Medford City (part 6 of 14)

" Covenant. - We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, apprehending ourselves called of God to join together in church communion (acknowledging ourselves unworthy of such a privilege, and our inability to keep covenant with God, or to perform any spiritual duty, unless Christ shall enable thereunto), in humble dependence on free grace for divine assistance and acceptance, we do, in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, freely covenant, and bind ourselves solemnly, in the presence of God himself, his holy angels, and all his servants here present, to serve the God whose name alone is Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the only true and living God ; cleaving to him, our chief good, and unto our Lord Jesus Christ, as our only Saviour, Prophet, Priest, and King of our souls in a way of gospel obedience ; avouching the Lord to be our God, and the God of our children, whom we give unto him, counting it as our highest honor that the Lord will accept of us, and our children with us, to be his people. We do also give ourselves one unto another in the Lord, covenanting to walk together as a church of Christ in all the ways of his worship, according to the holy rules of his word ; promising in brotherly love faithfully to watch over one another's souls, and to submit ourselves to the discipline and power of Christ in the church, and duly to attend the seals and censures, or whatever ordinances Christ has commanded to be observed by his people, so far as the Lord by his word and spirit has or shall reveal unto us to be our duty ; beseeching the Lord to own us for his people, and delight to dwell in the midst of us. And, that we may keep our covenant with God, we desire to deny ourselves, and to depend wholly on the free mercy "of God, and upon the merits of Jesus Christ ; and wherein we fail to wait upon him for pardon through his name, beseeching the Lord to own us as a church of Christ, and delight to abide in the midst of us.

" This being done, we went to the place of public worship, where the Rev. Mr. Simon Bradstreet began with prayer. Prayer being ended, I preached from those words in First Epistle to the Corinthians iv. 2 : ' Moreover, it is required of stewards that a man be found faithful.' This being done, the Rev. Mr. Angier proceeded to ordination; Mr. Hancock, Mr. Bradstreet, and Mr. Parsons joining in the imposition of hands. After this, the Rev. Mr. Hancock gave me the right hand of fellowship. We then sung part of the 132d Psalm ; and so concluded with giving the blessing.

" Thus, through the goodness of our ascended Lord and great Shepherd of his sheep, we see another candlestick of the Lord, and a light set up in it. The Lord, who walks in the midst of his golden candlesticks and holds the stars in his right hand, dwell with us, and keep us pure, without spot or blemish, and enable his unworthy servant (who is, of himself, nothing but simpleness and darkness, and cannot shine but with a borrowed light), by faith and prayer, to derive from him, who is the head of influences to his church, such measures of light and grace, that he may be instrumental of turning many from darkness to light, and at last shine in the kingdom of heaven as the stars for ever and ever.

" March 1 1 : The church being called together, they made choice of Brothers Thomas Willis, sen., and John Whitmore, sen., as deacons in the church ; and they accordingly accepted. At the same time, it was determined that the sacrament of the Lord's Supper should be celebrated on the 22d of March following, and continued once in six weeks till otherwise determined. It was likewise agreed upon, at this time, that the ordinance of baptism should be administered, not only to the infants of such as are in full communion, but to the infants of such as are baptized, being neither ignorant nor scandalous, upon their owning the covenant publicly ; supposing at the same time that the persons admitted to this privilege with their children are under the care and watch of this church, and subject to the discipline of it ; and that the church may and ought at any time to call them to an account in case of scandal."

" The church being together, some of them manifested an uneasiness, that in time past I had not, at the admission of members, read publicly something of what I had received from them in private ; and desired that, for time to come, I should make it my practice so to do. In compliance with which desire, I promised to ask it of all such as should offer themselves to us ; but could not see any rule to impose it as a necessary term of communion, so as to keep out such as are qualified according to the gospel, merely because they cannot comply with this practice. It being no institution of our Saviour, all that his churches can do is only to desire it as an expedient, but have no power to command it, or, for want of it, to deny the communion to any that are qualified and regularly seek for it.

" At the same time, I proposed to the church that an handy-vote should not be demanded or expected at the admission of members ; but that (liberty of objecting being first given) their silence should be taken for consent ; with which the church concurred."

Here is a slight indication of that Christian jealousy existing in the New England churches in reference to purity of doctrine and discipline. This watchfulness and almost suspicion of new comers and of each other was an American, and not a European, trait ; and it arose from the fact that our fathers came here to establish a pure church, and therefore judged this spiritual espionage to be their solemn duty and sure defence.

"June 17, 1715: Voted that such persons as shall contribute on the sabbath-days any silver money or black-dogs towards Mr. Porter's salary, shall be allowed, out of the minister's rate, what he thus contributes."

March 9, 1720 : Deacon Thomas Willis, on account of old age, resigns his office in the church ; and in the next month, April 6, Mr. Percival Hall is chosen in his place. Before this choice was made, the church voted that not a plurality of votes among the candidates, but a majority of all the votes cast, should be required to constitute a choice.

" Such members of other churches as come to reside among us, with a desire to continue with us, should be required to obtain a recommendation from the churches they came from, and so put themselves under the watch of the church in this place ; and if they refuse to do so within one year after their coming among us, without giving the church a satisfactory reason for their neglect, they shall be denied the privileges of members here."

" To invite Mr. John Tufts, of Charlestown, to sit at the table in our meeting-house ; and also his wife to sit in Captain Tufts's pew, by his consent."

There are no records of marriages or funerals during the ministry of Mr. Porter. He baptized one hundred and twelve persons, and admitted twenty -six to the church.

The above extracts contain all the facts of general ecclesiastical importance recorded during the pastorate of the Pev. Mr. Porter. They prove to us several interesting particulars. They leave us to infer that our Medford ancestors selected the right man for their first teacher and pastor, - a peacemaker, who poured the oil of Christian love upon the troubled waves of the Woodbridge storm. His learning, discrimination, and wisdom are seen in his decision of the case brought before him by members of his church, who probably wished him to require from candidates a narrative of their Christian experiences as a condition of their admission. He objected to it, and would " not impose it as a necessary term of communion." Such narratives, he maintained, were " no institution of our Saviour," and therefore could not be imposed as conditions of acceptance ; and he converted his church to this truth. His ministry was short, but fruitful. He found the church disturbed, and left it quiet. " Blessed are the peacemakers ; for they shall be called the children of God."

These records prove, moreover, that our fathers adopted the great republican principle of the right of a majority in the forms of congregational government and discipline. They were followers of the apostolic Robinson, who was the founder of the Independents, or Congregatiojialists ; and therefore they held to choosing their own minister, and then asking an ecclesiastical council to ordain him. They were thus opposed to the Brownists, who held that the laity might ordain their own pastors.

"We further learn, from these extracts, that the services of ordination were somewhat different from those in our day. The council demanded not the testimonies from the candidates so generally required now. No examination was instituted, no confession of faith was read, and no charge was given him how or what to preach.

The extracts furthermore record the gathering of the First Church in Medford. Fifteen members, who had joined the churches in neighboring towns, signed the covenant winch had been drawn for that purpose. Eleven of these brethren were connected with the church in Cambridge, one with that in Braintree, one in Watertown, one in Woburn, and one in Maiden. Why the sisters did not sign, we are not told ; and it would be hard to give a Scriptural reason for their exclusion. The " covenant," while it states the three relations, - first to God, second to the Redeemer, and third to each other, - leaves unnoticed those specific doctrines, the belief in which has since been made a term of communion. The " old-fashioned Arminianism," so called, seemed to be the form of Christian faith extensively embraced by our ancestors. The church included nearly all the congregation, so far as heads of families were concerned.

Pastoral visits and parochial duties must have been peculiar when a clergyman had to find his way from one family to another by marked trees ! The connection between the minister and people was deemed as indissoluble as the marriage-tie. To the intelligence, self-sacrifice, and piety of these men of God, we owe that church, that school, and that family altar, which have made New England what we now behold it. Fides probata coronat.

The Rev. Mr. Porter, after a peaceful and valuable ministry of nearly nine years, died at his post of duty, Jan. 23, 1722, aged thirty-three.

Mr. Porter had some property from his father. There is a " deed of fifty or sixty acres of land, with a wharf and warehouse thereon, adjoining the river in Medford, conveyed by him, Jan. 7, 1716, to Benjamin Wyman, of Obum, maltster, for seventy-five pounds, New England currency." It was acknowledged before Stephen Sewall, Esq., of Salem, his father-in-law ; and on the back is this note : " Sold to Stephen Hall, on the 7th of June, 1739."

We regret that so little is on record concerning this beloved minister of Christ. With respect to his decease, we have the two following records : -

" 1722, midweek, Jan. 24: Just about sunset, Mr. Brattle told me that Mr. Aaron Porter, the desirable pastor of the church in Meadford, was dead of a fever, which much grieved me." - Judge SeivaWs Journal.

In the burying-ground is a marble slab, with this inscription : " Sacred to the memory of Rev. Aaron Porter, the first settled minister of Medford."

June 18, 1722 : By the advice of the President and Fellows of Harvard College, the town held a fast, to seek divine guidance in procuring a minister ; and Rev. Messrs. Colman, Fox, Hancock, Brown, and Appleton were invited to conduct the religious exercises. Thus, after the death of their first minister, the inhabitants of Medford took steps to supply their pulpit with candidates ; and, after hearing a few, they voted (May 25, 1724) "to hear Mr. Turell two sabbaths, and Mr. Lowell one sabbath, and then make a choice." It was usual for the church to nominate the candidate, and for the town to elect him. On one occasion, the Medford church nominated three candidates at the same time. Mr. Nathaniel

Ecclesiastical History

Leonard (H. C. 1719) was chosen : settlement, one hundred pounds ; salary, eighty pounds. Mr. Samuel Dexter was afterwards chosen on the same terms. Both these gentlemen declined. Before this period, however, even as early as Oct. 1, 1722, the town, as a town, passed some resolutions which must have sounded bold to English ears. " Voted that they would proceed to the choice of a minister by the majority of votes." Regardless of the church's claim to two votes, here is a true democracy recognized ; and it was meant to look very little like Episcopacy, Presbyterianism, or Romanism.

Rev. Ebenezer Turell

This gentleman was a native of Boston, born 1701, and graduated at Harvard College 1721. He studied his profession with Rev. Benjamin Colman, of Boston ; and on the 17th June, 1724, the Selectmen of Medford having appointed that day for a town-fast, Mr. Colman preached a fitting sermon from these words: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." After this preparatory service, the toAvn proceeded to elect, unanimously, the Rev. Ebenezer Turell to be their pastor and teacher, - a hundred pounds settlement, and ninety pounds salary, and strangers' money, to be paid semi-annually. To this invitation Mr. Turell returned the following answer, dated Aug. 31, 1724: -

" Forasmuch as the God of the spirits of all flesh (upon our seeking unto him by prayer and fasting) has inclined your hearts to elect and call me, who am less than the least of all saints, and unworthy the name of a teacher of Christ, to settle with you in the work of the evangelical ministry, I thought myself in duty bound to take this weighty and important call into my most serious and religious consideration ; and, in the first place, to look up to heaven unto that God who is wonderful in council as well as excellent in working, for his gracious assistance, direction, conduct, and blessing ; and, in the next place, to apply myself unto the servants of God, together with my Christian friends, for counsel and- advice in this important affair ; which, accordingly, I have done with what of sincerity and humility the grace of God has afforded me. I do, therefore, in the first place, offer my unfeigned thanks unto Almighty God for his gracious assistances vouchsafed unto me, and for the kind acceptance he has granted me with his people, that he has so far inclined me to take up the cross, and follow a glorious Saviour in the arduous and honorable employment of the gospel ministry. I desire, likewise, thankfully to receive the respect which you, the church and congregation of Medford, have put upon me in your late elections and invitations. I hope I am not altogether insensible of the sacredness of the office, of the importance and difficulty of the employments of a minister of Christ ; and therefore I would not undertake it with carnal and worldly views, as a trade to live by, or with a prospect of advancing my worldly circumstances, but, I hope and trust, with an eye to the honor of Christ and the good of immortal souls, to demolish Satan's kingdom, and to advance the kingdom of God in the hearts and lives of men, which are the great ends which are chiefly and principally to be looked at and aimed at in the whole business of a minister, and which I would count my highest honor and ambition to attain.

maintenance afforded unto him, whereby he may uphold the dignity of the ministerial functions, and comply with the apostolical precepts in the gospel relating to his carriage and behavior : which leads me to consider the offers you make me for my support and comfortable living amongst you. To which I would make this answer, and reply : First, that the one hundred pounds you offer me for my settlement, I do accept ; secondly, that the ninety pounds you have voted me for my year's salary, when made one hundred pounds, I do accept ; thirdly, the strangers' money, or the weekly contributions, I do for the present accept ; but, in case many of those whom you now call strangers become inhabitants, by a grant of the adjacent lands to the town of Medford, or any other way be obliged to rates unto the ministry of said town, - I say, in case it should be so ordered in the methods of Providence, I shall expect a rational proportion or allowance. Things being thus ordered, I do manifest my acceptance of your call to the work of the ministry ; earnestly beseeching your ardent and fervent prayers to Almighty God for me, that he would more and more prepare me for, incline me unto, and strengthen, assist, and enable me in, the work whereunto he has called me ; that, in whatsoever part of God's vineyard I may be called to labor in the same, I may be faithful and successful, preaching not myself, but Christ Jesus the Lord.

" And now I commend you all unto the divine grace, conduct, and blessing, entreating that the God of peace and of love would dwell among you ; that his glorious kingdom may be advanced in and by you ; that the Father of lights and of mercy would bestow upon you every good and every perfect gift ; that in this world you may live a life, a faith, and holiness, and at last stand perfect and complete in the whole will of God, obtaining the reward of your faithful services, - even a crown of glory that shall never fade away, through Jesus Christ. Amen. Yours to serve,

"Sept. 19, 1724: This answer was ^considered, accepted, and fully complied withal by the church and town." Twenty pounds were voted to defray the expenses of the ordination, and ten pounds voted as additional salary, - making it one hundred pounds per annum.

" Nov. 25, 1724 : This day was set apart as a day of fasting and prayer, in order to separate and ordain me to the ministerial office. The reverend elders sent to assist in the solemn action were the following ; viz., the Rev. Dr. Cotton Mather, the Rev. Mr. John Hancock, the Rev. Mr. Benjamin Colman, the Rev. Mr. Simon Bradstreet, the Rev. Mr. Richard Brown, the Rev. Mr. John Fox, the Rev. Mr. Nathaniel Appleton, the Rev. Mr. William Cooper, the Rev. Mr. Joshua Gee, the Rev. Mr. Joseph Emerson, and the Rev. Mr. Hull Abbot. Four of these reverend elders were absent; scil., the Rev. Dr. C. Mather, the Rev. S. Bradstreet, the Rev. R. Brown, and the Rev. J. Fox. The rest, being present, at the house of Brother John Bradshaw, formed themselves into a council, and, having distributed the several parts of the work, went to the place of public worship, where the Rev. Mr. William Cooper began with prayer. Prayer being ended, the Rev. Mr. Benjamin Colman preached an excellent sermon from these words, Second Corinthians iv. 1 : ' We, then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.' This being done, the Rev. Mr. Hancock proceeded to ordination, - Mr. Colman, Mr. Appleton, and Mr. Cooper joining in the imposition of hands. After this, the Rev. Mr. Appleton gave me the right hand of fellowship. We then sung the first part of the sixty-eighth Psalm ; and so concluded with giving the blessing."

From these church records, we learn that entire unanimity prevailed in the election of Mr. Turell ; which is another proof of the pacific and useful ministry of his predecessor. We do not find any examination of the character or creed of the pastor elect by the ordaining council, nor is any charge given to him touching doctrine or discipline. Our fathers seemed to rely on the sufficiency of the Scriptures, and the right of private judgment.

Thus Medford was provided with its second minister ; and all prospects seemed auspicious. Very few events of an extraordinary character occurred in the ministry of Mr. Turell.

In order to procure the privilege of Christian baptism for their children, parents, who were not members of the church, were required to " own the covenant," as it was called ; that is, they stood up in the midst of the congregation, on Sunday, and the minister asked them if they believed the Bible to be the word of God, and would promise to take it as their rule of faith and practice. If they answered affirmatively, then he administered baptism to them or their children. This order, called the half -way covenant, was established in the Medford church in Mr. Porter's ministry, and was re-affirmed Dec. 2, 1724.

It appears from the church records, that some members wished a more definite rule and searching scrutiny respecting the admission of communicants, and therefore revived the

Nov. 30, 1744, the subject was again discussed, and a different result reached. The vote of July 20, 1714, abolishing the hand-vote, was modified thus : Voted " that the reverend pastor be desired to call for an handy-vote at the admission of members for the future, excepting when the persons to be admitted plead that they are in opinion or judgment for a silential vote." This step backwards in church discipline seemed nullified by the adroit introduction of the concluding proviso.

" May 9, 1755 : Brothers Samuel Brooks and Jonathan Bradshaw were chosen deacons, unanimously. Samuel Brooks, Esq., declined ; Brother Bradshaw accepted.

What reason our ancestors could give for not reading the word of God in the sabbath services, we cannot imagine. In 1720, Mr. Holmes says : -

"Why this practice should be discontinued by any of the disciples of Jesus, I see no reason. 1 am persuaded it cannot be alleged to be any part of our reformation from Popish superstition."

" March 7, 1763 : Deacon Benjamin Willis, Deacon Jonathan Bradshaw, Deacon Ebenezer Brooks, Dr. Simon Tufts, Captain Caleb Brooks, Stephen Hall, Esq., Samuel Brooks, Esq., Mr. Samuel Angier, and Mr. Hugh Floyd, were chosen a Committee to treat with Rev. Mr. Turell, relating to the singing of Tate and Brady's Version of the Psalms in the congregation, instead of the common version now sung, and are to make report at the next May meeting."

At the above meeting, a Committee was chosen to prepare a place for all the singers to sit together in the meetinghouse ; the chorister choosing the singers, and " the Selectmen approbating them."

"Sept. 3, 1767 : At a chui-ch meeting, the brethren unanimously agreed to sing Dr. Brady and Mr. Tate's version of the Psalms in the forenoon of the Lord's Day (only), and the New England version in the afternoon, for six months : and, if no objection shall be made to it, then to sing Dr. Brady and Mr. Tate's version for the future." "April, 17, 1768: No objection being made, we began this day to sing them."

These few copies of the church records comprise all the facts touching the action of the Medford church during Mr. Turell's ministry. They show a period of remarkable peace, in agreeable contrast with the sharp divisions of an earlier time. The following facts, gathered from various sources, are interesting, as they show us the ideas and conduct of our fathers.

Aug. 7, 1730 : Catechism day, Friday, Mr. Turell preached a sermon to the children, after he had questioned each one from the catechism. This annual exercise, or rather annual flight, served to recommend religion to the young much as a dose of medicine foreshadowed health.

"March 5, 1739: Captain Ebenezer Brooks, Mr. John Willis, and Mr. Jonathan Watson, chosen a Committee to report what is necessary to be done to- Mr. Turell's fences."

When the Rev. George Whitefield, of England, came to this country, as a missionary of the cross, to wake up the dead churches, and pour the breath of life into the clergy, he spoke as one who had authority to blow the trumpet of doom. He returned to England, in 17-11, for a visit, but left behind him followers who had neither his wisdom, nor his eloquence, nor his piety. Against these preachers many good men arrayed themselves, and Mr. Turell among the rest. He published, 1742, a pamphlet called " A Direction to my People in Relation to the Present Times." In this book, he calls on his people to distinguish between the fervors of their excited imaginations and the still small voice of God's effectual grace ; he also cautions them against believing in multitudinous meetings as the best places for true gospel learning and Christian piety ; he furthermore suggests the expediency of not narrating their religious experiences, for fear that spiritual pride will take the place of humility ; he openly blames those preachers who travel about, and, without being asked, go and act the bishop in other men's dioceses. In this pam- phlet, Mr. Turell names " thirteen particulars ; " or, in other words, objections to the "new-light movement." The censorious spirit ; the representing assurance to be the essence of saving faith, and that, without this assurance, none should come to the Lord's table ; the false witness of the Spirit ; the insecurity of dreams, spiritual visions, and impulses ; preaching without study ; esteeming unconverted ministers as useless ; the preaching and praying of women in public ; the want of decent order in public worship ; the over-estimate of sudden light and comfort in the soul ; and the singing of unauthorized hymns in unauthorized places, - all these are spoken of as objectionable features in the Whitefield regenerating processes. Mr. Turell expresses an ardent zeal in every true work of God's Spirit, and as jealous a caution against every counterfeit work. It is very clear that the revival times woke up the slumbering energies of the Medford preacher, and caused him to think and write and preach and print better than he had ever done before. s

His pamphlet called out a sharp and well-reasoned answer, under this title : " A Letter from the Rev. Mr. Croswell to the Rev. Mr. Turell, in answer to his Direction to his People. Boston, 1742." He takes up the several "particulars " in order, and, in many of them, demolishes Mr. TurelPs conclusions ; while, in others, he is mastered by superior force. Where Mr. Turell objects to ministers preaching without notes, Mr. Croswell replies, and says : " The more any of us improve in the divine life, the less paper we shall want in order to preach the gospel." Mr. Croswell concludes his reply with these words : -

" I look upon your little pamphlet to be more infectious and poisonous than the French prophets, 'the trial of Mr. Whitefield's spirit,' or any other pamphlet of this kind we have been infected with. That God may grant repentance to you for writing it, and to others for spreading it abroad, especially to ministers who have given them about in their own parishes, is the hearty prayer of your well-wisher and humble servant, Andrew Croswell."

" Mr. TureU's Dialogue between a Minister and his Neighbor about the Times. To which is added, An Answer to Mr. John Lee's Remarks on a Passage in the Preface of his Direction to his People, &c."

This pamphlet is written with more care than the first, and in a sweeter spirit. The Neighbor is made^to ask all the important questions touching the great issues then before the community, and the Minister sets himself to answer methodically every inquiry. In his preface, he says : -

" I have cast the discourse into this dialogistical mould to render it more agreeable to the lower ranks of men, for whose benefit it is chiefly designed."

It defines what is a true work of God's grace, and what are the proofs of it, and then contrasts these writh the counterfeit exhibitions. Speaking of the mental agonies of some persons under conviction, he says : " Distraction, or a deprivation of reason, is far from being serviceable to religion." Of the spiritual manifestations of those days, he speaks under the heads of dreams, visions, and impulses ; and he says : -

" I have shown my dislike of them, because all such things evidently lead us from the word of God, the only rule by which we can judge of this work or of our own state. I see no reason why we should look for such things under the present dispensation. I have ever taught you that the Bible is a perfect rule of faith and manners, - a more sure word of prophecy. We are safe while we adhere to it ; but we know not into whose hands we fall when we give heed to fancies and impressions."

" Some of the first screamings in these parts on the sabbath were under my preaching, and they hav^ been repeated ; but, Mr. Henry says, Satan gets possession by the senses and passions, Christ by the understanding."

He writes with warmth against itinerant preachers going, unasked, to hold meetings in other ministers' parishes. Against the public preaching of women he quotes those emphatic texts of St. Paul ; and against "hymns of human composition " is very severe. He does not speak ill of our poet-laureate of the church, Dr. Watts ; but thinks that " mere human composures " may introduce heresy. He ends thus : -

" Be not offended at these things, or prejudiced against the genuine work of God, from disorders and irregularities that arise among us : be sure to put in for a share of the spiritual blessings so liberally bestowed at this day. Give yourself to prayer, to reading and hearing the word, to meditation, self-examination ; and let nothing satisfy you short of a whole Christ and a whole salvation. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you."

Feb. 5, 1743: Mr. Turell preached a strong sermon against the Separatists, from Isa. xlix. 4. William Hall and wife walked out of the meeting-house during the delivery of the sermon ; whereupon Mr. Turell, before the congregation, immediately pronounced Mrs. Hall a Separatist. If the preacher knew that Mrs. Hall was the Eve in this obliquity, he showed his sense in not blaming her husband. This insurrectionary movement disclosed two things : first, that Mr. Turell fearlessly preached what he thought was needed by the times ; and, secondly, that some people did not pin their faith upon their minister's sleeve, but thought for themselves, and acted accordingly. We can imagine how much raw wonder and sly surmise an event of this kind must have awakened in some quarters. On this account, Mr. Turell, on the next Sunday, preached the two sermons he first preached in Medford ; and, on the succeeding Sunday, he repeated the two sermons he preached immediately after his ordination, nineteen years before. In these discourses, doubtless, were found ample vindications of the extraordinary course he had pursued.

Mr. Turell wrote against witchcraft, and his printed pamphlet (Hist. Col., 2d series, vol. x. p. 6) contains statements sufficiently marvellous and revolting. The opinions and feelings of the writer may be best gathered from his " introduction." It is as follows : - r

" Although I am as far as any one from holding or maintaining the doctrine of the Sadducees, and firmly believe the existence of spirits, an invisible world, and particularly the agency of Satan and his .instruments in afflicting and tormenting the children of men (when permitted by God) ; yet I fear the. world has been wretchedly imposed upon by relations of such matters. Tricks and legerdemain have been fathered upon Satan, and others falsely reputed as being in covenant with him, by ignorant and designing people, in which they were not so immediately concerned. Many things have been dubbed witchcraft, and called the works of the devil, which were nothing more than the contrivances of the children of men, who are wise to do evil, and who, upon strict examination, might have been detected. There are some books in the world, filled with stories of witchcrafts, apparitions, haunted houses, &c, to which we owe no more faith than to the tales of fairies and other idle romances.

Where one relation is exactly according to truth, there are two, at least, that are wholly the fruit of wild imagination, or intolerably mixed with deceit and falsehood. Hence some have taken occasion to doubt of, and deny the existence of, spirits and an invisible world ; and others, to turn all that wise men say or write about them into ridicule. 'Tis a pity the world has been so credulous, and furnished these sceptics with matters to make sport of. At the same time, it is a thing horrid to think of, that we should be imposed upon by false relations, and our understandings daily affronted by lies. It certainly would have been a singular kindness, if those who have been instrumental in detecting falsehoods of this nature, especially causes of pretended witchcraft, had been careful, and had taken and emitted authentic accounts of them, from time to time, which might have proved an happy means of preventing the like, or stopping the progress. When I consider this, and what every one owes to his own generation and to posterity, I reckon myself obliged to offer a story, full of remarkable circumstances, which was the subject of much discourse and debate in the day of it, and has lately, by the wonderful providence of God and his most powerful mercy, been brought to light, and unfolded. I trust it may be of some service to the world, and therefore commend it to the divine blessing.

The book relates, minutely, the strange actions of two sisters, who wished to be considered witches, and who were sufficiently successful in feints and falsehoods to gain general credence of their claims. They lived at Littleton, and, after being discovered, refuted, and exposed, came to Medford. Here they conducted well, and all witchery was over.

church. Her history was not known, and she was " propounded." The next Sunday Mr. Turell preached on lying; and so graphically did he depict her former habits in this respect, that she was conscience-smitten, and came to him immediately and made confession of the whole. Her narrative is very interesting, and her penitence seemed to be sincere. Mr. Turell required her to make public confession of her sin before the church, and then to refer her case to the brethren. She made the public confession, assuring them of her sincere repentance, and her resolution to walk worthily of the holy vocation she now promised to adopt. The church believed in her sincerity ; and she was admitted to full communion, and .proved herself a humble, devout, and accepted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

" Truth is the food of an immortal soul. Feed not any longer on the fabulous husks of falsehood. Never use any of the devil's playthings. The horse-shoe is a vain thing, and has no natural tendency to keep off witches or evil spirits. Be warned against all such trading with the devil."

Although this form of evil has passed away, we have not got rid of the thing itself. In modern guises, we have witches who carry their divining hazel ; and we have demons, with Beelzebub to preside.

June 3, 1744 : A violent earthquake occurred on this day (Sunday). " It came," says Mr. Seccomb, " when the first morning prayer was about half done. The people were much surprised ; many screeched, and many ran out of meeting ; and Mr. Turell left off prayer until it was over, and the people a little composed ; and then he began again, and finished the exercise." We are not surprised at the deep agitation of the assembly, who probably believed that such extraordinary manifestations of natural laws were special interpositions of a vindictive Providence. We like their finishing the service.

Sept. 23, 1744 : Mr. Turell preached two sermons from Second Corinthians ii. 11, "because Ebenezer Francis allowed one Adams, a roving preacher, to come and preach at his house, against the will of Mr. Turell and a great number of the brethren, who are much offended at him and his preaching, now and heretofore." We are a little surprised at a result of this event, mentioned in the record that follows the notice ; viz., " The sacrament was put off on this account." Was this event greater than the earthquake ?

From 1730 to 1750, there were, on an average, from twenty-five to thirty baptisms in each year. From ten to twenty persons annually joined the church. In the year 1747, there was no one admitted ; and this forms the one exception in Mr. Turell's ministry.

May 15, 1749 : Mr. Turell's salary was raised to five hundred pounds (old tenor). These votes reveal the perilous changes in the value of money, which then so perplexed and distressed the colonies. It made it necessary to vote the minister's salary each year : accordingly, in 1751, we find the salary stated in the new, or, as it was sometimes called, the middle tenor, X73. 6s. 8d.

It was the custom of those days to introduce domestic joys and sorrows into the pulpit. A slave, named Sharper, and owned by Mr. Turell, was very ill, and his master preached on the Sabbath from these words : " My servant lieth at home sick." Sharper died just as the sermon was ended. "When Mr. Turell wooed and won the beautiful Miss Jane Colman, daughter of Rev. Dr. Colman, of Boston, whose graceful form and brilliant eye allured one's attention from the exceeding brunette in her complexion, he preached on the first Sabbath after his marriage from this text : Cant, i. 5 : "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusa- * lem." Mr. Turell lost the children he had by his first wife. His second wife was Miss Lucy Dudley, by whom he had no children ; and his third wife was Mrs. Devenport. He died childless. On the occasion of his " publishment " to Mrs. Devenport, Sept. 28, 1735, he preached from Cant. iii. 3: "Saw ye him (her) whom my soul loveth?" On the Sabbath after his marriage, he preached from Cant. v. 16 : "He (she) is altogether lovely. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem." Mr. Turell was not more fond of good company, good wine, and good dinners, than most people of his day ; and to them it did not seem strange that he should preach from Cant. v. 1 : " Eat, 0 friends ; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." Among the preachers of that time, there was some rivalship of ingenuity in extracting godly morals and even Christian doctrines from Solomon's epithalamium. It is true that rich jewels are sometimes found in very unpromising places. Mrs. Turell, whose poetic invitation to the country, like Horace's, speaks of motives, has these lines : -

" To please the taste, no rich Burgundian wine In crystal glasses on my sideboard shine ; No wine, but what does from my apples flow, My frugal house on any can bestow."

Mr. Turell was not pleased with the conduct of the popular Whitefield, and did not scruple to say so. Mr. Turell Tufts, son of Dr. Simon Tufts, writes thus concerning this subject : -

" There were some zealots in Medford, who were desirous that their minister should invite Mr. "Whitefield. to preach in his pulpit ; but he opposed it strongly ; and, to justify himself, he preached a sermon from this text : ' I will magnify my office.' And I remember, on a day when Drs. Thatcher and Osgood dined with my father, he read some striking passages to them from that sermon ; and they said that it was probably the best sermon that Mr. Turell ever delivered."

When Mr. Turell was ill, Mr. "Whitefield did get into his pulpit. Oct. 7, 1770, Mr. Turell preached a sermon on the death of Mr. "Whitefield, from this text : " Verily, every man at his best estate is altogether vanity."

March 7, 1774: "Voted, that the singers have the two hind seats of $ie women's seats below ; " and the Committee shall designate who shall occupy said seats.

Age, with its accompaniments, gathered upon the pastor ; and he was frequently obliged to ask assistance from the young preachers of the college, who cheerfully bestowed the " labor of love." As he was known to possess some property, the town voted the annual salary of £80 with less zeal tiian they should. May 14, 1772, the vote stood 18 yeas, and 14 nays ; but, as Mr. Turell was unwell, they voted £50 to supply the pulpit. May 24, 1773 : Mr. Turell continues sick, and the following is " Voted, unanimously, to grant the Rev. Mr. Turell the sum of £66. 135. 4c?., annually, for his salary during his continuance in the ministry in said town."

In September, 1774, he received a colleague, on whom the chief labor devolved, and for four years enjoyed his release from ministerial anxieties. On the 5th December, 1778, he died of old age, having reached-the seventy-seventh year of his life, and the fifty-fourth of his ministry. He was buried on the 8th. " Mr. Lawrence prayed ; the President of Harvard College, Rev. Mr. Cushing, Rev. Mr. Clark, and Rev. Mr. Woodward, bore the pall." The following Sunday, Mr. Osgood preached an appropriate sermon. Thus died a clergyman and pastor who had preached in all the meeting-houses which had been built in Medford, from the first settlement of the town to the year 1824 ! He kept no record of deaths. He baptized 1,037 persons ; married 220 couple ; and admitted to the church 323 communicants.

Some further light may be shed on the character of Mr. Turell by a few extracts from his wills. One will is dated Oct. 8, 1758 ; another, in 1762 ; and a third, in 1764. He shows sound judgment, kind affections, and Christian justice, in his bequests.

His dwelling-house, which is now owned and occupied by Jonathan Porter, Esq., he gave to the church in Medford, " for the use of the ministry for ever." He gave his " largest silver tankard, and a silver spoon,* which has a lion's head engraved on it, to the church in Medford." He gave "to Madam Elizabeth Royal, and Peter Chardon, Esq., each a mourning ring."

" I give to Harvard College the learned Dr. Isaac Barrow's work, in three vols., folio ; my fine loadstone, set in silver ; and my bunch or brush of spun glass.

" Item. My good servant "Worcester, - I give him his freedom, and discharge him from any demands of my heirs or executors on account of his being a slave ; and order my executor to reserve in his hands £50, sterling, to and for the use of my said servant, if he should be unable to support himself ; the same to be given him at the discretion of my said executor."

When the town determined to set the meeting-house where it was built in 1769, Mr. Turell remonstrated. He wished it placed beside the old one. He accordingly erased from his will the section in which he had given his dwelling-house to the town !

The system of " exchanges," by which neighboring ministers preached in each other's pulpits, was in full activity during Mr. Turell's ministry ; and the Medford church was instructed occasionally by Rev. Messrs. Colman, Cooper, Gardner, and Byles, of Boston ; Prince, Warren, and Clapp, of Cambridge ; Stimson, of Charlestown ; Coolidge, of Watertown ; Flagg, of Woburn ; Lowell and Tufts, of Newbury ; Parkman, of Westbury; Parsons, of Bradford; and many more. This wide connection in ministerial brotherhood shows Mr. Turell to have enjoyed the respect and esteem of the clergy, as well as the approbation and confidence of the churches. President Allen, in his Biographical Dictionary, speaks of him thus : -

" He was an eminent preacher, of a ready invention, a correct judgment, and fervent devotion, who delivered divine truth with animation, and maintained discipline in his church with boldness tempered by prudence."

An anecdote is told of him, which may mean much or little. It was reported that Mr. Whitefield was to preach in Medford the next sabbath. A man from Maiden came, and took his seat in the meeting-house. He thought he was listening to the wonderful preacher, and went into corresponding raptures. For a week he praised "the unparalleled," and then learned that he had listened to Mr. Turell.

We do not suppose that Mr Turell was one of those men who can make ice perform the offices of fire ; nor was such a man then needed in Medford. In his intercourse with his people, he was kind-hearted, social, and dignified. There was about him a morning freshness which was very agreeable. At home, he was hospitable and generous ; a lover of anecdotes, even when they related to his own personal beauty, which was remarkable. As a preacher, he was clear, direct, and scriptural ; following the habit of that day, which was to amass texts from Scripture in proof of Christian doctrine and useful morals. The unflinching directness of the following is more apparent than its classic taste. He was preaching on selfishness ; and, after designating certain people, he said : -

" They are so selfish, that, if their neighbor's barn was on fire, they would not lift a finger to extinguish the flames, if they could only roast their own apples."

In his theological sentiments, he sometimes revolved round the Assembly's Catechism, and believed that he was thus revolving round the Bible. A parishioner of his, who had moved into the country, where no stated sabbath exercises' and worship could be enjoyed, wrote to Mr. Turell (1760), lamenting his absence from public worship and the use of Christian means. Mr. Turell writes a very good letter, in which he says to him : " You have your Bible, which contains all things necessary for salvation." His ministry gave contentment to his people, and passed away like the seasons, showing bloom, growth, and fruitage, without noise or record.

His printed compositions are few. We have seen his biographical notice of his first wife, Mrs. Jane Colman Turell ; and it gives evidence of his just appreciation of a most interesting woman in the family and a pious member of the church. His sketch of his father-in-law, Dr. Colman, is a labored and successful eulogy of every quality in the deceased which could ornament a man or sanctify a preacher. The manuscript sermons which have escaped destruction are chiefly amplifications of texts which pertained to his theme, ending with the accustomed "improvement," which was a practical application of his doctrine to the hearts and lives of his audience.

Rev. David Osgood, D.D.

The third minister of Medford was born in the south-west part of Andover, within half a mile of the Tewksbury line. His father, Captain Isaac Osgood, who lived to an advanced age, was born upon and occupied the same farm which had been owned and cultivated by his father before him, Mr. Stephen Osgood, who belonged originally to the north parish in Andover. David, the oldest of Captain Isaac Osgood's four sons, was born October, 1747. His mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Flint ; and she was the daughter of a respectable farmer in the neighboring town of Reading. She was a great invalid ; and no tradition remains of her having exercised any leading influence over the characters of her sons, all of whom^vere men of more than common intellectual endowments. David assiduously labored with his father on the farm until the age of nineteen, when he began to direct his studies with reference to a collegiate education. In these studies he was guided and helped by Rev. Mr. Emerson, of Holliston. Like most young men of that day, he taught a school as a means of support, and entered Harvard College, in 1767, at the age of twenty-one. His age gave him great advantage in mastering the more difficult studies, and he sustained a high rank in his class. His predilections for the ministry had always been dominant ; and, immediately after his graduation, he commenced the study of divinity, residing part of his time in Cambridge, and part in Andover.

March 10, 1774 : On this day, the town of Medford voted to hear Mr. David Osgood as a candidate for settlement. This proposal was accepted ; and the consequence was (April 18, 1774) an invitation from the church and the town to settle as colleague pastor with Rev. Ebenezer Turell. There were sixty yeas, and six nays. The six gentlemen (Simon Tufts, Thomas Brooks, jun., Edward Brooks, Samuel Angier, Joshua Simonds, - the sixth not named) opposed the call because they diifered from the candidate in their interpretation of Scripture ; he adopting the Calvinistic doctrine of total depravity* and they taking the Arminian view of the subject.

The Arminian brethren began to use all lawful means to prevent the acceptance of the call. They addressed a letter to the pastor elect, May 4, 1774, detailing their reasons for opposing him. On the thirteenth of that month, he sends his refusal of the invitation, based, as he says, upon "the quality and rank of my present opposers, and the great weight of their objections," &c. This letter of refusal is written with power and feeling ; and it re-asserts the doctrine of " the total corruption of the human heart by nature, previous to renovating grace, as a cardinal point in revealed religion." This doctrine the Arminian brethren believed to be " unscriptural," and contended that it makes " an infinitely holy God the efficient cause of all sin in his creatures."

The town did not resign the hope of settling their favorite candidate. They chose a Committee to consult with the six dissentients ; and the Committee performed their duty kindly and faithfully, but without much success. June 9, 1774, the church and town renew their invitation to Mr. Osgood. Yeas, 67 ; nays, 5. Salary, eighty pounds (lawful money) during Mr. Turell's life, and ninety pounds afterwards. The opponents of this procedure renew their efforts to prevent the settlement; and, on the 13th July, 1774, respectfully ask the town to call an ecclesiastical council, of their own selection, to examine the theological opinions of the pastor elect before he shall give his answer to their call. This request was refused ; and, July 23, Mr. Osgood sends his letter of acceptance. Aug. 12, the dissatisfied brethren sent a communication to the church, through their aged pastor, declaring their reasons for opposing the ordination of Mr. Osgood, and avowing their zeal for justice and peace. They then propose a mutual council, to examine Mr. Osgood's religious opinions. At a church -meeting, held Aug. 16, this proposition was debated, and voted down. At the same meeting, they voted to proceed to the ordination, and agreed to invite nine churches ; those in Cambridge, Charlestown, Stoneham, Woburn, Maiden, and Andover. The time was the second Wednesday in September ; and these words are a part of the vote : " The day to be kept as a fast " !

Sept. 5, 1774, the dissatisfied brethren sent a long communication to the pastor elect, in which they apprise him that they have resolved to oppose his ordination ; and they send him a copy of statements which they intend to make.

On the morning of the 14th September, 1774, the ordaining council assembled and organized in full numbers; Rev. Dr. Appleton, Moderator ; and Rev. Mr. Searl, Scribe. After the usual preliminary exercises, the four dissentients - Thomas Brooks, jun., Edward Brooks, Samuel Angier, and Joshua Simonds - presented themselves before the council, and asked to be heard. They stated that they had grave reasons for opposing the ordination of Mr. David Osgood, and requested permission to state those reasons. They presented a paper to the council ; and the consequence was, that the entire day was painfully occupied in debating the vexed questions. It is not worth while to trace the steps of the controversy, but to let the result of the council be a sufficient record of the whole matter. The result of council was expressed in these words : -

" It was then proposed, whether it was not expedient that a paper should be read which was said to contain a narrative of some affairs in Boxford in which Mr. Osgood was concerned, or some remarks upon the result of a council there. The reading of said paper was urged by some members of Medford church who call themselves aggrieved. The council refused to hear it, for reasons offered by Mr. Osgood."

It was desired by the aggrieved that a certain contest between Mr. Osgood and Captain Adams should be considered ; but this was refused, as it appeared to be an article which had been laid before the council at Boxford, and concerning which they had judged and determined.

It was then voted by the council to hear a sermon of Mr. Osgood's on Eph. ii. 2 ; which was objected against, as containing doctrines of pernicious tendency. The council, upon hearing it, judged it to be sound and orthodox.

" I believe that there is one only living and true God, whose being and perfections are eternally and necessarily existent, immutable, and independent ; of whom as their primary efficient cause, and through whom as their sole preserver, governor, and absolute disposer, and to whom as their ultimate scope and issue, are all things and events which ever have or shall take place in the universe ; that this God is the alone proper and fit object of religious worship ; and that he is, on account of his own moral beauty and excellence, infinitely worthy of the supreme love and entire obedience of all created intelligences.

" I, believe that the books of the Old and New Testament are an exhibition of the mind and will of God to man, in which are comprised all those doctrines and instructions which are necessary to guide and direct men in the way to happiness and eternal life ; that in these books God has revealed himself as existing (though in a manner above my comprehension) in a triplicity of persons, - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

" I believe, on the authority of these books, that God at first created man perfectly holy and upright ; that, whilst in this state, he made a covenant with him, which virtually included his future offspring ; that, in consequence of the breach of this covenant, mankind do now come into existence with hearts wholly corrupt ; on account of which corruption, they are liable to suffer all the evils implied in the curse of the law.

" I believe that this corruption of the human heart has not destroyed that freedom which is necessary to moral action, but that mankind still remain the subjects of God's moral government.

" I believe that, though God was wholly unobliged in strict justice to provide a Saviour for these apostate creatures, he has yet done it of his own mere good pleasure, and for the display of his unmerited grace ; that Jesus Christ is this Saviour, in whom the divine and human nature are united in a manner inconceivable by me ; that this Saviour, by voluntarily undertaking the work of redemption, and in a federal capacity becoming obedient to the Father's will, even unto death, has so displayed the deformity of sin, and has done such honor to the divine law and government, as to render it consistent with the perfect rectitude of the supreme Governor to pardon and receive to favor sinners who believe in Christ, though in themselves they are infinitely guilty and undeserving ; that this faith in Christ is not a bare speculative assent of the understanding only, but an hearty approbation of his mediatorial character ; that it is an holy act, proceeding from a sanctified or good heart, which good heart is created by the power of the Holy Ghost in regeneration ; that though regeneration be the immediate and powerful exertion of the Spirit of God in the soul, yet that the usual way in which sinners are thus born again, and brought to the exercise of that faith which, according to the gospel plan, entitles them to the benefits of Christ's purchased redemption, is whilst they are attending upon what are called the means of grace, are reading, hearing, or meditating upon divine truth, and are laboring after the knowledge of God and of themselves, and an acquaintance with spiritual and eternal things.

"In a word, I apprehend that those doctrines specified in the Assembly's Catechism are, in the main, consonant to those revealed in the sacred oracles as fundamentals in the gospel scheme, - which doctrines, as a Christian, I am bound to profess, and, as a preacher, to teach and inculcate. David Osgood.

The council then were desired to determine whether it was not expedient for them to advise to the calling a mutual council, to hear and judge concerning the objections of the aggrieved. This the council judged to be inexpedient.

Introductory prayer, by Rev. Mr. Willis, of Maiden ; sermon, by Rev. Mr. French, of Andover ; ordaining prayer and charge, by Rev. Dr. Appleton, of Cambridge ; right hand of fellowship, by Rev. Mr. Cook, of Cambridge ; concluding prayer, by Rev. Mr. Searl, of Stoneham.

The result of this council was right. The charges against the character of Mr. Osgood were not sustained so as to disqualify him for the office of a Christian minister ; and the charges against his Calvinistic opinions were such objections to them as all Arminians would offer. It was not to be expected that a town would be defeated in its choice of a pastor, when sixty-seven votes out of seventy-two were for a favorite candidate. It was certainly a high compliment to the " quality and rank of the opposers " that they induced Mr. Osgood to give a negative answer to the first invitation ; and it appears from all the documents that the aggrieved party were sincere and reluctant opposers of their fellowcommunicants. They deemed loyalty to truth and obedience to Christ paramount to all earthly and personal considerations ; and however we, at this day, may differ from them, we must accord to them a conscientious desire to promote the glory of God and the good of the church. A proof of their love of peace was found in the fact, that, on the morning after the ordination, three of the opposers of it waited together upon the new pastor ; when Thomas Brooks, jun., Esq., addressed him thus : -

" Rev. Sir, - We opposed the giving you a call, and we opposed your ordination ; we did thus from our deepest convictions of duty to Christ and his church ; but, as we have failed in all our efforts, and you are now to begin your ministry among us, we have come here to tell you that our opposition to you ceases, and that you will find us constant attendants on your ministrations, and ready to aid you in your holy work."

The ministry of Mr. Osgood commenced just as the revolutionary earthquake began to terrify the Colonies ; and politics seemed to devour all other topics. He early took side with the friends of freedom ; and, lor many years during his unmarried state, did not press the town for his salary. The fugitive value of the old continental money caused some embarrassment a few years later ; but he bore with cheerfulness his share of the common public burdens. While a part of the continental army was stationed at Charlestown, on Winter Hill, the soldiers walked to Medford for the pleasure of attending his public ministrations.

Citizen. - Dr. Osgood, as a citizen, was a lover of peace, and an early advocate of temperance societies. His love of country showed itself prominently during our difficulties with Great Britain in 1812. His sermon at the annual election in 1809, that before the students of Harvard College in 1810, and his " Solemn Protest " against the declaration of war in 1812, prove that the fear of man was not before his eyes. As a federalist of the old school, he felt bound to thunder his anathemas against the new doctrines of the national administration ; but it was felt by some of his friends that his offerings on the altar of patriotism burned too brightly. So keen were his applications, that it could not be said of him, Tarn unice vituperat, ut laudare videtur.

Preacher. - As a preacher, his mind was not so much the rapid, inventive, and poetic, as the clear, metaphysic, and practical. It was ardent, but not glowing ; always free, but always reverent ; and particularly excelled in illustrating moral truth. To sterling Anglo-Saxon sense he added a vast mental industry ; and, had he been a poet, his power as a preacher would have been well-nigh doubled. Pithy and sententious apothegms were not common with him. His writings were not clusters of maxims ; but consecutive thought, expressed in pure, plain English. During the first part of his ministry, it seemed to be his leading aim to convince his people of the truth of his creed ; and this immersed him in the acute metaphysics of Edwards. In a discriminating notice of him, written immediately after his death, there is the following : -

"As a preacher, he was very distinguished. His matter was copious and sensible, and drawn, for the most part, from the moral precepts and the undisputed doctrines of the gospel. His style was animated and forcible, and his manner one of the most striking which we have ever witnessed. His looks, his gesture, and the tones of his voice, were altogether peculiar to himself. Without being at all like those which we are accustomed to find in what is called a finished speaker, they were so energetic, so full of mean- ing, so truly eloquent, that they arrested and enchained the most profound and delighted attention. We shall never forget his patriarchal appearance in the pulpit."

" Dr. Osgood's singular excellence was in the energetic, impassioned expression of religious sentiment. When urging an important practical truth, his mind seemed all on fire with his theme. His tones, his gesture, his enthusiasm, - his inspiration, I had almost said, - were peculiarly his own. Hence, if he did not always satisfy hy an argument, he seldom failed to overpower by an appeal."

During the latter part of his life, his aim seemed rather to touch their hearts with a warm piety, and to lead them trustingly to a divine Saviour. This change, however, in him was gradual. He found the noonday sun shining upon him at a different angle from the morning ray. He believed with Augustine, Nulla falsa doctrina est, qua. non aliquid veri permisceat.

He kept up his studies in Hebrew, and gave frequent expositions of the Old Testament ; but he did not touch the harp of the prophet with that unholy violence which snaps its chords. He continued his reading of the Greek and Latin classics, and often enriched his sermons from them ; thus making heathen plants bear fruit on Christian soil.

He was a fearless preacher. Hating hypocrisy with his whole heart, he could drag into light the secret, double-faced pretender with awful power ; and he loved to make the bold, successful demagogue tremble before him. He was not one of those who are always hacking at the branches of evil : his mode was to strike at its root. In mild persuasion he did not excel ; but in righteous rebuke he had no equal.

His appearance in the sacred desk was singularly imposing, especially after age had whitened his locks. He had a welldeveloped frame, a strongly-marked face, a powerful voice, and sometimes a very animated delivery. Most of the sermons, in the volume published after his death, were delivered memoriter ; and, as these added graces cannot be found in the printed page, those sermons will not justify to after-generations the eulogy we have passed upon him as a preacher.

Opinions. - His opinions were not stereotyped. His constant study and patient reflection extended his views of God and of Christ, of man and of truth. At the time of his settlement, the doctrines of Arminius, Calvin, and Hopkins unequally divided this community. He inclined, with deepest conviction, to the school of the learned Genevan.

He was strongly attached to the Protestant, Congregational order of church government, and had little love for "Episcopacy. His " Plea for Infant Baptism " was considered one of his ablest works. Though early biased in favor of Calvinism, he would not allow himself to be a slave to other men's decisions. He would judge of the Bible for himself. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. We should like to have seen him in the situation of Rev. Marmaduke Mathews, the first minister of Maiden, in 1650, who was accused of free thinking and free talking ; and " the General Court ordered Governor Endicott, in its name, to admonish him," We think the General Court and Governor, before they had got Dr. Osgood under their spiritual duress, would have been glad to say, " Go thy way for this time : when we have a more convenient season, we will call for thee."

He was that " freeman whom the truth makes free," and maintained that right reason is to our understandings what the Spirit of God is to our hearts. El sabio muda consejo, el nescio no. His views of the gospel dispensation gradually expanded, and thus modified, his former faith. On the evening of that day when he had taken a most decisive stand in the stormy debates which arose in the council, before the ordination of the Eev. Mr. Wisner over the Old South Church in Boston (1819), he proposed to me the following easy question : " Why will Mr. Wisner's creed be like a lighted candle ? " Answer. - " The longer it lives, the shorter it will be." Dr. Osgood might have taken his motto, Liceat concedere veris. His Catholicism was proverbial ; and he maintained until his death the friendly interchange of pulpits with both parties, after the Trinitarian controversy of 1810 had commenced. He ever classed himself among those called " orthodox," - that is, Calvinistic, - and was consistent with his profession. He was tolerant without religious indifference, and candid without forgetting his rebuke of sin. An old and heretofore respected member of the Medford church became " an infidel freethinker," - rejecting the divine authority of Christ and the New Testament. Before the church proceeded to deal with him, Mr. Osgood wrote him a private letter as a friend. The letter is dated, " Medford, Sept. 10, 1798 ; " and, with his plain style and strong sense, he pleads with his erring brother as with a father, a citizen, a patriot, and a philanthropist. Among other ideas are these : -

" At a time when infidelity and irreligion are sapping the foundations of civil society and overspreading the world with misery, and when the remains of Christianity among ourselves are confessedly our strongest barrier against the general inundation, is it not astonishing that any good citizen, especially after he has professed himself a Christian, should become indifferent about preserving these precious remains ? The Searcher of hearts knows with what concern and grief I behold the defection of a friend whom I have so highly esteemed, and in whom I acknowledge there are many virtues and estimable qualities."

To silence heretics by burning them, was as repugnant to Dr. Osgood's judgment as it was abhorrent to his feelings ; yet his Catholicism was discriminating. He had no taste for human appendages and fanciful theories in religion. Less sympathy still had he with those who philologize Jesus Christ out of the Old Testament, and philosophize him out of the New. He was a steady advocate of the doctrines of grace. He was neither for Aristotle nor Plato, neither for Paul nor Apollos, but for Christ. His faith in the divine authority of the Bible was peculiarly strong ; and he preached " Christ crucified, yea, risen again," with all the power he possessed. To state exactly the latitude and longitude of his theological opinions is perhaps impossible. The nearest approach to any exactness may be found in a conversation he had with a friend in 1819. He asked, " How far is it from here to Andover Institution ? " and was answered, " About seventeen miles." " How far is it from here to the Cambridge Theological Institution?" "About four miles." "Well," said he, "I have been thinking that is just about my theological position with regard to the two schools." It had always been our impression that he was nearer to Andover than his remark implied. He emphatically forbade the publication of any of his controversial sermons ; and in the later part of his life he had so modified his views of the doctrine of total depravity, that he used, in private conversation, to relate a dream, the meaning of which may be summed up thus : " Men are wicked enough, but not totally depraved. Devils only are totally evil. In hell there are no barbers' shops ; no devil there dare trust his throat with another ; whereas men on earth do so trust each other safely." His principles of Christian toleration cannot be so well expressed as in his own words. They are as follows : - v

" Far be it from me to censure any of my brethren, who, after an equally honest and impartial inquiry, think in some respects different from me. Conscious of my liability to err, - from the infirmities of nature, the prejudices of education, and the acknowledged difficulty, on various questions, of ascertaining the true sense of Scripture, - I hope never to withhold that charity from others which I claim for myself. ' Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind,' clearly implies the right of every man to read and understand the Scriptures for himself, with no other responsibility than to God and his own conscience. Each of us ought to think and judge for himself, using the reason which God has given us in searching and studying his revealed will. A mind thus independent, an understanding thus unfettered and unawed by uninspired names, is honorary to a Christian, especially to a minister of Christ."

While the subject of this notice was a granite man, not caring for " those soft parts of speech. " which give a needed charm to social courtesy, we find him honest and expansive in his theological creed. " The elevation of his character, and the unconquerable force of his will, gave him, in all councils and conventions of clergymen, an authority which few ventured to resist. The strongest sympathies of his heart, and the most intimate of his ministerial relations, were with the more liberal of his clerical brethren."

Pastor. - As a pastor, Dr. Osgood was less among his flock than some others ; but his labors, prayers, and life were for the spiritual good of his people. There are those yet living who remember his kindness in seasons of sorrow ; who have seen him enter their dwelling with looks of sympathy, and with words that showed the wish, if not the power, to comfort ; yes, they have seen one, who to strangers appeared stern and unbending, melt into tenderness of look, of voice, and of manner, in the presence of bereavement.

Dr. Osgood suffered less from illness than most men ; and never was a pulpit more uninterruptedly supplied by its occupant than his. He labored to the last week of his life. His dread of death was unaccountably great ; and through life he seemed subject to the bondage of this fear. But the angel came during a season of apparent insensibility, and life ceased Dec. 12, 1822. Thus, at the age of seventy -six, closed his ministry of more than forty-eight years. He baptized 858 persons ; married 359 couples ; admitted to the church 304 communicants ; and officiated at 990 funerals.

and their Committee for the occasion were Messrs. Abner Bartlett, Jonathan Brooks, Thatcher Magoun, Turell Tufts, ancT^Duclley Hall. The funeral services were on Saturday, Dec. 14. The prayer was offered by President Kirkland ; and the sermon preached by Dr. Abiel Holmes, from 2 Tim. iv. G, 7. The pall-bearers were the Rev. Drs. Kirkland and Holmes, of Cambridge ; Ripley, of Concord ; Foster, of Brighton ; Fiske, of West Cambridge ; and Homer, of Newton.

The wife of Dr. Osgood died Jan. 7, 1818, aged seventy, and left behind the memorial of an amiable, intelligent, and pious woman. "The memory of the just is blessed."

The incidents in the history of Dr. Osgood, not mentioned in the memoir, are few and unimportant. Among those of historic interest are the following : -

" March 15, 1782 : At a meeting of the brethren of the church this day, the pastor proposed an alteration in the form of the covenant used at the admission of members ; to which they gave their unanimous consent. The form adopted is as follows : -

" You do, in presence of the great God and this Christian assembly, profess your belief of the Holy Scriptures ; that they were given by the inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient rule of faith and practice.

" You believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be the only Mediator between God and man, and Lord and Head of his church. Convinced that you are a guilty, condemned sinner, you desire to receive and submit to him in all those characters and offices with which he is invested for the benefit of the children of men.

" You believe the Holy Spirit of God to be the Author of every spiritual and gracious disposition in the minds of men ; the Leader, Sanctifier, and Comforter of his people. Sensible of the depravity of the human heart, your own proneness to sin and inability to that which is good, you promise to seek his divine influence to form you to the temper of the gospel, and to make you meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.

" You desire to give yourself up to God in an everlasting covenant never to be forgotten ; to be for him, and none other ; to love, serve, and obey him for ever.

" You acknowledge this to be a true church of our Lord Jesus Christ, and promise to walk with us in a due submission to and attendance upon all the ordinances of the gospel ; and that, relyinoupon divine aid, you will, in your whole conversation, make it your serious endeavor to conduct agreeably to the rules of our holy religion and the profession you now make. Do you thus profess and promise ? " ragement of singing for the year ensuing." This is the first vote of the kind found in our records. It was to pay a teacher. No one received money for sins^insr. It was deemed a privilege to aid in this part of public worship ; and is it not a privilege ?

Xov. 24, 1793 : "The church agreed, that, for the future, after the candidates for full communion had stood propounded a fortnight without any objections against them, the pastor nii^ht then admit them without calling for a vote."

May 5, 180-4, the town made the first grant of two hundred dollars, under the head of " wood money ; " which sum was afterwards voted annually. The utmost, therefore, which he ever received was $533.33. This stransfelv contrasts with the sum of £5,500 paid for ministers' salaries in 1S55. He made no complaint ; although the number of taxable persons in his parish had more than doubled during his ministry, and their means of payment more than quadrupled.

April 7, IS 17 : " Voted to grant seventy -five dollars to the ' Medford Amicable Singing Society,' to promote the objects of said society."

Dr. Osgood kept a diary, beginning Jan 1. 1777, and ending Dec. 5, 1822. Through this long period he recorded, with marvellous brevity, the salient events of each day. The manuscript is preserved in his family.

From its first settlement to 1823, Medford had been but one parish ; and, for the last hundred years, its two ministers experienced neither popular opposition nor social neglect ; and the people experienced neither sectarian strife nor clerical domination. Claiming free thought for himself, and encouraging it in his people, Dr. Osgood brought his parish quite up to his standard of liberality and progress. At his death, a large majority of the native inhabitants had quietly taken side with the Unitarians ; while many citizens, not born in the town, had as quietly taken side with the Trinitarians. That any creed could be written, or any minister elected, to suit these opposing parties, was the mis- taken conclusion drawn at the time. Both parties were well instructed, both were equally sincere, and both had corresponding rights. By a law of the Commonwealth, any portion of a parish that seceded from the old society, resigned and sacrificed its legal rights in that parish by that act. As we shall have several streams of ecclesiastical history to trace after this date, we will begin with that of the First Parish.

Chapter Vii Fiest Parish

After the death of Dr. Osgood, the eyes of so many were turned upon the Rev. Andrew Bigelow, that the Committee engaged him, March 25, 1823, to preach as a candidate.^ On the 5th of May in that year, the town voted to invite him to become their minister. Yeas, 95 ; nays, 70. Salary, eight hundred dollars.

May 7, the church met ; his Excellency John Brooks, Chairman. Voted " to concur with the town in giving the Rev. Andrew Bigelow a call to settle over them in the gospel ministry." Yeas, 20 ; nays, 3. Committee of conference : Nathaniel Hall, Jonathan Brooks, and Nathan Adams, Esqs.

June 14, 1823, Mr. Bigelow accepted this invitation by a long and able letter, properly noticing a condition which, at a subsequent meeting, had been coupled with the first vote of the town. The condition was, that either party may dissolve the connection by giving six months' notice to that effect. Mr. Bigelow, in his letter, says, "After a painful view of the subject, and a strong internal conflict, my conclusion is to accept the invitation."

July 9, 1823, the ecclesiastical council, invited by the town and church to install the pastor elect, was composed of the following clergymen, with delegates: President Kirkland,

The council met on this day. Rev. Dr. Ripley, Moderator ; and Rev. Mr. Francis, Scribe. After all the doings of the town and church relating to the call of Mr. Bigelow had been considered, and all other requisite inquiries had been made and answered, the record says, -

" It was then moved, that the council, being satisfied with the doings of the church and society, and with the literary, moral, and theological qualifications of the Rev. Andrew Bigelow, do now vote that they are ready to proceed to installation. Before this motion was put, some discussion took place relative to the manner in which a dissolution of the pastoral tie (between the minister elect and people), should that event ever occur, should be conducted; and it was objected to by some members of the council, that nothing was provided in the terms of settlement respecting the calling, in the above event, an ecclesiastical council. Atter this discussion, the original motion was so far modified as to stand as follows : -

" Voted, that though this council deem it expedient, in ordinary cases, that the separation of a minister from a people be the result of an ecclesiastical council, yet they are so far satisfied with the doings of the church and society, and with the qualifications of the candidate, that they are ready to proceed with the installation of the Rev. Andrew Bigelow as pastor of the church and congregation in this town."

The religious exercises were in the following order : Introductory prayer, by Rev. Charles Brooks ; sermon, by Rev. Dr. Bancroft ; prayer of installation, by Rev. Dr. Holmes ; charge, by Rev. Dr. Ripley ; right hand of fellowship, by Rev. James Walker ; concluding prayer, by Rev. Convers Francis ; benediction, by the pastor.

Mr. Bigelow was bom in Groton, Mass., May 7, 1795, and graduated at Harvard College 1814. After studying law for a short time, he turned with his whole soul to the study of divinity, and spent some time at Edinburgh, Scotland. May, 1820, he was ordained as an evangelist, and labored with zeal and success at Eastport, Maine, and at

Coming with reputation and experience to the work of the ministry in Medford, he did all that could be done for making the divided waters mingle in peace ; but, as irreconcilable differences of opinion were developed in the congregation, it was best that the dissentients should quietly withdraw, and provide for themselves a separate and satisfactory ministration of the word. The first step in such a movement was taken by seventeen members of the church in writing and sending the following letter : -

" Reverend and Beloved, - It becomes our painful duty, in the providence of God, differing as we do in our views of the essential doctrines of the gospel from what we believe to be the views and preaching of the Rev. Mr. Bigelow, to separate ourselves from the fellowship and communion of the church with which we now stand connected. Under these impressions, dear brethren, we, conscientiously and in the fear of God, ask letters, or a letter, of dismission, for the purpose of forming ourselves, in a regular manner, into a new and separate church.

"And, while we deeply lament the necessity which we think exists for such a measure, we wish to adopt it from the sole desire of enjoying religious instructions which accord with our views of the system of truth laid down in the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The church received this short and respectful letter in the spirit in which it was written, and chose a committee of three to prepare a reply. The reply is long, argumentative, and affectionate ; and concludes, under deepest regret, to accede to the wishes of the petitioners, if they continue to desire separation. They renew their wish, and are accordingly released from all connection with the primitive church of Medford. So far as the records speak, we find nothing to condemn in this dismemberment of the ancient parish. Both parties were conscientious ; and, as they differed in opinion, they could not walk together in peace ; and therefore it was wise and Christian to separate. Much greater evils would have come under a forced union. The withdrawal of many members of the congregation, to join the new society, occasioned a less amount of complaint, exasperation, and controversy, on both sides, than is common. Both parties had equally in view justice and charity as Christian graces, and both wished to exhibit them to each other. To suppose that such sacred and durable ties can be sundered without exciting strong emotions and prompting to unreasonable speech, is to suppose that we are not human. The lightnings that flash and the thunders that roll may terrify for a moment ; but they release the rain, and purify the air, and make the earth more fruitful. God's will be done.

In pursuing the history of the First Parish from this time, it will not be needful to speak of its connection with parishes subsequently formed, but only to record the facts arising out of its separate organization and private proceedings.

March 31, 1824 : On this day, ten male members of the First Parish apply to James Russell, Esq., Justice of the Peace, to issue his warrant, directing some one of the petitioners to notify all the legal voters of said parish to meet in their meeting-house, April 12, 1824, at two o'clock, p.m., for the purpose of electing officers, raising money, and doing all other necessary acts. The warrant was issued, and the first meeting held at the time specified ; and Abner Bartlett, Esq., was chosen Clerk ; Messrs. Jonathan Brooks, John Symmes, Darius Wait, Nathan Adams, jun., and John King, Parish Committee ; Messrs. J. Richardson, John Howe, and Ebenezer Hall, jun., Assessors ; William Ward, Esq., Treasurer.

On this day also, " Voted to raise the sum of one thousand dollars, to discharge the minister's salary and other incidental charges the ensuing year."

" July 27, 1823 : Voted by the church, that the ordinance of baptism be hereafter administered at the commencement of the afternoon service on the Lord's day, in place of being performed after sermon, as heretofore the practice has been." "July 27, 1823: The Hon. Peter C. Brooks presented to the church two silver flagons ; for which thanks were voted."

Sept. 3, 1824 : The subject of a fund for the support of the gospel ministry is brought up and discussed by the church, and the wish expressed that one may be gathered.

July 3, 1825 : The proposition to print the church covenant, and the covenant for baptism, brought up the consideration of that adopted Feb. 11, 1713, and that of March 15, 1782 ; and the result was a vote by the church, that they " do not find it needful to propose any alterations in their confessions of faith, either in their articles or terms. They conceive that the church-covenant especially combines the qualities of a true Protestant as well as gospel confession ; the properties of being liberal and practical, yet deeply serious and evangelical."

Dr. Osgood gave by will some valuable books to the church, " for the use of his successors in the ministry ; " and these are added to those received from his predecessor.

Sept. 4 : The proposition above was accepted, and a committee of five brethren of the church and six members of the congregation was chosen to collect subscriptions and receive donations.

Nov. 1, 1825 : The parish voted to procure an organ, if four hundred and fifty dollars can be raised by subsci'iption for that purpose. Committee to procure subscriptions : Messrs. George W. Porter, Turell Tufts, and Darius Wait. The organ was purchased for the amount, and gave satisfaction.

Jan. 2, 1826 : Voted, that the money received from the sale of the new pews to be built in the gallery be the beginning of a permanent fund for the support of the ministry in said parish.

In April of this year, the question arose respecting the right of the town to hold town-meetings in the meeting-house of the first parish ; the Selectmen contending for the right, the parish against it.

About this time, subscriptions were commenced for the " Congregational Ministerial Fund for the First Parish in the town of Medford." By the judicious investments of the Treasurer, Dudley Hall, Esq., this fund amounts, in 1855, to $8,600. By special statute, one hundred dollars of the annual income must be added each year to the permanent fund. The balance of the incomes may be expended for the support of the pastor.

On the 9th of July and the 29th of October, 1826, the Rev. Andrew Bigelow preached sermons containing his reasons for giving the sixth months' notice previous to his dissolving his pastoral relations. Nov. 6 of the same year, he wrote a letter to his parish, repeating, -

" That it was from no decay of attachment to the people of my pastoral charge, or of earnestness of desire to be instrumental in promoting the interests of piety and vital religion among them. . . . Being about to leave this country on a distant voyage, in the hope of fully re-establishing my health, I should be pleased to know the mind of the parish in respect to the mode of supplying the pulpit, and to obtain their concurrence to my proposed absence, prior to the expiration of the time of my connection with them as pastor. . . . And, should they come together, I beg you to present them the renewed assurances of my most grateful recollection of their past favors to me, along with my fervent aspirations that grace, mercy, and peace may be multiplied to them all."

His request was immediately granted ; whereupon a reply was sent to Mr. Bigelow by the unanimous vote of the parish, in which they regret, for reasons stated, his relinquishment of office, and say, -

" We bear you witness, that, with true Christian forbearance and professional integrity, you have had your walk and conversation among us from the beginning, and that you have been the minister of much good to this people. ... In taking leave of you, Rev. Sir, we would most heartily reciprocate the sentiments expressed in your farewell discourse for our future prosperity and happiness."

" Voted, that the Committee be directed to request of Mr. Bigelow a copy of the two discourses mentioned in his communication, as delivered on the 9th of July and 29th of October last, to be deposited among the parish records."

Mr. Bigelow's connection with the parish legally ceased Jan. 9, 1827. Returning from Europe with recovered health, he became the minister of the Unitarian Society in Taunton, Mass., April 10, 1883, where he labored for many years. He is now filling a most useful clerical office in the city of Boston. The time, therefore, to speak of his character is not yet ; but we may quote the words of his successor in Medford, whose opportunities for learning the facts were peculiarly great. He writes thus : -

* " My regard to his feelings need not prevent my bearing testimony to the deep regret of his people that any circumstances should, in his opinion, have made a separation from them desirable.

He left behind him many aching hearts, and many warm friends, who will not forget how he labored among them as ' a good minister of Jesus Christ ' in all faithfulness and love."

The parish-committee, consisting of Messrs. John Symmes, Jonathan Brooks, and John King, engage Mr. Caleb Stetson, a graduate of Harvard College in 1822, to preach as a candidate for five sabbaths. At the close of his engagement, the parish passed the following votes : -

" Voted to give Mr. Stetson one thousand dollars over and above his salary, to be paid on the day of his settlement with us ; which sum has been raised by subscription for that purpose."

Jan. 16 : Mr. Stetson accepts the invitation, and on the 28th of February, 1827, was ordained. The council was composed of the following clergymen, with their delegates : Rev. Dr. Kirkland and Dr. Ware, Cambridge; Dr. Holmes, Cambridge ; Dr. Lowell, Boston ; Eev. Aaron Greene, Maiden ; Rev. Henry Ware, Boston ; Rev. James Walker, Charlestown; Rev. Convers Francis, Watertown; Rev. Joseph Field, Weston; Rev. George Ripley, Boston; Rev. Samuel Ripley, Waltham ; Dr. Fiske, West Cambridge; Rev. Charles Brooks, Hingham ; Rev. Francis Parkman, Boston; Dr. Foster, Brighton; Rev. Thomas B. Gannett, Cambridgeport ; Rev. Bernard Whitman, Waltham; Rev. Charles Briggs, Lexington; Rev. Edward B. Hall, Northampton ; Rev. Ira H. T. Blanchard, Harvard.

In the organization of the council, Rev. President Kirkland was chosen Moderator; and Rev. Charles Brooks, Scribe. After the usual religious services, the council examined the doings of the church and congregation relative to the dissolution of the pastoral relation of Rev. Andrew Bigelow, and found them regular. They next examined the doings of the church and congregation relative to the call of Mr. Stetson, and found them satisfactory ; whereupon they voted to proceed to ordination. The services were assigned as follows : Introductory prayer and reading of the Scriptures, by Rev.

Charles Briggs ; sermon, by Rev. Convers Francis ; ordaining prayer, by Dr. Lowell ; charge, by Dr. Kirkland ; right hand of fellowship, by Rev. George Ripley ; address to the people, by Rev. Henry "Ware, jun. ; concluding prayer, by Rev. B. Whitman ; benediction, by the pastor.

"March 14, 1827: In the church, voted, first, that the ceremony of owning the covenant, on the admission of members, shall, in future, be before the church only, at the communion. Second, that the fourth paragraph of the present covenant-be hereafter discontinued in the admission of members. Third, that the pastor have discretionary authority to admit members from other churches, of whose Christian standing he is satisfied, without any public act."

"June 11, 1832 : The church voted that the pastor, at his discretion, be authorized to receive persons into this church at a private interview ; and that no public act shall be necessary to their membership, except propounding them in the usual form."

" 1827 : Deacon Richard Hall bequeathed to this church the sum of seven hundred dollars, the interest of which should for ever be distributed among the poor women of this church."