforted with the sense of God's love, 
 which continued until her last gaspe," and with resigna- 
 tion and hope she entered upon her rest. But though 
 she died so early, she deserves to be held in high esteem. 
 Wherever her husband is praised she shall be tenderly 
 remembered. As we have seen, Mr. Shepard first met 
 her in Yorkshire, at the house of Sir Richard Darley, 
 where he served as chaplain. She was then Margaret 
 Tauteville, the kinswoman of the knight. She be- 
 friended the homesick, persecuted young man, in a 
 strange house, in a family where he could expect little 
 sympathy. The labors of Shepard there produced good 
 results. He found favor and friends. "When the Lord 
 had fitted a wife for me he then gave me her, who was 
 a most sweet, humble woman, full of Christ, and a very 
 discerning Christian ; a wife who was most incom- 
 parably loving to me and every way amiable and holy, 
 and endued with a very sweet spirit of prayer." The 
 family consented to the alliance, and even enlarged the 
 portion of the bride. " Thus did I marry the best and 
 fittest woman in the world unto me." The marriage 
 was in 1632. The wife was unwilling to remain at 
 Buttercrambe, and they set out, not knowing where 
 their home would be. They shared their fears and 
 faced their enemies together. The hunted minister had 
 a true helpmeet. She went witli him through his perils 
 and privations on the land and on the sea. Her faith 
 and hope reached out to the land beyond the wide 
 waters. It has already been given as one reason which 
 moved him to come to New England, at the time he 
 made the first attempt, that " my dear wife did much 
 long to see me settled there in peace, and so put me on 
 
52 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE 
 
 to it." Within a fortnight after the formation of the 
 church she left him desolate. But her influence for the 
 four years of her wedded life was marked. The distrust- 
 ful, cautious man needed one who excelled him in 
 courage and enterprise. "Wise enough to appreciate her 
 position and be content with it, she was aide by her 
 faith and her affection to incite him to bold purposes. 
 She was given to him at the time when he needed her 
 the most for the determining of his career, and when 
 that work was done she had rest. But let her memory 
 be honored. We delight to write the name of our first 
 minister wherever we can. The society to which the 
 church is united is called after him, and many of our 
 works of benevolence have been done under his name. 
 The granite column we have reared bears it to pos- 
 terity. It will be on the mural tablet in our new 
 sanctuary. It is well. Shall there not be found' some 
 conspicuous place on which we can gratefully inscribe 
 " Margaret Shepard " ? 
 
 From this domestic life we pass among more exciting 
 scenes. At the time of the organization of the church, 
 trouble had already begun in connection with that rest- 
 less and resolute woman whose name is "dismally 
 conspicuous in the early history of New England." Mrs. 
 Ann Hutchinson had been attracted from England by 
 her desire to continue to enjoy the preaching of Mr. 
 Cotton. Her husband, who had left a good estate in 
 Lincolnshire, is described as " a man of a very mild 
 temper and weak parts, and wholly guided by his wife." 
 She was destined to encounter some who would be less 
 submissive to her control. They came in the fall of 
 1634, and she soon showed herself a kind neighbor, 
 especially to the sick, and won the esteem of the people, 
 
LECTURE III. 53 
 
 over whom her attentions and talents gave her influence. 
 She became connected with the Boston Church, and 
 soon avowed doctrines at variance with those commonly 
 held here. Winthrop mentions two dangerous errors 
 which she brought with her : " first, that the person of the 
 Holy Ghost dwells in a justified person ; second, that no 
 sanctification can help to evidence to us our justifica- 
 tion. From these errors grew many branches." Her 
 fundamental idea was, that a person is not to find 
 evidence of his being a Christian in any changes in him- 
 self, or any grace or holiness he may possess, or in the 
 conditional promises made to such as believe, but in an 
 immediate revelation made to his own soul. To receive 
 this doctrine was to be under a " covenant of grace." 
 To depend upon other evidence was to be under a " cov- 
 enant of works." Under these two designations Chris- 
 tians became divided. The party which she headed were 
 known as " Familists," from a short-lived sect which 
 sprang up in Leyden in the preceding century, and held 
 that the essence of religion consists in the sense of 
 Divine love. They were also called " Antinomians," 
 which was likewise a borrowed name taken from a sect 
 . formed a hundred years before, which denied the obliga- 
 tion to observe the law under the gospel dispensation. 
 
 Error is commonly some perversion of truth. We are, 
 indeed, not under the law, but under grace ; yet grace 
 has its law. " These things I command you," said our 
 Saviour, Christ. His service is perfect freedom ; but 
 even in that " the love of Christ constraineth us." We 
 are not freed from the obedience of the moral law ; but 
 we are not left to the consecpiences of our neglect, seeing 
 that the grace of Christ comes in to atone for our sin ; 
 so that, hopelessly lost through our works, we are saved 
 
54 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 through his grace. We are, truly, not justified by works, 
 and virtue is not proof of piety, manliness of godli- 
 ness. Still, a man's works are a testimony to his 
 character, and will always be held as witnesses to the 
 sincerity of his profession. " By their fruits ye shall 
 know them." The children of God have the witness in 
 themselves, his Spirit working in their spirits, and the 
 last witness to one's piety must be sought in his con- 
 sciousness ; but consciousness will take account of his 
 grace and growth and life. It will be fatal to our hope 
 of salvation to rest upon that which we can do or that 
 which we feel. It is the free choice of God which saves 
 us ; his independent, sovereign working. Yet we are 
 called upon to work out our own salvation, to behold 
 the Lamb of God, to believe the gospel which is 
 preached. " He that believeth and is baptized shall be 
 saved." There is a beautiful harmony between the 
 grace of God and the faith of man. Always will the 
 Christian render the full praise of his redemption unto 
 God, who loved the world and gave his Son. It will be 
 the rejoicing of heaven. 
 
 To her imperfect, perverted views of great truths Mrs. 
 Hutchinson attached great importance. Gathering 
 weekly assemblies of women, she expounded her views 
 and denounced the ministers, w T ith the exception of 'tier 
 brother-in-law, Wheelwright, and Cotton, who seemed 
 for a time to favor her, being impressed with her piety 
 and ability, but afterwards came to see the false ground 
 upon which she was standing. Her opinions spread with 
 amazing 'rapidity. Dr. Albro has characterized them as 
 " absurd, licentious, and destructive " ; adding, " where- 
 ever they took* root they produced the bitter fruits of 
 alienation, hatred, and slander." The ministers were 
 
LECTURE III. 55 
 
 openly ridiculed, and ignorant men and women were 
 put forward as preachers, with the boast that they could 
 excel the " black coats " who had been trained at the 
 " Ninneversity." Churches and families became divided. 
 Old friends were separated and made enemies. Many 
 Christians wavered, uncertain with which party to side. 
 All the associations of common life became infected 
 with the disputes. Even the marching of troops, which 
 had been raised to assist Connecticut against the Indians, 
 was opposed on " the ground that the officers and soldiers 
 were too much under a covenant of works." To under- 
 stand how so great a commotion could come from so 
 small a cause, it is only needful to remember how in- 
 timately religious ideas were connected with all affairs. 
 The churches, the clergy, the doctrines, were the most 
 substantial interests of men. To question a man's or- 
 thodoxy was to question his character. As well call 
 him a knave outright as pronounce him under a " cov- 
 enant of works." The dissension was really fearful. 
 English congregations in Holland had fairly gone to 
 pieces by falling upon similar contentions. There was 
 the greatest peril that the colony would be wrecked in 
 this war of the elements, among these frowning rocks. 
 The churches and towns in the country, for the most 
 part, were opposed to this troublesome woman. The 
 church in Boston was in her favor, with the exception of 
 a few members, among whom were the pastor, Wilson, 
 and Winthrop, who in 1636 was deputy-governor under 
 Vane, who was a partisan of Mrs. Hutchinson. A meet- 
 ing of magistrates and elders was held to devise a way of 
 quieting the disturbance. Wilson laid the blame where 
 it belonged, for which he was reproved by his church. 
 At length a fast was appointed on account of these and 
 
56 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 other troubles, but this evil was not put down. Wheel- 
 wright and one Greensmith were reckoned with for 
 their seditious language, and this enraged their friends 
 and provoked resistance. Boston was in so great con- 
 fusion that the General Court met here. An election 
 was held on our Common, and Winthrop was chosen 
 governor. There were many fierce speeches and some 
 threatening deeds. The venerable Wilson is said to 
 have spoken from a tree into which he had climbed. 
 Vane soon after returned to England, and one element 
 of the strife was removed. There was warm discussion 
 which tended towards a settlement. The real points of 
 difference among the people were found to be small. 
 The preaching of Mr. Shepard on the day of election 
 contributed to this result. Matters seemed in so prom- 
 ising condition, that the ministers, with the consent of 
 the magistrates, called an ecclesiastical synod. It was 
 composed of the ministers and messengers of all the 
 churches, with a few who had recently arrived in the 
 country. It was the first synod held in America, and it 
 met with this church of ours. The General Court ad- 
 journed on account of this convention. This was in 
 1637. 
 
 I must leave it to your imagination to reproduce that 
 grave and reverend assembly which convened in the 
 humble meeting-house in Dunster Street. It is fitting 
 to mark this beginning of such assemblies, and to con- 
 nect it with our own church. It was not the last great 
 and good thing which began here, as we shall have 
 occasion to see. Mr. Shepard opened the first session 
 with a " heavenly prayer." Mr. Hooker of Hartford and 
 Mr. Bulkeley of Concord were the moderators. The 
 sessions continued for three weeks, with freedom of 
 
LECTURE III. 57 
 
 speech, but with due regard for propriety and order. 
 Eighty-two opinions were condemned with great una- 
 nimity. The peculiar views of Mrs. Hutchinson and her 
 adherents were among them. Certain questions of 
 church discipline which had arisen were decided, and 
 matters were carried on peaceably and " concluded 
 comfortably in all love." Mr. Shepard says, "These 
 errors, through the grace and power of Christ, were dis- 
 covered, the defenders of them convinced and ashamed, 
 the truth established, and the consciences of the saints 
 settled, there being a most wonderful presence of 
 Christ's spirit in that assembly held at Cambridge." He 
 mentions as one result of the synod the discomfiture of 
 the Pequot Indians. For, as the internal dissensions 
 flourished, wars from without had opportunity to arise, 
 and these were quelled by the restoration of harmony 
 among the people. It was found necessary to send 
 away a very few persons who had been prominent in 
 the disturbances. Mrs. Hutchinson herself was tried 
 before the General Court, for railing at the ministers 
 and continuing her lectures in defiance of the synod. 
 A sentence of banishment was passed, but as it was 
 winter she was committed to a private house in Eox- 
 bury. Her conversation there was so offensive, that 
 the church in Boston cited her to appear and answer to 
 the charge of holding gross errors. The result was her 
 retraction of a part of her declaration, and an admonition 
 by the church, inasmuch as she persisted in holding 
 others. She was then allowed to be at Mr. Cotton's 
 house, that he and Mr. Davenport might reason with 
 her. She retracted all the opinions imputed to her, and 
 went so far as to say she had never held them. A 
 question of veracity was raised and decided against her, 
 
58 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 and she was excommunicated for having " impudently- 
 persisted in untruth." This was the end of her power 
 and her party here. She was ordered by the governor 
 to depart from this jurisdiction, which she did. Some 
 of her adherents dispersed in different directions. It is 
 not necessary to trace her fortunes farther. Her after- 
 life was troubled and troublesome. She became a 
 widow, and finally moved to a place within or near 
 the Dutch border, where the whole family, except a 
 daughter of eight years, were murdered by the Indians. 
 Her stormy life had a stormy close. But after her 
 departure from Massachusetts a long period of tran- 
 quillity was enjoyed here. 
 
 Thus early were this church and its minister brought 
 to contend earnestly for the faith, for the purity and 
 quiet which they had sought in exile and privation. 
 The prayers and thoughts and conversation of the 
 people who walked our ancient streets, the preaching of 
 the youthful but experienced minister, must have had 
 large reference to the scenes we have been hurrying 
 through. But Mr. Shepard gratefully acknowledges 
 that this town " was kept spotless from the contagion 
 of the opinions." A course of lectures which he preached 
 during and after these times, based upon the Parable of 
 the Ten Virgins, we are permitted to read, adding to their 
 intrinsic interest by transferring them to the days 
 which called them forth. 
 
 It is pleasant to turn from these conflicts to more 
 peaceful events. The early settlers of New England 
 were men who knew the value of education. Many of 
 them were graduates of the English universities, and 
 were possessed of the best learning of their day. 
 They knew that the well-being of the* state, and the 
 
LECTURE III. 59 
 
 purity and stability of the church, demanded that 
 the people should be educated, and that learned men 
 should be raised up to take the place of those who were 
 passing away. Hence, in 1636, later in the year of our 
 church organization, the General Court adopted this 
 order : " The Court agree to give four hundred pounds 
 towards a school or college, whereof two hundred pounds 
 shall be paid the next year, and two hundred pounds 
 when the work is finished, and the next Court to appoint 
 where and what building." Four hundred pounds was 
 " equal to a year's rate of the whole colony." It was a 
 grant of fifty cents from each of the four thousand 
 inhabitants. A like assessment now would yield more 
 than seven hundred thousand dollars. The next year 
 it was ordered that the College should be at Newtown. 
 Why did they choose to come here ? Two reasons led 
 to this choice : this was " a place very pleasant and 
 accommodate," and it was " under the orthodox and 
 soul- flourishing ministry of Mr. Thomas Shepheard." 
 Twelve of the leading men of the colony were appointed 
 to take orders for the College. Among these were 
 Shepard, Cotton, Wilson, Harlakenden, Stoughton, Dud- 
 ley, Winthrop. Thus did the College come at once under 
 the fostering care of this church and its minister. Side 
 by side have they come down the years ; side by side are 
 they going into the future. In the following year the Rev. 
 John Harvard died, becpieathing one half of his whole 
 property and his entire library to the youthful institu- 
 tion. The amount of his gifts was a little less than eight 
 hundred pounds. His library consisted of three hundred 
 and twenty volumes of theological, classical, and general 
 literature. Others followed with gifts of money and 
 books and various articles, according to their ability. In 
 
60 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 this year, 1638, the regular course of studies began. In 
 the same year the Dame of Cambridge was given to the 
 town, after the literary home of many of the chief men 
 of the colony. In the following spring it was ordered 
 that the College should bear the name of Harvard. In 
 the next year, by order of the Court, " the ferry be- 
 tween Boston and Charlestown is granted to the 
 College." 
 
 The institution was first placed under the charge of 
 Nathaniel Eaton, who managed both the instruction 
 and the finances. He made so good a beginning that 
 in 1639 he received a grant of five hundred acres of 
 land, upon condition that he would continue his employ- 
 ment for life. Then, for his fame's sake, he should have 
 died. He was a scholar, doubtless, but had no other 
 qualification for his office. He seems to have been 
 extravagant in his use of the funds. Besides that, he 
 abused his scholars and his usher, Briscoe, and in con- 
 nection with his wife brought college commons to their 
 lowest state. He was tried by the Court, and convicted 
 of passion and negligence and cruelty ; was fined and 
 dismissed from his place ; was excommunicated from 
 the church, and compelled to leave the colony. He 
 returned to England, became the persecutor of Noncdn- 
 formists, and finally died while in prison for debt. Mr. 
 Shepard was charitably inclined towards his parishioner, 
 but before long was convinced of his real character, and 
 approved of his sentence. It is characteristic of the 
 good minister that he mourned not only over the sin of 
 Eaton, but also on account of his own ignorance and want 
 of wisdom and watchfulness over him. Upon Eaton's 
 discharge, the business affairs of the College were put 
 into the hands of Samuel Shepard, who attended to 
 
LECTURE III. 61 
 
 them until the arrival of Henry Dunster, who became 
 President in 1640. Eaton had been known only as 
 Master or Professor. From that time the College 
 steadily advanced. In 1642 the Board of Overseers 
 was established. Besides the governor, deputy-gov- 
 ernor, and magistrates, it consisted of the teaching elders 
 of the six next adjoining towns, Cambridge, Watertown, 
 Charlestown, Boston, Eoxbury, and Dorchester. The 
 influence of our minister, both from his official connec- 
 tion with the College and his personal character, must 
 have been considerable. We find him at one time 
 addressing a memorial to the Commissioners of the 
 United Colonies, asking a general contribution for the 
 maintenance of poor scholars, to the end " that the 
 Commonwealth may be furnished with knowing and 
 understanding men, and the churches with an able 
 ministry." He begs that it may be recommended to 
 every family throughout the plantations, able and 
 willing to give, to contribute a fourth part of a bushel 
 of com, or something equivalent to this, as " a blessed 
 means of comfortable provision for the diet of such 
 students as stand in need of support." The plan was 
 approved and adopted. This may illustrate his interest 
 in the College and his efforts to promote its high 
 objects. It was the first charitable provision made in 
 New England for the benefit of indigent scholars. It 
 is good to connect the beginning of so good a work 
 with the name of one we venerate. 
 
 Our church had another point of connection with the 
 College in its earliest days, through our brother, Elijah 
 Corlet, of whom mention has already been made. The 
 grammar school appears to have begun soon after the 
 town, and it was supported with great care. Mr. Corlet 
 
62 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 was master for more than forty years. The author of 
 " New England's First Fruits," in 1643, writes : " By the 
 side of the College is a fair grammar school, for the 
 training up of young scholars and fitting of them for 
 academical learning, that still as they are judged ripe 
 they may be received into the College of this school." 
 He speaks of our brother as one who had well approved 
 himself for his abilities and dexterity. Mather calls 
 him " that memorable old schoolmaster in Cambridge, 
 from whose education our College and country has re- 
 ceived so many of its worthy men that he is himself 
 worthy to have his name celebrated in our church 
 history." 
 
 I cannot close this notice of the College without 
 repeating the familiar words which embody the thoughts 
 of Shepard and his associates, — words which deserve to 
 be written in letters of gold on the front of the Univer- 
 sity, that the youth of this generation may know the 
 purpose of the fathers, and may gratefully execute it in 
 their lives. " After God had carried us safe to New 
 England, and we had builded our houses, provided 
 necessaries for our livelihood, reared convenient places 
 for God's worship, and settled the civil government, 
 one of the next things we longed for and looked after 
 was to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity ; 
 dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches, 
 when our present ministers shall lie in the dust." The 
 College seal of 1643 bore the motto " Veritas," which 
 was inscribed on three open books. This was soon ex- 
 changed for " In Christi gloriam." After a time this 
 was changed to " Christo et Ecclesiae." Let the spirit of 
 the College and the lives of its graduates exhibit the 
 three legends, — standing upon the truth, seeking the 
 glory of Christ, rendering good service to his church. 
 
LECTURE III. 63 
 
 It may not seem to be in close connection with the 
 purpose of this discourse, but I am unwilling to bring 
 these remarks upon education to an end without a few 
 words of affection and respect for the memory of that 
 great teacher who one week ago entered into his rest.* 
 He deserves to be honored wherever sound learning is 
 revered. We honor him for his wide learning, his 
 patient research, his faithful instruction ; for his " im- 
 perial memory," his " massive judgment," his "resolute 
 will " ; for his devotion to his w r ork, his love for the 
 institution he adorned, his kindness to all who came 
 under his care ; for his great heart, his unostentatious 
 goodness, his unsparing charities. He died at the 
 height of his fame ; " his eye was not dim, nor his 
 natural force abated." He died in the academy his toils 
 had reared. His old boys took up his stal worth form 
 and bore it to its repose among the honored, sainted 
 dead. His boys of many years will mark the spot with 
 the monumental column. But his memory will be 
 green in the hearts of his six thousand scholars. There 
 are those here this morning who will join me in laying 
 this simple tribute of love and respect upon his bier. 
 
 In the formation period we are surveying there were 
 naturally differences of opinion regarding various mat- 
 ters of ecclesiastical usage. In the year in which 
 Shepard was installed, some of the Puritan ministers of 
 England, hearing that the churches here had adopted 
 a new mode of discipline of questionable expediency, 
 addressed to them a letter of inquiry upon this matter. 
 The questions were concerning a form of prayer and set 
 Liturgy ; concerning proper subjects for infant baptism 
 and admission to the Lord's Table ; concerning the rights 
 
 * Samuel H. Taylor, LL.D., of Andover. 
 
64 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 of the majority with regard to excommunication ; con- 
 cerning the removal of church members ; the relation of 
 a minister to his own church and neighboring churches, 
 and the relation of the members of one congregation 
 to another. A full discussion ensued, in which Mr. 
 Shepard bore a part, joining with Mr. Allen of Dedham 
 in the publication of a book explaining and defending 
 the usages here. The work had a good effect. It solved 
 various perplexing matters, and gave satisfaction to the 
 English brethren. Upon the principles it expounded 
 the churches conducted their affairs until a more formal 
 constitution was adopted. Before many years had gone 
 by, it became evident that a general declaration of faith 
 and a plan of church government were desirable. I 
 have alluded to these before, but they should be men- 
 tioned in this connection. In 1646 the General Court 
 took up the matter of calling a synod. It was seen at 
 once that it woidd be unwise for the Court to do any- 
 thing which looked like imposing upon the churches 
 a form of government, or even to call a synod for the 
 preparation of a system which might seem to be com- 
 manded by authority. The point was important and 
 delicate. The result was a recommendation that such 
 an assembly be convened. The advice was acted upon, 
 and the synod met in Cambridge in the autumn of that 
 year, but, owing to the lateness of the season, adjourned 
 after a short session, and on its reassembling again 
 adjourned on account of a great sickness which pre- 
 vailed in the country. It finally met in the autumn of 
 1648. It was a grand gathering. There were men who 
 had won fame in the mother-land. There were scholars, 
 patriots, statesmen, men of prayer, wisdom, patience. 
 An old writer has truly said, " They were Timothys in 
 
LECTURE III. 65 
 
 their houses ; Chrysostoms in their pulpits ; Augustines 
 in their disputations." They gave their assent to the 
 Westminster Confession for substance of doctrine. For 
 church polity they issued a plan of their own, which is 
 thus entitled : " The Cambridge platform of church 
 discipline, gathered out of the Word of God, and agreed 
 upon by the elders and messengers of the churches as- 
 sembled in synod, 1G48." It is a clear, comprehensive, 
 sagacious document, and upon its broad principles our 
 churches have stood and become established in beauty 
 and strength. The experience of two centuries has 
 taught us some new things, and changed times may 
 demand some incidental modification of the arrange- 
 ments of our fathers. Possibly another synod at 
 Cambridge may perfect and adapt the ancient work. 
 In the mean time, to borrow the words of the late 
 lamented pastor of this church, " the more closely we 
 adhere to the scheme of polity set forth by that vener- 
 able assembly, the more confidently may we expect that 
 Congregationalism will maintain its ascendency in New 
 England, and commend itself to the consciences and the 
 hearts of intelligent Christians throughout our country." 
 But while this church and its minister were eno-arjed 
 with others who held the same faith with the same 
 purpose in establishing the churches in purity and 
 order, they were also regardful of those around them 
 who needed to learn the first principles of the gospel. 
 Our national connection with the Indians is far from 
 satisfactory. It is well to relieve the picture with 
 brighter shades. The early government and churches of 
 this State were perhaps as zealous in their missionary 
 work as their successors. Foreign missions do not of 
 necessity involve the crossing of the sea. Preaching 
 
 5 
 
66 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 was sustained among the Indians by legal provision. 
 Their rights were protected by a special court. The 
 people sought to be just in their dealings with them. 
 The wars against them were for defence. The College 
 turned its attention to their education. A building of 
 brick was erected for their accommodation by the " So- 
 ciety for propagating the Gospel," and was known as 
 the Indian College. Although several students entered 
 on a course of study, but one attained to academic 
 honors. The catalogue for 1665 shows one Indian 
 graduate. The effort to train up a native ministry for 
 the aborigines was a noble one, but it proved ineffectual. 
 In 1644 the General Court ordered that the county 
 courts should take care that the Indians residing in the 
 several shires be civilized, and should have power to take 
 order from time to time that they be instructed in the 
 knowledge and worship of God. John Eliot has won 
 immortality by his labors for their spiritual good. In 
 his efforts he had the counsel and assistance of Thomas 
 Shepard. The first fixed missionary station of Eliot 
 was in Cambridge, at Nonantum, now Newton. Shepard 
 watched over the church gathered there. He wrote 
 tracts which were translated into the Indian tongue. A 
 long letter written by him to a friend in England bears 
 the title, " The clear Sunshine of the Gospel breaking 
 forth upon the Indians in New England." " An Indian 
 sermon," he called it. 
 
 Eliot had also a faithful co-laborer in our brother 
 Daniel Gookin. He removed from Virginia in 1644, 
 and settled here, " being drawn hither by having his 
 affection strongly set on the truths of Christ and his 
 pure ordinances." He became the " constant, pious, 
 and persevering companion of Eliot." He attained 
 
LECTURE III. 67 
 
 to political and military honors ; was made superin- 
 tendent of all the Indians who had submitted to the 
 government of Massachusetts ; was one of the licen- 
 sers of the printing-press ; in 1681 was appointed 
 major-general of the colony. He was a man of integrity 
 and ability, and died poor in this world's goods, but 
 having the affection of those over whose interests he had 
 watched, and the esteem of all the people. A monument 
 was erected over his grave in the neighboring church- 
 yard. His son was the fourth pastor of this church. 
 
 Eliot's translation of the Bible was printed here 
 by our brother Samuel Green, in connection with 
 Marmaduke Johnson. A copy handsomely bound was 
 sent to Charles II. Baxter says, " Such a work and 
 fruit of a plantation was never presented unto a king." 
 This was the first Bible printed in America, — another 
 of the good things which began here. It was followed 
 by the publication of numerous works in the Indian 
 language. Let it be remembered to the honor of our 
 fathers, that the first Protestant mission to the heathen 
 in modern times began in Cambridge ; the first Protest- 
 ant sermon in a heathen tongue was preached here ; 
 the first translation of the Bible by an Englishman into 
 a heathen tongue was printed here ; the first Protestant 
 tract in a heathen language was written and printed 
 here. In all these missionary works we may be sure 
 that the minister and the members of our church took a 
 lively interest and had an active part. 
 
 I have dwelt, perhaps overlong, upon matters of 
 public interest with which our church was concerned. 
 It may help to increase our honest pride in our religious 
 ancestry, and stimulate us to the good works which are 
 required of this generation. But while these large in- 
 
68 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 terests were engaging the attention of the people the 
 more regular work of the church was going on. The 
 word of God was faithfully preached on the Lord's Day. 
 A weekly lecture was carefully prepared and delivered. 
 The ordinances of the church were administered. The 
 training of the youth was regarded. Our records of all 
 these private doings are painfully scant. But the value 
 of the work is inestimable. 
 
 I am compelled to reserve my remarks upon the 
 personal character and the teaching of our first min- 
 ister. It is interesting to find his name and the affairs 
 of the church entering into our public records.. The 
 General Court which met here in 1636 made a grant 
 of £ 50 to Mr. Thomas Shepard. In our town rec- 
 ords you may find a vote in 1638 granting to him 
 two and two thirds acres of land on the road to 
 Charlestown. In 1647 there is a grant of six acres of 
 meadow land. In 1650 there is a record stating that 
 three hundred acres of land beyond Watertown Mill 
 had been formerly given to Mr. Shepard, and also two 
 hundred acres more near Mr. Samuel Shepard's farm. 
 I find no other record of provision directly for his main- 
 tenance. But we know that in 1640 he was brought 
 into great embarrassment through the depression in the 
 financial condition of the colonists. It was a time of 
 public extremity, threatening the very existence of 
 the , church. There was no money. Mr. Shepard's 
 salary was then £ 70, payable in corn, which in this 
 year was made a legal tender for new debts. The 
 emergency was so pressing that a removal to Connecti- 
 cut was discussed, and Shepard was urged to this step 
 by Hooker. He bore his trial with patience and faith, 
 submitting to the will of the Lord, and waiting for 
 
LECTURE III. 
 
 69 
 
 better times. "We are thus permitted to know some- 
 thing of the things our fathers talked about and suffered 
 in the days which are gone. To show further the 
 regard of the town for the church, there is the vote in 
 1648, at a general town-meeting, " that there should be 
 a farm laid out of a thousand acres, and improved for 
 the good of the church, and that part of the church that 
 shall here continue." This was in that portion of Cam- 
 bridge known as Shawshine. The census of 1647 gives 
 as the number of ratable persons in the town one hun- 
 dred and thirty-five, with ninety houses. 
 
 In 1642 there is this record : " It is ordered that ac- 
 cording to an order of Court made the last. General 
 Court for the townsmen to see to the educating children, 
 that John Bridge shall take care of all the families of 
 that side the highway his own house stands on to My 
 Bro. Winship's," and so oh, dividing the town into six 
 parts, which were assigned to different persons. 
 
 The house of worship seems to have fallen in need of 
 attention. It was a house humble in appearance, but 
 comparing well with other houses in the town, and 
 famous for some things done within its rude walls. 
 There this church had its beginning. There, it appears, 
 was held the first College Commencement in 1642. There 
 the Cambridge Platform was framed in 1648. Other 
 events which related to the interest of the community 
 and the churches around it found a place within its 
 courts. It was a building famous for beginnings. But 
 the years would not spare it. In February, 1649, at a 
 general meeting of the whole town, " it was voted and 
 agreed by a general consent, that the meeting-house 
 shall be repaired with a 4-square roofe and covered with 
 shingle, and the charge thereof levied upon the Inhabit- 
 
70 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 ants of the Towne by equale rate." Either because it 
 was found cheaper to build a new house than to repair 
 the old one, or a better house could be afforded, or a bet- 
 ter site procured, three weeks later " it was voted and 
 agreed that the five men chosen by the Town to repair 
 the meeting-house shall desist from the same and agree 
 with workmen for the building of a new House about 40 
 foote square, and covered as was formerly agreed for the 
 other." It was also agreed that the new house should 
 stand on " Watch-house Hill." The site selected was near 
 the place where Dane Hall now stands, and near the 
 dwelling-house occupied by Mr. Shepard, which stood also 
 in the present College yard, nearly opposite to Holyoke 
 Street. But it was not to be given to Thomas Shepard 
 to fill the new sanctuary with the sound of the " silver 
 trumpet from whence the people of God had often heard 
 the joyful sound of the gospel." His constitution had 
 never been vigorous, and his labors and trials must have 
 impaired his health. He says of himself that he was "very 
 weak and unfit to be tossed up and down and to bear 
 persecution." We find him at one time brought near to 
 the gate of death, but graciously restored through God's 
 good providence. One child had died in England. Two 
 children died here. His wife died soon after his arrival 
 here. In 1637 he married Joanna, the eldest daughter 
 of his friend and predecessor, Thomas Hooker. She was 
 a woman of remarkable loveliness and piety and wisdom. 
 But after less than nine years of married life she, too, was 
 taken from him. In 1638 his old and dear friend Eoger 
 Harlakenden died, and was buried with military honors. 
 Mr. Shepard afterwards married Margaret Boradel, who 
 survived him, and became the wife of his successor. 
 There were four sons remaining to him when he died. 
 
LECTURE III. 71 
 
 Among his honored descendants were John Quincy 
 Adams and the remainder of that illustrious line. 
 
 The 25th of August, 1649, was a day long to be 
 remembered by this church. With perfect memory 
 and clear understanding Mr. Shepard made his will, 
 making a brief but explicit statement of his faith and 
 then giving small bequests to his sons and a few 
 friends, — among whom was the faithful Euth Mitchen- 
 son, the Yorkshire servant who followed him to this 
 country, — and leaving the rest of his temporal estate to 
 his wife. The inventory of his estate amounted to £ 810. 
 Some of his last sayings are preserved. To his weeping 
 friends he said, " I love the Lord Jesus Christ very much ; 
 that little part which I have in him is no small comfort 
 to me now." To several young ministers who visited 
 him a little before his decease he said, " Your work is 
 great, and calls for great seriousness. As to myself I 
 can say three things : that the study of every sermon cost 
 me tears ; that before I preached a sermon, I got good by 
 it myself ; and that I always went up into the pulpit as 
 if I were to give up my account to my Master." He was 
 solicitous concerning his successor, and when he found 
 that the man of his choice had commended himself to 
 his people, he was content to depart. So he died, in the 
 forty- fourth year of a large life, after a career of singular 
 diligence and usefulness, leaving upon many hearts and 
 lives the impress of his character and work. No man 
 knoweth of his grave ; but he is with his Lord. He 
 died, but the stream flowed on, making glad the city of 
 God. It flows still to clothe in living green the holy 
 place of the tabernacles of the Most High. 
 
 " His name and office sweetly did agree ; 
 Shepard, by name, and in his ministry.' 
 
LECTUEE IV. 
 
 " There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the 
 top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like leb- 
 anon : and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the 
 earth." — Psalm lxxii. 16. 
 
 IT is a question whether the word translated handful 
 should not be rendered plenty or abundance,. The 
 rabbinical tradition favors the rendering of our version, 
 while modern lexicographers prefer the other. It is a 
 question of etymology. The psalm portrays the glories 
 of the Messiah's reign, taking its imagery from the 
 peaceful, prosperous reign of Solomon. There shall be 
 an abundance of all blessings ; the fruits of the earth 
 shall grow in luxuriance, and man shall be full of all 
 vigor and honor. Either rendering of the verse now 
 before us will be true of that happy time. Its promise 
 of plenty will be fulfilled. From the beginning there 
 will be an abundance. Yet to the eyes of men the 
 beginning of the Messiah's career, the earthly life of our 
 Lord, promised little of stability or grandeur. Few 
 dreamed that Jesus of Nazareth would show himself 
 Lord of Hosts ; that he who was nailed to the cross 
 would sit upon a throne which should be for ever and 
 ever. There was enough of power, of rule, of majesty, 
 for the work of his earthly years ; more of marvels, of 
 wisdom and mercy, more of divine revelation, of the 
 close presence of God, than the centuries had ever 
 known. Men might call it a handful; it was abun- 
 
LECTURE IV. 73 
 
 dance. Even they who saw the most would see yet more 
 and more as the kingdom of the Great King widened. 
 Christianity now has possession of the earth, and moves 
 on to bring all lands, all men, under the beneficent sway 
 of Christ, the King. 
 
 The New England Pilgrims and Puritans sought to 
 establish upon these open shores a kingdom within the 
 kingdom of God, and subject unto it. Their attempt 
 won a small place in the annals of their own and later 
 times. Few in number, persecuted and contemned, 
 engaged in an undertaking resembling others which 
 had failed, the world, so far as it cared anything for 
 them, had slight expectation of their success. They 
 were as a handful of corn ; a handful in the earth upon 
 the top of the mountains, a place so rocky and bleak 
 that there was little prospect of a generous harvest. Yet 
 it was more than a handful. Those men and women, 
 with the spirit which had brought them across the seas, 
 with a purpose as noble as could be cherished, with a 
 courage and persistency which no storm of elements 
 or enemies could break, with learning and virtue and 
 piety, with God's Word in their hands and in their 
 hearts, and God himself within and on every side of 
 them, they were an abundance, the plentiful seed of 
 a great harvest, a harvest which began at once in the 
 liberty and purity and usefulness which made the wil- 
 derness to smile. Call it a handful, call it an abun- 
 dance, — either will be true, — to-day the green and 
 golden stalks shake like the trees upon Mount Lebanon, 
 and the world hears the rustling, and men out of all 
 lands are glad to sit in the pleasant shade and feed upon 
 the exuberant fruitage. ' 
 
 Of this plentiful handful a goodly portion was here 
 
74 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 where we are dwelling. They of this city are now 
 flourishing like grass of the earth, while they are widely 
 scattered who have been raised up and nourished here 
 for high service and grand accomplishment. 
 
 "We are to look more carefully at the beginning of 
 these large things. Once again we are with that little 
 company gathered about Thomas Shepard, receiving form 
 and impulse from his hands. What was there in him, 
 in his ministry, productive of abiding results ? The 
 personal history of the man we have already examined. 
 "We come now to his work. He was a preacher. His 
 influence was largely through his preaching. Of the 
 doctrines which he held, and of his manner of presenting 
 them, we are able to judge intelligently from his printed 
 works and from the testimony of men of his own time. 
 "What did the first minister of the First Church in Cam- 
 bridge preach to our predecessors ? There is still to be 
 seen a Bible, containing the Old Testament in Hebrew 
 and the New in Greek, and having at the bottom of 
 the title-page this inscription : " Thomas Shepard. ev 
 tovtoi<; ia0e. Immanuel." That book holds the truth 
 which he taught. Its teachings he received for himself 
 and carefully inculcated. Whatever of good he wrought 
 out was accomplished by one resting upon the Divine 
 Word. He was a faithful student, and brought to his 
 study of the truth a deep knowledge of himself, a wide 
 experience of others, and the varied helps which a uni- 
 versity training affords. The scheme of doctrine which 
 he learned from the Holy Scriptures is easily discovered 
 in his writings. He framed a system for himself, which 
 was published under the title of " The Sum of Chris- 
 tian Eeligion, in way of Question and Answ r er." It is a 
 catechism, and could be studied now with profit. The 
 
LECTURE IV. 75 
 
 beginning gives the key-note of his whole system of 
 theology : " What is the best and last end of man ? To 
 live to God." An answer which seems better than the 
 corresponding one in the Catechism of the Westminster 
 Assembly, which adds our own enjoyment of God to the 
 glory which it is our chief end to pay to him. As we 
 advance from this beginning, we find these teachings : 
 God is a spirit living of himself, infinite and eternal, 
 understanding at once all truth, and purely willing all 
 good. There is one God, yet he has three subsistencies 
 or persons, who are " coequal, coeternal, subsisting in, 
 not separating from each other, and therefore delighting 
 in each other, glorifying each other." God has his de- 
 cree, that is, " his eternal and determinate purpose, con- 
 cerning the effecting of all things by his mighty power, 
 according to his counsel." Man was made by him, in 
 his image, and was placed in the garden of Eden to live 
 unto God. He apostatized, or fell, by eating of the for- 
 bidden fruit ; and because " we were in him as the mem- 
 bers in the head, as children in his loins, as debtors in 
 their surety, as branches in their roots," in his falling we 
 all fell, by the imputation of his sin, as, if he had stood, 
 we all had stood, by the imputation of his righteousness. 
 There are two kinds of sin : original sin, which is " the 
 contrariety of the whole nature of man to the law of 
 God " ; and actual sin, which is " the continual jarring 
 of the actions of man from the law of God, by reason of 
 original sin." The recovery of man is his return " to 
 the favor of God, merely out of favor and the exceeding 
 riches of his free grace." The Eedeemer is Jesus Christ, 
 God and man, who by his perfect obedience, and his 
 death in bitter sufferings, both of body and soul, hath 
 paid the price which justice demands, and delivered man 
 
76 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 out of captivity to sin, Satan, and death. Christ rose 
 from the dead and ascended into heaven, whence he 
 will return to judgment, " to the confusion of all them 
 that would not have him rule over them, and to the 
 unspeakable good of his people." The Holy Spirit 
 applies this redemption to men, cutting off the soul 
 from the old Adam and ingrafting it into the second 
 Adam, Christ Jesus. He produces contrition and hu- 
 miliation in the soul, so that the whole soul hears the 
 call of Christ and the offer of his rich grace, and " comes 
 out of itself unto Christ, for Christ, by virtue of the 
 irresistible power of the Spirit in the call : and this is 
 
 faith The soul possessed with Christ, and right unto 
 
 him, hath by the same Spirit fruition of him, and all his 
 benefits " ; hath justification, reconciliation, adoption, 
 sanctification, glorification. The law still remains as a 
 rule of life, but while the eternal curse of God falls upon 
 the unregenerate for their disobedience, God does not 
 withdraw his loving-kindness from the regenerate, but 
 accepts their imperfect obedience when they observe the 
 will of Christ by confessing and lamenting their sin, by 
 desiring mercy in the blood of Christ and more of his 
 spirit, by returning to him the praise of the least ability 
 to do his will. The church is " the number of God's 
 
 elect None are to be members of the church but such 
 
 as are members of Christ by faith." The members are 
 bound to cleave to Christ by faith, and to one another 
 also by brotherly love. By uniting with a particular 
 church the believer receives special benefits and prom- 
 ises. The ceremonial observances are the two sacra- 
 ments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. 
 
 I have taken these statements from the Catechism, 
 nearly in the words of the author. These doctrines are 
 
LECTURE IV. 77 
 
 more clearly unfolded in his larger treatises, and to those 
 I must refer any one who wishes to know more fully 
 what Shepard taught. His views of sin were deep and 
 painful. His consciousness of sin tormented him. He 
 was ready to refer his own troubles, and the sorrows of 
 those connected with him, to his wickedness. He has 
 left a record of certain " Meditations and Spiritual Ex- 
 periences," concerning which David Brainerd says in 
 the Preface, that whoever reads attentively " must own 
 that he finds a greater appearance of true humility, self- 
 emptiness, self-loathing, sense of great unfruitfulness, 
 selfishness, exceeding vileness of heart and smallness 
 of attainments in grace, than some are willing to admit 
 of." He dealt severely with himself; yet his heart 
 rested on God, and from his despondency he sprang 
 back upon the Divine mercy and promises. He closes 
 the record, " I saw also how exceeding precious Christ 
 was, by whom I came to have all favors, and how pre- 
 cious his blood was, so as I desired to rejoice in nothing 
 but in Christ." His portrayal of the punishment of the 
 wicked is frightful. But this is matched by his por- 
 trayal of redemption. " Christ is a redeemer by strong 
 hand," he cries. " Here is encouragement to the vilest 
 sinner, and comfort, to the self-succorless and lost sin- 
 ner. ' 0, look up here to the Lord Jesus, who can do 
 that cure for thee in a moment which all creatures 
 
 cannot do in many years God, as a creator, having 
 
 made a law, will not forgive one sin without the blood 
 of Christ ; nay, Christ's blood will not do it neither, if 
 thou dost join never so little that thou hast or dost unto 
 Jesus Christ, and makest thyself or any of thy duties 
 copartners with Christ in that great work of saving 
 thee. Cry out, therefore, as that blessed martyr did, 
 ' None but Christ, none but Christ.' " 
 
78 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 It is interesting to mark the place which his teach- 
 ing gave to children. This is made clear by a treatise 
 sent to a friend as a letter, and afterwards published 
 with the title, " The Church Membership of Children 
 and their Eight to Baptism, according to the holy and 
 everlasting covenant of God, established between him- 
 self and the faithful, and their seed after them, in their 
 generations." This was " published at the earnest re- 
 quest of many, for the consolation and encouragement 
 both of parents and children in the Lord." Dr. Albro 
 says of this, " Of all the works upon Infant Baptism 
 which have been written in New England, this letter 
 of Shepard's may be regarded as one of the most able 
 and satisfactory." His main positions are that "the 
 children of professing believers are in the same cov- 
 enant God made with Abraham : that baptism is a seal 
 of our first entrance and admission into covenant, and 
 therefore is to be immediately applied to children of 
 believing parents as soon as ever they be in covenant, 
 and that is as soon as they become the visible seed of 
 
 the faithful The children of godly parents, though 
 
 they do not manifest faith in the gospel, yet they are 
 to-be accounted of God's Church until they positively 
 reject the gospel, either in themselves or in their par- 
 ents." He cherished " high thoughts of faith " concern- 
 ing them, as children and sons of God by promise. 
 "For want of faith in God's promise about our children, 
 certainly God smites and forsakes many of our chil- 
 dren." I commend this work to the reading of all with 
 whom God graciously offers to make covenant for their 
 children's sake. It is most touching to see the anxiety 
 of this young father to have his son baptized. Hunted 
 and watched as he was in England, he was not able 
 
LECTURE IV. 79 
 
 safely to obtain for him this Christian ordinance in its 
 purity until he had found a new home. Most tenderly 
 does he admonish that son afterwards : " God gave thee 
 the ordinance of baptism, whereby God is become thy 
 God, and is beforehand with thee, that whenever you 
 shall return to God, he will undoubtedly receive you ; 
 and this is a most high and happy privilege : and there- 
 fore bless God for it." We are loyal to this beginning, 
 for this Divine ordinance of our holy religion is held. 
 in high honor; and few are the children born into this 
 church who are not blessed with its sacred advantage. 
 
 "We are able to learn from the published writings of 
 Shepard his views regarding the Sabbath. In a long 
 treatise he discusses the Lord's Day in all its bearings. 
 It contains the substance of several sermons, and was 
 thrown into the form of theses at the earnest request 
 of the students in the College for their use. In these 
 days, when the Sabbath is so much misunderstood, and 
 when the Puritan idea of the day is thought austere 
 and formal to the last extreme, these masterly pages 
 will be found profitable reading. The question of the 
 Sabbath had been considered and settled, in the minds 
 of the Puritans before they left England. The English 
 reformers accounted the day holy. Elizabeth took 
 much lower ground, and by her precept encouraged her 
 people to engage in active labors on the Lord's Day, 
 and by her example to devote a part of the day to 
 merry-making. The people went farther than the 
 Queen designed. Fairs, markets, festivals, work of all 
 kinds, games, theatrical performances, profaned the con- 
 secrated time. At length a frightful accident at a 
 bear-baiting on the Sabbath alarmed the people, and 
 aroused the public conscience. A bill passed Parlia- 
 
80 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 ment " for the better and more reverent observing of 
 the Sabbath day." The Queen refused her signature, 
 because " she would suffer nothing to be altered in a 
 matter of religion or ecclesiastical government." 
 
 The leaders of the movement would not rest there. 
 The appeal to law had failed. There was another 
 tribunal, — the popular heart. This was not addressed 
 in vain. A reformation followed, in which the Puritans 
 took the foremost part. Many who believed with the 
 Puritans in the sacredness of the day, and favored its 
 scrupulous observance, became alienated from the Es- 
 tablished Church, whose influence was thrown on the 
 other side. It came to pass after a time that " a rigid 
 or lax observance of the Lord's Day was the sign by 
 which, above all others, the two parties were distin- 
 guished." Out of this contest, from this reformation 
 and these divisions, from this settlement of the ques- 
 tion, our fathers came here to begin a state, to whose 
 well-being the keeping of the Sabbath was essential. 
 But one who reads the work of Shepard will be con- 
 vinced that, however rigid may have been their domes- 
 tic and public Sabbath laws, they kept the day as a 
 sacred, precious time, finding its advantage not in 
 austerities or formalities, but in real spiritual benefits, 
 which no man, no house, could gain save by remem- 
 bering the Sabbath day to keep it holy. With these 
 exalted ideas of the worth of the day, Mr. Shepard 
 urged upon men a faithful regard for its duties and 
 privileges. He rested for authority upon the Fourth 
 Commandment, and recognized the first day of the 
 week as the Christian Sabbath. In regard to the 
 beginning of this holy period he says, " At evening, 
 after the setting of the light of the body of the sun, 
 
LECTURE IV. 81 
 
 wherein darkness begins to be predominant over the 
 light, the Sabbath begins." It was to be a day of rest : 
 not of common, but of sacred or holy rest. He says, 
 " The Lord enjoins this rest from labor upon this day, 
 not so much for the rest's sake, but because it is a 
 medium or means of that holiness which the Lord 
 
 requires upon this day Works of necessity, not 
 
 only for preservation of life, but also for comfort and 
 
 comeliness of life, are not unlawful We are to 
 
 abstain from all servile work, not so much in regard of 
 the bare abstinence from work, but that, having no work 
 of our own to mind or do, we might be wholly taken up 
 with God's work, being wholly taken off from our own 
 that he may speak with us, and reveal himself more 
 fully and familiarly to us (as friends do when they get 
 alone), having called and carried us out of the noise and 
 
 crowd of all worldly occasions and things Upon 
 
 every Sabbath we -should be in a holy manner drowned 
 in the cares and thoughts and affections of the things of 
 
 God Such is the overflowing and abundant love 
 
 of a blessed God that it will have some special times of 
 
 special fellowship and sweetest mutual embracings 
 
 Herein God's great love appears to weary, sinful, rest- 
 less man ; all the treasures of his most rich and precious 
 love are set open." I make these extended quotations 
 that you may see what views of the Sabbath were cher- 
 ished by one of the chiefest Puritan ministers. To keep 
 the day according to his principles would make the 
 Sabbath a delight for old and young. He regarded the 
 Sabbath as a day to be kept in spirit and in truth. 
 
 His idea of heaven was spiritual. It was not simply 
 a place full of delight for any one who might get 
 through a gate ; it was a place where the time is 
 
 6 
 
82 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 passed in the enjoyment of God and holiness, in love 
 for Christ the Saviour. If one had shown no interest 
 in these things here, there was little for him to antici- 
 pate with joy as he looked on to a future life. 
 
 It will be obvious, from all that has been said, that 
 Thomas Shepard was a man of an eminently spiritual 
 temper. He was thoroughly sincere. Against self- 
 deception he continually admonished his hearers. His 
 lectures upon the Parable of the Ten Virgins are full of 
 warnings against having vessels without oil, and lamps 
 whose light would go out. This hurried survey of his 
 teachings should convince us that the Puritans were 
 men of heart, of feeling, of affection ; earnest in religion, 
 even up to exile for its sake, but able to know the sweet- 
 ness of religion and to enjoy the choicest of its benefits. 
 
 To preach the truth Shepard made careful prepara- 
 tion. His manner and matter agreed well. He learned 
 before he taught. He made thorough work of a subject. 
 His style is condensed, almost devoid of ornament, rich 
 in comparisons and similes, clear and nervous. Pie was 
 much in prayer. He lived deeply and thought deeply. 
 Hence his works have not grown old. They are grand 
 reading still. Some one has made the computation that 
 in the " Treatise concerning the Eeligious Affections," by 
 Jonathan Edwards, of the one hundred and thirty-two 
 quotations more than one half are from Thomas Shepard. 
 His writings are rich in pithy sentences, condensations 
 of truth. I wish I could read many of them to you, 
 but must be content with two or three. " The body 
 may as well subsist without the soul, as the soul can 
 without a promise. Do not flutter up and down from 
 one promise to another, but lie a great while on some 
 one, and wring and squeeze it, by meditation upon it." 
 
LECTURE IV. 83 
 
 " A woman that is matched to a prince may have never 
 a penny in her purse, and yet she rejoiceth in that her 
 husband hath it." Thus he illustrates the wealth of 
 the poor man who is one with Christ. " Mariners long 
 to be on shore ; but before they come there they would 
 not venture in a mist, but see land first ; so should we 
 desire the Lord in the land of the living. It is the 
 honor of a Christian to be ripe for death betimes, yet 
 still before he is ripe he is not to desire it. Children 
 that will be up before it is day must be whipped ; a rod 
 is most fit for them ; stay till it is day." 
 
 He took time to prepare himself for preaching. It 
 is said that he always finished his preparation for the 
 pulpit by two o'clock on Saturday afternoon, accounting 
 " that God would curse that man's labors who goes 
 lumbering up and down in the world all the week, and 
 then upon Saturday afternoon goes into his study, when, 
 as God knows, that time were little enough to pray in 
 and weep in and get his heart into a frame fit for the 
 approaching Sabbath." Thus tearfully, prayerfully, did 
 he make ready for the house of God, taking to his own 
 heart the truth he preached to others, and declaring the 
 counsel of God as one who is to give account. He dealt 
 honestly with his hearers. He sought no smooth things 
 to please those who needed to be aroused, but spoke the 
 truth with great plainness, always in love. With firm- 
 ness and kindness he guarded his people against their 
 own delusive hopes, promoted the interests of the 
 church committed to his care, and advised others which 
 sought his counsel. He was a shrewd man and a 
 skilful casuist, as is shown by his treatise called " Cer- 
 tain Select Cases resolved ; especially tending to the 
 right ordering of the heart." In controversy he was fair, 
 
84 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 candid, charitable, striving for the upholding of the 
 truth. So successfully did he watch over his own flock, 
 that it was largely saved from the errors and commo- 
 tions which disturbed many churches around him. 
 Conscious of his faults, convicted of sin, he trusted so 
 implicitly in the Saviour Christ, and his revealed truth, 
 that he could preach the gospel with such unction that 
 others, sinners like himself, heard to believe and obey. 
 A tradition has come down that he " scarce ever 
 preached a sermon but some one or other of his congre- 
 gation were struck with great distress, and cried out in 
 agony, What shall I do to be saved ? " There is a glow 
 and fervor in his sermons, even as we see them on the 
 cold page, which accounts for their power. He pleads 
 w T ith men. His earnestness yet lingers in his sentences. 
 In the frequent repetition of the " 0," with which he 
 appealed to his hearers, we have a glimpse of his longing 
 desire to have men heed his message of life and live. 
 He is described as " a poor, weak, pale-complectioned 
 man," but his words had a marvellous power. This is 
 evident from the epithets which different persons have 
 applied to him. He is called " the holy, heavenly, 
 sweet-affecting and soul-ravishing minister " ; " this 
 soul-melting preacher " ; his was an " orthodox and 
 soul-flourishing ministry." He was " that gracious, 
 sw r eet, heavenly-minded, and soul-ravishing minister, 
 in whose soul the Lord shed abroad his love so abun- 
 dantly that thousands of souls have cause to bless God 
 for him." " A man of a thousand, endued with abun- 
 dance of true, saving knowledge for himself and others ; 
 yet his natural parts were weak, but spent to the full." 
 
 " Shepheard's sweet sermons from thy blessing came " — 
 " Oh Christ why dost thou Shepheard take away, 
 In erring times when sheepe most apt to stray ? " 
 
LECTURE IV. 85 
 
 It will naturally be asked, What was the influence of 
 such a man upon society ? It was healthful in every 
 way. He was a good overseer of the College. In 1636 
 he was entreated by the General Court to join with the 
 governor and others in making a draft of laws agreeable 
 to the Word of God, to be the " fundamentals of this 
 commonwealth." Without limiting ourselves to Cam- 
 bridge, we can learn from many sources what the commu- 
 nity was which Puritans, Puritan preaching, Puritan in- 
 fluences, formed. It was a community which reverenced 
 God, his Word, his Sabbath, his church. The Bible was 
 the supreme law, but this was no sealed book ; it was 
 to be read by all, that every man might know his duty. 
 They gave their interpretation to it, and were careful 
 whom they made teachers ; but it was an interpretation 
 founded on the book itself and sustained by argument ; 
 and on the strength of that interpretation they had for- 
 saken the land and church they loved, and in its appli- 
 cation their success and hope were bound up. It was 
 a community which endowed a college with a liberality 
 which should excite this generation ; and founded 
 schools, and set good men over them, — men who feared 
 God and knew his truth ; which provided that children 
 should be trained to some useful employment ; which 
 preserved its own morality and exalted the Christian 
 virtues ; which dealt so kindly by criminals, that, 
 when English law punished more than thirty offences 
 with death, here the extreme penalty was reserved for 
 ten crimes ; which loved freedom so well, that, with 
 slavery sent upon it, there has not been a slave born in 
 Massachusetts since 1641 ; which cherished kindly feel- 
 ings towards the Indians around it, and sought their 
 present and eternal well-being; which prospered in 
 
86 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 adversity, and kept its place and name till colonies could 
 become a nation ; which made its own time memorable 
 for its valor and devotion, and wrote the first lines in 
 the nation's heroic annals. It was a community of men 
 with human limitations and infirmities ; but of strong 
 men, bent upon the right, instructed in all good learn- 
 ing. They were firm, but they were not bigots. They 
 kept to their original purpose, and would not brook 
 destructive interference. But the world was not so 
 narrow that all men must live here. Any who disliked 
 Puritan ways could follow their own ways on sunnier 
 shores. They were not morose, sour, tyrannical. There 
 were some such, it may be ; there are now. Men of 
 bigoted temper, long visaged, sullen, are to be seen any 
 day in our streets. They are not puritanic, they are 
 badly human ; not a reproach to the fathers, but a sor- 
 row to us. That snarling remark, of Macaulay that 
 " the Puritan hated bear-baiting, not because it gave 
 pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the 
 spectators," is simply a blunder, or a falsehood, certainly 
 so far as it relates to those who consented to expatria- 
 tion in devotion to liberty and truth, in love for God 
 and man. One of our own countrymen, who will not be 
 suspected of any undue admiration of the early settlers 
 of New England, has frankly said, — according to the 
 public report, — that the only intolerance they indulged 
 in was the " noble sort which belongs to those who are 
 absolutely confident that they are the servants of 
 almighty truth. They were not intolerant of things 
 that meddled with their private interests ; they were 
 intolerant of those who hated God and loved sin and 
 worked in iniquity, and that is the sort of intolerance," 
 continues Mr. Emerson, " I should be glad to see a g' aat 
 
LECTURE IV. 37 
 
 deal more of to-day, here and everywhere." We have 
 been reading the story of one Puritan minister ; in him 
 we may see how the two parts of a vigorous, manful 
 character were united, the strength and gentleness, the 
 firmness and affection, the courage which made a 
 nation in a wilderness and laid its hand of blessing on 
 the heads of children. 
 
 We are permitted to recognize the influence of 
 Thomas Shepard upon certain individuals, and from 
 their experience to infer his influence upon others. The 
 narrative of the famous Edward Johnson has become 
 familiar. He came hither for the second time in 1636, 
 a zealous Puritan. It seems probable that he had known 
 Shepard in England, possibly had been instructed by 
 him. He arrived here at the height of the Antinomian 
 controversy, and was nearly beside himself with the 
 commotion and strife. He wandered out from Charles- 
 town till he came to a large plain, where he heard the 
 sound of a drum, and he moved towards it along a broad, 
 beaten way. Meeting a man, he asked what the drum 
 meant, and was told that it was to call people to the 
 meeting-house where Mr. Shepard preached. He found 
 his way to the house, where he stayed till the glass was 
 turned up twice, and he was " metamorphosed, and was 
 fain to hang down his head lest his watery eyes should 
 blab abroad the secret conjunction of his affections." 
 The words of the preacher impressed him, so aptly did 
 he apply the truth, as if he had been Christ's privy 
 councillor. The result was that he resolved to live and 
 die with the ministers of New England. He was a man 
 of learning and property, and had a leading part in the 
 erecting of a church and town at Woburn, and in the 
 administration of public affairs. 
 
88 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 We have another illustration of Mr. Shepard's in- 
 fluence. In 1638 there came from England one Thomas 
 Fuller. He proposed to make a tour of observation, 
 and, when he had gratified his curiosity, to return home. 
 But while in Massachusetts he heard the preaching of 
 Thomas Shepard. Through his influence he became in- 
 terested in the religion of the Puritans, in their methods 
 and purposes, so that he decided to remain here, and 
 bought a large tract of land in New Salem and settled 
 down upon it. He married here, and died sixty years 
 after his coming to the country. He founded a large and 
 eminent family, and his descendants now worship with 
 us in this house of the Lord. 
 
 Mr. Shepard's own sons, in their after-career, praise 
 him for his wisdom and fidelity. Thomas graduated 
 in 1653 and became pastor of the church in Charles- 
 town, to be succeeded in the pastoral office by his son. 
 Samuel graduated in 1658, and became pastor of the 
 church at Eowley. Jeremiah graduated in 1669, and 
 was ordained as pastor at Lyme, Conn., and enjoyed a 
 ministry of forty-one years. " These all died in faith." 
 
 As we read the names of those who were in college 
 during Mr. Shepard's ministry, we have another in- 
 dication of his influence. His sympathies must have 
 gone out to the youth who came to his humble sanctu- 
 ary to learn the greatest lessons. Out of this happy 
 seminary, says Cotton Mather, " there proceeded many 
 notable preachers, who were made such very much by 
 their sitting under Mr. Shepard's enlightening and pow- 
 erful ministry." Among the young men who listened 
 to him and were to a greater or less degree influenced 
 by him, was William Hubbard, long the most eminent 
 minister in the county of Essex ; a man of learning, a 
 
LECTURE IV. 89 
 
 superior writer, a good historian ; of a catholic spirit, 
 greatly interested in the Indians, and diligent in his 
 efforts for their good. And Samuel Mather, of that 
 house whose name and deeds are intertwined with our 
 early ecclesiastical history, who was himself one of the 
 first Fellows of* Harvard College, afterward a chaplain 
 at Oxford, and Senior Fellow at Dublin, where he was 
 pastor of a church. And Samuel Danforth, Tutor and 
 Fellow of the College, colleague of John Eliot, ac- 
 counted among the first ministers of his day. And 
 William Ames, son of the famous William Ames, the 
 acute controversialist who fled from England to the 
 Continent, where he was Professor of Theology, and for 
 a time was the opponent of John Bobinson. The father 
 designed to come to New England, and after his death 
 the mother came with the son, who graduated in the 
 class of 1645, and returned to England, where he 
 preached till he was ejected for nonconformity, and 
 still preached on, filling up a ministry of forty-nine 
 years. And John Brock, the laborious pastor, the 
 shrewd fisher of men, mighty in prayer, full of faith 
 and of the Holy Ghost, toiling with success until, " as 
 the ancients expressed it, he took his journey a little 
 before his body into another country." And John 
 Bogers, president. And Urian Oakes, pastor and pres- 
 ident. And Leonard Hoar, president. And Samuel 
 Phillips, the eldest son of the first minister of Water- 
 town, "an incomparable man, had he not been the 
 father of Samuel " ; a man so much respected and 
 beloved by his people that they made provision for the 
 education of his son, who for a long term of years was 
 the minister of Bowley ; who was the ancestor of men 
 able and willing to make the house illustrious bv 
 
90 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 founding the academies at Andover and Exeter, and 
 writing the family name upon them. There are still 
 extant notes of the sermons of Mr. Shepard in the 
 handwriting of Samuel Phillips. 
 
 This glance at some of the men who came within the 
 range of Shepard's preaching and pefsonal influence 
 will convince us how effective and enduring his work was. 
 It is worthy of our boasting, that, from the beginning 
 to our own time, so goodly a portion of our congregation 
 is always enrolled in the catalogue of Harvard College. 
 
 There was one other student of whom special 
 mention must be made. This carries forward the 
 history we are reading. At the head of the names of 
 the class of 1647 stands Jonathan Mitchel, Mr., Socius. 
 Once again the history of our church springs from 
 Yorkshire, England, where Mitchel was born in 1624. 
 He was the son of pious and wealthy parents, who sought 
 " to make him learned by a proper education." When 
 he was about eleven years of age, in feebleness of body 
 because of a recent illness, his parents were compelled 
 to leave England on account of the persecutions there, 
 and they sailed for this country in company with many 
 other Puritans. After a perilous voyage they reached 
 Boston in the summer of 1635. The family soon 
 settled in Connecticut. Because of the feeble health of 
 the son, troubles with the Indians, contentions in the 
 community, and severe domestic misfortunes, the studies 
 of young Mitchel were suspended for seven years, and 
 he* was employed in secular affairs. But his studies 
 were resumed at his own desire, and the earnest advice 
 and entreaty of friends who marked his great capacity 
 for learning. He seems to have been mature even in his 
 youth. " He had a clear head, a copious fancy, a solid 
 
LECTURE IV. 91 
 
 judgment, a tenacious memory, and a certain discretion 
 without any childish levity in his behavior, which com- 
 manded respect from all that viewed him ; so that it 
 might be said of him, they that knew him from a child 
 never knew him any other than a man." His severe 
 sickness seems to have made him serious. The sudden 
 death of a servant, who " instead of going to the lecture 
 at Hartford, as he had been allowed and advised, would 
 needs go fell a tree for himself," and was killed by the 
 falling of a bough, did much stir the heart of the youth, 
 and set him upon repentance. He entered college in 
 1645, and came at once under the influence of Mr. 
 Shepard. Concerning the impression made upon him 
 during his student life by that godly minister, Mitchel 
 testified, " Unless it had been four years living in heaven, 
 I know not how I could have more cause to bless God 
 with wonder, than for those four years." While in college, 
 and afterwards, he kept a brief diary in Latin, from which 
 Mather makes copious extracts. These reveal a close 
 watch of his spiritual state, a deep humility and abase- 
 ment of soul, and a strong desire to walk with God. 
 Sometimes on Saturday he would retire into the neigh- 
 boring woods and there spend a great part of the day 
 in self-examination and mourning and praying. He 
 had done this even when a school-boy. After graduating, 
 he was made one of the Fellows of the College, and 
 for a time was Tutor. His learning, gravity, and piety 
 commended him to all. He used his offices well, and to 
 the customary instruction of his scholars added diligent 
 efforts for their spiritual good. While residing at college 
 he wrote to his brother, who sought the counsel, what 
 Mather calls "that golden letter," wherein he showed 
 how well fitted he was, both by study and experience, 
 for the ministry of the gospel. 
 
92 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 Several churches sought to make him their pastor. 
 " The Church of Hartford sent a man and horse above 
 an hundred miles to obtain a visit from him, in expecta- 
 tion to make him the successor of their ever-famous 
 Hooker." With much shrinking he went to Hartford 
 and preached his first sermon from the text, " He 
 endured, as seeing Him who is invisible." He was 
 greatly dissatisfied witli himself, but the church on the 
 next day "concluded to give him an invitation to settle 
 among them." They offered to allow him to remain at 
 the College another year, and to advance him money to 
 procure a library. But Mr. Shepard and the principal 
 persons here had been before them, and had prayed him 
 to come back as free as he went up, " insomuch as he 
 did upon divers accounts most belong to Cambridge, 
 and Cambridge did hope that he would yet more be- 
 long unto them." When this was first mentioned to 
 him by Mr. Shepard, he wrote in his diary, " I wondered 
 at this matter ! What is it that the people of God sees 
 in me ? I left the whole business to the Divine man- 
 agement." On the 12th of August, 1649, he preached 
 here. In the evening Mr. Shepard told him " this was 
 the place where he should, by right, be all the rest of 
 his days." Mr. Shepard inquired of some good people 
 " how Mr. Mitchel's first sermon was approved among 
 them. They told him, very well. Then, said he, my 
 work is done." In less than a fortnight, Shepard was 
 called to his rest ; " so that the unanimous desire of 
 Cambridge for Mr. Mitchel to be their pastor was 
 hastened, with several circumstances of necessity for 
 him to comply with their desire." On the 21st of 
 August, 1650, he became the minister of this church. 
 The neighboring pastors ordained him. John Cotton 
 
LECTURE IV. 93 
 
 gave liim the right hand of fellowship. Thenceforth 
 he filled the office in which he had been set by Christ 
 and the Church. Of this ministry I must speak more 
 particularly at another time. But the great reputation 
 which he acquired, and the high estimate set upon his 
 talent and success, are abundantly proved by the tes- 
 timonies published after his decease. Morton pro- 
 nounces it an eminent favor of God to this church to 
 have had the vacancy made by Shepard's death filled 
 " with a man of so much of the spirit and principles of 
 the former pastor, and so excellently qualified with re- 
 spect to the College." " For," he continues, " reason and 
 prudence requireth that the minister of that place be 
 more than ordinarily endowed with learning, gravity, 
 wisdom, orthodoxness, ability, sweet and excellent gifts 
 in preaching ; that so the scholars which are devoted 
 and set apart, in order to be preachers of the gospel, 
 might be seasoned with the spirit of such an Elijah ; 
 in which regard this holy man of God was eminently 
 furnished, and his labors wonderfully blessed ; for very 
 many of the scholars, bred up in his time, do savor of 
 his spirit, for grace and manner of preaching, which 
 was most attractive." It is pleasant to see how im- 
 portant this position was considered, and how well 
 fitted to occupy it Shepard and Mitchel were found. 
 
 This second pastor, like the first, was a student ; " an 
 over-hard student," one says, imperilling his health by 
 sparing no time for recreation ; yet " from a principle 
 of godliness he used himself to bodily exercise." His 
 advice to another illustrates his own feeling in regard 
 to his work. " My serious advice to you is, that you 
 keep out of company, as far as Christianity and civility 
 will give you leave ; take it from me ! the time spent 
 
94 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 in your study you will generally find spent the most 
 profitably, comfortably, and accountably." His sermons 
 cost him pains. " He ordinarily meddled with no points," 
 says Cotton Mather, " but what he managed with such 
 an extraordinary invention, curious disposition, and 
 copious application, as if he would leave no material 
 thing to be said of it by any that should come after 
 him." He took a prominent part in the concerns of 
 the College. " The College was nearer unto his heart 
 than it was to his house, though next adjoining to it." 
 " He loved a scholar dearly ; but his heart was fervently 
 set upon having the land all over illuminated with the 
 spirit of a learned education. To this end he became 
 a father to the College which had been his mother." 
 He was actively engaged in the general ecclesiastical 
 affairs. In all places he acquitted himself well. Pres- 
 ident Chauncy said, " I know no man in this world 
 that I could envy so much as worthy Mr. Mitchel, for 
 the great holiness, learning, wisdom, and meekness, and 
 other qualities of an excellent spirit, with which the Lord 
 Jesus Christ hath adorned him." Eichard Baxter said 
 of him, " that if there could be convened an (Ecumen- 
 ical council of the whole Christian world, that man 
 would be worthy to be the Moderator of it." 
 
 In person Mitchel was at first slender, but afterwards 
 grew corpulent. Or, in the words of an old biographer, 
 " of extream Lean, he soon grew extream Fat." The 
 fever in his tenth year settled in his arm, so that as it 
 grew it kept a little bent, and he could never stretch 
 it out right. His manner of preaching was peculiarly 
 effective and pleasing. His fame was in all the re- 
 gion. From the neighboring towns people flocked to his 
 monthly lecture, and listened to his exposition of the 
 
LECTURE IV. 95 
 
 grandest truths of duty and destiny. It is said that 
 " his utterance had such a becoming tunableness and 
 vivacity to set it off as was indeed inimitable ; though 
 many of our eminent preachers, that were in his time 
 students at the College, did essay to imitate him. And 
 though he were all along in his preaching as a very 
 lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, yet, as he 
 drew near to the close of his exercises, his comely fer- 
 vency would rise to a marvellous measure of energy. 
 He would speak with such a transcendent majesty 
 and liveliness, that the people would often shake under 
 his dispensations, as if they had heard the sound of the 
 trumpet from the burning mountain, and yet they would 
 mourn to think that they were going presently to be 
 dismissed from such an heaven upon earth." " He wrote 
 his sermons very largely, and then used with enlarge- 
 ments to commit all to his memory, without once look- 
 ing into his Bible after he had named his text, and yet 
 his sermons were scriptural." He had "a very clear 
 style," and was careful in his use of words. " Though 
 he preached long sermons, the people were never weary 
 of hearing them." From these descriptions of the man, 
 we can see with what reason President Mather exhorted 
 the members of the College, " Say each of you, Mitchel 
 shall be the example whom I will imitate." 
 
 Mitchel was to have married Sarah, the daughter of 
 John Cotton. When he " addressed himself unto the 
 venerable old Mr. Cotton for leave to become his son- 
 in-law," Mr. Cotton, " prognosticating the eminency 
 which he would arrive unto, gave leave unto it." " But 
 the immature death of that hopeful young gentlewoman " 
 prevented " so desirable a match." In November, 1650, 
 he married Margaret Shepard, second of that name, the 
 
96 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 young gentlewoman whom his predecessor had wedded 
 near the close of his life. The students celebrated the 
 marriage with epithalamiums, expressing the satisfaction 
 of all the good people in the vicinity at the union of the 
 minister whom they loved with one whom, for her own 
 excellences and the honor of her name, they held in 
 high regard. Upon the ancient Steward's book is an 
 entry in Mitchel's account whereby he is debtor 
 " by commones and sisinges and a super on his weedinge 
 night." Upon the records of the General Court is the 
 confirmation of a deed " wherein is conveyed to Mr. 
 Jonathan Mitchel, now husband of Margaret, the relict of 
 the said Mr. Shepard, a dwelling-house, yards, orcharde, 
 and seven acres of land adjoining thereunto, in behalf 
 of his said wife." The inventory of Mitchel's estate was 
 nearly £ 800. Two sons, Samuel and Jonathan, both 
 of whom graduated at the College, and one daughter, 
 Margaret, gladdened his home. 
 
 In the summer of 1668, " in an extream hot season," 
 after he had been preaching from the words, " I know 
 that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house ap- 
 pointed for all living," a putrid fever arrested him with 
 a mortal malignity, and on the 9th of July " it pleased 
 God to take him to rest and glory," in the eighteenth 
 year of his ministry, and the forty-fourth year of his 
 age. His departure caused a great mourning and 
 lamentation here among his own people, and through- 
 out the churches. " The chief remaining pillar of our 
 ministry," as Hull ventured to designate him, had fallen. 
 Only one sentence has come down to us from his last 
 hours. To a young man standing by his bed he said, 
 " My friend, as a dying man, I now charge you that you 
 don't meet me out of Christ in the day of Christ." In 
 
LECTURE IV. 97 
 
 our ancient church records is an entry of £ 8 13 s. 6 c?., 
 paid in silver, by the appointment of the committee for 
 the minister's house, unto the Deputy-Governor, Mr. 
 Francis Willoughby, for the discharge of Mr. Mitchei's 
 funeral. 
 
 There are a few expressive lines, signed " J. S.," which 
 stands, probably, for the Eev. John Sherman of Water- 
 town. They are entitled, " An Epitaph upon the de- 
 plored Death of that Super-eminent Minister of the 
 Gospel, Mr. Jonathan Mitchel." 
 
 " Here lyes the Darling of his time, 
 Mitchell, Expired in his prime ; 
 Who four years short of Forty seven 
 Was found full Ripe and pluck'd for Heaven. 
 Was full of prudent Zeal and Love, 
 Faith, Patience, Wisdome from above : 
 New England's stay, next Ages Story ; 
 The churches Gemme ; the Colledge Glory. 
 Angels may speak him ! Ah ! not I, 
 (Whose worth 's above Hyperbole) 
 But for our Loss, wer 't in my power, 
 I'de weep an Everlasting Shower. " 
 
LECTUKE V. 
 
 " SO HE FED THEM ACCORDING TO THE INTEGRITY OF HIS HEART; AND 
 GUIDED THEM BY THE SKILFULNESS OF HIS HANDS." — Psalm Ixxviii. 72. 
 
 THE Lord " chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount 
 Zion which he loved. He chose David also his 
 servant, and took him from the sheepfolds. From fol- 
 lowing the ewes great with young he brought him to 
 feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. So he 
 fed them according to the integrity of his heart ; and 
 guided them by the skilfulness of his hands." The sin- 
 gular favor with which God regarded his ancient people, 
 his continual care for their interests, and the prosperity 
 they enjoyed under his rule, have a parallel in the early 
 history of our own land, in the Divine watchfulness and 
 guidance granted to our fathers, in the abundant success 
 which crowned an enterprise undertaken in his name, 
 through love of his truth, with the hope of extending 
 his kingdom. We may well confess that a generous 
 portion of God's favor has been given to this church, if 
 our study of its history shall confirm and extend the 
 judgment of President Mather, that " there have been 
 few churches in the world so lifted up to heaven, in 
 respect of a succession of super-eminent ministers of the 
 gospel." The line of my predecessors in this office, long 
 in years, yet compassing few names, is one of which we 
 may gratefully boast ourselves a little. When we read 
 what men thought of Thomas Shepard, and repeat the 
 
LECTURE V. 99 
 
 sounding epithets with which the minister and his 
 ministry were described, we are hardly prepared to turn 
 from his early grave to find another standing in his 
 place, carrying forward his work, winning as lofty ad- 
 miration, wielding as wide an influence, seeming again 
 to impoverish the language in the demand for laudation 
 made by his character and work in his own and later 
 times. The sketch of the life of Jonathan Mitchel in the 
 Magnalia, under the title " Ecclesiastes," begins in this 
 way : " It is reported concerning the ancient Phrygians, 
 that, when a priest expired among them, they honored 
 him with a pillar ten fathom high, whereon they placed 
 his dead body, as if he were to continue, after his death, 
 from thence instructing the people. Nor can a minister 
 of the gospel have any more honorable funeral than 
 that by which his instruction of the people may be 
 most continued unto the people after his expiration. 
 But I may, without any danger of mistake, venture to 
 affirm, that there cannot easily be found a minister of 
 the gospel in our days more worthy to have the story of 
 his life employed for the instruction of mankind after 
 his decease than our excellent Mitchel. And therefore 
 I shall now endeavor to set him on as high a pillar as 
 the best history that I can give of his exemplary life 
 can erect for that worthy man ; for whom statues of 
 Corinthian brass were but inadequate acknowledgments.'" 
 It is both honorable and profitable for us to cherish the 
 memory and influence of one to wdiom we are so closely 
 related, to whom is assigned a position so conspicuous. 
 To some extent we have already surveyed his personal 
 history and character. It remains for us now to examine 
 his ministry with this church. We have seen that he 
 was a Yorkshire boy who, at eleven years of age, came 
 
100 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 to this country with his parents, who are described as 
 pious and wealthy persons ; that he graduated at our 
 College in 1647, and three years later was ordained and 
 installed as pastor of this church. It was greatly to 
 the joy of the church that he consented to become their 
 minister, and it comforted the last hours of Mr. Shepard 
 that he was to leave his beloved flock in so good hands. 
 Mr. Mitchel's own feelings, as he entered upon his work, 
 were those most becoming a man in his position. For 
 his predecessor he cherished the utmost reverence. I 
 have already repeated his words in which he expressed 
 his estimate of Mr. Shepard's influence. Speaking of 
 the time he spent at the College, he said, " Unless it had 
 been four years living in heaven, I know not how I could 
 have more cause to bless God with wonder than for 
 those four years." It is well that a pastor should highly 
 esteem his people. Of those committed to his charge, 
 Mitchel testifies " that they were a gracious, savoury- 
 spirited people, principled by Mr. Shepard, liking an 
 humbling, mourning, heart-breaking ministry and spirit; 
 living in religion, praying men and women. Here I 
 might have occasion of many sweet heart-breakings 
 before God, which I have so much need of. " The new 
 minister was a man of great talent, of deep and various 
 learning, a diligent student, an eloquent preacher, a 
 " most intense and faithful " pastor. He was of a very 
 humble spirit. He wondered what the people of God 
 saw in him, that they so much desired his labors among 
 them. He meditated much upon his own character and 
 the ways of God with him. He wrote in his diary, 
 " that I could remember this rule, never to go to 
 bed until I have had some renewed, special communion 
 with God." He sought to improve his trials. He would 
 
LECTURE V. 101 
 
 say, " When God personally afflicts a man, it is as if lie 
 called unto the man by name, and jogged him, and said, 
 ' 0, repent, be humbled, be serious, be awakened.' " Like 
 his predecessor, he traced a connection between his faults 
 and his trials. Kept from preaching by a hoarse cold, 
 he made this record : " My sin is legible in the chastise- 
 ment ; cold duties, cold prayers (my voice in prayer, 
 i.e. my spirit of prayer, "fearfully gone), my coldness in 
 my whole conversation, — chastisement with a cold ; I 
 fear that I have not improved my voice for God 
 formerly as I might have done, and therefore he now 
 takes it from me." " He wrote whole pages of lamen- 
 tations " at the death of several lovely children in their 
 infancy ; but he humbled himself under the mighty 
 hand of God, and was exalted in due time. When 
 death summoned him, he was ready to abide or to depart, 
 as it should be appointed for him. In near view of 
 dying, he " fell to admiring the manifold grace of God 
 unto him, and exclaimed, ' Lord, thou callest me away 
 to thee ; I know not why, if I look to myself ; but at 
 thy bidding I come.' " When he died, there was general 
 mourning throughout all the churches. " It was feared 
 there would be few more such rich grapes to be seen 
 growing in this unthankful wilderness." 
 
 With great promise of success, he entered upon what 
 was to form an eventful ministry. To attempt to state 
 the truth as he preached it would be to restate the views 
 of his predecessor. The truth which Thomas Shepard 
 preached has been the staple of the preaching in this 
 pastorate for almost two centuries and a half, and there 
 is no likelihood that it will cease to be preached and 
 heard until our Lord Christ cometh in the clouds of 
 heaven. How close was the agreement between your 
 
102 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 first two ministers is indicated by the publication of 
 Shepard's largest treatise, based upon the " Parable of 
 the Ten Virgins," under the direction of Mitchel, with 
 a Preface by him, in which he earnestly commended it 
 to his own people, as a choice and precious treasure for 
 their hearts to feed upon. Mitchel's preaching appears 
 to have been very systematic. " He preached over a 
 great part of the body of Divinity." " He made a most 
 entertaining exposition of the book of Genesis and 
 part of Exodus ; he made many incomparable dis- 
 courses on the first four chapters of John ; occasional 
 subjects he also handled with much variety; he likewise 
 kept a monthly lecture, where he largely handled man's 
 misery by sin and salvation by Christ, and entered on 
 the doctrine of obedience due thereupon, and vast 
 assemblies of people 'from all the neighboring towns 
 reckoned it highly worth their pains to repair unto 
 that lecture." 
 
 His ordinary labors were quite enough for him. But 
 he was obliged to engage in others, less to his taste, yet 
 needing to be done. Singularly his first public trial 
 came from one from whom he could have expected only 
 comfort and support. Henry Dunster, President of the 
 College, and a member of this church, was, to use the 
 language of Cotton Mather, " unaccountably fallen into 
 the briars of antipredo-baptism ; *and being briar'd in 
 the scruples of that persuasion, he not only forbore to 
 present an infant of his own unto the Baptism of our 
 Lord, but also thought himself under some obligation 
 to bear his testimony in some sermons against the 
 administration of baptism to any infant whatsoever." 
 This seems to have been in 1653 ; of course this made 
 a great excitement in the church and the community. 
 
LECTURE V. 103 
 
 The brethren of the church were somewhat vehement 
 and violent in the expression of their dissatisfaction 
 with the position taken by one so eminent. They thought 
 that for the good of the congregation, and to preserve 
 abroad the good name of the church, he should cease 
 preaching until he " had better satisfied himself in the 
 point doubted by him." The Divine ordinance which 
 he opposed was held in the highest veneration by our 
 fathers. It had come to them from the earliest days of 
 the church, and was sanctified before them by all the 
 saintly associations of life. It connected them with 
 God by his ancient covenant. It was a heavenly boon 
 to the child upon whom parental faith and fidelity 
 bestowed it. Its meaning and value and authority had 
 been carefully taught by their first minister, of blessed 
 memory. "With the boldness and decision with which 
 they set themselves against all wrong, all encroachment 
 upon religious ordinances, they lifted up their voice 
 against one who presumed to contradict what the 
 church had always held, and to deny where Shepard 
 affirmed ; and not even his sacred calling, nor his lofty 
 official position, could shield him from censure. If 
 Dunster might claim any consideration by virtue of his 
 character and office, it was to be remembered, on the other 
 hand, that it was especially important that such a man 
 should be right, and should be held to " the faith which 
 was once delivered unto the saints." But it was not 
 merely because it swerved from the faith of the church, 
 and opposed what was deemed an important duty and 
 an inestimable privilege, that this new doctrine was so 
 greatly dreaded and opposed. For a hundred years the 
 name Anabaptist, denoting primarily one who held that 
 the adult believer, though he had been baptized in in- 
 
104 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 fancy, should receive the rite again, had been associated 
 with fanaticism and extravagance. In Germany this sect 
 denied the authority of magistrates, opposed all laws, 
 made war against governments, rejected nearly all the 
 Christian doctrines, and were guilty of the most sedi- 
 tious and vicious practices. There is no necessary 
 connection between their views regarding baptism and 
 the enormities into which they hurried. But the his- 
 toric connection was enough to alarm the colonists here 
 in the critical period of their infancy. The dreaded 
 name was promptly applied to Dunster and those of like 
 judgment, who could accept the religious doctrine im- 
 plied in it, but could never have done the deeds which 
 had attended it in the Old World. It is not to our 
 present purpose to trace the conflicts of the Puritans 
 with those who opposed their religious opinions and 
 usages. But it is due to the Puritans that it should 
 never be forgotten that their active proceedings were 
 not against persons who simply differed from them in 
 points of doctrine, but against those who added to such 
 differences a hostility and opposition to the order of 
 things which the first settlers had secured at the cost 
 of expatriation. To have tolerated them, and let them 
 have their way, would have endangered the liberty and 
 peace which had been purchased at a heavy cost. Very 
 likely they went farther than was necessary in their 
 opposition to some who came among them. They may 
 have exaggerated their peril. But they are not entirely 
 without excuse. It is hard to transfer ourselves to 
 their place. We do not claim for them perfection 
 either in judgment or practice. They were men. But 
 they were grand men, of heroic virtue ; an ancestry of 
 whom we have yet to prove ourselves worthy. Mr. 
 
LECTURE V. 105 
 
 Peirce, in his excellent history of the University, com- 
 menting upon the case of Dunster, makes these distinc- 
 tions, which deserve notice : " Facts like these exhibit 
 our worthy ancestors to some advantage, even with re- 
 spect to a virtue in which they have been supposed not 
 to abound, — charity for those who differed from the 
 
 orthodox standard of faith They were rigid, 
 
 rather than cruel ; intolerant, but not inquisitorial ; 
 and they seem even to have been willing that men 
 should enjoy their peculiar sentiments without moles- 
 tation, so long as they refrained from obtruding them 
 upon the public, and conformed to those regulations 
 which were deemed necessary for the good order of 
 society." Let not our sympathy for those who claim to 
 be persecuted blind us to the fact that our Pilgrim and 
 Puritan fathers had some rights. They had paid dearly 
 enough for liberty to do as they pleased under the law 
 of God. For those who differed from them the world 
 was wide, and there were more genial spots than this 
 New England coast. 
 
 Keeping in mind the inestimable value of the ordi- 
 nance in question, and the practical significance of the 
 term Anabaptist, it is not surprising that we find in 
 1644 a decree of the Court that any persons who should 
 openly condemn or oppose the baptizing of infants, or 
 should go about secretly to draw others from the ap- 
 probation or use of the ordinance, or should purposely 
 depart from the congregation when it was administered, 
 or deny the lawful authority of the magistracy, and 
 should obstinately continue in this opposition after due 
 time and means of conviction, should be sentenced to 
 banishment. This was not a decree against mere error- 
 ists, but against fanatics and seditious persons. It was 
 
106 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 prompted by the prudence of men themselves banished 
 for conscience' sake, and for liberty and quiet in the 
 truth ; who dreaded to see here the turbulent scenes 
 which had been witnessed abroad, and who were com- 
 pelled to mark the beginning of similar causes here, 
 which would " bring guilt upon us, infection and trouble 
 to the churches, and hazard to the whole common- 
 wealth." Of this law Winslaw wrote that it was designed 
 always to remain a dead letter, unless there should arise 
 some extraordinary necessity for enforcing it. Two 
 years after the passage of the law the Court itself de- 
 clared, " For such as differ from us only* in judgment, 
 .... and live peaceably amongst us, without occasion- 
 ing disturbance, &c, such have no cause to complain ; 
 for it hath never been as yet put in execution against 
 any of them, although such are known to live amongst 
 us." Another law was passed " for banishing such as 
 continued obstinate after due conviction." The preamble 
 asserts that " experience hath often proved, that since 
 the first rising of the Anabaptists, about one hundred 
 years since, they have been the incendiaries of common- 
 wealths, and the infecters of persons in main matters of 
 religion, and the troublers of churches in all places where 
 they have been, and that they who have held the bap- 
 tizing of infants unlawful have usually held other errors 
 or heresies together therewith." 
 
 Both on religious and political grounds it was no 
 small thing which Dunster did when, in so sacred a 
 matter, he set himself against the sentiment of the 
 churches and the rulers. There was no danger that he 
 would be led into the excesses which were so much 
 dreaded. But even the ideas which he advanced upon 
 the simple matter of baptism would work incalculable 
 
LECTURE V. 107 
 
 mischief. It must have been with reluctance that this 
 church resisted his influence and rebuked his conduct, 
 for, besides his official station, he had been to them, after 
 Shepard's death, in the place of a pastor. But he was 
 of their own brotherhood, and with that inflexible ad- 
 herence to right and duty which characterized them 
 they moved against him. It was a trying position which 
 Mitch el was placed in, — called to oppose his own Presi- 
 dent, a man greatly revered and beloved. He was slow 
 to proceed against him. He thought the church too 
 much excited, and said " that more light and less heat 
 would do better." But the matter sorely oppressed him. 
 He felt his own weakness to grapple with the difficulties : 
 " This business did lie down and rise up, sleep and wake 
 with me." A personal interview with Dunster even 
 brought the young minister into doubts and scruples 
 whether he was himself in the right. Yet he thought 
 it was not hard to discern that such thoughts were from 
 the Evil One. They interrupted his study for the Sab- 
 bath, so that it was with difficulty he prepared his 
 sermon. " After the Sabbath was over," he writes, " and 
 I had time to reflect upon the thoughts of those things, 
 those thoughts of doubt departed, and I returned unto 
 my former frame." He fasted and prayed ; he sought 
 help from the neighboring ministers ; then publicly and 
 formally opposed the new teachings of the venerated 
 President. He is said to have " preached more than 
 half a score of ungainsayable sermons " upon the sub- 
 ject thus brought before the church, and to have ren- 
 dered good service to other churches in the same cause. 
 The steadfastness with which his church still clings to 
 the blessed ordinance of infant baptism is a witness to 
 his fidelity and success. 
 
108 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 It appears that Dunster was indicted by the grand 
 jury for disturbing the ordinance of baptism in this 
 church. The records of the County Court contain the 
 presentment against him. " Severall witnesses tendered 
 to attest uppon their oathes respectively, that uppon the 
 Lord's daye, July the 30th, 1654, Mr. Henry Dunster 
 spake to the congregation in the time of the publique 
 ordinance to the interruption thereof without leave, 
 which was also aggravated in that he, being desired by 
 the Elder to forbeare, and not to interrupt an ordinance 
 of Christ, yet notwithstanding he proceeded in way of 
 complaint, to the congregation, saying, I am forbidden 
 to speake that in Christ's name which I would have tes- 
 tified." Dunster afterwards acknowledged that for the 
 manner, he had not spoken seasonably, but for the matter, 
 " I conceived then, and so do still, that I spake the truth 
 in the fear of God, and dare not deny the same or go 
 from it untill the Lord otherwise teach me." The Court 
 ordered that Dunster, " at the next lecture at Cambridge, 
 should (by such magistrate as should then be present) 
 be publiquely admonished and give bond for his good 
 behavior." Dunster kept his place in the College till 
 1654, when the General Court passed a vote commend- 
 ing it to the pious care of the officers of the College and 
 the selectmen of the several towns, not to permit any 
 persons to be continued in the office of instructing the 
 youth in the College or schools, that have manifested 
 themselves unsound in the faith. As the views of 
 Dunster were well known, it is probable that he con- 
 sidered this vote as directed against himself ; and after 
 five months he resigned his office, and his resignation 
 was accepted. It is reported that the great mass of 
 ministers and magistrates would have retained him in 
 
LECTURE V. iQg 
 
 the office he had filled so well, if he could have been 
 persuaded to indulge in his peculiar opinions in silence. 
 This could not be effected. Some ground for the report, 
 which in itself is reasonable enough, is afforded by the 
 fact that his successor, Chauncy, was known to believe 
 that the Lord's Supper should be administered in the 
 evening of every Lord's Day, and that baptism should 
 be administered to infants and adults only by the dip- 
 ping or plunging of the whole body under water. He 
 was inducted into office upon his agreeing not to dissem- 
 inate or publish such tenets, or to oppose the received 
 doctrines therein. He doubtless adhered to his agree- 
 ment, for when he had been in town above a year or 
 two the " church kept a whole day of thanksgiving to 
 God for the mercy which they enjoyed in his being 
 here." 
 
 In a petition of touching pathos, Dunster begged 
 the privilege of remaining in the President's house 
 through the winter, to which the General Court agreed. 
 He afterwards removed to Scituate, where he ministered 
 to the congregation which Chauncy had left, and where 
 he died in 1659. He was a man of a remarkable spirit. 
 He bore himself with dignity and meekness through his 
 trials. He would not censure the conduct or motives of 
 those who had been influential in bringing about his 
 removal. In his last will he called Chauncy and 
 Mitchel his reverend, trusty, and judicious friends, and 
 appointed them appraisers of his library. He directed 
 that his body should be brought to Cambridge, that he 
 might lia near the College he had loved so fondly and 
 served so faithfully. He was laid in the old church- 
 yard, but the stone which marked the place disappeared. 
 His grave was, however, quite clearly identified some 
 
ft 
 HO FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 twenty-five years ago, when a new tablet was placed 
 over it. The esteem in which Mitchel held this great, 
 good man, is evinced by an elegy which he wrote after 
 Dunster's death, a portion of which I copy, as a tribute 
 to his own catholic spirit : — 
 
 ' ' Where faith in Jesus is sincere, 
 That soul, be saving, pardoneth ; 
 What wants or errors else be there, 
 That may and do consist therewith. 
 And though we be imperfect here, 
 And in one mind can't often meet, 
 ■ Who know in part, in part may err, 
 Though faith be one all do not see 't. 
 
 ' ' Yet may we once the rest obtain, 
 In everlasting bliss above, 
 Where Christ with perfect saints doth reign, 
 In perfect light and perfect love : 
 
 Then shall we all like-minded be, 
 
 Faith's unity is there full-grown ; 
 
 There one truth all both love and see, 
 
 And thence are perfect made in one." 
 
 Mitchel was called to bear a part in another impor- 
 tant public matter, and this also had reference to the 
 baptism of children. The first settlers of this country 
 were, for the most part, members of the church, and 
 their children were duly baptized. But in the course of 
 time there sprang up another generation of children, 
 many of whose parents had not renewed the baptismal 
 vows and become church-members, and who, therefore, 
 were not entitled to receive baptism according to the 
 rules then in force. It was felt that the children of 
 baptized persons should have a different position from 
 Indians or other pagans who might hear the word of 
 God. It was held by many, that if baptized parents, even 
 if not regenerate, were willing to renew the baptismal 
 
LECTURE V. HI 
 
 covenant, and become subject to church discipline, their 
 children could properly be baptized. This feeling and 
 practice were growing up in the churches, when a synod 
 of the elders and messengers of the churches was called. 
 This was held in Boston in the spring of 1662. Mr. 
 Mitchel was a member of this synod. The result was, 
 the declaration of the independence of each church, 
 and of the duty of the communion of churches, — that 
 is, Congregationalism. It was a frequent saying of 
 Mitchel's, that " the spirit of Christ is the spirit of 
 communion." In regard to the matter of baptism, the 
 result was, substantially, that the members of the visible 
 church are subjects of baptism, and that children are 
 members of the same church with their parents, and 
 when grown up are under the care of that church. But 
 this does not of itself admit them to full communion. 
 Yet when they understand and publicly profess the 
 faith, and are upright in life, and own the covenant, and 
 give themselves and their children to the Lord, and 
 submit themselves to the government of the church, 
 their children are to be baptized. 
 
 This result was chiefly composed by Mitchel, and when 
 it was opposed, its defence fell largely upon him. Thus 
 did he have an important part in shaping the early policy 
 of our churches. This decision in regard to baptism is 
 known as the " Half-way Covenant," inasmuch as it 
 granted baptism to the children of certain persons who 
 were not considered qualified for admission to the 
 Lord's Table. There arose in connection with this the 
 practice of administering baptism to adults who were 
 not esteemed regenerate, but who owned the covenant 
 and submitted themselves to the care of the church, and 
 were of proper moral character. This gave such persons 
 
112 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 a certain standing in the community, and was of especial 
 value as long as suffrage was confined to church-mem- 
 bers, and there were many persons born here, or who had 
 immigrated hither, who otherwise would be denied the 
 full privileges of citizens, for which they were fitted by 
 age and character. Our own church records, besides the 
 list of members in full communion, contain two lists, 
 both beginning in 1696, the earliest date to which our 
 present complete records reach. Of these two subordi- 
 nate lists, one is headed, " Persons who owned the cove- 
 nant in order to their children's being baptized." This 
 extends to 1828. The other is headed, " Persons adult 
 who owned the covenant and were baptized." This ex- 
 tends to 1782, and is quite largely made up of the names 
 of negro servants. The use of the " Half-way Covenant " 
 for children seems to have continued in this church until 
 the division of the parish, although during the later 
 years but few persons availed themselves of its pro- 
 visions. 
 
 There must always have been, as there are now, those 
 who esteemed it a hardship to be denied the sacraments 
 of the church because they did not profess a personal 
 faith in the Saviour, and give evidence to themselves 
 and others that they had been born of the Spirit of 
 God. To these we may answer, in the words of an old 
 writer, " that Christianity is to be begun with repent- 
 ance, and not with the sacraments " ; that the promise 
 is, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; 
 and that for the penitent, trustful, obedient friends of 
 Christ the doors of the church stand open wide. 
 
 Mitchel was accounted a man wise in council, and 
 of great acuteness, so that the churches far and near 
 sought his assistance in difficult matters. His brethren 
 
LECTURE V. 113 
 
 relied much upon his judgment. Yet he felt his own 
 inadequacy to the work thus put upon him. Once, 
 after he had acquitted himself admirably in an impor- 
 tant matter, we find him writing, " How do I mar 
 God's work, and mar what he gives me therein, by my 
 own folly ! Sometimes I am ready to resolve to put 
 forth myself no more in public work, but keep myself 
 silent, and unengaged, as I see others do." Then fol- 
 lows a prayer for wisdom. He seems to have been 
 happiest in his study and among his own people. Yet 
 he would not refuse a wider service. A few of his 
 published writings still remain to instruct us. 
 
 From this more public ministerial life of Mitchel 
 we come to consider events more confined to our own 
 town and church. What was Cambridge in Mitchel's 
 day ? He became the minister in 1650. We have an es- 
 timate of the number of persons and of their estate, made 
 by the selectmen in 1647, from which it appears that 
 there were then here one hundred and thirty-five rata- 
 ble persons, ninety houses, about twenty-six hundred 
 acres of land, two hundred and eight cows, one hun- 
 dred and thirty-one oxen, twenty horses, with other 
 property of different kinds, making up a total valuation 
 of £ 9,765 16 s. 1 cl, — less than $ 50,000. Johnson de- 
 scribes Cambridge in 1652 as "compact closely within 
 itself, till of late years some few straggling houses have 
 been built. It hath well-ordered streets and comely, 
 completed with the fair building of Harvard College. 
 The people are at this day in a thriving condition in 
 outward things." He confirms what others have said, 
 that they " have hitherto had the ministry of the word 
 by more than ordinary instruments." 
 
 Attention was given to the cultivation of orchards, 
 
 8 
 
114 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 The orchard of the College is mentioned in the town 
 records. The first license for an inn appears to have 
 been given in 1652. In 1656 a committee was appointed 
 to execute the order of the General Court for the im- 
 provement of all the families in spinning and clothing. 
 About 1660 "The Great Bridge" was built, at the end 
 of what is now Brighton Street. A house of correction 
 was erected about the same time. In 1662 Mr. Mitchel 
 and Captain Daniel Gookin were appointed by the 
 General Court " licensers of the press." 
 
 About the time of Mitchel's ordination the second 
 meeting-house was completed, which was a house about 
 " forty foot square, and covered with shingle." It stood 
 on Watch-house Hill, very near the spot where Dane 
 Hall now stands. The town records furnish many little 
 incidents which are of interest as illustrating the ways 
 of our fathers in the church. In 1652 the church 
 agreed to divide the farm in Shawshine, and assigned 
 five hundred acres to Mr. Mitchel. The meeting-house 
 and school-house were cared for, that they might be 
 kept in good order. In 1656 the people on the south 
 side of the river requested that they might have " the 
 ordinances of Christ amongst them, distinct from the 
 town." But the town did not think it expedient to 
 grant their request, and thus divide the church. A few 
 years later the inhabitants of Cambridge village had 
 become so numerous that they formed a distinct con- 
 gregation for worship, and they were granted an abate- 
 ment of " one half of their proportion of the minister's 
 allowance, during the time they were provided of an 
 able minister according to law." In 1664 a new 
 church was organized in Cambridge village, which 
 afterwards took the name of Newton, from the original 
 
LECTURE V. . 115 
 
 name of this place. This new church was composed 
 principally of a colony from our church. John Eliot, 
 son of the Apostle Eliot, a graduate here in 1656, under 
 Mitchel's ministry, was the first pastor. In 1058 the 
 elders and deacons and selectmen were appointed " a 
 constant and settled power for regulating the seating of 
 persons in the meeting-house." In 1660 sundry young 
 men received permission " to build a gallery on the 
 south beam," but the new seats were to be under the 
 control of the seating authorities. In 1661 Mitchel 
 received a further grant of twenty acres of land. In 
 1662 Mr. Corlet's scholars were so few that the town 
 made him an allowance of £ 10. The town afterwards 
 voted him an annual grant of £20. There are votes 
 from time to time regarding the pastor's maintenance. 
 In 1665 the constables were ordered " to make a con- 
 venient horse-block at the meeting-house, and causeway 
 to the door, and to get the windows and roof repaired 
 by the first opportunity." In the same year we find 
 the selectmen calling upon several single men and in- 
 mates of this town " to give an account of their abode 
 and orderly carriage," and they were required to give 
 satisfaction of their orderly submission to family gov- 
 ernment, or otherwise they must expect the selectmen 
 would order their abode as the law enjoined. In 1666 
 Thomas Fox was ordered " to look to the youth in time 
 of public worship, and to inform against such as he 
 find disorderly." In 1661 the town was districted for 
 the catechising of the youth. Elder Champney and Mr. 
 Oakes were appointed for the families south of the 
 bridge, Elder Wiswall and John Jackson for those at 
 the new church, and so on. 
 
 AVe are indebtad to Mr. Mitchel for a list of the mem- 
 
116 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 bers in his day, the only church list which we have 
 reaching farther back than 1696, if we except one re- 
 cently made up from many sources. The original man- 
 uscript, in Mitch-el's handwriting, is now in the posses- 
 sion of the. First Parish. We have a copy of the 
 original. The list was printed a few years since by the 
 Eev. Dr. Newell. It is entitled " The Church of Christ 
 at Cambridge, in N. E., or, the Names of all the Members 
 thereof that are in Full Communion ; together with their 
 children who were either baptized in this Church, or 
 (coming from other churches) were in their minority at 
 their present joyning ; taken and registered in the 11 
 month, 1658." The catalogue was continued through 
 Mitchel's ministry. The first names are Thomas 
 Shepard, Jonathan Mitchel, Eichard Champney, Edmund 
 Frost, Captain Daniel Gookin, Mr. Charles Chauncy. 
 There are the names of other persons who took an active 
 part in public affairs in their time. Our Triennial Cata- 
 logue gives us the names of many persons who during 
 their stay here must have been connected with this 
 congregation. Among the students of this time were 
 William Stoughton, Leonard Hoar, Michael Wiggles- 
 worth, Thomas Shepard, Increase Mather, Samuel Wil- 
 lard, Solomon Stoddard, Abraham Pierson, and others 
 who became men of influence. The minister endeavored 
 to aid the young men in acquiring such knowledge and 
 principles as would always be of service to them. A 
 scholar himself, he was in sympathy with all sound 
 learning. His influence extended thus to all the churches. 
 Many were the men who were better preachers because 
 they had been under his teaching. In this way his life 
 repeated itself. President Mather said that in his day 
 there were not above two or three of our churches but 
 
LECTURE V. 117 
 
 that were supplied with ministers from this College, 
 which was thus faithful to the pious design of its founders. 
 Mitchel formed plans for the prosperity of the College, 
 of which one was " A Model for the Education of 
 Hopeful Students at the College in Cambridge." He 
 proposed to have septennial subscriptions by the more 
 worthy and wealthy persons, to be disposed of by trus- 
 tees for the benefit of promising students. " But through 
 the discouragement of poverty and selfishness the 
 proposals came to nothing." There is another little 
 glimpse at Mitchel' s influence in the case of one Single- 
 tary, a young man of twenty-three, who was in prison 
 at Ipswich on a charge of slander in calling one Godfrey 
 a witch. There, as he testified, he heard strange noises, 
 and a crackling and shaking as if the house would have 
 fallen. He was naturally frightened. " Yet, consider- 
 ing," he says, " what I had lately heard made out by 
 Mr. Mitchel at Cambridge, that there is more good in 
 God than there is evil in sin ; and that although God is 
 the greatest good, and sin the greatest evil, yet the first 
 Being of evil cannot weane the scales or overpower the 
 first Being of good ; so, considering that the author of 
 good was of greater power than the author of evil, God 
 was pleased of his goodness to keep me from being out 
 of measure frighted." 
 
 These times which we have been reviewing were 
 eventful days for England. Thomas Shepard died in 
 1649, the year in which Charles I. was beheaded, and 
 the Commonwealth declared. It was a period which 
 called for all the prudence of these colonies, lest they 
 should in some way become involved in the affairs of 
 the mother country. They admired the valor of Crom- 
 well, who was the champion of their own theories. But 
 
118 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 they refrained from soliciting any favors from the Pu- 
 ritan Parliament. Massachusetts kept silence when 
 Cromwell was made a monarch. Her public records do 
 not even allude to his death. She took advantage of 
 the time when England was busy, and proceeded to coin 
 money, which might be construed as a pretension of 
 independence. She suffered at the Eestoration in the 
 persons of Hugh Peter and Henry Vane, and saw her- 
 self dishonored in George Downing. But she was able 
 to shelter three men who had signed the death-warrant 
 of the King and fled from the vengeance of Charles II. 
 Of these Whalley and Goffe came immediately to 
 Cambridge, where they intended to reside. The Act of 
 Indemnity, from whose mercy they were excepted, did 
 not reach this country for several months. Meanwhile, 
 and for three months afterwards, they were treated 
 with consideration, though at last there was a division 
 of feeling among the magistrates regarding their duty. 
 They were admitted into the best society here. They 
 attended public worship and lectures, and took part in 
 private devotional meetings, and were received to the 
 Lord's Table. In showing them such favor, Mitchel was 
 not aware of their exact relation to their government. 
 He wrote afterwards in his own vindication, " Since I 
 have had opportunity, by reading and discourse, to look 
 into that action for which these men suffer, I could 
 never see that it was justifiable." 
 
 It is evident that the people had enough to talk about 
 during the ministry of Mitchel. "We know what sub- 
 jects occupied their thoughts. With what sadness must 
 Elder Frost and Elder Champney have conferred upon 
 Dunster's sad defection and the church's duty ! How 
 earnestly must Deacon Bridge and Deacon Marriot have 
 
LECTURE V. 119 
 
 discussed the Half-way Covenant ! while every ship 
 which brought news from England must have brought 
 commotion into the whole community. They were 
 stirring times. It was a good day to live in. The men 
 were equal to their place. It is interesting to mark 
 what was taking place in the world while this church 
 was thus moving on its way. The Waldenses were 
 persecuted by the Piedmontese ; Quakers were suffering 
 in Massachusetts ; Pascal died, and Jeremy Taylor ; the 
 first idea of a steam-engine was suggested ; " The Pil- 
 grim's Progress " was published ; Eliot's Bible was 
 printed ; London was smitten with the great plague, and 
 devastated by the great fire ; the Triple Alliance was 
 formed for the protection of the Netherlands, — and 
 there were many other events of general importance. 
 
 This second pastorate ended with the death of Mitchel, 
 July 9, 1668, after a ministry of eighteen years. It was 
 more than three years before the church had another 
 pastor. The pulpit in the interim was occupied by 
 President Chauncy and others, as appears from an ap- 
 propriation made for their payment. The President was 
 voted £ 50 and thirty loads of wood. At the same time 
 £ 30 was voted to Mistress Mitchel. In this interval 
 there is an order that the constable see that certain 
 persons who keep without the meeting-house during the 
 services on the Sabbath, spending their time unprofit- 
 ably and dishonoring God, do attend upon public 
 worship. Steps were taken, also, to build a house for 
 the entertainment of the minister whom the Lord should 
 send " to make up the breach that his afflicting provi- 
 dence hath made in this place." There is this memo- 
 randum in the year 1669 : — 
 
 " At a publick meeting of the church and towne to 
 
120 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 consider of suply for the ministry (the Lord having 
 taken away that reverant and holy man from among us, 
 Mr. Jonathan Micthell, by death). It was agreed upon 
 at the saide meeting that theare should be a house 
 eyther bought or built for that ende, to entertayne a 
 minister, and a commity was chose for that purpose 
 which tooke care for the same, and to that ende bought 
 fower akers of land of widdow Beale, to set the house 
 upon, and in the year 1670 theare was a house earected 
 upon the sayd land of 36 foote long and 30 foote broad, 
 this house to remaine the churches, and to be the dwel- 
 ling place of such a minister and officer as the Lord 
 shall be pleased to supply us withall during the time hee 
 shall supply that place amongst us." 
 
 The house was built in the present College grounds, 
 on a glebe of four acres, nearly opposite the end of Holy- 
 oke Street. In 1726 a new front was put upon the house. 
 Another order directed that the school-house should be 
 taken down and set up again, and an allowance of 40 s. 
 was made to Mr. Corlet "for repairing of his house where 
 he kept school." The town was again districted for the 
 catechising of the children. Thus the parish work went 
 on. After Mr. Mitchel's death, an attempt was made to 
 secure Mr. William S tough ton, of the class of 1650, for 
 pastor. This was unsuccessful, and he is afterwards 
 found in the law and holding office in the State. The 
 remembrance of his benevolence is preserved among us 
 in the name of one of our College Halls, which was 
 erected at his expense. An effort was then begun to re- 
 call Mr. Urian Oakes from England. He was born in 
 England about 1631, and brought to this country by his 
 pious parents in his childhood. He was a lad of small 
 as he never was of great stature. He possessed a sweet 
 
LECTURE V. 121 
 
 nature, which he retained, and observers said that if 
 good-nature could ever carry one to heaven, this youth 
 had enough to carry him thither. He was a precocious 
 boy. At the age of nineteen "he published a little 
 parcel of Astronomical Calculations," or an Almanac for 
 1650. He graduated here in 1649, but continued to 
 reside in College and board in commons until 1653. 
 "We get a little insight into the state of things here, in 
 finding among the articles with which he paid his ex- 
 penses, a calf, a sheep, wheat, sugar, etc. He received 
 from the College an allowance for his scholarship. He 
 preached his first sermon at Eoxbury, but " about the 
 time of the Bump" returned to his native country, 
 where he became chaplain to one of the most noted 
 persons in the realm. He was then settled at Titch- 
 field, where, as the historian narrates, after the man- 
 ner of the silk-worm he wove his own spirit into 
 " garments of righteousness for his hearers." In 1662 
 he was silenced, with all the nonconformist ministers. 
 For a time he taught school. He then ventured to 
 resume preaching. In one season he received a letter 
 from this church, with a messenger, Mr. William Man- 
 ning, and a letter from several magistrates and ministers, 
 inviting him to come over and become the pastor here. 
 He accepted the invitation. But the sickness and 
 death of his wife hindered his coming. It does not 
 appear when he was married, but his wife is thought to 
 have been the daughter of the famous "William Ames. 
 The call was renewed, but a long sickness of his own 
 delayed his acceding to the wishes of the church, so 
 that there came to be doubt whether the church should 
 longer wait for him. After debating the matter, the 
 church was found willing to wait until the spring of 
 
122 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 1671, and in July of that year he arrived ; or, as the 
 Magnalia expresses it, " The good Stork flew over the 
 Atlantic Ocean to feed his dam." John Taylor went to 
 accompany the chosen pastor to New England, and we 
 have an account of the disbursement of money for the 
 travelling expenses of the party. There seems to have 
 been one of those unfortunate misunderstandings which 
 will arise to mar the best intentions, for there is this 
 memorandum : " Let it bee taken notice of that Mr. 
 Prout does demand £ 13 more due to him." Let us hope 
 that Mr. Prout was satisfied. In the town records is a 
 report of a meeting of the church and town, July 16, 
 1671, at which it was voted : " 1st, To acknowledge 
 thankfulness to Mr. Oakes for his great love and self- 
 denial in parting with his friends and concerns in Eng- 
 land to come over to us. 2d, To manifest unto him the 
 continuance of the earnest and affectionate desires of the 
 church and people, that, as soon as well may be, he would 
 please to join in fellowship here in order to his settle- 
 ment and becoming a pastor to this church. 3d, To 
 entreat him forthwith to consent to remove himself and 
 family into the house prepared for the ministry. 4th, 
 That the deacons be furnished and enabled to provide 
 for his accommodation at the charge of the church and 
 town, and distribute the same seasonably for the com- 
 fort of him and his family. 5th, That half a year's 
 payment forthwith be made by every one according to 
 their yearly payment to the ministry ; and the one half 
 of it to be paid in money, and the other half in such 
 pay as is suitable to the end intended." 
 
 That in these changes the old pastor was not for- 
 gotten is evident from the next record which concerns 
 us: "Voted, that there be a rate made of .£20 and 
 
LECTURE V. 123 
 
 paid to Mistress Mitchell for her supply." Mr. Oakes 
 became a member of this church, and was ordained 
 pastor, November 8, 1671. The church had so deep 
 a sense of the Divine favor in giving them such a 
 minister, that they kept a day of public thanksgiving, 
 when Mr. Oakes preached from St. Paul's words, " I be 
 nothing," in which he sought to turn the thoughts of 
 men from himself to the Lord whom he served. The 
 new minister resided in the new parsonage, which con- 
 tinued to be occupied by the pastors until Dr. Holmes 
 removed from it to a house of his own. The account of 
 disbursements for the ordination is a relic of the olden 
 time, containing, as it does, " 3 bushells of wheate, 2 
 bushels \ of malt, 4 gallons of wine, beefe, mutton, 
 sugar, spice and frute, and other small things," with 
 similar items, amounting in the aggregate nearly to £ 10. 
 In 1672 Oakes was made a Freeman. In 1673 he 
 preached the annual Election sermon, in which he de- 
 clared himself in favor of all moderation, and as com- 
 passionate towards the infirmities of others, but as 
 re^-ardins w an unbounded toleration as the first-born of 
 all abominations." He asserts, what must always be 
 remembered, that New England was " originally a plan- 
 tation not for trade but for religion." 
 
 After the death of President Chauncy, Leonard Hoar, 
 a graduate of 1650, a clergyman and physician, was 
 chosen- President. From his day the office has uniform- 
 ly been filled by one of the sons of the College. Mr. 
 Hoar's administration was an unfortunate one. There 
 soon came to be " uncomfortable motions and debates." 
 The students took a strong dislike to him, and did all 
 they could to ruin his reputation. Cotton Mather says, 
 they " turned cudweeds and set themselves to travestie 
 
124 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 whatever he did and said, with a design to make him 
 odious." He says also, "I can scarce tell how," but he 
 fell "under the displeasure of some that made a figure 
 
 in the neighborhood In a day of temptation, 
 
 which was now upon them, several very good men did 
 unhappily countenance the ungoverned youths in their 
 ungovernableness." 
 
 Quincy thinks that Oakes was one of these injudi- 
 cious good men, and intimates that he was moved to 
 this opposition out of disappointment because he was 
 not himself chosen to the place. But this is mere con- 
 jecture. With others, he resigned his seat as a member 
 of the Corporation, and would not return when re-elected. 
 
 Dr. Hoar was a man of learning and of great moral 
 worth, and was considerate and diligent, but he could 
 not overcome the opposition and bring the College out 
 of its low estate. The Court passed a vote in 1674, 
 •' that, if the College be found in the same languishing 
 condition at the next session, the President is concluded 
 to be dismissed without further hearing." There was 
 no improvement, and in the ensuing spring the Pres- 
 ident resigned. On the day of his resignation, Oakes 
 resumed his seat in the Corporation. He was urged to 
 accept the Presidency, but refused, and was appointed 
 superintendent of the College, with the rank and duties 
 of president. He held this office four years. After 
 unsuccessful attempts to fill the vacancy, in 1679 
 Oakes was again unanimously elected president, 
 and he then accepted the office, retaining the pastoral 
 care of the church. The House of Eepresentatives 
 made a grant of £ 90 per annum in country pay, in 
 addition to the regular salary, to provide such assist- 
 ance in the work of the church as should be found 
 
LECTURE V. 125 
 
 necessary. The church extended to Mr. Nathaniel 
 Gookin " a call to be helpful in the ministry, in order 
 to call him to office in time convenient." Mr. Gookin 
 accordingly came to the assistance of the pastor. Pres- 
 ident Oakes proved himself " faithful, learned, and 
 indefatigable in all the services " belonging to his new 
 station. Small and poor as the College was, hard as 
 were those early times, it was a station accounted 
 worthy of any man's acceptance. He who held it 
 ranked as head of the clergy, which was really as the 
 head of everything. It was a part of the bold foresight 
 and adventurous hope of the fathers that their college 
 would be a power and blessing in the land. It was the 
 solitary seat of advanced learning, and this made the 
 position of president one of high honor. 
 
 I find little in the town records during Oakes's min- 
 istry which it is interesting to notice. In 1673 there 
 is an order for a gallery in the meeting-house, " from 
 the east beam to the west beam, so far as the roof do 
 not hinder, like that on the other side." In 1675 there 
 was a committee appointed by the selectmen " to have 
 inspection into families, that there be no by-drinking, 
 or any misdemeanor, whereby sin is committed, and 
 persons from their houses unseasonably." The next year 
 Daniel Cheaver was appointed " to sit amongst the little 
 boys at the northeast end of the meeting-house, to see 
 there be no disorder amongst them." In 1678 there 
 was a feeling that the pastor was not sufficiently pro- 
 vided for, and the town made him a gratuity. In the 
 same year leave was given to three men " to lengthen 
 the south gallery to supply them for a seat on the 
 Sabbath Day." This would indicate that the house 
 was full. Among the students were Nathaniel Gookin, 
 
126 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 Thomas Shepard, Cotton Mather, John Leverett, William 
 Brattle, and others who served their generation well. 
 
 Mr. Oakes was eminent for his knowledge and his 
 piety, and was a very engaging and useful preacher. 
 He is described as " an uncomfortable preacher," because 
 he drove men to despair of seeing such another." Pres- 
 ident Mather says, " If we consider him as a divine, as 
 a scholar, as a Christian, it is hard to say in which he 
 did most excel." Another, regretting that more of his 
 works were not given to the press, remarks, " Four or 
 five of his published composures are carried about 
 among us, like Paul's handkerchiefs, for the healing of 
 our sick land." He was for many years subject to a 
 quartan ague, which frequently made him unable to 
 discharge his duties, and at last he was seized with a 
 malignant fever. He had been sick but a day or two 
 when his church, having assembled on the Lord's Day 
 expecting to have the Lord's Supper administered to 
 them, " to their horror found the pangs of death seizing 
 their pastor, that should have broken to them the Bread 
 of Life." He died on the 25th of July, 1681, in the 
 fiftieth year of his age, and the tenth year of his min- 
 istry here, having been for six years also the head of 
 the College. He was buried in our ancient God's-acre. 
 Some years since the slab which had marked the spot 
 was found in use in the covering of a culvert in one of 
 our streets, and was converted into a step for a neigh- 
 boring church. It was discharged from that service 
 with the design of building it into our new church. But 
 through some mistake it slipped from our hands, and 
 is now supposed to form part of the foundation of the 
 house of a member of this parish. Another stone, with 
 an elaborate inscription in Latin, now covers the place 
 where his dust reposes. 
 
LECTURE V. 127 
 
 "We have one memento of his burial in a charge upon 
 the College book of £ 16 16 s. 6 d., for scarfs and gloves, 
 and £8 14 s. for twelve rings, at Mr. Oakes's funeral. 
 Thus passed away another man who had ministered to 
 our church, who " fed them according to the integrity of 
 his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his 
 hands." I have given very brief illustrations of the 
 poetical gifts of our first two ministers, and will now 
 read to you a small portion of an elegy composed by 
 Mr. Oakes upon one whom he describes as " that rev- 
 erent, learned, eminently pious, and singularly accom- 
 plished divine, my ever honored brother, Mr. Thomas 
 Shepard, the late faithful and worthy teacher of the 
 church of Christ, at Charlestown, in New England." 
 
 " Oh ! that I were a poet now in grain ! 
 How would I invocate the muses all 
 To deign their presence, lend their flowing vein, 
 And help to grace dear Shepard's funeral ! 
 
 How would I paint our griefs, and succors borrow 
 From art and fancy, to limn out our sorrow ! 
 
 " Cambridge groans under this so heavy cross, 
 And sympathizes with her sister dear — 
 Renews her griefs afresh for her old loss 
 Of her own Shepard, and drops many a tear. 
 
 Cambridge and Charlestown now joint mourners are, 
 And this tremendous loss between them share. 
 
 " Farewell, dear Shepard ! thou art gone before, 
 
 Made free of Heaven, where thou shalt sing loud hymns 
 
 Of high triumphant praises evermore, 
 
 In the sweet choir of saints and seraphims. 
 
 Lord ! look on us here, clogged with sin and day ! 
 
 And we, through grace, shall be as happy as they. 
 
 " My dearest, inmost bosom-friend is gone ! 
 Gone is my sweet companion, soul's delight ! 
 Now in a huddling crowd I 'm all alone — 
 Almost could bid all the world good-night. 
 
 Blest be my Rock ! — God li^es — Oh ! let Him be 
 
 As He is all, so All in all to me ! " 
 
LECTURE VI 
 
 " My covenant will I NOT break, nor alter the thing that is 
 gone out of my lips." — Psalm lxxxix. 34. 
 
 IT was in the interest of liberty and piety that our 
 fathers separated themselves from the church and 
 the land in which they were born and nurtured, and 
 made a new nation and established new churches on 
 these open shores. They planned, endured, achieved, 
 with a faith which no hardship could break, no toil ex- 
 haust. They had confidence in themselves and their 
 undertaking ; and beneath this, for its support and life, 
 was their confidence in God. They accounted them- 
 selves in covenant with him, and they followed whither 
 his hand pointed them. Their confidence has proved 
 well founded. Success, more ample than they sought 
 or saw, has crowned their work. Their monument is on 
 every side of us. While we read the annals of this 
 ancient church, we recognize the great goodness of God. 
 Through all changes he has been its friend. We grate- 
 fully acknowledge that his assurance has been fulfilled : 
 " My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that 
 is gone out of my lips." 
 
 We have already traced the history of this church 
 from its beginning in 1636 to the death of its third 
 pastor, the Eev. Urian Oakes, in 1681. When Mr. 
 Oakes accepted the Presidency of the College, in 1679, 
 the church gave " a call to Mr. Gookin to be helpful in 
 
LECTURE VI. 129 
 
 the ministry, in order to call him to office in time con- 
 venient." In 1680 it was voted by the town, that, of the 
 maintenance annually allowed to the ministry, Mr. 
 Nathaniel Gookin should have £ 100, and the remainder 
 be paid to Mr. Oakes. After the death of President 
 Oakes, his assistant was invited to the pastorate, and 
 was ordained on the 15th of November, 1682. On the 
 same day Deacon John Stone and Mr. Jonas Clark were 
 ordained ruling elders of the church. The record of 
 the charges of Mr. Gookin's ordination is preserved, and 
 affords a glimpse of the usages on such occasions. The 
 whole amount of the charges is £ 13 14s. 2d., and the 
 account includes " provision for 80 persons," with 
 "burnt wine," sugar, "flower," " porke," "hay for the 
 horses," and similar items. In this year, 1682, it was 
 voted by the town " that 500 acres of the remote 
 lands, lying between Woburn, Concord, and our head 
 line, shall be laid out for the use and benefit of the 
 ministry of this town and place, and to remain for that 
 use forever." Such was the " provident and pious at- 
 tention " of the people to the wants of those who served 
 them in holy things. 
 
 The^Bev. Nathaniel Gookin was a son of Major- Gen- 
 eral Daniel Gookin, of whom mention has been made in 
 another place, the friend of the Apostle Eliot in his 
 labors among the Indians, and a man distinguished for 
 his integrity, benevolence, and piety. Of this son and 
 his ministry we know less than of either of the other 
 ministers of the church. The records are very incom- 
 plete, and in the history of his times he seems to have 
 had less part than most of those who have rilled this 
 pastorate. He was born in Cambridge, October 22, 
 1658, graduated in 1675, and died in 1692, in the thirty- 
 
 9 
 
130 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 fourth year of his age, and the tenth of his ministry. It 
 is good testimony to his character and ability that he 
 was called to be the associate of President Oakes, and 
 that, after his service in that capacity, he was intrusted 
 with the care of the church. The prominent facts of 
 his life praise him, even while we are not able to follow 
 him from year to year. His son and grandson were 
 successively ministers at Hampton, N. H., and are highly 
 commended for their worth and works. Of the latter it 
 is said that he was " both ways descended from those 
 who have been stars of the first magnitude." 
 
 There are a few traces of our Mr. Gookin's ministry 
 yet to be seen. We have an account of the money paid 
 him from time to time for his services. The amounts 
 are small, sometimes less than a pound, at other times 
 £ 10 and more. There is a record of the contri- 
 butions on the Sabbath day. The sum collected in this 
 way was usually about one pound. Of the pastor's 
 salary some £50 appears to have been collected in 
 the church. It is interesting to notice the care of the 
 poor by the church in those days. Contributions for 
 their relief, and frequently for a single person, were made 
 on the Sabbath. We have the minute record _ of the 
 sums raised and the method in which they were em- 
 ployed. There were also collections from time to time 
 for the redemption of captives. The laudable custom 
 of a contribution on every Lord's Day prevailed here in 
 early times. At one time the scholars made their con- 
 tribution, which was entered by itself, and appropriated 
 according to their wish for the benefit of the minister. 
 I find the students' contribution only in the interval 
 after Mr. Gookin's death. 
 
 I have a small, oblong, leather-covered book which 
 
LECTURE TT. 131 
 
 has in it the name of Joseph Baxter of the class of 
 1693, and also of Benjamin Colinan of the class of 1692, 
 and afterwards the first minister of the Brattle Street 
 Church, in Boston. It contains reports of sermons 
 preached by Mr. Gookin in 1690, when both of these 
 young men were students here. Occasionally there is 
 the report of a sermon by some other preacher. Judging 
 from these notes, which were carefully written, the 
 sermons were thoughtful, thorough, practical, vigorous, 
 and fitted to awaken and retain the interest of the hear- 
 ers. Mr. Gookin was a Fellow of the College, and no 
 doubt gave to his public duties and to his private re- 
 lations with the students his best care and thought. 
 
 In our old records I find this entry : " Mr. Nathaniel 
 Gookin, our pastor, departed this life 7th day of August, 
 1692, being the Sabbath day at night, about nine or ten 
 o'clock at night. Elder Clark departed this life 14th 
 January 1699 or 1700, being the Sabbath clay. Our 
 Pastor Mr. Nathaniel Gookin's wife, Hannah, died 14th 
 day of May, 1702, and was buried 16th day of May at 
 the town's charge." Mrs. Gookin was the daughter of 
 Captain Habijah Savage, who was the grandson of the 
 noted Ann Hutchinson. Her grave is in our old bury- 
 ing-ground, and is plainly marked ; the grave of Mr. 
 Gookin is not now T marked, but a monument by the side 
 of hers, whose inscription has crumbled away, is sup- 
 posed to cover the spot where our fourth minister was 
 buried. In the November following his death, at a 
 public meeting of the inhabitants of the town, it was 
 voted that " the selectmen should make a money-rate 
 to pay the expense and defray the charges, which 
 amounted to about £ 18 in money, of our Pastor 
 Gookin's funeral charges." Thus the written record of 
 his life closes. 
 
132 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 Nothing of special importance seems to have been 
 done in the town during the ten years of his ministry. 
 It is pleasant to see that Mr. Mitchel was still kindly 
 remembered, for there is an entry in 1687 of a grant of 
 £ 10 to " Mistress Mitchel." The College records have 
 an entry under date of December 24, 1691, as follows : 
 " At a corporation meeting of Harvard College. It is 
 ordered, 1., That £5 be allowed towards the repairing of 
 the meeting-house in Cambridge. Provided that this 
 present allowance shall not be drawn into a precedent 
 for the future, and that the selectmen shall renounce all 
 expectation of such a thing for the future." 
 
 In 1682 the residents of " Cambridge Farms," now 
 Lexington, petitioned to be set off from Cambridge, but 
 the people here opposed the measure, and it was defeated. 
 In 1684 it was renewed, and one reason given for press- 
 ing it was that they were five miles from the meeting- 
 house here, where they had worshipped. The request 
 was again denied. In 1691 the petition was once more 
 presented, and was granted by the General Court so far 
 as to constitute the " The Farms " a separate Precinct, 
 with the right to conduct their own parochial concerns. 
 The church at Lexington was slathered from this church 
 in 1696. In 1712 a full act of incorporation was 
 bestowed. A satisfactory arrangement was made of 
 the affairs in which the new parish and the old had 
 a common interest. 
 
 We know some things upon which those who were 
 before us here must have conversed in this period. 
 For in this time James II. ascended the throne 
 of England, and entered on his troubled and bloody 
 reign, to be thrust clown and driven out when William 
 of Orange and Mary assumed the crown at the hands of 
 
LECTURE VI. 133 
 
 the -willing people, and brought in a new era with new 
 liberties for these colonies. The " Glorious Revolution " 
 must have stirred the subjects of the English throne 
 whose home was beyond the seas, and entered into the 
 talking and praying heard along these streets and in 
 the homes of the people and the house of God. In 
 1689 "William and Mary were proclaimed in Boston 
 with great ceremony. Then followed the war with the 
 French and the Indians, with its evils and perils, in 
 which the people here bore their part. In Massachusetts, 
 in connection with the expedition against Canada in 
 1690, the first paper money was issued by the colonies. 
 
 After the death of Mr. Gookin the pulpit was filled 
 by various preachers. We have a long list of their 
 names and the sums paid to each. Among the names 
 are Mr. Mather and Mr. Brattle. The amount paid for 
 a single sermon was 10s.; for a whole day's service £ 1 
 was the regular stipend. This sum seems, however, to 
 have been increased by the gifts of the students. There 
 is a pleasant record which tells us that during this inter- 
 val Mr. Increase Mather preached much, and gave his pay 
 to Mrs. Hannah Gookin, widow, and it was paid her. 
 She was also paid for entertaining the ministers who 
 preached at this time. The Rev. Increase Mather was 
 unanimously invited to assume the pastoral charge of 
 the church ; but the people among whom he had labored 
 for thirty-six years were not willing to release him, and 
 this, with other obstacles to his removal, led him to 
 decline the proposal. 
 
 After the office had been vacant for some four years, 
 the Rev. William Brattle was invited to the pastorate, 
 and he accepted the call. He was of a wealthy family, 
 prominent in colonial days, whose name will always be 
 
134 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 associated with Cambridge. Mr. Brattle was born in 
 Boston, November 22, 1662, and graduated here in 
 1680. He was soon chosen Tutor in the College. Dr. 
 Colman, who was an undergraduate at that time, says, 
 " He was an able and faithful tutor. He countenanced 
 virtue and proficiency in us, and every good disposition 
 he discerned with the most fatherly goodness, and 
 searched out and punished vice with the authority of a 
 master. He did his utmost to form us to virtue and 
 the fear of God, and to do well in the world ; and dis- 
 missed his pupils, when he took leave of them, with 
 pious charges and with tears." We have one instance of 
 his heroism and devotion. When the small-pox prevailed 
 in the College, although he -had not had that fearful 
 malady, and inoculation was unknown, he stood at his 
 post, visited the sick scholars, ministering to their bodies 
 and their souls, venturing his life for them. He was 
 himself taken ill, but his sickness was of a mild type, 
 and he soon recovered. He received the degree of 
 Bachelor of Divinity in 1692, when this was conferred 
 for the first time. He was a Fellow of the Corporation 
 from 1696 to 1700, when he was removed, to be re- 
 instated in 1703 to hold the office until his death. At 
 the decease of his brother Thomas, in 1713, he assumed 
 the duties of the Treasurer of the College, and dis- 
 charged them for two years with intelligence and 
 fidelity. When he retired from this position, the College 
 stock amounted to £ 3,767, and its revenue from rents 
 and annuities to £ 114. The only publication of Mr. 
 Brattle now known is a system of Logic, which was 
 long used as a text-book in college, and is even now of 
 value, although rarely to be found. He was a generous 
 patron of learning, and a warm friend to the College 
 
LECTURE VI. 135 
 
 while he lived, and at his death bequeathed to it £ 250, 
 the income of which was to be used for the benefit of 
 some student or students. It is evidence of his scientific 
 attainments that he was made a Fellow of the Royal 
 Society of London. 
 
 Mr. Brattle was ordained on the 25th of November, 
 1696. "We have the old record of the services. Mr. 
 Brattle preached his own ordination sermon from 1 Cor- 
 inthians iii. 6 : " I have planted, Apollos watered ; but 
 God gave the increase." The charge was by Bev. Increase 
 Mather, who had become president of the College, and 
 the right hand of fellowship by Bev. Samuel Willard, 
 of the Third Church in Boston ; Mr. Morton of Charles- 
 town and Mr. Allen of Boston also took part in the 
 exercises. A sermon w r as preached on the same occasion 
 by Mr. Mather, from Revelation i. 16 : " And he had 
 in his right hand seven stars." Mr. Brattle's indepen- 
 dence is shown in his refusal to have an elder, who 
 w r as a layman, join in the laying on of hands at his 
 ordination. The charges of his ordination are entered as 
 about £ 20. There was " laid out about the repairing 
 of the ministerial house for Mr. Brattle £10 18s. Sd." 
 
 From the beginning of this pastorate we have com- 
 plete church records. These give us " a form for the or- 
 daining of a minister of the gospel, used by the Reverend 
 President when Mr. Brattle was ordained at Cambridge." 
 It is as follows. " Whereas you on whom we impose 
 our hands are this day separated to the gospel of God 
 and to the office of a pastor to the Church of Christ in 
 this place, we do in his name ordain you thereunto. 
 And w T e charge you before God and the Lord Jesus 
 Christ and the elect angels, that you do the work of a 
 minister of Christ : that you take the oversight of this 
 
136 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 flock of God, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind • 
 that you feed all the flock over which the Holy Ghost 
 hath made you an overseer ; in doctrine showing uncor- 
 ruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, which cannot 
 be condemned. That you give yourself to reading, to 
 exhortation, to doctrine, that you be an example of the 
 believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, 
 in purity. And if you keep this charge, it will not be 
 long before God shall give you a place in heaven among 
 his angels who stand by, and are witnesses of the 
 solemnity. And when Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd, 
 shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory which 
 fadeth not away, and shall then shine as the stars for 
 ever and ever." 
 
 This is the covenant to which those assented who 
 desired baptism for themselves. "You, and each of 
 you for yourselves respectively, do now give up your- 
 selves to God in Jesus Christ, in an everlasting cov- 
 enant never to be broken. You do humbly and pen- 
 itently ask of God forgiveness for your original sin, as 
 also for all your actual transgressions, and you desire 
 with all your hearts to accept of Jesus Christ for your 
 alone Redeemer and Saviour. Solemnly promising 
 that by the help of God's holy spirit you will endeavor 
 to live henceforward more to his honor and glory than 
 heretofore you have done ; abstaining from the vain 
 delights and pleasures of this evil world ; keeping under 
 the passions and evil lustings which are within you ; 
 doing what in you lies at all times to carry it both 
 towards God and towards man as becomes the dis- 
 ciples of Jesus Christ. And particularly you all prom- 
 ise to submit yourselves to the government which 
 Jesus Christ hath instituted and appointed in and over 
 his church." 
 
LECTURE VI. 137 
 
 This is the covenant to which certain persons agreed 
 " in order to their children's being baptized." " You do 
 each of you now acknowledge the God of your fathers 
 to be your God ; you do humbly beg of God, through 
 Jesus Christ, forgiveness for your sins original and 
 actual. You do solemnly promise, by the help of the 
 Divine Spirit, to walk with God according to the rules 
 of his holy Word, and to submit yourselves to all the 
 institutions and appointments of Jesus Christ in his 
 gospel, and to bring up your children in the nurture 
 and admonition of the Lord." 
 
 In 1722, " Mr. Judah Monis, a Jew by birth and edu- 
 cation, being converted to the Christian faith, owned 
 the covenant, and was baptized and declared a member 
 in full communion with the church of Christ, after a 
 prayer and discourse made by Mr. Column from John 
 v. 46, and a discourse of his own from Psalm cxvi. 10, 
 answering the common objections of the Jews against 
 Christ's being already come, and giving a confession of 
 his faith in the close. Sang part of the 110 th Psalm, 
 which solemnity was performed in the College Hall. 
 Soli Deo Gloria." 
 
 Mr. Monis was a useful member of the church, and a 
 fund left by him is still used for the benefit of the 
 widows and children of Congregational ministers. He 
 was instructor in Hebrew in the College from 1722 to 
 1760. 
 
 In 1696-97 there was important action concerning 
 the reception of members to the church. It is evident 
 that the matter was the subject of much discussion. The 
 result was, in brief, that persons desiring to unite with 
 the church should privately give satisfaction unto the 
 elders regarding their religious character, and should be 
 
138 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 excused, if they so desired, from giving a public rela- 
 tion of their religious experience. The minister was 
 to state to the church the grounds of his satisfaction 
 with the candidates some time before they were ad- 
 mitted, and they were to be propounded publicly, that 
 if any one knew any reason which should justly bar 
 them from communion, he could privately inform the 
 elders. The vote of the church upon receiving persons 
 thus propounded was to be taken by " handy vote, or 
 silence, or any other indifferent sign," at the discretion 
 of the elders. Those who were accepted by the church 
 were publicly to make "profession of their faith and 
 repentance in their covenanting with God." This is 
 essentially the method still pursued in the church. 
 The consent to dispense with the formal, public relation 
 of experience marked a change from the ways of the 
 past which certainly commends itself to our judgment. 
 The church has a right to know whom it is receiving to 
 its fellowship, both for their sake and its own. Having 
 learned this to its satisfaction, in some simple and 
 pleasant manner, the entrance to the church should be 
 as plain. as the nature of the act will allow. To confess 
 Christ before men and make covenant with his people,' 
 and to receive those who come confessing their faith 
 and love, should enlist the best feelings of all hearts, 
 and be the occasion of sincere, sacred joy. 
 
 The church-book gives the account of the provision 
 made for Mr. Brattle's support. He writes, " My salary 
 from the town is ninety pounds per annum, and the 
 overplus money." For a few years before his death 
 he received £ 100. The salary seems to have been 
 raised chiefly by a collection every Sabbath. From his 
 receipts I do not find that he received any overplus in 
 
LECTURE VI. 139 
 
 money. But there are long lists of the donors of wood. 
 In 1697 he received twenty-two loads. He usually 
 received more than that number till 1712, when the 
 custom seems to have been discontinued for a few 
 years. As this discontinuance of the wood comes at 
 the same time as the advance in his salary, I presume 
 that the two events were connected. We have also 
 accounts of wood which he paid for from time to time. 
 There is a long list in 1G97 headed, "Sent in since 
 Nov. 3, the day that I was married. From my good 
 neighbors in town." The list extends through more 
 than a year, and is composed of articles for his table, 
 with the names of the givers and the value of their 
 gifts. The beginning of the list is as follows : — 
 
 "Goody Gove, 1 pd. Fresh Butter, Sd.; Mrs. Bord- 
 man, 1 pd. Fr. Butter, 8 d. ; Docf. Oliver, a line Pork, 
 2 s. ; Sarah Ferguson, 1 pig, 1 s. 9 d." There are accounts 
 of similar donations afterwards. His private affairs 
 were blended in his mind with his office, for another 
 account in the church-book is headed, " Housekeeping, 
 D r . since we were married, Nov. 3, '97." The list be- 
 gins with "2 powthering Tubs, 9 s. ; 1 Tub of Beef 154 
 pds. salted Oct. 29, £1 18 s. 6 d. ; Wine w n married and 
 since to y B day, £ 3 ; Bear, 19 s. 6 d." ; and the list con- 
 tinues after this sort. 
 
 At the end of the church-book of this period are 
 various statements regarding Mr. Brattle's gardening, 
 the weather, etc. Of 1697 we read : " The winter this 
 year was a very severe winter for cold and snow. The 
 ground was covered with snow from the beginning of 
 December to the middle of March ; many snows, one 
 upon another; in February it was judged to be three 
 foot and a half deep on a level." " Charlestown ferry 
 
140 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 was frozen up, so that the boat did not go over once from 
 January 17 to February 28, in which time I rode over 
 upon the ice." The summer following this hard winter 
 was a very fruitful summer. In February and March, 
 1700, he was planting his garden. On Sabbath day, 
 February 11, 1700, he was "taken sick of a feaver; he 
 was " very ill, near to death." In about a fortnight he 
 was able io go out. " Deo sit gloria. Amen." He was 
 often interrupted during his ministry by " pains and 
 languishments." 
 
 February 15, 171f, "The Eev d . Mr. Brattle, Pastor 
 of the Church of Christ in Cambridge, departed this 
 life." He bore his sufferings " with great patience and 
 resignation, and died with peace and an extraordinary 
 serenity of mind." On the 20th of February he was 
 interred in a tomb on the southeast side of the old 
 burying-ground. They laid him down in hope of a 
 blessed resurrection. " He was greatly honored at his 
 interment." It was on the day of " The Great Snow," 
 and the principal magistrates and ministers of Boston 
 were detained here for several days. Mr. Brattle died 
 in the fifty-fifth year of his age, and the twenty-first of 
 his ministry. During his pastorate seven hundred and 
 twenty-four children were baptized, and three hundred 
 and sixty-four persons were admitted to the church. 
 
 In regard to the amount of his pastoral work, we are 
 left to such conjecture as we can base upon the charac- 
 ter of the man. We trust he knew all his people and 
 where they lived. Yet we find Dr. Colman saying of 
 his own congregation that he knew not where their 
 habitations were, and should be glad to know them, that 
 he and his associate might do their duty to them. At 
 the funeral of Mr. Cooper, he is extolled for " knowing 
 
LECTURE VI. 141 
 
 where to find the poor and sick of the flock, when they 
 sent their notes." 
 
 Mr. Brattle was a man of marked politeness and 
 courtesy, of compassion and charity. He had a very 
 large estate, and he scattered his gifts with a liberal 
 hand, yet without ostentation. He was patient and 
 pacific in his temper, and " seemed to have equal respect 
 to good men of all denominations." "With humility 
 he united magnanimity ; and was neither bribed by the 
 favor nor overawed by the displeasure of any man." He 
 was of " an austere and mortified life, yet candid and 
 tolerant towards others." He had great learning and 
 ability, and bore a high reputation as a preacher. His 
 manner in the pulpit was "calm and soft and melting." 
 His manuscript sermons show that he was thoroughly 
 of the Puritan school in theology; yet in ecclesiastical 
 usages he was liberal. When the Brattle Street Church 
 was formed by men who sought larger liberties in the 
 ordering of their ecclesiastical offices than the other 
 churches afforded, the movement enlisted his sympathy. 
 The undertakers of the Manifesto Church, as they were 
 called, adhered to the Westminster Confession, but 
 desired to have the Holy Scriptures read in public 
 worship, which was contrary to the New England usage, 
 and also to give a voice in the choice of a minister to 
 every baptized adult person who was to contribute to 
 his maintenance. They somewhat enlarged the range 
 of infant baptism, and made the public relation of 
 religious experience optional with the candidate for 
 church membership. When Mr. Colman, who was then 
 in England, was invited to the pastoral charge of the 
 new church, Mr. Brattle wrote to him, and encouraged 
 his acceptance of the call. "As for my own part," he 
 
142 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 wrote, " I shall account it a smile from Heaven upon 
 the good design of these gentlemen, if you can send 
 them answer of peace." In an old account-book still 
 in existence are some records of his private thoughts. 
 Under date of 1715, it is written: "I can't but look 
 upon myself as a standing instance of the infinite 
 power and infinite goodness of God. While I consider 
 my unexpressible emptiness and insufficiencies, my heart 
 can't but admire and adore the power of God and the 
 goodness of God in helping me through the duties and 
 difficulties which in his Providence He has cali'd me 
 to. Lord, to thy name be the praise ; Lord, my 
 hope is in thee ; Lord, keep me forever humble. Amen, 
 Amen." 
 
 Dr. Column's testimony to his friend is hearty and 
 strong. '-'They that had the happiness to know Mr. 
 Brattle knew a very religious, good man, an able divine, 
 a laborious, faithful minister, an excellent scholar, a great 
 benefactor, a wise and prudent man, and one of the 
 best of friends. The promotion of religion, learning, 
 virtue, and peace everywhere within reach was his very 
 life and soul ; the great business in which he was con- 
 stantly employed, and in which he principally delighted. 
 Like his great Lord and Master, he went (or sent) about 
 doing good. His principles were sober, sound, moderate, 
 being of a catholic and pacific spirit." 
 
 The fifth minister of the church ranks worthily with 
 those who preceded him. He bore the church upon his 
 heart. In his last testament we read, "As a close to 
 this part of my will, it is my desire to consecrate, and 
 with humility I bequeath and present to the church of 
 Christ in Cambridge (my dearly beloved flock) for a 
 Baptismal Basin, my great silver basin, an inscription' 
 
LECTURE VI. 143 
 
 upon which I leave to the prudence of the Reverend 
 President, and the Rev. Mr. Simon Bradstreet." The 
 basin he designed for our use has passed from our hands. 
 But we may gratefully cherish his thought for those 
 who were to inherit his faith and to be baptized into 
 the name of his Divine Lord and Saviour, and honor 
 the memory of the good pastor who so long ago was 
 " translated from his charge to his crown." 
 
 The town records during the period of Mr. Brattle's 
 ministry have some items of more or less interest. 
 Here is a vote that a pew be made and set up on the 
 southwest corner of the meeting-house for the family 
 of the minister. Mr. John Leverett and Dr. John 
 Oliver have convenient places provided for their fami- 
 lies in the meeting-house. Here is a tax ordered, pay- 
 able in money, for repairing the meeting-house, ringing 
 the bell, and sweeping. The little meeting-house bell 
 was given to the Farmers, and a new one was received 
 with thanks from Captain Andrew Belcher. The school- 
 house was ordered to be rebuilt. A public contribution 
 was taken for the relief of sufferers by a late fire. Such 
 charity, it seems, is not all of our day, and even the 
 Puritans had something of kindness. A grant was 
 made to Mrs. Hannah Gookin to pay her house-rent for 
 the year 1701. The selectmen, with the consent of the 
 pastor, were " empowered to rent about five hundred 
 acres of land laid out for the ministry, so that it shall 
 become profitable to the ministry." And here, February 
 28, 1703, at a town meeting, it is ordered " that the 
 inhabitants apprehend it necessary at this time to pro- 
 ceed to the building a new meeting-house, and in order 
 thereunto there was chosen then" a committee of 
 seven, " to consider of the model and charge of building 
 
144 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 said meeting-house, and report of the same to the 
 inhabitants." In 1706 the third meeting-house was 
 erected on or near the site of the second, and the first 
 service in it was held on the 13th of October in that 
 year. The Corporation of the College voted £ 60 to- 
 wards the building of this house, and instructed Mr. 
 Leverett and the treasurer to " take care for the build- 
 ing of a pew for the president's family," and about the 
 students' seats ; " the charge of the pew to be defrayed 
 out of the College treasury." Thus we come to the 
 close : "6 th February, 171f . At a meeting of the In- 
 habitants orderly convened, voted, that the charges for 
 wines, scarfs, and gloves for the bearers at the funeral 
 of our late pastor, Eev. Mr. William Brattle, be defrayed 
 by the town under the direction of the deacons and 
 selectmen." 
 
 The period we are now reviewing presented many 
 matters of interest to those who were then here. We 
 are able to recall their thoughts in some good measure. 
 Queen Mary died in 1694, and eight years afterwards 
 King William III. 1697 brought the peace of Eyswick, 
 closing the war between England and France. The 
 reign of Queen Anne was chiefly occupied by the " War 
 of the Spanish Succession." Thus even this country 
 was for twenty-five years preceding the peace of 
 Utrecht kept in the commotion of war. A large part 
 of the men were in actual service, while those at home 
 were compelled to guard their houses and families 
 against treacherous foes. It is estimated that during 
 these wars not less than eight thousand of the young 
 men of New England and New York fell by the 
 sword, or by disease contracted in the service. Most 
 of the families mourned for friends dead, or carried into 
 
LECTURE VI. 145 
 
 cruel captivity. It was a gloomy time ; the resources 
 of the country were greatly reduced, fields were untilled, 
 towns lay in ashes. Truly, through scenes of fire and 
 blood has our inheritance come clown to us. In 1693 
 the second college in the United States was founded in 
 Virginia, taking the name of the new sovereigns ; and 
 seven years later Yale College came into being. 1702 
 was a year of great sickness in Boston and New York. 
 In 1704 "The Boston News-Letter" was started, the 
 first newspaper published in America. In 1708 the 
 Saybrook Platform was adopted in Connecticut. The 
 reign of Queen Anne, the last sovereign of the House of 
 Stuart, was marked also by the constitutional union of 
 England and Scotland, which ended the prolonged con- 
 test between those countries. This reign was distin- 
 guished not only for its military and political achieve- 
 ments, but also for its progress in science and literature. 
 It was the time of Addison, Steele, Pope, Swift, Locke, 
 and Newton, and has now the name of " The Augustan 
 Age of England." 
 
 But we must return to our own history. After the 
 death of Mr. Brattle, his place was filled by the Piev. 
 Nathaniel Appleton. Mr. Appleton was born at Ips- 
 wich, December 9, 1693, and was the son of the Hon. 
 John Appleton, one of the King's Council, and for 
 twenty years a Judge of Probate in Essex County. His 
 mother was the daughter of the Eev. President Kogers. 
 He graduated in 1712, and, although receiving generous 
 offers to establish him in business, adhered to his 
 previous purpose to prepare himself for the ministry. 
 He preached here for a short time, when, by the con- 
 current vote of the church and the town, he received an 
 invitation to become the pastor of the church. He 
 
 10 
 
146 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 entered upon that office on the 9th of October, 1717. 
 At his ordination Dr. Increase Mather preached from 
 Ephesians, iv. 12 : " For the perfecting of the saints, 
 for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of 
 the body of Christ." He also gave the charge. Dr. 
 Cotton Mather gave the right hand of fellowship. 
 The Eev. Mr. Angier of Watertown and the Eev. Mr. 
 Rogers of Ipswich joined with the Mathers in the laying 
 on of hands. The town records show an addition of 
 £ 15 to the taxes of the year, toward defraying the ex- 
 penses of this ordination. President Leverett presided 
 over the deliberations of the church and congregation 
 with regard to the settlement of a pastor, and when Mr. 
 Appleton had been chosen by a large majority, he closed 
 the entry of the fact in his diary with " Laus Deo." 
 This election gave great pleasure to the Corporation of 
 the College, who at once chose the new minister as a 
 Fellow in Mr. Brattle's place, not even waiting for his 
 ordination. He filled this office with great fidelity and 
 discretion, essentially promoting the interests of this 
 " important seminary." At the Commencement in 1771 
 the College conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of 
 Divinity, in consideration of his " having been long an 
 ornament to the pastoral character, and eminently dis- 
 tinguished for his knowledge, wisdom, sanctity of man- 
 ' ners, and usefulness to the churches, and having for 
 more than fifty years exerted himself in promoting the 
 interests of piety and learning in this society, both as a 
 minister and as a Fellow of the Corporation." This honor 
 was the more marked, in that this degree had only once 
 been conferred since the founding of the College, and 
 that was seventy-eight years before, when Increase 
 Mather was the recipient. President "Wadsworth wrote 
 
LECTURE VI. 147 
 
 of Mr. Appleton, ten years after his establishment 
 here, " I have often thought it is a great favor, not only 
 to the church and town of Cambridge, but also to the 
 College, and therein to the whole Province, that he is 
 fixed in that public post and station, assigned by Provi- 
 dence to him. I pray God long to continue his life and 
 health, and make him more and more a blessing to all 
 he's concerned with. Tho' he's but young, yet his 
 labors are very instructive and profitable ! " His con- 
 nection with the College continued until 1779, a period 
 of more than sixty years. His pastorate was the longest 
 the church has ever known. The written record of his 
 labors as pastor comprises little more than long lists of 
 persons received to the church, of adults and children 
 who were baptized, and of persons married. The sum- 
 ming up is as follows : Children baptized, 2,048 ; adults, 
 90. Admissions to the fellowship of the church, 784. 
 
 All through this long ministry the pastor was busy 
 in the duties of his office, preaching the word, striving 
 for the salvation of those under his care, and for the 
 edifying of the body of Christ. Traces of his vigilance 
 still remain. We have the record of church discipline 
 in 1731 and afterwards, when certain individuals had 
 fallen into open sin. At length, on the 26 th of February, 
 173^, the church and whole congregation met in 
 solemn assembly, and spent the forenoon in prayer 
 and preaching. The sermon was from Ezra ix. 5, 
 6 : " And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from 
 my heaviness ; and having rent my garment and my 
 mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands 
 unto the Lord my God, and said, my God, I am 
 ashamed, and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God ; 
 for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our 
 
148 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 trespass is grown up unto the heavens." In the afternoon 
 several votes were passed, expressing the apprehension 
 of a general decay of piety, in that many had fallen into 
 evil ways who had been baptized and were reckoned 
 the children of the church, and those who had publicly 
 owned the covenant; and some who were in full com- 
 munion did neglect their business, frequent taverns and 
 public houses, follow unlawful gaming, and indulge in 
 excessive drinking of strong drinks, and were profane in 
 their conversation, whereby they greatly dishonored the 
 Christian name and profession, broke the good and 
 wholesome laws of the land, misspent their precious 
 time, impoverished their families, blasted their reputa- 
 tion, injured their health, unfitted themselves for busi- 
 ness, ran into innumerable snares and temptations, and 
 extremely hazarded their immortal souls. 
 
 The assembly apprehended, further, that these evils 
 resulted from a neglect to watch over one another, 
 according to their covenant obligations. With contri- 
 tion before God, they promised to amend their lives, to 
 discountenance and discourage such sinful practices, and 
 to deny themselves even their lawful liberty to prevent 
 others from stumbling thereat. They promised to exer- 
 cise the mutual watchfulness and helpfulness which the 
 gospel enjoins. And they voted, finally, that a suitable 
 letter should be prepared by the pastor, and sent to the 
 innholders and retailers of ardent spirits, exhorting 
 them to do what in them lay to prevent intemperance, 
 gaming, or any disorder at their houses. The record 
 closes with this petition : " And now, Lord God of 
 our fathers, keep these things forever in the imagina- 
 tions of the thoughts of the heart of this people, and 
 prepare their heart unto thee." 
 
LECTURE VI. 149 
 
 These general measures do not seem to have been 
 sufficiently effective ; for two years later, at a meeting 
 of the church, a committee was appointed to consult 
 with the pastor " about such measures as shall be 
 thought most likely, under the Divine blessing, to reform 
 the growing disorders that are among us." The com- 
 mittee in its report advised that nine of the brethren 
 be appointed "to inspect and observe the manners of 
 professing Christians, and such as are under the care 
 and watch of this church." They were to inquire into 
 any sinful and disorderly behavior of which they might 
 hear, and administer appropriate admonition, with faith- 
 fulness, but yet with all meekness and tenderness ; and 
 if such private treatment did not succeed, they were to 
 advise with the pastor about more public action. In 
 case of such open and scandalous offences as required 
 the public notice of the church, they were to take such 
 steps as were necessary to bring the matter before the 
 church. But the appointment of this committee was 
 not to be construed as excusing private Christians from 
 that watch over the good name and good character of 
 the church to which they were pledged. The committee 
 was appointed, and entered upon its work. Year by 
 year, after that, we have a record like this : " The 
 brethren voted to choose a committee to inspect the 
 manners of professing Christians, etc., according to the 
 method agreed upon April 13, 1737." From time to 
 time we have the record of the work. It is plain that 
 the church meant to deal faithfully with those under its 
 care, but there is a spirit of forbearance which shows 
 that they did not mean to encroach on the Christian 
 liberty of any one. The offences which were brought 
 under the consideration of the church were all such as 
 
150 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 no church could overlook, and retain its self-respect 
 and preserve its character. 
 
 Another matter which enters largely into the records 
 concerns the lands belonging to the church. There is a 
 catalogue signed " 1ST. A." and entitled, " Lands belong- 
 ing to the Church and Congregation in Cambridge for the 
 Use of the Ministry." The list includes three small lots 
 of four, eight, and three acres, and a lot of forty acres in 
 Menotomy, called Bare Hill. Besides these, there was 
 a lot of twenty acres in Newton, " the gift of Mr. Thomas 
 Beale to the church of 'Christ in this place and town of 
 Cambridge, whereof he was a member." And a farm of 
 five hundred acres at the farther end of Lexington, to- 
 wards Bedford, given in former time by the proprietors 
 of the town for the use of the ministry. It was found 
 expedient and convenient, in Mr. Appleton's day, to 
 sell this land in Newton and Lexington. The proceeds 
 of the former were invested in bonds, and the income 
 was to be used as the church should direct. Of the 
 money received from the sale of the Lexington lands, 
 £ 130 was reserved for the erection of a new parsonage. 
 The rest was applied to the purposes of the original 
 donation. Inasmuch as the proceeds of the Lexington 
 farm were to be for the minister's benefit, the minister 
 made an arrangement with the town whereby he was to 
 receive two thirds of the interest which accrued by the 
 investment of the money received by the sale of the 
 land. The remaining third was to be added, by the 
 minister's own proposal, to the principal. The fund 
 was to be in the hands of a treasurer nominated by the 
 minister and approved by the town. Mr. Appleton 
 solemnly charges the people of the parish to abide 
 strictly by the arrangement which had been made, and 
 
LECTURE VI. 151 
 
 never suffer their third of the interest to be applied to 
 any other use than the increasing of the fund. He ex- 
 presses the hope that no successor of his in the ministry 
 will ever desire or demand more than two thirds of the 
 interest of this money. " Nay, let me add, what some of 
 you may easily compute, that by keeping this vote and 
 agreement, of adding one third of the interest to the 
 principal, sacred and inviolable, that by the 3d or 4th 
 generation it will of itself afford a comfortable and 
 decent support for a minister, without any tax upon 
 the people." 
 
 The result which the prudent pastor anticipated could 
 hardly prove desirable. It is best that the institutions 
 of religion should be sustained by the voluntary offerings 
 of those who enjoy them. Our church has been entirely 
 saved from any perils which might have attended the 
 course which he proposed. But the minister of 1800 
 writes that this fund, by its own accumulation, and by 
 the addition of the product of ministerial lands sold in 
 1795, has become greatly auxiliary to the support of the 
 ministry. From time to time a committee was appointed 
 to examine into the state of the church stock of moneys, 
 bonds, or notes, in the hands of the deacons. In 1773 
 such a committee make a long report, in which they 
 recommend that, after allowing the funds to increase 
 by interest for fourteen years, for the next fifteen years 
 one third of the interest shall be used for the support of 
 the minister, and that after that time two thirds of the 
 fund shall be thus employed, and the remainder be 
 added to the principal. In order that the fund may be 
 increased, the committee also recommend to the mem- 
 bers of the church that whenever they come together 
 " to commemorate the death and sufferings of Him who 
 
152 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 spared not to shed his precious blood for us, they would 
 express their thankful remembrance of the benefit they 
 have received, by cheerfully contributing a small part 
 of the substance with which God has blessed them for 
 the important purposes of continuing and spreading 
 amongst mankind that pure and undefiled religion 
 which Christ appeared on earth to propagate." They 
 enter into an elaborate statement " to show that a very 
 small part of our substance, properly applied, would 
 produce a very considerable effect" in enlarging the 
 resources of the church. 
 
 As we turn the pages of the church-records, we come 
 upon various matters which were of importance in their 
 day, and are still of interest. Here is Mr. Appleton's 
 wood-account, beginning in 1729 : " My good friends 
 and neighbors have for several years past, in the fall of 
 the year, brought me a considerable quantity of wood 
 gratis, some years between thirty and forty loads, some- 
 times above forty loads, which good and laudable custom, 
 that had been dead for some years before the Eeverend 
 Mr. Brattle's death, was revived by good Father Pattin 
 about ten years ago, and continued by the friendship of 
 the people." Then follow the names of the donors year 
 by year, with the quantity of their gifts. 
 
 In 1732 the people of the northwesterly part of the 
 town were formed into a separate Precinct, and in 1739 
 a church was gathered there, and to this second church 
 our church gave £25, " to furnish their communion- 
 table in a decent manner." This was a partial realiza- 
 tion of the communion of saints. In 1731 and 1734 
 additions were made to the communion-service of our 
 own church by ^private gifts. In 1740 " the Hon. 
 Jacob Wendell, Esq., from his regard to this place," 
 
LECTURE VI. 153 
 
 presented " to the minister of the first church, for the 
 time being, a large, handsome Bible for the use of the 
 church," and the gift was acknowledged with thanks. 
 Here, in 1757, is the account of a church-meeting, at 
 which " some of the honorable brethren of the church 
 moved that for the future it might not be insisted upon 
 with such who should be admitted into the church to 
 come forth and stand in the front alley or aisle at the 
 time of their admission ; alleging that it was disagree- 
 able and surprising to some persons, and had been 
 offered by way of objection by some persons, and had 
 been such a stumbling-block to them as to prevent their 
 offering themselves for admission ; and considering it 
 was but a mere circumstantial thing, and a matter of 
 indifference, and considering also that the practice of 
 other churches allowed persons to stand in their own 
 proper places all the time of admission. Therefore the 
 brethren agreed to leave the matter to the discretion of 
 the pastor, at the same time manifesting that they did 
 not insist upon the standing in the aisle or alley, and 
 that they should be well satisfied if they appeared in 
 any of the seats or pews that joined upon the front alley, 
 so as to be fairly before the pastor and in view of the 
 assembly ; and to this no one of the brethren offered the 
 least objection, although they were desired to do it if 
 they had any objection to offer." Good, honest men, 
 
 sound but not stiff, and sure that God would have 
 
 t 
 
 mercy and not sacrifice. 
 
 The Eevolution was drawing on. As early as 1765 
 the people of the town had formally instructed their 
 representatives to give no aid to the operation of the 
 Stamp Act, but to do all they could for its repeal. And 
 they ordered that their action should be recorded in the 
 
154 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 town-books, " that the children yet unborn may see the 
 desire that their ancestors had for their freedom and 
 happiness." We do see it after a hundred years, and 
 give thanks at every thought of their daring and devo- 
 tion. I need not tell again what Cambridge did in the 
 beginning and consummation of the long struggle which 
 gave being to our nation. Cambridge was long the head- 
 quarters of the American army, and the old meeting- 
 house stood in the midst of stirring scenes, and opened 
 its doors and extended its ministrations to the citizen 
 soldiers. There Washington and his companions in 
 arms came to worship. There the delegates from the 
 towns of the State met in 1779, and framed the Con- 
 stitution of the Commonwealth, which the next year 
 was ratified by the people. We may be sure that the 
 preaching of the venerable pastor glowed with patriotic 
 fire, and that his prayers were the intercession of a man 
 who believed in God and loved liberty ; who was in the 
 spirit of Lexington and Bunker Hill, and taught his 
 people the worth of life, and the honor of a death for 
 one's country ; who cheered them in the day of darkness 
 and defeat, and rejoiced with them when victory revived 
 their hope and crowned their toils and trials. Of all 
 this they said little ; but we know the men. Here, 
 in 1774, when public and political affairs wear a dark 
 and gloomy aspect, they are keeping, with other towns, 
 a day of humiliation and prayer. Yet they are watch- 
 ful of the church while solicitous for the country, for 
 on this very Fast Day they choose two deacons. 
 
 We have a glimpse of the times in some of the re- 
 ceipts for his salary which the minister gave during the 
 Revolution. Here is one in which he acknowledges the 
 receipt of £ 3 2 s. to complete the payment of his salary 
 
LECTURE. VI. 155 
 
 in Continental bills, which, " although they are exceed- 
 ingly depreciated, yet, considering the contributions and 
 subscriptions they have afforded for my relief, and con- 
 sidering the additional grant they have made to my 
 salary for 1778, I accept of this in full for my salary 
 for the year 1777." His salary had been £ 100, and 
 was probably but little changed ; yet the next year he 
 receipts for £ 600, and the next for £ 750, and in 1783 for 
 £ 2,000 paper currency, and £ 25 silver currency. There 
 is a touching pathos in the simple statement of the 
 good man as he took his bills and called them money, 
 " although they are greatly depreciated." 
 
 He was close upon ninety years old. We find this 
 fact of his advancing years creeping into the records. 
 1777, April 25. "Whereas our Eev. and very aged 
 Pastor is at present under such bodily infirmities as to 
 render it doubtful whether he will be able to administer 
 the sacraments on the approaching Sabbath, voted, in 
 such case, it is agreeable and is the desire of this church 
 that the Hon. and Eev. President Langdon should ad- 
 minister the same, and at any other times when necessary 
 occasion calls for it." 
 
 The following Thursday was to have been a day of 
 " Public Fasting and Prayer " ; but " the aged pastor, 
 through bodily disorders, was unable to carry on the 
 services of the Fast, neither could any help be obtained, 
 so that there was no public service on the Fast." By 1782 
 the people had begun to talk seriously of the need of hav- 
 ing " a more fixed and settled provision for the preach- 
 ing and administering the gospel ordinances among 
 them," and it was decided by the church that it was 
 desirable presently to settle a minister, if the right man 
 could be found, and the parish committee were desired 
 
156 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 to consult the parish in the matter. Here is Mr. 
 Appleton's record of July 30, 1783, which "was ob- 
 served as a day of Fasting and Prayer by the church 
 and congregation to seek of God divine direction and 
 assistance in the important affair of procuring a more 
 fixed and settled preaching and administration of the 
 word and ordinances among us, considering the very 
 advanced age and growing infirmities of me their aged 
 pastor. The Rev. Mr. Eliot began with prayer : Rev. 
 Mr. Cushing preached A. M., Rev. Mr. Jackson began 
 with prayer : Rev. Mr. Clarke preached P. M." 
 
 At the general desire of the brethren of the church, 
 " as well as in compliance with his own inclination and 
 earnest wishes," the pastor called a meeting of the 
 church for the purpose of choosing one to be his colleague 
 in the ministerial office, if the church should see fit. 
 When the meeting was held, the pastor was unable to 
 attend, and Dea. Aaron Hill was moderator. A com- 
 mittee was appointed " to wait on the President of the 
 University, and request him to pray with the brethren 
 on the present occasion." The president complied with 
 the request, and received the thanks of the brethren. 
 This means, I suppose, that he came to the meeting 
 and offered the opening prayer. It was voted by a large 
 majority to proceed to the choice of a colleague pastor, 
 and the Rev. Timothy Hilliard was chosen to that 
 office. The parish concurred in this action, and Mr. 
 Hilliard accepted the invitation. A council of the 
 neighboring churches was called, and on the 27th of 
 October, 1783, the pastor elect was installed. He 
 preached on the occasion from Titus ii. 15: "Let no 
 man despise thee." The Rev. Mr. Clarke of Lexington 
 prayed before the charge, which was given by the Rev. 
 
LECTURE VI. 157 
 
 Dr. Cooper of Boston. The Rev. Mr. Cushing of Wal- 
 tham gave the right hand of fellowship. " The greatest 
 order, decency, and sobriety were observable through 
 the whole. Soli Deo Gloria." 
 
 Mr. Appleton very soon gave the church-book into 
 the care of his colleague, which was virtually relinquish- 
 ing the staff which his decrepit hand could no longer 
 hold. In the following February " he departed this life, 
 in the ninety-first year of his age and sixty-seventh of 
 his ministry." " 1784, February 15. This day his funeral 
 solemnity was attended. The body was carried to the 
 meeting-house. Eev. Mr. Cushing of Waltham prayed. 
 The surviving pastor of this church delivered a funeral 
 address. A funeral anthem was sung, after which the 
 procession advanced to the burying-place, and the body 
 was committed to the tomb." A long Latin epitaph 
 covers the stone upon his grave ; but the last lines, 
 which are in his own tongue, balance the rest : " They 
 that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firma- 
 ment, and they that turn many to righteousness as the 
 stars for ever and ever." 
 
 We have already noted some indications of the 
 esteem in which the sixth pastor of this church was 
 held. He was possessed of the learning of his time. 
 He labored to instruct his people. His preaching was 
 with great plainness and simplicity. " He frequently 
 borrowed similitudes from familiar, sometimes from 
 vulgar, objects ; but his application of these was so per- 
 tinent, and his utterance and his air were so solemn, as 
 to suppress levity and silence criticism." He expounded 
 the whole New Testament, the Book of Isaiah, and other 
 parts of the Bible. His aim in this was to promote 
 practical piety. He made use of such events as were 
 
158 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 engaging the attention of the people, that he might lead 
 them to serious thoughts. He was vigilant and careful 
 in his parochial administration. " So great," says Dr. 
 Holmes, " was the ascendency which he gained over his 
 people, by his discretion and moderation, by his con- 
 descension and benevolence, by his fidelity and piety, 
 that, while he lived, they regarded his counsels as 
 oracular ; and, since his death, they mention not his 
 name but with profound regard and veneration." He 
 was venerable for his age, but more for his piety. " His 
 religion, like his whole character, was patriarchal. In 
 his dress, in his manners, in his conversation, in his 
 ministry, he may be classed with the Puritan ministers, 
 of revered memory, who first came to New England." 
 He was a popular man, and his church was " respectable 
 for wealth, influence, and numbers." He had great 
 weight of character, and made himself felt through the 
 province. His praise was in all the churches. Eccle- 
 siastical councils sought his advice. He was a wise 
 counsellor, and strove for the peace and order of the 
 churches. His portrait, by Copley, which hangs in the 
 College, represents him, very fittingly, as holding in his 
 hand a volume of Dr. Watts, entitled " Orthodoxy and 
 Charity." 
 
 Dr. Appleton's manuscripts were burned in the fire 
 in Boston in 1794 ; but a goodly number of his sermons 
 are in print, and also a work published in 1728 and 
 entitled, " The Wisdom of God in the Eedemption of 
 Man." He left a legacy of £ 40 for the benefit of the 
 poor of the church, and one of £26, Massachusetts 
 currency, to the College for a scholarship, in addition 
 to £ 30 previously given by him. Dr. Appleton was 
 married about the year 1720 to Margaret, daughter of 
 
LECTURE VI. 159 
 
 the Rev. Henry Gibbs of Watertown. Dr. Sprague's 
 " Annals of the American Pulpit " furnish this incident. 
 " It is a current tradition in the family, that, while he 
 was wooing the lady, he happened to call one day soon 
 after a rival suitor had made his way to her father's 
 house, leaving his horse fastened near the gate. The 
 Cambridge minister, on his arrival, tied his own steed 
 to the fence, and coolly unloosed the other, and with a 
 smart stroke of his whip sent him off down the street. 
 He then went into the house, and told his rival that he 
 had just seen a horse running away at full speed, and 
 asked if it was his. Whereupon the owner rushed out 
 after his stray beast, leaving Dr. Appleton in possession 
 of the field. He made the most of his opportunity, offered 
 himself, and was accepted." They had twelve children. 
 One son was a merchant in Boston, and a zealous 
 patriot during the Eevolution, and for many years held 
 the office of Commissioner of Loans. Two daughters 
 married clergymen. 
 
 There are some other events which fall into this 
 period, which should have a mention here. After Mr. 
 Appleton had been invited to the pastorate, a committee 
 was appointed by the town to consider the expediency 
 of raising the meeting-house, so that an upper tier of 
 galleries could be put in. The College agreed to bear 
 one-seventh part of the expense of this alteration, on 
 condition that certain parts of the house should be re- 
 served for the use of the scholars. I do not find any 
 account of the work, and presume that the project was 
 abandoned. In 1746 the parish proposed to repair the 
 meeting-house, and the College again agreed to pay a por- 
 tion of the cost. There was a difference of opinion re- 
 garding the amount of work which should be done, and 
 
160 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 the extensive repairs contemplated were abandoned ; but 
 it would appear that the immediate want was met by 
 making the roof tight, and mending the windows, doors, 
 and seats. It is probable that some thought the time 
 was not distant when a new house would be needed, and 
 that it would be poor economy to spend much money on 
 the old one. In 1753 the inhabitants voted to build a 
 new meeting-house upon some part of the hill on which 
 the house was then standing. The Corporation of the 
 College agreed to pay one seventh part of the cost of 
 the new house, upon certain conditions. The students 
 were to have the improvement of the whole front gal- 
 lery, and one of the best pews was to be set apart for 
 the president. A petition was to be sent to the General 
 Court, asking such help in the affair as should seem 
 meet to their wisdom and goodness. The College 
 afterwards agreed to add £ 20 to the previous sub- 
 scription. There was a protracted negotiation to arrange 
 matters between the parish and the College, but on 
 November 17, 1756, the house was raised, and Divine 
 service was first performed in it July 24, 1757. This 
 fourth house remained until 1833. " In this edifice," 
 writes President Quincy, "all the public Commence- 
 ments and solemn inaugurations, during more than 
 seventy years, were celebrated ; and no building in 
 Massachusetts can compare with it in the number of 
 distinguished men who at different times have been 
 assembled within its walls." During the investment of 
 Boston in 1775, when Washington had his army here, 
 he worshipped with his companions-in-arms in that 
 church. In 1779 the delegates from the different towns 
 of Massachusetts met in that church, and framed the 
 Constitution of the State. When Lafayette was here, in 
 
LECTURE VI. 161 
 
 1824, upon his " triumphal visit," the address of wel- 
 come was given to him within those consecrated walls. 
 A large stone from the foundation, one which very likely 
 had served the preceding houses, has been built into 
 the wall of the church we are now completing, and is 
 inscribed with the date " 1756." 
 
 In 1749-50, a committee was appointed by the parish 
 " to treat with the governors of the College, in order to 
 their being assisting of said Precinct in the support of 
 Mr. Appleton." Here are appropriations for schools ; a 
 law that if any dog is found in the meeting-house on 
 the Lord's Day, in time of public worship, the owner 
 shall be fined ; officers are appointed to preserve order ; 
 provision is made for the care of the " French Neutrals " ; 
 the court-house is to be rebuilt, as far as possible from the 
 materials of the meeting-house about to be taken down. 
 In 1761 an Episcopal church was opened here, at the 
 desire, says the historian, " of five or six gentlemen, each 
 of whose incomes was judged to be adequate to the 
 maintenance of a domestic chaplain. A missionary 
 was appointed to the care of the church by the English 
 ' Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts.' " 
 In 1764 the College suffered a severe loss by the burn- 
 ing of Harvard Hall, which contained the library, the 
 philosophical apparatus, and various objects of interest. 
 " In one stormy winter's night, the scanty but precious 
 accumulations of a hundred and twenty-six years " were 
 lost. But the friends of the cherished college, if cast 
 down, were not destroyed, and immediate measures were 
 taken to erect a new building, and replace what had 
 been lost, as far as it could be done. In 1780 the 
 church-members on the south side of the river made 
 known their desire to be dismissed and formed into a 
 n 
 
162 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 distinct church, and a new church was organized there 
 on the 23d of February, 1783. It was in Dr. Apple- 
 ton's pastorate that Whitefield was exciting the country 
 with his marvellous preaching. He came to Cambridge 
 in 1740 to see and. to preach, and made a sad report of 
 the lack of discipline, the low state of religion, and the 
 reading of bad books. " I chose to preach from those 
 words : ' We are not as many who corrupt the word of 
 God ' ; and in the conclusion of my sermon I made a 
 close application to tutors and students." The Faculty 
 of the College published a pamphlet bearing their tes- 
 timony " against the Eeverend Mr. George Whitefield 
 and his conduct." Mr. Whitefield replied, modifying 
 some things which he had said, expressing his good 
 will to the College, asking forgiveness if he had done 
 any wrong, and offering forgiveness to those who had 
 wronged him. Among the donors of a late date we 
 find his name, and the acknowledgment of his journal 
 and a collection of books, and also of his influence by 
 which he procured a large number of valuable books 
 from several parts of Great Britain. The career of 
 Whitefield in this country, and certainly in Cambridge, 
 must have elicited the eager interest of the church ; and 
 we may be certain that the liberal and prudent pastor 
 stood for the defence of the College, and showed himself 
 always the friend of moderation and order, of zeal with 
 knowledge, and of that work which stands the tests of 
 this world and the judgment of another. There were 
 blessed results of the wide and deep movement of that 
 time. Tutor Flynt wrote in his diary, " Many students 
 appeared to be in a great concern as to their souls, first 
 moved by Mr. Whitefield's preaching, and after by Mr. 
 Tennent's and others, and by Mr. Appleton, who was 
 
LECTURE VI. 163 
 
 more close and affecting in bis preaching after Mr. 
 Whitefield's being here." 
 
 But the great events of this period, so far as this 
 land and the world were concerned, were the Dec- 
 laration of Independence by these colonies and the 
 realization of independence through the struggles and 
 sufferings of a long contest. The spirit which dared 
 and achieved the end ruled here. The brief records 
 of the town ring with the cries of men bent on lib- 
 erty, — men who knew their rights and meant to pos- 
 sess them, and were willing to endure for the gen- 
 erations to come. England changed her sovereigns ; 
 three Georges ruled. In France Louis XV. finished his 
 reign, and was succeeded by his well-meaning, but 
 irresolute and ill-fated grandson. These changes did 
 not mean so much for the world as the rise of this free 
 Republic, whose destiny is more glorious than its his- 
 tory, if the patriotic devotion of the fathers shall be 
 the cherished heritage of the children. 
 
 It remains to say a few words more of our own 
 history. The death of Dr. Appleton left Mr. Hilliard 
 the sole pastor of the church. Mr. Hilliard was the 
 son of a worthy farmer and deacon of Kensington, 
 N. H., and was born in the year 1746. In his youth he 
 showed an unusual facility in acquiring knowledge, and 
 an amiable and cheerful disposition. He graduated here 
 with high honor in 1764. "While in college he made 
 such advances in the various branches of useful learning 
 as laid the foundation for that eminence in his profes- 
 sion to which he afterward attained. In 1768 he was 
 appointed chaplain of Castle William. After a few 
 months' service there, he was elected a tutor in this 
 College, and for two years and a half discharged the 
 
164 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 duties of that office with fidelity. He was invited to 
 settle in the ministry at Barnstable, and was ordained 
 there April 10, 1771. He remained there for twelve 
 years, winning the affection of his people and the esteem 
 of all who knew him. The strong sea-air proved injuri- 
 ous to his health, and he resigned his parish. On recov- 
 ering his health, he resumed his professional labors, and, 
 after preaching here for a short time, was invited to 
 become the colleague of the venerable pastor, and soon 
 became the sole pastor of this church, as we have already 
 seen. He died on the Lord's Day morning, May 9, 
 1790, in the seventh year of his ministry here, and the 
 forty-fourth year of his age. The records of his ministry 
 contain nothing beyond the usual routine of parish 
 work. There were one hundred and forty-five baptisms, 
 and twenty-three persons were admitted to the church. 
 The " committee to inspect the manners of professing 
 Christians " seems to have been discontinued after Dr. 
 Appleton's death. Care was taken of the funds belong- 
 ing to the church, provision was made for the poor, and 
 the late pastor's legacy was applied according to his 
 wish. The church received new members, children 
 were baptized, men and women were joined in marriage, 
 and the grave claimed its own. Thus the work went 
 on. The word of God was preached as aforetime, and 
 men were called to obey the gospel, which "unfolds 
 the glorious plan of redemption which was laid in the 
 counsels of infinite wisdom and goodness before the 
 foundation of the world." The years of the Eevolution 
 and those which immediately followed it were a 
 dreary time for the churches, and for the interests of 
 piety in the land. Many had been drawn away from 
 the restraints of the law and the sanctuary, and 
 
LECTURE VI. 165 
 
 exposed to the excitement and temptation of a 
 soldier's life, often among the irreligious and un- 
 principled of other lands. With the war uppermost 
 in the minds of the people, religion suffered a decline. 
 Errors of belief and practice, corruptions of divers kinds, 
 came in like a flood. The Sabbath lost its sacredness, 
 the Bible its authority, the church its sanctity. The 
 preacher had his task doubled. The pastor here felt 
 the force of the conflict and the greatness of the issue. 
 He put on the panoply of God for a warfare that was 
 not carnal but spiritual, to win for men a liberty which 
 was perfect and eternal. Amid the last echoes of the 
 Revolution he preached the gospel of peace. And when 
 a proclamation, nailed to the court-house door, offered 
 pardon to the rebels, in the meeting-house he preached 
 the forgiveness of sins. 
 
 Through all his ministry Mr. Hilliard was studious 
 and earnest. Both the learned and unlearned were 
 profited by his judicious, instructive, practical dis- 
 courses. His sermons were of cost to him, and there- 
 fore were of worth to his hearers. The government of 
 the University regarded him as "an excellent model 
 for the youth under their care wno were designed 
 for the desk, and considered his introduction into 
 this parish a most happy event." He excelled in 
 public prayer, and was "tenderly attentive to the 
 sick and afflicted." His whole temper was amiable, 
 candid, liberal. While not ranking among what are 
 called popular preachers, he had excellent pulpit tal- 
 ents, and his ministrations were highly acceptable to 
 the churches. His reputation was increasing when he 
 died. He had much influence in ecclesiastical councils 
 and associations, and his brethren paid him a marked 
 
166 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 respect. He was watchful of the interests of the Uni- 
 versity, of which he was a son and an overseer. 
 
 The publications of Mr. Hilliard were five sermons, 
 including a Dudleian Lecture. I copy a few sentences, 
 that we may see how well his doctrinal views agreed 
 with those held by this church from the beginning. 
 
 "It is observed that the Saxon word 'gospel' signifies 
 welcome news : it brings us the news of an Almighty 
 Friend and compassionate Saviour, who came from 
 heaven to deliver us from the condemning sentence 
 of the Divine Law, and to restore us to the image and 
 
 favor of our Maker Amidst all the variety of sects 
 
 and parties into which Christians have been divided, 
 they have been generally agreed with respect to the 
 capital and most important truths of religion. All 
 Christians believe the existence and perfection of the 
 one supreme God, the author and supporter of the 
 universe, and his providential government of the world ; 
 they believe the advent of his best-beloved Son to 
 redeem and save a perishing world ; they own that 
 salvation is by grace through faith ; that a Divine in- 
 fluence on the mind is necessary to produce and cul- 
 tivate a holy and heavenly temper ; that Christ, having 
 been delivered for our offences, was raised from the dead 
 by the glory of the Father, ' was vested with ' supreme 
 dominion, and constituted the Judge of quick and dead ; 
 they believe the resurrection of the dead, and a future 
 retribution according to the deeds done in the body." 
 
 In a sermon from the text, " But not as the offence 
 so also is the free gift," he says : " The advantage here 
 mentioned may consist in this, that all who die do not 
 suffer this calamity merely for the sin of Adam, but 
 oftentimes bring death upon themselves for their own 
 
LECTURE VI. 157 
 
 sins ; but all that are justified, and so freed from death, 
 are thus exempted from it only by virtue of the blood 
 of Christ." 
 
 Yet, while Mr. Hilliard held his own views firmly, lie 
 cherished a charitable spirit towards those who judged 
 differently, and enjoined this upon others. 
 
 In person Mr. Hilliard was rather spare, of a medium 
 height, with an intellectual and attractive countenance. 
 His last illness was very short, and in it he was sus- 
 tained by the truths he had preached, enjoying those 
 consolations which he had given to others. He men- 
 tioned his people with affection, and with great satis- 
 faction testified " that he had not shunned to declare to 
 them the whole counsel of God, having kept nothing 
 back through fear or any sinister view." Thus passed 
 away the seventh minister of this church. He was 
 buried, with those who had preceded him, in our sacred 
 ground, " in the Christian hope of rising again to eter- 
 nal life." His " bereaved, affectionate flock " erected a 
 monument to his memory, and inscribed upon it the 
 virtues with which he had adorned his life. 
 
 Here we pause, after the survey of more than a hun- 
 dred years. We turn from these pages of our history, 
 witnessing to the truthfulness of the word of promise 
 and of hope in which our fathers trusted, and strength- 
 ening ourselves with the assurance which God grants to 
 us, for our comfort and courage, " My covenant will I 
 not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my 
 lips." 
 
LECTUEE VII. 
 
 " Remember me, Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto 
 thy people : 0, visit me with thy salvation ; that i may see 
 the good of thy chosen, that i may rejoice in the gladness of 
 thy nation, that i may glory with thine inheritance." — psalm 
 
 cvi. 4, 5. 
 
 THE patriot Psalmist sought for himself the blessing 
 with which God would visit his people. He iden- 
 tified himself with his people, both for confession and 
 desire. It was enough for him to see the good of the 
 chosen of God, and to rejoice in their gladness. I 
 have placed this passage at the head of this discourse, 
 because it forms the text of two sermons preached by 
 the venerated man of God whose ministry we are now 
 to review. They were first delivered in 1820, upon 
 the twenty-eighth anniversary of his installation over 
 this church, and were repeated in 1836, at the begin- 
 ning of the third century since the formation of the 
 church. The sermons set forth the peculiar privileges 
 of the people of God, and the duties which attend 
 those privileges. He accounted it a great honor to be 
 numbered with those whom God had chosen, and a 
 great advantage to share their experience. Yet the 
 people of God to whom he ministered knew both the 
 blessing of prosperity and the blessing of adversity- 
 In the day of their prosperity he stood in his place, and 
 prayed, " Remember me, Lord, with the favor that thou 
 bearest unto thy people " ; and when the day of adver- 
 
LECTURE VI 1. 169 
 
 sity had come, taking the same sermons to another 
 sanctuary, he still prayed, " that I may see the good 
 of thy chosen." It was glory enough for him to be as 
 they were. 
 
 In the town of Woodstock, now in Connecticut, hut 
 at that time within the bounds of this State, on the 
 24th of December, 1763, was born the man who be- 
 came the eighth pastor of this church, and who long 
 filled the office with distinction and success. He 
 preserved the renown of an illustrious line of minis- 
 ters^ and enhanced its praise by adding his own name. 
 The father of Abiel Holmes was a practising phy- 
 sician. He served as captain during the war in Can- 
 ada, and as a surgeon during the first half of our 
 Bevolutionary War. He died when his son had reached 
 his sixteenth year. It is inferred that the early years 
 of the son were marked by studious habits and a serious 
 regard for religion. He entered Yale College in 1779, 
 and graduated in 1783. It was a stormy period in 
 his country's history, and New Haven shared in the 
 stirring scenes of the time. But the young student 
 improved his opportunities, and was considered one of 
 the most accomplished scholars in his class. In his 
 Sophomore year he united with the College church. In 
 the year following his graduation he was in South 
 Carolina. While there, the church and society at Mid- 
 way, Georgia, learning that it was his intention to enter 
 the ministry, invited him to preach to them for a year, 
 and in August, 1783, he began his labors among them. 
 This church and society had removed from Dorchester, 
 in this State, about the year 1700, and first settled in 
 South Carolina, at a place which they named Dor- 
 chester. Some fifty years later they removed to 
 
170 FIRST CUURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 Georgia, where, after an exciting experience, in which 
 their meeting-house and almost all their dwellings and 
 crops were burned by the British troops, the society- 
 was broken up and dispersed. On the return of peace 
 the people came back to their old home, and resumed 
 their former ways. It was at this new beginning of their 
 work that Mr. Holmes, then in the twenty-first year of 
 his age, entered upon his labors with them. When he 
 was about to return to the North, in the following year, 
 he was earnestly solicited to obtain ordination, and then 
 to return and resume his ministry. He consented to 
 this, and was ordained in the College Chapel at New 
 Haven on the 15th of September, 1785, being the day 
 after Commencement. The services at his ordination 
 were printed. The Eev. President Stiles was moder- 
 ator of the council. The sermon was the regular 
 Concio ad Clerum, and was delivered by the Rev. Levi 
 Hart, of Preston, Conn., from St. Paul's words, " For do 
 I now persuade men, or God ? Or do I seek to please 
 men ? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the 
 servant of Christ." The sermon was entitled, " A 
 Christian Minister described, and distinguished from a 
 Pleaser of Men," and, as we read it to-day, has a pro- 
 phetic tone. The act of consecration and the ordaining 
 prayer were by President Stiles. 
 
 The work of the young minister was regarded as of 
 great importance, inasmuch as he was not merely the 
 pastor of a single flock, but was to labor in a region 
 where it was hoped new churches would spring up around 
 him, and the gospel make its way, through his influence, 
 beyond the reach of his voice. He went to his people, 
 but was obliged, by impaired health, to return the next 
 year to the North, where he exchanged places for a 
 
LECTURE UI. 171 
 
 year with Mr. Jedediah Morse, then a tutor in Yale 
 College, after which he resumed his pastoral work. 
 During his absence from his people he kept them on 
 his heart, as a printed " Pastoral Letter," still pre- 
 served, bears witness. He continued with his church 
 for about four years longer, when it was found that his 
 health was unfavorably affected by a southern climate, 
 and he resigned his charge and came to New England. 
 This church had been without a pastor since Mr. 
 Hilliard's death in May, 1790. Mr. Holmes was em- 
 ployed to preach, with a view to his settlement. In 
 October, 1791, he was called to the pastorate by the 
 church, and the parish concurred in the choice. In 
 his reply to the invitation, Mr. Holmes writes : " In 
 respect to the office of which you have asked my ac- 
 ceptance, I can truly say that I consider it above my 
 years and my improvements. But the singular candor 
 with which you received me and my ministrations 
 while I was with you, and the remarkable unanimity 
 with which the transactions relative to my proposed 
 settlement among you were conducted, silence my 
 objection on this head." On the 25th of January, 1792, 
 an Ecclesiastical Council met at the parsonage. Pres- 
 ident Willard was chosen moderator. After the usual 
 examination, the council adjourned for dinner at Mr. 
 Owen Warland's. After dinner, the brethren of the 
 church received the pastor-elect as a member. Then 
 the council, with the pastor-elect, preceded by the church 
 and as many of the inhabitants of the parish as were 
 present, proceeded to the meeting-house, where the 
 installation services were performed. Rev. Mr. Jack- 
 son of Brookline offered prayer. Eev. Dr. James Dana 
 of New Haven preached from our Lord's words, which 
 
172 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 contain the authority and limitation of his ministers, 
 " My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." Eev. 
 Mr. Clarke of Lexington offered the installing prayer, 
 Eev. Mr. dishing of Waltham gave the charge, Eev. 
 Mr. Porter of Little Cambridge extended the right hand 
 of fellowship, Eev. Dr. Howard of Boston offered the 
 concluding prayer, and the pastor pronounced the 
 benediction. The record closes in this way : " Through- 
 out the whole process the greatest order, decency, and 
 harmony were observable. Soli Deo Gloria." Mr. 
 Holmes's first sermon after his installation was from the 
 First Epistle of St. Peter, iv. 11. " If any man speak, 
 let him speak as the oracle of God ; if any man min- 
 ister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth : 
 that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus 
 Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and 
 ever. Amen." That was the key-note of his long 
 ministry. He was duly impressed with the greatness 
 of his work, and with the honor of the position which 
 he was called to hold. In closing this sermon he said, 
 " In a word, aided by Divine grace, he will endeavor to 
 speak to you the words of eternal life with that serious- 
 ness and zeal which their singular importance requires. 
 If, impressed with the weight of what he utters, he 
 should at any time seem to forget the respect due to 
 his auditory, still, if he keeps to the oracles of God, 
 he hopes you will pardon him, duly considering that 
 he is not mad, but speaks forth the words of truth and 
 
 soberness But I am again constrained to cry 
 
 out, "Who is sufficient for these things ? The place in 
 which I stand reminds me of my venerable predecessors 
 in the ministry. Your fathers, where are they ? And 
 the prophets, do they live forever ? . . . . Other men 
 
LECTURE VII. ' 17;> 
 
 labored, and I am entered into their labors. Such an 
 one as Paul the aged no longer addresses you from this 
 pulpit, but a youth who would have esteemed it a 
 singular honor, as a son with the father, to have served 
 with him in the gospel. May the examples and coun- 
 sels of your worthy pastors who have gone to rest be 
 long kept in faithful remembrance among you; and 
 may the recollection of their excellent characters ex- 
 cite your present minister to fidelity in the very ardu- 
 ous and important work to which he is renewedly 
 devoted." 
 
 The records of the church during Mr. Holmes's min- 
 istry are in his own handwriting, which is only less 
 plain than printing, and they exhibit the method and 
 accuracy which marked all his life. From these and 
 collateral sources we are able to write the story of his 
 life. I shall follow in the main the chronological 
 order, but there are some events which should be 
 grouped. 
 
 Let us look for a moment at the surroundings. Cam- 
 bridge in 1792 did not differ much from the town of 
 1800, when Mr. Holmes compiled its history. The 
 bridge which we usually cross on our way to Boston 
 was begun in the year of his settlement, and finished 
 in the next year. He describes it as " a magnificent 
 structure." " It is very handsomely constructed ; and, 
 when lighted by its two rows of lamps, extending a- 
 mile and a quarter, presents a vista which has a fine 
 effect." This bridge had a perceptible influence on the 
 business of the town. Houses and stores were built 
 near the bridge, where a rapid progress of trade and 
 commerce was expected. In 1790 the number of in- 
 habitants in the town was 2,115. In ten years from 
 
174 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 that time there had been an increase of 330. The 
 number of dwelling-houses in the town in 1798 was 
 301, of which one half were in the first parish. At the 
 beginning of this century there were five houses of 
 worship, — one used by the Congregational church in 
 each of the three parishes, in the first parish also one 
 for the Episcopalians, and, in the second, one for the 
 Baptists. The University had five buildings. These 
 were the second Harvard Hall, Massachusetts, Hollis, 
 Holden Chapel, and College House, a wooden build- 
 ing of three stories, containing twelve rooms with 
 studies, and standing outside the yard. The historian 
 says, " There are now one hundred and ninety-one 
 students in this ancient and very respectable seminary ; 
 and, for several preceding years, there have been up- 
 wards of two hundred An extensive and beautiful 
 
 common spreads to the northwest of the Colleges, and 
 adds much to the pleasantness of this central part of 
 the town." The county court-house, used also for a 
 town-house, stood in Harvard Square. On the corner 
 of Market Square stood the wooden jail. The grammar 
 school-house was a little westward of the Episcopal 
 Church. There were, besides this, six school-houses in 
 town, two in each parish. The grounds of Thomas 
 Brattle, Esq., once the property of the Bev. William 
 Brattle, were greatly admired. " In no part of New 
 England, probably, is horticulture carried to higher 
 perfection than within his enclosure." On the road to 
 Watertown were ." several elegant seats " which at- 
 tracted the attention of travellers. And the Washing- 
 ton elm, which guards our new church, stretched out 
 its broad branches, hanging with historic memories. 
 The meeting-house of this church and the first parish 
 
LECTURE VII. 175 
 
 ■was the fourth house which they had occupied, and 
 stood near the present site of Dane Hall. The par- 
 sonage was on a glebe of four acres now included in the 
 College yard. 
 
 From this external survey we pass to the history of 
 the church. The first matter in the regular records of 
 this period is the report, made in 1792, of a " committee 
 appointed to inquire into the state of the church stock, 
 and of the fund appropriated to the poor of the church." 
 It appears that the deacons had in their charge £356 
 19 s. 8| d., which was nearly all invested, and drawing 
 interest. One third part of the interest was to he paid 
 to the parish treasurer, by vote of the church. In the 
 account of the fund for the poor of the church, the 
 deacons were charged with £82 7 s. 6^cl, which had 
 been properly distributed among the poor, or remained 
 on investment, except a very small balance. The 
 deacons declared their agreement to the report of the 
 committee. The church passed a vote thanking 
 " Deacon Hill for his generous services in providing 
 for the Communion and negotiating the funds of the 
 church." This examination was repeated, year by year, 
 and the vote of acknowledgment was regularly passed 
 for several years, enlarged, however, by thanks " to the 
 deacons in general for their services in behalf of the 
 church." The last of these statements of the monetary 
 affairs of the church was made in 1830, when the 
 funds of the church had increased to $3,236.99, and 
 the fund for the poor to $ 667.18. 
 
 The first statement made by the deacons is signed 
 by Aaron Hill, Gideon Frost, and James Munro. In 
 the same year Deacon Hill died, after a service of 
 eighteen years in that office, and Captain John Walton 
 
176 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 was chosen to fill the vacancy. In a modest letter, 
 expressing his surprise at the election, and his fear 
 lest he could not fill the office with that propriety 
 which it required, he confessed himself not entirely at 
 his own disposal, and, heeding the call of duty, acceded 
 to the wishes of the church. Deacon Walton died 
 thirty-one years afterwards, in 1823. It will be best 
 to bring together here the changes in this office during 
 this pastorate. In 1803 Deacon Frost died, after a 
 service of twenty years, and, in 1804, Mr. William Hil- 
 liard was chosen in his place. " The deacon-elect 
 offered a modest excuse for declining the choice, on 
 account of his early age ; but, after due consideration, 
 he accepted it, and signified his acceptance by assisting 
 at the next Communion service." The pastor adds, in a 
 note, " He is in his twenty-sixth year ; is a son of my 
 worthy predecessor in the ministry; and, though re- 
 cently admitted into our church, has been several years 
 a member of a church in Boston, and has had frequent 
 communion with us." He remained in office until his 
 death in 1836, a period of thirty-two years. Deacon 
 Munro died in 1804, having been twenty-one years in 
 office. In his place Mr. Josiah Moore was chosen. 
 He filled the office for nine years, and died in 1814. 
 His house stood upon the land now occupied by our 
 new church. His place was not filled until 1818, when 
 a meeting was held for that purpose. " After prayer 
 by the pastor for the Divine direction and blessing, and 
 the recital of the apostolical instruction and precedents 
 on the subject, the brethren proceeded to bring in their 
 written votes, and it appeared that the whole number 
 of votes was ten, nine of which were for Brother James 
 Munro. He was, accordingly, declared to be chosen a 
 
LECTURE VII. 177 
 
 deacon of this church." The records proceed as fol- 
 lows : " Sept. 6. After the morning sermon (Lord's 
 Day) the pastor, having admitted four members in full 
 communion into the church, mentioned the election of 
 Brother James Munro to the office of Deacon, and his 
 acceptance. The deacon-elect, ■ signifying his accept- 
 ance by taking his seat, this day, with the deacons, near 
 the Communion-table, rose, on being addressed by the 
 pastor, who briefly stated to him the duties of the office 
 to which he was elected, exhorted him to fidelity, and 
 announced him a deacon of this church. In the con- 
 cluding prayer, immediately following, he was com- 
 mended to the grace and blessing of God." Deacon 
 Munro remained in office until his death in 1848. His 
 term of office, therefore, like Deacon Hilliard's, extended 
 through the difficult times which befell the church. 
 To the character of these two men we have the testi- 
 mony of Dr. Albro, who was the pastor at the time of 
 their death, and who said of them, " In many respects 
 dissimilar, they were alike in their' love of the truth, in 
 their zeal for the glory of Christ, and in their efforts 
 and sacrifices for the welfare of the church. They were, 
 as the Apostle says that deacons should be, honest, 
 faithful, and good men, "not double-tongued, not 
 greedy of filthy lucre, holding the mystery of the faith 
 in a pure conscience." They " used the office of dea- 
 con well, and purchased for themselves a good degree, 
 and great boldness in the faith which is in Jesus Christ." 
 In this connection I bring forward a few changes 
 relating to the Communion. It had been the usage of 
 this church to have the Lord's Supper administered 
 once in eight weeks. This naturally produced incon- 
 venience, because the particular days were not specified. 
 
 12 
 
178 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 Accordingly, in 1797, at the suggestion of the pastor, 
 the church decided to have the Communion on the first 
 Lord's Day of every other month, beginning with Janu- 
 ary. That arrangement remains to this day. In Sep- 
 tember, 1818, there is this entry: "It had been the 
 usage of the church, at the Communion service, for the 
 members to remain in their own pews. To lessen 
 the time and to facilitate the duties of this service, on 
 the suggestion of the deacons, the pastor recommended 
 it to the communicants to seat themselves in the pews 
 on the broad aisle. These pews were, accordingly, oc- 
 cupied at the Communion this day." In 1825 the time 
 of the lecture preparatory to the Communion was 
 changed to the evening ; and it was voted " that the 
 examination of the annual accounts of the church take 
 place at the lecture previous to the first Sunday in 
 March." It may seem a blending of sacred and secular 
 things, but to the church all its doings should be sacred. 
 At the same meeting it was voted that the Sabbath 
 service from September to March should begin at half- 
 past two o'clock, and during the rest of the year at half- 
 past three. In 1826 " two of the tankards and two 
 cups were recast, and two cups altered in such a man- 
 ner as now made seven cups of a uniform shape and 
 size. A new silver spoon and six Britannia- ware dishes, 
 more adapted to the use for which they are designed, 
 were also procured." 
 
 There are three cases of church discipline recorded in 
 this pastorate. All were for offences demanding atten- 
 tion, and the proceedings were conducted in a kind and 
 faithful temper. The first case was settled by the satis- 
 factory confession of the offender, after the admonition of 
 the pastor had brought him to penitence. The second 
 
LECTURE VII. 179 
 
 resulted in excommunication, after persistent efforts to 
 bring the offender to repentance and amendment. But 
 four years afterwards, upon her contrition, and desire for 
 forgiveness and readmission, she was restored to the 
 fellowship and privileges of the church, and the pastor 
 " exhorted the members to conduct toward her accord- 
 ingly." The third instance was that of a man who had 
 " renounced his Christian profession, • . . . . and proved 
 himself to be, not merely an apostate from the Christian 
 church, but an enemy to the Christian religion." The 
 faithful efforts of the church to reclaim him were in- 
 effectual, and he was excommunicated. 
 
 But let us turn to pleasant things. In 1805 a com- 
 mittee, consisting of the pastor and two others, w r as 
 appointed to consider the expediency of "procuring 
 religious books for the use of the members of the 
 church." The report recommended that a contribution 
 should be made by the church for that purpose, and 
 this was accepted. The committee was directed to 
 prepare a list of suitable books. The report names 
 some twenty volumes, beginning with " The Holy 
 Bible," and including " Leslie's Short and Easy Method 
 with Deists," " Baxter's Saint's Best," " Doddridge's 
 Bise and Progress of Beligion," " Wilberforce on Chris- 
 tianity," and kindred works. The estimated cost of 
 the books was $ 13.50. The deacons were desired to 
 solicit donations of money, or of any of the books which 
 had been named, to begin the library. ' There was a 
 generous response. The library was accordingly estab- 
 lished, and placed under the care of the church, which 
 was annually to choose the librarian and a standing 
 committee. The title of Library of the First Church 
 was agreed upon. The pastor was chosen librarian. A 
 
180 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 catalogue was printed, embracing one hundred and nine 
 books. An excellent work was thus begun, which it 
 seems very desirable that the church should renew at 
 the present time. A small expenditure in each year 
 would establish a library which would prove of great 
 usefulness. 
 
 This is the place to bring together a few other mat- 
 ters of a similar character. In the summer of 1815 a 
 Sabbath school was opened at the meeting-house, with 
 the design of promoting " the moral and religious im- 
 provement of children and youth." The school was 
 taught during three summers by Miss Mary Munro and 
 Miss Hannah Tenney. Then five other young ladies 
 came to their assistance, and Mr. James D. Farnsworth, 
 master of the grammar school, tendered his services for 
 the instruction of the boys. " More than eighty chil- 
 dren of both sexes received instruction at the Sabbath 
 school. They were taught to read and to commit to 
 memory select portions of the Bible, catechisms, hymns 
 and prayers, and to answer Cummings's questions on the 
 New Testament. Books and tracts were early provided 
 for their use." In 1819 the pastor stated the object of 
 the school to the congregation, " and a collection was 
 afterward taken for purchasing small books to be dis- 
 tributed among the children, as an encouragement for 
 punctual attendance, correct lessons, and good be- 
 havior." " In 1827 books and tracts were collected 
 by subscription for a juvenile library." A board of 
 trustees was chosen, with the pastor at the head. He 
 was also chosen librarian. In July, 1831, seven trus- 
 tees were elected, and Miss Mary Ann Sawyer became 
 librarian. The trustees were authorized to make selec- 
 tions from the library to form a Sabbath School Library 
 
LECTURE VII. 181 
 
 for the Shepard Congregational Society. We are now 
 carried beyond the pastorate of Dr. Holmes. But it 
 may be added that in 1832 it was voted that "Mr. 
 Stephen Farwell, then superintendent in the Sabbath 
 school, be appointed and requested to deliver the books 
 selected for the use of the Sabbath school." After- 
 wards, in 1835, a Sabbath School Society was formed 
 by members of the Shepard Congregational Society, 
 " for the purpose of promoting more effectually Sabbath- 
 school instruction," and both of the libraries for the 
 young were transferred to its care, and were brought 
 together under the name of Juvenile and Shepard 
 Sabbath School Library. We have just celebrated the 
 fifty-seventh anniversary of our Sabbath school. While 
 enjoying the goodly measure of prosperity which is 
 granted us, we should gratefully remember the work 
 done by those into whose labors we have entered. 
 
 We come now to transactions affecting the connection 
 between the church and the University. From the 
 beginning they had held their Sabbath services to- 
 gether, and the relation had been in all respects an 
 intimate one. In 1814 the Corporation and Overseers 
 decided that it was best for the members of the Univer- 
 sity to hold religious services by themselves. The 
 expected benefits of this were the better opportunity to 
 give special appropriateness to the exercises and in- 
 structions of the sanctuary, and to bring into the Sab- 
 bath certain discourses which had been delivered on a 
 week day. The approved practice of other universities 
 encouraged the separate service. The completion of 
 University Hall, which would contain a commodious 
 chapel, favored the proposed change. It was designed 
 to form a church, and to have the ordinances duly 
 
182 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 administered. Members of the College government 
 with their families, and students, graduates and under- 
 graduates, were to be the only stated communicants. 
 A committee, including the reverend President, was 
 appointed to notify the minister and congregation of 
 the First Parish of the design, and " to express the sen- 
 timents of regard and fraternity felt by the members 
 of the several College Boards, and the desire of Chris- 
 tian and friendly communion between the two so- 
 cieties." President Kirkland, as Chairman of the 
 Committee, addressed a letter " to the pastor, the 
 church and congregation in the First Parish in Cam- 
 bridge," informing them of the proposed action, and 
 describing very feelingly the pleasant associations of 
 the past, and the sacrifice of personal feelings which 
 was involved. " The ties of neighborhood and friend- 
 ship, the sympathy and regard naturally produced by a 
 communion in religious acts, the experience of edifica- 
 tion and comfort in attendance upon your services, 
 combine to make us wish to continue going to the 
 house of God in company." The committee expressed 
 the belief that the separation, though in some respects 
 undesirable and painful, would, on being viewed in all 
 its circumstances and bearings, receive approbation and 
 good wishes. A conference to determine the future 
 connection of the University and the parish was de- 
 sired. It was also asked that such members of the 
 University as should request dismission, in order to join 
 the new church, should have their request granted ; and 
 that the pastor and delegates should be present at 
 the formation of the church within the walls of the 
 University. The church voted "that the reasons as- 
 signed for the proposed measure, so far as it respects 
 
LECTURE TV/. 183 
 
 this church, are entirely satisfactory ; and that the 
 church is ready to concur in the change." Five del- 
 egates were appointed to attend, with the pastor, at the 
 formation of the new church, and the pastor was 
 " requested to reciprocate the assurance of regard and 
 fraternity so kindly expressed by the University to- 
 wards us." The pastor replied to the communication 
 of the President in a letter full of feeling, recalling the 
 past, and the delightful intimacy which had been 
 enjoyed, and which rendered the thought of a separa- 
 tion equally solemn and affecting. This is the close of 
 the letter : " Allowing ourselves, however, to be in- 
 fluenced on this occasion by no other consideration 
 than a regard to the best interests of the University, 
 we cannot but acquiesce in a measure designed for its 
 benefit. Our prayer to God is, that it may, in all re- 
 spects, be of kindly and salutary influence, and par- 
 ticularly that it may conduce to the religious interests 
 of the University, — a seminary consecrated ' To 
 Christ and the Church.' We are grateful for your 
 benevolent petitions for us ; and ask you to continue 
 the prayers which you so affectionately offer for us 
 and our children. May brotherly love continue. Short 
 as is the distance, and small as will be the partition, 
 between the places of our religious services, we indulge 
 the pleasing persuasion that we shall be united in 
 affection, and that the interchange of fraternal and 
 Christian offices, as occasion shall invite or require, 
 will be perpetuated. We gratefully acknowledge the 
 regard uniformly shown us by the University, and the 
 numerous acts and offices of kindness and fraternity 
 we have experienced as individuals, and especially as a 
 church and society. The remembrance of them will be 
 
184 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 always precious to us. Brethren, farewell. ' We bless 
 you out of the house of the Lord.' " " The covenant 
 subscribed by the members of the College church is 
 dated, 'Harvard College, Nov. 6, 1814.'" It was signed 
 by the President and fifteen others. Our church record 
 closes by stating that, " On the morning of Lord's 
 Day, 6th Nov. 1814, the church was organized at 
 University Hall, in the presence and by the assistance 
 of the pastor and delegates of the First Church in 
 Cambridge." 
 
 In the following year the pastor informed the church 
 of his recent discovery, among the collections of the late 
 Eev. Thomas Prince, of a manuscript register in the 
 handwriting of Eev. Jonathan Mitchel, containing a list 
 of the members of the church under the following title : 
 " The Church of Christ at Cambridge in New England. 
 The names of all the members thereof that are in full 
 communion ; together with their children who were 
 either baptized in this church, or (coming from other 
 churches) who were in their minority at their parent's 
 joyning, taken and registered, in the 11 month 1G58." 
 The church directed that this list, which has of late 
 proved of great service in the preparation of our church 
 Manual, should be bound up with the records, and that 
 blank leaves should be left for the record of other 
 papers. Another blank book was to be procured " for 
 the preservation of the reports on the state of the 
 church stock, etc., and other important papers suitable 
 to be preserved with them ; such as Acts of the Legis- 
 lature relative to Parish and Ministry lands, the setting 
 off of parishes within the town of Cambridge, etc., etc." 
 
 There are two or three other events of interest which 
 should have a brief notice. In 1807 Dr. Holmes left 
 
LECTURE VII. 185 
 
 the ancient house in which the ministers had so long 
 resided, and removed to the house which is now stand- 
 ing in Holmes Place, and which has but recently 
 passed from his family into the possession of the Col- 
 lege. In 1807 a meeting-house was erected in that 
 part of the town which was already the scene of large 
 visions of commercial prosperity, and which, in antici- 
 pation of its coming importance, had been made a port 
 of entry, and was designated as Cambridgeport. That 
 part of the town had received the parochial care of the 
 minister of the First Church, " who was wont in his 
 visits to distribute catechisms and hymn-books, and to 
 question the children upon religious doctrines and 
 duties." The new meeting-house was a spacious struc- 
 ture of brick, and stood in a barren common near the 
 northwest corner of the square now occupied by the 
 Allston school-house. The sermon at its dedication 
 was preached by Dr. Holmes. The church seems to 
 have been organized in 1809. The first pastor was 
 Eev. Thomas Brattle Gannett, who united with our 
 church in 1810, and was dismissed and recommended 
 to the new church in 1814. The sermon at his ordina- 
 tion, in 1814, was also preached by Dr. Holmes, and 
 was from the text, " I am made all things to all men, 
 that I might by all means save some." The historian 
 of that church says of the sermon and the preacher, 
 
 " It reads as placid as he looked It is another 
 
 instance of that now lost art of felicitously weaving in 
 Scripture language with the texture of every sentence, 
 and the expression of every thought, which gave such 
 peculiar unction to the most common utterances of the 
 older divines." That meeting-house was injured in a 
 severe gale in 1833, and afterwards taken down. A 
 
186 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 large part of the material was used in the erection of 
 another house on Austin Street, where the society still 
 worships under the pastoral care of the Eev. George 
 W. Briggs, D.D. 
 
 Among other relics of Dr. Holmes's ministry is a 
 pamphlet entitled, " A Sermon delivered at the Episco- 
 pal Church in Cambridge, by the Request of the Wardens 
 and Vestry, December 25, 1809, in Celebration of the 
 Nativity of our Blessed Saviour. By Abiel Holmes, 
 D.D., Minister of the First Church in Cambridge." The 
 sermon was preached at a time when the Episcopal 
 Church was for the most part supplied with lay-readers. 
 The thanks of the society were presented to the 
 preacher for "the learned and appropriate discourse," 
 and he was requested to furnish a copy for the press. 
 
 I find in the records no signs of the war of 1812, 
 unless it be in the small number of admissions to the 
 church. In 1812 but two persons were received, one 
 of whom was Edward Everett, and in 1813 but one 
 person. In 1814 there were five admitted. 
 
 In connection with the service of song in the house 
 of the Lord, it is of interest to find one of Dr. Holmes's 
 sermons marked, " This day Watts's psalms and hymns 
 introduced instead of Tate and Brady." It was preached 
 on the afternoon of June 29, 1817. The text was, 
 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all 
 wisdom ; teaching and admonishing one another in 
 psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with 
 grace in your hearts to the Lord." The sermon teaches 
 the spirit in which this service should be performed, 
 and justifies the use of hymns in addition to the 
 psalms. The grace of Christ and the joys of a Christian 
 life might properly find expression in new songs, " in 
 
LECTURE VII. 187 
 
 the plain language of the gospel," rather " than in the 
 obscure diction of prophecy." The people were urged 
 " with one heart, and, as far as practicable with 
 harmony and propriety, with one voice, to unite in the 
 songs of Zion." The preacher adds, " To the skilful 
 performance of the choir we are much indebted for the 
 order and harmony, the solemnity and effect, with which 
 this part of Divine service is performed. The style of 
 sacred music is, of late years, essentially improved ; and 
 the exclusion of light and unhallowed airs, so foreign 
 to the solemnity of the subject and the place, is itself 
 highly favorable to our improvement in piety and de- 
 votion, and, at the same time, more easily admits the 
 union of a great proportion of the assembly in this 
 common duty, — the social praise of Almighty God. 
 Let us not, then, leave this interesting, improving, and 
 delightful service to be performed wholly by others. 
 Let none be listless, or indifferent to it. Let none 
 regard it as a mere entertainment. Above all, let none 
 either perform, or hear it performed, with levity. Let 
 us all be supplied with books. Let those who can, with 
 any propriety, bear a part in singing the high praises 
 of God ; and let the rest keep their eyes fixed on the 
 psalm or hymn that is sung, and join with the under- 
 standing and affections in the sublime employment, 
 and thus make melody, at least in their hearts, to the 
 Lord. And here, my brethren, I would suggest to you 
 the propriety of performing this part of the service, 
 even when we do no more than perform it in heart, in 
 a standing rather than in a sitting posture." In 1827 
 an organ was placed in the church, and this sermon 
 was repeated on the 30th of September, with the inser- 
 tion of these remarks : " The introduction of an organ, 
 
188 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 instead of diminishing, should increase the number of 
 singers in the congregation. It is not, you will remem- 
 ber, intended as a substitute for the voice, but as an aid 
 to it. It may be accompanied by those who are not 
 thoroughly skilled in music, though great care should 
 be taken not to violate either the time or the harmony. 
 In the use of this instrument, it is hoped and believed 
 great regard will be shown to the spiritual nature of 
 the worship which it is intended to aid. It is not 
 meant for our entertainment, but for our improvement ; 
 not simply to delight the ear, but to inspire the heart. 
 It will not, I trust, be. suffered to overpower the vocal 
 music, of which it 'should be but an accompaniment. 
 Let us have the distinct articulation of the human 
 voice, that it may not give an uncertain sound, or be so 
 merged in the sound of an instrument that the mean- 
 ing cannot be understood. Let us remember, my 
 brethren, that we are required to sing with the spirit 
 and with the understanding." 
 
 " The First Evangelical Congregational Church in 
 Cambridgeport " was gathered in 1827. The word 
 " Evangelical " is the distinctive term in this name. For 
 before that church was formed, the word had come 
 to have a precise, and, to some extent, denominational 
 significance. We are brought now upon the events 
 which separated our church from the parish with which 
 it had so long been connected. I should be glad if I 
 might be spared the recital of these scenes. But they 
 were real, and history must accept, not select, its facts. 
 In regard to the points of this controversy there is a 
 substantial agreement. Each party published a pam- 
 phlet, weaving into its narrative such comments as 
 it chose. On the 20th of July, 1827, a memorial 
 
LECTURE VII. 189 
 
 signed by sixty-three members of the parish was pre- 
 sented to the pastor, remonstrating with him for dis- 
 continuing professional exchanges with certain minis- 
 ters, and recommending a return to his former custom. 
 To understand the meaning of this, it is necessary to go 
 back a little. As early as the year 1787, Unitarianism, 
 which had already been adopted by many persons, 
 became a " substantial reality " in Boston by the action 
 of the society worshipping in King's Chapel, which 
 set aside the English Liturgy it had been using, and 
 adopted one prepared by its own minister, which care- 
 fully excluded all acknowledgment of the Trinity. For 
 many years this remained the only confessedly. Unita- 
 rian society of any note in New England. By what 
 gradual progression the new belief extended itself, and 
 of the methods of its advance, it is not my purpose to 
 speak. That has already become written history. But 
 by the time which we are now considering, a large part 
 of the ministers of the churches in this immediate 
 neighborhood had embraced the liberal principles of 
 belief. It was about this time that this new belief 
 became- organized and " The Unitarian Association was 
 formed." Manifestly here was a great change, and 
 naturally it changed the relation of such ministers to 
 those who adhered to the old belief. Freedom of pro- 
 fessional intercourse became restricted, more and more 
 restricted as one man after another declared himself in 
 favor of the new views. There were men of all degrees 
 of conviction and confession. Some were pronounced 
 Unitarians, and from these men shaded away into such 
 as could hardly be distinguished from the Orthodox. 
 Religious belief and usage for a time were in solution, 
 but coming steadily to take on a precise form. Now, 
 
190 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. ' 
 
 the minister here recognized these changes among his 
 neighbors, and governed himself accordingly. Hence 
 some who had heretofore been invited to an exchange 
 of pulpits with him no longer received such proposals. 
 No single year drew the line of demarcation between 
 the ministers and churches of the two parties in the- 
 ology. It was a slower process by which men found 
 their places. Therefore no single year marked the 
 complete cutting off of ministerial exchanges among 
 clergymen of the different parties. This came about by 
 degrees, and was variously affected by the circum- 
 stances and judgment of individuals. But as in the 
 course of events some of the previous exchanges ceased 
 here, it came to be noticed by the people. This would 
 have made no trouble if they had continued to hold 
 the views which for two hundred years had been 
 preached in the parish, and for a third of a century by 
 this pastor. But a large majority of the legal voters in 
 the affairs of the parish chose the more liberal side. 
 They complained of the change in the pastor's practice, 
 and asserted that he was changing the policy of the 
 church, and deviating from the customs of his immediate 
 predecessors, and departing from the views which had 
 governed his own procedure and shaped his own 
 preaching. They complained, also, that he introduced 
 preachers' whose teaching was irrational, and offensive 
 to a majority of his parishioners, while he gxcluded 
 others whom they desired to hear. It is probable that 
 the preaching of some who were brought in for extra 
 services did more to provoke the parish than the 
 preaching of the pastor. Out of this state of things 
 grew their memorial, in which the signers gratefully 
 testified to the order, peace, and harmony with which 
 
LECTURE VII. 191 
 
 the church and society had walked together, and ex- 
 pressed their fear lest there should arise disaffection 
 and disunion in consequence of the pastor's action, and 
 requested him " to exchange a reasonable proportion of 
 the time with such respectable clergymen of liberal 
 sentiments in this vicinity as had heretofore been ad- 
 mitted into his pulpit, and with others of similar 
 character." The pastor replied, in dignified terms, that 
 he thought an interview with him, before any paper had 
 been drawn up, would have been more favorable to 
 truth and peace. He said, further, to show that this 
 ceasing of professional intercourse was not all with the 
 orthodox ministers, that some liberal ministers were of 
 the opinion that such exchanges as were proposed were 
 not desirable. He added : " The subject is believed to 
 be uniformly left to the discretion of the pastors, who 
 are, or ought to be, the best judges of what is profitable 
 for their hearers, and who are bound religiously to de- 
 termine what is right and consistent for 'themselves." 
 This was the beginning of a protracted controversy, 
 which I have neither time nor heart to review. The 
 whole discussion is in print. It was conducted with a 
 large amount of earnest feeling on both sides. The 
 effort of the parish was to secure the preaching of 
 Unitarian ministers here for a portion of the time. 
 This was to be brought about either by exchanges with 
 such clergymen, or by the settlement of a colleague of 
 liberal sentiments, or by the introduction of ministers 
 of the liberal denomination at such times as would not 
 interfere with the services already established. To 
 neither of these measures would Dr. Holmes consent. 
 He claimed that the original principles of the church 
 had been maintained here with remarkable uniformity 
 
192 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 during its whole history, inclusive of his own ministry. 
 From these principles he would not depart, neither 
 could he consent that others should come in to undo 
 the work which his predecessors and himself had ac- 
 complished. His ordination vows were upon him. 
 
 I have a document prepared by him, which he en- 
 titled " Keligious Principles of the Ministers of Cam- 
 bridge." By citations from their printed works, or their 
 manuscripts, he traces the line of doctrine from Shepard 
 to himself. He then adds, " Doctrines held and taught 
 by the present pastor from the commencement of his 
 ministry here to this time ; collected from his discourses 
 on the Anniversary of his Installation." The object is 
 to show that there has been no change in doctrinal 
 teaching, and that he is standing on the old foundation, 
 and continuing the instruction for which he was called 
 to this pastorate. 
 
 Through all this trial of his constancy the church 
 stood by him, upholding him in his action, and express- 
 ing their decided approbation of the doctrines and 
 duties uniformly inculcated . by the pastor. They re- 
 monstrated in writing against the course which things 
 had taken. " Let us not attempt to drive from us a 
 man, by urging upon him a course of measures, which, 
 should he submit to them, would render him a stranger 
 among his brethren, not satisfy those who make the 
 demand, and would leave him dishonored in his own 
 eyes and in theirs." They made their plea for those 
 not permitted to speak for themselves. "We also 
 apprehend that, were the females of this parish allowed 
 to come here and speak, a majority of them would 
 entreat you to forbear ; and we would hope that we 
 shall not be regardless of their feelings, because they 
 
LECTURE VII. 193 
 
 are not allowed the poor privilege of begging you to 
 consider them." It became evident that the difficulty 
 was not to be settled by discussion. The church and 
 pastor on one side, and the parish on the other, were 
 alike decided. The pastor would be master of his 
 pulpit, admitting and excluding according to his own 
 discretion. The parish would hear liberal preaching, 
 and would not listen to certain preachers, Calvinists, 
 who were invited by the pastor. For such differences 
 as this Congregationalism, in the days of the Apostles, 
 had made provision. In the multitude of counsellors 
 wisdom was to be sought. Therefore, at length, the 
 parish proposed to the pastor to unite in calling a 
 mutual ecclesiastical council to advise in regard to the 
 matter in controversy. There could be no objection to 
 a council. But the church and a minority of the parish 
 declared that the ancient usage in New England, and 
 invariably in this parish, was for the church and par- 
 ish to concur in cpiestions touching the settlement of 
 a minister, and in his removal if that should become 
 necessary. It was proposed, therefore, that the council 
 should be called by the church and parish in concur- 
 rence. But these memorials did not induce the parish 
 to change its course. 
 
 The church insisted upon- their right to participation 
 in the calling of a mutual council, because Dr. Holmes 
 was their minister, as well as the minister of the parish, 
 and had been settled by them in concurrence with the 
 parish, and because the proposed changes deeply affected 
 their interests. The parish objected to the admission of 
 the church, on the ground that, if admitted, "they would 
 make all the resistance in their power to the attempts 
 of the parish to remedy the evils of which they com- 
 
 13 
 
194 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 plained, and would give Dr. Holmes all their assistance 
 and support in his opposition to the principles and 
 wishes of the parish." This fear was certainly well 
 grounded. The church were as firm in defence of the 
 pastor as the parish in opposing him. 
 
 The pastor was asked to confer with the parish com- 
 mittee. He took time to consider his reply. The 
 church sent him a memorial assuring him of their 
 approval and support. Dr. Holmes replied to the par- 
 ish, that he had been settled by the distinct and sepa- 
 rate, yet concurrent, invitation of the church and the 
 parish, and that he was not at liberty to overlook or 
 to interfere with the equitable claims of the church ; 
 and that he would consent to a mutual ecclesiastical 
 council, if regularly called, according to the usage of 
 our churches, that is, by the church and parish together. 
 The parish refused to have the church considered in 
 the matter, placing their refusal upon the ground that 
 the church had no complaint against the pastor or the 
 parish. The pastor would not deny the church their 
 right in a matter so greatly concerning their welfare. 
 Again, there was no hope of agreement by discussion. 
 The parish proceeded to call an ex parte council, which 
 assembled in the old Court House on the 19th of May* 
 1829. It was composed of the representatives of six 
 Unitarian churches. A copy of the complaint to be 
 presented against him was given to the pastor before the 
 meeting of the council. In a written communication 
 to the ministers and delegates who had been called to- 
 gether Dr. Holmes denied the jurisdiction of a council 
 called after this manner, and the remonstrance of the 
 church and a minority of the parish was presented. 
 These were of no avail. The council sent a committee 
 
LECTURE VII. 195 
 
 to apprise Dr. Holmes of their readiness to receive 
 any further information which he or the remonstrants 
 should think proper to introduce. He received the 
 committee kindly, and replied " that he had no further 
 communication to make to this council." After hearing 
 the complaint 'of the parish against the pastor, which 
 embraced eight specifications, the substance of which has 
 already been given, and listening to the evidence which 
 was presented by the committee, and to the argument 
 of the Hon. Samuel Hoar, counsel for the parish, this 
 ex parte council "voted, That the First Parish in Cam- 
 bridge have sufficient cause to terminate the contract 
 subsisting between them and the Eev. Dr. Holmes as 
 their minister, and this council recommend the measure 
 as necessary to the existence and spiritual prosperity of 
 the society." The parish accepted and confirmed this 
 " result," and voted that the " Eev. Dr. Abiel Holmes 
 be, and he hereby is, dismissed from his office of min- 
 ister of the gospel and teacher of piety, religion, and 
 morality in said parish, and that all connection be- 
 tween said Holmes as such minister, or teacher, and 
 said parish, do and shall henceforth cease." But a grant 
 of three months' salary was made " to said Holmes, on 
 equitable principles, but not as legal right " ; and he 
 was to have the use and occupation of the real estate 
 held by him as pastor of the parish " until the twenty- 
 fifth day of January next, but no longer." In a com- 
 munication of the 12th of June, the committee of the 
 parish inform the discarded friend of thirty-eight years, 
 that "they have employed a preacher to supply the 
 pulpit in the meeting-house of the First Parish in 
 Cambridge on the next ensuing Sabbath, that they will 
 procure and employ a preacher or preachers for the 
 
196 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 succeeding Sabbaths, and that your services will not be 
 required or authorized in the public religious services in 
 the meeting-house in said parish hereafter." Dr. Holmes 
 replied that he had entered his protest against the 
 jurisdiction of the council, and added, " I now give 
 notice to you, and, through you, to the inhabitants of 
 the parish, that I still consider myself as the lawful 
 minister of the parish, and hold myself ready to per- 
 form any and all the duties, in or out of the pulpit, 
 which belong to my office as pastor of the First Church 
 and Society in Cambridge." The closing communica- 
 tion of this long series was addressed by the parish 
 committee to the pastor, and concludes in these words : 
 " In answer to your said letter, said committee, in be- 
 half of said parish, state to you that said council had 
 jurisdiction of the complaint exhibited to said council 
 against you ; that said result is legal and valid ; that 
 said dismission from said office conforms to said result 
 and to law ; that your connection with said parish as 
 their minister is legally dissolved ; that you are not 
 the minister or pastor of said parish, nor have you been 
 such minister or pastor since said dismission ; that 
 as such minister or pastor you do not owe any such 
 duties as aforesaid to said parish, and that said parish 
 refuses to accept from you any service, or services, 
 as such minister or pastor thereof. Hereafter you can- 
 not occupy nor use the pulpit of the meeting-house of 
 said parish, as it will be exclusively appropriated to 
 such preacher or preachers as said parish shall employ 
 to supply it." 
 
 I make no comments upon this termination of thirty- 
 eight years of affectionate intercourse in cares and 
 pleasures, in worship and work. But the pastor, thus 
 
LECTURE VIL 197 
 
 thrust out by his own people, was not without com- 
 fort. He had the testimony of a good conscience, and 
 he knew that he had kept faith with the illustrious 
 line of ministers to which he belonged, and he had 
 peace with God. In one of the sermons upon the 
 anniversary of his installation, preached a few months 
 before his dismission, and while the controversy was at 
 its height, he used this language : " I acknowledge that 
 the precept of the gospel, ■ If it be possible, as much as 
 lieth in you, live peaceably with all men,' is alike bind- 
 ing upon us, the ministers of Christ, as upon you who 
 pertain to our charge. But whether it were possible for 
 a minister to live peaceably with those who would con- 
 strain him to bring into the pulpit doctrines which he 
 does not believe to be Scriptural, or to invite others 
 to stand there and deliver them in his place; with 
 those, who, in disregard of his pastoral responsibility, 
 and of his right of private judgment and conscience, 
 would have him do what he cannot do honestly, and 
 jwhat, if done, would, in his judgment, be of baneful 
 tendency and influence, with respect both to the peape 
 of the society and to the welfare of the church com- 
 mitted to Ms care, — whether it were possible to live 
 peaceably with all men, were such things asked or 
 expected of him, judge ye." Thus speaks the pastor 
 in his own defence. He carried a manly, dignified, 
 Christian spirit through the whole discussion. He was 
 willing to give to others the liberty of conscience 
 he asked for himself. He was the minister of Christ, 
 set for the defence and furtherance of the gospel. 
 It was his heart's desire to gratify his beloved people in 
 all ways consistent with his vows, and with his duty 
 to Christ and the church. He was not his own. What 
 
198 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 would the Lord have him to do ? He testified that he 
 had " devoutly and importunately sought Divine light 
 and guidance." He spoke like an apostle : " If I seem 
 to disregard the wishes or the taste of my hearers, it is 
 because I am more desirous to save than to please 
 them." In his reply to a letter asking a copy of these 
 anniversary sermons for publication, Dr. Holmes 
 writes, "The fulness of our assemblies, and their in- 
 creased solemnity ; the considerable accessions to the 
 church ; the degree of unanimity of the church in its 
 memorial, and in its address to the pastor, are at once 
 consolatory and encouraging." 
 
 There was but one course open to the, church, and 
 that was to withdraw from the parish. They desired 
 to go out from the parish meeting-house, and to meet 
 for worship in some other place, where they could enjoy 
 the ministrations of their pastor. He acceded to their 
 desire, and, crossing the street, as the founder of the 
 church had crossed the sea, the pastor and church 
 began Divine service in the old Court House, in 
 the presence of " a full, attentive, and solemn assembly." 
 On the last Sabbath which the church spent in the old 
 meeting-house, Dr. Holmes preached from St. John's 
 words, " I have no greater joy than to hear that my 
 children walk in truth." Near the close he said, ten- 
 derly, " These, my beloved brethren, these, my dear 
 children, — for such you will allow me to call you, — 
 these are sources of the greatest joy to him who labors 
 among you in word and doctrine. Fulfil ye therefore 
 my joy. Be steadfast in faith and holy in life." The 
 next Sabbath morning the church was in the Court 
 House, when the pastor preached from the words of St. 
 Peter, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the 
 
LECTURE VII. 199 
 
 fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange 
 thing happened unto you ; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye 
 are partakers of Christ's sufferings ; that, when his 
 glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with ex- 
 ceeding joy." The text was affectionately commended 
 to the remembrance of " all who are in affliction, and 
 especially to the church and the attendant worshippers 
 constrained to assemble in this place." 
 
 " The whole number of members belonging to the 
 church at that time was about ninety, full two thirds 
 of whom followed the pastor and attended upon his 
 ministry. The number of male members was twenty- 
 one, fifteen of whom were the uniform friends and sup- 
 porters of the pastor, and two only took an active part 
 in the measures of the parish " for his dismission. " Of 
 the whole number who usually worshipped in the 
 meeting-house previous to the separation, about one 
 half have withdrawn, and statedly worship with the 
 church and its pastor." " Let all things be done de- 
 cently and in order." The church and pastor proceeded 
 to call an advisory council, which met on the 17th of 
 June, 1829. Did they select the 17th of June from 
 any feeling of its fitness to their condition and reso- 
 lution arising from its historic associations ? Ten 
 churches were represented in, the council. It was a 
 grand assembly of men. William Greenough was 
 moderator. There were Daniel Dana, Moses Stuart, 
 Benjamin B. Wisner, and others worthy of such fellow- 
 ship. The church and the pastor told their story. The 
 substance of the result was in these words : " As Dr. 
 Holmes is still, according to ecclesiastical usage, the 
 pastor and minister of the first church and parish in 
 Cambridge, and as the parish has by its votes excluded 
 
200 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 him from its pulpit, the council approve the course pur- 
 sued by him in continuing to perforin parochial duties 
 wherever and to whomsoever he may have opportunity, 
 and advise him and the church and other friends of truth 
 ' not to forsake the assembling of themselves together ' ; 
 but to maintain Divine worship and the celebration of 
 Divine ordinances." The church approved this advice, 
 and resolved to follow religiously the counsel given them. 
 
 As the church was separated from the First Parish, 
 it was necessary to organize another society, to include 
 others besides members of the church, and to be the 
 parish with which the church should be connected. 
 Such a society was formed, and the society unanimously 
 voted that it should bear the name of " The Holmes 
 Congregational Society." But the good man declined 
 the proffered honor, and advised that the name of the 
 first of his line should be chosen for that use. In 
 accordance with his wish the new body took the title 
 of " The Shepard Congregational Society." The pastor 
 could not connect himself with this organization, 
 because he did not consider himself legally and accord- 
 ing to established usage dismissed from his pastoral 
 connection with the First Parish. But the church 
 agreed to unite with the new society to maintain " the 
 worship and ordinances of the gospel, according to the 
 established principles and usages of Congregational 
 churches in this Commonwealth." This union was to 
 last until the rights of the church and pastor should be 
 again respected by the First Parish. 
 
 With the approval of the aged pastor, it was decided 
 to associate a colleague with him, and Mr. Nehemiah 
 Adams, Jr., was invited, and was ordained on the 17th 
 of December, 1829. A lot of land for a new meet- 
 
LECTURE VII. 201 
 
 ing-house was given by Miss Sarah Ann Dana, and 
 funds were collected at home and abroad for the erec- 
 tion of the house. It is said that Dr. Holmes was the 
 largest contributor to the building-fund for the new 
 house. At six o'clock on the morning of the 5th of 
 August, 1830, the ground was broken, with prayer and 
 singing, and a brief address by the senior pastor. On 
 the 21st of September the corner-stone was laid with 
 fitting ceremonies. On that occasion an address was 
 delivered by the Eev. Samuel Green, of Boston. This 
 address is an index of the feeling of the church, and of 
 the sentiment of those around them who held with 
 them to the faith and order of the fathers, and many 
 of whom had suffered in like manner. This speaker 
 felt the greatness of the time and the significance of 
 the service in which he bore a part. One sentence will 
 illustrate the prevailing feeling : " "We speak with 
 freedom and boldness, as becometh the descendants of 
 Puritans on Puritan ground." On the 23d of February, 
 1831, the house was dedicated to God, the Father, Son, 
 and Holy Ghost. The sermon was preached by the 
 senior pastor from the words of the Lord by Jeremiah : 
 " Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, congregation, 
 what is among them." The sermon in the new house on 
 the first Sabbath morning after the dedication was also 
 by Dr. Holmes, and was from the words, " The Lord is 
 in his holy temple." After the sermon the sacrament 
 of the Lord's Supper was administered. That house, 
 repeatedly enlarged and improved, has been the home 
 of this church until this day. 
 
 After the separation the Eev. William Newell was 
 called to the pastoral care of the parish, and he was 
 ordained May 19, 1830. The old meeting-house con- 
 
202 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 tinued to be used by the parish until December, 1833, 
 when it was taken down. A new house had been 
 erected nearly opposite, and this was dedicated Decem- 
 ber 12, 1833. That is the house still used by the First 
 Parish, although it has been very much changed in its 
 interior arrangements. Its ample walls have held most 
 of the large assemblies in connection with the College, 
 and from its doors year by year the graduating class 
 has gone out to its work in the world. 
 
 Dr. Newell has remained until recently in the pas- 
 toral office here ; and now, although released from offi- 
 cial service, he dwells among his own people, crowning 
 the labors of forty years by ministering to them still in 
 their joy and grief with paternal kindness, blessing 
 them with the ripe and abundant fruitage of his long, 
 industrious, and beautiful life. 
 
 When this church celebrated the twenty-fifth anni- 
 versary of Dr. Albro's settlement, Dr. Newell was able 
 to say, in all sincerity, that the personal relations of 
 these neighboring ministers had always been pleasant 
 and friendly. He was ready to manifest what he de- 
 scribed as "the kindly feeling which I hope will always 
 subsist, not only between your pastor and myself, but 
 also between the societies with which we are connected ; 
 branches as they are of the same old stock, descended 
 from the same old congregational family, looking back, 
 amidst their honest differences of opinion, with common 
 pride to a common ancestry." 
 
 Let his good words stand in this record at the place 
 where the church and the parish took their different 
 paths. 
 
 It would be pleasant to pause here. But history sets 
 its. own bounds. In February, 1831, the deacon of the 
 
Meeting-House ekected by the First Paeish in 1833. 
 
LECTURE VII. ■ 203 
 
 portion of the church which remained with the First 
 Parish demanded of the deacons of the church the 
 delivery of certain articles of church property, to wit, 
 the church fund, the poor's fund, the Communion ser- 
 vice and baptismal basin, the church records and 
 papers, the library, and a few minor things. The de- 
 mand was not obeyed, and in August a suit at law was 
 begun. The church appointed a committee to take 
 legal advice, and to defend the church in its rights, or, 
 if found necessary, to surrender the property to the 
 parish. They found that, by a decision of the Supreme 
 Court of the Commonwealth, the church could not re- 
 tain the property, and it was accordingly given up to the 
 parish under the constraint of the law as it had been 
 interpreted. The decision upon which this action was 
 based was made in what is known as the Dedham case, 
 and was given in 1820. The principle laid down by 
 the court was this : " Where a majority of the members 
 of a congregational church separate from the majority 
 of the parish, the members who remain, although 
 a minority, constitute the church in such parish, and 
 retain the rights and property belonging thereto." 
 The church was regarded as holding ordinary property 
 in trust for the benefit of the parish, while to property 
 of such a nature as to be a trust simply for church uses, 
 as the Communion service, and to property which might 
 be given expressly for the use of the poor of the church, 
 the parish would have no claim. But, so far as pro- 
 perty was concerned, under this decision, there was no 
 church separate from a parish. Property, I say. For 
 the court said, " That any number of the members of a 
 church, who disagree with their brethren or with the 
 minister or with the parish, may withdraw from fellow- 
 
204 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 ship with them, and act as a church in a religious point 
 of view, having the ordinances administered and other 
 religious offices performed, it is not necessary to deny ; 
 indeed, this would be a question proper for an ecclesias- 
 tical council to settle, if any should dispute their claim. 
 But as to all civil purposes, the secession of a whole 
 church from the parish would be an extinction of the 
 church ; and it is competent to the members of the 
 parish to institute a new church, or to ingraft one upon 
 the old stock if any of it should remain ; and this new 
 church would succeed to all the rights of the old in 
 relation to the parish." This distinction between a 
 church in law, as a holder of property, and a church 
 ecclesiastically, was repeated when the church in Harvard 
 College was cited as an instance of a church existing 
 without any parish. The court replied, " We have before 
 said that it was not intended to deny that there may be 
 such churches in an ecclesiastical sense." In this case of 
 ours about one third of the members of the church had 
 remained with the parish. This decision pronounced 
 that fraction the church so far, and only so far, as civil 
 rights were concerned. The property was therefore 
 delivered to them, as it must have been had but a 
 single person remained; nay, if not a member had 
 remained, the parish could have organized a new 
 church, which would have been entitled to all the prop- 
 erty hitherto enjoyed by the old. I beg that it may 
 be noticed that, even under this remarkable decision, 
 the ecclesiastical existence and rights of the church 
 were not impaired by the separation of the church from 
 the parish. But the ecclesiastical existence of a church 
 is surely its real existence. Under this decision, if the 
 object of a church is to hold property, then the part of 
 
LECTURE VII. 205 
 
 a church, be it large or small or imaginary, which 
 adheres to the parish is the old church. But if the 
 object of a church is to maintain the worship of God 
 and observe his ordinances, then the church is in- 
 dependent of the parish, and by its own action can re- 
 move to another building or another town, and still be 
 the old church with the old name. Therefore, even under 
 this decision which took away the property, this church 
 of ours ecclesiastically, and for those purposes for which 
 churches were instituted by the Lord and his Apostles, 
 and for which this church was established by men who 
 had exiled themselves, not for property, but for con- 
 science' sake ; not to hold lands, but to hold the faith, 
 and enjoy it, and transmit it, — this church of the Puri- 
 tans, this church of Christ, remains what it was in the 
 days of Shepard, " The First Church in Cambridge." 
 Such was the decision of the Supreme Court of Massa- 
 chusetts ; such was the decision of an ecclesiastical 
 council ; such has been the usage of Congregational 
 churches from the beginning. 
 
 In regard to the decision of the Supreme Court, it is 
 proper to say that to a great extent it failed to receive 
 the approval of the public, and of many eminent jurists. 
 The able author of the " Half-Century of the Unitarian 
 Controversy " has frankly written, " We do not feel 
 perfectly satisfied with the legal decision in two cases 
 bearing upon the ownership of church property, though 
 we admit that the issue raised was quite a perplexing 
 one." 
 
 In our own case the decision was peculiarly hard. 
 For " the church fund, for the recovery of which this 
 suit was brought, was originally constituted by the 
 donation of fifty pounds by a member of the church, 
 
206 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 and increased entirely by contributions of the church- 
 members at the Lord's Supper. A part of the church 
 plate was given to the church, and the rest was pur- 
 chased with its own funds." The baptismal basin was 
 the gift of the Eev. William Brattle, Pastor, " to the 
 church of Christ in Cambridge, my dearly beloved 
 flock." The money surrendered amounted to upwards 
 of four thousand dollars. 
 
 But, whatever might have been the justice of the 
 decision under which this property was given up, it 
 must seem to us, who have succeeded the two parties in 
 the controversy, and who look calmly upon the matter 
 after the lapse of forty years, that the true course 
 for old neighbors and fellow - worshippers was to 
 make a fair division. The majority of the parish 
 should have said to the minority, " Friends, it is plain 
 that we cannot dwell together in peace ; let us divide 
 our goods, and separate." The majority of the church 
 should have said to those of the church who agreed 
 with the parish, " Brethren, we have come to hold dif- 
 ferent views and to desire different things ; let us divide 
 our goods, and separate." These are things of the past. 
 The generation which moved in them has gone on to 
 God, who knoweth the hearts of the children of men. 
 We who have entered into their places in the old 
 church and old parish dwell together in peace. There 
 are honest differences of opinion, but we have no con- 
 troversy. We are good neighbors, and join hands in 
 many good works. Let the ancient strife be buried 
 and forgotten, while we both strive to excel in love for 
 God and in service for man. Not for purposes of con- 
 troversy, but because they came in the course of our 
 church history, have I recalled these painful events. 
 
LECTURE VII. 207 
 
 These were sad experiences for the church. It was 
 sad to be loosed from the parish, to be exiled from the 
 meeting-house, to give up the sacred vessels of the 
 sacraments, and the silver and gold wherewith they 
 had served God and relieved his poor. But they had 
 themselves, and their minister, and their ancient faith. 
 The eternal things were unseen and indestructible. 
 They had courage and hope. They were ready to begin 
 again. The senior pastor, it is believed, drew no salary 
 after the separation. Christian friends in other places 
 came to the aid of the impoverished church with 
 generous gifts. The trials of that day were of great 
 profit to ' the church. They were aroused to greater 
 activity, to a closer fellowship, to a fresh study of the 
 Scriptures, and to more diligent endeavors to make the 
 truth felt in the blessedness of its power. This is a 
 better church to-day for the severity of those trying 
 times. In our ability to erect the sanctuary which we 
 are soon to consecrate to God we have the visible sign 
 of his favor which was with the fathers and has been 
 continued to the children. 
 
 In their time of especial need He came to his people 
 with large blessings. The preaching was " in demon- 
 stration of the Spirit and of power." The meetings for 
 prayer were solemn and effective. The Lord watered 
 the grass, even the mown grass. In the year following 
 the separation thirty-one persons were received to the 
 church, twenty-four of them upon profession of faith. 
 In the next year twenty-three were added, all but two 
 of whom came upon profession of faith. In a very 
 short time the membership of the church was doubled. 
 The Lord interposed for the comfort of the church, and 
 prepared a table before them. After the Communion 
 
208 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 service had been given up, members of the church fur- 
 nished their private plate for use at the Communion. 
 But the junior pastor came into possession of the auto- 
 biography of Thomas Shepard, which was given in trust 
 to him and his successors in the ministry of " The 
 Shepard Congregational Society." To this book ref- 
 erence was made in a previous lecture. This book was 
 printed, and with the proceeds of its sale was purchased 
 the service from which the church now receives the 
 body and blood of its Saviour and Lord. Thus do the 
 hands of the first minister serve us still in holy things. 
 We believe in the communion of saints on earth and in 
 heaven, and in this sacrament is the happy symbol of it. 
 Here is the book wherein that suffering, godly, now 
 sainted man, wrote the story of his life, that his son 
 might "learn to know and love the great and most 
 high God, the G-od of his father." No man knoweth 
 Thomas Shepard's grave, but this small, rude book, 
 which his hands have handled and hallowed, holds his 
 expression of his life. No chiselled inscription recites 
 his praise, but the crooked letters which his fingers set 
 in these closely written lines reveal his piety and affec- 
 tion ; and the souls which cherish his memory keep 
 tryst with him here, as at_ a shrine. 
 
 The pastoral work of Dr. Holmes drew towards its 
 close. His continued and increasing debility unfitted 
 him for the duties of the pastoral office, and he asked 
 release. The church consented, and a council was 
 called which confirmed the action. The council bore a 
 noble testimony to the character and learning of the 
 retiring pastor. He preached his farewell sermon on 
 the 2d of October, 1831. He died on the 12th of 
 June, 1837, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. 
 
LECTURE VII. 209 
 
 I have the manuscript of his farewell sermon. The 
 text is from the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, iii. 8 : 
 " For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord." It 
 is full of affectionate advice and entreaty and bless- 
 ing ; such a sermon as we should expect from such a 
 man. I copy a few sentences addressed to the church : 
 " To you, my dearly beloved of this church, I offer a 
 parting benediction. The remembrance of the tokens 
 and proofs of your affection and steadfastness in time 
 past, especially in the time of our calamity, can never 
 be obliterated. Danger did not intimidate, sufferings 
 did not discourage you. When the storm was beating 
 upon us, you stood firm under the open canopy of 
 heaven to receive it. When the tide was rising and 
 pressing hard upon us, you stood firm to meet it. 
 When resistance would avail nothing, you stood still 
 and saw the salvation of God. If it had not been 
 the Lord who was on our side, now may we unitedly 
 say, then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream 
 had gone over our souls. Our help is in the name 
 of the Lord; to him be the glory. Let this house 
 which we have built for the honor of his name be 
 at once a monument of our gratitude and a temple 
 for his praise." The impression was unspeakably touch- 
 ing and tender when, after the sermon, the 71st Psalm 
 was given out by the aged man of God — 
 
 " God of my childhood and my youth 
 The guide of all my days, 
 I have declar'd thy heavenly truth, 
 And told thy wondrous ways. 
 
 "Wilt thou forsake my hoary hairs, 
 And leave my fainting heart ? 
 Who shall sustain my sinking years, 
 If God, my strength, depart ? 
 14 
 
210 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 " Let me thy power and truth proclaim 
 To the surviving age, 
 And leave a savor of thy name 
 When I shall quit the stage. 
 
 "The land of silence and of death 
 Attends my next remove ; 
 0, may these poor remains of breath 
 Teach the wide world thy love ! " 
 
 The ministry of Dr. Holmes here was but a few 
 months short of forty years. With a single exception, 
 it was the longest which the church has known. For 
 nearly the whole of the time he was the only pastor in 
 this part of the town, and he stood at the centre of a 
 large parish, making his influence felt in every direc- 
 tion. He preached the word with fidelity and dili- 
 gence. He fulfilled the various offices of our holy 
 religion. He instructed the children, and gave them 
 books. He formed libraries for the use of the parish. 
 He watched over the schools. He gave of his substance 
 to the poor. He brought into the parish the aid of 
 others whom he esteemed able to edify the people. He 
 zealously followed every good work. He was a true 
 friend to our College. During a portion of its earlier 
 history the Society of Christian Brethren held its 
 meetings at his house. He lived here, before the 
 people, a life of purity and sanctity and usefulness, an 
 Israelite without guile, a man full of the Holy Ghost 
 and of faith. In the day of trial he showed the sustain- 
 ing power of his principles and his piety, and he won 
 the commendation of men, the increased affection of 
 his own people, and the esteem of the churches. In 
 temper Dr. Holmes was calm and quiet; in manner, 
 urbane and courteous. He cherished a large charity. 
 
LECTURE VII. 211 
 
 He taught his own household what he practised him- 
 self, to be careful of the reputation of others, and not to 
 take up a reproach against a neighbor. His preaching- 
 was quiet, but his sermons were pure in style, rich 
 in the use of words, happy in the application of Scrip- 
 ture, and full of profitable thought. He was conser- 
 vative and cautious, no declaimer, not much given to 
 the discussion of the doctrines of theology, but engaged 
 with the facts of religion and their application to real 
 life. His old friend, Dr. Jenks, in a memorial sermon 
 delivered here on the Sabbath after Dr. Holmes's death, 
 very truly remarks, " That blending of moderation and 
 modesty with firmness and decision of character, where 
 decision and firmness are needed, constitute, if I mis- 
 take not, an enviable, or rather a desirable, distinction. 
 Especially in these days .... we can hardly praise too 
 highly the peaceful, laborious, faithful, and humble fol- 
 lower and minister of Jesus Christ, who is learned 
 without vanity or dogmatism, pious without cant or 
 fitfulness, and charitable without ostentation. And 
 such, if I mistake not, was our beloved and lamented 
 friend. Never in extremes or chargeable with ex- 
 travagance, his deportment and character united, in no 
 common degree, the gentleman, the scholar, and the 
 Christian." When he was no longer the pastor of the 
 church, he continued to cherish a warm interest in all 
 that concerned it, and aided it as he was able. Some 
 who were children in his day recall his kindly manner 
 towards them, and like to tell how, as he walked the 
 street with his well-remembered cane, he would pause at 
 a group of school-children, and, with a pleasant question 
 and a word of counsel, would draw from his capacious 
 pocket a handful of confectionery, which he distributed 
 
212 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 among the expectant listeners. And they tell how he 
 stood here before the pulpit a few weeks before his 
 death, and gave a good book to each of the members 
 of the Sabbath School as they passed before him. 
 
 Dr. Holmes left a large number of printed works, 
 consisting chiefly of sermons preached on various occa- 
 sions, at an ordination or a funeral, on a Fast or Thanks- 
 giving Day. One was preached on the death of Wash- 
 ington ; one to commend the counsel of Washington ; 
 one to celebrate the landing of the Pilgrims. He com- 
 piled and published the biography of President Stiles 
 with great taste and judgment. He published a small 
 " History of Cambridge," which is invaluable to any 
 one interested in the ancient town. His largest work 
 was " The Annals of America, from the discovery by 
 Columbus in the year 1492 to the year 1826." This 
 work reached a second edition, and was republished in 
 England. " It is not only regarded as a standard work 
 in this country, but has attracted the respectful atten- 
 tion of European critics." His early intercourse with 
 President Stiles, whose daughter he married, fostered a 
 literary taste, and not unlikely gave his mind a bent 
 towards historical research. As an historian he was 
 patient and accurate, and his books will live. In 1816 
 this " renowned antiquary " discovered in the Prince 
 Library the third manuscript volume of Winthrop's 
 Journal, which was deciphered and published. He 
 was connected with a number of societies. From 1798 
 he was a most devoted friend of the Massachusetts 
 Historical Society, and for more than twenty years its 
 corresponding secretary. He was one of the founders 
 of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, 
 and of the American Education Society. He was 
 
LECTURE VII. 213 
 
 a member of the American Academy of Arts and 
 Sciences, one of the trustees of the Institution at 
 Andover, and an Overseer of Harvard University. His 
 degree of Doctor of Divinity was received from the 
 University of Edinburgh about 1805, and he was made 
 Doctor of Laws by Alleghany College in 1822. Through 
 these years of this extended fame and influence he 
 was performing the laborious duties of pastor in a 
 large and important parish. 
 
 Here is his well-worn sermon-case, and fastened in 
 it, as he left them, are two sermons, one a double ser- 
 mon, preached in February, 1836, and the other in 
 December, 1836. He closes the former, which was de- 
 livered on the two-hundredth anniversary of the organi- 
 zation of the church, with paternal counsel to the 
 brethren of the church, to the dear children, and to 
 those of the society who were not connected with the 
 church. Then followed the benediction of peace. 
 "When he had addressed the church, he seems to have 
 turned to him who for thirty years was to stand in his 
 place, but who had then just entered upon his work. 
 Both have passed on ; but the written prayer remains. 
 " May you, my brother, still live, sustained and ani- 
 mated by the steadfastness and vitality of the church 
 under your pastoral care ; live to see its increase in num- 
 bers and in graces, and, at a distant period, finish your 
 course with joy, and the ministry which you have re- 
 ceived of the Lord Jesus, and be ready to depart, and 
 to give up your account with joy. Mine I must soon 
 give up, for I have nearly finished my course. And 
 what, next to the personal hope which is an anchor to 
 our own souls, — what is our hope or joy or crown of 
 rejoicing ? Are not the church and dear people of our 
 
214 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 pastoral care, are not even ye, dearly beloved, in the 
 presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming ? " He 
 closed the latter sermon with these words : " Does any 
 one ask, What have I to give on this day of Thanks- 
 giving ? I answer, there is one gift which every one in 
 this assembly, old or young, rich or poor, may alike 
 offer with the assurance that it will be accepted. It is 
 the gift of himself. Who will refuse this to Him who 
 is crowning your life with his goodness, and who is this 
 day reminding you that while he giveth us richly all 
 things to enjoy, he is, by the unspeakable gift of his 
 son Jesus Christ, presenting us with the hope of life 
 and immortality ? I beseech you therefore, brethren, 
 by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a 
 living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to him, which is 
 your reasonable service." Thus, being dead, he yet 
 speaketh. Once again these walls hear the sound of 
 his good words. Hear them, beloved, as spoken out of 
 heaven. 
 
 He preached his last sermon here to his old people, 
 on the 22d of January, 1837, and its subject was, "The 
 vanity of life a reason for seeking a portion in heaven." 
 An illness of a few weeks terminated his long and 
 useful life. A severe paralytic shock a few days before 
 his death rendered him almost helpless, and made his 
 articulation very imperfect. But he was comforted 
 with the faith he had preached to others, and rejoiced 
 in the cheerful hope of immortal blessedness through 
 the grace of Christ his Saviour. He died in charity 
 with all men. To a friend who bent over him on the 
 the last night in his life he gave indistinct utterance 
 to his charity, and said that he wished his injuries 
 written in sand. He died on Sunday morning, as the 
 
SSs^gtSP®^ 
 
 Rev. T)r. Holmes's Residence krom 1307. 
 
LECTURE VTL 215 
 
 bell which he had been wont to obey was calling the 
 people to worship. He died, having the respect and 
 affection of the community. The bells of the town 
 were tolled on the day of his death, in recognition of 
 his worth and in tribute to his memory. His second 
 wife, the mother of his children, the daughter of the 
 Hon. Oliver Wendell, long survived him, and received 
 the affectionate homage of many hearts, both for her 
 own excellence and for her association witli him whose 
 life she had shared and adorned. 
 
 He was first laid in the sacred field where all his 
 predecessors had been buried, where they awaited the 
 resurrection. But his remains were afterwards removed 
 to Mount Auburn. There he lies, in the company of the 
 great and good. But his church has graven his name 
 upon the column which is sacred to the memory of her 
 ministers who have gone to their reward, and which rises 
 above the dust of him who last had rest from the duties 
 of his office. The names of both will be read on the 
 mural tablet which will make our new church more hal- 
 lowed ; and their initial letters in monogram, carved in 
 stone, are at the sides of the main entrance to the sanc- 
 tuary which they would have rejoiced to see. But their 
 best memorial is in the work which survives them, in 
 the affection which cherishes them, in the glory which 
 encircles them. At the installation of Mr. Albro, this 
 hymn, written by Dr. Holmes, was sung, to be repeated 
 at the subsequent installation, and again at the dedica- 
 tion of the new church in 1872 : — 
 
 " Great God ! thou heard'st our fathers' prayer, 
 When, o'er the ocean brought, 
 They, with a patriarchal care, 
 A sanctuary sought. 
 
216 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 " Hither thy guidance led their feet, — 
 Here was their first abode : 
 And here, where now their children meet, 
 They found a place for God. 
 
 "Thy flock, Immanuel, here was fed, 
 In pastures green and fair, 
 Beside still waters gently led, 
 And thine the shepherd's care. 
 
 " That care two hundred years attest ; 
 Thy seal is still the same : 
 To every bosom be it pressed, 
 Graved with thy precious name. 
 
 " Here may the church thy cause maintain, 
 Thy truth with peace and love, 
 Till her last earth-born live again 
 With the first-born above. 
 
 " glorious change ! From conflict free, 
 The church, — no danger nigh, 
 From militant on earth, shall be 
 Triumphant in the sky." 
 
LECTURE VIII. 
 
 " He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, 
 shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves 
 with him." — Psalm cxxvi. 6. 
 
 IT is not the going forth and weeping which insure 
 the return with rejoicing. For this consummation 
 of the sorrow and toil it is essential that he who goes 
 out shall carry precious seed. If the seed has in it a 
 vitality which cannot he destroyed, and a worth which 
 will reward any pains and waiting, then the rejoicing 
 shall come. Those who have the tears may pass away 
 before the full harvest gladdens their eyes ; but the har- 
 vest shall come, and if one sow and another reap, the 
 sower and the reaper shall rejoice together. There is a 
 glorious fellowship in all good work. In pursuing the 
 history of this ancient church, we have come to the 
 time of the going forth and weeping. Those who were 
 banished from the sanctuary which had been their 
 home took with them precious seed. They kept the 
 faith ; they retained the promises. Cast down, they 
 were not destroyed. With hope and courage they 
 made a new field ready for seed and harvest. The 
 rejoicing began before they entered on their rest, and 
 in the midst of plenty we mention their names with 
 gratitude and with thanksgiving to him who prospered 
 them, and who withheld from them the fulness of the 
 promise, " God having provided some better thing for 
 us, that they without us should not be made perfect." 
 
218 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 The ministry of Dr. Holmes and that of his successor 
 were for a time united. The advanced years of the old 
 pastor, and his peculiar relation to the First Parish, 
 made it expedient that he should have an associate in 
 his work. Accordingly, as we have seen, Mr. Nehe- 
 miah Adams, Jr., was invited to become his colleague. 
 The church records contain an account of a meeting of 
 the church held on the 20th of November, 1829, at the 
 house of Mr. Jacob Bates. After prayer and consulta- 
 tion the church came to the decision which is set forth 
 in the votes which follow : " Whereas the Rev. Dr. 
 Holmes, the pastor of this church, has been excluded 
 by a committee of the First Parish in Cambridge from 
 the desk and the sanctuary where he has so long 
 officiated, under a pretence that he is legally dismissed 
 from office ; and whereas a great majority of the 
 church, retaining their affection for him and confidence 
 in him, have withdrawn, and attended public worship 
 under his ministrations in another place ; whereas the 
 said committee of the First Parish have also manifested 
 a disposition to deprive us as a church of our just and 
 immemorial rights, and there is now no prospect that 
 the gospel as it appears to us revealed in the Scrip- 
 tures, and as it was embraced by our fathers from the 
 first planting of this church, will at present be preached 
 in the house over which the First Parish have legal 
 control ; whereas it is in our view of the utmost impor- 
 tance that this gospel should be maintained within the 
 boundaries of this parish, and a society by the name 
 of the Shepard Congregational Society has been formed 
 for the purpose of supporting the gospel here in its 
 purity, with which society we as a church are respect- 
 fully invited to unite and co-operate according to the 
 
LECTURE VIII. 219 
 
 rights and usages of congregational churches ; whereas 
 our venerable pastor, holding as he does and must that 
 he is not legally dismissed from office in the First 
 Parish, cannot now consistently attach himself to the 
 new society and become in form its minister, but 
 another person has of late been employed with a view 
 to settlement in the ministry, — in consideration of all 
 the circumstances, and having consulted with the Eev. 
 Dr. Holmes, our pastor, whose relation to us as a church 
 we wish to hold sacred and inviolate, and finding that 
 in present circumstances the choice of a colleague 
 pastor meets with his entire approbation : therefore, 
 voted, 1st, that until such time as our rights, with 
 those of our pastor, shall be respected, and the privileges 
 of the gospel ministry be enjoyed, as heretofore, in con- 
 nection with the First Parish in Cambridge, we will, as 
 a church, accede to the invitation of the said Shepard 
 Congregational Society, and co-operate with it in main- 
 taining the worship and ordinances of the gospel, 
 according to the established principles and usages of 
 Congregational churches in this Commonwealth. Voted, 
 2d, that in pursuance of the object, and subject to the 
 several conditions expressed in the first vote, the church 
 now unite, and call Mr. Nehemiah Adams, Jr., — who 
 has been heard by us for several Sabbaths with high 
 approbation, and in whom we have full confidence, — 
 to the office of colleague pastor in this church in con- 
 nection with the Eev. Dr. Holmes as senior pastor." It 
 was further voted to communicate this decision to the 
 Shepard Society and desire its concurrence, and also to 
 inform Mr. Adams of the wish of the church and 
 society, and, if he should accept the invitation, to take 
 the necessary steps for his ordination. The committee 
 
220 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE, 
 
 consisted of Deacons Hilliard and Munro and Mr. 
 Bichard H. Dana. The salary offered to the pastor 
 elect was eight hundred and fifty dollars for the first 
 year, to be increased fifty dollars a year until the 
 amount of one thousand dollars was reached. I am in- 
 formed, however, that by private subscription the salary 
 was at once established at the maximum sum named. 
 
 The invitation was accepted by Mr. Adams, and a 
 council for his ordination met in the vestry of the Bap- 
 tist church in Cambridgeport, which had been kindly 
 offered for the services, on the 17th of December, 1829. 
 Twenty-three churches were represented. It is in- 
 teresting to read over the names of the ministers and 
 delegates. Bev. John Codman, D.D., of Dorchester, was 
 moderator, Bev. David Perry of Cambridgeport, scribe, 
 and Bev. Lyman Gilbert of Newton, assistant scribe. 
 Other members were Bev. William Jenks, D.D., from 
 the Green Street Church, Boston ; Bev. Lyman Beecher, 
 D.D., from the Hanover Street Church ; Bev. Benjamin 
 B. Wisner, D.D., and Mr. Samuel H. Walley, from the 
 Old South Church ; Bev. Edward Beecher and Bev. 
 Louis Dwight from Park Street Church ; Professor 
 Moses Stuart and Mr. Calvin E. Stowe from the church 
 at the Theological Seminary in Andover ; Bev. Ebenezer 
 Bumess from Dedham ; Bev. Samuel Stearns and Mr. 
 Samuel H. Stearns from Bedford ; Bev. Jonathan Homer, 
 D.D., from Newton ; Mr. Samuel M. E. Kettle, after- 
 wards Bev. William M. Bogers, with Dr. Codman, from 
 Dorchester ; Bev. John P. Cleaveland and Deacon Nehe- 
 miah Adams from the Tabernacle Church in Salem ; Bev. 
 George W. Blagden from Brighton. The action of the 
 previous advisory council was submitted by the church ; 
 and a remonstrance presented to the pastor elect by a 
 
LECTURE VIII. 221 
 
 committee of those members of the church who had ad- 
 hered to the First Parish was read. After the customary 
 examination in doctrine and character, the council 
 voted to proceed with the ordination, which was per- 
 formed in the Baptist Church. Eev. Mr. Cleaveland of- 
 fered the introductory prayer, Professor Stuart preached 
 the sermon, Dr. Jenks offered the ordaining prayer, Dr. 
 Holmes gave the charge to the pastor, Mr. Beecher the 
 right hand of fellowship, Dr. Burgess the address to the 
 people, and Mr. Stearns offered the concluding prayer. 
 On the 3d of January following, the committee for 
 the settlement of the new pastor was instructed " to 
 make the application contemplated in the resolutions 
 of the council in answer to an address presented to 
 them by the church and Shepard Society in Cambridge, 
 and also for aid from any other sources which they may 
 deem expedient." After the heavy pecuniary losses of 
 the church in its separation from the parish, it was 
 necessary to make an appeal for aid, and to this there 
 was such response as enabled the church to sustain 
 the Divine ordinances and pursue its Christian work. 
 It was another beginning, and with some difficulties of 
 which our predecessors of 1636 had little knowledge 
 after they had once reached these western shores. 
 
 The sermons of Dr. Holmes at this period give an 
 insight into the state and feeling of the people. There 
 is a manuscript marked "June 7, 1829: in meeting- 
 house." There is another dated a week later, " June 
 14, 1829 : A.M., Camb. Courthouse." The text of the 
 former is in St. John's words : " I have no greater joy 
 than to hear that my children walk in truth." The 
 text of the latter is in St. Peter's words, " Beloved, 
 think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is 
 
222 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto 
 you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of 
 Christ's sufferings ; that, when his glory shall be re- 
 vealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." With 
 that spirit the church took up its work anew. Two 
 hundred years had wrought no change. There is a ser- 
 mon marked "Dec. 20, 1829, A.M., 1st Sabbath after 
 ordination of Mr. K Adams." The text is, "Now if 
 Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without 
 fear ; for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also 
 do." Towards the close the venerated pastor says, 
 " The Lord this day gives you an ascension gift, a 
 pastor who is of the same religious principles which 
 we unitedly believe to be according to the gospel, and 
 which we are solicitous to maintain for ourselves and 
 to transmit to our descendants ; a pastor who has wit- 
 nessed a good confession before many witnesses, and 
 whom we cordially commend to you, in the belief that 
 he comes to you in the fulness of the blessing of the gos- 
 pel of Christ. Eeceive him. Treat him with candor 
 and equity ; preserve unity and peace ; and pay an at- 
 tentive and serious regard to his ministry." 
 
 Thus, with the commendation and blessing of the 
 aged pastor, his young associate entered upon his work. 
 The services of the Sabbath were divided between the 
 two pastors. The senior preached in the morning and 
 the junior in the afternoon and evening. The services 
 were well attended, especially in the evening, when 
 persons not connected with the new society would come 
 to hear preaching in a place devoted to other uses. 
 The labors of the ministers were greatly blessed, for the 
 years 1830, 1831, and 1832 show large additions to the 
 church upon confession of faith. The loss of members 
 
LECTURE VIII. 223 
 
 was soon more than made good. Plainly, the Lord had 
 a favor unto this band of disciples who had suffered 
 much for his name. The services on the Sabbath were 
 held in the Court House for nearly two years. When 
 there were lectures there in the evening the people 
 carried their own lamps, sometimes giving occasion to 
 the by-standers whom they passed to throw out jests at 
 their expense. Meetings for prayer were for a time 
 held in private houses, and were finally established in 
 the house at the northwest corner of Mount Auburn and 
 Brighton Streets, in a large room fitted up for that pur- 
 pose. As soon as the church and society were able, 
 with the assistance of friends, to erect a meeting-house, 
 this house was built. The ground was broken on the 
 5th of August, 1830, with religious services ; the cor- 
 ner-stone was laid on the 21st of the following 
 month ; and on the 23d of February, 1831, the house 
 was dedicated with a sermon by the senior pastor 
 from Jeremiah vi. 18. I have spoken of some of these 
 things before, but it has seemed proper to repeat them 
 in this connection. This new house was greatly ad- 
 mired. Mr. Washington Allston furnished the plan, 
 and the house was an object of especial pride to him. 
 He liked to take strangers at evening to a particular 
 spot, about a hundred rods southeast of the building, 
 where he would repeat the familiar lines of Sir Walter 
 Scott, — 
 
 " If thou wouldst view fair Melrose aright, 
 Go visit it by the pale moonlight," 
 
 and bid his companions mark the simple beauty of this 
 unassuming structure. The first sermon after the dedi- 
 cation was by the senior pastor, from the words, " The 
 Lord is in his holy temple," and this was followed by 
 the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 
 
224 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 In September, 1831, the increased feebleness of the 
 senior pastor made it necessary that he should be re- 
 leased from the duties of the pastoral office. The 
 church acceded to his request for dismission, and this 
 action was duly ratified by an ecclesiastical council. 
 Thus ended the official labors of a ministry of forty 
 years. This is his farewell sermon. The text is, " For 
 now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord." A portion 
 of this sermon I have repeated in a previous lecture. 
 
 For nearly three years after the resignation of Dr. 
 Holmes, Mr. Adams remained the pastor of the church. 
 But in February, 1834, he received an invitation to the 
 pastoral care of the Essex Street Church and Society in 
 Boston. He deemed it his duty to accept this call. 
 With great reluctance the church complied with his 
 request for dismission ; and a council on the 14th of 
 March approved the action, and he entered into the pas- 
 toral connection which, after thirty-eight years, he still 
 retains. This is the only instance, in the long history 
 of this church, in which a minister has left it to 
 assume the care of another church. Mr. Adams's pas- 
 torate was four years and three months in duration. 
 But it was a critical time in the life of the church, 
 when a year was in importance of more than its wonted 
 length. In labors he was abundant and abundantly 
 successful. It is too early to make a summing up of 
 his ministerial work. May it be long before that can 
 be done, very long before his name can be inscribed 
 upon the monument and tablet whereon the church 
 will hand down his name and his ministry here to the 
 generations to come ! In the fulness of his years, the 
 richness of his life, the mellowness of his character, the 
 wisdom and piety and purity of his spirit, his presence 
 
Meetin-o-House erected in 1830-31. 
 
LECTURE VIII. 225 
 
 is a blessing in the end as in the beginning, and a yet 
 greater benediction. 
 
 For thirteen months the church had no pastor. Dr. 
 Holmes was still living, and was a father to his people. 
 His counsel was freely given to the young, his sym- 
 pathy to the old, his comfort to the sorrowing. The 
 church could not be desolate so long as his voice could 
 be heard from the pulpit, and the familiar way to his 
 door opened before the people. " My beloved brethren," 
 he said in N one of his sermons, " my dear children, for 
 such you will allow me to call you." But it was need- 
 ful that the church should have another minister. In 
 August, 183-4, a call was extended to Mr. Oliver E. 
 Daggett, now of New London, but he felt compelled, for 
 personal reasons, to decline the invitation. After a 
 time there came a stranger into the pulpit. He preached 
 but a single Sabbath, when he was unanimously invited 
 to the pastorate. It was believed that he was " pecu- 
 liarly qualified for the ministry in this place," and there 
 was " a general and ardent desire of his ministrations." 
 He accepted the invitation, and on the loth of April, 
 1835, he was installed. Twenty-five years afterwards 
 he said, " I was received with a unanimity, affection, 
 and cordiality which in the flight of years and the 
 changes of the world have remained, I hope, as strong 
 as at the beginning. I came to you, as Paul went to 
 the Corinthians, in weakness, and in fear, and in much 
 trembling, and you encouraged me by your sympathy, 
 and bore up my heart by your affection and your 
 
 prayers I came to you, as the disciples were 
 
 sent upon their first mission, without purse or scrip, 
 and, like them, I can tell the Master to-day that in all 
 these years you have permitted me to lack nothing." 
 
 15 
 
226 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 The mention of the name of the Eev. John Adams 
 Albro reminds ns that we have come into the present 
 time. So much lias been publicly said by different 
 persons regarding the tenth minister of this church, 
 and his long service here, that I can do little more than 
 repeat what is already in print. But a good man's life 
 is a perennial source of benefaction, and it will be both 
 pleasant and instructive to recall the character and 
 work of one whose name and influence abide anions us. 
 It is by describing the man and his work that the his- 
 tory of the church during this period is best made 
 known. For the life of the parish centred in him. 
 
 Mr. Albro was born in Newport, B, I., August 13, 
 1799. By the death of his father he was early left to 
 the care of a Christian mother. His mother married 
 again, and the son afterwards found a home with his 
 grandmother. It was necessary that he should main- 
 tain himself, and, possessing the fine talent which 
 proved of so great advantage to him in his future work, 
 he prepared himself to be a teacher of music. But at 
 about the age of eighteen he entered the Law School 
 at Litchfield, Conn., to fit himself for the legal profes- 
 sion. In 1821 he finished his legal studies, and with 
 flattering prospects entered upon the practice of his 
 profession in Mansfield, Conn. He had not enrolled 
 himself as a disciple of Christ, but he felt the power 
 of the truth, and gave serious thought to his immortal 
 interests. At length, in deep humility and contrition, 
 and apprehending the mercy of God in Jesus Christ, he 
 believed in his heart on the divine Saviour, and made 
 confession of him with his mouth. He united with 
 the First Church in Mansfield on the Gth of July, 1823. 
 This change in himself and in his relations to God and 
 
LECTURE VIII. 227 
 
 to the world created a desire to become a minister of 
 the gospel in which he had found light and life. After 
 spending some two years in the practice of the law, he 
 entered the Theological Seminary at Andover. He had 
 not received a collegiate training, but he had studied 
 with fidelity, so that he took good rank with his as- 
 sociates in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, while he had also 
 mastered the French and German languages. He is 
 described as at that time " a bright, genial man ; win- 
 ning, not to say fascinating, in his manner and conver- 
 sation, fond of poetry, reading Shakespeare finely and 
 with much interest, perhaps more devoted then to gen- 
 eral studies than to theology, and •specially enjoying 
 and excelling in music." His scholarship was held in 
 so high esteem by his companions in study, that some 
 of them obtained for him from Yale College the hon- 
 orary degree of Master of Arts. 
 
 He graduated in 1827, and on the 27th of November 
 in that year he was ordained at Middlesex Village in 
 Chelmsford, Mass. That was in the troublous times, 
 the very year in which the first steps were taken which 
 led to the separation of our own church from the old 
 parish. The young pastor was expected to pursue the 
 same general system of exchanges which was demanded 
 here, and, like Dr. Holmes, he said that he could not 
 do it. There came a division, but all the members of 
 the church, except two, sustained the pastor, and with 
 him and a few of the society withdrew from the parish, 
 and began religious services in a hall. It seems like 
 reading the story of our own church over again. About 
 two years after this division Mr. Albro was invited to 
 the pastoral office by the Calvin istic Congregational 
 Church in Fitchburs. He was installed there on the 
 
228 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 9th of May, 1832. But the church was in a disturbed 
 state on account of an old controversy which he had 
 supposed to be ended, and the new relation was in many 
 respects trying and difficult. Accordingly, after a min- 
 istry there of two years and a half, he retired from the 
 position. He had made many friends, had exerted a 
 lasting influence, and his words and spirit were long 
 treasured up. His services were sought by several 
 churches. A hearty invitation was extended to him to 
 enter the place made vacant by the resignation of Mr. 
 Adams, and on the 15th of April, 1835, he became the 
 pastor of this church and society. This was the real 
 beginning of his work, for it was the entrance on a' 
 pastorate of thirty years. We are now to review his 
 ministry, within a single day of the anniversary of its 
 beginning. It was a good ministry, such as one might 
 well choose for himself ; a time of regular, quiet, suc- 
 cessful work, faithfully performed, and with large and 
 permanent results. Yet they were not stirring years 
 in our church history. Few large events come to the 
 surface as we examine them. They were years of 
 steady, honest work. If they are not the best for the 
 historian, they were the best for the minister and the 
 people. 
 
 The population of the town at the time of Mr. 
 Albro's settlement was about six thousand. The 
 church, although greatly enlarged, was still small in 
 numbers, and of very limited pecuniary ability. The 
 prevailing social spirit of the community was not 
 friendly to the church or its teaching. Yet the place 
 had its own attractions. Here was Harvard College, 
 whose library was open to the minister whose scholarly 
 habits fitted him to enjoy it. And there were many 
 
LECTURE VIII. 229 
 
 persons of culture with whom he could find companion- 
 ship and sympathy. The long history of the church 
 from the days of Shepard was enough to inspire the 
 heart of a man who admired the Puritan character and 
 rejoiced in its works. He proved himself of the true 
 lineage when he made haste to spend his first Sabbath 
 in England at Towcester, the birthplace of Thomas 
 Shepard, where his feeling was far deeper than at Strat- 
 ford-on-Avon. 
 
 Thus, in the thirty-sixth year of his age, this pastor 
 began his work. It was the regular work of preaching 
 the gospel and administering its holy offices. The 
 chief event which broke the even tenor of the years was 
 the visit of the pastor to Europe in 1852, when he was 
 absent for six months, through the liberality of his 
 people. The facilities for a foreign tour were not as 
 great twenty years ago as they are now. But this 
 traveller went with taste and learning which prepared 
 him to appreciate all that he saw, and, as he passed- 
 from country to country, to store his mind with treas- 
 ures which he could bring home. His whole life was 
 enriched by the rest which comes with a sojourn among 
 the scenes of a strange land, and his people found bread 
 coming back upon the waters where they had cast the 
 seed. 
 
 One other event of large significance was the cele- 
 bration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his installa- 
 tion. The origin of the commemoration was in the 
 desire of the church and society to mark a point in 
 their history which is seldom reached, but which had 
 now been most happily attained. From the published 
 account of the doings on that occasion we are able in 
 some measure to reproduce it, and to gain from it some 
 
230 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 idea of the results of the long work. On Sunday, the 
 true anniversary day, the pastor preached an appro- 
 priate discourse, in which he brought together the past 
 and the present, and sought to enforce the lessons 
 which the day should teach. On the following Wednes- 
 day evening a public commemorative service was 
 held in this church. The present senior deacon of the 
 church made the opening address of welcome, and in- 
 troduced the services of the evening. After religious 
 exercises, addresses were made by several representative 
 gentlemen, and each said that which it became him to 
 say. Mr. Zelotes Hosmer, who had long resided here, 
 and who rendered inestimable service to the church, 
 who has now rejoined in another world the pastor of 
 whom he spoke, said, " Let us be thankful that for hve- 
 and-twenty years we have enjoyed the faithful preach- 
 ing of God's word from a faithful teacher, and trust 
 that here may be his place of rest ; and I am sure you 
 "will all join with me in the expression of the hope that 
 his ministry may be long continued." The Eoyal Pro- 
 fessor of Law spoke in behalf of the Shepard society, 
 and claimed that the early legal training of this min- 
 ister in some degree accounted for the truthfulness 
 of his reasoning in the pulpit, and testified, after a 
 hearing of more than twelve years, " I have never 
 known him to confuse the minds of his auditors by the 
 enunciation of an unsound legal principle, nor mislead 
 them by a specious but erroneous legal argument." 
 President Felton represented the University and him- 
 self also, and with an earnestness and radiance which 
 those who knew him can even now find in his words, 
 said out of his imperial soul, " I join as heartily in all 
 the honors you are paying your excellent pastor as if I 
 
LECTURE VIII. 231 
 
 were a member of the society Your pastor and 
 
 myself have been on the most cordial terms for the 
 quarter of a century that he has been settled over you. 
 .... I trust his days may be prolonged in the land." 
 His honored and beloved predecessor spoke as only he 
 can speak, and with a rare appreciation of the feelings 
 of the " solitary man " upon whom kind words were ' 
 lavished. He added his generous tribute to the rest, 
 and said of his old friend, " He has both knowledge and 
 wisdom. He is a full man. He reminds me of a place 
 in Italy where, if you dig a few inches and apply a 
 torch, a flame springs up. I feel toward him as one 
 seems to have done toward a public building which he 
 stood to view, leaning his head upon his hand, and 
 soliloquizing every now and then, with much variety of 
 intonation and emphasis, as he judges of its architecture, 
 ' It is right ! it is right !'.... And now, my dear sir 
 and brother, in the name of all the Congregational min- 
 isters everywhere who either know of this occasion or 
 shall be made acquainted with it, I feel empowered 
 to say, The brethren which are with me greet you." 
 His old neighbor, who had become the President of Am- 
 herst College, wrote of the commemoration in a letter 
 which was read, " If ministerial fidelity, unpretending 
 piety, ability in preaching, wisdom in affairs, large- 
 ness of heart, and persistent devotion to his people, 
 entitle a man to such a notice, it is certainly deserved 
 in the present case." The Rev. Dr. Newell of the First 
 Parish, in a letter written after the celebration, expressed 
 his "respect for your able and faithful pastor, with 
 whom, during the whole period of his ministry, my per- 
 sonal relations, notwithstanding our theological differ- 
 ences, have always been pleasant and friendly." He was 
 
232 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 sorry not to have had the opportunity of manifesting 
 by his presence " the kindly feeling which," he says, " I 
 hope will always subsist, not only between your pastor 
 and myself, but also between the societies with which 
 we are connected, — branches as they are of the same 
 old stock, descended from the same old congregational 
 family, looking back, amidst their honest differences of 
 opinion, with common pride to a common ancestry." 
 And what said the pastor for himself ? " Certainly it 
 has never been my desire or my object to be rewarded 
 by a demonstration like this. And now that I see this 
 gathering of my people and my friends to do me honor, 
 I hardly know what to say. I sincerely thank the 
 church and society for what they have done. I thank 
 the brethren and gentlemen for the kindness with 
 which they have spoken of me and of my labors. It is 
 a comfort for me now to know that there has been such 
 unanimity of opinion and feeling with regard to my 
 work among those whom I so highly respect, that I 
 have lived in so much harmony with my neighbors of 
 different persuasions, that I can look over the past 
 and see no deep root of bitterness in the field that I 
 have endeavored to cultivate, and that there is no 
 dark shadow lying between the beginning of my 
 ministry here and this clay." The occasion was im- 
 proved by gifts bestowed upon the pastor, and when 
 he had returned to his home he found substantial 
 tokens of the grateful affection of his people, which he 
 acknowledged in a pleasant note. He wrote : " So 
 quietly and secretly were these gifts conveyed to my 
 residence, that I should have been surprised if I had 
 not long since learned not to feel surprise at any kind 
 or generous act of my people." 
 
LECTURE YIII. 233 
 
 /■ 
 
 While all this was said and done, the pastor kept his 
 anniversary with deep humility, with sincere gratitude, 
 and with the conviction that the years of his ministry 
 had not been spent in vain. He said truly, in his sermon, 
 that the recapitulation of the number of services which 
 he had performed would exhibit neither the significance 
 nor the value of his ministry. He believed that causes 
 which attract little notice may yet " send their roots 
 into eternity, and bear fruit which can be gathered only 
 in another world." Oppressed with a sense of his own 
 infirmity, he knew that good had resulted from his 
 efforts, and he gave the glory to Him unto whom all 
 praise is due. It was something to remember that the 
 meeting-house had been three times enlarged to keep 
 pace with the necessities of the people, and that it was 
 better filled after the lapse of twenty-five years than 
 at the beginning. It was cause for thankfulness that 
 nearly four hundred members, over one half of them 
 by confession of faith, had been added to the church. 
 These were the outward and happy signs of larger and 
 eternal benefits. 
 
 The underlying principles of this pastor's character 
 were well defined, and the structure of a life was built 
 upon them with patience and decision. He knew what 
 he meant to do, and how he meant to do it. Of the 
 estimation in which he was held by his own people and 
 by his neighbors we have already had a generous ex- 
 pression. His life was a wide one. It might well be 
 wide when the foundation was deep. During his long 
 ministry his influence was manifold. There are many 
 who can never forget the sacred hours spent with him 
 in the study of the Greek Testament during their col- 
 lege course. AVe went once a week to his study, and 
 
234 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 bowed with him in prayer, then sat about his round 
 table, while, with his well-worn Testament before him, 
 and his ivory paper-knife in his hand, he opened to us 
 the Scriptures. He would have us read a verse, would 
 ask some question upon it, and then would expound it 
 in his own inimitable way, with learning and piety and 
 rare facility of illustration. We questioned him more 
 than he questioned us. The exercise was almost an 
 expository lecture. One who belonged to his class has 
 said : " His principles of interpretation were the sound- 
 est ; and after studying the New Testament subse- 
 quently with Professor Stuart, I could hardly ascribe, 
 even to that master of Biblical interpretation, any 
 superiority, as a teacher, to the Cambridge pastor." 
 Another has written : " Many theologians refer to the 
 principles of interpretation which he gave them as lay- 
 ing the foundation of their interest and success in 
 Biblical studies." It was a fiappy circumstance, that, 
 when he lay a dying, one of the physicians who attended 
 upon him should be recognized as formerly a "member 
 of his Bible Class. The results of such instruction as 
 he gave to an ever-changing company of those who 
 were themselves to be teachers cannot be measured. 
 In this we have one other method of his usefulness. 
 
 His labors were not restricted to his own parish. 
 He rendered valuable service to the city as a mem- 
 ber of the School Committee. When the Cambridge 
 Cemetery was to he consecrated, he was selected to 
 make the address. His address was marked by great 
 appropriateness, by rare beauty of language, and by 
 richness and fidelity of thought. In his more strictly 
 professional work he was greatly esteemed. At all 
 gatherings of the clergy his judgment carried great 
 
LECTURE V1I1. 235 
 
 weight, and when upon Councils his advice was much 
 relied upon. The words of Dr. Adams express the 
 general feeling : " As a personal friend and witness, I 
 must be allowed to say of him that he is a tower of 
 strength in our ministerial associations and eccle- 
 siastical affairs. We depend upon him for counsel ; we 
 listen to his large and well-considered experience ; we 
 feel safe to be guided by him ; we always look that 
 he will be on the side of sound principles and well- 
 established order ; and we are not disappointed." 
 
 His published works are not numerous, but they are 
 of value. They consist chiefly of sermons preached on 
 various special occasions. He prepared question-books 
 upon different parts of the Holy Scriptures, and these 
 have not been improved upon. He published other 
 minor religious treatises. His largest work is the " Life 
 of Thomas Sbepard." This is far more than the biog- 
 raphy of one man ; it is a concise history of the move- 
 ment which brought our fathers to these shores, and a 
 plain exhibition of their principles, and a fine tribute 
 to their memory. It is a work which should be 
 in every house in the parish, and which, with Mr. 
 Shepard's autobiography, should form a part of the 
 household instruction. 
 
 " Let children hear the mighty deeds 
 "Which God performed of old." 
 
 He was a faithful member of the board of mana- 
 gers of the Massachusetts Sabbath School Society, and 
 long served on the Committee of Publication. He 
 usually presided at the meetings of the committee, and 
 " always enlivened them by his genial and keen criti- 
 cisms, and made them instructive by his learning." It 
 is a witness to the honor in which he was held that the 
 
236 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him 
 by Bowdoin College in 1848, and in 1851 by Harvard 
 College. 
 
 He was a decided and intelligent friend and advo- 
 cate of the faith and order of the New England Fathers. 
 He believed in the Bible, and in the system of truth 
 which our churches from the first had found in it. He 
 believed in the ways by which that truth had been 
 established here. In a discourse commemorative of 
 the character of the Fathers of New England, he 
 said, " Congregationalism, the Congregationalism of 
 our fathers, I mean, rests professedly, not partly 
 upon the Bible and partly upon the devices of men, 
 like the angel of the Apocalypse, who stood with 
 one foot upon the land and the other upon the sea, 
 but directly and solely upon the foundation of the 
 Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being 
 the chief corner-stone." 
 
 In his temper and habit Dr. Albro was conservative. 
 He had no fondness for innovation. This was not 
 merely because he did not like new things, but because 
 he had confidence in the old. He saw that the grass 
 withereth, and that the flower thereof falleth away, and 
 he knew that the word of the Lord endureth forever. 
 Therefore he kept to the word. The ways which had 
 been tried, and had survived, he prudently believed to 
 be the best. Hence he was found firm. He believed 
 in the truth. He believed in the church, and its min- 
 istry, and its divine ordinances. He had confidence 
 in the covenant, and taught parents to bring their chil- 
 dren to God, as Shepard had written aforetime, account- 
 ing, with him, that " because God loveth us, he chooseth 
 our seed to be of his church also." He believed that 
 
LECTURE VIII. 237 
 
 the truth plainly preached, enforced by the Holy Spirit, 
 illustrated by the lives of men, was mighty for the 
 overthrow of evil and the establishment of good. He 
 labored for eternal results. 
 
 His preaching was Scriptural, logical, convincing. 
 There was no display, no effort at mere excitement, no 
 courting of applause. He taught the people. His 
 manner in the pulpit was quiet and reverential, He 
 spoke in a voice low, but clear and musical, and capable 
 of varied expression. His sermons were upon small, 
 detached sheets, which he laid aside one by one. He 
 carefully excluded from his sermons an affluent imagi- 
 nation and skill in illustration which made his conversa- 
 tion rich and delightful. He was a rare talker, and 
 those who knew him best in private had the largest 
 enjoyment in his public services. He never exhibited 
 himself, but when one sat by his side his life would 
 shine out through his words, and irradiate them. There 
 was less of this in his public discourse. He would 
 know nothing then, and let people see nothing, but 
 Jesus Christ and him crucified. There were "the 
 ground, the reason, and the power of his ministry." 
 It was given to him to sing and make melody with the 
 lips as well as with the heart. He could lead the songs 
 of the sanctuary by his own voice, and give to this 
 choice part of the service the guidance of a refined taste 
 and a sanctified spirit. It was with his approval that 
 congregational singing was introduced here, and he 
 entered into the new ways with great zeal. 
 
 He was a choice friend. With his large experience 
 and wide observation, with his ready wit and cheerful 
 heart, he was able to instruct the young and the old 
 who gathered about him and listened to his w r ords as the 
 
238 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 " very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and 
 can play well on an instrument." Yet he had but a 
 modest opinion of himself and his attainments. In his 
 sermon upon Washington Allston he applies to him the 
 saying of Jeremy Taylor concerning the Countess of 
 Carberry, a saying of which his own life afforded an 
 illustration : " As if she knew nothing of it, she had a 
 low opinion of herself ; and, like a fair taper, she shined 
 to all the room ; yet round about her own station she 
 cast a shadow and a cloud, and so shined to everybody 
 but herself." But the brightness which this burning 
 and shining light cast upon others has left his own 
 heart and deed illumined. We think of him, and at 
 every thought give thanks. 
 
 Dr. Adams said of him, " He is a good successor." 
 May I add, in my turn, " He was a good man to suc- 
 ceed " ? One soweth and another reapeth. The sowing 
 had been good. The church over which he presided was 
 stable, dignified, united, holding the truth in the love 
 of it, with intelligence and firmness. The children of 
 the church were baptized, with hardly an exception, and 
 the principles of religion were carefully laid in their 
 minds. The whole parish was in order, settled in good 
 ways, appreciative of its minister and mindful of his 
 interests, free from the strife and discord which too 
 often intrude even into sacred things, willing to add a 
 good record to the history in which it gloried, while 
 cherishing a hope which reached far into futurity. 
 This was the field which I found when I came to enter 
 into his labors. There was nothing to undo. I grate- 
 fully acknowledge that the peace and success of these 
 later years have been largely due to his influence. He 
 was a good man for the reaper who should come after 
 
LECTURE MIL 239 
 
 him. He stands in the history of this church as a 
 Christian minister. 
 
 I have said little of the external affairs of the parish 
 during Dr. Albro's ministry. The salary tendered to 
 him at his settlement was eight hundred and fifty dol- 
 lars for the first year, with an annual increase of fifty 
 dollars until one thousand dollars should be reached. 
 There was a pledge also to procure a suitable dwelling- 
 house at an annual rent not exceeding two hundred dol- 
 lars. In case his salary for the second and third years 
 did not cover his expenses, he was to have a further 
 grant, not exceeding fifty dollars a year. He was to 
 have a vacation of two or three weeks in each year, if 
 he recp:iired it. In the year following his installation, 
 arrangements were made to erect a parsonage. Money 
 was given and borrowed for this purpose, and the house 
 in Holyoke Street was built which was thenceforth 
 occupied by the pastor. The original meeting-house 
 contained sixty-six pews, which were enough for that 
 time. In 1840 ten pews were added. In 1844 the house 
 was enlarged, and twenty more pews were provided. 
 In 1852 the house was increased to its present dimen- 
 sions, and there was room for one hundred and thirty 
 pews on the floor. The number of members of the 
 church at Dr. Albro's installation was one hundred and 
 one ; in 1852 there were two hundred and forty-four ; 
 in 1865, after many changes, there were nearly three 
 hundred members. But, as has been already remarked, 
 these figures by no means measure the result of his 
 work. 
 
 On the twelfth day of March, 1865, the congregation 
 assembled here were surprised by a letter from the 
 pastor in which he asked release from his office. The 
 
240 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 thirtieth year of his ministry was drawing to a close. 
 He had for some time contemplated this retirement 
 when that point should be reached. He said that the 
 great length of his service, and the changes which time 
 had produced, admonished him that his official con- 
 nection with this people should cease. He deemed it 
 expedient for himself and for them. Possibly there 
 were premonitions of the malady which at length ended 
 his life. The church and society consented to his re- 
 quest with feelings of deep emotion, and adopted reso- 
 lutions expressive, of their high estimate of his labors, 
 their conviction of his great usefulness, and their ear- 
 nest desire for his continued welfare. The society 
 voted him the use of the parsonage and of the pastor's 
 pew for as long a time as he should choose to occupy 
 them, and expressed the hope that the parsonage might 
 be his permanent home during his residence in Cam- 
 bridge. His farewell sermon was from the prophecy of 
 Micah, " my people, what have I done unto thee ? 
 And wherein have I wearied thee ? Testify against 
 me." And they answered him. In words and deeds, 
 and with generous gifts, they testified their love for him 
 who had done them good and given them rest. 
 
 The 15th of April, 1865, terminated the labors of this 
 long ministry. But although released from the pastoral 
 office, Dr. Albro continued to be the pastor in many 
 important respects. He preached often from this pul- 
 pit, he administered the sacraments, he performed many 
 of the works to which he and the people had been 
 accustomed. At the time of an unusual religious in- 
 terest he was requested to instruct the new converts, 
 and to direct those who were beginning a new life, and 
 when the time came for them to unite with the church, 
 
LECTURE VIII. 241 
 
 he received them, as he had received so many before 
 them. We have heard after a long time the words of 
 one of our honored ministers from the lines which his 
 own hand had penned. Here is a manuscript which has 
 for the second time come into this pulpit. It is a sermon 
 preached by Dr. Albro on the first Sabbath in July, 
 1866, when a large number of young persons were 
 received to the church upon their confession of faith. 
 The text is in St. Paul's words to Timothy : " These 
 things write I unto thee, that thou mayest know how 
 thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, 
 which is the church of the living God, the pillar and 
 ground of the truth." The preacher says, " For the 
 sake of these young disciples — most of whom were 
 born in the church — who have to-day publicly joined 
 it as members, I will speak of the nature, the design, 
 and the privileges of the church." After unfolding 
 these points, he bade them learn how they ought to 
 behave themselves in the church, with what love and 
 faith and charity, with what delight, devotion, zeal, ear- 
 nestness, fervency, they should enter into their new rela- 
 tions and discharge their duties. " Such a spirit and 
 behavior," he said, " would surely make the church 
 the glory of the land, the pillar and ground of the 
 truth, in the eyes of all people. It would enjoy pecu- 
 liar manifestations of the Saviour's presence and favor. 
 Its influence upon all the interests of society would be 
 visible and permanent. It would be the delightful 
 home of the soul, and afford a foretaste of the blessed- 
 ness of that New Jerusalem the glory of which was 
 revealed in the vision of the prophet." 
 
 Dr. Albro had no desire for another settlement in 
 the ministry. He could not have another people. 
 
 16 
 
242 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 But he preached by invitation in neighboring churches. 
 On the morning of the 16th of December, 1866, he 
 officiated in the church at West Roxbury, in the illness 
 of the pastor. His text was, " One thing thou lackest." 
 He was to administer the Communion in the afternoon, 
 and he designed to preach in the evening from the 
 words, " And whatsoever ye do, do all in the name of 
 the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by 
 him." When near the close of his morning sermon, a 
 deathlike pallor overspread his face. He laid his hand 
 upon his breast, and then upon his head. He finished 
 his discourse, but not with the words which had been 
 written. He offered an impressive prayer, and blessed 
 the people. He resumed his seat, and became insen- 
 sible. He was removed to his temporary home at the 
 house of a deacon of the church. He regained con- 
 sciousness, and, when the first surprise was over, re- 
 sumed his wonted calmness and peace. He was not 
 disturbed by the anxiety of his physicians. " I have a 
 natural wish to live," he said, " but I think I feel 
 submissive, and glad to leave myself in God's hands.'' 
 At a time of intense suffering he uttered his thoughts 
 in broken words : " I am in the dark valley — it is n't 
 dark, though — the passage is gentle — it is all very 
 peaceful " ; he added, " There is a great deal neces- 
 sary to make such a passage peaceful, but He speaks, 
 and it is done." When some one reminded him that 
 he had borne his pains with much patience, he turned 
 the words to one whom he loved better than himself: 
 " Did n't He suffer patiently ? As a sheep before her 
 shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." He 
 said that he could express his state by saying, " Vanish- 
 ing into bliss." Again, " Underneath are the everlast- 
 
LECTURE Villi 243 
 
 ing arms. My work is all done. Christ is the way, the 
 truth, and the life. Not only are angels from heaven 
 around me, but you all seem to be angels." Thus 
 peacefully, cheerfully, he went on his way. New 
 friends ministered to his wants, and old friends lav- 
 ished their attentions on him. And the rod and the 
 staff of God were for his comfort. The end was quiet. 
 With a smile upon his face, and words of kindness on 
 his lips, his voice faltered, he paused in the midst of 
 his sentence, and in the twinkling of an eye he was 
 gone. The one thing which he lacked had come 
 to him. He had gone on to give thanks to God and 
 the Father by the Lord Jesus. 
 
 " He gave his honors to the world again, 
 His blessed part to heaven, and slept in peace." 
 
 The translation was on Thursday, the 20th of 
 December. On the following Monday his venerated 
 form was borne into this sanctuary where he had min- 
 istered so long. The house was draped in mourning. 
 A large concourse of his friends was here to do honor 
 to the man of God. His old church at Fitchburg 
 sent representatives to show its sympathy. The tri- 
 umphal songs of Christian faith were sung. His life- 
 long friends and associates performed the last minis- 
 tries of our religion. The slow procession wended its 
 way to Mount Auburn. Clergymen of five denomina- 
 tions served as pall-bearers. With tears of sorrow and 
 affection and hope the face was covered from the sight 
 of men. 
 
 When it was ascertained that he had expressed a 
 desire to be laid to rest in the Cambridge Cemetery, his 
 remains were removed to a lot which had been given to 
 
244 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 the church and society " for the use of their respective 
 pastors and their families." It was to be called " the 
 Shepard lot." The place of his repose was marked by 
 the people with the memorial marble, and at the centre 
 of the lot was erected a monument of granite to 
 the memory of all the deceased pjastors of the church, 
 and that bears his name. These are near the spot 
 where he stood when he delivered the address at the 
 consecration of the cemetery. His burial gives a deeper 
 meaning to his words that day : " Willingly we commit 
 our friends to this consecrated earth. Willingly we 
 ourselves come to rest by the side of those who here 
 wait for our early or tardy return." He called it " our 
 future dwelling-place." "May we, who, entering this 
 place as the living, will hereafter pass along these 
 avenues as the dead, and all who follow us from gen- 
 eration to generation, be, and remain, in life and in 
 death, the blessed of the Lord." On the 12th of 
 November, 1870, when the stones had been set in their 
 places, we went to dedicate them and the ground which 
 had been hallowed anew. It was a stormy afternoon ; 
 but a few persons met at the grave, and then at the 
 keeper's lodge, where we spoke of those who had labored 
 in this ministry and had entered upon their rest, and 
 with prayer and hymn we honored their memory, and 
 asked that their works might abide with us. We ought 
 every year to visit that "court of peace," and conse- 
 crate ourselves for life and death. 
 
 A few months after Dr. Albro's death a very apprecia- 
 tive discourse in his memory was preached, at the request 
 of the church and society, by the Eev. James H. Means 
 of Dorchester. The name of your tenth minister is 
 engraved at the entrance of our new sanctuary, and upon 
 
LECTURE VIII. 245 
 
 the mural tablet within, where it will oe read till the 
 stone shall crumble. His picture, with the calm, saintly, 
 paternal face, is in the homes of most of the people, and 
 the memorial volume in which the church has expressed 
 its esteem for the good minister. His memory is green 
 among us. His work remains. It is interwoven with 
 the lives of many of you, for he baptized you and your 
 children, he joined you in holy marriage, he received 
 you to the communion of the church, he brought Divine 
 solace into your sorrowing homes, and he buried your 
 dead with sacred rites. He was worthy to be written 
 in with the renowned line of ministers who had pre- 
 ceded him. He rejoices in the worship of the skies. 
 We shall see him presently. Blessed are they who 
 have heard his words while yet in the flesh, and have 
 obeyed them unto eternal life. 
 
 With a few words more this history rests. In 
 October, 1865, the minister of the South Parish in 
 Augusta, Me., was invited to the pastoral care of this 
 church and society. For reasons which commended 
 themselves to those who had thus called him the in- 
 vitation was declined. In December, 1866, the call was 
 renewed. The months which had come and gone had 
 brought the affairs of his parish into a better condition 
 to be given into other hands, and this invitation was 
 accepted. On the 24th of January, 1867, he was duly 
 installed by an Ecclesiastical Council. The sermon was 
 by Professor E. A. Park, from the words, " The poor have 
 the gospel preached to them." The prayer of installation 
 was by the Eev. D v E. Cady, the charge to the pastor by 
 the Eev. Dr. Kirk, the right hand of fellowship by the 
 Eev. John E. Todd, and the address to the people by the 
 Eev. Dr. Adams. And thus your eleventh minister 
 
246 FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 was introduced to his work as the immediate successor 
 of one whose friendship and instruction he had enjoyed, 
 and by the side of the College which to so many of us 
 is Alma Mater. Let me place it on record here, that 
 during these five years he has had no reason to ques- 
 tion the propriety of the decision to come to you, or to 
 doubt that it was the will of our common Lord. You 
 have left him no room to regret his compliance with 
 your desire. He counts it a high honor to be the 
 minister of this ancient church, the reaper after so 
 many illustrious sowers, the sower on the broad field 
 where other reapers are to be when the Master has 
 come and called for us. After a few months of begin- 
 ning, in accordance with a previous agreement, through 
 your liberality he was permitted to spend six months 
 in foreign travel. Since his return the work has gone 
 on steadily day by day, year by year. I offer no 
 estimate of results. God has blessed us with large 
 blessings. To him be the glory. In him be our con- 
 fidence as we press forward. 
 
 These years have been marked with one work de- 
 serving to be mentioned among the greatest which have 
 entered into our parish life. We have begun, and 
 almost completed, a new house of worship, which will 
 be the sixth home of the church. It has been planned 
 with large views, and brought thus near its end with 
 great harmony and good-will. This event marks an 
 epoch in the life of the church. It is almost a new 
 beginning of our work. If our hopes are in any meas- 
 ure fulfilled, we are about to add a glorious future to 
 an honorable past. The lineage we boast, the annals 
 we read, the faith we profess, the trust committed to 
 our hands, demand of us a loyalty and heroism in 
 
LECTURE VIII. 247 
 
 which this church shall prove itself the body of 
 Christ. - 
 
 As I bring this history to a close, there is no space 
 for comment. None is needed. It is our turn now. 
 The past is secure ; the future is what we make it. Let 
 the past instruct us, the future inspire us, the present 
 find us standing in our lot and quitting ourselves like 
 men, as becomes the sons of our sires, the heirs of 
 Puritans, the followers of those who suffered loss for 
 the love of Christ, and in their poverty reared these 
 walls which so long have sheltered us. Not as if I 
 feared ; you are doing well ; the record of these days 
 will read well when we are dust. It is a grand time 
 to live in. Let every man, every child, do his part 
 promptly, generously, cheerfully. Then we shall go up 
 to our new and beautiful temple with songs of rejoicing, 
 bearing our sheaves with us, and every one with his 
 own sheaves. And with every stone our own, we will 
 dedicate the house to God, our Father and our Saviour, 
 and throw wide its gates, that the people may enter in 
 and worship him. So let us pray, with our gold and 
 silver in our open hands, with our hearts in sympathy 
 with man, while we seek the glory of Christ and the 
 church, " The Lord our God be with us, as he was with 
 our fathers." 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 MEETING-HOUSES. 
 
 THE first meeting-house here was built by the church 
 under the care of Rev. Thomas Hooker and Rev. 
 Samuel Stone. It stood very near the southwest corner of 
 Water, now Dunster Street, and Spring, now Mount Auburn 
 Street. 
 
 The second house, erected in 1650, the third erected 
 in 1706, and the fourth erected in 1756, stood upon Watch- 
 house Hill, very near the present site of Dane Hall. The 
 fourth house was torn down in 1833, when the new house 
 built by the First Parish was dedicated. There is a draw- 
 ing of the fourth house pi'eserved, which is inscribed, " Plan 
 of y e meeting House, and draft of y e Pews." From this 
 plan it appears that the frame of the building was oblong. 
 There were three entrances, — one on the west side, through 
 the tower, one on the east, and one on the south. The last 
 two had outer porches. Within these was a gallery on the 
 east, west, and south sides, supported on eight wooden 
 columns. The centre aisle ran from the south entrance to 
 the pulpit and the deacons' seats in front. On the right of 
 the centre aisle were two long benches, and on the left four 
 more. These were evidently for free sittings. Pew No. 1 
 was next to the pulpit at the preacher's right, and the num- 
 bers followed the wall pews around the house, reaching the 
 pulpit again at the preacher's left. The names of the oc- 
 
250 APPENDIX. 
 
 cupants of these wall pews are given as follows : E. Trow- 
 bridge, P. Tufts, Foxcroft, S. Kent, Mary Tufts, Richardson, 
 R. Gardner, Bradish, E. Trowbridge for W. Fletcher, Rich- 
 ard Champney, Seth Hastings, J. Fessenden, S. Palmer, Jr., 
 T. Warland, Appleton, Holyoke, Vassall, Phipps, Brattle, 
 Minister, Winthrop, Sparhawke, Oliver, J. Morse, E. Sted- 
 man, Wigglesworth, Boardman, E. Ruggles, C. Dana, 
 Sprague, E. Wyeth, S. Hastings, N. Kidder, H. College, J. 
 Hastings, Widow S. Hastings. Following the numbers, the 
 names are Hancock, S. Whittemore, S. Prentice, W. Man- 
 ning, A. Hill, J. Hicks, I. Bradish, J. Watson, E. Manning, 
 0. Warland, Mr. Marritt's heirs, H. Prentice, T. Sodon, M. 
 Gill, S. Thatcher, E. Wyeth, C. Prentice, I. Watson, J. Read, 
 W. Howe, P. Stearns, R. Dana, S. Danforth, J. Monis, Grant, 
 E. Marritt, E. Stedman, Z. Bordman, W. Angier,- J. Strat- 
 ton, J. Dickson, Widow Fessenden, Inman. 
 
 The fifth house erected for the church was that which has 
 just been left, at the corner of Mount Auburn and Holyoke 
 Streets. The following account of this house and of the 
 changes in it was prepared in 1852 by Deacon Stephen T. 
 Farwell : — 
 
 " The corner-stone of the house of worship for the First 
 Church and Shepard Congregational Society was laid on the 
 twenty -first day of September, 1830. The house was dedicated 
 on the 23d of February, 1831. As the house was originally 
 finished, it contained sixty-six pews, which furnished ample 
 accommodations for the congregation at that time. The 
 society gradually increased in numbers, more room was 
 needed, and in 1840, by removing a partition from under 
 the choir gallery and rebuilding the pulpit, ten additional 
 pews were obtained. These wei'e sufficient to accommodate 
 the increasing growth of the society for a few years only. 
 In 1844 it was found necessary to enlarge our borders. 
 Accordingly, the house was separated into two parts. The 
 northerly part was removed the distance of sixteen feet, 
 
APPENDIX. 251 
 
 laud having been purchased for the purpose of Harvard 
 College. The space was then filled up, making an addition 
 to the building equal to one fourth of its original length, and 
 adding twenty new pews. This addition sufficed for the 
 growing wants of the society until the present year, when it 
 had become impossible to furnish pews to families who were 
 desirous of connecting themselves with the congregation in 
 public worship. It was therefore determined at a parish 
 meeting held July 7, 1852, to enlarge the house by the 
 addition of thirteen feet to its width, six and a half feet 
 to each side ; also by a similar addition to the front on 
 each side of the tower, enlarging thereby the room in the 
 vestibule, and giving two additional entrances to the same. 
 The size of the house with this addition, exclusive of the 
 tower, is eighty by sixty-three feet, giving ample room for 
 one hundred and thirty pews on the floor. The chapel in 
 the basement, obtained by this addition and by raising the 
 building six and a half feet above its former foundation, is 
 sixty by forty-eight feet. Preparatory to this enlargement 
 a strip of land thirteen feet in width was purchased of 
 F. C. Loring, Esq., on the westerly side of the society's lot, 
 and the house was removed six and a half feet in that direc- 
 tion. It became necessary, therefore, to remove the leaden 
 box which was deposited under the corner-stone of the origi- 
 nal house. It is replaced again this twenty-first day of Sep- 
 tember, A. D. 1852: being first enclosed in another leaden 
 box, with this brief sketch of the several enlargements of the 
 original church edifice, together with a copy of ' Some passages 
 in the History of the First Church in connection with the 
 Shepard Congregational Society in Cambridge,' prepared by 
 the present pastor, and printed in 1842 ; also a copy of his 
 1 Life of Thomas Shepard,' the first pastor of this church, 
 published in 1847. 
 
 " The number of church-members who followed the pastor 
 at the time of the separation of the church from the First 
 
252 APPENDIX. 
 
 Parish, in 1829, was about sixty. At the installation of 
 the present pastor, April 15, 1835, it was one hundred 
 and one. The present number is two hundred and forty- 
 four. 
 
 OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 Pastor. 
 JOHN A. ALBRO. 
 
 Deacons. 
 
 Stephen T. Farwell, Charles W. Homer. 
 
 Zelotes Hosmer, Clerk. 
 
 L OFFICERS OF THE PARISH. 
 
 Cleric and Treasurer. 
 Jacob H. Bates. 
 
 Prudential Committee. 
 William Saunders, AVilliam Bates, 
 
 Jonas Wyeth, 2d, Zelotes Hosmer, 
 
 William A. Saunders. 
 
 Building Committee. 
 
 William A. Saunders, William Saunders, 
 
 Gardiner G. Hubbard, Israel P. Dunham. 
 
 Architect. 
 
 A. R. Estey." 
 
 The last services in this church were held on the 19th of 
 May, 1872. In the morning the pastor preached from Ezra 
 iii. 12. In the evening a public meeting was held, when 
 addresses were delivered by Hon. Charles Theodore Russell, 
 Hon. Emory Washburn, Hon. Charles H. Saunders, Hon. 
 Horatio G. Parker, Rev. William L. Ropes, George S. 
 Saunders, Esq., and the Pastor. The chapel of the church 
 is still used by the Sabbath School and for the social re- 
 ligious services of the church. But the. chapel of the new 
 house will soon be completed. 
 
 The sixth meeting-house was dedicated on Wednesday 
 evening, May 22, 1872. It stands on the corner of Garden 
 and Mason Streets. At the dedication the invocation was 
 
APPENDIX. 253 
 
 by the Rev. George R. Leavitt, pastor of the Pilgrim Church, 
 Cambridgeport ; the reading of the Scriptures by the Rev. 
 David 0. Mears, pastor of the North Avenue Congregational 
 Church ; the prayer before the sermon by the Rev. Andrew 
 P. Peabody, D. D., of Harvard College ; the sermon by the 
 pastor from Psalms xcvi. 6 : " Strength and beauty are 
 in his sanctuary" ; the prayer of dedication was by the Rev. 
 Nehemiah Adams, D. D., the ninth pastor of the church. 
 The music was appropriate, and included the singing of the 
 following hymns : — 
 
 HYMN", 
 
 Written by the Rev. Abiel Holmes, D. D., and sung at the Installation of the Rev. 
 John A. Albro, D. D., and of the Rev. A. McKenzie. 
 
 Great God ! thou heard'st our Fathers' prayer, 
 
 When, o'er the ocean brought, 
 They with a patriarchal care 
 
 A Sanctuary sought. 
 
 Hither thy guidance led their feet, 
 
 Here was their first abode ; 
 And here, where now their children meet, 
 
 They found a place for God. 
 
 [Thy flock, Immanuel, here was fed, 
 
 In pastures green and fair ; 
 Beside still waters gently led, 
 
 And thine the Shepherd's care. 
 
 That care two hundred years attest ; 
 
 Thy seal is still the same ; 
 To every bosom be it pressed, 
 
 Graved with thy precious name.] 
 
 Here may the Church thy cause maintain, 
 
 Thy truth with peace and love, 
 Till her last earth-born live again 
 
 With the first-born above. 
 
 glorious change ! From conflict free, 
 
 The Church, no danger nigh, 
 From militant on earth shall be 
 
 Triumphant in the sky. 
 
254 APPENDIX. 
 
 HYMN OF DEDICATION, 
 
 BY MISS CHARLOTTE F. BATES. 
 
 Thou, whom the heavens cannot contain, 
 
 Art willing yet to make thy home 
 Where Love makes ready for thy reign, 
 
 And looks and longs for thee to come. 
 
 [As this fair temple make the heart, 
 
 New, strong, and undefiled for thee ; 
 Then may we, soul and sin apart, 
 
 The King in all his beauty see.] 
 
 Before the cross, this holy hour, 
 
 The house, the heart, we consecrate ; — 
 
 Give every will a fruitful power, 
 God's perfect plan to consummate. 
 
 Blow, Breath of the Almighty Strength ! 
 
 God's order nerve our souls to bring 
 From gross confusion, till at length 
 
 The top-stone bid the builders sing. 
 
 [Let regal learning here bend low ; 
 
 With Christward face like Mary sit, 
 Till on her brow the Master throw 
 
 A light the ages shall transmit. 
 
 With all these dawning hopes of ours, 
 
 We dedicate our sacred past. 
 These memories, tender as the flowets, 
 
 Will yet this massive stone outlast.] 
 
 Abide here, Father, till the day 
 
 When thy great Church shall rest in thee ; 
 
 Till heaven and earth shall pass away, 
 Abide here, Blessed Trinity ! 
 
 The Report of the Building Committee, containing a 
 description of the new house, is here subjoined : — 
 
APPENDIX. 255 
 
 EEPORT. 
 
 On the 5th of August. 1870, ground was broken for the 
 foundation of this building ; appropriate religious services 
 were held, and many interesting circumstances relating to 
 the building of the meeting-house we have just left, and the 
 worthy labors of many connected therewith, both living and 
 dead, were kindly remembered. 
 
 Our work went on ; the foundation walls were built and 
 covered until the spring of 1871. On Saturday, the 29th 
 of April, 1871, the corner-stone of this edifice was laid, 
 when appropriate services were held, conducted by the 
 Pastor, Rev. A. P. Peabody, D. D., Rev. C. W. Anable, D.D., 
 Rev. Kinsley Twining, Rev. David 0. Mears, Prof. H. E. 
 Parker, of Dartmouth College, and Rev. Mr. Jackson. 
 
 RECORD OF DEPOSITS IN THE CORNER-STONE. 
 
 The leaden box unopened from the corner-stone of the 
 church building on the corner of Holyoke and Mt. Au- 
 burn Streets. 
 
 A copy of the Church Manual of 1842. 
 
 Names of Members, 1861 and 1871. 
 
 Continuation of the Historical Sketch of the Church. 
 
 An account of the Sabbath School. 
 
 Statement of the Building Committee. 
 
 Names of the Officers of the Church and Parish, Archi- 
 tect, Contractor, etc., viz. : — 
 
 Pastor. 
 Alexander McKenzie. 
 
 Deacons. 
 Stephen T. Farwell, Charles T. Russell, 
 
 Charles W. Homer, George S. Saunders. 
 
 Architect. 
 A. C. Martin. 
 
256 APPENDIX. 
 
 Building Committee. 
 William A. Saunders, Ephraim P. Whitman, 
 
 James P. Melledge, Asa Gray, 
 
 Joel Parker, Stephen T. Farwell, 
 
 John L. Sands, Nathaniel N. Stickney. 
 
 Prudential Committee. 
 William A. Saunders, John L. Sands, 
 
 Horatio G. Parker, Charles W. Munroe, 
 
 Nathaniel N. Stickney. 
 
 Treasurer. 
 ^Francis Flint. 
 
 Sexton and Collector. 
 Benjamin F. Wyeth. 
 
 Contractors. 
 Thomas A. Graham, Carew and Welch, 
 
 A. L. Danforth, J. F. and F. L. Gilman, 
 
 Stephen Holmes, James W. Bell, 
 
 T. B. Wentworth. 
 
 Pamphlets, as follows : — 
 
 Catalogue of Harvard College. 
 
 Catalogue of Andover Theological Seminary. 
 
 Mayor's Address to the City Government of Cambridge, 
 1871, with the Reports of the Departments to the City 
 Council. 
 
 Services at the Dedication of the Soldiers' Monument, 
 July 13, 1870. 
 
 Services at the Dedication of the Monument to the Men 
 of Cambridge who fell on the 19th of April, 1775. Nov. 3, 
 1870. 
 
 Services in Commemoration of the Twenty-fifth Anniver- 
 sary of the Settlement of Rev. J. A. Albro, D. D., and his 
 Sermon on the Occasion. 1860. 
 
APPENDIX. 257 
 
 Memorial Services in connection with the death of Rev. 
 J. A. Albro, D. D. December, 1866. 
 
 Introductory Sermon by Rev. A. McKenzie. 1867. 
 
 Manuscript Sermon by the late Rev. Abiel Holmes, D. D., 
 delivered the second Sabbath after his Installation in 
 1792. 
 
 A book entitled "The Free Gift," by Rev. Nehemiah 
 Adams, D. D 
 
 Pictures op Churches and other Buildings. 
 Of First Parish Church, Rev. William Newell, D. D., Pastor. 
 " Christ Church, Rev. Nicholas Hoppin, D. D., Rector. 
 " Baptist Church, Rev. C. W. Anable, D. D., Pastor. 
 " St. John's Chapel, Rev. J. S. Stone, D. D., Rector. 
 " North Avenue Church, Rev. David 0. Mears, Pastor. 
 " The Old Meeting-House built in 1756, on the site of 
 Dane Law School building ; removed in 1833. (In ex- 
 cavating for the moving of the Law School building in 
 1871, the corner foundation-stone of the old structure was 
 found, and placed in the north wall of this building, with 
 date inscribed, 1756.) 
 
 Of several of the College buildings, and a photograph 
 from a drawing of the new Church building. 
 
 
 
 Papers. 
 
 
 
 
 A copy 
 
 of the Boston Daily Advertiser, of April 
 
 29,1871. 
 
 u 
 
 It 
 
 Boston Post, 
 
 
 n 
 
 a n 
 
 n 
 
 il 
 
 Boston Journal, 
 
 
 n 
 
 it n 
 
 n 
 
 n 
 
 Boston Transcript, 
 
 
 it 
 
 28, « 
 
 n 
 
 u 
 
 Boston Traveller, 
 
 
 u 
 
 28, " 
 
 « 
 
 ti 
 
 Congregationalist, 
 
 
 it 
 
 27, « 
 
 n 
 
 it 
 
 Cambridge Chronicle, 
 
 
 it 
 
 29, « 
 
 a 
 
 it 
 
 Cambridge Press, 
 
 
 it 
 
 29, « 
 
 a 
 
 it 
 
 Cambridge Sanitary Report. 
 
 
 
 n 
 
 it 
 
 Order of Exercises at 
 
 tie 
 
 laying of the 
 
 Corner-stone. 
 
 17 
 
258 APPENDIX. 
 
 Before describing the building, we will pause and grate- 
 fully recognize the kindly favor of our Heavenly Father from 
 the very commencement of the work untiT this moment. 
 Favored in the season, in the promptness and faithfulness 
 with which all the departments of labor and materials have 
 been supplied, with few mistakes to amend, and, more than 
 all, no accident to life or limb to record, may we not, as the 
 result of these favoring providences, rightfully rejoice that 
 we are permitted to assemble in this beautiful, substantial, 
 and convenient church building 1 May it ever remain an 
 ornament to our city, an honor to this interesting and his- 
 toric locality, and by the blessing of God be a permanent 
 memorial and worthy tribute to the ancient faith and record 
 of the Fathers, the impress of whose labors and piety is 
 indelible in the institutions of religion, good learning, and 
 government around us. 
 
 It has been our purpose to erect a commodious, substan- 
 tial building, in good architectural taste, adapted to the 
 present wants of the parish, and we hope also for genera- 
 tions to come to be used for the simple forms of Congrega- 
 tional worship. 
 
 We are indebted to Mr. Martin, the architect, for the de- 
 sign and plan. He has given much time and thought to 
 the work, and has been successful in the outlines and gen- 
 eral grouping so essential to architectural effect. 
 
 The plan, in its general form, is that of a cross, with 
 nave, side and central aisles, and north and south tran- 
 septs. 
 
 The extreme interior length of the nave, from front to 
 rear, is 120 feet. It terminates in the rear in an octagonal 
 apse. 
 
 The width of the nave is 34 feet ; it is sepai-ated from the 
 side aisles by columns and semicircular arches which sup- 
 port the roof. 
 
 The breadth of nave and side aisles together makes the 
 
APPENDIX. 259 
 
 body of the church 60 feet wide. The length across the 
 transepts from north to south is 92 feet. 
 
 The ceiling of nave and ti-ansepts is of octagonal form, and 
 finishes 46 feet in clear height from the floor. 
 
 Two galleries are constructed with convenient stairways 
 within the audience room, one across the front, and the 
 other across the north transept, for the organ and choir. 
 
 The building is supplied with 245 pews, affording 1,200 
 sittings. 
 
 The pews, doors, and finish throughout are of black- 
 walnut. 
 
 Above the ceiling are large ventilating ducts carefully 
 constructed to afford thorough ventilation. 
 
 In the rear are convenient rooms for the pastor, Sabbath- 
 school library, etc., etc. 
 
 A vestibule on Mason Street gives access both to the 
 church and the chapel to be built hereafter. 
 
 The principal entrance to the church is by a bold door- 
 way on Garden Street. There are four other entrances on 
 Mason Street. Two will connect with the chapel from the 
 south transept, and with the tower by an arcade of eight 
 arches supported by columns. 
 
 The tower and spire on the east corner will be 1 70 feet 
 high, and will be distinctly seen from all the streets diverg- 
 ing from the Common. 
 
 The material of which we have built from the foundation 
 to the tip of the spire is a durable slate, obtained within a 
 short distance of this place ; it will be found to have a warm, 
 rich tint, and was highly recommended by persons whose 
 opinion we may safely accept. 
 
 For the corners and such other parts as are subject to 
 great pressure we were fortunate in securing a red granite, 
 in color and texture like the Scotch, a material which has 
 been but little used in this country. This harmonizes 
 pleasantly with the stone used in the walls. 
 
260 APPENDIX. 
 
 For other dressings, such as belts, doorways, windows, 
 columns, and capitals, the red and light-colored Pictou 
 stone has been used. 
 
 The architect says in his description : — 
 
 " The general character of the whole construction is de- 
 termined by the use of the ' Round Arch.' It is employed 
 for window and door heads, and for the arcades on Mason 
 Street. 
 
 " It appears in the interior for the support of the roof and 
 in the motive for all the ornament. 
 
 " No modern building can or should be a strict copy of 
 the old, bat if it be needful to specify the style of architec- 
 ture to which the design of the church belongs, it will be 
 found most closely to resemble the earliest of the so-called 
 Gothic, in which the round or full centred arch has the 
 same controlling influence as the pointed arch in the later 
 style. 
 
 " The English call it Norman, but the true historic name 
 is Romanesque, which marks its descent from the old Roman 
 Basilicas, the churches in which the early Christians first 
 worshipped." 
 
 The estimated cost reported and authorized by the society 
 for building for occupancy, exclusive of but 30 feet of the 
 tower, the chapel and land, was $ 70,000. This work has 
 been done for about $ 2,500 less. 
 
 The entire cost when tower and spire are completed, and 
 chapel built, with the land, will be $ 110,000. 
 
 The organ, adapted to the architecture of the building, 
 was made by Messrs. E. and G. G. Hook & Hastings. 
 
 It has two manuals and a pedal of two octaves and two 
 notes. 
 
 Compass of manuals, from C° to A 3 , 58 notes. 
 
 Compass of pedal, from C to D°, 27 notes. 
 
 The case is of walnut with silvered pipes having gilded 
 mouths : there are 31 stops ; 1,705 pipes ; 7 pedal move- 
 ments. Cost, $ 5,000. 
 
APPENDIX. 261 
 
 On the north and south walls are inserted two stone 
 tablets, one giving the historical events of Newtovm and of 
 the church from the beginning ; the other devoted to the 
 memory of the ministers, with their names and dates of 
 service. 
 
 ON THE NORTH WALL. 
 
 The Lord our God be with us as He was with our Fathers. 
 
 The Settlement of this Town was begun A. D. 1631. 
 
 The first Meeting-House was built A. D. 1632. 
 
 Rev. Thomas Hooker and Rev. Samuel Stone were ordained Ministers 
 
 here Oct. 11, 1633 ; 
 
 They removed with their people to found Hartford, Conn., A. D. 1636. 
 
 This Church was formed February 1st, A. D. 1636. 
 
 The Cambridge Platform was adopted A. D. 1648. 
 
 The Church united with the Shepard Congregational Society 
 
 A. D. 1829. 
 
 This House was dedicated A. D. 1872. 
 
 ON THE SOUTH WALL. 
 To the Memory of the Ministers of this Church. 
 
 Thomas Shepard, A. D. 1636-1649. 
 
 Jonathan Mitchel, A. D. 1650 -"1668. 
 
 Uriau Oakes A. D. 1671-1681. 
 
 Nathaniel Gookin, A. D. 1682-1692. 
 
 William Brattle, A. D. 1696-1717. 
 
 Nathaniel Appleton, A. D. 1717-1784. 
 
 Timothy Hilliard, . A. D. 1783-1790. 
 
 Abiel Holmes, A. D. 1792-1831. 
 
 A. D. 1829-1834. 
 
 John A. Albro, A. D. 1835 - 1865. 
 
 A. D. 1867- 
 
 The beautiful "Memorial Window" in the south tran- 
 sept was made in London, by celebrated artists, and is 
 pronounced admirable in design and execution. 
 
 For this we are indebted to the liberality of one of the 
 families of this parish, from whom also we have received 
 
262 APPENDIX. 
 
 important suggestions, particularly as to the peculiar glass 
 used in the other windows of the building. 
 
 The pulpit is the result of the labors of " little workers," 
 the children, guided by those who are ever ready to respond 
 to the calls of duty and good service. The font is also the 
 children's gift. 
 
 The other furnishings of the church were supplied by the 
 foresight, industry, and liberality of the ladies of the parish. 
 
 In short, in each department of labor necessary to com- 
 plete the undertaking, we have found the right service 
 cheerfully offered at the right time. 
 
 It only remains for your committee, therefore, to sur- 
 render this edifice for dedication to the worship of Almighty 
 God and the promotion of his kingdom. May it also be a 
 memorial offering to the long succession of faithful min- 
 isters, beginning with him whose honored name the society 
 bears, — Thomas Shepard. 
 
 For the Committee, 
 
 WILLIAM A. SAUNDERS. 
 
 Note. — The glass is English, called " Cathedral," and is the same 
 as that used in the early churches of England. 
 
 The old method of manufacturing the glass has been lost, and the 
 way of reproducing its effect has but recently been discovered. The 
 glass is just coming into use in this country. 
 
 The plan of renting the pews in this house upon a per- 
 manent lease was adopted after full consideration, and has 
 the approval of the parish. The pews have been rented 
 with great readiness, and the financial success of the enter- 
 prise seems already secured. 
 
 Pictures of the fourth, fifth, and sixth meeting-houses are 
 to be found in the preceding pages, with a picture of the 
 house erected by the First Parish after the separation. 
 
APPENDIX. 263 
 
 II. 
 
 PARSONAGE. 
 
 A PICTURE of the old parsonage, with the house of 
 Judge Dana iu the distance, will also be found in 
 its place. Concerning this parsonage the records tell us 
 that "at a public meeting of the church and town to 
 consider of supply for the ministry, it was agreed that there 
 should be a house bought or built to entertain a minister." 
 That was in 1669, the year after Mr. Mitchel's death. In 
 the same year the parish sold for this purpose the church's 
 farm of six hundred acres in Shawshine for £ 230 sterling. 
 Soon after four acres of land were purchased in what is now 
 the College yard, nearly opposite the end of Holyoke Street. 
 In 1670 a house was erected thirty-six feet long and thirty 
 wide. This house was " to remain the church's, and to be 
 the dwelling-place of such a minister and officer as the Lord 
 shall be pleased to supply us withal, during the time that 
 he shall supply that place amongst us." In 1720 a new 
 front was put upon the house. All the ministers after Mr. 
 Mitchel resided in this house until 1807, when Dr. Holmes 
 left it for the house still standing in Holmes Place, and 
 more particularly associated with his name. The old par- 
 sonage house was subsequently taken down. 
 
264 APPENDIX. 
 
 III. 
 
 OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH 
 
 FROM ITS FORMATION IN 1636. 
 
 Pastors. 
 
 REV. THOMAS SHEPARD, ordained February, 1636. 
 Died August 25, 1649. 
 
 Rev. Jonathan Mitchel, ordained August 21, 1650. 
 Died July 9, 1668. 
 
 Rev. Urian Oakes, ordained November 8, 1671. Died 
 July 25, 1681. 
 
 Rev. Nathaniel Gookin, ordained November 15, 1682. 
 Died August 7, 1692. 
 
 Rev. William Brattle, ordained November 25, 1696. 
 Died February 15, 1717. 
 
 Rev. Nathaniel Appleton, D. D., ordained October 9, 
 1717. Died February 9, 1784. 
 
 Rev. Timothy Hilliard, installed October 27, 1783. 
 Died May 9, 1790. 
 
 Rev. Abiel Holmes, D. D., installed January 25, 1792. 
 Dismissed September 26, 1831. 
 
 Rev. Nehemiah Adams, ordained December 17, 1829. 
 Dismissed March 14, 1834. 
 
 Rev. John A. Albro, D. D., installed April 15, 1835. 
 Dismissed April 15, 1865. 
 
 Rev. Alexander McKenzie, installed January 24, 1867. 
 
 Ruling Elders. 
 
 [The following list comprises the names of those who are known to 
 have been Ruling Elders of the church.] 
 
 Edmund Frost. He came to New England in 1635, and 
 was made a freeman in 1636. He died July 12, 1672. 
 
APPENDIX. 265 
 
 Richard Champney. He came to New England in 1G35, 
 and was made a freeman in 163G. He died November 2G, 
 1669. 
 
 Jonas Clark. He was made a freeman in 1647. Or- 
 dained Hiding Elder November 15, 1682. He died January 
 11, 1699, aged eighty years. 
 
 John Stone. He came to New England in 1635, it is 
 thought, and was made a freeman in 1665. Ordained 
 Ruling Elder November 15, 1682. He died May 5, 1683, 
 aged sixty-four years. 
 
 Deacons. 
 
 [The following list comprises the names of those who are known to 
 have been Deacons of the church.] 
 
 John Bridge. Freeman 1635. Died 1665. 
 
 Thomas Harriot. Freeman 1636. Died 1664. 
 
 Thomas Cheeseholme. Freeman 1G36. Died 1671. 
 Gregory Stone. Freeman 1636. Died 1672. 
 
 Nathaniel Sparrowhawke. Freeman 1639. Died 1647. 
 
 Nathaniel Sparrowhawke. Freeman. Died January, 
 1687. 
 
 Edward Collins. Freeman 1640. Died 1689. 
 
 John Cooper. Freeman 1642. Died 1691. 
 
 Walter Hasting. Born 1631. Died 1705. 
 
 Samuel Cooper. Chosen March 22, 1705. Died 1718. 
 
 Nathaniel Hancock. Chosen June 7, 1705. Died 1719./^^ 
 - Samuel Kidder. Chosen January 22, 1718. Died 1724*j /(^ f 
 
 Joseph Coolidge. Chosen January 22, 1718. Diecr 
 1737. 
 
 Nathaniel Sparrowhawke. Chosen August 5, 1724. 
 Died 1734. 
 
 Samuel Bowman. Chosen August 5, 1724. Died before 
 1741. 
 
 Samuel Sparrowhawke. Chosen April 12, 1734. Died 
 1774. 
 
266 APPENDIX. 
 
 John Bradish. Chosen May 5, 1738. Died 1741. 
 
 Samuel Whittemore. Chosen November 24, 1741. Died 
 about 1783. 
 
 Henry Prentice. Chosen November 24, 1741. Resigned 
 July 14, 1774. 
 
 Aaron Hill. Chosen July 14, 1774. Died 1792. 
 
 Stephen Sewall. Chosen May 18, 1777. Died 1804. 
 
 Gideon Frost. Chosen June 30, 1783. Died 1803. 
 
 James Munro. Chosen June 30, 1783. Died 1804. 
 
 John Walton. Chosen November 19, 1792. Died 1823. 
 
 William Hilliard. Chosen April 5, 1804. Died 1836. 
 
 Josiah Moore. Chosen January 4, 1805. Died 1814. 
 
 James Munro. Chosen August 2, 1818. Died 1848. 
 
 Stephen T. Far well. Installed April 30, 1837. Died 
 Oct. 20, 1872. 
 
 Charles W. Homer. Installed January 4, 1849. 
 
 Charles Theo. Russell. Installed July 2, 1869. Re- 
 signed September 15, 1871. 
 
 George S. Saunders. Installed July 2, 1869. 
 
 PRESENT OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 1872. 
 
 Pastor. 
 
 Rev. Alexander McKenzie. 
 
 Deacons. 
 
 Charles W. Homer, George S. Saunders. 
 
 Clerk 
 
 George S. Saunders. 
 
 Standing Committee. 
 The Standing Committee of the Church consists of the 
 Pastor, Deacons, the Clerk, Superintendent of the Sabbath 
 School (Francis Flint), and the following brethren : Charles 
 W. Munroe, James A. Shedd. 
 
APPENDIX. 267 
 
 IV. 
 
 CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND FORM OF 
 ADMISSION. 
 
 THE CONFESSION OF FAITH of this church is in 
 substance, and for the most part in language, taken 
 from the " Confession of Faith owned and consented unto 
 by. the Elders and Messengers of the Churches assembled 
 at Boston, May 12, 1680." The "Boston Confession" is 
 the basis of the confessions of the Congregational churches 
 of New England, and it expresses the doctrinal views of 
 this church through its entire history. 
 
 FORM OF ADMISSION TO THE COMMUNION OF THE 
 CHURCH. — ADOPTED 1872. 
 
 The candidates shall present themselves before the pulpit, where they 
 shall be met by the minister, who shall repeat one or more of the 
 following sentences of the Holy Scriptures, or such other sentences 
 as he may choose : — 
 
 Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and 
 I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of 
 Me ; for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find 
 rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden 
 is light. 
 
 And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him 
 that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. 
 And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 
 
 Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him 
 will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 
 
268 APPENDIX. 
 
 The minister shall then address the candidates as follows, and shall 
 recite the Creed of the church for their assent : — 
 
 Dearly Beloved, — You have presented yourselves in this 
 holy place to make confession of the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 to enter into covenant with his Church. We trust that you 
 know the solemnity and the blessedness of this time, and 
 we are confident that He which hath begun a good work in 
 you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. 
 
 We believe in one living and true God ; creator, pre- 
 server, and ruler of all things ; glorious in holiness, plenteous 
 in mercy and truth. 
 
 In the Father Almighty : Lord and giver of life ; Avho is 
 to be supremely loved and perfectly obeyed ; whose com- 
 mandment is holy and just and good. 
 
 And in Jesus Christ, his Son, our Lord ; who was in 
 the beginning with God and was God ; who for us men, and 
 for our salvation, came down from heaven and was made 
 man. He was crucified, dead, and buried. He arose from 
 the dead and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right 
 hand of the Father. He shall come again with glory 
 to judge both the quick and the dead ; when every one shall 
 receive the things done in his body, according to that he 
 hath done, whether it be good or bad. Of His kingdom 
 there shall be no end. 
 
 And we believe in the Holy Ghost, the Comforter ; by 
 whom the Scriptures were given ; who renews and sanctifies 
 the heart ; by whose power we are kept unto immortal life. 
 Who, with the Father and the Son, together one God, is to 
 be worshipped and glorified, world without end. 
 
 Before Almighty God our Heavenly Father we humbly 
 acknowledge our guiltiness, casting ourselves upon his in- 
 finite goodness and mercy. 
 
 We believe in the forgiveness of sins through our Lord 
 and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose name we confess, whose 
 
APPENDIX. 269 
 
 "Word we receive, in whose mediation alone we steadfastly 
 trust. 
 
 We believe in one Church, on earth and in heaven : in 
 one Baptism : in one Communion in the body and blood of 
 Christ ; and we look for the Resurrection of the dead, and 
 the Life of the world to come. Amen. 
 
 You who have now made this Confession do acknowledge 
 the Lord Jehovah — the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
 Ghost — to be your God ; to HIM you devote your supreme 
 affection ; to his service you consecrate your life ; and 
 naming yourselves with the name of Christ, you avow your 
 purpose to glorify him in your body and in your spirit, 
 which are his. 
 
 Baptism will here be administered to those who have not before been 
 baptized, with these words, — 
 
 A. B., I baptize thee, in the name of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 To the other candidates the minister shall say, — 
 You who were baptized in childhood do now gratefully 
 accept that as your baptism, while you confirm the covenant 
 which then was made for you. 
 
 The members of the Church shall here rise, and the minister shall 
 continue : — 
 
 Because you make this Confession, we, the members of 
 this church, affectionately welcome you to fellowship with 
 us in all duties and blessings, rejoicing with you in the joy 
 of the Lord, and praying for you with assurance and long- 
 ing, that when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye may re- 
 ceive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 
 
 Here the Church, with those who have just made confession, and 
 those who have been received from other churches, shall repeat this 
 covenant, saying : — 
 
 We who are now brought together and united into one 
 Church, under the Lord Jesus Christ, our Head, in such 
 
270 APPENDIX. 
 
 sort as becometh all those whom he hath redeemed and 
 sanctified to himself, do here solemnly and religiously, as 
 in his most holy presence, promise and bind ourselves to 
 walk in all our ways according to the rule of the Gospel, 
 and in all sincere conformity to his holy ordinances, and in 
 mutual love and respect each to other, so near as God shall 
 give us grace. 
 
 Here the minister shall take the new members by the hand in token 
 of fellowship with Christ and »the Church, repeating some appro- 
 priate sentence of Scripture. He shall then address them in these 
 words : — 
 
 Now, therefore, Beloved in the Lord, ye are no more 
 strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, 
 and of the household of God ; and are built upon the foun- 
 dation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself 
 being the chief Corner-stone. For this cause — 
 
 [Here all will take the customary attitude of prayer] 
 
 we bow our knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 
 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his 
 glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the 
 inner man ; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ; 
 that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to 
 comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and 
 length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of 
 Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled 
 with all the fulness of God. 
 
 Now unto ,Eim that is able to do exceeding abundantly 
 above all that we ask or think, according to the power 
 that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the Church 
 by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
APPENDIX. 271 
 
 MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 AS the early records are imperfect, it is impossible to 
 ascertain the number of those who have been con- 
 nected with the church since its formation. It is estimated 
 that it is not very far from three thousand. 
 
 The records show that the number of admissions during 
 the pastorate 
 
 of Dr. Holmes was . . . . . .221 
 
 of Dr. Holmes and Mr. Adams . . . 57 
 
 of Mr. Adams ...... 26 
 
 of Dr. Albro 423 
 
 During the interim after Dr. Albro's pastorate . 38 
 During the pastorate of Mr. McKenzie is 178 
 
 The present membership of the church is about four 
 hundred. A new Manual of the Church has been printed 
 during the present year, giving the names of the officers 
 and members from the beginning, so far as they are known. 
 
 VI. 
 
 THE following statement of the decision of the Supreme 
 Court of Massachusetts in the case by which the 
 property rights of this church were practically determined, 
 and of the contrast with that decision of one recently 
 made by the Supreme Court of the United States, has 
 been prepared for this work by members of the Suffolk Bar. 
 
272 APPENDIX. 
 
 This statement should be read in connection with Lecture 
 VII. 
 
 Baker and another vs. Fales. 
 
 In the case of Baker and another against Fales, reported 
 in the sixteenth volume of Massachusetts Reports, p. 488, 
 the following were the facts : In 1641, John Phillips aliened 
 and sold to the church in Dedham, forever, three acres of 
 land. In the same year, Joseph Kingsbury, upon con- 
 sideration, granted to the church in Dedham, and to the 
 use of the same forever, three acres of land. In January, 
 1642, the proprietors voted that forty acres at the least, or 
 sixty acres at the most, should be set apart, in an intended 
 division, for public use, viz., for the town, the church, and a 
 free school. In 1655 or 1656, there was granted to the 
 church in Dedham, and to their successors forever, in the 
 dividend near Medfield, one hundred and fifty acres of land. 
 In 1659, there was a similar grant of twenty-four acres of 
 upland in Natick dividend. In the two last grants, there 
 was no designation of any trust or use. 
 
 In 1660, at a meeting of the inhabitants of the town, 
 there was a grant to the church in Dedham, and to the use 
 thereof forever, of certain common rights and cow rights, 
 for the use and accommodation of a teaching chinch officer. 
 There were several other grants from the proprietors to the 
 church in Dedham and their successors in office. 
 
 These lands had been sold, and the proceeds invested in 
 bonds and other securities. 
 
 The question was, who was the owner of these bonds and 
 securities and certain records and documents, all of which 
 were admitted to be the property of the first church in 
 Dedham. 
 
 It was admitted that the first parish and first church in 
 Dedham continued and associated together, in the support 
 and maintenance of public worship, until November, 1818, 
 
APPENDIX. 273 
 
 when the Rev. Alvan Larnson was settled and ordained as 
 the minister of the first parish, that a majority of the 
 church did not concur with the majority of the parish in 
 giving a call to Mr. Lamson, or in his settlement and or- 
 dination. 
 
 It appeared from the records of the church, that in 1792 
 the church directed the trustees of the church fund to 
 appropriate one year's interest thereof to the payment of 
 the then minister's salary, and in 1819 the parish requested 
 the church to pay and allow the sum of $ 600, towards Mr. 
 Lamson's salary. At another meeting of the parish, the 
 same year, it was voted to unite with the church to obtain 
 the property of the church, to indemnify the deacons there- 
 in, and to put Mr. Lamson in possession of the parsonage 
 house. 
 
 Those members of the ancient church who adhered to 
 Mr. Lamson after his ordination, had continued associated 
 and connected with the first parish, and had continued to 
 act as a church, and to have the ordinances of the gospel 
 administered to them by Mr. Lamson. 
 
 The defendant was a deacon of the church previously to 
 Mr. Lamson's settlement ; after which settlement he was 
 removed, and the plaintiffs were elected to that office by 
 the church who united with the parish in the settlement 
 of Mr. Lamson. 
 
 The defendants contended that the majority of the mem- 
 bers of the church, who objected to the settlement of Mr. 
 Lamson, must be considered as the successors of the 
 ancient church in Dedham ; and proved that, after the 
 settlement of Mr. Lamson, the majority of the members 
 of the church, with the defendant, then one of the deacons 
 of said church, met and worshipped with some of the parish 
 at another house, and did not after that time attend public 
 worship at the meeting-house. But the Christian ordi- 
 nances were administered to them, and they held church 
 18 
 
274 APPENDIX. 
 
 meetings, and claimed to be the successors of the first 
 church in Dedham. 
 
 They did not attend worship at Mr. Lamson's meeting- 
 house when the meeting was notified from the pulpit at 
 which the plaintiffs were chosen Deacons ; and this was 
 known when the meeting was notified. 
 
 The church in Dedham had always had exclusive control 
 and management of the property and the funds raised from 
 the sales of land before mentioned. 
 
 The members of the church who united with the parish 
 in the settlement of Mr. Lamson never formed or were 
 gathered into a new church. 
 
 The court said : If the plaintiffs are not the deacons of 
 the first church in Dedham, they are not entitled to the pos- 
 session of the property ; if they are such deacons, then, as 
 the articles are agreed to belong for certain purposes to the 
 proper representatives of that church, the plaintiffs are con- 
 stituted by law the proper persons to sue for and have the 
 custody of them. 
 
 The court premised that all the securities in question 
 arose from the sales of land granted to the church in Ded- 
 ham, and that the records and documents in question re- 
 lated to that property and the proceedings of that church. 
 The right to the securities must depend upon the construc- 
 tion to be given to the grants of land of which the se- 
 curities are the proceeds. 
 
 Upon these facts the court held, — 
 
 That, as to all the grants, the church, however com- 
 posed at the time, was intended by the grantors to be the 
 mere trustees, to hold the grants for the purpose of sup- 
 porting out of the proceeds a pastor or minister. 
 
 That when the donation is to the church, no trust or 
 use being expressed, and no other implied from the nature 
 of the property, the parish must be the cestui que trust, or 
 the party for whose benefit the trust is made. 
 
APPENDIX. 275 
 
 That the grants of land to the church in Dedham were 
 intended to vest the property in that body for the purpose 
 of the public worship of God ; and that the members of 
 the church acquired no legal estate or personal interest 
 therein. 
 
 That the grants of the old proprietors gave an equitable 
 fee simple to whosoever shall be found to be the cestui que 
 trusts, and the want of a grantee in trust has been supplied 
 by the statute of 1754, which constitutes the deacons of 
 the churches the trustees in all such cases. 
 
 That upon the ground that, at the time the grants were 
 made, there was a body of men in Dedham known by the 
 name of the Dedham Church ; distinct from the society of 
 Christians usually worshipping together in that town ; the 
 church was intended to take nothing in the lands granted 
 but estates in trust ; and that as the particular trusts in- 
 tended must have been the providing for the public worship 
 of God in Dedham, the inhabitants at large of that town, 
 as parishioners or members of the religious society, were 
 the proper cestui que trusts. 
 
 That the land granted was for the beneficial use of the 
 assembly of Christians in Dedham, which was no other 
 than the inhabitants of that town who constituted the re- 
 ligious society, within which the church was established, 
 and therefore these inhabitants were the cestui que trusts, 
 and the equitable title was vested in them, as long as they 
 continued to constitute the assembly denominated the 
 church in the grants. 
 
 That, though since the grants were made parishes have 
 been set off in the town, and other churches have been 
 established within these parishes, a residuum has always 
 been left, which, by the statutes of the government and the 
 decisions of the courts, have thus become the first parish, • 
 and have lawfully succeeded to all the rights vested in the 
 inhabitants of the town, of a parochial nature, which have • 
 not been parted with in some legal form. 
 
276 APPENDIX. 
 
 That in 1754, the legislature, having found much prop- 
 erty had been given to churches, with the intention that the 
 same should be held in perpetual succession, constituted 
 the deacons a corporation with the power of holding the 
 property for the purpose of executing therewith the will of 
 the donors. 
 
 We are now brought, says the court, to the question 
 whether the plaintiffs have proved themselves to be the 
 deacons of the same church to which the grants were origi- 
 nally made, for the trusts before mentioned 1 
 
 Having stated the facts as follows, viz. : — 
 
 Until the invitation given to Mr. Lamson, the present offi- 
 ciating minister in the first parish in Dedham, the church 
 and congregation appear to have acted in unison, and the 
 funds held by the church, arising from the grants of land 
 which have been considered, have been from time to time 
 applied, as needed, to the support of the minister, and to 
 defray other charges relating to public worship. On the dis- 
 mission of Rev. Mr. Bates from the pastoral charge of the 
 church and congregation in Dedham, at his own request, the 
 unhappy dissension arose which has terminated in a dismem- 
 berment of the society and a litigation about the property. 
 Mr. Lamson was elected by the parish, at a regular parish 
 meeting, to be the successor of Mr. Bates. The church re- 
 fused to concur in the choice, a majority of this body disap- 
 proving of his religious tenets, or for other causes. The 
 parish, with the minority of the church, invited a respectable 
 council, consisting of the ministers of several churches and 
 delegates, who advised to the ordination of Mr. Lamson over 
 the parish, and who accordingly ordained him, notwith- 
 standing the remonstrance of a majority of the church, 
 who finally seceded from the parish,, and never since the 
 ordination of Mr. Lamson have attended public worship 
 there, but have in another place, within the teiTitorial 
 limits of the parish, attended public worship, and had the 
 ordinances administered to them as a church. 
 
APPENDIX. 277 
 
 After the ordination of Mr. Lamson, a church meeting 
 was called, at which the members who acted with the parish 
 attended, and they voted to remove from office the former 
 deacons, who seceded with the majority of the old church, 
 and elected the plaintiffs in their stead. 
 
 The members who seceded claimed still to be the first 
 church in Dedham, and the successors of the church to 
 which the property was given in trust ; the defendant 
 claimed to be the deacon of that church, and as such 
 claimed a right to hold the property. 
 
 The court held, — 
 
 That, in whatever light ecclesiastical councils or persons 
 might consider the question, the body which is to be con- 
 sidered the first church in Dedham must be the church of 
 the first parish in that town, as to all questions of prop- 
 erty which depend upon that relation. 
 
 That if a church may subsist unconnected with any 
 congregational society, it has no legal qualities, and more 
 especially cannot exercise any control over property which 
 it may have held in trust for the society with which it had 
 been formerly connected. 
 
 That, as to all civil purposes, the secession of a whole 
 church from the parish would be an extinction of the 
 church ; and it is competent to the members of the parish 
 to institute a new church, or to engraft one upon the old 
 stock, if any of it should remain ; and this new church 
 would succeed to all the rights of the old, in relation to the 
 parish. 
 
 That the only circumstance which gives a church any 
 legal character is its connection with some regularly consti- 
 tuted society ; and those who withdraw from the society 
 cease to be members of that particular church, and the 
 remaining members continue to be the identical church. 
 
 That where members enough of a church connected with 
 a parish are left to execute the objects for which a church 
 
278 APPENDIX. 
 
 is gathered, choose deacons, etc., no legal change has taken 
 place, the body remains, and the secession of a majority of 
 the members would have no other effect than a temporary 
 absence would have upon a meeting which has been regu- 
 larly summoned. 
 
 That the members of the church who withdrew from the 
 parish ceased to be the first church in Dedham, and that 
 all the rights and duties of that body, relative to property 
 intrusted to it, devolved upon those members who remained 
 with and adhered to the parish. 
 
 The court then takes up the question, whether the plain- 
 tiffs were duly chosen deacons of the church which re- 
 mained with the parish, and so became entitled to the 
 possession of the property, as the trustees under the statute 
 of 1754. 
 
 This question was thought to depend upon the validity 
 of the settlement and ordination of Mr. Lamson ; and the 
 court held, — 
 
 That the parish had the constitutional right to elect and 
 contract with their minister, exclusively of any concurrence 
 or control of the church. 
 
 That the nonconcurrence of the church in the choice of 
 the minister, and in the invitation of the ordaining council, 
 in no degree impaired the constitutional right of the parish 
 to choose the minister. 
 
 That the council ordained Mr. Lamson over the parish 
 only, but by virtue of that act, founded upon the choice of 
 the people, he became not only the minister of the parish, 
 but of the church still remaining there, notwithstanding K 
 the secession of a majority of the members. 
 
 That Mr. Lamson thus became the minister of the first 
 parish in Dedham, and of the church subsisting therein, and 
 he had a right to call church meetings, and do all other 
 acts pertaining to a settled and ordained minister of the 
 gospel. 
 
APPENDIX. 279 
 
 That the church had a right to choose deacons, and no 
 legal objection is found to exist against their right to main- 
 tain the action. 
 
 It is not too much to say that the opinion in Baker vs. 
 Fales has not commended itself to the judgment of the 
 legal profession in its positions or its reasoning, while it is 
 entirely at variance with such ecclesiastical authorities as 
 are recognized by the Congregational churches of this Com- 
 monwealth. Whether the decision would now be made, or 
 will be hereafter adhered to as law, we will not say. A 
 recent opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States, 
 in the case of Watson vs. Jones, reported in the 1 2 Wallace 
 Reports, p. 679, seems to establish conclusions inconsistent 
 with those in Baker vs. Fales. 
 
 In Watson vs. Jones the question litigated was, which of 
 two bodies in Louisville, Ky., each claiming to be the " Third 
 or Walnut Street Presbyterian Church," was such church. 
 The question in Baker vs. Fales was, which of the two 
 bodies, each claiming to be the " First Church in Dedham," 
 was such church. The decision of the Supreme Court of 
 Massachusetts in the latter case has been given in the fore- 
 going abstracts. 
 
 In the former, the Supreme Court of the United States 
 say : " The questions which have come before the civil 
 courts concerning the right to property held by ecclesiastical 
 bodies, may, so far as we have been able to examine them, 
 be profitably classified under three general heads, which, of 
 course, do not include cases governed by considerations 
 applicable to a church established and supported by law as 
 the religion of the State." 
 
 " The second is when the property is held by a religious 
 congregation, which, by the nature of its organization, is 
 strictly independent of other ecclesiastical associations, and, 
 
280 APPENDIX. 
 
 so far as church government is concerned, owes no fealty or 
 obligation to any higher authority." — p. 727. 
 
 This describes simply a congregational church. 
 
 In regard to it the court use the following very sensible 
 and significant language : — 
 
 " The second class of cases which we have described has 
 reference to the case of a church of a strictly congrega- 
 tional or independent organization, governed solely within 
 itself, either by a majority of its members, or by such other 
 local organism as it may have instituted for the purpose 
 of ecclesiastical government ; and to property held by such 
 a church, either by way of purchase or donation, with no 
 other specific trust attached to it in the hands of the church 
 than that it is for the use of that congregation as a religious 
 society. 
 
 " In such cases, where there is a schism which leads to a 
 separation into distinct and conflicting bodies, the rights of 
 such bodies to the use of the property must be determined 
 by the ordinary principles which govern voluntary associa- 
 tions. If the principle of government in such cases is that 
 the majority rules, then the numerical majority of members 
 must control the right to the use of the property. If there 
 be within the congregation officers in whom are vested the 
 powers of such control, then those who adhere to the ac- 
 knowledged organism by which the body is governed, are 
 entitled to the use of the property. The minority, in 
 choosing to separate themselves into a distinct body, and 
 refusing to recognize the authority of the governing body, 
 can claim no rights in the property from the fact that they 
 had once been members of the church or congregation. 
 This ruling admits of no inquiry into the existing religious 
 opinions of those who comprise the legal or regular organ- 
 ization ; for if such was permitted, a very small minority, 
 without any officers of the church among them, might be 
 found to be the only faithful supporters of the religious 
 
APPENDIX. 281 
 
 dogmas of the founders of the church. There being no 
 such trust imposed upon the property when purchased or 
 given, the court will not imply one for the purpose of expel- 
 ling from its use those who by regular succession and order 
 constitute the church, because they may have changed in 
 some respect their views of religious truth. 
 
 " Of the cases in which this doctrine is applied, no better 
 representative can be found than that of Shannon vs. Frost, 
 3 B. Monro, 253, where the principle is ably supported by 
 the learned Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals of Ken- 
 tucky. 
 
 "The case of Smith vs. Nelson, 18 Vermont, 511, asserts 
 this doctrine in a case where a legacy was left to the Asso- 
 ciate Congregation of Ryegate, the interest whereof was to 
 be annually paid to their minister forever. In that case, 
 though the Ryegate congregation was one of a number of 
 Presbyterian churches connected with the general Presby- 
 terian body at large, the court held that the only inquiry 
 was whether the society still exists, and whether they have 
 a minister chosen and appointed by the majority, and regu- 
 larly ordained over the society, agreeably to the usage of 
 that denomination. And though we may be of opinion 
 that the doctrine of that case needs modification, so far as it 
 discusses the relation of the Ryegate congregation to the 
 other judicatories of the body to which it belongs, it cer- 
 tainly lays down the principle correctly, if that congregation 
 was to be treated as an independent one." 
 
 This decision, or rather its reasoning, restores to the Con- 
 gregational church that independence and autonomy which 
 are its characteristics, and which the decision in Baker vs. 
 Fales entirely destroyed. 
 
 It can hardly be doubted which of these decisions is most 
 in harmony with the universally recognized nature and 
 character of Congregational churches, and the better expo- 
 nent of the views and theory of their supporters. 
 
282 APPENDIX. 
 
 The decision in Baker vs. Fales allows a church, whose 
 fundamental and distinctive principle is independency of all 
 external control, no existence independent of the control of 
 another and distinct body, to wit, the society, or parish, 
 of which no one of its members is necessarily a mem- 
 ber. An independent Congregational church that has not 
 within itself the power to determine, by its own vote, 
 its own identity and continuance, or which by any sys- 
 tem, justly construed, is so connected with another dis- 
 tinct body as to be incapable by independent action of 
 preserving its own identity and purity, is an anomaly. 
 Such is the only Congregational church under the reason- 
 ing in Baker vs. Fales. Such is not the Congregational 
 church lander the reasoning of the later case of Watson vs. 
 Jones, or in the general understanding, determination, or 
 usages of the Congregational churches of Massachusetts 
 for two centuries. And such it is not, we think, will be the 
 decision whenever a case presenting the point shall come up 
 for adjudication in the Federal courts, or those of any State 
 in which the case of Baker vs. Fales is not a binding authority. 
 
 In view of the reasoning in Watson vs. Jones, and other 
 cases, it is not, perhaps, too much to hope that the courts 
 of Massachusetts may consider the whole subject open for 
 revision and reconsideration. 
 
 A few words in addition to the statements of law. 
 
 The decision of the United States Court in the case 
 of Watson vs. Jones establishes the legal completeness of 
 a Congregational church, independent of all connections. 
 Congregationalism recognizes no ecclesiastical authority 
 higher than the church itself. It is supreme in its own 
 affairs. Upon this ground the First Church in Cambridge 
 separated from the parish with which, for certain purposes, 
 
APPENDIX. 283 
 
 it had been connected, and with its minister established 
 worship in another house. This action it was competent to 
 take, and it remained the same church it had been since 
 1636. 
 
 Congregationalism has a system of advisory councils. 
 Their decisions are recognized in the courts. In Cambridge, 
 after the church had sundered its connection with the 
 parish, an Ecclesiastical Council was duly called by the 
 church. This Council confirmed the action of the church, 
 and encouraged it in maintaining divine worship and the 
 celebration of the ordinances of religion. 
 
 The bearing of the decision by the Supreme Court of the 
 United States upon our own church case is clear. The 
 highest ecclesiastical tribunals recognized among Congre- 
 gational churches decided the position and rights of the 
 church. And this decision is pronounced binding in law. 
 The Supreme Court of Massachusetts substantially affirmed 
 the same judgment, saving only in the matter of holding 
 property. This exception is not made in the national court. 
 
 Let it be remembered, further, what was the intent of the 
 donors of the funds which were taken from this church. The 
 church fund was begun by a gift of £50 by a member of 
 the church, and increased to more than $ 4,000 by the con- 
 tributions of the church at the Lord's Supper. 
 
 The desire and purpose of the donors no one can doubt. 
 If the funds were held by the church simply as a trustee 
 for the benefit of the parish, even the majority of the 
 church, worshipping wherever it might be, would be prac- 
 tically as competent to administer the trust as the minority 
 of the church remaining in the old meeting-house. If any 
 doubt were possible concerning the money, the design and 
 expectation of those who gave the Communion and Baptis- 
 mal Service are entirely plain. 
 
 The church was established for other purposes than to be 
 the trustee of property. And these purposes have never 
 
284 APPENDIX. 
 
 been changed. Those who have persistently adhered to 
 them surely have the right to declare themselves, in all re- 
 spects, the successors of those who founded the church. 
 The church has never lost or impaired its identity. 
 
 The original constitution of the church has not been 
 amended. The same ends are sought by the same means. 
 There is a continuity of principles which should have weight 
 in deciding the questions upon which the church and council 
 and the courts have given their judgment. The views ad- 
 vanced in Lecture VII. seem to be abundantly sustained, 
 both on moral and legal grounds. 
 
 The " New York Evening Post," in commenting upon the 
 decision in the United States Court, uses the following lan- 
 guage : " This decision is henceforth established law in 
 the United States. Had it been made a generation ago, the 
 result of a large number of the disputes on church property, 
 which have been settled by arbitration or otherwise, would 
 have been different. But it is likely to be strictly adhered 
 to hereafter by both civil and ecclesiastical tribunals. It is 
 important to have a general rule on the subject, and yet any 
 rule will, of course, seem to work hardship in some cases. 
 The present decision is that to which the courts of this 
 country have steadily tended, and probably could not have 
 been different without making confusion." 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Adams, John Quincy, 71. 
 Adams, Nehemiah, Jr., invited to 
 become the colleague of Dr. 
 Holmes, 218; his ordination, 220; 
 names of the CoudciI, 220; divis- 
 ion of Sabbath services between 
 the two pastors, 222 ; becomes pas- 
 tor of the Essex Street Church and 
 Society in Boston, 224; remarks 
 on Dr. Albro, 231, 235; prayer of 
 dedication, 253. 
 Albro, John Adams, early life, 226; 
 settles in Chelmsford and Fitch- 
 burg, 227 ; installed as pastor, 228 ; 
 visits Europe, 229 ; twenty-fifth an- 
 niversary of his installation, 229 - 
 233 ; instruction in the Greek 
 Testament, 234 ; consecration of 
 cemetery, 234; publishes a "Life 
 of Thomas Shepard " and other 
 works. 235 ; his connection with 
 the Mass. Sabbath School So- 
 ciety and with the School Com- 
 mittee, 234, 235; receives the de- 
 gree of D. D. from Bowdoin and 
 Harvard Colleges, 236; his charac- 
 ter and preaching, 237-239; his 
 salary, 239; his resignation, 239; 
 changes in the meeting-house and 
 in the membership of the church 
 during his ministry, 239 ; his fare- 
 well sermon, 240; services ren- 
 dered the church and society after 
 his dismission, 240, 241 ; his death, 
 243; his funeral, 243. 
 
 Allen, Rev. Mr., publishes a book 
 with Thomas Shepard, 64. 
 
 Allston, Washington, 223, 238. 
 
 Ames, William, 89, 121. 
 
 Anabaptists, 103. 
 
 Antinomians, 53. 
 
 Appleton, Nathaniel, his ancestry, 
 145; his ordination, — additional 
 town tax to defray the expenses 
 of, — is elected a Fellow of the 
 Co^ege, — the degree of Doctor of 
 
 Divinity conferred upon him, 146; 
 baptisms and admissions to the 
 church during his ministry, 147 ; 
 measures adopted " to reform the 
 growingdisorders,"149; the church 
 lands, 150; the choice of a col- 
 league pastor, 156; his death, 157; 
 his character, 157; his legacies, 
 158; his publications, 158; anec- 
 dote of, 159; his children, 159. 
 Autobiography of Thomas Shepard, 
 
 12, 208. 
 Baker and another vs. Fales, 203, 272. 
 Baptism of children, 38,78,236; con- 
 troversy with Henry Dunster, 102- 
 110. 
 Bates, Charlotte F., hymn by, 254. 
 Bay Psalm Book, 43. 
 Belcher, Captain Andrew, 143. 
 Boradel. Margaret, 70. 
 Boston Confession, 33, 267. 
 Brattle, William, graduates at Har- 
 vard in 1680, — is chosen tutor, — 
 his fidelity to the students, — re- 
 ceives the degree of Bachelor of Di- 
 vinity, conferred for the first time, 
 — Fellow of the Corporation and 
 Treasurer of the College, 134; ser- 
 vices at his ordination, 135; his 
 salary, 138; donations, 139; garden- 
 ing and weather record, 139, 140; 
 additions to the church, 140; his 
 charity and humility, 141; his be- 
 quest to the church, 142 ; Dr. Col- 
 man's testimony concerning him, 
 142; items from the town records 
 during his ministry, 143 ; expenses 
 of his funeral defrayed by the 
 town, 144. 
 Brighton, church in, 161. 
 Brock, Rev. John, 89. 
 Building Committee of present 
 
 church, report of, 255. 
 Burials, manner of, in 1641, 40. 
 Cambridge, the name,60 ; first church 
 in, 21, 24; noted men, 28; schools, 
 
286 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 41 ; character of founders, 44 ; con- 
 dition in 1647, 113 ; in 1792, 173 ; in 
 1835, 228; church in Cambridge 
 village, 114 ; Cambridge Farms, pe- 
 tition to be set off, 132 ; church in 
 northwest precinct, 152 ; church on 
 south side of the river, 161 ; action 
 at the Revolution, 153, 163. 
 
 Cambridge Farms, set off, 132. 
 
 Cambridge Platform, 32. 
 
 Cambridgeport, church in, 185; 
 First Evangelical Church in, 188. 
 
 Cambridge village, new church or- 
 ganized in, 114. 
 
 Champney, Richard, 29, 265. 
 
 Charlestown, Covenant of First 
 Church in, 32. 
 
 Chaivncy, President, 109, 116, 119, 
 123. 
 
 Children, church - membership of, 
 78, 236. 
 
 Church discipline, 38, 147, 178; 
 church plate, 178, 206, 208. 
 
 Clark, Jonas, 129, 131, 265. 
 
 College church, formation of, 181 - 
 184. 
 
 Collins, Edward, 30, 265. 
 
 Confessions, Shepard's book of, 28. 
 
 Congregational church. What, 31. 
 
 Committee to inspect manners of 
 Christians, 149. 
 
 Confession of Faith and Form of Ad- 
 mission to the Communion of the 
 Church, 1872, 267. 
 
 Contributions, taken every Sabbath 
 afternoon, 38 ; mode of collecting, 
 39; different objects of, 130; by 
 scholars, 130. 
 
 Corlet, Elijah, 30, 41, 45, 61, 115. 
 
 Cotton, Rev. John, 8, 10, 11, 18, 26, 
 27, 28, 52, 54, 57, 92, 95. 
 
 Covenant assented to by those who 
 desired baptism for themselves, 
 136; by certain persons in order 
 to their children's being baptized, 
 137; Covenant, Half-way, 111, 112. 
 
 Daggett, Oliver E., 225. 
 
 Dana, Miss Sarah Ann, gift of land, 
 201. 
 
 Danforth, Thomas, 30. 
 
 Darlev, Sir Richard, 16, 51. 
 
 Day, Matthew, 29. 
 
 Day, Stephen, 42. 
 
 Deacons, 35, 265. 
 
 Decisions of Supreme Court of Mas- 
 sachusetts and United States, 203, 
 271. 
 
 Dedication of present church, 252. 
 
 Dignifying the meeting-house, 37. 
 
 Discipline, 38, 147, 178. 
 
 Downing. George, 118. 
 
 Dudley, Deputy-Governor, 6, 26. 
 
 Dunster, Henry, 30, 43, 45, 61, 102- 
 110. 
 
 Dunton, John, 29. 
 
 Eaton, Nathaniel, 29, 60, 61. 
 
 Ecclesiastical Synod, first in Amer- 
 ica, 56. 
 
 Elders, 35. 
 
 Elders, ruling, 35, 264. 
 
 Eliot, John, 7, 43, 66, 89. 
 
 Eliot, John [Jr.], 115. 
 
 Endicott, Governor, 4. 
 
 Episcopal Church, 161, 186. 
 
 Everett, Edward, 186. 
 
 Families, inspection of, 125. 
 
 Familists, 53. 
 
 Farnsworth, James D., 180. 
 
 Farwell, Stephen T., 181, 250, 255, 
 256, 266. 
 
 Felton, President, 230. 
 
 First Church in Cambridge, organ- 
 ized, 21, 24 ; Covenant and Creed, 
 32 ; officers, 35; members in 1658, 
 116, — in 1829, 199, 251, — in 1835, 
 252, — in 1872, 271; lands, 150; 
 stock and funds of, 175, 205 ; mode 
 of admission, 153, 267 ; during and 
 after the Revolution, 153, 163, 164 ; 
 communion, 38, 177; plate, 178,206, 
 208; library, 179; Sabbath school, 
 180 ; separates from first parish, 
 188; worships in Court House, 198; 
 Ecclesiastical Council, 199 ; con- 
 nected with Shepard Congrega- 
 tional Society, 200 ; relinquishes 
 property, 203 ; meeting-houses, 
 249 ; officers from the beginning, 
 264; Confession of Faith and Form 
 of Admission, 267 ; membership, 
 271. 
 
 First Evangelical Congregational 
 Church organized at Cambridge- 
 port, 188. 
 
 First Parish, surrender of church 
 property to, 203 - 206 ; meeting- 
 house of, 202. 
 
 Flint, Francis, 256, 266. 
 
 Flynt, Tutor, 162. 
 
 Form for the ordaining of a minis- 
 ter of the gospel, used when Mr. 
 Brattle was ordained, 135. 
 
 Form of admission to the church 
 adopted 1872, 267. 
 
 Frost, Gideon, 175, 176, 266. 
 
 Fuller, Samuel, 4. 
 
 Fuller, Thomas, 88. 
 
 Funerals, how conducted in 1641, 40. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 287 
 
 Goffe, Whalley and, 118. 
 
 Gookin, Daniel, 30, 66, 114, 116, 129. 
 
 Gookin, Mrs. Hannah, 133, 143. 
 
 Gookin, Nathaniel, invited to assist 
 President Oakes in the minis- 
 try, 128; ordained as pastor, 129; 
 amount of Sabbath collections, — 
 collections for the redemption of 
 captives, — students' contribution, 
 130 ; reports of his sermons by 
 Joseph Baxter and Benjamin Col- 
 man, — a Fellow of the College, — 
 his death, — funeral charges, 131. 
 
 Grav, Asa, 256. 
 
 Green, Samuel, 29, 45, 67. 
 
 Green, Samuel, 201. 
 
 Half-way Covenant, 111, 112. 
 
 Hampden, John, 25. 
 
 Harlakenden, Richard, 18. 
 
 Harlakenden, Roger, 14, 19, 28, 30, 
 70. 
 
 Hartford, founded, 10. 
 
 Harvard College. Founded, 59; be- 
 quest of Harvard, 59 ; under N. 
 Eaton, 60; overseers, 61; Presi- 
 dent Dunster, 30, 43, 45, 61, 102; 
 Chauncy, 109, 116, 119, 123; Hoar, 
 89, 116, 123; Oakes, 89, 120, 128; 
 Rogers, 89, 145 ; Leverett, 126, 
 143, 146. Mather, 116, 133, 135, 
 146; Wadsworth, 146 ; Langdon, 
 155; Willard, 171 ; Quincv, 124, 
 160; Felton, 230; in 1798, 174; 
 church in, 181. 
 
 Harvard Hall, burning of, 161. 
 
 Harvard, John, 59. 
 
 Haynes, John, 26, 28. 
 
 Higginson, Francis, 4, 32, 48. 
 
 Hill, Aaron, 175, 250, 266. 
 
 Hilliard, Timothy, chosen as Mr. 
 Appleton's colleague, — installed 
 as pastor, 156 ; character of, 165 ; 
 an overseer of the university, — 
 his publications, extracts from, 
 166 ; description of his person, — 
 his death, 167. 
 
 Hilliard, William, 176, 220, 266. 
 
 Hoar, Leonard, 89, 116, 123. 
 
 Holmes, Abiel, his early life, 169 ; his 
 labors in Georgia, 170; is invited 
 to become the successor of Mr. 
 Hilliard, — his reply, — his instal- 
 lation, 171; his first sermon, 172; 
 survey of the town at this time, 
 173 ; the church stock, 175 ; the 
 deacons at this time and their 
 successors, 175; time of observing 
 the Lord's Supper changed, 177; 
 church discipline, 178; church li- 
 
 brary established, 179; the sab- 
 bath school, —juvenile library, — 
 library for the Shepard Congrega- 
 tional Society, ISO; organization 
 of the College Church, 181-184; 
 dedication of a new meeting-house 
 at Cambridgeport, — a church or- 
 ganized, 185 : sermon in Episco- 
 pal church, 186 ; introduction of 
 Watts's psalms and hymns, 186; 
 organ introduced, 187 ; trouble 
 with parish, 188 ; Unitarian As- 
 sociation formed, 189 ; the sep- 
 aration of the First Church and 
 Parish, 188-200; Mr. Nehemiah 
 Adams ordained as colleague pas- 
 tor, 201 ; the transfer of the 
 church property to the parish, 
 203 - 206 ; farewell sermon, — his 
 death, 208; his ministry, 210; his 
 publications, 212; his offices, 212: 
 his last sermon, 214; his burial, 
 215; hymn of, 215 ; sermons in 
 1829, 221; his resignation, 224 ; 
 his later care of the church, 225; 
 hymn, 253. 
 
 Homer, Charles W., deacon, 252, 
 255, 266. 
 
 Hooker, Joanna, 70. 
 
 Hooker, Thomas, his history before 
 coming to New England, 7 ; church 
 organized in Newtown and he 
 chosen pastor, 8 ; the meeting- 
 house, 9; removes with his congre- 
 gation to Hartford, Conn, — is dis- 
 tinguished as a preacher and coun- 
 sellor, — his death, 10. 
 
 Hosmer, Zelotes, 230, 252. 
 
 Hubbard, William, 88. 
 
 Hutchhuon, Mrs. Ann, 10, 52- 57, 
 131. 
 
 Hymn sung at the installation of Mr. 
 Albro, written by Dr. Holmes, 215, 
 252. 
 
 Indians, provision for, 66 ; Daniel 
 Gookin made superintendent of, 67. 
 
 Indian College, 66. 
 
 Jackson, John, 115. 
 
 Jenks, Dr., 211, 220, 221. 
 
 Johnson, Edward, 87 ; description of 
 Cambridge in 1652, 113. 
 
 Johnson, Marmaduke, 29, 67. 
 
 Lafayette, 160. 
 
 Lands of the church, 150. 
 
 Langdon, President, 155. 
 
 Langhorne, Thomas, 36. 
 
 Laud, Bishop, 15, 16, 20, 25. 
 
 I pcturc 41 . 
 
 Leverett,' President, 126, 143, 146. 
 
288 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Manifesto Church, 141. 
 
 Manning, William, 121. 
 
 Marriage among Puritans, 39. 
 
 Marriot, Thomas, 27, 118, 265. 
 
 Martin, A. C, 255. 
 
 Massachusetts Sunday School So- 
 ciety, Dr. Albro's connection with, 
 235. 
 
 Mather, Cotton, 43, 88, 94, 102, 123, 
 126, 146. 
 
 Mather, Increase, 116, 133, 135, 146. 
 
 Mather, Samuel, 89. 
 
 McKenzie, Alexander, estimate of 
 Dr. Albro's work, 238; invited to 
 the pastorate and declines, 245 ; 
 installed, 245, 253 ; visits Europe, 
 246 ; new church, 246 ; pastor, 
 255, 264. 
 
 Means, James H., sermon on Dr. Al- 
 bro, 244. 
 
 Meeting-house, first, 8, 36, 69, 249 ; 
 second, 70, 114, 249 ; gallery in, 
 125 ; third, 143, 159, 249 ; fourth, 
 154, 160, 201, 249; fifth, of parish, 
 202 ; fifth, of church, 201, 223, 239, 
 250 ; sixth, 21, 246, 252, 262. 
 
 Melledge, James P., 256. 
 
 Minister, salary of, 39, 125, 130, 138, 
 154, 220, 239 ; donations to, 125, 
 139, 152. 
 
 Mitchel, Jonathan, his early life, 90 ; 
 his regard for Shepard, — is made 
 a Fellow of the College, 91 ; the 
 church in Hartford invites him to 
 become their pastor, — Mr. Shep- 
 ard and others induce him to be- 
 come the minister of this church, 
 — his ordination, 92 ; his regard 
 for education, 94 ; his preaching, 
 95; he marries the widow of Mr. 
 Shepard, 95; his death, 96; epi- 
 taph by "J. S.," 97; extract from 
 sketch of his life in the Magnalia, 
 99 ; his views of doctrine, 101; his 
 trial with President Dunster, 102 ; 
 his influence in the synod held in 
 Boston in 1662, 111 ; his reputa- 
 tion, 112; in influence, 116. 
 
 Mitchel, Mistress, 119, 123, 132. 
 
 Mitchenson, Ruth, 71. 
 
 Monis, Judah, 137, 250. 
 
 Moore, Josiah, 176, 266. 
 
 Morse, Jedediah, 171. 
 
 Munro, James, 175, 266. 
 
 Munro, James, 176, 177, 220, 266. 
 
 Munro, Miss Mary, 180. 
 
 Munroe, Charles 'W., 256, 266. 
 
 Newell, Rev. William, D. D., 116, 201, 
 202, 231, 257. 
 
 Newtown, founded, 6 ; church in, 8 ; 
 name changed, 60. 
 
 Oakes, Urian, born in England and 
 brought to this country in his 
 childhood, 120; graduates at Har- 
 vard College in 1649, — publishes 
 an almanac for 1650, — preaches 
 his first sermon at Roxbury, — re- 
 turns to England, — is invited to 
 become pastor here, 121 ; after re- 
 peated delays he arrives, 122; is 
 ordained, — the church observes a 
 day of public thanksgiving, — the 
 minister resides in the new parson- 
 age, — ordination expenses, — he 
 is made a Freeman, — preaches the 
 annual election sermon in 1673, 
 123 ; becomes President of the 
 College, 124 ; Mr. Nathaniel Goo- 
 kin chosen to assist in pastoral 
 duties, 125 ; Mr. Oakes's death, 
 126, 128 ; his elegy on the death 
 of Thomas Shepard of Charles- 
 town, 127. 
 
 Officers of the church, 35. 
 
 Officers of the church from its for- 
 mation in 1636 to 1872, 264-266. 
 
 Oliver, Dr. John, 143. 
 
 Organ introduced, 187. 
 
 Parker, Horatio G., 252, 256. 
 
 Parker, Joel (Roy all Prof.), 230, 256. 
 
 Parsonage erected, 120, 239, 263. 
 
 Pastors, 35, 364. 
 
 Pelham, Herbert, 30. 
 
 Peters, Hugh, 26, 118. 
 
 Peirce, Benjamin, 105. 
 
 Phillips, Samuel, 89. 
 
 Pierce, William, 42. 
 
 Pierson, Abraham, 116. 
 
 Plymouth, first church in New Eng- 
 land at, 3. 
 
 Population of Cambridge in 1647, 
 113, — in 1790, 173, - in 1835, 228. 
 
 Prayer meetings, 223. 
 
 Preston, Dr., 13. 
 
 Prince, Thomas, 1S4. 
 
 Prophesying, 38. 
 
 Prout, Mr., 122. 
 
 Puritans, who they were, 3 ; first 
 form a Congregational church, 5 ; 
 usages of, 31 - 46. 
 
 Quincy, President, 124, 160. 
 
 Robinson, John, 89. 
 
 Rogers, John, 89. 
 
 Rogers, President, 145. 
 
 Ruling elders, 35, 264. 
 
 Russell, Charles Theo., 255, 266. 
 
 Sabbath, views of English reformers, 
 79 ; of Shepard, 79. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 289 
 
 Sabbath school, instituted, ISO ; 
 Francis Flint, superintendent, 266. 
 
 Salary of minister, 39, 125, 130, 138, 
 154, 220, 239. 
 
 Salem, organization of church at, 3. 
 
 Sands, John L., 256. 
 
 Saunders, George S., deacon and 
 clerk, 255, 266. 
 
 Saunders, William A., 256, 262. 
 
 Savage. Habijah, 131. 
 
 Sawver, Miss Mary Ann, 180. 
 
 Schools in Cambridge, 29, 30, 41, 61, 
 115. 
 
 Scrooby, church founded in the vil- 
 lage of, — crosses the seas, and at 
 Plymouth becomes the first church 
 in New England, 3. 
 
 Shedd, James A., 266. 
 
 Shepard Congregational Society or- 
 ganized, 200. 
 
 Shepard, Jeremiah, 88. 
 
 Sbepard, Jeremy, 29. 
 
 Shepard, Joanna, 70. 
 
 Shepard, John, 20. 
 
 Shepard, Margaret, 18, 51, 52. 
 
 Shepard, Samuel, 29, 88. 
 
 Shepard, Samuel, 60, 68. 
 
 Shepard, Thomas, birth and early life, 
 12; enters Emmanuel College, 13; 
 appointed a lecturer and receives 
 deacon's orders in the English 
 churcb, 14 ; is forbidden by the 
 Bishop of London to exercise any 
 ministerial functions in his diocese, 
 15; goes to Buttercranibe 16 ; his 
 marriage, — goes to Heddon, 17 ; 
 sails for New England, 18 ; installed 
 as pastor in Cambridge, 21 ; his 
 salary, 39, 68; death of his wife, — 
 her character, 50 ; the troubles 
 with Mrs. Hutchinson, 52: an ec- 
 clesiastical synod held at the meet- 
 ing-house in Dunster Street, 56 ; 
 connection with Harvard College, 
 59 ; his interest in its prosperity, 
 61 ; discussion with English breth- 
 ren, 64 ; his doctrinal belief, 74 ; 
 his views on the church-member- 
 ship of children, 78, — on the Sab- 
 bath, 79, — on heaven, 81; his 
 preaching, 82; his irfluence, 85; 
 his sons, 88 : his will, 71 ; his death, 
 71. 
 
 Shepard, Thomas, 2d, 88, 116, 126, 
 
 127. 
 Shepard, Thomas, 3d, 88. 
 Shepard, William, 12. 
 Sherman, John, 97. 
 Singing, how conducted in 1640, 42, 
 
 — in 1817, 186. 
 Skelton, Samuel, 4. 
 Society of Christian Brethren, meet 
 
 at the hou^-e of Dr. Holmes, 210. 
 Sparhawke, Esther. 37. 
 Sternhold and Hopkins's version of 
 
 the Psalms, 42, 43. 
 Sticknev, Nathaniel N., 256. 
 Stiles, President, 170, 212. 
 Stoddard, Solomon, 116. 
 Store, John, 129, 265. 
 Stone, Samuel, 8, 10, 15, 18, 26. 
 Stoughton, William, 116, 120. 
 Stowe, Calvin E., 220. 
 Strafford, 25. 
 Synod, the first in America, meets 
 
 'here, 56; of 1648, 64. 
 Taylor, John, 122. 
 Taylor, Samuel H., 63. 
 Tauteville, Margaret, 51. 
 Teacher, 35. 
 
 Tenney, Miss Hannah, 180. 
 Tithing-man, 37. 
 Unitarianism, 189. 
 Unitarian Association formed, 189. 
 Vane, Henry. 24, 26, 55, 56, 118. 
 Wadsworth, President, 146. 
 Walton, John, 175. 
 Warland, Owen, 171. 
 Washington, 154, 160. 
 Weld, 16, 18. 
 Wendell, Jacob, 152. 
 Wendell, Oliver, 215. 
 Whalley and Goffe, 118. 
 Whitefield, George, 162. 
 Whitman, Ephraim P., 256. 
 Wigglesworth, Michael, 116. 
 Willard, President, 171. 
 Willard, Samue 1 , 116, 135. 
 Williams, Roger, 28. 
 Willoughbv, Francis, 97. 
 Wilson, John, 26, 55, 56. 
 Winship, Edward, 29. 
 Winship, Joanna, 29. 
 Winrhrop, John, 6, 24, 26, 55, 56. 
 Wis wall, Elder, 115. 
 Wyeth, Benjamin F., 256. 
 
 Cambridge : Printed by Welch, Bigeiow, and Company. 
 
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