Lotvvv-op, ^oNv^ujiX \\vvWviv\d. 
 
 ov^ we l^t '^\M^A<ky 0^ It's a^?, for 
 
^,f^S:\ '^-'•^a&^^ 
 
 (liass 
 
 Book„. L£. 
 
 3?l? 
 
MEMORIAL 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Church in Brattle Square. 
 
 1871^ 
 
 rig^h) 
 
iHemovtal of tije €\nm\) tu 9Svattle B>quare. 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
 PREACHED IN THE CHURCH IN BRATTLE SQUARE, 
 
 ON THE 
 
 Last Sunday of its use for Public Worship, 
 July 30, 1S71. 
 
 SAMUEL KcLOTHROP, D.D., 
 
 PASTOR OF THE SOCIETY. 
 
 WITH AN APPENDJ^l, - . - . . ^ 
 
 AND 
 
 AN ACCOUNT OF LAYING THE CORNER-STONE OF THE 
 NEW CHURCH. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND SON. 
 
 1871. 
 
F73 
 
 IN EXCHANCa 
 
 ii^1 
 
Boston, Aiu 
 
 Rev. Dr. Lothrop. 
 
 Dear Sir, — The Standing Committee of the Church and Society 
 in Brattle Square respectfully ask of you a copy of your able and 
 eloquent Sermon, preached on the occasion of holding religious services 
 for the last time in Brattle Square. 
 
 The Committee propose to have the Sermon printed in pamphlet 
 form, and to place a copy with the archives of the church. 
 
 With the highest considerations of respect and esteem, we remain 
 your friends and servants, 
 
 Franklin Haven, Abram French, 
 
 John Gardner, Chas. Lyman, 
 
 J. P. Healy, Christopher T. Thayer, 
 
 Benj. p. Cheney, T. Quincy Browne, 
 
 Eben'r Dale, O. W. Peabody, and 
 
 Geo. W. Palmer, J. T. Bradlee. 
 
 Lewis B. Bailey, Clerk. 
 
 Boston, Sept. 20, 1871. 
 
 To THE Standing Committee of the Church and Society 
 worshipping in Brattle SquARE. 
 
 Gentlemen, — Your letter of Aug. 3 received immediate attention 
 after my return from my vacation. I am gratified to find that I met an 
 occasion oFso much interest to all of us in a manner satisfactory to my 
 parishioners, and friends. From my own notes, and the very full and 
 accurate reports in the newspapers, I have prepared a copy of my 
 Sermon for publication, which I herewith submit to your disposal. 
 
 With the highest regard, and many pleasant and grateful recollec- 
 tions, I am, gentlemen, very sincerely your friend and pastor, 
 
 S. K. LOTHROP. 
 
DISCOURSE. 
 
 " "PNLARGE the place of thy tent, and let them 
 -"-^ stretch forth the curtains of thine habita- 
 tions, . . . and great shall be the peace of thy chil- 
 dren." Thus saith the prophet Isaiah, in this 54th 
 chapter. " Thou shalt worship the Father in spirit 
 and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship 
 him." Thus spake the blessed Master, in conver- 
 sation with the woman of Samaria, recorded in the 
 4th chapter of St. John's Gospel. Both these scrip- 
 tures are appropriate mottoes for our thoughts this 
 day, which, though it looks to the future, belongs 
 largely to the past. We meet for the last time on 
 this spot, which, for more than one hundred and 
 seventy years, has been consecrated to the worship 
 of Almighty God. We come to bid farewell for 
 ever to this grand and noble old church, which has 
 stood, for nearly a century, a monument testifying 
 to the faith and piety of our Fathers; and which. 
 
to some of us, from our earliest childhood, and to 
 all of us for long, long years, has been the religious 
 home of our souls, full of all tender and sacred 
 associations. Naturally, our thoughts revert to the 
 past ; and to gather up the lessons of that past, as 
 they are presented in the history of this church, 
 in the spirit, purpose, and principles in which it 
 originated, and to which it has ever faithfully ad- 
 hered, — this becomes at once a grateful pleasure, 
 and a sacred duty. 
 
 Any reference to the times, any study of the cir- 
 cumstances under which this church originated, 
 brings up to our thoughts the emphatic declaration 
 of the Master : " Thou shalt worship the Father in 
 spirit and in truth," — a declaration that does not 
 forbid nor denounce nor dispense with forms, but 
 which, while it permits a large liberty in relation to 
 them, does require that they be simple and appro- 
 priate; that faith accept them; that the heart vitalize 
 them; and that thus they become a sincere expres- 
 sion of thought and feeling, and help to quicken, 
 enlarge, and invigorate the thought, the feeling, 
 the faith and piety which they are designed to 
 express. 
 
 Always in the church, as in all civil and social 
 life, there have been exhibited two opposing ten- 
 dencies, — the one tendency favoring freedom and 
 simplicity in the forms and administration of relig- 
 
ion; the other favoring authority, and more or less 
 of imposing ceremony and ritualistic display. The 
 latter tendency finds its culmination in the Roman 
 Catholic Church, and the former one of its strong- 
 est manifestations in that English Puritanism, which, 
 disheartened by persecution and ill success at home, 
 came to New England in the persons of some of 
 its noblest and most devoted disciples, that here it 
 might have freedom, and establish a church without 
 a bishop, and a State without a king; or, rather, that 
 it might establish a church that should be the State, 
 and a State that should be the church. This was 
 the great mistake of early New-England Puritan- 
 ism, — the point wherein it limited or violated free- 
 dom, if not simplicity. Though in many respects 
 grand and glorious, Puritanism was an extreme, 
 overlooking, in the culture and administration of re- 
 ligion, some useful and important elements of hu- 
 man nature which ought never to be disregarded; 
 and, in other respects, adopting various peculiarities, 
 which had little or nothing to recommend them, 
 save that they were the very opposite of prelative 
 usages, to which it was bound by all means not to 
 conform. Puritanism would not use the Lord's 
 Prayer, in public or private, because the " Book of 
 Common Pra3'er " required its repetition several 
 times in some, and once in all its services. Puri- 
 tanism would not read the Scriptures in public wor- 
 
ship, because the " Book of Common Prayer " 
 required a monthly repetition of the Psalms, and a 
 full and systematic reading of large portions of 
 the Bible, in the course of the year. And, for the 
 same reason, because the "^ Book of Common 
 Prayer" provided for various chants and singings, 
 Puritanism w^ould sing but once, in any public ser- 
 vice. Puritanism neglected altogether the aesthetic 
 element in human nature; and for religious expres- 
 sion, for the quickening of the religious sensibili- 
 ties, it scorned all use of that sense of the beautiful, 
 the grand, and imposing, to which God constantly 
 appeals, in the solemn magnificence of the uni- 
 verse. A stern, cold, and uninviting simplicity 
 of form and outward service, resting upon nothing, 
 appealing to nothing but the spirit of faith and 
 piety, and appealing to these through logic and 
 argument, rather than the tender and S3'mpathetic 
 elements of our nature, — this was the distinctive, 
 characteristic feature of Puritanism in New Eng- 
 land. 
 
 But its great mistake was in undertaking to com- 
 bine the church and State, and confine citizenship, 
 with all its rights and prerogatives, to church mem- 
 bers. Such an exclusive and arbitrary rule could 
 not last long. It could only prevail during the 
 lives of the original emigrants, who were all church 
 members, and were moved to voluntarv exile for 
 
conscience's sake; and as soon as that generation 
 passed, as early as 1662, this disability was removed, 
 and every freeholder became a citizen, wnth a vote 
 and a voice in all public affairs. But, in ecclesias- 
 tical matters, in the management of religious socie- 
 ties and parishes, the church — technically speaking, 
 — the communicants still struggled, first for abso- 
 lute and exclusive control, and then for the right to 
 take the initiatory steps, and direct the movements 
 of the parish. 
 
 Just at this point, we find the germ of this old 
 Brattle-Square Church and Society. It did not origi- 
 nate in any quarrel, nor in any separation from any 
 other church in the tov^n. It did not originate in 
 any dispute or controversy upon points of theologi- 
 cal doctrine. Its source was simply a determined 
 purpose, on the part of its founders, to establish a 
 new religious society, in which the Gospel and its 
 ordinances should be administered upon a more 
 liberal and generous plan than then prevailed, im- 
 posing exactions upon none, and withholding rights 
 from none. The enterprise met with opposition of 
 such force and character, that " the undertakers," 
 as they were called, just before their first church 
 was dedicated, in November, 1699, put forth a docu- 
 ment styled " A Manifesto," in order, as they say, 
 " to prevent misapprehensions and jealousies, and 
 to set forth their designs and aims, and the princi- 
 
lO 
 
 pies to which, by the grace of God, they meant to 
 adhere." This manifesto contained sixteen articles. 
 The first one is as follows: ^* We approve and sub- 
 scribe to the confession of faith put forth by the 
 Assembly of Divines at Westminster." This dec- 
 laration, of course, shows that upon points of theo- 
 logical doctrine the founders of this church did not 
 assume to differ from the mass of Congregational 
 churches of that time. The points upon which 
 they diftcred, and thereby gave offence, related to 
 custom and usage in the administration of religion. 
 They were four in number. The first, according 
 to the published manifesto, was, " Reading of the 
 Scriptures in public worship," — a custom largely 
 neglected then among the Puritan Congregationalists 
 in England, and, I believe, absolutely abandoned in 
 this country. " We design only the true and pure 
 Worship of God, according as it appears to us from 
 the Holy Scriptures. Therefore, we deem it meet, 
 suitable, and convenient that a portion of the Bible 
 be read always in public worship, at the discretion 
 of the minister." Here was something that savored 
 of a return to prelatic usage; and as it was under- 
 stood (though not stated in the manifesto) that in 
 the new church the Lord's Prayer was to be re- 
 peated once b}' the minister in the public service 
 every Sunday (a custom which traditionary usage 
 has handed down to the present tim.e), this innova- 
 
II 
 
 tion of reading the Scriptures at public worship was 
 especially offensive to the conservative Puritanism 
 of that day. 
 
 The second point related to the proper subjects 
 of baptism, — who were entitled to have it admin- 
 istered to their children? The Independent Con- 
 o-reo-ational churches of Eno-land administered 
 baptism only to infants whose parents were church 
 members; but the free air of the wilderness very 
 soon had its effect upon the New-England churches, 
 leading them to abandon many of the customs and 
 usages which they had brought from the Father- 
 land; and, as early as 1637, letters of inquiry, 
 remonstrance, and entreaty were received from 
 England, cautioning the brethren, and urging adher- 
 ence to the old paths. For more than half a century 
 after the settlement of New England, the question 
 whether the children of non-church members 
 should be baptized was a subject of controversy, 
 waxing and waning, reviving and subsiding. Some 
 churches satisfied themselves with a half-way cove- 
 nant, as it was called, by acknowledging which 
 parents could have their children baptized without 
 being or becoming church members themselves. 
 But though this was approved by the synod of 
 1662, the popular side was the old rule; the major- 
 ity stood by that. But the course taken by the 
 undertakers of the new church, in Brattle Square, 
 
12 
 
 was especially offensive. They did not even estab- 
 lish a " half-way covenant," but threw the whole 
 responsibility upon the parents presenting a child, 
 and upon the minister, who was left to receive such 
 acknowledgments as were satisfactory to himself 
 " This being a ministerial office, we believe it to be 
 sufficient that the pastor should be satisfied; we 
 leave it to his wisdom and prudence." 
 
 So in regard to the third point, — admission to 
 the church. Here, they threw the responsibility 
 entirely upon the candidate seeking admission, 
 and the pastor of the church. "All persons," 
 says the manifesto, " seeking admission should be 
 persons of visible sanctity." " Whoever would 
 be received should be accountable to the pastor, 
 whose duty it is to make himself acquainted with 
 their knowledge and spiritual state. Therefore, 
 we cannot enjoin, we dare not enjoin upon any 
 a public relation of experience. If any person 
 think himself bound in conscience to make such 
 relation, let him do it; but we deem it sufficient 
 if the pastor, by a seasonable announcement of 
 the name of the candidate, indicates that he is 
 satisfied." Here was a very important step. This 
 public relation of experience, before one could be 
 received into the church, was a grievous wrong and 
 oppression, full of evil, and in every way one would 
 think injurious in its influence. It could not but 
 
13 
 
 encourage, in some, vanity and self-conceit; it 
 could not but lead others unconsciously into hypo- 
 critical, false, or exaggerated statements as to their 
 religious experience; and it necessarily deterred 
 many timid persons from the observance of an 
 ordinance from which they might have derived 
 great comfort and strength, and which should have 
 no barriers thrown around it, except what the Mas- 
 ter reared when he said, " Do this, in remembrance 
 of me." Our Fathers did good service, noble ser- 
 vice to the cause of religious liberty and sincerity, 
 by discountenancing, as they did, the public rela- 
 tion of experience. They did not feel themselves 
 at liberty to go further. Having no right to enjoin, 
 so they had no right to forbid. " If any person 
 think himself bound, in conscience, to make such 
 relation, let him do it." Thus putting it upon the 
 glorious platform of personal, religious liberty. 
 
 The fourth and last point announced in the mani- 
 festo, as a principle to which the undertakers of this 
 church designed to adhere, was perhaps the most 
 important in its practical working, and gave most 
 offence to the churches, technically so called; be- 
 cause it took away the prestige that surrounded 
 them, and the authority which they had claimed, 
 exercised, and were still struggling to keep in their 
 own hands. The manifesto says that " persons of 
 the greatest piety, and gravity, and wisdom, and 
 
authority, and other accomplishments should, of 
 course, have leading influence and control in the 
 management of our parish affairs; but we cannot 
 confine the right of voting to the church members 
 alone. We hold and maintain that all who contrib- 
 ute to its maintenance should have a vote and voice 
 in election." This, I believe (and I think I have 
 the reliable authority of the late Rev. Dr. Lamson 
 of Dedham, for the statement), was the first instance 
 among the Puritan Congregational churches of 
 New England, in which it was distinctly announced 
 and avowed as a principle to be adhered to and 
 acted upon, that the church — technically speaking 
 — the body of communicants had no rights or powers 
 above those of the congregation. Previously in 
 three instances, one in Salem, one in Dedham, and 
 one in Charlestown — the first in 1672, the second 
 in 1685, and the third in 1697 — by a mutual agree- 
 ment and provision beforehand, the church and 
 congregation had met together in one body, and 
 without a separate or distinct vote elected their 
 pastor. But this was not the common usage, nor 
 was it the principle avowed and contended lor. 
 According to that principle the church had the 
 exclusive right to elect the pastor by a separate and 
 distinct vote, and the right and duty of the congre- 
 gation was to confirm that vote. They had no 
 power to make a new choice by a separate and 
 
15 
 
 independent vote. This last article in the mani- 
 festo sweeping away, as it did, what was regarded 
 as the special right and prerogative of the church, 
 or the body of communicants, was particularly 
 offensive. The Salem ministers, Higginson and 
 Noyes, who replied to the manifesto, condemn it 
 " as having a direct tendency to subvert the minis- 
 try and grace and order and liberty of all the 
 churches in the land,'' and think it " may make 
 worse work than they care to say." Fortunately 
 their fears were not realized. 
 
 These four points, — i. Reading of the Scriptures 
 in public worship; 2. Baptism at the liberty of the 
 pastor ; 3. Admission to the church without the 
 public relation of experience ; 4. The extinction 
 of all special right on the part of the church, and 
 the recognition of the right of every individual 
 member of the congregation who contributed to its 
 support to vote in its affairs, — these constitute the 
 most essential and important principles which our 
 Fathers put forth and established in the erection of 
 this church. I have dwelt upon them at this length 
 because I felt that, to those of us who knew, it would 
 be a pleasure to recall them; and I wished that all 
 who did not know should be made acquainted with 
 the noble origin and honorable early history of this 
 church, — the truly Christian spirit, and principle, 
 and purpose of our Fathers who instituted it. They 
 
i6 
 
 were not reckless and conceited disorganizers; 
 they were not come-outers and radicals, according 
 to the modern use of these terms. The}^ were men 
 of solid and substantial Christian faith. They be- 
 lieved in the Bible, and they determined that in the 
 church which they erected and sustained the Bible 
 should be read publicly from the pulpit, as the 
 source and the authority of the truths and instruc- 
 tions which the pulpit uttered. They believed in 
 the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, anointed 
 of the Father to be the teacher and Saviour of the 
 world; and the}^ determined that in their church, 
 instituted in his name, his Gospel should be so ad- 
 ministered that He and not the church should be 
 the sole Master and Lord of conscience. The}- 
 were men of faith, holiness, and pra3'er, who saw 
 that a new church was needed in the growing 
 town, and determined to establish one that should 
 be liberal yet conservative, uniting freedom and 
 order, the libert}^ of the individual with the rights 
 and progress of the whole body. The points in 
 which they departed from the usages of the Con- 
 gregational churches of their day were in one 
 aspect mere matters of form and administration, 
 but they involved questions of individual right and 
 privilege. And we have reason to hold our found- 
 ers and Fathers in grateful honor and reverence, 
 that they stood last in the libert}' wherewith Christ 
 
17 
 
 has made us free; and we are not to be surprised, 
 we cannot be surprised, that a church originating 
 in this spirit, founded upon and adhering to these 
 principles should soon have become large and flour- 
 ishing; or that continuing faithful to them it has 
 been throughout its history a prosperous and peace- 
 ful church. 
 
 Brethren, I do not propose to dwell thus minutely 
 upon any further details; nor is it necessary, for 
 the later history of this church, and the ministries 
 of Thacher, Buckminster, Everett, and Palfrey are 
 well known and familiar to many who hear me. 
 But I must refer to some of the particulars con- 
 nected with the first two pastors. The first move- 
 ment in relation to this religious society was made 
 in 1697. In January, 1698, the undertakers became 
 possessed of a lot of land in Brattle Close, but for 
 some reason which cannot be ascertained they took 
 no steps toward erecting a house of worship until 
 the spring of 1699. In a letter dated the loth of 
 May of that year, addressed to Mr. Coleman, in 
 England, inviting him to become their pastor, they 
 say: "The timber for our church has already been 
 brought to town; the frame will be raised the first 
 of August, and the house completed in October." 
 A simple wooden structure, that was thus to be 
 built in the course of three or four months, could 
 not, manifestly, have been a very elaborate structure. 
 3 
 
i8 
 
 But in that humble temple, Dr. Coleman, for nearly 
 forty-eight years, preached and labored with a 
 wisdom, a fidelity, and success that have seldom 
 been surpassed. He was a native of this town, 
 and his brother was one of the " undertakers " of 
 this church. He graduated at Harvard College in 
 1692; and, after delivering the master's oration, 
 travelled, studied and preached in England about 
 four years; and at the moment this invitation 
 from Boston reached him he was preaching to a 
 distinguished dissenting congregation in Bath. 
 Having determined to accept it, and anticipating 
 from the state of things here that there might be 
 difficulty in obtaining ordination in Boston, he pro- 
 ceeded to London, and there on the 4th of August, 
 1699, he was ordained as the pastor of this church 
 by some of the most distinguished dissenting clergy- 
 men of that city. He arrived here on the ist of 
 November, 1699, and in a very few weeks he and 
 the people of his church were quietly worshipping 
 God according to their consciences in their new 
 and simple church. In a very few years the rela- 
 tions of Dr. Coleman and his society with the 
 other ministers and churches in the town became 
 pleasant and harmonious, and the distinctions and 
 the title, " manifesto," which first marked and sepa- 
 rated the church in Brattle Square, were obliterated 
 by the adoption by most of the Congregational 
 
19 
 
 churches of New England of the principles, cus- 
 toms, and usages which that church had introduced. 
 It was a blessed providence that led to the choice 
 of Dr. Coleman to be the first minister of this 
 church. Among the men of his day there was no 
 one who had so large a measure of the requisite 
 combination of qualities for the difficult post. Had 
 he and his people resembled many pastors and 
 societies of the present day, — who seem to be zeal- 
 ous for all manner of useless and unnecessary 
 innovations, and anxious to hold out the idea that 
 there is something very peculiar in their society, 
 their modes and methods of administering the Gos- 
 pel, — they might have made at that early day a fatal 
 schism in the Congregational churches of the col- 
 ony. But he was for peace and conciliation. He 
 was anxious, so far as it could be done without a 
 compromise of dignity and principle, to keep his 
 church in union and harmony, not in contrast and 
 conflict, with the other churches in town. By wis- 
 dom, firmness, and gentleness he succeeded to the 
 content of his heart; and in 1747, when he died, 
 it would be difficult to name one who, as an ac- 
 complished scholar, a courteous Christian gentle- 
 man, a wise, faithful, earnest, eloquent preacher, 
 a devoted and attentive pastor, an honest, patriotic, 
 public-spirited citizen, had rendered more impor- 
 tant service to the community, or was held in higher 
 
regard by all the churches in Massachusetts, than 
 Benjamin Coleman, the first pastor of Brattle- 
 Square Church. 
 
 He had two colleagues, — the Rev. AVilliam 
 Cooper, who was ordained on the 23d of May, 1716, 
 and, after twenty-seven years of associated labor, 
 died on the 14th of December, 1743, leaving Dr. 
 Coleman, in his advanced age, the sole pastor of 
 the church, — a charge from which he was presently 
 relieved by the choice of a son of William Cooper, 
 the Rev. Samuel Cooper, to be associate pastor. He 
 was ordained on the 22d of May, 1746, just sixteen 
 months before the death of Dr. Coleman, after 
 which, for thirty-seven years, till his own death, in 
 December, 1783, he was the sole pastor of the 
 church. These two pastorates of Coleman and 
 Cooper cover nearly one-half the period that has 
 elapsed since the organization of the church. Dr. 
 Cooper is better known to us by tradition than Dr. 
 Coleman. He was an accomplished gentleman and 
 scholar, dignified and imposing in personal presence, 
 an eloquent preacher, and faithful pastor, and also a 
 man of affairs, — taking a deep interest in, and in 
 various wa3^s exercising a large influence upon all 
 the public questions and events of that stormy 
 period between 1750 and 1783, when he died. 
 
 From his pastorate Brattle-Square Church be- 
 comes a distinct and tangible reality to us of this 
 
21 
 
 generation; for then was erected this splendid 
 temple of worship, which, in its substantial struct- 
 ure, in the grand and imposing solemnity of its 
 interior, has not been equalled, certainly not sur- 
 passed, by any church that the Protestant faith has 
 since erected in the city of the Pilgrims. It was 
 formerly thought, and has been sometimes pretty 
 strongly asserted, that, after the great awakening of 
 1740, a period of coldness and deadness came upon 
 the New-England churches, which was increased 
 and prolonged, made deeper and darker through the 
 political troubles of the times, — the French war 
 and the war of the Revolution, — and that during 
 the last half of the last century there was very little 
 manifestation of a living, vigorous religious faith in 
 these churches. We are beginning to correct this 
 idea, and do a little more justice to that period. 
 We ought to correct our estimate; for surely the 
 people who resisted the Stamp Act and the Boston 
 Port bill, and held the principles that inaugurated 
 the revolution of 1776, and who carried their coun- 
 try triumphantly through that great struggle, could 
 not have been an irreligious people, nor largely 
 wanting in that religious faith which is truly the 
 inspiration of the noblest and most honorable action 
 in all our political and public affairs. 
 
 But, whatever may have been the general spir- 
 itual state, we may rightfully claim that this church 
 
22 
 
 of our Fathers, in 1770, was in good condition 
 spiritually and materially. They must have been 
 and felt themselves strong materially; for, when 
 they were about to build this church, they refused 
 the offered o:ift of a most elio-ible lot of land of far 
 greater value than this which they held, — a lot 
 worth thousands then, worth hundreds on hundreds 
 of thousands to-day, — and refused partly because 
 they did not want to leave the old spot, and partly 
 because the majority of the parish lived immediate- 
 ly north of the church, and Brattle Close was very 
 accessible to them. They purchased more land 
 here, and then raised, by voluntary subscription 
 among themselves, twenty thousand pounds lawful 
 money, — equivalent, I suppose, to more than 
 $150,000 at the present day, — and erected this 
 grand and substantial church, which, untouched by 
 hand of man, would defy for centuries the inroads 
 of time. We need no better evidence, brethren, 
 of the faith of our Fathers; that a good spirit was 
 in them, and an efficient ministry at work among 
 them. This church could not have been built 
 without faith, or without that generous devotion to 
 the honor of God and the good of man which faith 
 inspires. And in comparison with similar work in 
 our times, it was very speedily built. The society 
 worshipped for the last time in the old wooden 
 church on this spot, the loth of May, 1772. The 
 
23 
 
 corner-stone of this church was laid on the 23d 
 June, 1772. The church itself was finished, dedi- 
 cated and worshipped in by our Fathers on the 
 25th of July, 1773, — ninety-eight years ago last 
 Wednesday, and about thirteen months from the 
 time its corner-stone was laid. Is there a con- 
 tractor or master mechanic among us to-day who 
 would undertake to build this church, with its thick 
 massive walls and all the noble carved work of its 
 interior, in the time in which the mechanics and 
 workmen of Boston erected it nearly one hundred 
 years ago? 
 
 But the society was not permitted long to enjoy 
 it unmolested. As we know, the troubles of the 
 Revolution came on; and Dr. Cooper, whose patri- 
 otic sermons, services, and character made him 
 obnoxious to the royal authorities, left the town in 
 April, 1775, and did not return until after the siege. 
 The services were suspended when the siege com- 
 menced ; the military commandant wanted the 
 church for military purposes, and made it a bar- 
 rack. The patriot enemy fired upon it from without, 
 and struck it; the British soldiers within marred 
 and defaced it with their bayonets, and left it in 
 such a condition that several weeks elapsed after 
 the evacuation by the British forces before it could 
 be used for the purposes for which it was erected, 
 — the public worship of God. But these circum- 
 
24 
 
 stances caused it, before it was a decade old, to 
 become an historic church, around which patriotic 
 memories and associations soon gathered, and have 
 since been increasing, strengthening, and over- 
 flowing with every generation; so that now it is 
 a matter of regret, not simply to the worshippers 
 in this church, but to the great body of our citizens 
 generally, that this noble and glorious old edifice, 
 this splendid landmark of the past, should pass 
 away. 
 
 That regret is natural and right. 1 should feel 
 little respect for any man who did not share in 
 it. No one can feel it more sadly or deeply than 
 myself. My ministry covers more than one-third 
 of the time since this church was erected. I have 
 preached from this pulpit nearly twenty years 
 longer than any of my predecessors; and, however 
 little it may be, nearly all that there is of honor or 
 usefulness in my professional life is associated with 
 this spot. If ever I have felt an hour of triumphant 
 satisfaction, — perhaps it was a weakness to indulge 
 in it, — at the thought of work well done, duty faith- 
 fully discharged, it has been when, standing here, 
 looking into the faces of parishioners and friends, 
 I have led their devotions, set forth the teachings, 
 hopes, promises of the Gospel, and uttered, as best 
 I could, the truths that pertain to their own welfare 
 and to the highest interests of humanit}'. For 
 
^5 
 
 more than thirty years these majestic columns have 
 flanked me on either side, like grand and solemn 
 sentinels, keeping silent watch and ward over this 
 pulpit which, with its sacred memories, traditions, 
 and associations, has been my inspiration and my 
 throne. The thought of leaving all this glory, of 
 departing from it and seeing it depart, makes my 
 heart throb; nay, makes every fibre of my frame 
 quiver with deep and sad emotions. 
 
 So is it with you, brethren, members of this 
 society, worshippers in Brattle-Square Church. I 
 can understand and sympathize with all the feelings 
 that arise in your hearts this da}' at the thought of 
 leaving this home of your religious afl:ections, this 
 scene, perhaps, of your deepest religious experience, 
 connected so intimately with all the joy and all the 
 sorrow of your lives. Sad and sacred, holy and 
 hallowed memories gather around it in your minds; 
 nay, with some of you, who are even now near the 
 close of life, the recollections of early childhood 
 cluster thick and fast about it this morning. In 
 unconscious infancy you were baptized at this 
 altar. Hither the hand of parental affection early 
 led your childhood's steps to the worship of God; 
 and through all the years of life the path has 
 been familiar to your feet, and even now is sweet 
 and pleasant through the memory of the parents, 
 brothers, sisters, who once trod it with you, but 
 
26 
 
 long since, it may be, have passed from your sight, 
 and left you to tread it alone. 
 
 But where recollection goes not back to early 
 childhood, it goes back, with many of you, to the 
 dawn of early manhood, when stepping upon the 
 stage of life you rested here the ark of your faith, 
 made this the tabernacle of 3-our worship, sought 
 here the truths that were to guide and the influ- 
 ences that were to protect you amid all the duty 
 and peril of life. And through all that duty and 
 peril, through prosperous and adverse fortunes, 
 your hearts weary with the heav}^ burden of sor- 
 row, or glad with gratitude and praise, hither you 
 have come, Sunday after Sunday, year after year, 
 and found strength and comfort, the Master's peace 
 and a spiritual benediction on your soul. And 
 now, to-day, to you who are here present, as to 
 many who are not present, to many scattered all 
 over the land, ay, and in foreign lands, the thought 
 of this church comes up to the memory like a golden 
 thread of light and love and comfort, of hope and 
 strength, woven into the very texture of your hearts, 
 an inseparable portion of the warp and woof of 
 your being; and to cut that thread, to drift away 
 from this spot, so familiar, sacred, dear to all that 
 is noblest and best in your souls, and see all this 
 material glor}' and beauty depart, — this begets in 
 your hearts a sadness that may be almost called 
 a bitterness of spirit. 
 
27 
 
 Yes, friends, it is natural, it is right, that we 
 should feel deep sorrow and regret at leaving this 
 noble old church; but we should not indulge this 
 feeling until it becomes morbid and deaf to all the 
 suggestions of wisdom and sound judgment. We 
 should not indulge it until it paralyze effort and 
 make us forget what we owe to the future in 
 return for what we have received from the past. 
 Change is the order of Divine Providence; nothing 
 is permanent or enduring upon earth but truth and 
 dut}^, and these var}^ in the efforts and sacrifices 
 they demand of us, with the varying circumstances 
 in which we are placed. Reduced to the last 
 analysis, the question which has been for some 
 years before us was simply a question of conscience 
 and of duty rather than of feeling. '^ Shall this old 
 church and society in Brattle Square remain on the 
 spot where it was born, and die there; or shall it 
 remove to another site, and, carrying with it its tra- 
 ditions and its history, seek to perpetuate itself as 
 a religious organization, and go down into the 
 coming generations a living power and not a lifeless 
 memory that must soon become utterly and for ever 
 extinct?" That this was the question, the simple 
 alternative, can, I think, neither be doubted nor 
 denied. You have felt it, and I have felt it. The 
 history and experience of similar institutions in ;ill 
 large and growing cities in this country and in 
 
28 
 
 Europe confirm it by unequivocal testimony. 
 There are grand traditions and histories connected 
 with this church, and it is an imposing, impressive 
 old building; but it is so unpleasantly situated, the 
 access to it from every direction has for the last 
 twenty years been so disagreeable, and will so un- 
 questionabl}^ become more and more unpleasant, 
 that the mightiest voice that ever uttered itself 
 in a Christian pulpit, — and such voice is not 
 easily obtained, nor does it live for ever if ob- 
 tained, — could not, I apprehend, keep this church 
 alive on this spot for a quarter of a century lon- 
 ger. It was not meet that we should abide here 
 for the gratification of our personal feelings of 
 attachment and reverence for this spot and this 
 house, and leave the religious organization trans- 
 mitted to us from the Fathers, the living church of 
 living and immortal souls, to perish and die out. 
 To preserve and perpetuate the religious organiza- 
 tion, and send it down into the community and the 
 generations to come after us, — this was the more 
 sacred, imperative and Christian duty, to be dis- 
 charged at whatever sacrifice of our personal feel- 
 ings and affections, at whatever cost to our personal 
 comfort. 
 
 And we have not been hasty in this matter, my 
 friends. Some may think that we have delayed too 
 long, but assuredly we have not been hasty. It is 
 
29 
 
 now full twenty-five years since the first distinct 
 proposition for a change of location was made to 
 the society by several gentlemen, all but one of 
 whom have since died. Those gentlemen held at 
 that time the refusal of the estate where the Music 
 Hall now stands, and the question of removal, with 
 that estate in prospect, was brought to a distinct 
 vote in the society, and decided in the negative by 
 a very large majority. In the providence of God 
 the time had not come. But during the twenty-five 
 years since elapsed, the question has been a constant 
 subject of thought and discussion in the parish, and, 
 once or twice, of some pretty direct practical efforts 
 on the part of the standing committee, and four or 
 five years have passed since the measures that are 
 now issuing in our removal were instituted. They 
 have been pressed gently and gradually on the 
 parish. We have not been hasty; we have moved 
 slowly, because we wished that every thing should 
 be done, as every thing in the past history of the 
 church has been done, in peace and harmon}^, in as 
 near an approach to unanimity as possible. Time 
 has been allowed for a full interchange of opinions, 
 for wisdom and judgment to temper the natural im- 
 pulses of feeling, of aflection, and attachment; until 
 now I believe there is all but a universal concur- 
 rence among the worshippers in this church and 
 among our citizens generally, who feel that they 
 
30 
 
 have, as it were, some right of property in this old 
 landmark of the past, — there is everywhere an 
 almost universal concurrence in the proposition 
 that Brattle-Square Church and Society must re- 
 move, if they would live. 
 
 The hard necessity of the first part of this alter- 
 native is forced upon us in the providence of God 
 by the growth and prosperity of the city. The 
 fulfilment of the last part of it — perpetuating our 
 life — depends, under the providence of God, upon 
 ourselves. That is a question to be determined 
 by the fidelity of our own hearts to duty and prin- 
 ciple. The necessity of removal being admitted, 
 the removal itself determined upon, just in propor- 
 tion to the measure of our attachment to this spot 
 and to this church, with all its history and tradi- 
 tions, should be the energy of our efforts to transfer 
 it, with this history and these traditions, — the real 
 church, the living spiritual church, — to the new 
 spot, and there build it up. And why should we 
 not do this? Are our religious feelings and asso- 
 ciations so much more local and confined than those 
 of every other part of our nature, that we cannot 
 meet the changes that require us to transfer them 
 to new scenes? Is our worship such a formal affair, 
 so dependent upon the influence of outward and 
 accustomed surroundings, that we cannot compre- 
 licnd and feel, act upon and obey, that grand dec- 
 
31 
 
 laration of the Master, " Thou shalt worship the 
 Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh 
 such to worship him"? No, brethren: that spiritual 
 worship of the heart we can carry everywhere; 
 and it is in our power, by forbearance, by tender- 
 ness, by an earnest, concurrent zeal, to carry out 
 — nay, we shall carry out to a glorious and noble 
 conclusion — the goodly enterprise upon which we 
 have now entered. We shall " enlarge the place 
 of our tent;" we "shall stretch forth the curtains 
 of our new habitation, and great will be the peace 
 of our children." 
 
 Every thing is favorable for us if our own hearts 
 are full of courage and hope, of forbearance and 
 faith. Through the kindness of one of the oldest 
 and most honored churches in this city, in offering 
 for our use their chapel in Freeman Place, Beacon 
 Street, comfortable provisions have been made for 
 our worship until our new church shall be ready for 
 our reception. Let us gratefully go there, and cleave 
 together and cling together in work and love. I pre- 
 sume not to dictate; I interfere not witli the liberty 
 which any family or individual may choose to exer- 
 cise upon this subject: no one will accuse me of 
 any professional arrogance of that sort; but in the 
 name of the blessed Master, whose truth we have 
 sought together to uphold here; in the name of 
 those great and precious interests which for more 
 
32 
 
 than thirt}' years I have stood here to defend and 
 advance as best I could; by all the blessed memo- 
 ries and associations of the past, — I do entreat you, 
 even those w^ho have least favored the enterprise 
 now begun, and say to you, let us cleave together 
 and cling together and work together with loving 
 hearts, with living faith, with earnest efforts ; and 
 then those efforts shall be crowned with success, 
 and the glory of the latter house shall exceed the 
 former, and the blessing of God will rest upon us 
 and upon our children even as it did upon our 
 Fathers. 
 
 Nothing remains for us now, brethren, but to take 
 leave of this dear, blessed, familiar spot. Farewell, 
 then, for ever, thou grand, glorious, blessed old 
 church ! An earnest faith and a devout piety laid 
 thy foundations, reared thy walls, planted thy 
 columns, adorned thy pulpit, and made thee a grave 
 and goodly house of worship. Earnest, learned, 
 faithful and eloquent men, preachers and pastors, 
 have stood in thy pulpit, and made thy walls re- 
 sound with utterances of sacred and divine truth, 
 with appeals to the heart and the conscience that 
 could not be resisted. Successive generations of 
 wise, good, devout, patriotic. Christian men and 
 women of high or low, humble or exalted station, 
 have filled thy pews and drunk from thy fountain of 
 livino- waters the influences that have been the com- 
 
fort and joy of their hearts, that have made them 
 useful and happy upon earth and meet for heaven. 
 Through all thy worshippers, in successive genera- 
 tions, thou hast connected thyself directly v^ith 
 much that is patriotic, useful, noble, honorable and 
 of good report in this community. But thy mission 
 is done, thy work is accomplished, thy office ful- 
 filled. The mandate to depart is issued, and we 
 leave thee now for ever. But we will not forget 
 thee. Thine image, holy and beautiful, of mingled 
 grandeur, grace, and dignity, shall abide for ever in 
 our hearts, a blessed memory, a quickening inspi- 
 ration. Often we will recall thee; and when our 
 hearts have ceased to beat upon earth, and no one 
 of the living generations can say, " I remember 
 thee," even then thy fame shall survive: and in the 
 great communion of the saints, multitudes worship- 
 ping in temples not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens, shall there look back, and remember thee 
 with gratitude and reverence, as the spot where 
 their hearts were born to Christ, and their souls 
 made meet for glory and honor and immortality. 
 Farewell for ever, noble, glorious, blessed old 
 church in Brattle Square! 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 'T^HE removal of an old historic landmark, like 
 Brattle-Square Church, was an event of too much 
 general interest and importance for the public press of 
 the city to permit it to pass unnoticed. The whole of 
 the foregoing Sermon, reported with singular correct- 
 ness, appeared in several newspapers on the Monday 
 morning after its delivery, with glowing and elaborate 
 descriptions of the scene and service at the church in 
 some of them, and with kind and friendly comment in 
 all. One or two interesting and noteworthy articles 
 also, on "the Manifesto Church," and its contemplated 
 removal, were published on the Saturday previous, 
 July 29. As these articles are expressions or indications 
 of the public opinion and feeling of the time, and thus, 
 while interesting to all, are especially interesting to the 
 members of Brattle-Square Society, and may be needed 
 or desired in some convenient form for historical refer- 
 ence, the Standing Committee have thought it best to 
 reprint some of them in connection with the Society's 
 issue of the Sermon itself. 
 
 The following is from the " Daily Advertiser " of 
 Saturday, July 29: — 
 
36 
 
 The Church in Bratti.e Sqtjare, — Appropriate re- 
 ligious sei-vices at the church in Brattle Square will mark 
 to-morrow one more of the changes which remove the memo- 
 rials of old Boston. Such changes show us how different is 
 the city of to-day from the little town to which our Fathers 
 gave a reputation honorable the world over. It is nearly two 
 hundred years since the first church was built on the spot 
 which is now surrendered, after a loyal struggle, to the in- 
 vasion of commerce. The history of the church then estab- 
 lished has been honorable, and it has been closely connected 
 with the fortunes of the town and the changing phases of the 
 religious life of New England. We suppose, indeed, that the 
 foundation of this church is, in our local history, the mark 
 which indicates the advance in culture and individual right 
 which in three generations the children of New England had 
 made upon their ancestors. At the end of the seventeenth 
 century the colony was no longer poor, and Boston was no 
 longer a little fishing-town struggling for a right to be. The 
 people who lived in it were no longer new settlers in a wilder- 
 ness. They had had no home but New England, and they wanted 
 none better. In every regard, therefore, their circumstances 
 differed from those of the first Winthrop, the first Dudley, and 
 their associates ; and, however sad the confession to the men 
 who loved to praise the olden time, it was natural that the 
 difference between the first generation and the third should 
 express itself in the forms of their worship. 
 
 Mr. Haven has pointed out the curious fact that the second 
 generation was undoubtedly of less culture, literary and relig- 
 ious, than that whose place it took. The infant college could not 
 train such scholars as did Emmanuel and Pembroke and the 
 other tried colleges of the old Cambridge. And the struggles 
 of a wilderness were not the best schools for such culture. 
 But, as prosperity increased, as wealth increased, here in the 
 metropolis especially, small though the metropolis was, cul- 
 ture asserted its own again. The elegancies of life came in 
 with the other prizes of commerce; and it is evident that tlie 
 literary, scientific, and religious tastes and studies of the genera- 
 
37 
 
 tion that grew up as the century came to an end were no longer 
 those of an insignificant fishing-town. 
 
 It is as evident that the closely-serried power of the early 
 Puritan church could not hold its own in a community where 
 that church no longer dreaded the arm of persecution. Blaxton 
 had said, as early as 1638, that he found the Lord's brethren 
 masters as hard as any lord bishop. It was not in the nature 
 of New England to bear indefinitely any close screws, whether 
 imposed by a congregational or a prelatical star-chamber. And 
 it was therefore inevitable that so soon as the church of the 
 colonies was sure of freedom from persecution, it would, as its 
 elastic constitution permitted so readily, assert its freedom from 
 theological dictation. 
 
 Each tendency of advance — whether in literary and theo- 
 logical culture, whether in freedom of expression, or whether 
 in liberty of thought — was in a quiet way exemplified in the 
 establishment of the church in Brattle Square. The " Mani- 
 festo Church," it was called in its day, — being indeed the 
 " Protestant" church among the Puritan congregations. It did 
 not separate from their fellowship ; but it instituted novelties in 
 worship which at the time were considered extraordinary, and 
 which were sufficient to denote the real independency of the 
 congregation. To the observer of to-day, looking back upon 
 these changes, they appear singularly small. That the Bible 
 should always be read in the conduct of divine service was one 
 of them. The true Puritan carried his dread of book-worship 
 so far, that this was a novelty. That the Loi-d's prayer should 
 be used in every service was one of the early customs, which 
 became traditional in this church. The older Puritans had 
 dreaded such an approach to a form. Most remarkable of all 
 was the permission given to each person who wished to join in 
 the communion of the church, to make to the pastor his own 
 statement of religious experience in private, — and the waiver 
 of the old custom of a public proclamation of such experience. 
 In this last concession is to be found the recognition and conse- 
 cration by the " Manifesto Church" of the right of private judg- 
 ment. These changes in ritual seem to us very small. They 
 
38 
 
 indicate, however, the determination on the part of the most 
 intelHgent and influential of the laity of the town of Boston, as 
 it then was, to keep in their own hands the direction of the 
 methods of public worship, — their determination to have it 
 conducted in such way as to meet best their own wishes and 
 necessities, — and their refusal to submit in such matters to the 
 notions of the coteries of the clergy. The establishment of the 
 " Manifesto Church " may be said to show that Boston was no 
 longer governed by a hierarchy, if indeed it had ever been. 
 
 It is needless to say that the church founded on such a prin- 
 ciple has always furnished distinguished illustrations of its 
 value. The church in Brattle Square united, through the 
 century which followed its formation, a large number of those 
 citizens of this town who were most closely connected with the 
 administration of public affairs. To this time the " convention 
 of the clergy," which is the Massachusetts " convocation," holds 
 its annual religious service in this church. In the sei^vices of 
 the Colmans, of the Coopers, and of Thacher in its pulpit, 
 it maintained the claim which the manifesto made for the fit 
 illustration of sacred learning by the best studies of modern 
 literature and science, and for the true consecration of the 
 thought of the time by the lessons of sacred learning. The 
 names of Buckminster and Everett, and of their successors still 
 living, are enough to show that in this century it has not been 
 false to the same mission. 
 
 This church stood for individual liberty in contrast to the 
 pressure of a congregation, and for modern culture in the 
 place of traditional ritual or theology. There was therefore, 
 of course, no question where it would be found, when the 
 religious discussions of the earlier part of this century divided 
 the Congregational communion of Massachusetts. It would be 
 hard, perhaps, to name four men associated together who have 
 done more service to the liberal communion of Congregation- 
 alists than have the four men who successively filled the pulpit 
 of this church since that discussion began. For eloquence, for 
 scholarship, for critical knowledge of Scripture, the names of 
 Buckminster, Everett, and Palfrey have been pre-eminent in the 
 
39 
 
 Unitarian communion. And that body, in the organization of 
 its missions and the supervision of its associated action, has had 
 no officer who has served it vi^ith more distinction or ability 
 than the present pastor in the years when he was president of 
 its missionary association. 
 
 The church, which stood once at the southern end of the 
 fashionable quarter of the town, has long since been far north 
 of the homes of its worshippers. To-morrow they meet for the 
 last time beneath the roof consecrated by so many memories. 
 The building — erected by a pupil of Wren's, in an architect- 
 ure not unworthy of the school from which it sprung — is to be 
 destroyed. The congregation will carry to their new home 
 some memorials of the old. The cannon-ball which struck 
 the tower when the "rebels" of 1775 fired on the town will 
 be placed in the new tower. The new church, like the old, is 
 to 
 
 " Bear on her bosom, as a bride might do, 
 The iron breast-pin that the rebels threw." 
 
 The stately mahogany pulpit, of the best work of the London 
 taste of a century ago, will be removed also. The bell, long the 
 heaviest in Boston, will call together the worshippers. And 
 we trust that the corner-stone, from which the English soldiery 
 hacked the hated name of John Hancock, may be the head- 
 stone of the new corner. 
 
 Will it not be possible, as a new square of buildings grow 
 up around the newly built church, to give to it Brattle's name? 
 — that, in the emigration from north to south, the "Manifesto 
 Church " may still stand in Brattle Square. 
 
 The " Daily Evening Transcript " of Saturday called 
 attention to the services to be held the next day, in the 
 following sympathetic and commendatory notice : — 
 
 "The Manifesto Church" — such as it was originally 
 called, for protesting -against some Puritan usages, and intro- 
 ducing marked innovations in the direction of freedom — will 
 
40 
 
 hold its last services to-morrow in the old Brattle Street (we 
 say old, for there has been an intimation that the new site may 
 retain the ancient name). The day can hardly fail to be one 
 of deeply interesting historical reminiscences and memorials 
 covering a century and three quarters. The story of this con- 
 secrated building, so imposing and solid in its architecture, and 
 its more humble pi'edecessor, has been so frequently told that 
 it is a familiar chapter in the annals of Boston and New Eng- 
 land. But those annals will fail to record the unwritten, and 
 many of them unspoken, solemn, and tender memories and 
 associations connected with the ancient tabernacles. These 
 have been known only to individual experiences. The sacred 
 uses to which the noble building has been put through scores 
 of years, the long line of eminent and eloquent preachers that 
 have discoursed of Christian truth and hope beneath its roof, 
 have given it a name and a fame unrivalled by any other church 
 in the land, and hence the significance of the farewell. 
 
 Rev. Samuel K. Lothrop, D.D., has already been the 
 devoted, respected, and beloved pastor of the Brattle-Street 
 Society for thirty-seven years. And as he takes leave of the 
 pulpit from which he has so long spoken, hosts of friends will 
 desire for him, in the health and strength of his veteran powers, 
 many added seasons of the faithfulness to his immediate charge 
 and the unwearied practical regard for the best interests of 
 Boston he has so constantly and signally manifested. 
 
 In its issue of Monda}^ in addition to the report of the 
 Sermon in its columns, the "Transcript" had another 
 pleasant notice of the occasion and the services at the 
 church : — 
 
 Brattle-Street Church. — The services of yesterday, 
 the last Sunday of public worship in that consecrated edifice, 
 are quite fully reported on the first page. No printed account, 
 however, will give their impressive significance, as that was 
 felt by the great congregation present. Several causes com- 
 bined to make it an event of unusual interest. Associations. 
 
41 
 
 connected with grave questions of religious and civil liberty, 
 have made the name of the structure historic ; whilst as a 
 Christian tabernacle, in its succession of pastors and genera- 
 tions of parishioners, its story, written and unwritten, is 
 crowded with the profoundest experience of the human lot and 
 the human life ; as these have invoked the truths, the hopes, 
 and the aspirations of that faith which seeks to reconcile this lot 
 and life with the spirit's immortal progress. 
 
 No wonder then that, notwithstanding the unpropitious 
 season of the year, the gathering filled every pew and almost 
 packed the aisles. No wonder the sons and daughters of the 
 church — their church, or the church of their fathers — came, 
 as many did, from far and near, to join in exercises of a solemn 
 leave-taking. Thus a natural public interest in an hour over- 
 flowing with suggestion was largely supplemented by the 
 strictly personal feelings of individuals and home-circles. 
 
 As was fitting, Rev. Dr. Lothrop w^as assisted by some of 
 his younger brethren who had gone from beneath its roof to 
 become dispensers of the Christian truth to which they had 
 there fii"st listened. His own discourse, connected with ser- 
 vices imposing for their severe simplicity, and what may be 
 called, for that reason, their traditional appropriateness, was in 
 all respects suitable and effective. With brief passages of lucid 
 explanation, and condensed references to the annals of the past, 
 the preacher resisted the temptation to explore anew the rich 
 field those annals presented, and kept himself and his audience 
 to the religious sentiments wdiich the parting hour awoke and 
 for which it demanded expression. 
 
 His manly words were eloquent and tender, abounding in 
 reverence for the former days, meeting the obligations of the 
 present, looking hopefully forward to the future ; thus setting 
 forth in just relations the changes that must need be with the 
 reminiscences clinging to them, the lessons taught and the re- 
 sponsibilities imposed as the centuries flow irresistibly onward. 
 To the fine apostrophe, so condensed, and yet so warm with 
 subdued emotion, which closed the discourse, not a syllable can 
 be added. The audience present accepted it, and those who 
 6 
 
42 
 
 read it will do the same, as just the farewell that was to be 
 uttered to interpret the occasion. 
 
 The "Christian Register," in its number for Aug. 5, 
 has an article, — "Old Landmarks Removed," — refer- 
 ring to and suggested by the farewell service at Brattle 
 Street : — 
 
 The Old Landmarks going. — The services at Brattle 
 Square last Sunday, a report of which, together with Dr. 
 LoTHROP's Sermon, occupies so large a space in our columns, 
 remind us forcibly of the changes which ai-e taking place in 
 Boston. For the last few years nearly all of the older churches 
 have been on a stampede after their worshippers. The trade 
 of the city having driven the old Bostonians out of their family 
 mansions, and left the churches surrounded with stores, the 
 next step of necessity has been the moving of the churches, so 
 that soon the Old South will be the only reminder, in the heart 
 of the city, of the church edifices of a former generation. 
 The Federal-Street, the New South, the First Church,' the Bap- 
 tist Church on Chauncy Street, Rev. Dr. Adams's on Essex 
 Street, the Catholic Church on Franklin Street, the Winter- 
 Street, — all have taken up their line of march to the newer 
 parts of the city. The Universalist Church in School Street, 
 the Second Church in Bedford, Trinity in Summer, and the 
 old church in Brattle Square, will soon give way for stately 
 stores, and the places where they stood for generations will 
 know them no more. 
 
 But these changes mark the transitions of church polity and 
 religious opinions as distinctly as the increase of the city in 
 trade and the moving of the people. The sermon of Dr. 
 LoTHROP illustrates this. "The Manifesto," when written, 
 contained statements of principles, and recommendations of 
 changes, which were regarded as somewhat startling innova- 
 tions. Now both the practices and principles there set forth 
 have become established in our churches. 
 
 Brattle Square is, moreover, specially dear to the Bostonians 
 from the many old and dear memories with which it is asso- 
 
43 
 
 ciated. It has had a ministry of eminent scholarship and pul- 
 pit gifts. There were Colman, Cooper, and Thacher of a 
 former generation. It was here that Buckminster, '• the 
 seraph of the pulpit," thrilled the hearts of his hearers by an 
 eloquence as novel as it was fervent and glowing. It was 
 here that Everett began that career as a public speaker, which, 
 in another sphere, has given a grace and charm to American 
 oratory. It was here that Palfrey, with careful scholarship 
 and conscientious fidelity, entered upon pulpit labors, which 
 afterwards ripened into the professor and historian. Its pres- 
 ent minister has had a long and faithful pastorate, and is widely 
 known for his pulpit eloquence, and the various public services 
 which he has performed with so great acceptance and ability. 
 
 Then, too, the edifice itself is rich in associations. It is 
 connected with the struggles and the memories of the Revolu- 
 tion. It bears the handiwork of one who has, by his genius 
 in church designs, left an imperishable name. But though 
 thus rich in sacred association, this church must yield to the 
 changes of time. The Boston of a former generation, with its 
 cluster of churches, has become a great centre of trade. The 
 old citizens, one by one, have been forced to give up their 
 homes and churches for stores. This is one of the consequen- 
 ces of the increase of Boston. But the city has only entered 
 upon her new enlargement. She is pushing out in every quar- 
 ter. The future is rich with the promise of added wealth, 
 population, and trade. Will Boston, as she tluis is favored 
 with material prosperity, maintain the higher interests of cul- 
 ture and religion? Will this city be the abode of scholars and 
 artists who will throw the light of their influence and genius 
 over literature and social life? Will our ministers, uniting 
 reverence and love of freedom, resist the present temptation 
 to superficial brilliancy, and by earnest and profound study- 
 work to advance the progress of Christian truth, and strive to 
 build up churches which shall be both sentinels and lights to 
 watch the public morals and brighten the pathway of prog- 
 ress? In the future we hope to see Boston maintain that 
 foremost position in culture, education, and religion for which 
 she has heretofore been distinguished. 
 
44 
 
 The "Boston Post," of Monday, July 31, had a very 
 full description of the whole scene and service at the 
 church; and its reporter, adhering to facts, but holding 
 a rhetorical pen, gave such play to feeling and imagina- 
 tion as to present a very vivid picture. From his 
 description we make the following extracts: — 
 
 The Services Yesterday. — Yesterday morning services 
 were held in the time-honored edifice for the last time. The 
 weather was cloudy and threatening, but not sufficiently so to 
 deter those who would come from coming ; . . . and a most 
 unusual, but under the circumstances perfectly natural, interest 
 was manifested in the event. It was no common one that of 
 taking leave of such a place as Bi'attle-Street Church. There 
 were many moist eyes to be seen amongst the congregation. 
 There were many old niches looked into for a parting thought. 
 There was a historic fict to many attaching to every window 
 and every pillar, and the pulpit and the organ spoke volumes. 
 . . . There, in 1775, had stood a stack of arms. By that win- 
 dow an officer had hacked at the queer old carvings, and the 
 marks of his sabre are to be seen there still. There, by the 
 pulpit, had been grouped the flags of Great Britain. Around, 
 everywhere, had been scattered the cots of the soldiery. One 
 could trace the precise spot back of where the cannon-ball 
 had struck, and imagine what consternation reigned in the 
 baiTack when from the line of the American fortifications the 
 shot was fast dropping into the Squai^e, and the dismal 
 portents of a driving rain-storm filled the air. Thoughts 
 such as these recurred to one sitting in the church while 
 the congregation was coming in, and there was plenty of time 
 to reflect. 
 
 At half-past ten o'clock the organist, Mr. I. I. Harwood, 
 seated himself before the sacred instrument and played an 
 appropriate pi-elude. . . . By this time the church was crowd- 
 ed to overflowing. The pews, the galleries, the aisles, the 
 doorways, were filled completely. There was no room for 
 
45 
 
 more, and it all went to prove that the traditions of the old 
 edifice are not yet quite forgotten, and that they will not soon 
 be. From the galleries, to one looking down into the body of 
 the church, the scene was deeply impressive. The sturdy 
 array of pillars on either side, the antique mouldings, the pews 
 panelled in green, the brocatelle curtains on the brass rods 
 around the galleries, the curiously shaped windov/s and the 
 wide sills, the heavy green blinds through which the daylight 
 found its way in a subdued form and fell upon the upturned 
 faces and touched them all and every thing with a hallowed 
 tint, and the worn and faded furnishings were such as to fill a 
 stranger with thoughts akin to sadness in remembrance of the 
 occasion. In the pulpit sat Dr. Lothrop, ... by his side the 
 Rev. E. E. Hale. On the table in front were a few flowers, 
 and at each end of the large Bible was a bouquet of beautiful 
 exotics. . . . 
 
 After some further description of the scene and the 
 services, and a full report of the Sermon, the "Post" 
 closes with the following reference to — 
 
 The Music. — The musical portion of the exercises calls 
 for more than a mere passing mention. The selections were 
 all in the best taste possible, and were performed with remark- 
 ably fine effect. The organ, though nearly one hundred years 
 old, has lost none of that purity and rotundity of tone for 
 which it has long been famous, and yesterday it seemed to be 
 conscious of the peculiar solemnity of the day, so grand and 
 beautiful were the effects educed from it. It will be of interest 
 to state, in passing, that it is jDrobable that a large part of the 
 old organ will be recast and incorporated in the new one. 
 Beside the organist, the choir consisted of Mrs. 1. 1. Harwood, 
 soprano ; Mrs. J. Rametti, alto ; Mr. D. W. Loring, tenor ; 
 and Mr. C. E. Pickett, bass; and this quartette was assisted 
 in the chorus passages by Mrs. Tower, soprano, and Mr. Gar- 
 rett, bass, both former members of the choir. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Harwood came to the city from York, Maine, where they were 
 
46 
 
 passing a summer vacation, for the express purpose of being 
 present at, and attending to the music of, these farewell ser- 
 vices. The selections consisted of an opening quartette from 
 T. Sterndale Bennett's oratorio, " The Woman of Samaria ; " 
 "God is a Spirit," sung without the organ; a Gloria, "Now 
 unto the King Eternal," following the reading of the Scrip- 
 tures ; the hymn, " While Thee I seek. Protecting Power," 
 sung to the celebrated and beautiful tune, " Brattle Street," by 
 Pleyel ; a Chant, " O Sing unto the Lord," by James Turle ; 
 and the concluding Doxology, " From all that dwell below 
 the skies," sung to Old Hundred. The voices of the singers 
 blended perfectly, and the execution of the various tunes and 
 anthems was highly artistic and desei-ving of unstinted praise. 
 Mr. Harwood handled the organ with appreciative and excep- 
 tional skill, Mrs. Harwood's voice is a clear, high and ringing 
 soprano, equally good in each of the registers, while Mrs. 
 Rametti possesses a conti'alto of remarkable sweetness. Mr. 
 Loring's tenor and Mr. Pickett's bass are also conspicuously 
 excellent, and the whole choir may rightfully congratulate 
 itself upon having achieved a genuine musical triumph, despite 
 the very unfavorable condition of the weather. 
 
 It will be long before the last services in the old church in 
 Brattle Square will be forgotten. 
 
 The "Post's" reference to the music, and criticism of 
 it, are altogether appropriate and just, and, as an inter- 
 esting addition and close to it, we publish what to some 
 is a well-known and unquestionably authentic tradition 
 in Brattle-Square Church, in regard to the hymn, 
 "While Thee I seek. Protecting Power," and the tune, 
 " Brattle Street," to which it is almost invariably sung. 
 When Rev. Mr. Buckminster returned from Europe in 
 1807, he brought with him a manuscript copy of this 
 liymn, presented to him by its celebrated author, Helen 
 Maria Williams. It is probable that this was the first 
 copy of this hymn that had reached America. It had 
 
47 
 
 certainly never been adopted or used in public worship. 
 Very soon after his return, Mr. Buckminster, whose 
 knowledge of music was as thorough as his love of it 
 was ardent, in conjunction, says tradition, with Hon. 
 Nahum Mitchell and Bartholomew Brown, Esq., altered 
 a piece of Pleyel's instrumental music, adapting it to the 
 hymn, and the two were sung for the first time in this 
 country at Brattle-Street Church, in the autumn of 1807. 
 Wedded together then and there, the union has been so 
 universally recognized and approved for nearly seventy 
 years, that any attempt at divorce is immediately con- 
 demned. Few congregations would be pleased at hear- 
 ing that hymn sung to any but this tune, which was at 
 first called " Hymn Second," and once pubhshed under 
 the name of "Bengal," but was soon, — as early as 181 1, 
 — in honor of Mr. Buckminster and the church where it 
 was first sung, called " Brattle Street," and is now uni- 
 versally known and designated by that name. 
 
THE NEW 
 
 BRATTLE-SQUARE CHURCH. 
 
 HatJing t!)e Corner ^tonc. 
 
 nr^HE corner-stone of the new Brattle-Square Church, 
 corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Clarendon 
 Street, was laid on Thursday, September 14, with simple 
 but appropriate and interesting services, which opened 
 with the reading of some passages of Scripture and 
 prayer by the Rev. Dr. Lothrop. Mr. John Gard- 
 ner, chairman of the Building Committee, then read 
 the following 
 
 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. 
 
 It is a jDleasure to meet on this occasion to lay the corner- 
 stone of the new Brattle-Square Church, and place within it 
 some historical records of the church and society, whose origin 
 dates back to 1699, one hundred and seventy-three years ago. 
 
 It is not necessary for me to name the eminent, learned, and 
 pious men who have so successfully preached from its pulpit. 
 History bears evidence to the great and good work done by 
 each in his day and generation. Perhaps, also, no Christian 
 society in the land has counted among its members from time 
 to time so great a number of eminent statesmen, whose influ- 
 ence throughout the whole country did so much to mould pub- 
 lic opinion, and establish the republican government under 
 whicli we now live. 
 
49 
 
 Governor Hancock and Governor Bowdoin w^ere both woi*- 
 shippers at Bi-attle Square, were liberal contributors towards 
 its support, and large donors towards the erection in 1772 of 
 the edifice that has just been sold. At later periods, the Presi- 
 dents, John Adams and John Qiiincy Adams ; the celebrated 
 lawyers, Samuel Dexter, Harrison Gray Otis, Daniel Webster, 
 Chief Justice Parker, Judge Peter Oxembridge Thacher, and 
 James T. Austin ; Drs. John and J. C. Warren, the brothers 
 Sullivan, Gen. Dearborn, Alexander Everett, Benjamin 
 Crowninshield ; also many liberal, distinguished and influ- 
 ential merchants, Thomas Russell, Theodore Lyman, Hen- 
 derson Inches, William, Amos, and Abbott Lawrence, as well 
 as many others that might be mentioned, were at some time 
 proprietors and worshippers at Brattle-Square Church. 
 
 The idea was expressed by Dr. Palfrey, in his sermon 
 preached at the installation of our much-respected pastor, 
 " You must bear in mind that what you preach from this desk 
 will be heard by those whose positions in the councils of the 
 nation will take the sentiments uttered here and disseminate 
 them throughout the wide domain of the country." 
 
 Some five years since it became apparent that the location 
 of the church in Brattle Square, surrounded as it was by the 
 encroaching demands of trade and commerce, was no longer 
 adapted to the wants or convenience of the society, and that 
 some new location nearer the homes of its members, and more 
 agreeable of access, must be sought and obtained. At that 
 time the lot we now stand on was purchased by some membei^s 
 of the pai-ish with the purpose of offering it at the low price 
 paid for it to the society, whenever it should vote to remove. 
 No better spot, we think, could then or since have been secured. 
 Its prominence from every point of view, its central position 
 on this broad avenue, its proximity to the increasing population 
 in this southern and western part of the city, and its short dis- 
 tance from Beacon Hill, commend the site as a good selection. 
 It will soon be surrounded by the residences of a population 
 of nearly one hundred thousand. 
 
 The committee appointed by the society, when fully author- 
 7 
 
50 
 
 ized to sell the church and property in Brattle Square and 
 erect a suitable church on some more commodious spot, decided 
 at once to accept this lot from the parishioners, who had pur- 
 chased and were ready to transfer it by deed to the society. 
 
 The church property in Brattle Street is sold. Contracts 
 were made some months since for the erection of this structui-e, 
 which is being built in the Norman-Lombardic style of archi- 
 tecture, and of materials such as you see before you, — Rox- 
 bury stone, and brown sand-stone. Unlike any other church 
 in the city, it will have an imposing tower of about one hun- 
 dred and ninety feet in height. The cost of the whoie land 
 and structure will not be far from the resources we shall have 
 at command. And when we have put this stone with its con- 
 tents in its place, on that solid foundation under the ponderous 
 tower to be erected, may it rest there for centuries to come, 
 undisturbed by earthquakes, i-evolutions, or contending armies. 
 May this temple stand unscathed, save by the hand of time, 
 and from its altar may there go forth all good influences and 
 religious instructions, teaching love to one another, adora- 
 tion of God, and love for our Redeemer, till time shall be 
 no more. 
 
 At the close of his remarks, Mr. Gardner enumerated 
 the contents of the sealed box, which were as follows : — 
 
 The Daily Advertiser, of July 31, 1871, containing the sermon by Rev. 
 Dr. Lothrop, the minister of the church, on the 30th of July, being 
 the last service held in the church in Brattle Square. 
 
 A history of the church and society, written by Rev. S. K. Lothrop, 
 published in 1851. 
 
 Charter granted by the legislature in 1822, with a hst of the ministers 
 of the cliurch from 1698, with the by-laws of the cliurch. 
 
 Charter granted by the legislature in 1871. 
 
 Copies of the following papers : Daily Advertiser, dated September 
 14, 1871 ; Boston Morning Post and Weekly, September 14, 1871 ; 
 Boston yournal, September 14, 1871 ; Boston Evening Transcript, 
 September 13 and 14, 1871, and Weekly; Boston Evetiing Travel- 
 ler, September 14 ; Boston Christian Register, September 9 ; New 
 York Liberal Christian, September 9. 
 
Photographs of the pastor and several others. 
 
 Copper cent of 1803 ; copper cent of 1715 ; silver six-cent piece, of 
 
 Philip V. of Spain, 1737. These coins were found on the premises 
 
 of the old church. 
 
 The box was then set with cement in the proposed 
 cavity by Dr. Lothrop, assisted by the chairman of the 
 Building Cominiltee and the contracting mason, Mr. 
 Augustus Lothrop ; and the corner-stone was lowered 
 into its place. The anthem, " God is a Spirit," was then 
 sung ; after which. Dr. Lothrop delivered the following 
 address : — 
 
 My Christian Friends, and especially Members and Repre- 
 sentatives OF the Society recently worshipping in Brattle 
 Square, — 
 
 The chairman of the Building Committee, Mr. 
 Gardner, at the opening of this service stated to you 
 its purpose. That purpose has now been substan- 
 tially accomplished. He, in conjunction with his as- 
 sociates on the committee, and m3'self as pastor (in the 
 regretted absence of our deacon, Mr. P. T. Homer, to 
 whom this service was assigned), have just laid the 
 corner-stone of our new church, depositing within and 
 beneath it a box (whose contents have been stated), to 
 remain there unseen by mortal eyes, until in the provi- 
 dence of God and the progress of time this church, too, 
 shall have fulfilled its mission, and receive its mandate to 
 depart. The occasion has a meaning and significance, 
 lessons of duty and of hope. It awakens memories, 
 enforces obligations, is an expression of feelings, prin- 
 ciples, purposes, which are swelling in all our hearts, 
 but which it is not necessary I should undertake here 
 and now fully to set forth. Let me simply say that, as 
 a religious society, we gather here to-day as pilgrims 
 and strangers, without house or home, seeking to lay the 
 
52 
 
 foundations, to build here the walls of a new habitation, 
 a new religious home, for ourselves, our families, and 
 the generations who may come after us. Even as our 
 Fathers, of glorious and blessed memory — the Pilgrims 
 of 1620, '30, and '34 — at the sacrifice of many sacred 
 associations and tender affections, in the spirit of a devout 
 faith, at the call of conscience and duty, tore themselves 
 away, turned their backs upon the dear old churches, the 
 sacred spots and happy homes of England, and came 
 over to this land, to build here new churches and new 
 homes, and to worship and serve God under broader and 
 fairer opportunides, — so we have given our hearts a ter- 
 rible wrench, our memories and affections a painful 
 shock ; we have abandoned, torn ourselves away from 
 a noble old church, — grand, solemn, imposing in itself, 
 but so surrounded, pressed upon, buried, as it were, 
 beneath the gathering accumulations of the world in its 
 growing business and enterprise, as to have lost those 
 properties of convenience and invitation which should 
 mark a church, — we have torn ourselves away from this, 
 — at wliat pain, none but those of us who have done it 
 can estimate, — and come down here to this new and 
 more open spot, that we may build here a new house of 
 worship, establish here a new religious home, enshrine 
 in it all the memories of the past, embark and intrust to 
 it all the hopes of the future, and, in it and through it, 
 give to our religious organization, and to the freedom and 
 simplicity of that Congregational faith and worship it aims 
 to uphold, a fairer and broader opportunity to grow and 
 expand, to exert more and more its beneficent influence as 
 a permanent and pervading power in this community. 
 
 My friends, I rejoice, — but knowing most of you, your 
 Christian sentiments and spirit, so well as I do, I may use 
 the plural number, and say we, — we all rejoice in the 
 religious liberty enjoyed in our country, where each and 
 
53 
 
 all are free to worship God according to the dictates of 
 their consciences. We rejoice in every token of a living 
 faith and earnest zeal displayed by any of the denomina- 
 tions of Christian men and women that compose our 
 community. We rejoice in every indication, no matter 
 by whom made, that God is recognized and worshipped, 
 Christ received, reverenced, obeyed, and his Gospel 
 made the inspiration and law of life to the soul. And, as 
 we stand here to-day, in this southern and western part 
 of our growing city, and look around upon its increasing 
 number of new churches, — upon those whose spires, 
 pointing towards heaven, show that they are already 
 completed, and upon those whose foundations are just 
 begun, — as we look around upon them all, from the 
 majestic and massive Cathedral of the Roman Catholic 
 to the church whose corner-stone was laid yesterday, we 
 bid them all God speed. May they all be fountains of 
 living waters to them that drink thereat. May they all 
 redound to the glory of God, the honor of Christ, and 
 the good of man. May they all stand for the defence 
 and furtherance of Christian light and love, holiness and 
 truth, for the regeneration of the world and the salva- 
 tion of souls. We would come among them, not in the 
 spirit of opposition, or a narrow, sectarian bigotry, but in 
 the spirit of Christian respect and sympathy, to strive by 
 competing in love and zeal to promote the highest and 
 best interests, the coming of the kingdom of God in 
 this community. But, while we thus embrace all with 
 a broad catholic charity, and desire to live in peace with 
 all, we cleave closest, we love deepest, we respect most 
 profoundly, we give faith, heart, conscience, and our 
 best service to that simple, free, independent Congrega- 
 tion ahsm which we have received from our Fathers ; 
 vvhich, as a form of Gospel administration, was the 
 pristine glory of New England ; to which she owes so 
 
54 
 
 much that is honorable in her history and noble in her 
 character ; to which the ancestors of so many of us were 
 mart}' rs and servants in England and in this country ; 
 and which, as we read and interpret the New Testament, 
 corresponds, in organization, form, and service, more 
 nearly than any other to those primitive Christian churches, 
 which Paul and the apostles planted around the shores 
 of the eastern Mediterranean, in the first century of the 
 Christian era. We are sad when any one of these old 
 Congregational churches dies out, becomes extinct. 
 We rejoice when any one of them is spiritually renovated, 
 imbued with fresh life, placed (as we are endeavoring 
 to place ours) in a position to prolong its existence, and 
 increase its power, and become more and more a living 
 church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is therefore, 
 brethren, and ought to be, in gladness and gratitude 
 that we meet here to-day, and, with prayer and supplica- 
 tion, lay the corner-stone of our new church. From 
 this hour let sacred associations and interests begin to 
 gather in our hearts around this spot, leading us to for- 
 get the things that are behind and press forward to those 
 that are before, — forget them so far as their memory 
 would be a clog to our zeal, a hindrance to our efforts, a 
 palsy upon our energ}^ ; remember them only to make 
 them an inspiration to faith, hope, courage, to every 
 thing demanded of us to carry forward to completion the 
 goodly Christian work we have undertaken, and have 
 here and now asked God to bless. Let us so remember 
 the past and so embrace the future that both may quicken 
 and invigorate our fidelit}-. 
 
 Brethren, the independent Congregational Church — 
 the "manifesto" church of 1699 which has come down 
 to us by inheritance and descent, and which we here 
 represent, — in its history, character, principles is worthy 
 of our regard and our devoted service. It combines 
 
55 
 
 and harmonizes, to as great an extent as is practicable, 
 the principles of authority and freedom ; maintaining, as 
 a body or religious society, its own independence of all 
 external authority by its subjection to the Master in his 
 great revelation, and securing the freedom of every 
 individual member of the body in the interpretation of 
 that revelation. The great declaradon of its covenant is, 
 "We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker 
 of heaven and earth ; and in Jesus Christ as the prom- 
 ised Messiah and Saviour of the world ; and receive the 
 holy Scriptures as a revelation of the mind and will of 
 God to men for their salvation." The great demand 
 — the simple, grand, comprehensive demand — which 
 it makes upon every one who would join in its service at 
 the table of Communion is one that recognizes liberty 
 and supposes progress. "Will you endeavor to yield 
 obedience to every truth of God that has been or shall 
 be made known to you as yoicr duty, the Lord assisdng 
 you by his Spirit and grace?" It is because we believe 
 these declarations and principles to be the spiritual corner- 
 stones of the spiritual Church of Christ, that we seek to 
 transplant them from the original spot where our Fathers 
 embodied them in temple and w^orship to this new spot, 
 that here they may take fresh root, spring up strong and 
 fruitful, and in the future, as in the past, nourish the 
 spiritual life of many generations. Let us prosecute this 
 work, so happily begun, with a zeal and fidelity worthy 
 of its character and importance ; and may God continue 
 to bless it with the smiles of his favor. May this church 
 go steadily forward to completion without delay or acci- 
 dent, or loss of life or limb to any engaged in erecting it. 
 When it stands finished throughout from its firm founda- 
 tions to the capstones of its lofty tower, may the blessed 
 Providence permit us to gather here with devout and grate- 
 ful hearts, and, in the spirit of a hol}^ faith, consecrate it 
 
56 . -^ 
 
 to the worship of the one God, the Father Almighty ; to 
 the honor and service of his only begotten Son, the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. And, so long as its walls shall stand, and 
 men and women gather in it for worship, in Christian 
 faith and trust, may the Father and the Son make it the 
 scene and the channel through which to shed down, in 
 rich abundance, those influences of the Holy Spirit which 
 are for the consolation, the enlightenment and redemp- 
 tion of the world; and may we, brethren, when we come 
 to worship within these walls, and may all who come 
 after us, see to it that, through these influences of the 
 Holy Spirit and our own efforts and prayers, the spiritual 
 temple of a holy Christian character — more glorious 
 and beautiful than any outward temple, — be built up in 
 our hearts.