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MEMORIAL 
 
 Bea OV ARD Bb. FRALL,. D.D., 
 
 LATE PASTOR OF THE 
 
 FIRST CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY, 
 
 PROVIDENCE, R.I. 
 
 robvidence : 
 SIDNEY S. RIDER AND BROTHER. 
 1867. 
 
 
 
CAMBRIDGE : 
 
 PRESS OF JOHN 
 
 WILSON AND SON, 
 
 
 
ITE NESS NEG OW ELON MEI De 
 CONTAINING 
 NOTICES OF THE LIFE, DEATH, AND FUNERAL SERVICES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 have EOWA Dee By TALE, D.D., 
 
 IS PUBLISHED FOR THE 
 
 First Congregational Society, 
 
 Providence, R.1., 
 
 AND DEDICATED TO HIS MEMORY. 
 
 ¢ 
 

 

 
 INTRODUCTION . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 iit MEN PEAT PROVIDENCE: (psu, 88 66 we te TY 
 
 SERMON BY Dr. HALL, RESIGNING HIS OFFICE... 4I 
 
 ACTION OF THE SOCIETY ON THE RESIGNATION OF 
 ete re ee re Be ir a Bo esi ee pecs GI 
 
 RESOLUTIONS OF THE SOCIETY ON THE DEATH OF DR. 
 
 Ree eee ene re ee ey ts es 69 
 ORDER OF SERVICE AT THE FUNERAL OF DR. HALL . | 75 
 Peete AN NEE T SP UNERALSADDRESS .0 3. es ew) IQ 
 
 Notices of the Meath of Ar. Hull. 
 
 From the ‘‘ Monthly Journal of the American Unitarian 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 eect alo ie ret eee Ay ie ah se 2 ad, ey TTS 
 Pimuneceurrovidcence lOUIAl-; 6 8 ef a ee 125 
 from the ** Providence Daily Post”... . «... - . » I3¢ 
 Peomctes Cristian Werister s/w, we 138 
 
 
 
 
 From the ‘‘ Christian Inquirer” 
 
 
 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 
 
 Resolutions and Notices by Other Societies. 
 
 Westminster Congregational Society. 
 New-York Pastoral Association 
 
 Unitarian Society of Fall River 
 
 Shelter Home of Providence 
 Children’s Friend Society 
 
 Providence Employment Society . 
 
 Benefit-street Ministry-at-large 
 Providence Seamen’s Friend Society 
 Home for Aged Women . 
 
 Washington Temperance Society . 
 
 
 
Cee AOD Celt OV: 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 5) 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION. | 
 
 >| DWARD BROOKS HALL was born 
 
 in Medford, Mass., on the 2d of Sep- 
 
 tember, 1800, and named from his 
 
 maternal grandfather, the Rev. Edward Brooks, 
 of North Yarmouth, Mass. 
 
 In his boyhood, he was by no means given to 
 books, but almost notorious among the neighbors 
 for his love of play. At the age of fifteen, he 
 discovered that his mother was very anxious that 
 he should enter college; and he took his deter- 
 mination. He went at once to Mr. Convers 
 Francis, then teaching in Medford, and asked if 
 he could be fitted to enter at Harvard by the next 
 Commencement. The reply was discouraging ; 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 
 
 but the boy persisted in inquiring if it were Possz- 
 ble. Mr. Francis replied that it might be done 
 in nine months, possibly, by the hardest study. 
 From that day the neighbors saw no more of 
 Edward Hall in the streets of Medford; he shut 
 himself up in a little room in his father’s house, 
 went through the Latin Grammar in a fortnight, 
 recited regularly to Mr. Francis, and entered 
 college honorably at the end of the nine months. 
 So hasty preparation involved the necessity of 
 continued hard study, which kept him aloof from 
 his classmates, and brought on the near-sighted- 
 ness which incommoded him through life. 
 
 As this is intended merely as an introduction, 
 —not a biographical sketch,—we will only 
 state, that, at the age of twenty-six, Mr. Hall 
 
 was ordained over a new society in Northamp- 
 
 ton, their first pastor; and those are still living 
 who remember the grief of his people when 
 ill health compelled him to send in his resigna- 
 tion. 
 
 After recovery, he took charge of the Unitarian 
 Church in Cincinnati for nearly a year, and 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION. I3 
 
 
 
 
 
 was urged to remain. He returned, however, to 
 New England, and established the Unitarian 
 society in Grafton: with his usual energy, he 
 called together the men of the parish, and laid 
 their duty before them so earnestly that a church 
 was formed on the spot. Soon after, he received 
 his call to Providence. 
 
 For the sake of the example, it may be well 
 to state, that, with the same conscientious perse- 
 verance which he manifested in preparing for 
 college, Mr. Hall early set himself to acquire 
 the control of a naturally hasty temper, and, of 
 course, with the same success. ‘Through life, 
 particularly in the active career which now 
 opened upon him, he felt the blessing of this 
 victory. 
 
 As an advocate of temperance, of anti-slavery, 
 of law and order during political troubles in 
 Rhode Island, and of various reforms, he often 
 met opposition, and sometimes reproach; but he 
 never lost his dignity nor his friends, because 
 
 he never lost his temper. He could discriminate 
 
 calmly between the sin and the sinner; boldly 
 
 
 
14 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 
 
 rebuking the one, while he looked in Christian 
 charity upon the other. 
 With this cultivated equanimity, his days, 
 
 crowded as they were with work, were singularly 
 
 tranquil and cheerful; and on waking, the day 
 
 before his death, — scarcely a week after he had 
 been told that his disease was fatal, —he re- 
 marked with much feeling, “I am very grateful, 
 I have had such a happy life.” 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 SETTLEMENT AT PROVIDENCE. 
 
 N the 14th day of November, 1832, Mr. 
 Hall was installed as pastor of the First 
 
 
 
 Congregational Church and Society in 
 Providence, R.I. On the 5th day of November, 
 1865, he resigned the office which he had so long 
 and so worthily filled. or thirty-three years he 
 had performed the duties of his position with 
 great acceptance and success. His public and 
 his private ministrations had been most highly 
 valued; and he had endeared himself to his par- 
 ishioners, and had acquired the esteem of the 
 entire community, by his piety, his fidelity, and 
 his ability as a Christian minister. It was there- 
 3 
 
18 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 fore with feelings of profound regret that his peo- 
 ple heard the words which expressed his inten- 
 tion to dissolve the connection that had happily | 
 existed through a complete generation. They 
 desired him to withdraw his resignation. But he 
 had decided that it was most desirable and fitting 
 that the relation should cease, and he could not 
 be induced to revise his action. He did, how- 
 ever, so far yield to the solicitations of his parish- 
 ioners as to consent to remain their pastor until 
 the 1st of May, 1866, at which time the separa- 
 tion was to be final. Yet not altogether so; for 
 Dr. Hall was still to continue his residence in 
 Providence, and his membership with the society. 
 But the active duties of the pastorate were no 
 longer to be performed by him, and the burdens 
 which he had bravely and cheerfully borne were 
 to be shifted to younger and more vigorous 
 shoulders. | 
 
 Dr. Hall, therefore, continued to fill the pulpit, 
 and to perform his parochial duties as usual, 
 through the months of November, December, 
 and January, with his ordinary vigor. As usual, 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. I9 
 
 on the evening of the 31st of December, he 
 preached a discourse appropriate to the close of 
 the year to a large congregation of attentive and 
 deeply interested listeners. The following para- 
 graphs, with which he concluded the sermon, — 
 indeed, the series of sermons, not one of which 
 had been omitted for a third of a century, — are 
 now read with a peculiarly touching interest, as 
 though they were prophetic : — 
 
 ~ “Ye people of my care and love for so many 
 years, there rests upon one mind to-night, in the 
 thought of our past and future, a heavy weight 
 of conscious responsibility. How have these 
 many years been used by him whose office it has 
 been to teach you how to live? Have these suc- 
 cessive marked seasons been made occasions of 
 impression and instruction? Have the uncounted 
 days and hours, passed by us together in this 
 house of worship and in favored or afflicted 
 homes, been filled with fidelity on my part, and 
 benefit on yours? Has a ministry of such dura- 
 tion been wholly in vain to many of my charge? 
 
 I prefer to press the inquiry now, for my own sake 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 
 
 and yours. Another year will find us in altered 
 relations. And, though I have no wish to give to 
 the fact any undue prominence, I cannot let the 
 year close without uttering the fervent prayer 
 that none of us may be insensible to the moral 
 magnitude of such accumulated privileges and 
 sober accountabilities. We speak of life; and 
 this connection has been a life in itself. Where 
 or what has itfound us? And what does it leave 
 us? Living spirits, thoughtful of time in its 
 flight and its issues, grateful for mercies, and 
 faithful to duty? For those of us who have been 
 living, in one sense at least, through the whole 
 term, there has rolled up a burden of responsi- 
 bility which we cannot throw off, but must take 
 with us into another life. God forgive us, if this 
 relation has done little to fit us for that higher 
 existence! God have mercy, if any can look 
 back over the whole with indifference, or forward 
 
 in thoughtlessness! We are soon to meet, not 
 
 only the God who has given us all, and the Sa- 
 
 viour who lived and died for us all, but others 
 
 also, once with us, now gone before, for whose 
 
 
 
 
 
 ee We 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 present happiness we ourselves may be in a 
 
 measure accountable. A goodly company they 
 
 make, gathered from every one of our families. 
 Is there a home or heart that has not contributed 
 to their number? If there be, we can hardly 
 congratulate them; for precious are those treas- 
 ures laid up in heaven. 
 
 “As I look through the record of our necrol- 
 ogy, I see a variation in the years, from eight 
 persons to twenty-eight. This year has added 
 seventeen. And, if we count the whole of the 
 years, it gives an aggregate of six hundred; not 
 a large number for a large society. So far as I 
 have compared it with other societies, we have 
 been singularly favored, if favored we call it, 
 which is for each survivor to say. For each sur- 
 vivor there is enough to ponder, silently, grate- 
 fully, soberly. Think of life more than of death. 
 Think of the present more than of the past; and 
 let humility and fidelity in the present prepare 
 your spirits for that infinite future which will 
 gather us all in; the departed, the hving, the un- 
 born yet to die, — say, rather, a// to “ive, where 
 
 
 
22 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 years are lost in Eternity, and death in Immor- 
 
 
 
 tality. 
 
 © You will bear with me while I recite, in clos- 
 ing, a few stanzas lately written by one of our 
 best poets. ‘Waiting by the Gate’ is the title he 
 gives ; and the words bring before us, as we pass 
 along the line, the many we have seen waiting, 
 then departing; while they tell us of the time 
 when the gate will open for others and for us : — 
 
 ‘Behold the portals open, and o’er the threshold now 
 There steps a weary one, with a pale and furrowed brow; 
 His count of years is full, his allotted task is wrought; 
 He passes to his rest from the place that needs him not. 
 
 Again the hinges turn; and a youth, departing, throws 
 
 A look of longing backward, and sorrowfully goes. . 
 
 A blooming maid, unbinding the roses from her hair, 
 Moves mournfully and gently from amidst the young and fair. 
 
 And some approach the threshold, whose looks are blanched 
 with fear ; 
 
 And some whose temples brighten with joy in drawing near, 
 
 As if they saw dear faces, and caught the gracious eye 
 
 Of Him, the sinner’s Teacher, who came for us to die. 
 
 I mark the joy, the terror; yet these within my heart 
 Can neither wake the dread nor the longing to depart; 
 And in the sunshine, streaming on quiet wood and lea, 
 I stand, and calmly wait till the hinges turn for me.’” 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 23 
 
 During the month of January, Dr. Hall discov- 
 ered that some disease had impaired his sight to 
 such a degree as to make an examination by a 
 physician imperative. On Saturday, Jan. 13th, 
 he went/to Boston, and consulted Dr. Derby, a 
 distinguished and skilful oculist of that city. On 
 Sunday, the 14th, he preached at the College 
 Chapel, Cambridge, on exchange with the Rev. 
 Dr. Thomas Hill. On Monday, the 15th, a sec- 
 ond examination of Dr. Hall’s eyes was made, 
 the result of which was an actual prohibition of 
 all reading, writing, or any other occupation 
 which required the sense of sight. But Dr. Hall 
 was not disposed to relinquish all labor; and he 
 decided to commit to memory the hymns and 
 
 Scripture lessons necessary for the Sunday ser- 
 
 vices, and to preach extemporaneously. The 
 parts to be learned were read to him, and thus he 
 prepared himself for his accustomed labor. On 
 Friday, January roth, he participated in a funeral 
 service; repeating passages of Scripture, and a 
 piece of elegiac poetry, from memory. On Sun- 
 day, the 21st, he did not preach: Rev. Dr. Bel- 
 
 
 
24 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 lows, of New-York city, occupied his pulpit. 
 But on Sunday morning, the 28th, he went 
 through the usual service successfully, and to his 
 great satisfaction and even delight. The only 
 unusual circumstance which was noted was a 
 slight tremulousness of voice, as he repeated the 
 
 stanza of the opening hymn of the service : — 
 
 ‘*In each event of life how clear 
 Thy ruling hand I see! 
 Each blessing to my soul more dear, 
 Because conferred by thee.” 
 
 Rev. Professor J. L. Diman preached in the eve- 
 ning. 
 
 On the 29th, Dr. Hall visited Boston again, 
 
 and submitted to another examination of his eyes. 
 
 Dr. Derby was not at all despondent of the case, 
 and encouraged his patient to hope that an ulti- 
 mate recovery would be secured. It was neces- 
 sary, however, to go through the operation of 
 cupping, and a subsequent day was appointed for 
 that purpose. On Tuesday, the 30th, Dr. Hall 
 returned to Providence; and, in the afternoon of 
 
 
 
 4 
 ¥ 
 4 
 7 
 3 
 
 
 
 Oe r 
 \- : ae 
 Oe a ag ee ee 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 25 
 
 
 
 the same day, offered prayer at a funeral service 
 held in the chapel of his church. He was then 
 apparently as strong as usual, with the exception 
 of the difficulty of vision, which became some- 
 what troublesome to him. On the following Sun- 
 day, February 4th, he preached in the morning, 
 and officiated at the regular communion service 
 in the afternoon, without assistance; still making 
 requisitions upon his memory, and finding that 
 he could trust it fully for every needed service. 
 But, during the ensuing week, he began to feel 
 symptoms of approaching weakness. He had ex- 
 pected to exchange pulpits with Rev. William R. 
 Alger, of Boston, on the following Sunday. But 
 Mr. Alger was unable to fulfil the engagement ; 
 and Dr. Hall succeeded in procuring the services 
 of Rev. Edward J. Young, of Newton, who 
 preached in the First Church on Sunday, Feb- 
 ruary 11th. Dr. Hall did not go out of town, 
 
 but remained at home; attending service in the 
 
 morning and evening, but not participating. On 
 
 Tuesday, the 13th, he once more went to Boston ; 
 
 and an operation of cupping was performed upon 
 
 
 
 4 = - a 
 
26 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 his temples, which required him to remain in a 
 dark room, with bandaged eyes, for twenty-four 
 hours. He spent the time in conversing, in 
 excellent and cheerful mood, with some friends 
 who called upon him; and, during his solitary 
 intervals, in repeating to himself familiar psalms 
 and hymns. He returned to Providence in good 
 spirits; but signs of increasing feebleness became 
 painfully manifest to his observant friends. On 
 Sunday, February 18th, Rev. Mr. Alger preached 
 in the First Church, Dr. Hall attending the morn- 
 ing service. .The evening was rainy, and it was 
 not thought expedient for him to leave his resi- 
 dence. Another week followed, with the occur- 
 rence of no alarming symptoms; but he was 
 now confined to the house, and saw but few 
 friends. It was supposed, until this time, that the 
 stomach was the part of his physical frame that 
 was affected by disease; and remedies were ap- 
 plied accordingly. His mental and spiritual fac- 
 
 ulties were as strong and clear as ever, and a 
 
 cheerful, patient spirit breathed through every 
 word and act. If he occasionally found himself 
 
 
 
‘MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 27 
 
 
 
 
 
 chafing against the confinement, he immediately 
 checked the expression of apparent discontent, 
 and changed into words of trustful submission to 
 the Divine will. On Sunday, the 25th, Mr. H. 
 F. Jenks, of the Divinity School, Cambridge, 
 preached, but Dr. Hall was unable to attend. 
 The following week was destined to be a sad 
 season for his friends. 
 
 On Tuesday, the 27th, a thorough examination 
 of the case was made by Drs. C. W. Parsons and 
 Ely, and the disease was pronounced to be en- 
 largement of the heart. The physicians, how- 
 ever, expressed the hope, that, by the use of 
 powerful remedies, the stroke of death might be 
 averted for a time, and that their patient might 
 be able to go out again. On Thursday, the Ist 
 of March, Dr. Hall was entirely comfortable, and 
 passed a very pleasant day. He, indeed, ex- 
 pressed himself as somewhat doubtful respecting 
 the result, but had not given up the hope of en- 
 gaging in the active duties of life. He spent 
 Thursday night without pain or difficulty, and 
 
 the most of Friday passed with but little to cause 
 
 
 
‘ 
 
 28 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 apprehension. Friday night was a bad night for 
 him; and through the day, on Saturday, he expe- 
 rienced much difficulty in breathing. During the 
 afternoon, he transferred to the American Unita- 
 rian Association the copyright of his ‘* Biogra- 
 phy of Mary L. Ware,” writing his name plainly, 
 for the last time in life. He would occasionally 
 repeat aloud passages of Scripture, and stanzas 
 of favorite hymns. About half-past five o’clock, 
 he repeated the stanzas from the well-known 
 hymn : — 
 ‘Thou ever good and kind! 
 A thousand reasons move, 
 
 A thousand obligations bind 
 My heart to grateful love. 
 
 The creature of thy hand, 
 On thee alone I live; 
 My God, thy benefits demand 
 More praise than dveath can give.” 
 
 Distressed in breathing, he substituted the word 
 “breath” for “life.” A moment after, perhaps 
 thinking that a change of position might give him 
 
 ease, he made an effort to rise from the chair in 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 29 
 
 
 
 which he was sitting. But death had come be- 
 fore he could stand upon his feet, and he fell. 
 Life was doubtless extinct at the moment of 
 rising. The spirit had flown for ever from this 
 mortal life, and but lifeless clay lay prone upon 
 the floor of his study. Calmly he died, — “a vet- 
 
 -! 
 
 eran slumbering on his arms;” and in peace he 
 entered into his reward. He had lived upon this 
 earth sixty-five years and six months. Then he 
 passed on into life eternal. For him “there shall 
 be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, 
 neither shall there be any more pain; for the 
 former things are passed away.” 
 
 Dr. Hall’s death produced a profound sensation 
 throughout the community. He had been so 
 well and so widely known, and his death was so 
 unexpected, as to cause a shock of surprise and 
 sorrow to thrill through all hearts. The mem- 
 bers of his own parish, of the Westminster parish 
 to whom he had often ministered, of the congre- 
 gation worshipping at the Free Chapel, were 
 particularly affected. The bell upon the First 
 
 Church was tolled for an hour, and an impromptu 
 
30 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 gathering of friends and parishioners took place 
 at the church. A committee was appointed to ar- 
 range for the services of the following day. Mr. 
 H. G. Spaulding, of the Divinity School, had 
 been engaged to preach; but both he and the 
 committee judged it most appropriate that a dif- 
 ferent arrangement should be made. It was de- 
 cided to invite Rev. Mr. Stone, of the Free 
 Chapel, and Rev. Mr. Woodbury, of the West- 
 minster Church, to conduct the services on the 
 morrow, in the First Church. Those gentlemen 
 were accordingly invited, and accepted the duty ; 
 Mr. Stone closing the chapel, and Mr. Spaulding 
 preaching at the Westminster Church. 
 
 On Sunday, March 4th, a large congrega- 
 tion, composed of the usual worshippers at the 
 First Church, with many from the other two 
 churches, assembled to consider the solemn les- 
 sons of the hour. ‘The pulpit was draped in 
 black, and a sad yet submissive expression 
 rested on the features of all. Rev. Mr. Stone 
 read most aptly selected passages of Scripture, | 
 
 and offered a very appropriate and fervent prayer. 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. ot 
 
 
 
 Rev. Mr. Woodbury preached a discourse from 
 the text, Matt. xxiv. 4o: “The one shall be 
 taken, and the other left.” The doctrine of the 
 discourse was, that Divine Providence was order- 
 ing wisely, and not acting capriciously, in giving 
 strength, health, joy, and life to one, and causing 
 another to suffer weakness, sickness, sorrow, and 
 death; and that it was necessary to use the bless- 
 
 ings faithfully, and to endure the suffering trust- 
 
 fully. The point was illustrated by reference to 
 the contact which these experiences made with 
 the different seasons of life, and the discourse 
 closed with the following allusion to the deceased 
 pastor : — 
 
 “ How sweetly a peaceful death closes a faith- 
 ful Christian life! To have the consciousness of 
 a life-work well and thoroughly performed, and 
 then to lay off the harness and sink away to rest, 
 without a murmur, without a sigh, without a pang 
 of pain! Who would wish for a better end than 
 that? Verily, our brother, my esteemed and 
 beloved fellow-worker in the vineyard of our 
 Lord, the pastor of this church, has been as 
 
 
 
32 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 happy in his death as he has been useful and 
 honored in his life. He had completed his labor ; 
 he had, of his own choice, laid down the burden 
 of duty, that another, younger, and more vigor- 
 ous hand might take it up and carry it forward. 
 Then free from pain, in the full possession of 
 every mental and spiritual faculty, with the happy 
 opportunity of looking back upon a life well 
 spent in the service of God, upon a career of 
 rare and long-continued success, in the course 
 of which he had gathered an abundant harvest of 
 respect and honor and love, he closed his eyes, 
 and calmly fell asleep. A sudden death, indeed ; 
 surprising and thrilling our entire community 
 with sorrow; but a death most amply prepared 
 for. Truly God has been good to him in giving 
 him such means of usefulness, such power for 
 good. God has been good to you, my friends, 
 in permitting you to witness his pure, blameless 
 life, and to be the objects of his beneficent influ- 
 ence. How well he used his success, and the 
 
 measure of strength and health he had, you 
 
 know full well. God has been good to this com- 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 munity, in placing in the midst of it this patient, 
 godly man, to work for its welfare, and to spend 
 and be spent in its behalf. In every enterprise 
 
 of good, in every work of benevolence, in every 
 
 movement for human happiness and blessing, he 
 
 stood forth most prominently the friend and broth- 
 er of man, the servant and the child of God. 
 This is not the occasion for dwelling upon the 
 events of his life, and analyzing his character. 
 That must be left for some future day. All that 
 we can do now is to weave this humble chaplet 
 for his bier. You who have grown up with him, 
 have known his worth, and hold it in value more 
 than words can tell,—to you he bequeaths the 
 rich legacy of the memory of his ministrations at 
 this altar; and, in your houses, the words which 
 he has spoken, of joy, of encouragement, of con- 
 solation, and of trust, —the rich legacy of a full- 
 rounded and complete life, —an inheritance in- 
 corruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. 
 ‘The one is taken, and the other left.’ And that 
 other prays most sincerely for as full a measure 
 of fidelity, devoutness, earnestness, and cheerful 
 5 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 34 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 
 
 faith, as he who has just passed on to his rest and ~ 
 
 his reward. 
 
 ‘When faith is strong, and conscience clear, 
 And words of peace the spirit cheer, 
 And visioned glories half appear, 
 
 ’Tis joy, ’tis triumph, then to die.’” 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 At the close of the service, a meeting of the 
 society was held, and a committee of arrange- 
 ments was appointed for the funeral. 
 
 On Thursday, March 8th, the funeral of Dr. 
 Hall was solemnized in the church at whose altar 
 he had so long ministered. There was no mourn- 
 
 ing drapery, except around the pulpit, which 
 was covered with black cloth. A profusion of 
 white flowers gave to the church an aspect cor- 
 responding with the cheerful truth of the gospel 
 of Christ, teaching the immortality of the spirit. 
 At fifteen minutes past ten o’clock in the morn- 
 
 ing, the church was opened for the entrance of the 
 members of the two Unitarian parishes and of 
 the Free Chapel; and the unreserved seats of the 
 spacious edifice were soon filled. At the same 
 time, a large number of the male members of the 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 35 
 
 
 
 
 
 First Church and Society assembled at the resi- 
 dence of their late pastor, to follow the remains 
 to the church. Here also met the gentlemen 
 selected as pall-bearers, and clergymen from 
 abroad. <A fervent prayer was offered by Rev. 
 ‘Alonzo Hill, D.D., of Worcester, Mass. A pro- 
 cession was then formed of the persons present, 
 and the corpse was reverently carried by four 
 colored men from the house to the church. The 
 following gentlemen acted as pall-bearers: The 
 Right Rev. Thomas M. Clark, D.D., Bishop of 
 the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island; Rev. 
 Barnas Sears, D.D., President of Brown Uni- 
 versity; Rev. Samuel L. Caldwell, D.D., pastor 
 of the First Baptist Church; Rev. Mark Trafton, 
 pastor of the Chestnut-street Methodist Episcopal 
 Church; Rev. Cyrus H. Fay, pastor of the First 
 Universalist Church; Dr. Samuel B. Tobey, of 
 the Society of Friends; Rev. Andrew Bigelow, 
 D.D., of Boston, Mass. ; Rev. George W. Briggs, 
 D.D., of Salem, Mass.; Rev. Frederic A. Far- 
 ley, D.D., of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Rev. Calvin Lin- 
 coln, of Hingham, Mass.; and Messrs. Joseph 
 
 
 
Ot MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 Balch and Nehemiah S. Draper, of the First 
 Church. The clergymen from the city generally 
 attended, and many clergymen from abroad were 
 present as sincere mourners of the death of one 
 
 to whom they had been accustomed to look for 
 
 friendly sympathy and counsel. 
 
 At fifteen minutes before eleven o’clock, the 
 procession entered the church, the organ playing 
 the “Dead March in Saul;” and the body was 
 placed on a bier in front of the pulpit. At eleven 
 o'clock, the services commenced with singing the 
 anthem, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me,” followed 
 by reading appropriate selections from Scripture, 
 and a responsive chanting by the choir of the 
 Ninetieth Psalm, read by Rev. Edwin M. Stone. 
 Then followed the singing of the hymn commen- 
 cing, “My Maker and my King.” It was a 
 favorite hymn with Dr. Hall, and was repeated 
 by him a short time before his death. Rev. Au- 
 gustus Woodbury offered prayer. 
 
 Another hymn was sung, beginning, — 
 
 ‘““My God, I thank thee! may no thought 
 E’er deem thy chastisements severe.” 
 
 
 
w 
 
 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. ~37 
 
 
 
 Rev. Dr. Ezra S$. Gannett, of Boston, a class- 
 mate, and for half a century an intimate friend, 
 of Dr. Hall, delivered the funeral address; at the 
 conclusion of which, the choir sang a sentence, 
 composed for the occasion by the organist of 
 the church, Mr. Eben A. Kelly, to the words, 
 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy 
 laden, and I will give you rest.” Rev. Mr. 
 Woodbury pronounced the benediction, and to 
 the grand and solemn strains of Beethoven’s Fu- 
 neral March the vast congregation dispersed ; and 
 all that was mortal of the long-loved pastor was 
 borne beyond the gates of the sanctuary, never 
 more to return. 
 
 A long procession of carriages followed the 
 remains to the cemetery, at Swan Point, and in 
 the “Pastor's Rest” the body was finally con- 
 signed to the earth. Rev. Dr. Osgood read the 
 burial service from the Liturgy compiled by him 
 and other clergymen of New York and vicinity ; 
 the choir sang the hymn, “I would not live al- - 
 way, I ask not to stay;” and Rev. Dr. Farley 
 
 pronounced the benediction. The entire services 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 38 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 
 
 were concluded at half-past three o’clock, P.M. ; 
 and the mourning friends and _ parishioners 
 separated and returned to their homes with 
 chastened and subdued, yet with trustful and 
 submissive hearts. 
 

 

 
SERMON 
 
 PREACHED NOVEMBER 5, 186s, 
 
 THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 
 
 BY ITS PASTOR, 
 
 EDWARD B. HALL, 
 
 RESIGNING HIS OFFICE, 
 
 Ye 
 
 
 
*“T speak not this to condemn you; for I have said before 
 that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.” — 2 Cor. 
 
 viii. 3. 
 
 Z| ES; I have said it before; using the 
 same words as a text twenty-three 
 
 years ago, on the tenth anniversary 
 of my settlement. But how little did these 
 words convey to me then, compared with their 
 meaning now! Every year has added to the 
 very meaning of life, and largely to its power in 
 the experience of a pastor. I do not think any 
 parishioner or nearest friend can have the same 
 
 6 
 
 
 
1 hs ia MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. ° 
 
 
 
 
 
 feeling, either in kind or degree. There is no 
 relation like that of a Christian minister; and 
 none anywhere else, it may be, like that of a 
 
 New-England minister. I doubt not the strength | 
 of the bond elsewhere; for in itself this relation 
 must have much in common with the same rela- 
 tion wherever it exists, but with large differences 
 in the different centuries and countries. -How 
 unlike, in nearly all respects, the Romish min- 
 istry to the Protestant! The people of the 
 former Church have no voice in the choice or 
 removal of the priest, which alone makes an 
 immense. difference; and there must be other 
 differences, in the feeling of restraint and sub- 
 jection, rather than of freedom and. intimacy. 
 Even in the English establishment, and in other 
 Protestant countries, the power of appointment 
 and continuance bears more resemblance to the 
 old ecclesiastical modes than to the freest con- 
 gregational. In nearer communions, — particu- 
 larly in New England, and, most of all, in our 
 own Liberal churches, — there is no interposition 
 
 of authority, no absolute power of councils, or 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 43 
 
 
 
 servility to customs and decrees. A parish 
 elects its own pastor in the freest way, ordains 
 ‘or installs him by its own members, if others 
 will not aid, — having also the authority of the 
 civil law, —and then retains him or not, as it 
 pleases; accountable to no foreign power, and 
 holding to him a relation more private and 
 personal, probably, than in any other part of 
 Christendom. 
 
 The New-Testament Scriptures, as all know, 
 illustrate the relation of pastor and people by the 
 marriage bond; and, if this illustration has lost 
 much of its significance in modern times, it is 
 chiefly, I think, since the marriage bond itself 
 has been so often and easily sundered, though 
 there may be no connection between the two 
 facts. In our day, in many if not most of our 
 own parishes, the implied and often declared 
 term is for life, in the one connection as well as 
 the other. ‘True, this has not always operated 
 well in the pastoral office, and should not be 
 regarded as a thing of necessity, but depending 
 
 on circumstances, differing widely in different 
 
 
 
44 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 cases, and to be always subservient to the law 
 of mutual advantage and spiritual edification. 
 Where neither of these is promoted or seems 
 possible, no idea of obligation or implied ex- 
 -pectation, personal attachment or private pref- 
 erence, should stand in the way of religious 
 profitableness or social harmony, but yield, at 
 whatever cost to the minister, in feeling or other- 
 
 wise. 
 
 Looking now into the interior relation as 
 
 affected by the passage of years, the changes 
 of all other relations, and the growth of attach- 
 ment, we are brought again to the declaration, 
 with new emphasis, that there is‘no connection 
 in life like this of pastor and people. Suppos- 
 ing the attachment to be mutual; motives pure; 
 duties performed not only with fidelity, but alac- 
 rity; the interests of every family and every 
 member of the society studied, and, as far as 
 known, impartially promoted; and the whole 
 office and ministration as disinterested as nature 
 allows,—it is not easy to over-rate the pre- 
 
 ciousness or sacredness of this relation. What 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. . 45 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 opportunities of intercourse, and. privileges of 
 intimacy! What confidences, disclosures, reli- 
 ances, interchanges of affection and service, of 
 which the world knows little, and which many 
 never suspect! What revelations of hope and 
 fear and struggle, in a series of years with a 
 large congregation! What communications of 
 
 parents in anxiety for children, and sisters in 
 
 behalf of brothers! What a mingling of joys 
 
 and sorrows, sanguine expectations and _ their 
 fulfilment or disappointment, in all that makes 
 life what itis! Ina word, what a record is the 
 favored and continued pastor writing every year 
 on the pages of the heart, as to the inner and 
 outer history, the birth and decline, of each 
 household for a whole generation! Oh! there 
 is nothing in public relations to compare with 
 this. There is nothing in private relations that 
 does not enter into it. Literally from the cradle 
 to the grave, and reaching far beyond the grave, 
 returning for ever to the soul’s memory and fel- 
 lowship, is the power of this sacred connection 
 
 and reciprocated affection. 
 
 
 
46 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 
 
 And does any one suppose that all this may 
 be easily broken off, or coldly laid aside? That 
 pastor does not know himself, or has never 
 heartily entered into his office, —that people 
 ‘does not know its pastor, or attempt to under- 
 stand his work,—where either can consent. 
 to such a dissolution with indifference. That 
 which we call dissolution, by the act of God, 
 1S a mercy, compared with any hasty or cause- 
 less disruption of these ties. I would not esti- 
 mate them fancifully, or exaggerate their impor- 
 tance. To me, they are a part of nature and 
 life, second only, and only in part, to the ties of 
 home and family, from which they cannot be 
 wholly severed. At least, it is my own experi- 
 ence, to which I may refer at this time. 
 
 I go back to the ground of my first ministry : 
 inexperienced as I then was and overworked, 
 soon interrupted by the first sickness of my 
 life, —a sickness threatening the extinction of 
 life, and limiting that ministry to four anxious, 
 arduous, but happy years, —and mixed as are 
 the emotions, I love to revisit those scenes, and 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 47 
 
 
 
 cannot leave them without a heart-thrill for the 
 many departed and the few surviving. More 
 than a generation have since trodden that 
 ground. The whole place has changed: but 
 the affection remains; yea, the reality remains. 
 ‘here-is the little temple, in its rural retreat, 
 reared for my first services, and consecrated by 
 that more than brother, Henry Ware. There 
 were the venerable hands of his father and mine 
 laid on the bowed head in solemn ordination. I 
 live again in those families, the first to welcome 
 me to the new relation, now chiefly removed to 
 another home. And, if such the power of that 
 early and brief connection, how must it be in the 
 later and much longer? 
 
 From that people the first and unavoidable 
 
 separation came; and for three years I was a 
 
 wanderer in search of health, though ministering 
 
 one of those years to a society in Cincinnati, 
 with whom also tender ties were formed, and 
 among whom that son was born who alone sur- 
 vives. Then followed another year of varied 
 
 service, in a ministry too dear to me to be will- 
 
 
 
48 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 ingly relinquished. Nor did I regard it as all 
 
 an evil, —this discipline of sickness and change. 
 It brings to any one more knowledge of himself, 
 and of the nature and needs of the profession. 
 No pastor or people is there who may not learn 
 much from the experience of change and trial 
 personally, and also in regard to the ministry. 
 How often does that which we most lamented 
 prove best in the issue! At every point in the 
 past, we can see a Providence, wiser than we, 
 mercifully breaking our sanguine plans, and 
 constraining us to walk in better paths, though 
 we knew it not. Once, twice, thrice, have I 
 been withheld by an unseen Power from the po- 
 sition which I desired, or forced to resign what 
 I most valued, and found both the experience 
 and the result full of blessing. 
 
 So has it been, my people, with that chain 
 of circumstances, often broken and sometimes 
 hard to bear, which brought me to this place and 
 this society. I had seen enough of the ministry 
 to understand its obligations, its burdens, its 
 
 privileges, and, not least, its uncertainties. I 
 
 
 
 
 
 = a wae Pa PE" to 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 49 
 
 
 
 had come to regard it as one of the most honor- 
 able, and one of the most arduous and perilous, 
 of all relations, — perilous to the very soul of 
 him who sustains it, if he care little, or do 
 little, for the souls that look to him in confi- 
 dence, or those that look away in indifference 
 and worldliness; perilous, whether he be treated 
 with too much or too little regard, pampered 
 or straitened, flattered or maligned. Nothing 
 should a minister so covet from his people, noth- 
 ing does he so need, as simple justice, — not 
 fawning, but fairness; not loud commendation, 
 nor secret complaint, but an open, manly, just 
 consideration. Perfect freedom to speak and act 
 according to his own best judgment, he should 
 always have,—freedom to do his own work in 
 his own way, untrammelled by prejudice or cus- 
 tom, unsuspected of selfish or sinister motives, 
 
 neglect or partiality. Of the last, neglect and 
 
 partiality on the part of a pastor among the peo- 
 
 ple, I cannot conceive. I do not know what it 
 
 is consciously to neglect any man. It is a com- 
 
 mon complaint in this connection, but should 
 7 
 
 
 
50 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 never be charged upon a minister, unless it be 
 too palpable to be possibly mistaken. 
 Honorable, my friends, has been your bearing 
 towards the pastor who came to you an entire 
 stranger; confiding and fair have you been, cer- 
 
 tainly as the rule, if with any exceptions. Par- 
 don me, I pray you, if I indulge still longer in 
 this unusual personality, in view of a special 
 purpose. 
 
 I came here with many misgivings. Your 
 last experience had been painful; your position 
 in the community was prominent; your numbers 
 larger than any I had ever attempted to serve; 
 while my own strength was not fully confirmed, 
 and I had reason to fear its failure, if no other 
 failure. The two previous ministries had been 
 long, — one of twenty, the other of twenty-seven 
 years’ duration; and, if any one could have as- 
 sured me that mine would have reached half 
 that shorter period, it would have surprised me. 
 The first five years increased my apprehensions ; 
 for they brought, in the end, the necessity of 
 absence for a short time in a Southern clime. 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 51 
 
 And once afterwards did health fail, and re- 
 quire assistance, taxing your indulgence. Yet 
 year after year was granted of God and your- 
 selves, while more and more of the power of 
 labor, and joy in the labor, came tome. Only 
 once, in these many years of our connection, 
 have I been separated wholly from you, and 
 then but for four months abroad. Every one of 
 our seasons of general anxiety and seasons of 
 thanksgiving, every closing and opening year, 
 without a single exception, I have been permit- 
 ted to share with my people. And now the 
 month in which this connection was formed finds 
 it a longer ministry by six years than any the 
 society has known; and finds me the oldest pas- 
 tor in the city, having spent with you thirty-three 
 of the forty years that I have been in the min- 
 istry. 
 
 Very insensible should I be, if I gave no ex- 
 pression to the gratitude I feel to you, and to the 
 Giver of all. The time has come when it should 
 be expressed without reserve. To-day I stand 
 probably on the last months of my pastoral rela- 
 
52 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 tion. With the year now closing, I resign the 
 
 trust which you committed to me, and which you 
 have continued through the largest and best por- 
 
 tion of my active life. 
 
 Do not ask me to give in full the reasons that 
 have brought me to this conclusion. There has 
 been nothing sudden or hasty in it, nothing out- 
 side to cause it. Three years ago, as you re- 
 member, I expressed a willingness and purpose 
 to give place to another, whenever the welfare of 
 the society should require it; and, since that, I 
 have not been unobservant of myself or of others, 
 —of myself especially ; for with others I have 
 not conferred, and no one has said a word to me 
 to accelerate my purpose. Let this be distinctly 
 understood. Nothing that the society or any of 
 its members have done, or not done, has influ- 
 enced me to take this step now. No minister, it 
 is true, ever knows the feeling of all his people 
 towards him; but, so far as I do know, I believe 
 I retain all the regard and confidence that I have 
 ever gained. My present action proceeds from 
 an inward and growing conviction, that a change 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 53 
 
 
 
 is best for the society. And, in being just to 
 you, let me be honest for myself. I cannot plead 
 inability to continue the work. I am not con- 
 scious, though others may be, of failing strength ; 
 and sure I am, there is no weariness or loss 
 of interest in the work. Never have I worked 
 harder, or written more, or visited more, than in 
 the last years; never have I experienced more 
 ease or enjoyment in the performance of all the 
 duties of my calling. It is a calling, not only 
 of my choice, but of an increasing affection. I 
 doubt if any one ever loved it more. No office, 
 honor, or wealth, I am persuaded, can yield 
 more full and pure satisfaction. Not till I have 
 lost all power of action shall I willingly relin- 
 quish the profession or work of the ministry. 
 But I have no right to expect that I can long 
 perform the many duties, or bear the responsi- 
 bilities, of a large and growing parish. I know 
 too well that weakness and dulness often come 
 upon the servants of the public before they are 
 themselves aware of it;, and I would not expose 
 myself or you to such mistake and injury. 
 
54 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 Besides, the times have changed since I came 
 to the work, and with them the conditions of a 
 useful ministry. Few preachers can hope to 
 avoid the monotony and weariness of many 
 years’ constant service in the same pulpit. Then 
 there is a spirit of restlessness and demand now, 
 particularly with the young, which we may 
 lament, but cannot control, and which may not 
 be wholly evil. Instead of complaining and con- 
 tending uselessly against it, we had better meet - 
 it like men and Christians, directing it to good 
 ends, even if we ourselves be the sacrifice. But 
 we shall not be. No willing laborer in any field 
 need be idle or useless. It is one feature of these 
 very changes, that they bring with them other 
 and new ways of serving the community even 
 religiously. Suffer me so to aid you. Suffer 
 me to remain among you, in the service without 
 the office. “Ye are in my heart to die and live 
 with you,” —to die as to official relations, to live 
 as a brother and helper; to live or die in the 
 faith that is every year more precious, and with 
 the people whom every change has bound more 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 55 
 
 
 
 closely to a heart whose aching and yearning, 
 in this hour, none will ever know. 
 
 One word more. Spare me the pain of re- 
 fusing a colleague-pastor. That relation also 
 has been affected by the times, and seldom is 
 independent, equal, and useful. Nor would I 
 subject the society to a double burden. I thank 
 God that I have been able to work alone thus 
 far; and I would ask for my successor the same 
 
 privilege. Only as a colleague-parishioner would 
 
 I help him, and help you all; standing here at 
 times, if needed, in the wonted place, with-which 
 the most precious memories and cherished hopes 
 are identified. This pulpit, this house, all who 
 have worshipped and communed with us, — all 
 who have gone from us to a holier communion, 
 still near in spirit and power, — make part of my 
 being, and will for evermore. 
 
 Happily, we share a fellowship circumscribed 
 by no place, time, or sect. Affections find no 
 barriers. If I have been true to the teachings of 
 Christianity and our own faith, you can embrace 
 all who have ever been with us, wherever they 
 
 
 
56 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 now worship, on earth or beyond. I hope never 
 to hold a narrower faith. I would neither live 
 nor die in any belief that required me to de- 
 nounce honest differences, or dishonor the essen- 
 
 tial truths that have been here proclaimed. If 
 
 they have failed to produce all the fruits we de- 
 sired, it may have been the preacher’s fault; 
 while the humility, charity, and heavenly hope 
 which I have so often witnessed among you, in 
 seasons of trial and the final change, testify glo- 
 riously to the power and blessing of such truths 
 in all conditions of life. 
 
 Still, my friends, dear as you are to me, — 
 never so dear as now, —I desire the more for 
 you greater power in the pulpit, greater piety in 
 the pew and the home. I know, better than you 
 perhaps suppose, how often I have failed to meet 
 all your wishes; and, yet more, how far short I 
 have come of the high calling of God in Christ 
 our Lord. But there is another place for the 
 soul’s confession. Many reasons have we all for 
 humiliation, equalled only by our reasons for 
 gratitude. Give me your prayers. Continue to 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 57 
 
 
 
 me, as long as you can, your confidence and 
 regard. Work with me in other ways, since we 
 may not work longer in this way, for the com- 
 mon good, for the furtherance of the gospel, and 
 the victory of faith. Let me serve you whenever 
 I can, till strength and life fail. Let me lay 
 down life itself—not its burden, but its joy — 
 among those I love, and sleep in the “ Pastor’s 
 Rest.” 
 
 
 

 
See OR LE SOCIETY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 RESIGNATION OF DR. HALL. 
 
 
 

 
ACTION -OF THE SOCIETY. 
 
 | I a meeting of the First Congregational 
 Society, held on the Tuesday evening 
 
 next following the delivery of the fore- 
 
 going discourse, a communication was received 
 from Dr. Hall, in which he formally presented his 
 resignation of the office of pastor, to take place 
 at the end of the current year. It was then - 
 voted, that a committee be appointed to confer 
 
 with him in regard to his resignation, so unex- 
 
 pectedly made, as the society were not prepared 
 to act upon it without ascertaining more fully his 
 desires and feelings on the subject. . 
 
 On Monday evening, Nov. 13, the committee 
 had an unreserved conference with Dr. Hall, in 
 
 relation to his resignation, and ascertained that it 
 
 
 
62. ~*~ °©MEMORIAL. OF REV. DR. HALL: 
 
 
 
 was his feeling that the time had arrived when 
 the interests of the society required a change of 
 pastor, and that he had taken the step deliber- 
 ately and finally. The committee then stated to 
 him, that, as individuals, it was their earnest and 
 
 unanimous desire that some connection between 
 him and the society might, if possible, be re- 
 tained; but, after fully discussing the subject, 
 they were obliged to come to the conclusion that 
 no such arrangement would be practicable. : 
 It was then suggested to Dr. Hall by the com- 
 mittee, that it would be impossible for the society 
 to obtain another pastor before the close of the 
 year, and that it would therefore be very desira- 
 ble that the time at which his resignation would 
 take effect should be extended. Dr. Hall ex- 
 pressed a willingness to do all in his power to 
 meet the wishes of the society in regard to the 
 time at which his resignation should take effect. 
 This was all that the committee felt that they 
 were authorized to do under the resolution ap- 
 pointing them; but they took the liberty to 
 
 prepare, for the consideration of the society, the 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 63 
 
 
 
 following resolutions, which, together with a re- 
 port of their doings, were offered at an adjourned 
 meeting of the society, held Nov. 21, and were 
 
 unanimously accepted and adopted : — 
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 
 
 Leesolved, ‘That the First Congregational So- 
 ciety have received with profound sorrow the 
 resignation of Rev. Dr. Edward B. Hall as their 
 pastor, announced from the pulpit, on the first 
 Sunday in this month, and also communicated to 
 them in writing on the 7th instant; and, under- 
 standing it to have been made deliberately and 
 finally, they accept it, although with great reluc- 
 tance and regret, at the severing of so sacred 
 a tie. 
 
 RPeesolved, ‘That, inasmuch as it will be very 
 difficult to fill the place occupied by Dr. Hall as 
 pastor of this society, he be requested to extend 
 
 the time when his resignation shall take effect 
 
 to the first day of May next.* 
 
 
 
 * Dr. Hall consented, at the request of the society, to continue his connection 
 with them until the first of May. 
 
 
 
64 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 - Fesolved, That reviewing now the long min- 
 istry of Dr. Hall to this society from its com- 
 mencement, as some of us are able to do, and 
 
 recollecting that he found us a despondent and - 
 
 discouraged people, and at once, by his devoted 
 and earnest labors, his unblemished Christian 
 character, his eloquence and zeal in the pulpit, 
 and his affectionate ministrations in our homes, 
 raised us from our low estate, and made us a 
 prosperous and happy society in all our relations 
 to him, to each other, and to this community, we 
 cannot help recognizing the hand of Divine 
 Providence in providing for us such a friend, 
 teacher, and pastor in our time of greatest need, 
 and preserving him to us for so long a period, to 
 minister to our highest spiritual improvement and 
 our eternal welfare. | i 
 
 Resolved, That we rejoice to know that it is 
 the intention of Dr. Hall to remain with us, in 
 his retirement from office, as one of this society, 
 a friend and fellow-parishioner: and we also 
 rejoice in believing, that as in the past, during 
 
 his long connection with us as pastor, he has 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 65 
 
 ~ 
 
 commanded the esteem and love of his own peo- 
 ple, and respect and honor from this whole com- 
 munity, and has won that peculiar attachment 
 which only a faithful pastor can receive from 
 those who havé been ministered unto in their 
 seasons of great joy, or of sore affliction, be- 
 reavement, and trouble; so, in the future, he will 
 be a shining example of the beauty and worth of 
 a life devoted to the highest service of God and 
 of man; and, as such, we can never cease to 
 reverence and love him as our minister and 
 friend. 
 
 feesolved, 'That Dr. Hall be requested to fur- 
 nish this society with a copy of his discourse, 
 delivered on the first Sunday of this month, that 
 the same may be printed and distributed among 
 its members. 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions, 
 signed by the chairman and secretary, be com- 
 municated to Dr. Hall. 
 

 
mC LL Vere THE SOCIETY 
 
 DEATH OF DR. HALL. 
 
 
 

 

 
 \ 
 
 Sted ik Re NN 
 
 hep Ol Uy TTON 8. 
 
 Ww T a meeting of the First Congregational 
 Society, held Monday evening, March 
 
 
 
 5, 1866, the following resolutions were 
 passed unanimously : — 
 
 WueErEAs, It has pleased our Heavenly Father 
 to remove from this society, by sudden death, the 
 Rev. Dr. Edward B. Hall, who has been for 
 more than a generation our faithful and beloved 
 pastor, — 
 
 Resolved, That while we most gratefully ac- 
 knowledge the kind Providence which has per- 
 mitted him for so long a period to minister to us 
 as a Christian teacher and friend, and to perform 
 with such marked ability and success the sacred 
 duties of his high office, and while we bow with 
 
7O MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 resignation to the decree of an all-wise Provi- 
 dence, which has suddenly called him from his 
 earthly labors, we cannot but feel and reverently 
 express our deep sorrow at this great bereave- 
 ment. 
 
 Resolved, That called so recently to mourn for 
 the severing of the pastoral tie, which was soon 
 to take effect, — although with a continuance of 
 social and Christian intercourse, — this sudden 
 and final separation, in this world, adds to our 
 grief a further burden, which it requires all 
 our fortitude and faith to bear. 
 
 Fesolved, That we find that words are inade- 
 quate fully to express our emotions, when we 
 review our pastor’s long ministry, and recall to 
 mind the tender interest and earnest eloquence 
 
 which marked his services in the congregation, 
 
 the church, and our homes;: his faithful and 
 zealous Christian labors for us, and for those 
 dear to us, in season and out of season, in joy 
 and in woe, in life and in death; and it must be 
 left to each individual who now looks back upon 
 the varied experience of life, to give silent testi- 
 
 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 71 
 
 mony to their pastor’s constant interest in every 
 joy of prosperity, and his ever ready sympathy 
 and support in every time of adversity: and of 
 all this each heart will make and keep its own 
 lasting record. 
 
 feesolved, ‘That we shall ‘always cherish the 
 memory of our beloved pastor, as one who has 
 given us, in himself, an example and pattern of 
 the Christian life which he has so often elo- 
 quently portrayed. 
 
 Fesolved, That, while we mourn for the death 
 of Dr. Hall as our pastor and friend, we also 
 deplore it as a great loss to the cause of Liberal 
 Christianity, of which he was one of the ablest 
 and most earnest supporters and defenders. 
 
 _fresolved, ‘That, in common with all the friends 
 of Christianity, education, good morals, freedom 
 and loyalty, we lament, in the death of Dr. Hall, 
 the loss of one who, in all his relations to society, 
 has been the truly Christian gentleman and pa- 
 triot ; always foremost in every good word and 
 work calculated to ameliorate the condition and 
 promote the welfare of his fellow-men, to extend 
 
72 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 the blessings of true liberty, and to-establish the 
 foundations of just government. 
 
 Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with the — 
 family of Dr. Hall, in their severe affliction, by 
 the loss of such a husband, father, and friend ; 
 but we rejoice with them in the assurance that he 
 has gone to the reward of a “ good and faithful 
 servant,” and has left them the sweet memories 
 of a life well spent in the cause of the Saviour he 
 so adored, in his ministry to this people whom he 
 has so long and so faithfully served, and for the 
 benefit of his fellow-men whom he so affection- 
 ately loved as his brethren, and whose highest 
 good he so labored to advance; and we earnestly 
 pray that all these memories may be sanctified to 
 them by their Heavenly Father for their consola- 
 tion and comfort. 
 
 ftesolved, ‘That the president of this society 
 be requested to communicate a copy of these 
 resolutions to the family of Dr. Hall, and to 
 cause them to be published in the daily papers of 
 this city, and in the “Christian Register” and 
 “Christian Inquirer.” 
 
 
 
 
 
Creorn OF SERVICE 
 
 AT THE FUNERAL OF 
 
 Rebate Ww Ak DB. A LL, D.D., 
 
 THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 1866. 
 
 
 

 

 
 ORDER OF: SERVICE. 
 
 pe 
 
 VOLUNTARY, — CHOIR. 
 SELECTIONS OF SCRIPTURE,—REV. E. M. STONE. 
 
 HYMN No. 121. 
 
 
 
 I. 2h 
 My Maker and my King, The creature of thy hand, 
 To thee my all I owe; On thee alone I live; 
 Thy sovereign bounty is the spring My God, thy benefits demand 
 From whence my blessings flow. More praise than life can give. 
 2) 4. 
 Thou ever good and kind, Oh! what can I impart 
 A thousand reasons move, . When all is thine before? 
 A thousand obligations bind Thy love demands a thankful heart ; 
 My heart to grateful love. The gift, alas, how poor! 
 
 5. 
 Oh! let thy grace inspire 
 My soul with strength divine ; 
 Let all my powers to thee aspire, 
 And all my days be thine. 
 
 PRAYER,—REV. A. WOODBURY. 
 
 HYMN No. 551. 
 
 Zi By, 
 My God, I thank thee! may nothought | Full many a throb of grief and pain 
 E’er deem thy chastisements severe ; Thy frail and erring child must know ; 
 But may this heart, by sorrow taught, But not one prayer is breathed in vain, 
 Calm each wild wish, each idle fear ! Nor does one tear unheeded flow. 
 
 e 4. 
 Thy mercy bids all nature bloom ; Thy various messengers employ ; 
 The sun shines bright, and man is gay; | Thy purposes of love fulfil ; 
 Thine equal mercy spreads the gloom And, ’mid the wreck of human joy, 
 That darkens o’er his little day. Let kneeling faith adore thy will. 
 
 ADDRESS, —REV. E. S. GANNETT, D.D. 
 SENTENCE, — CHOIR. 
 
 BENEDICTION,—REV. A. WOODBURY. 
 

 
DR. GANNETT’S 
 
 POV swe a Al) Re SS. 
 
 
 

 
CADIS 12 se letee 
 
 OMETIMES we surround the bier of 
 
 the dead with feelings of so unmixed 
 
 a character, that they become more 
 oppressive through their simplicity. The sad- 
 ness that weighs upon our hearts is relieved by 
 nothing pleasant in the past, nothing bright in 
 the future. Again, we are called to follow to the 
 
 grave one, who having exhausted not the ener- 
 
 gies of physical life alone, but the ability of use- 
 fulness and even the capacity of enjoyment, we 
 feel only gratitude at the thought that he has 
 
 
 
80 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. ° 
 
 
 
 exchanged a worn-out existence for the freedom 
 and vigor of immortality. At other times, and 
 more often, the discipline which we endure in- 
 cludes various elements, —the pain of separation, 
 the joy of faith, the precious remembrance, the 
 divine promise, the surprise, the shock, the be- 
 reavement, chastened by the believer’s trust and 
 the peace that God giveth. It is with such 
 mingled emotions that we now look on the life- 
 less form which it was most proper should, for 
 one solemn hour, on its passage from the home 
 where its presence had been like the clear light 
 of day to the place of its final rest, lie within the 
 walls of the sanctuary to which its willing feet 
 had been so often turned, and amidst the tears 
 of those who recall the earnest tones of a voice 
 that will never again lead their souls along the 
 way of prayer. We do not disturb the associa- 
 tions of the house of worship by giving this hour 
 to the memory of him who for more than thirty 
 years has conducted its services. What is more 
 in harmony with the purposes for which the 
 congregation, now bereft of their teacher, have 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. SI 
 
 
 
 usually assembled here, than the study of a life 
 that illustrated the value and efficacy of the 
 truth which he labored to interweave with their 
 spiritual growth? Is not a good life embodied 
 truth ; the visible, instead of the audible; the re- 
 ality, of which language is but the sign, or, at 
 best, the poor description? The preacher’s most 
 
 effective sermons are not given from the pulpit; 
 
 and when they who have found edification in 
 listening to him collect into their thought the pas- 
 sages of his daily walk among them which were 
 replete with instruction, they may be taught and 
 be moved as they never were by the counsel that 
 fell from his lips. | 
 
 Of Dr. Hall’s life, it may seem that they who 
 have known him in the most intimate relations 
 through these thirty years, — conversant with his 
 open exhibition of character, watchful of the de- 
 velopment of his various power, conscious of the 
 influence which he exerted over them, grateful 
 for the example which he set before them, — that 
 they are the persons to speak of his worth. Are 
 they not giving expression to their judgment of 
 
 It 
 
 
 
82 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 him in this crowded assembly, this drapery of 
 mourning, these sad countenances and tearful 
 
 eyes? And if, because their hearts are too full 
 for calm speech, they ask our sympathies to in- 
 
 terpret their convictions, it would be an unkind 
 denial, should we refuse to make the attempt. 
 Let me carry you back, my friends, to a period 
 that precedes your acquaintance with him. Fifty 
 years ago,—it lacks but a few months of the 
 half-century, —a youth came to Cambridge to 
 seek admission into its University. It was an 
 anxious day for him, and for those who with him 
 passed through the ordeal of an examination 
 which many of them had more reason to dread 
 
 than he. He came from the pleasant, quiet town 
 
 of Medford, where he had been prepared for 
 college under the instruction of one who after- 
 wards for many years held an important position 
 in the University, and whose careful scholarship 
 and conscientious discipline even then must have 
 left their impress on the earliest of his pupils. 
 _ Through the collegiate course he maintained an 
 irreproachable character; putting aside its perils 
 
 
 
 
 
 = ee 
 
 ; 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 83 
 
 with an unobtrusive firmness, and accepting its 
 duties with a cordial assent. If he was not a 
 youth of quick parts, his steady progress towards 
 a rank which placed him among the first in his 
 class made his diligence the more admirable. If 
 he did not draw to himself the affections of his 
 fellow-students with the magnetic power which 
 belongs to some natures, the constantly increas- 
 ing respect and confidence which they felt, bore, 
 perhaps, a better testimony to his solid worth. 
 Yet I cannot but think ¢at college life was the 
 
 type of subsequent years. He was one who grew | 
 inwardly and outwardly, subjectively and rela- 
 tively. His mind was seldom, if ever, rapid in 
 its action. He did not seize upon conclusions, 
 but approached them thoughtfully, or even cau- 
 tiously. His acquisition was not like the miner’s, 
 who strikes on sudden wealth; but more like the 
 farmer’s, whose early and late toil is rewarded by 
 the harvest. The consequence was sure but 
 gradual accumulation. He was every year richer 
 in knowledge and in wisdom. His character 
 obeyed the same law of progress. The sympa- 
 
84 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 thetic came upon the surface, as it found its way 
 up from the heart, and displaced that which had 
 less of an attractive glow. He became more 
 genial as his years multiplied. They who knew 
 him at the close of life may have loved him most ~ 
 warmly ; but they who had known him longest 
 were the most impressed by the moral energy 
 that had added sweetness to uprightness. 
 
 After graduation, Mr. Hall spent a year in 
 teaching ; a part of that time in Baltimore, where 
 he passed some pleasant months, and a part in 
 Beverly, where he enjoyed the society of the 
 excellent man who was then the minister of 
 the First Congregational church. Returning to 
 Cambridge to prepare himself for a profession to 
 which both his judgment and his: tastes inclined 
 him, he spent three years in the Divinity School, 
 and received from Professor Norton the direc- 
 tion towards critical study and theological sta- 
 bility, which it was difficult for any one of the 
 pupils of that admirable teacher not to keep 
 through life. His first settlement in the ministry 
 was with the Unitarian church in the beautiful 
 
 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 85 
 
 
 
 town of Northampton, —a church small in num- 
 bers, but embracing some of the choicest spirits 
 
 of the land. ‘The opportunities for study and 
 
 friendship which it afforded, he was not, however, 
 able to hold long in his possession ; for the Provi- 
 dence that so often makes disappointment the 
 avenue to success, by disabling him for the work 
 which he had undertaken, opened the way to his 
 entrance on a larger field of usefulness. After 
 three years, he was compelled by failing health to 
 leave Northampton, and to seek restoration in the 
 softer climate of the West Indies. His improve- 
 ment was such as to justify him, on his return, in 
 accepting an invitation to preach for a year to 
 the Unitarian society in Cincinnati, —a year of 
 mutual benefit to him and to them. Another 
 year passed, and you entreated him to make this 
 place the scene of his labor. It was not without 
 hesitation that he yielded to your request. “I 
 came here,” you remember he said to you when 
 he announced his wish to retire from the ministry, 
 —“TI came here with many misgivings. Your last 
 experience had been painful; your position in the 
 
 
 
¥ 
 
 86 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 community was prominent; your numbers larger 
 than any I had attempted to serve; while my 
 own strength was not fully confirmed, and I had 
 reason to fear its failure, if no other failure.” 
 His decision, though formed under this feeling 
 of self-distrust, was shown by the result to have 
 been wisely made. He threw himself with such 
 earnestness upon the work, that at the end of five 
 years he was obliged again to seek the balmy 
 influence of Southern skies; and, on resuming 
 his loved task, pursued it still with such self- 
 forgetful diligence, that a visit to Europe in the 
 summer of 1850 was a needful recreation for 
 both body and mind. You have expressed, in 
 more fit words than I could use, the benefit which 
 you soon realized from his fidelity in the office to 
 which you had called him. “ Reviewing now,” 
 is the language in which you signified your esti- 
 mation of him immediately after his proposal to 
 withdraw from this pulpit, “reviewing now the 
 long ministry of Dr. Hall to this society, and 
 
 recollecting that he found us a despondent and 
 
 discouraged people, and at once, by his devoted 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 87 
 
 and earnest labors, his unblemished Christian 
 
 character, his eloquence and zeal in the pulpit, 
 and his affectionate ministrations in our homes, 
 raised us from our low estate, and made us a 
 prosperous and happy society in all our relations’ 
 to him, to each other, and to this community, 
 we cannot help recognizing the hand of Divine 
 Providence in providing for us such a friend, 
 teacher and pastor, in our time of greatest need, 
 and preserving him to us for so long a period to 
 minister to our highest spiritual improvement and 
 our eternal welfare.” You could not have said 
 more without subjecting yourselves to the charge 
 of extravagant laudation: you could not have 
 said less in justice to the truth. From the day 
 of his installation, the 2d of November, 1832, to 
 the day of his death, these words were constantly 
 obtaining ground for the emphasis which you 
 have given them. ; 
 
 One-half of his life, that part which included 
 the maturity of his powers, his ripe experience, 
 his most compact yet pliant energy, his widest 
 influence, the years of his domestic happiness, 
 
 
 
88 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 and the days of his keenest suffering, were spent 
 here. With his ministry here was connected all 
 
 that was best and dearest in his experience. A 
 
 sense of duty alone could have led him to think 
 
 of resigning an office in which he took so much 
 satisfaction. “ Nothing that the society or any 
 of its members have done or not done has in- 
 fluenced me to take this step now,” he said in 
 your presence when he surprised you all by ask- 
 ing a release from the bond by which he was 
 placed in charge of your spiritual interests ; “my 
 present action proceeds from an inward and 
 growing conviction that a change is best for the 
 society.” You differed from him in this opinion ; 
 many of his personal friends and professional 
 brethren differed from him; the community en- 
 tertained a different judgment. But so firm was 
 his determination, resting as it did on a belief that 
 he ought to retire, that you were driven upon the 
 necessity — you know how reluctantly —of ac- 
 ceding to his request. As now, but four months 
 after he made that request, we meet in these 
 funeral services, does not the thought occur to 
 
 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 89 
 
 
 
 
 
 every one, that the mysterious sympathy between 
 the bodily organization and the immortal essence 
 of our being may have had an influence in lead- 
 ing him to that decision, and he unconsciously 
 have obeyed some indication of the failing sys- 
 tem that it was time for him to lay aside the im-: 
 plements which must soon drop from his hand? 
 It is not easy, when we make the friend. of 
 whom we are speaking the subject of our study, 
 to separate the man from the minister. Others 
 may find more than I to regret in this difficulty. 
 Is it not a mistake, to carry the desire for a 
 natural expression of each one’s individuality so 
 far as to require him to avoid all professional 
 conventionalism? Is it not a still greater mis- 
 take, to insist upon a minister’s renouncing every 
 peculiarity of manner, dress, or conversation 
 which might serve to remind others that he is a 
 teacher of religion? He need not lose the per- 
 sonal in the professional character: if he be an 
 honest man, the former will give its own com- 
 
 plexion to the latter. He need not become a 
 
 stiff or awkward part of the social machinery, pe- 
 
 I2 
 
 
 
go MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 
 
 dantic, solemn, or disagreeable, because he never 
 forgets the function with which he is clothed. 
 He may wear every grace of the Christian 
 ministry without putting on the robe of priestly 
 arrogance. It is not religion, but ecclesiastical 
 
 misconception, that has made the crook the sign 
 
 of authority rather than of tender care. Dr. Hall 
 neither obtruded nor disguised the clerical rela- 
 tion in which he felt that he stood to the com- 
 
 munity.. He regarded himself as a religious” 
 
 teacher, not in the pulpit only, or to those alone 
 whom he called his people, but always and in 
 every company, in the familiar intercourse of 
 the week as well as in the special offices of the 
 Lord’s day; one, who having sought the privi- 
 lege of unfolding the gospel of Christ to his 
 followers, it became his duty to maintain the au- 
 thority of the Christian law at all times. Ought 
 we not to lift into importance in these days, when 
 there is so much of a careless or ill-chosen free- 
 dom, the example of a manner which never 
 descended to levity, a style of conversation that 
 reminded us of serious interests rather than of 
 
 
 
 ee Pe eee ee eee ee 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. Ol 
 
 
 
 trivial pursuits, and an habitual air of communion. 
 with the highest subjects of thought? 
 
 His appreciation of the ministry was such as 
 only a mind touched by the spirit of holiness and 
 a heart of deep sensibility could entertain. He 
 knew into what sacred intimacies it introduces 
 him who is set apart to its service. “ Supposing 
 the attachment to be mutual,” he says in thé dis- 
 course from which I have already extracted one 
 passage; “motives pure; duties performed not 
 only with fidelity, but alacrity; the interests of 
 every family and every member of the society 
 studied, and, as far as known, impartially pro- 
 moted; and the whole office and ministration as 
 disinterested as nature allows, —it 1s not easy to 
 over-rate the preciousness or sacredness of this 
 relation.” Could any words of ours better de- 
 scribe his own discharge of the work to which 
 he gave all that he had of strength or will? Do 
 you wonder now, did you wonder at the time, 
 
 that he poured out his feeling in the fervid lan- 
 
 guage which follows? —“ Oh! there is nothing in 
 public relations to compare with this. There is 
 
 
 
Q2 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 nothing in private relations that does not enter 
 into it. Literally, from the cradle to the grave, 
 and reaching far beyond the grave, returning 
 
 for ever to the soul’s memory and fellowship, is 
 
 the power of this sacred connection and recipro- 
 cated affection.” In regard to the design of the 
 ministry, our brother held views drawn from his 
 interpretation of the New Testament. He did 
 not consider the chief purpose of Christianity _ 
 accomplished in elevating the tone of public 
 morals, or in calling into existence the philan- 
 thropic enterprises of the day. Prompt as he 
 was to lend his support to these enterprises, and 
 as ready to give encouragement to a healthful 
 literature as to bear his part-in theological dis- 
 cussion, he accepted the religion of Christ as the 
 means of redemption from sin and of inward 
 sanctification. In one of his published essays, 
 in which he exposes the errors that vitiate the 
 popular doctrine of the atonement, he contrasts 
 with them the “views of the gospel,” which he 
 was desirous of recommending. “Have not 
 these,” he asks, “ power to loosen the thraldom 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 93 
 
 
 
 of passion, to dispel the mists of ignorance and 
 doubt, to wake from the sleep of sin and death, 
 to turn_us from iniquity and bring us to God? 
 They ave power. Thanks be to God, they can 
 win souls to Christ. They can act by fear or 
 love upon the heart of the believer and the scoff- 
 er. They can pierce the conscience of the 
 sinner, and renew the strength of the fainting 
 disciple. They can strike upon the soul, as by 
 the powtr of God, and break its iron hardness, 
 search its secret depths, warm its coldest re- 
 cesses, and illumine its heaviest darkness.” We 
 
 can easily imagine what were the topics of 
 
 preaching, and what the aims, of one who wrote 
 these sentences. 
 
 In religious belief, Dr. Hall did not allow him- 
 self to occupy an equivocal position. His opin- 
 ions were distinctly formed and firmly held; 
 bringing him into antagonism with other opin- 
 ions, which, on this side or that, demanded a 
 faith or a freedom for which he could find no 
 justification in the Scriptures, but never involv- 
 ing him in angry dispute or unfriendly differ- 
 
 
 
94 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 ence. He was a Unitarian, in opposition to the 
 prevalent notions respecting the Divine existence 
 and character, the nature of man, and the ex- 
 piatory value of the Saviour’s death; but how 
 free he was from sectarian animosity or super- 
 ciliousness, the relations which he cultivated 
 beyond his own denomination, and the esteem in 
 which he was held by this community, are suffi- 
 
 cient proofs. He was attached by the strongest 
 
 convictions of his life to what he called, with a 
 fond emphasis, “the old evangelical faith,” that 
 listens to Christ as the anointed Messenger of 
 God, and kneels in gratitude at his cross; but 
 how far he was from cherishing severity of judg- 
 ment or unkindness of temper toward those who 
 put a more rationalistic construction on the facts 
 or doctrines of Christianity, may be learned from 
 the respect of which he was. everywhere the ob- 
 ject, and from his eager recognition, even in 
 private correspondence with one whose affinities 
 were like his own, of “an honest desire to do 
 good,” and of a successful pursuit of their desire, 
 on the part of some whose hberal tendencies 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 95 
 
 
 
 seemed to him to lead them away from “the truth 
 as itis in Jesus.” That there was nothing lax in 
 either the practical or the doctrinal exposition 
 which he gave to the truth is conclusively shown 
 by the first paragraph of the tract to which I 
 have just referred. “All men are sinners. The 
 word of God declares this unequivocally and most 
 solemnly. Universal observation confirms it. 
 Human nature shows it in all ages and all cir- 
 cumstances. Every conscience attests it; or, if 
 it do not, it is because of its own deadness or 
 perversion. Every man must feel that he has 
 transgressed the laws of God, and if iniquity 
 were strictly marked against him he must be 
 condemned. He needs forgiveness. The mercy 
 of God is his only reliance. How is _ that 
 mercy to be obtained? The question has been 
 anxiously asked in all ages; and reason and 
 nature, superstition and philosophy, have been 
 tasked in vain for an answer. It is a question 
 which Revelation alone can definitely answer.” 
 We find neither timidity nor ambiguity in such 
 language. 
 
96 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 A minister though he was in the whole pur- 
 
 pose and plan of his life, a diligent student, and a 
 devoted pastor, Dr. Hall did not confine himself 
 to parochial duties. He took that broad view of 
 the ministry which brings it into connection with 
 all social affairs and human interests. Without 
 neglecting more immediate obligations, he was 
 not slow to espouse any good cause that asked 
 his aid. By such timely service, he extended 
 his influence in this city, and won consideration 
 elsewhere. To education, to temperance, to 
 peace, to freedom, to patriotism, he contributed 
 the sympathies of a generous conservatism and 
 a sound liberality. He neither reverenced the 
 past too much to be unmindful of signs of prog- 
 ress in the present, nor indulged such sanguine 
 hope for the future that he was blind to obstacles 
 which only a patient zeal can overcome. By 
 temperament cautious, held back by principle 
 from rash undertakings or violent proceedings, 
 yet an outspoken advocate of the right, and a 
 firm believer in its final triumph, he united in 
 
 happy proportion elements of character and of 
 
 
 
 
 
 a > Re ake eee ee cee 
 ee ee ee oa , y=" 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 97 
 
 
 
 
 
 conduct that are often brought into conflict. By 
 a versatile activity, and a moderation that 
 avoided extremes, he drew to himself the con- 
 fidence of the community. His counsel was 
 sought, and the labor which he cheerfully per- 
 formed was gratefully acknowledged. The seat 
 that for twenty-five years he filled on the Board 
 of Trustees of the University, in which Provi- 
 dence may rightfully take an affectionate pride, 
 was but one of many proofs in what esteem he 
 was held. In no sense a worldly man, he had 
 a large share of that worldly wisdom which is 
 necessary for the proper management of affairs. 
 The theoretical never led him off from the 
 practical. I presume, that, in matters of busi- 
 ness, his judgment would have been as worthy 
 of reliance as that of most men who had spent 
 their lives in secular industry. ‘To the practical 
 quality of his mind, the good sense with which 
 he chose and the discretion with which he pur- 
 sued his ends, we must ascribe in part the 
 success that rewarded his efforts. The prosper- 
 
 ous condition of this religious society in its 
 13 
 
98 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 various interests, social, financial, and spiritual, 
 
 in its organized worship, its liberal charities, and 
 
 the close union of its members, is the result of. 
 that judicious care which never neglected oppor- 
 tunities and never outran circumstances. The 
 Ministry-at-large is indebted to him for an 
 impulse which projected it into favor; and the 
 sister church, which to-day is a sincere mourner, 
 can bear witness to his uniform and often efh- 
 cient friendliness. 
 
 In wider circles of acquaintance and influence, 
 he was almost as well known as here. Never 
 inattentive to his work at home, he found time to 
 render much useful service abroad. His brethren 
 in the ministry welcomed his presence, and 
 profited by his advice. Whenever he appeared in 
 their pulpits, he could not mistake the gratifica- 
 tion he afforded ; while they who heard him could 
 not be insensible to the benefit they received. 
 The universal feeling of bereavement which our 
 churches acknowledged when the intelligence 
 of his death reached them, was enough to mark 
 the place he had in their regards. The first 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 99 
 
 
 
 
 
 person to whom I communicated the information 
 on Sunday morning, after an involuntary cry of 
 surprise, exclaimed, “Oh, what a light has gone 
 out!” Throughout our denomination, his name 
 was as a household word. Meadville invited him 
 to spread the fruits of his ripe wisdom before her 
 young men. Antioch will never in future be 
 without a memorial of his existence. Harvard 
 long ago laid her honors on the head of this 
 worthy son. It was not among the least of the 
 marks of public confidence which were _ be- 
 stowed on him, that he was for several years 
 chosen President of the American Unitarian 
 Association, till he declined a re-election. When 
 it was known that he had decided to leave this 
 pulpit for a younger incumbent, we congratu- 
 lated ourselves that he would still be seen and 
 heard in the meetings which alike represent 
 and increase the force of our body. 
 
 From so busy a professional life, little time 
 could be snatched for any employment that was 
 not connected with its main purpose. It can. 
 hardly be said that Dr. Hall turned his attention 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 
 
 to any other work than such as fell within the 
 scope of his ministry. The one task to which 
 he set himself, that may, even more than his 
 general usefulness, keep his name before the 
 eyes of other generations, was the preparation of 
 a volume which required a rare union of deli- 
 cacy and skill in availing himself of the ma- 
 terials at his disposal. The subject of the 
 Memoir, to the writing of which he brought 
 the same conscientiousness as to the composition 
 of his discourses for the pulpit, was one of 
 whom it was difficult to speak in terms which 
 they who did not know her should not deem 
 the rhapsody of partial friendship. A woman 
 of such singular goodness, yet such harmonious 
 excellence, such perfect simplicity, yet such 
 various wealth of character, such strong yet. 
 quiet faith, such fervent yet self-controlled love, 
 
 such modesty, with such energy, such active 
 
 disinterestedness, and such hopeful piety, it was 
 a hazardous undertaking to describe her, in 
 whom they who knew her best could see no lack 
 
 and no excess. Her biographer wisely let her 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. IOI 
 
 
 
 
 
 describe herself in the extracts which he gave 
 from letters written in the frankness of trustful 
 affection. How well he executed his task the 
 approval of the public voice has declared. He 
 has done what but few authors are able to do: 
 he has made a permanent addition to the litera- 
 ture of the world. The lesson which he wished 
 to inculcate through this example he himself 
 explains in two sentences,— one at the begin- 
 ning, the other at the close, of the book, — 
 which deserve, like choice pictures on the walls 
 of our houses, to be hung up in the chambers 
 of memory. “It may serve to show,” he says, 
 in the Introduction, “that the sphere of woman, 
 even the most domestic and silent, is broad 
 enough for the most active intellect and the 
 largest benevolence.” And, as he dismisses his * 
 work, he remarks, “If ¢zs appear, it is enough; 
 that religion, with or without rank, wealth, 
 beauty, rare endowments, varied accomplish- 
 ment, or any singularity, can_lift woman to the 
 highest distinction, and confer the most enduring 
 glory, —that of filling well, not the narrow, but 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 the wide and divine realm of home.” It is a 
 touching circumstance, and one that has almost 
 the sublimity of a prophetic act, that the last 
 effort of Dr. Hall’s life was the affixing of his 
 signature to a paper intended to convey the 
 copyright of his Memoir of Mrs. Ware to the 
 American Unitarian Association. The strongly 
 marked yet tremulous character of the chirog- 
 raphy shows with what difficulty he guided the 
 pen but three hours before his death. 
 
 It is from the impression that such a life as 
 that of our friend is suited to make upon us, 
 rather than from a keen analysis of his charac- 
 ter, that we shall draw the instruction with 
 which our hearts may be enriched. We shall in 
 
 vain look for any extraordinary incidents in his 
 
 * life, or any salient points in his character. It 
 was through a happy combination of elements 
 that were made helpful to one another, and 
 through an industry which never relaxed its dili- 
 gence, that he was -enabled to accomplish so 
 much. No one faculty obtained or originally 
 possessed a disproportionate pre-eminence. He 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. I03 
 
 had but little imagination; his understanding 
 “was vigorous, but not massive; his reflective 
 powers were not superior to those of most other 
 educated men; his executive ability was the 
 result of training, rather than of original endow- 
 ment. He was neither a brilliant writer nor 
 a powerful speaker. A deliberative assembly 
 would not have been borne away by the vehe- 
 mence of his logic, nor a popular meeting been 
 electrified by the splendor of his eloquence. 
 And yet he commanded attention, inspired con- 
 fidence, secured respect, and exerted an influ- 
 ‘ence that spread and deepened with every year 
 of his life. The most remarkable feature in 
 his personal history was constant improvement. 
 Steadily, quietly, but unceasingly, he added .to 
 his resources, intellectual, moral, spiritual. A 
 wise and good man when he first came among 
 you, he was a wiser and a better man at the end 
 of the first five, and the next five, and the next 
 ten years; a wiser and a better, and I think I 
 
 may say a happier man, the farther he advanced 
 
 into the mystery of existence. He had many 
 
 
 
IO4 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 blessings; and he saw in them the testimonies of 
 a goodness that he adored. He had sharp sor- 
 rows; and he regarded them as methods which 
 “the Father” used to draw the filial heart to him- 
 self. Beneath his own roof he tasted the sweet- 
 est joys which home can yield; and across his 
 own threshold he had followed one and another 
 to the grave. He was not a stranger to the dis- 
 cipline which tries the spirit by its consciousness 
 of want and weakness: but he had gathered 
 strength from self-conflict; and, though the oc- 
 
 casion never crossed his path, if it had fallen in 
 
 his way he would have shown himself to be one 
 
 ot those — 
 
 ‘‘to whom a strength is given, 
 A will, a self-constraining energy, 
 A faith which feeds upon no earthly hope, 
 Which never thinks of victory; but, content 
 In its own consummation, combating 
 Because it ought to combat, (even as love 
 Is its own cause, and cannot have another, ) 
 And conscious that to find in martyrdom 
 The stamp and signet of most perfect life 
 Is all the science that mankind can reach, — 
 Rejoicing fights, and still rejoicing falls.” 
 
 os 
 
 
 
 
 
 lation a 
 
 pt eg Qink, Var. 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. I0O5 
 
 
 
 
 
 He was not called to bear this test, or give this 
 proof of the consecration which he had made of 
 his whole being to the glorious end, for which 
 humanity is subjected to the toil and struggle 
 and peril of the experience through which it must 
 pass that it may reach perfection. He was not 
 doomed to fall, that his defeat might swell the tri- 
 umph of the foes of God and man. But not less 
 conspicuous, nor less true, was the quality in his 
 life which gave it its great value and power. 
 Who could mistake this quality? When I was 
 able to collect my thoughts after hearing of his 
 removal, the knowledge of which came to most 
 
 of us like the lightning’s blinding flash, the 
 
 one word that seemed to me to be the central 
 point in my recollection of him was faithful, — 
 Jatthful. It would yield its place to no other 
 word. No other word would fill its place. He 
 had been a faithful minister, a faithful man; 
 faithful in public and in private; faithful in his 
 home, —let me be beware lest, with too bold a 
 step, I intrude where only they who enjoy the 
 privilege of intimacy may pause to say, “God be 
 14 
 
 
 
106 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 your comforter !”—faithful in his pastoral rela- 
 tions, as so many aching hearts attest; faithful 
 in his delivery of the message with which he 
 was intrusted for the congregation when he met 
 them here; faithful to every opportunity of dif- 
 fusing a wholesome influence around him; faith- 
 ful in self-culture and self-discipline, — for, if he 
 was not, how could he have maintained such 
 integrity of life before ten thousand eyes against 
 the frequent pressure of unpropitious circum- 
 stances ?—faithful in the closet, since only in 
 communion with God could he have acquired 
 that purity and solidity of character which came 
 under our notice; faithful according to that 
 which had been committed to him, — whether 
 ten talents or two it matters not, so long as the 
 
 example stands complete, and the encourage- 
 
 ment ample, for our imitation. ? 
 
 I lingered over the word. I could not resist 
 the fascination and the authority with which it. 
 held me. At last I released myself from this 
 monotone of thought, only to be caught within 
 the grasp of another word that appeared not less 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. LO7, 
 
 to belong to him,—“ Done.” It held me as I re- 
 
 peated the sentence so appropriate in this new 
 connection, —“ Well done, good and faithful ser- 
 vant!” It seemed to me to separate itself from 
 the rest of the line, and to stand in its own 
 absolute meaning. Done,—finished,—the work 
 ended, —the time arrived for us to give him up, 
 — the earthly life completed as well as closed, — 
 was this its meaning? The more I thought, the 
 more ready was I to accept it in this sense. Why 
 not? It does not lessen{our faith in another life, 
 to believe that this had rounded its circle. We 
 borrow fresh assurance of immortality from such 
 a truth. ‘To die when earth has no more work 
 to demand of us, is to enter on our heavenly 
 progress at the right moment. He of whom I 
 am speaking once added, after quoting from the 
 lips of another the expression, “ He has passed 
 on,” “Passed on! Beautiful thought! He has 
 not stopped, he has not ceased to be; he has 
 passed on, in faith and duty and love, to higher 
 labors and undefiled reward.” Shall not we say 
 the same of the friend whose mortal vestment 
 
 
 
108 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 alone is waiting for its burial? Yet, before I fol- 
 low the spirit to its new abode, I must tarry a little 
 longer near this sign of the past,—done. Had 
 he not finished his work? Had not the earthly 
 life reached its natural limit? Imgnorantly indeed, 
 - but truly, he was the prophet of his own depar- 
 ture. He did not know, when he delivered back 
 into your hands the ministry which thirty-three 
 
 years before you had placed in his hands, that he 
 
 could have retained it but a few weeks longer. 
 He did not know, when the organ of sight sud- 
 denly failed to discharge its office, and he stood 
 before you conducting without book or paper the 
 services of this place in their usual order, that 
 he would never again turn the leaves of the 
 sacred volume from which he had drawn so 
 much for your instruction. He did not know, 
 when he repeated the lines, — 
 
 ‘‘ My God, thy benefits demand 
 More praise than breath can give,” — 
 
 that his next offering of praise would be made 
 where the angels strike their harps of holy sound. 
 
 
 
¥ 
 
 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. IOQ 
 
 
 
 Yet each step was a preparation for the next, 
 and for the last. He had lived out his appointed 
 term. The unseen messenger of the Divine love 
 touched the thread which was just ready to break, 
 and the released spirit “passed on,”— passed up, 
 passed into the blissful recompense of the faith- 
 ful. 
 
 He had asked for a little longer period of co- 
 operation with you in behalf of the interests 
 which were nearest to his heart. “ Work with 
 me in other ways,” was his entreaty as he divest- 
 ed himself of the ministerial relation, — “ work 
 with me in other ways, since- we may not work 
 longer in this way, for the common good, for the 
 furtherance of the gospel and the victory of 
 faith. Let me serve you whenever I can, till 
 strength and life fail.” How characteristic the 
 wish! How like his whole course the request 
 conveyed in those words! Work, with you, 
 always. But he knew that the end must at some 
 time come; and, alike without dread and with- 
 out impatience, he looked forward to the dimly 
 
 descried hour. What was his desire, what his 
 
 
 
ad 
 
 “MEMORIAL OF REV.’ DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 prayer, in view of that hourr “Let me lay 
 down life itself—not its burthen, but its joy — 
 among those I love, and sleep in the ‘Pastor’s 
 Rest.’” Sooner than thou didst anticipate, faith- 
 ful laborer, has thy wish been granted. ‘The life, 
 of which not the burthen, but the joy was felt to 
 the end, thou hast laid down among those dear 
 to thee. With sorrowing but with tranquil hearts 
 —for thou hast taught them submission to the 
 Supreme will—they shall bear thee to thy sleep 
 in the spot which by its very name soothes our 
 grief, — “the Pastor’s Rest.” Rest there, friend 
 and brother, in undisturbed repose, while a thou- 
 sand tender associations shall hallow thy grave, 
 and careful nature shall clothe it with verdure, 
 as if to remind us that thine will be a green and 
 
 fragrant memory. Rest there, did I say? Sleep 
 
 in the place where dust returns to dust? Forgive 
 me, believers in a gospel of everlasting life! 
 Forgive me, thou who hast put on thine immor- 
 tality! Not here, where he pointed the mourner 
 to heaven; nor there, whence he lifted the eye 
 
 of faith to the spiritual mansions; nor in any 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pe ee a pee ee, ty ee ee 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. Tit 
 
 
 
 place, nor at any time, —let us speak of him as 
 dead. Itis asad and cold word. Alive, alive, 
 more conscious of life than he could be while 
 with us; with undimmed sight and renewed | 
 strength ; welcomed by those who had gone be- 
 fore him; surrounded by the holy and happy 
 ones in whose society the intimacies of earth are 
 not forgotten, though the sympathies of the soul 
 be quickened; gazing on that face radiant with 
 light which he loved to study as he saw it through 
 the gloom of crucifixion, or prostrate in the rap- 
 ture of adoration before Him who is at once 
 hidden and revealed by the ineffable glory; 
 drinking in with delight the knowledge which 
 on every side invites his enjoyment, or moving 
 in rapid flight to execute the errands of Divine 
 grace on which he is sent through realms of 
 being that have never passed across the astrono- 
 mer’s field of vision, or bending in fond ministries 
 of influence over those whom he has left to bear a 
 little longer life’s toil and peril,—so will we 
 think of him. And, as our thoughts climb up to 
 the blessed experience of which he is now a 
 
EES MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 partaker, our ears shall be unsealed, and the 
 -echo of that salutation which greeted him when 
 he passed through the flaming gates into the 
 celestial abodes shall fall like heavenly music on 
 our spirits, —“ Well done, good and faithful ser- 
 vant! enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.° 
 
 
 
: ht OAS ear 
 BG OY an 
 
 VOL 1s 
 
 Dik DEATHwOr DR. 
 
 WALL: 
 
 
 
 = 
 

 

 
 MOU EC ES. 
 
 [From the “‘ Monthly Journal of the American Unitarian Association.’’] 
 
 EDWARD BROOKS HALL, D.D. 
 
 UR. circle of. churches has met of late - 
 no bereavement which will be so widely 
 and deeply felt as that which has be- 
 
 fallen them in the death of Dr. Hall, of Provi- 
 
 dence, R.I. He had been for so many: years 
 
 
 
 heartily and actively devoted to all the relations 
 and duties of his profession, so conspicuously and 
 so acceptably too, that the blank which his de- 
 parture leaves is especially great. Not alone in 
 his own immediate sphere of ministerial and pas- 
 toral labor, but wherever our faith had planted its 
 institutions, religious, educational, or eleemosy- 
 
 nary, will his ability and faithfulness as a preach- 
 
116 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 er of the everlasting gospel, his love of popular 
 education and of sound learning, and his ready 
 and earnest benevolence, be gratefully and long 
 remembered and honored. 
 
 Edward Brooks Hall was a native of Medford, 
 Mass. He entered Harvard University at Com- 
 
 mencement in the year 1816, and graduated in 
 
 1820, in the class of which Drs. Furness and 
 Gannett are surviving members. A year spent 
 as a teacher partly in the city of Baltimore, and 
 partly in Beverly, Mass., placed him just so 
 much in their rear in his theological studies; and 
 he left the Divinity School at Cambridge, in the 
 Class of 1824, with the late Dr. Young, of Bos- 
 ton, and Rev. (now Hon.) Charles W. Upham, 
 of Salem, Mass. On the 16th August, 1826, 
 he was ordained pastor of the Unitarian Church 
 at Northampton; from which office, filled to the 
 ~ utmost acceptance of a small but devoted people, 
 he was obliged by enfeebled health to retire after 
 a little more than three years’ service. In No- 
 vember, 1829, he resigned his charge, and spent 
 the following winter under the genial skies of the 
 
 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 7 
 
 island of Cuba. He returned in the spring of 
 1830; and, finding his health improved, soon 
 after yielded to an invitation to give a year to the 
 First Unitarian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 
 climate of the interior aided the work of restora- 
 tion; and, on the 14th of November, 1832, he 
 was installed pastor of the First Congregational 
 Church at Providence. We well remember, as 
 almost the only apprehension we indulged on his 
 accession to that arduous and important post, our 
 anxiety lest the still delicate condition of his 
 health might soon prove inadequate for its de- 
 mands. He felt it himself; for, in allusion to that 
 epoch of his life, he said to his congregation in 
 the sermon he preached on the 5th of last Novem- 
 ber, immediately previous to his formal resigna- 
 tion, “ My own strength was not fully confirmed, 
 and I had reason to fearits failure.” The appre- 
 hension, in a degree, was realized; for five years - 
 “brought in the end,” he adds, “the necessity of 
 absence for a short time in a Southern clime.” 
 The frame that seemed so unstrung became now 
 
 braced anew for a longer continuous term of 
 
118 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 duty than ever before. Not till thirteen years 
 more had passed did it again require repairs ; 
 and from the year 1850, when the anxiety of a 
 generous people sent him abroad for the benefit 
 
 of a sea-voyage and recreation in foreign travel, 
 
 he labored most industriously, faithfully, ably, 
 
 and successfully in his chosen and beloved work 
 until within a few months of his death. The 
 resolutions respectively passed by his parishion- 
 ers at the time of his resignation, and after his 
 death, were no words of form. ‘They were as 
 honorable to them as to him; speaking as they 
 did, honestly and affectionately, their just appre- 
 ciation of pastoral services most faithfully and 
 lovingly rendered for a period of time covering 
 more than that of a generation; of a religious 
 teacher, pastor, and friend, whose words and 
 whose example had ever been in beautiful har- 
 mony; of civic, philanthropic, charitable, edu- 
 cational, patriotic labors, always spontaneously 
 and generously given, but with no dereliction of 
 special obligations or duties belonging to his high 
 office in the Church. The flourishing commu- 
 
 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. IIQ 
 
 
 
 nity in which he lived and labored so long ; its ad- 
 mirable public schools, its Atheneum, its various 
 literary and benevolent institutions, in helping 
 which he always took a leading part; its social 
 and religious life, of which he was at once a dis- 
 tinguished ornament and conservator, — all echo 
 back, confirm, and justify the estimate of his own 
 immediate parochial charge. The honorary de- 
 gree of Doctor of Sacred Theology, conferred 
 upon him by his Alma Mater in 1848, was but a 
 well-merited token of the high esteem in which 
 she held her son as a Christian minister and theo- 
 logian; while Brown University, at Providence, 
 honored his love of sound learning by calling 
 him into her counsels as a member of her Board 
 of Trustees as early as 1841, a post which he 
 held till his death. 
 
 Dr. Hall was early married to Harriet, daugh- 
 
 ter of the late Dr. Ware, sen., Professor of 
 Divinity in Harvard University; and by her had 
 six children, of whom Rev. Edward H. Hall, of 
 Plymouth, Mass., is the only survivor. His 
 
 second wife, who also survives him, was Louisa 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 Jane, sister of Hon. John C. Park, and daughter 
 of the late Dr. John Park; the latter gratefully 
 remembered as the accomplished and successful’ 
 
 Principal of a school of the highest grade for 
 
 young ladies, which he established in this city, 
 whence he removed to, and died at, Worcester. 
 Of this marriage a daughter remains. 
 
 And now, after the admirable analysis of Dr. 
 Hall’s character given on the day of his burial by 
 his classmate and friend, Dr. Gannett, in -his 
 funeral address, there seems nothing to add. 
 Sharing profoundly, however, in the conscious- 
 ness of his great loss to that which lay so near 
 his heart, — the cause of our own precious faith, 
 and to the churches which sustain it; proud, we 
 confess, of the honor which his marked example 
 of active fidelity to the demands of every rela- 
 tion and office to which he was called did to 
 that faith, and desirous as we are to commend 
 that example to the widest admiration and imita- 
 tion; grateful, too, for the constant and efficient 
 aid which he always gave to our Association, 
 
 of which he was at one time President, — we 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. I21 
 
 
 
 place on record our concurrent testimony to his 
 worth, our regret at his departure; a regret, how- 
 ever, oh how gently tempered and subdued by 
 the remembrance that his death was but the seal 
 to a fidelity and completeness in duty, as rare as 
 it was eminent; that it came just as he desired, 
 among those he loved, and had served in every 
 way that he could, till strength and life failed! 
 
 Dr. Hall was sixty-five years of age. His 
 health of late had become impaired by an organic 
 disease of the heart; and, a few weeks before 
 his death, he was threatened with blindness. 
 ‘Two Sundays previously, he preached in his own 
 pulpit extemporaneuusly, reciting memoriter the 
 Scripture lesson and the hymns. The sweet 
 submission of his spirit under this trial was a 
 striking and beautiful illustration of the power of 
 his faith; and the divine mercy in suddenly, all 
 prepared as he was, calling him away before the 
 burden of incapacity should have fallen upon 
 him, and where his dimmed sight should be ex- 
 changed for open vision, must be reverentially 
 and gratefully confessed. 
 
 16 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 The funeral services were most judicious and 
 fit. Rev. Dr. Hill, of Worcester, the former 
 pastor of Mrs. Hall in that city, and a familiar 
 friend of her late husband, offered prayer at the 
 home with the immediate family. The body was 
 then borne to the church on the shoulders of 
 colored men, for the freedom of whose race Dr. 
 
 Hall was always an earnest advocate, preceded 
 
 by the pall-bearers, and followed by the male 
 kindred of the deceased, his brethren of the 
 
 clergy from various places, the members of his 
 
 congregation, and citizens. At the church, the 
 pulpit being draped in black, relieved only by a 
 cross of white camelias; and the coffin, which 
 was also covered by black broadcloth, and on 
 which lay another floral cross and crown, being 
 placed beneath it, —the public services proceed- 
 ed. These consisted of two hymns, which were 
 favorites of Dr. Hall, and but recently during his 
 short confinement repeated by him to his daugh- 
 ter, — the one Professor Norton’s, “My God, I 
 thank thee,” &c.; the other, Mrs. Steele’s, “ My 
 Maker and my King,” &c., with appropriate an- 
 
 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 123 
 
 
 
 thems; reading of Scripture by our brother, the 
 
 eer 
 Rev. E. M. Stone, minister at large in Provi- 
 
 dence; prayer by Rev. Augustus Woodbury, 
 pastor of Westminster Church in that city; and 
 the funeral address by Rev. Dr. Gannett, of Bos- 
 ton. After the benediction by Mr. Woodbury, 
 the body was borne, as. before, to the hearse, 
 and the funeral cortége of seventy carriages at- 
 tended it to the cemetery; where Dr. Osgood, of 
 New York, read portions of the burial service ; 
 the hymn, “I would not live alway,” was sung 
 by the choir of Dr. Hall’s church; and the bene- 
 diction was pronounced by Dr. Farley, of Brook- 
 lyn, N.Y. Both officiating clergymen had been 
 intimately associated with the, deceased in pro- 
 fessional labors in Providence, — Dr. Farley as 
 the first, and Dr. Osgood as the second min- 
 ister of Westminster Church in that city; Dr. 
 Hedge, of Brookline, Mass., who was unavoid- 
 ably absent on this occasion, having been the 
 third and the immediate predecessor of the 
 present incumbent, Mr. Woodbury. The ex- 
 
 perience of this Association is amongst the 
 
 
 
I24 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 cherished remembrances of their professional 
 lives. zx 
 
 In the “ Pastor’s Rest,” at the beautiful ceme- 
 tery of Swan Point,—a spot set apart by his 
 society for the burial-place of its pastors, — re- 
 pose his mortal remains; attended there by a 
 cortége — which reached more than a mile — of 
 hearts that honored and loved him living, and 
 mingled their gratitude with their sorrow now 
 that he was dead. The spirit of sect seemed 
 exorcised from that burial. ‘The pall was borne, 
 in part, by representative clergymen of the 
 different Protestant churches of the city: Dr. 
 Caldwell, of the Baptist; Bishop Clark, of the - 
 Episcopal; Rev. Mr. Fay, of the Universalist ; 
 Rev. Mr. Trafton, of the Methodist; Dr. To- 
 bey, of the Friends; and President Sears (Bap- 
 tist), of the University: while Drs. Bigelow, of 
 Boston; Farley, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Lincoln, 
 of Hingham; and Briggs, of Salem, — repre- 
 sented our own body; and Nehemiah S. Draper 
 and Joseph Balch, Esqs., the church and society 
 of our departed brother. 
 
 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. I25 
 
 
 
 [From ‘“ Providence Journal’? of Monday morning, March 5, 1866.] 
 DEATH OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 Or how many of our eminent citizens has death 
 bereft our city during the last few months! 
 How rapidly are the fathers and leaders of this 
 generation passing away! How often, during 
 the past half-year, has it been our sad office in 
 these columns to pay our last tribute of respect 
 to those who by their age, their wisdom, their 
 long public services, their exalted character, had 
 won the almost filial affection and reverence 
 of this community! Only a few weeks ago, 
 we recorded the death of the oldest pastor in 
 the city, —the venerable Rector of St. John’s 
 Church, who for about sixty years had minis- 
 tered at the same altar. And now the preacher 
 next in the order of seniority, the pastor of the 
 First Congregational Church and Society (Uni- 
 tarian), the Rev. Dr. Edward Brooks Hall, 
 
 who for a third of a century has gone in and 
 
»* 
 
 126 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 out before his beloved people, has also departed — 
 
 for ever. He died, very suddenly, on Saturday 
 afternoon, of a disease of the heart. 
 
 It is well known to our readers, that last No- 
 vember, at the expiration of the thirty-third year 
 of his pastorate here, he tendered his resigna- 
 tion, to take effect on the first of January, 
 because, as he said in the discourse in which he 
 
 announced his resignation, he had no right to 
 
 expect that he could long perform the many ° 
 
 duties, or bear the responsibilities, of a large 
 and growing parish. Still he was not conscious 
 then of failing strength; and, in accordance 
 with the urgent request of his parish, he con- 
 sented to defer his resignation until the first of 
 May, and continued as usual to discharge the 
 duties of his office. 
 
 So vigorous was his purpose, that when, a 
 few weeks ago, his eyes failed him, with all the 
 determination and courage of youth he set him- 
 self to committing to memory the hymns and the 
 passages of Scripture which he wished to use in 
 the pulpit, and so, for two Sundays, conducted 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 127 
 
 
 
 his services without aid. His hearers and he 
 himself were gratified with his success in this 
 effort; and he longed to repeat the exercise. 
 He loved his profession; and, though he felt that 
 the whole charge of a large and important par- 
 ish would soon be too much for his strength, he 
 desired to labor as a minister to the last. 
 
 In the discourse to which we have referred, he 
 said of his vocation, “It is a calling, not only of 
 my choice, but of an increasing affection. I 
 doubt if any one ever loved it more. No office, 
 honor, or wealth, I am persuaded, can yield me 
 more full and pure satisfaction. Not till I have 
 lost all power of action shall I willingly relin- 
 quish the profession or work of the ministry.” 
 
 In the summer of 1864, his son returned from 
 
 South Carolina in a condition of sickness far 
 more advanced than had been supposed by the 
 family; his disease having been, as is believed, 
 caused by exposure while in the service of his 
 country. The anxieties and grief connected with 
 his son’s illness and death left their traces on 
 Dr. Hall’s system, from which he never fully re- 
 
 
 
128 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 covered. He was seen by others to be less vigor- 
 ous than before, though he was not willing to ac- 
 knowledge it, and appeared not to be aware of it. 
 
 The symptoms of his last sickness did not at- 
 tract much attention till about a fortnight before 
 his death, though, for a year or two, there had 
 been occasional difficulty of breathing, as well as 
 loss of strength and flesh. Within two weeks 
 past, he has suffered much; and it became evi- 
 dent that there was an organic affection of the 
 heart. | 
 
 He preached for the last time on the first Sun- 
 day in February, and was in the pulpit two 
 weeks after that. At about half-past five on 
 Saturday afternoon, while sitting in his chair, he 
 recited the following lines from the well-known 
 hymn by Mrs. Steele : — 
 
 “Thou ever good and kind! 
 A thousand reasons move, 
 A thousand obligations bind 
 My heart to grateful love. 
 
 The creature of thy hand, 
 On thee alone I live; 
 
 My God, thy benefits demand 
 More praise than life can give.” 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 Perhaps because he was so distressed for 
 breath, he substituted the word éreath for the 
 word /fe in the last line, and, as he completed 
 the line, fell from his chair to the floor, and 
 expired. 
 
 The public had not been aware of his danger- 
 ous condition, and were therefore quite unpre- 
 pared for the announcement of his sudden death. 
 The sorrowful tidings of his decease will awaken 
 sincere grief in the hearts of many, far beyond 
 the limits of our city and State. 
 
 Dr. Hall was born in Medford, Mass., Sept. 2, 
 1800, and graduated at Harvard College in 
 1820, in the same class with several eminent 
 divines, among whom were Dr. Gannett, Dr. 
 moung, and “Dr.--Furneéss.. He received: the 
 honorary degree of S.T.D. from that institu- 
 tion in 1848. He passed through the Divinity 
 
 School at Cambridge, graduating there in 1824. 
 
 He was first settled as minister at Northamp- 
 ton, Mass., where he remained four years. He 
 was then interrupted in his labors by ill health. 
 He travelled for about two years, and preached 
 
 17 
 
 
 
130 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 one year in Cincinnati. He was installed as 
 minister of the First Congregational Society in 
 Providence, Nov. 14, 1832, and remained its 
 pastor till his death,—a period of more than 
 thirty-three years; rather more than half his 
 life-time. The ministries of three successive 
 pastors — Drs. Hitchcock, Edes, and Hall— ex- 
 tended over more than eighty years. During his 
 
 long pastorate, Dr. Hall was twice obliged to 
 
 leave the society for a short time, on account of 
 ill health, once making a journey to Europe. 
 Of his ministrations to his flock, in private 
 and in public, this is perhaps not the place to 
 speak in detail. The voices of his afflicted 
 people will do justice to the talent and industry 
 and affection which have been instrumental in 
 securing such prosperity for the now large and 
 important parish; and some of his loving clerical 
 brethren will portray, as we are incompetent to 
 do, the intellectual, moral, and religious endow- 
 ments of the preacher who has wielded so large 
 an influence, not only in his church, but through- 
 
 out his denomination, and even far outside of it. 
 
 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF .REV. DR. HALL. £31 
 
 One of his parishioners, who has sat under his 
 preaching many years, writes us as follows : — 
 
 “ Dr. Hall leaves the bright memory of a con- 
 sistent Christian character. He had lived in this 
 community one-third of a century, and has won 
 the high esteem of all who knew him, in differ- 
 ent walks of life and in all religious denomina- 
 tions. Firm in his own views of Christian faith, 
 he maintained cordial friendship with ministers 
 and laymen of other names. As a_ preacher, 
 he was distinguished for spirituality and earn- 
 estness. The solemn tones of his voice are 
 associated in many hearts with their tenderest 
 recollections of sacred things. He excelled par- 
 ticularly in preaching on occasions which called 
 forth warm sympathy with the trials of others. 
 He was a firm believer in the truth and sanctity 
 of Divine Revelation, and in the divine mission 
 of our Saviour.” 
 
 Though Dr. Hall has devoted himself with 
 untiring assiduity to the interests of his people, 
 he has always taken an active part in all edu- 
 
 cational, philanthropic, and reformatory move- 
 
 
 
I32 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 ments. He was for many years a laborious 
 member of the School Committee, and has 
 almost constantly been an officer in the Athe- 
 neum. For nearly twenty-five years he has 
 been a trustee of Brown University. The tem- 
 perance cause has ever found in him a warm 
 supporter, even in the days when the zeal of 
 many of its professed friends had abated. He 
 took an active part in the formation of the Min- 
 istry at Large, and was a most constant friend 
 and helper of that beneficent institution. He has 
 labored in behalf of many other charities, —the 
 Home for Aged Females, the Shelter for Colored 
 Orphans, and others, serving as adviser, and 
 prompting some of the generous donations by 
 which such institutions have been aided. He 
 was an active member, and for several years the 
 President, of the American Unitarian Associa- 
 tion. After a recent effort to endow Antioch 
 College, in Ohio, a professorship founded by 
 donations from citizens of Providence, was 
 named the Hall Professorship, as a token of 
 respect for him... 
 
 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. i Fete 
 
 
 
 He was one of the earliest and most ardent 
 opponents of that system of African slavery, 
 over whose downfall he was at last permitted to 
 rejoice. He was a most earnest advocate of 
 peace principles; and during his brief visit to 
 Europe, in the summer of 1850, attended the 
 World’s Peace Convention at Frankfort as a 
 delegate, and made a speech, which received 
 high commendation. But his peace principles, 
 as he held them, he did not deem inconsistent 
 with the most vigorous war measures in sup- 
 pressing the rebellion. No man was more 
 zealous than he in sustaining the Government. 
 His voice, his pen, his purse, were at his coun- 
 trys service. He believed in government and 
 in human liberty; and few if any preachers 
 met the crisis more manfully, or spoke of it more 
 aptly, than he. His influence thus extended far 
 beyond the confines of his parish, and helped 
 mould the public sentiment in our city and else- 
 where on many important subjects. 
 
 His intellectual energies were, however, chiefly 
 
 concentrated upon his sermons, as, indeed, they 
 
I34 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 must needs have been to furnish fresh discourses 
 to the same people for a third of a century. A 
 number of his theological discourses have been 
 published. His occasional addresses were of 
 a high order of merit. Among them, we may 
 name, as specially valuable, his Address on John 
 Howland, that on Henry Wheaton, and the Ad- 
 dress delivered at the centennial celebration of 
 the founding of the First Congregational Church. 
 He was a frequent contributor to the “Journal.” 
 His communications were generally appeals in 
 behalf of some deserving charity or discussions 
 of grave moral questions, and were always 
 written with great facility and clearness. He 
 furnished several articles for religious reviews 
 and magazines. The only volume he ever pub- 
 lished is the “Memoir of Mrs. Mary L. Ware,” 
 wife of Rev. Henry Ware, jun., his brother-in- 
 law. The popular verdict upon it is read in the 
 fact that it has passed through seven editions. 
 
 Dr. Hall was twice married. His first wife 
 was Harriet Ware, daughter of Dr. Henry 
 Ware, of Cambridge. She had six children, of 
 
 
 
 
 
 ae 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. T35 
 
 whom Rey. Edward H. Hall, of Plymouth, 
 Mass., alone survives. In 1840, he married, for 
 his second wife, Louisa Jane Park, daughter of 
 Dr. John Park, of Boston. She, with her 
 daughter, Harriet Ware Hall, still survives. 
 Those who know how tender and affectionate 
 a husband and father Dr. Hall was, will com- 
 prehend how unspeakable is the loss of the 
 bereaved family, and will cherish the warmest 
 sympathy for them in this hour of their heavy 
 affliction. 
 
 [From “ Providence Daily Post”’ of March 5, 1866.] 
 DEATH OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 AGAIN we are called upon to record the death of 
 one of our oldest and most esteemed clergymen 
 and citizens. Rev. Dr. Edward B. Hall, Pastor 
 of the First Congregational (Unitarian) Church 
 and Society, died at his residence in this city at 
 about six o’clock on Saturday evening. His fail- 
 
 
 
136 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 ing health, of which he was conscious, caused 
 him, a few months since, to offer his resignation 
 as pastor, which was unanimously refused by 
 the church, he being requested to continue in 
 the sacred office which he had honored by so 
 
 many years of faithful labor. At the earnest and | 
 
 unanimous solicitations of his people, he con- 
 sented to continue their pastor until the coming 
 May. His death, however, was unexpected at 
 this time, and will cause deep sorrow to pervade 
 not only the circle with which he was immedi- 
 ately connected, but the city and State where he 
 has been known and recognized as one of the 
 first and foremost in every work of reform and 
 in every benevolent enterprise. No man among 
 us has been more devoted to the interests of 
 humanity or to the works of charity. In Dr. 
 Hall every struggling reform found a firm and 
 unyielding friend. By his counsels and faith in 
 the triumph of the good and the true, many a 
 cause of right, long languishing, renewed its 
 strength and vigor, and went on to a consum- 
 
 mated victory. By his death, the cause of tem- 
 

 
 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 137 
 
 
 
 perance has lost one of its most ardent advocates 
 and most uncompromising friends. 
 
 As a clergyman, Dr. Hall was faithful and 
 earnest, never failing to commend the good, nor 
 to denounce the evil and the false. He endeared 
 himself to the church with which he was con- 
 nected, by his many years of earnest and devoted 
 labor. His kind words have given confidence 
 to many a desponding one; his sincere faith in 
 God has smoothed many a pathway in life’s dark, 
 hidden way. To his brethren of other denomi- 
 nations, Dr. Hall was uniformly courteous and 
 considerate; and he was much esteemed by all 
 of them for the liberal spirit which he always 
 manifested, shunning all controversy, and will- 
 ing to honor their convictions, as he held his 
 own sacred to himself. 
 
 Another of the landmarks has gone from 
 among us. We take our pen to make mention 
 of life, and death compels us to write of mor- 
 tality. The grave is seizing, with remorseless 
 grasp, all the great, the good, and trusted of 
 the earth. 
 
 18 
 
 
 
138 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 *¢ Like clouds which rake the mountain summit, 
 Or waves that own no curbing hand, 
 How fast hath brother followed brother 
 
 From sunshine to the sunless land!” 
 
 In the few short days behind us, we have seen 
 the funeral train following to their last bourne 
 the remains of some of our most eminent and 
 respected citizens. Scarcely has the mournful 
 cortége returned, before another summons comes, 
 —a summons to the tomb. In’ view of these 
 great changes, of our little hold on life, of the 
 uncertainty of each hour, well may we say, — 
 
 ‘‘ Death, thou art infinite: 
 Tis life is little.” 
 
 [From ‘‘ Christian Register”? of March 10, 1866. ] 
 EDWARD B. HALL, D.D. 
 
 THE announcement of the death of this distin- 
 
 guished clergyman was received in this city on 
 last Saturday evening. The suddenness of the 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. I39 
 
 event, and interesting incidents connected with 
 
 his last hours, will be found in the letter of our 
 special correspondent from Providence. To this 
 may also be added a report of the impressive 
 services at the funeral. The wide-spread and 
 heartfelt sorrow of that scene is the best witness 
 to his labors and character. Fitting allusions to 
 the event, and notices of the deceased, were made 
 by various clergymen of our city in their services 
 on Sunday. Few names are more justly hon- 
 ored among us, and few ministers have worked 
 to such a purpose. After a long and faithful 
 ministry, his monument is one of the largest, 
 strongest, and most devotedly religious parishes 
 in our communion. But our knowledge of his 
 dislike for excessive eulogy forbids us to indulge 
 in indiscriminate praise. Nor are we tempted in 
 his case; for the soberness of truth will be the 
 best tribute to his memory. 
 
 Dr. Hall, in the widest and best sense of the 
 term, was a Christian minister. To this he 
 made every thing bend. He threw into his 
 work intellect, imagination, and heart. The 
 
 
 
I40 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 spirit of the Master, whom he so deeply loved 
 
 and strove to follow, so filled him, as to lead him 
 to toil in the cause of humanity. He was not 
 a mere perfunctionary priest, but a Christian 
 minister, whose sympathies were as various and 
 wide-spread as human need, suffering, and sin. 
 His attachment to his profession increased with 
 his years. In his recent discourse to his people, 
 he said : — 
 
 “It is a calling, not only of my choice, but of 
 an increasing affection. I doubt if any one ever 
 loved it more. No office, honor, or wealth, I 
 am persuaded, can yield more full and pure sat- 
 isfaction. Not till I have lost all power of ac- 
 tion shall I willingly relinquish the profession or 
 work of the ministry.” | 
 
 Dr. Hall was born in Medford, Mass., gradu- 
 ated at Harvard College in 1820, studied the- 
 ology in Cambridge, and was first settled as 
 pastor of the Unitarian Church in Northampton, 
 Mass., in 1826; a position he resigned, after 
 three years’ service, on account of ill-health. He 
 
 was installed at Providence in 1832. In 1848 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. I4!I 
 
 he received from his Alma Mater the degree of 
 
 ©.T.D. For some months past, he had been an 
 invalid; but his decease was sudden and unex- 
 pected. He was twice married. His first wife 
 was Harriet Ware, daughter of Dr. Henry 
 Ware, of Cambridge. She had six children, 
 of whom Rev. Edward H. Hall, of Plymouth, 
 Mass., alone survives. In 1840, he married, for 
 his second wife, Louisa Jane Park, daughter -of 
 Dr. John Park, of Boston, Mass. She, with her 
 daughter, Harriet Ware Hall, still survives. 
 
 As a preacher, Dr. Hall was most distin- 
 guished for moral earnestness and devotional 
 fervor. Only those who have been his constant 
 hearers know his full power in this direction. 
 On special occasions, when he was aroused by 
 the inspiration of his theme, there would fall 
 from his lips passages of soul-stirring elo- 
 quence. Often these would be the spontaneous 
 utterance of the moment. As this occurred 
 most frequently among his own people, they 
 best knew his power and effectiveness as a 
 
 preacher. 
 
 
 
I42 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 The influence of Dr. Hall in Providence, both 
 as a man and preacher, is illustrated by the fol- 
 lowing: A young clergyman of our faith said, in 
 a private conversation on the day of the funeral, 
 “When I entered college, I attended on the 
 preaching of Dr. Wayland and Dr. Hall, and 
 no man has done so much for me as the latter. 
 In consequence of his preaching, | am to-day a 
 Unitarian minister. I also used to notice his 
 influence over other young men, and well re- 
 member, during two seasons when he gave a 
 course of sermons, with what rapt attention the 
 large audience listened; and I could mention 
 the names of several students in college who 
 attended this series of discourses, and were per- 
 manently influenced for good.” Such spontane- 
 ous testimony as this is the best estimate we can 
 give of his power and influence as a preacher. 
 
 He was also pre-eminently a Christian pastor. 
 
 Whatever of reserve he had to strangers was 
 
 thrown off when his interest in the suffering and 
 needy was awakened. In the sick-room, at the 
 bed of the dying, and in the ministrations of con- 
 
 
 
 — 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 143 
 
 
 
 
 
 solation, he opened his heart, and poured forth 
 
 his deepest feelings. .Many who have gone to 
 
 their heavenly home, were they here, could bear 
 witness to the fact that his words of faith and 
 prayer had cheered their passage to the ‘grave. 
 His own afflictions had brought his soul to the 
 Fountain of all strength and joy. He had 
 learned from experience that true piety would 
 take the sting from grief; and this enabled him 
 to become the real minister to the afflicted. 
 
 In his opinions, Dr. Hall belonged to the con- 
 servative school. He was cautious by nature, 
 and had little fondness for the more rational 
 phases of religious thought. Still, he was large 
 minded, and fellowshipped with the real progres- 
 sive tendencies of the age. In his denomina- 
 tional relations, he was scrupulously faithful, as 
 his constant presence at all our general meetings 
 attests. He often went from a conviction of 
 duty, believing that the obligation rested on each 
 one to do his part. Now he has gone, and the 
 record of his life is made up more by what he 
 did than what he said. His work has been done 
 
 
 
144 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 with more completeness than often is permitted 
 to man; and, as he was about to rest from his 
 labors, he was called home. On Thursday his 
 people and a very large circle of friends followed 
 him to the grave. Rest, faithful laborer! God 
 has blessed thee. We mourn; but thou art living 
 in more intimate connection with the Father. 
 We pay the best tribute to thy memory, when we 
 make thy words and example the means of 
 quickening in us a diviner light, and leading us 
 
 to the Source of all comfort and consolation. 
 
 THE FUNERAL SERVICES. 
 
 On Thursday, the appointed day of the funeral 
 solemnities, long before the hour assigned, a 
 large number of persons gathered on the outside 
 of the church, waiting for the procession, in order 
 that they might enter the sanctuary. Many 
 friends and parishioners had already been ad- 
 mitted through the door in the rear. In the 
 
 mean time, the family and more intimate friends 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 145 
 
 
 
 of the deceased assembled at the house. The 
 clergy gathered in large numbers. Among 
 those from Providence were Dr. Sears, President 
 of Brown University, and representatives from 
 every denomination. Dr. Gannett, of Boston; 
 Dr. Thompson, of Jamaica Plain; Dr. Briggs, 
 from Salem; Dr. Farley, from Brooklyn; Dr. 
 Osgood, from New York; Revs. Calvin Lincoln, 
 Charles Lowe, and other clergymen from Mas- 
 sachusetts, — were present. After a brief and 
 fervent prayer by Dr. Hill, of Worcester, the 
 procession was formed. ‘The coffin was carried 
 by colored attendants, and the clergymen of 
 different denominations acted as_pall-bearers. 
 Next came the clergy, and then other friends. 
 
 On reaching the church, the procession, preceded 
 
 by the remains, entered and occupied the broad 
 
 aisle, except the pews reserved for the family. 
 The coffin was placed in front of the pulpit, and 
 on it were laid a cross and wreaths of exquisite 
 flowers. The pulpit was draped in black, which 
 served as a background for another cross, and 
 wreaths of pure white flowers. Over the coffin, 
 
 es 
 
 
 
146 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 and on the wall of the open space under the 
 
 pulpit, hung a large photograph of the deceased. 
 As the procession entered the church, there was a 
 low, solemn refrain from the organ, which added 
 to the impressiveness of the scene. After all 
 were seated, the family came in by the door in 
 the rear; and, as all were gathered, there was a 
 hushed solemnity. The sun shining through 
 the stained windows diffused a rich and mellow 
 light, and, as it fell on the throng of faces, pro- 
 duced a scene that was both impressive and 
 imposing. The arrangements were admirable. 
 There was no noise; all things proceeded in that 
 silent order befitting the solemn occasion. After 
 a very appropriate voluntary, Rev. E. M. Stone 
 read selections of Scripture. Then the congre- 
 gation joined with the choir in singing the hymn 
 beginning with these words : — 
 
 ‘*My Maker and my King, 
 
 To thee my all I owe.” 
 
 The voices of hundreds swelled and filled the 
 church. The fact that the deceased had re- 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 147 
 
 
 
 
 
 peated this hymn just before his death gave 
 this part of the service a deeper interest. Very 
 many sang with tears in their eyes. They could 
 
 not fail to recall the image of their pastor, as with 
 benignant smile, and the rapt glow of faith light- 
 ing up his face, he repeated these very words. 
 
 Though now the form lay there in the coldness 
 of death, he spoke through the faith and trust 
 which made sacred that sick-room and chamber 
 of the dying. 
 
 The singing was followed by prayer from Rev. 
 A. Woodbury, in which heavenly benedictions 
 were invoked, and the divine aid sought, for the 
 afflicted family and parishioners. ‘Then came 
 the well-known hymn of Mr. Norton, — 
 
 ‘¢ My God, I thank thee!” 
 
 This also was selected for the same reason as the 
 other, and was sung by the choir with impressive 
 effect. 
 
 The address by Dr. Gannett, his college class- 
 mate and lifelong friend, was a discriminating 
 
 and just delineation of the deceased. After a 
 
 
 
148 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 brief introduction, he pictured his friend as a boy 
 entering college, and passed to a rapid review 
 of the chief events of his life and a delineation of 
 his character. One great feature of the deceased 
 was, that he made constant and steady progress 
 in knowledge and character, even unto the end 
 of his life. Dr. Hall’s theological opinions, and 
 his own estimate of the minister’s work ; his vari- 
 ous efforts in behalf of charity and reform; the 
 prominent position he occupied; and the high 
 estimation in which he was held, both by his own 
 people and by our entire communion, — all these 
 points were touched upon. The closing part of 
 the address was very impressive. During the 
 delivery, a large number of the audience were 
 often moved to tears. The services in the 
 church closed with singing, and benediction by 
 Rev. A. Woodbury. 
 
 ‘The remains were then borne by the colored at- 
 tendants to the hearse, the procession re-formed, 
 and in carriages moved towards the cemetery. 
 As the train entered the grounds, and wound 
 round the carriage-path, its great length became 
 
 er 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 149 
 
 
 
 apparent. It proceeded to the spot bought and 
 prepared by the parish, and called the “ Pastor’s 
 Rest.” The lot was surrounded by a thick 
 hedge, and had a large tree in the centre. The 
 family and a few friends entered with the re- 
 mains; and, ere the body was committed dust to 
 dust, ashes to ashes, Dr. Osgood read passages 
 from the burial-service, portions of a hymn, and 
 repeated the Lord’s Prayer. The choir then 
 
 sung the well-known hymn, — 
 
 ‘*T would not live alway.” 
 
 The whole scene was a picture that will long 
 linger in the memory. In the centre of the 
 group was the coffin, on which was _ placed 
 beautiful flowers. Around clustered the family, 
 parishioners, and clerical brethren. As thus 
 they stood by the open grave, and listened to 
 those words coming out of the deep yearning of 
 the heart, and sung with touching feeling, the 
 effect was sacred and inspiring. As a whole, it 
 was a fitting expression of the Christian’s faith 
 
 and aspiration, such as enable the _ believer 
 
 
 
I50 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 even to stand by the shadow of the grave with 
 
 an elevated and cheerful faith in immortality, and 
 
 encourage the heart-sore and stricken to commit 
 the spirit of the loved ones to the mercy and love 
 of our Heavenly Father. 
 
 [From ‘‘ Christian Inquirer’’ of March 15, 1866. ] 
 
 REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 THE people of Providence had a memorable 
 experience on Thursday, March 8, when the 
 body of its oldest and most honored clergyman 
 was committed to the earth. The whole city 
 was mourner; and it seemed to be taken for | 
 granted, that every man, woman, and child had 
 lost a friend and benefactor. The large church 
 was. filled at an early hour with an earnest and 
 devout multitude; and, as far as the eye could 
 reach, the avenues for a mile on the way to the 
 cemetery were occupied by the procession of car- 
 riages- It was evident that this minister of our 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. BAe 
 
 
 
 church was recognized as a minister of the whole 
 community. The pall-bearers were the clergy” 
 of the city ; and it was a very novel and impress- 
 ive sight to see the extremes of the Christian 
 Chureh brought together at the side of that 
 coffin, and the Episcopal bishop walking with 
 the Quaker preacher. 
 
 The arrangements for the funeral services 
 were excellent, both in point of taste and efh- 
 ciency. ‘There was no confusion, no hurry, no 
 excess, no delay. The beautiful church never 
 held more impressive worship, nor gave stronger 
 proof of the power of its pastor’s ministry. He 
 was there body and spirit, and his works and his 
 people spoke for him. There was great emotion, 
 but little pain, in the assembly. It was the gen- 
 eral feeling, that God’s servant had done his work 
 well, and was called home in good time, before 
 the joy of life had ceased, and the threatened 
 days of darkness and infirmity had come. The 
 symbols of grief were well chosen, and were 
 solemn, but not gloomy. The black cloth on 
 the pulpit was relieved by a central cross of 
 
152 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 lovely flowers and a round wreath on each side. 
 “The communion-table was a bed of flowers; and 
 the coffin was covered with wreaths, and a cross 
 and crown. It was a very impressive moment 
 when the body was borne by the pall-bearers 
 into the church, and followed by the procession 
 of clergy and parishioners. Such occasions are 
 never forgotten, and are sure to leave a lasting 
 mark upon our people. It is not consistent in 
 us, indeed, to imitate pontifical pageants, that 
 give an exclusive honor to the priesthood, as 
 being more than human; but it is consistent for 
 us to show our just and reasonable estimate of 
 our wise and good men, by our treatment of their 
 memory in such fit and beautiful symbolism as 
 we dearly love. 
 
 Dr. Gannett’s address was judicious, interest- 
 ing, and adequate, and kept the audience fixed 
 for upwards of an hour. He was calm, and he 
 subdued rather than quickened his emotion, and 
 thus moved the people more than a more impas- 
 sioned style would probably have done. It was 
 
 a fitting tribute from a classmate and friend, and 
 

 
 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 153 
 
 
 
 
 
 it speaks for itself in the printed page, so as to 
 need no words of ours to define its excellen- 
 ces: | 
 
 Dr. Hall’s death is the most marked event in 
 the recent annals of our clergy. He was one 
 of the oldest of our leading ministers in the 
 field of actual service; and his life was a con- 
 necting tie between the past and present, and 
 between a great variety of important interests 
 and affinities. In the city of Providence, he was 
 an historical name as well as a living power; and 
 he carried with him the memory and affections 
 of more than one generation. His face stands 
 with us, his brethren, as the memorial of the men 
 and scenes and events of our whole professional 
 career; and we could never see him without see- 
 ing the sainted Wares, his kinsmen, and their 
 cherished associates within his sphere. . 
 
 There is no man whose life is a more edifying 
 study for our young men than his. He had no 
 shining gifts, yet leaves a shining name. He 
 was slow, but sure; never fast, but ever faithful. 
 
 His mind was sagacious and practical; starting 
 
 20 
 
 
 
154 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 from obvious principles of rectitude, and carry- 
 ing them out to plain and specific conclusions. 
 In his thinking and action, he held fast to what 
 he had proved to be good; and a great part of 
 his power came from his steadfast persistency 
 ' In what he believed to be right. He held his 
 convictions, his habits, his friends, and parish- 
 ioners to the last; and was not subject to any of 
 those vacillations that are so wasteful of time 
 and power, and set a man at work at the poor 
 game of playing himself against himself. He 
 held on by the old root, and so had all the 
 benefit of time and growth from the good old 
 stock. He grew slowly, but always grew; and, 
 with his growth, a third of a century of God’s 
 great providence bore its rich and ever-ripening 
 fruit. 
 
 He was a faithful pastor, and took the pas- 
 toral view of every subject, and belonged more 
 to the Ware school of practical pastors than to 
 the Channing school of preaching philosophers. 
 He was a clear-headed theologian, and began 
 with the Fatherhood of God and the Sonship of 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 155 
 
 Christ, and went on to present the duties and 
 
 encouragements of religion from his sacred 
 premises; but he was little inclined to go into 
 the perplexing questions of controverted divinity, 
 and his. most memorable tract on the Atone- 
 ment is more marked for its scriptural authority 
 and practical point than for its speculative ambi- 
 tion. 
 
 He was, in his way, a bold preacher, but 
 mainly upon practical topics; a stout champion 
 of temperance and anti-slavery, when they were 
 not popular; anda zealous opponent of the death- 
 penalty, when his opinion exposed him to no 
 small degree of odium. 
 
 He was a reserved man, yet wholly true to his 
 friends, and at heart most affectionate. His pas- 
 toral affections were quick and strong; and no 
 man among us has lived more devotedly for his 
 people than he. His occasional services were 
 perhaps the most effective; and he needed not 
 only a good subject, but an affecting object, to 
 bring out his mind and heart, — such an object 
 
 as pastoral life presented to him in its changes 
 
 
 
 We 
 
156 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 / 
 
 
 
 of joy or grief. His services the last night 
 of the year were generally very interesting 
 and edifying, and always brought the people 
 nearer to each other and to him. In printing 
 his sermons, these discourses should not be for- 
 gotten. 
 
 Since Starr King’s death,.no man among us 
 has been called away who has left so large a 
 void; and, in some respects, his work has been 
 more effective. He has left, in family life and 
 pastoral labor, as lasting memorials of. himself 
 as any man in our ministry. He died at a 
 somewhat advanced age (sixty-five years), but 
 seemed young at heart. In his last conversation 
 
 with me, three months ago, he was more genial 
 
 than I ever knew him to be; and he expressed 
 
 his love for his profession in words that no young 
 enthusiast could surpass. He was cautious, but 
 not timid; conservative, but not morose: and he 
 spoke of new views and young men as liberally 
 and hopefully as the most zealous progressives 
 could ask of any father in the faith. Even Starr 
 
 King could not have been more cheerful; and 
 
 
 
 — vs . 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 our venerable father whose dust sleeps in “ Pas- 
 tor’s Rest,” in Providence, was of the same good, 
 sunny heart as our genial young brother whose 
 remains lie in Pilgrim Churchyard, San Fran- 
 cisco. | 
 
 The cause of Liberal religion in Providence 
 owes much to Dr. Hall. He strengthened it by 
 his personal life as much as by his study and 
 word. He did much to make our friends a 
 Christian community, and to bring them to- 
 gether, in good feeling and work. I have 
 worked with him many years, and found him 
 ready to join in every worthy enterprise; and 
 we held our teachers’ meetings, conferences, 
 and benevolent schemes together. The regular 
 monthly exchange of pulpits was an excellent 
 custom, and did a great deal to promote good 
 feeling among our churches; and the institution 
 of the Ministry-at-large is one of the lasting 
 fruits of the good fellowship. 
 
 New York and Providence are held together 
 by many affinities of position and association. 
 
 Two of our pastors in this vicinity were for years 
 
 
 
158 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 settled in Providence, and they represented our 
 
 churches at Dr. Hall’s funeral. Dr. Farley re- 
 
 mained over Sunday, and preached in the vacant 
 pulpit at the request of the bereaved congrega- 
 tion. The services on Sunday evening, at the 
 Church of the Messiah, in this city, were of a 
 memorial character; and the pastor gave a dis- 
 course on the “Characteristics of the Faithful 
 Pastor,” with as much illustration from the life 
 of Dr. Hall as was fitting in a community where 
 he had not been often heard. The evening was 
 rainy; but a good audience, mostly of men, 
 attended. The music was appropriate and 
 beautiful. Peabody’s hymn, “Behold the west- 
 ering evening light,” the “Nunc Dimittis,” and 
 “ Nearer, my God, to Thee,” were sung by the 
 choir; and the whole congregation joined in full 
 voice in the choral, “Jerusalem, my happy 
 home.” 
 
 Rest in peace, spirit of our kind ‘and tue 
 good and faithful, brother Hall! Death came to 
 you sooner than you thought, but came in good 
 
 time, and found you ready with your record 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 bright. Much love clings to you still, and is 
 sure of your love in return. The crown on 
 your coffin, in its fragrance and its form, spoke 
 your epitaph: “ Well done, good and faithful 
 servant! enter into the joy of your Lord.” 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 mee Oe T/UNMeeANVD VOTICES 
 
 BY 
 
 OTHER?’ SO Cle TIES. 
 
 
 
 21 
 

 

 
 PeoOoLUPIONS AND NOTICES. 
 
 WESTMINSTER CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY. 
 
 AT a special meeting of the Westminster Congre- 
 gational Church and Society, held immediately 
 after divine service, Sunday morning, March 4, 
 the following preamble and resolutions were 
 adopted : — 
 
 WHEREAS, It has pleased our Heavenly 
 Father to remove from this mortal life the soul 
 of our esteemed and beloved brother, Rev. Dr. 
 Edward Brooks Hall, the pastor of the First 
 Congregational Church and Society in this city, 
 therefore — 
 
 Feesolved, ‘That this Christian church and 
 
 society hereby express their sense of the severe 
 
 
 
164 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 bereavement. which they have suffered in the 
 death of this faithful, devoted, and earnest 
 laborer in the vineyard of our Lord. 
 
 Lresolved, That we record our grateful and 
 united appreciation of the fidelity, godliness, 
 sincerity, and Christian trust which have char- 
 acterized our brother’s ministry in our church 
 and our homes, his untiring labors for the wel- 
 fare of this community, his pure and blameless 
 life before God and man, and his self-sacrificing 
 service of the divine truth. 
 
 feesolved, ‘That we offer to the family of our 
 departed friend, and to the members of our sis- 
 ter church and society, our cordial sympathy in 
 their affliction, and commend ourselves and them 
 to the care and guidance of Him who alone 
 can give us consolation, ever praying that the 
 light of his paternal presence may shine into 
 our hearts for our support and strength and 
 hope. 
 
 feesolved, ‘That a copy of these resolutions be 
 transmitted to the First Congregational Church 
 and Society, and to the family of the deceased, 
 
oa 
 Sate e hy 
 
 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 165 
 
 
 
 \ 
 
 and be published in the daily papers of this 
 
 city, and in the journals of our faith. 
 
 NEW-YORK PASTORAL ASSOCIATION. 
 
 Tue following resolutions were offered by Rev. 
 
 Dr. Osgood, at the meeting of the New-York 
 Pastoral Association, on Monday, March 5, and, 
 accompanied with affectionate remarks by the 
 mover and other brethren, were duly passed : — 
 
 Peesolved, That the New-York Pastoral As- 
 sociation have heard with deep emotion of the 
 death of our beloved and revered brother, Rev. 
 Dr. Hall, of Providence, and hereby record our 
 great respect for his personal character and 
 professional fidelity through the many and mem- 
 orable years of his service. 
 
 Feesolved, That we tender our cordial sym- 
 pathy to his bereaved family and parish, and 
 transmit to them a copy of these resolutions. 
 
 Resolved, That these resolutions be published 
 
 in the “ Christian Inquirer.” 
 
 
 
166 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 UNITARIAN SOCIETY OF FALL RIVER. 
 
 AT a special meeting of the congregation of the 
 Unitarian Society at Fall River, held at their 
 meeting-house on Tuesday evening, the 6th of 
 March, “A; D. 4866, ati wag 
 
 fresolved, That we deeply sympathize in the 
 bereavement of the people of the First Congre- 
 gational Church and Society in Providence, by 
 the death of their pastor, the Rev. Dr. Edward 
 Brooks Hall. 
 
 We have been privileged to listen with ever- 
 increasing interest to his ‘discourses, in his ex- 
 changes with our pastors, ever since his instal- 
 
 ment, now more than thirty-three years since. 
 
 We have had his wise and friendly counsel in 
 
 our most trying misfortunes and embarrassments. 
 And we have had the most liberal benefactions 
 of the people of his charge. 
 
 fresolved, 'That Rev. C. W. Buck, H. Battelle, 
 Israel Borden, T. T. Potter, G. H. Hathaway, 
 H. N. Gunn, Edmund Chase, and Dr. F. Hooper, 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. D. HALL. 167 
 
 
 
 be delegates of this congregation to attend the 
 funeral services of the Rev. Dr. Edward Brooks 
 Hall, at Providence, at eleven o’clock, on Thurs- 
 day, the 8th inst. 
 
 FResolved, 'That a copy of these resolutions be 
 forwarded to the Standing Committee of the First 
 Congregational Society in Providence. 
 
 H. N. Gunn, Chairman. 
 SAMUEL M. Brown, Clerk. 
 
 SHELTER HOME OF PROVIDENCE. 
 
 AT a special meeting of the Board of Managers 
 of the “Shelter Home,” held March 7, the fol- 
 lowing resolutions were adopted : — 
 
 Resolved, That in the death of Rev. E. B. 
 
 Hall, D.D., we mourn the loss of a personal 
 
 friend and efficient member, for many years, of 
 our advisory Board. 
 Resolved, That in the devotion of our rever- 
 
 end friend to every good word and work, in his 
 
 
 
168 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 untiring zeal for the rights of man, in his life- 
 long sympathy for the aged and the orphan, in 
 his every-day self-abnegation, we recognize the 
 spirit of Him who “came not to be ministered 
 unto, but to minister.” 
 
 fresolved, That, in his bright example of every 
 Christian grace, our beloved counsellor has left 
 us a rich legacy in death; while in life he was 
 ever prompt, not only to aid us by his practical 
 wisdom, but his extensive personal influence and 
 eloquent pen were often successfully used to 
 plead the cause of the helpless, and to fill the 
 empty storehouse of the orphan. 
 
 Resolved, That we tender the family of our 
 
 deceased friend and brother our sincere sympa- 
 thy ; assuring them, that, in their great bereave- 
 ment, the whole community are bereaved of one 
 who, strong in moral and intellectual power, yet 
 “went about doing good” among us, in all the 
 beautiful simplicity of a little child. 
 
 fresolved, That a copy of these resolutions be 
 sent to the family of Rev. Dr. Hall, and to the 
 daily papers for publication. 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 169 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 CHILDREN’S FRIEND SOCIETY. 
 
 Tue Board of Managers of the Children’s Friend 
 Society, at their meeting on Tuesday, March 6, 
 unanimously requested their Secretary to express 
 to Mrs. Dr. Hall and family, their sincere sym- 
 pathy for them in their recent heavy bereave- 
 ment. 
 
 No formal adhesion to etiquette prompts this 
 testimonial ; for the Board feel that ¢Zey have also 
 experienced a heavy loss. From the first organi- 
 zation of the Children’s Friend Society, Rev. Dr. 
 Hall was one of their Board of Advisors, and, 
 through its now thirty years of existence, has 
 been, in word and deed, its constant friend, and 
 judicious counsellor. Often has his pen been 
 used to call the public attention to its wants and 
 to its claims upon the community. 
 
 Often has his presence cheered the drooping 
 spirits of its matrons and its managers, and im- 
 parted a happy, genial influence to its family 
 festivals. In difficulties and embarrassments, 
 
 22 
 

 
 170 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 his patience was not wearied in planning modes 
 of relief. Upon his clear judgment the Board 
 have relied for guidance in their responsible 
 duties. In 42m they saw realized the patriarch’s 
 picture of one “who when the ear heard him, 
 then it blessed him; and, when the eye saw him, 
 it gave witness to him: because he delivered the 
 poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that 
 had none to help him. The blessing of him 
 that was ready to perish came upon him, and 
 he caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.” 
 With such memories of the past, it is as sincere 
 mourners that the Board of Managers tender 
 this expression of their sorrow and sympathy to 
 the family of their departed friend and adviser. 
 
 Marcu 8, 1866. 
 
 PROVIDENCE EMPLOYMENT SOCIETY. 
 
 Tue Providence Employment Society, wishing 
 to give some expression of their appreciation of 
 the character and services of the late Rev. E. B. 
 
 
 
PTE a 
 
 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. L7T 
 
 
 
 
 
 Hall, D.D., have adopted the following resolu- 
 tions : — | 
 
 Resolved, That this Society have received 
 with feelings of deep sorrow the announcement 
 of the death of Rev. Dr. Hall. 
 
 Resolved, That, in the removal by death of 
 Dr. Hall, we realize the loss of an endeared 
 friend, a willing and efficient helper, the co- 
 worker with her, his early-lost partner, whose 
 intelligence and whose interest in the poor 
 suggested this particular form of charity; and 
 who has, through the twenty-nine years of its 
 existence, ever given to it his warm sympa- 
 thy and support; rejoicing with us in all the 
 relief and blessing it has afforded to the indus- 
 trious and worthy needlewomen, and by his 
 Christian trust and hopefulness sustaining us 
 through seasons of discouragement and loss. 
 
 Resolved, That we cherish the remembrance 
 of his devotion to the highest interests of man- 
 kind; his unwearied efforts for the alleviation of 
 the sufferings of the poor; his happiness in min- 
 istering to the welfare of the earthly and the 
 
 
 
172 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 spiritual being; his Christian love, overlooking 
 and overcoming all unworthy obstacles, and 
 pressing on to the furtherance of every Chris- 
 tian enterprise. 
 
 FPesolved, 'That we bear in mind his imitation 
 of the example of the Master in going about 
 doing good; that the love of Christ, which made 
 his life so useful, may become deeper and more 
 active in ours; that we sympathize with his 
 family in their heavy bereavement, and offer 
 them our heartfelt tribute of respect and affec- 
 tion for his memory; and that we mourn the loss 
 
 to the Christian charities of this community of a 
 
 loving co-operator in every good word and work. 
 
 PROVIDENCE, April 13, 1866. 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 178 
 
 BENEFIT-STREET MINISTRY-AT-LARGE. 
 
 AT a meeting of the Trustees of the Benefit- 
 street Ministry-at-large, held March 19, the fol- 
 lowing resolutions were unanimously adopted :— 
 
 feesolved, "That in the death of Rev. Edward 
 B. Hall, D.D., pastor of the First Congrega- 
 tional Society and Church, the Trustees of the 
 Benefit-street Ministry-at-large mourn the de- 
 parture of one to whose earnest advocacy the 
 Ministry largely owes its efficiency and success ; 
 who, for many years, presided over its work with 
 a thorough fidelity and an unwearied spirit of 
 well-doing ; who was ever known, throughout 
 the entire community, as the friend of the 
 wretched and the destitute; and in whose ex- 
 ample of Christian charity the members of this 
 Board gratefully recognize an encouragement 
 and stimulus to their obedience to the great laws 
 of Christian duty and love. | 
 
* 
 
 LA MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 
 
 PROVIDENCE SEAMEN’S FRIEND SOCIETY. 
 
 RESOLUTIONS passed unanimously at the Annual 
 meeting of the Providence Seamen’s Friend So-. 
 ciety, April 5, 1866 : — 
 
 WHEREAS, Death has removed from our midst 
 the Rev. Dr. Hall, of this city, therefore — 
 
 Feesolved, ‘That in his death the Bethel Church 
 and Society feel that they too, in connection with 
 many others, have lost a valuable friend; one 
 whose counsels were ever at our disposal when 
 asked for, aiding and assisting us in various 
 ways, in days of adversity as well as in days 
 of prosperity. 
 
 Feesolved, ‘That we deeply sympathize with 
 the family, friends, also the church and society 
 at that time under his charge, in the loss they 
 have sustained in the death of so good a man. 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of the above be sent to 
 the family and friends, and also to the clerk of 
 the church and society with whom he so long 
 labored. 
 
a) ee 
 
 a a EN CT I ELI DE TE A TI I TEE TET TOE IIRL BORIS tM BT ENR GIT TNR tag 
 
 MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 175 
 
 
 
 HOME FOR AGED WOMEN. 
 
 From the “Annual Report of the Managers of 
 the Home for Aged Women:” — 
 
 This Society, in common with all kindred 
 associations, feel that they have met with a 
 great loss in the death of the late Rev. Dr. 
 Hall. From the conception of the Home until 
 
 the day of his death, Dr. Hall was an ardent 
 
 and true friend to its interests and its prosperity. 
 He was ever ready, in every possible way, to aid 
 us; and we recall his eloquent and touching ad- 
 dress at the opening of the Home, with feelings 
 of reverence for the departed. We deeply mourn 
 the loss of such a good and true friend as God, 
 in his providence, has taken from us and from 
 the community at large. His lips cheered us; 
 iis-——pen aided’ us; and his large’ heart. ever 
 sympathized with us in all cases of doubt and 
 perplexity, and rejoiced with us in all our ex- 
 perience of prosperity. 
 
 ¥ 
 
 
 
MEMORIAL OF REV. DR. HALL. 
 
 WASHINGTONIAN TEMPERANCE SOCIETY. 
 
 RESOLUTIONS of the Washingtonian Temperance 
 Society on the death of Rev. Dr. Hall :— 
 When, in the dispensation of Divine Provi- 
 
 dence, one is taken from us whose whole life 
 has been given to the cause of justice and 
 humanity ; who was ever found on the side of 
 virtue and morality ; whose talents and influence 
 were always enlisted in every moral reform, — it 
 is proper to endeavor to embalm his virtues, and 
 notice, by every becoming token of respect, his 
 departure from us: therefore — 
 
 fresolved, ‘That we learn with deep regret and 
 sorrow of the death of Rev. Edward B. Hall, 
 D.D., who, during his life, was a consistent and 
 steadfast friend of the cause of temperance, and 
 that we sincerely lament his loss to us and the 
 community. 
 
 feesolved, That we will cherish his memory 
 and try to imitate his virtues, as we mourn his 
 removal from us to his reward in a _ higher, 
 brighter, and better world. 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
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