ble looking gentleman, immediately visited me, and asked me many questions. Where I came from? what clergymen I was acquainted with? and what credentials I could produce? During his inquiries he discovered, as it appeared to me, some uneasiness at the idea of my preaching in his pulpit; I therefore hastened to inform him that I was no priest, nor approved of by gentlemen of that order; that I professed myself somewhat acquainted with the salvation wrought out by Jesus Christ, and that wherever his providence called me, I was willing to speak well of the name of the Redeemer; but I added that I had great reluctance in speaking in any place in opposition to the wishes of the officiating minister. Mr. Parsons replied: The house was not his, it was the property of the people, and when it was not occupied, they had an indubitable right to invite who they pleased. Speaking of my call to preach, whether ordinary or extraordinary, I observed I had both; when he petulantly asked: Pray, can you speak with tongues?? It is possible I may, sir, with tongues that you may not understand. However, your question is as much against you, as against me. Jesus says, among the many signs that shall follow those who believe, they shall heal the sick by laying hands upon them, and if they take up any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. From these evidences, sir, perhaps it would be as hard for you to prove yourself even a believer, as for me to prove myself a preacher sent of God. While we were yet conversing, the bell was rung, and a large congregation assembled, among which Mr. Parsons himself attended; and I selected for my subject, Isaiah Iv. 10, 11. Agreeably to his earnest request, Mr. Little was my host; and upon the ensuing morning, (Saturday,) in consequence of a very polite invitation, I breakfasted with Mr. Parsons, and I was received by him, and his, very cordially; his countenance brightened upon me, and he requested me to preach again in his church on that day: Nor was this all; he walked with me to the pulpit, and sat with me there, while I preached preparatory to the communion, upon John xv. 12. On the ensuing day (Sunday) by the request of Mr. Marsh, who was indisposed, I preached, both morning and evening, at his church. Several friends visited me at Mr. Little's, and we closed the day with prayer. I was rather surprised to learn, that I lodg ed, at Mr. Little's, upon the very same bed, in which Mr. Whitefield had reposed; and that I had preached in the pulpit, before which he was entombed. I continued in Newburyport, passing my time most pleasantly, a second Sunday; I preached, morning and evening, in the pulpit of Mr. Marsh; I gave frequent lectures there, and in the meeting-house of Mr. Parsons, who always sat in the pulpit with me, and frequently entertained me most hospitably at his house. His lady appeared to merit a rank among the most accomplished of women; she was highly social, sentimental, and pleasant. The circle of my friends in Newburyport was very respectable. Upon a lecture evening, after I had closed, an old, grey-headed man, a member of Mr. Parson's church, quitting his seat, addressed the congregation, and in a loud voice said: 'My friends, this is a servant of the living God, who is come from a far country, to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation. We have too long been in darkness; yea, our tongues have cleaved to the roofs of our mouths, and this man is sent to animate and renew our faith.' Many blessed God, they had seen and heard me; and all this I imputed to a want of knowledge, relative to the extent of the glad tidings I promulgated. The Grace, Union, and Membership, upon which I expatiated, were admitted by every Calvinist, but admitted only for the elect; and when I repeated those glorious texts of scripture, which indisputably proclaim the redemption of the lost world,— -as I did not expressly say, My brethren, I receive these texts in the unlimited sense in which they are given,-they were not apprized, that I did not read them with the same contracted views, to which they had been accustomed. When they became assured of the magnitude and unbounded result, which I ascribed to the birth, life, and death of the Redeemer, their doors were fast closed against me. For myself, I was in unison with Mr. Relly, who supposed the gradual dawn of light would eventu ally prove more beneficial to mankind, than the sudden burst of meridian day. Thus I was contented with proclaiming the truth as it is in Jesus, in scripture language only,―leaving to my hearers deductions, comments, and applications. While I continued at Newburyport, numerous solicitations poured upon me, from various quarters; but, in haste to return to Philadelphia, I could only comply with the urgent importunities of several gentlemen from Portsmouth, to which place I journied on the 10th of November, 1773. I was received at Portsmouth with most flattering marks of kindness. The pulpit of the separate minister, Mr. Drown, then recently deceased, was thrown open to me; the congregations were large; my adherents were truly respectable, and I was earnestly urged to take up my residence among them. The meeting-house of Mr. Drown being too small, I was invited into the pulpit of Dr. Langdon,* in which I preached, two clergymen occupying seats therein. In Portsmouth I received many marks of friendship; my necessities were sought out, and removed; and the name of Clarkson, Morrison, Hart, and Drown, son of the deceased minister, were, on that first visit, among my most partial friends. I returned to Newburyport, accompanied by Mr. Morrison and Mr. Drown, and again delivered my testimony in the pulpits of the Rev. Mr. Parsons and Mr. Marsh. Mr. Parsons requested I would write to him from Philadelphia; and on Wednesday, November 17th, I returned to Boston, where I learned, that a spirit of inquiry was in operation among my friends; that their bibles were in their bands; and that they were diligently employed in searching the scriptures, to find whether these things * I have supplied Langdon for the initial. It was Rev. Samuel Langdon, D. D., afterwards President of Harvard College. T. W. were indeed so. Upon the evening of the 18th, I preached in the mansion of my venerable friend, Mr. Peck; and I was distinguished by him and his lady with even parental kindness: Mrs. Peck entreating me to inform my mother, that I had found, in the new world, a second maternal friend. It was upon this occasion, that I audibly exclaimed: O God! thou hast still continued my God, and my guide; let me not forget to render praises unto Thee. At the period of which I am speaking, there in Boston were a number of Deists, who attended my labors. Their leader gave me frequent invitations to visit him; he summoned his friends, with whom he united in expressing his abhorrence of the Apostle Paul. To this gentleman I dwelt upon the respectable proofs, by which the authenticity of scripture was supported, and I took leave to observe, that he must have received the character of Paul from his enemies; that Paul was indubitably a learned man, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel; that he was celebrated as an orator; and that his morals were unimpeached. It was true, he was said to have advocated a most comfortless doctrine,-to have affirined, that a few were elected to everlasting life; while, by the same irreversible decree, countless millions were consigned to remediless and never-ending misery. But, I added, sirs, believe it not; for, verily, the doctrine, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, was uniforinly proclaimed by our great Apostle. The doctrine of election is questionless to be found in the pages of this evangelical writer; but reprobation is not a necessary consequence of election, nor does it appear in the writings of the Apostle to the Gentiles. A governor is elected by a commonwealth, a council, senators, representatives are elected; but are the people therefore consigned to perdition? Thus I went on, and my little audience with lifted hands exclaimed: "This plan is worthy of a God; and we felicitate you, dear sir, as the Ainbassador of Deity.' The hall of the factory, and the dwelling of my friend being too small for the increasing congregation, Mr. Peck proposed I should publish a lecture in the meeting-house of Mr. Croswell,* of which he was * I have here supplied the name for the initial. This meeting-house, in the pulpit of which Mr. Murray was subsequently stoned, stood in School street, on the lot next east of that on which the meeting-house of the Second Universalist Society' now stands. Rev. Andrew Croswell was formerly the pastor of a church in Groton, Con. He was invited to remove to Boston, and take the charge of the Eleventh Congre gational church. They soon purchased the house in School street, which had been formerly occupied by the French Protestants. Mr. Peck was one of the principal owners of the house, and supporters of Mr. Croswell; and it was at his request and importunity that Mr. Murray preached there. Mr. C.'s society dwindled away: he becaine blind, and died, April 12, 1785, in the 77th year of his age. The society became extinct, and the meeting-house was sold to the Roman Catholics, who gathered a congregation about this time. They occupied it, we presume, until they removed to their new church in Franklin Place, seat, addressed the congregation, and in a loud voice said: 'My friends, this is a servant of the living God, who is come from a far country, to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation. We have too long been in darkness; yea, our tongues have cleaved to the roofs of our mouths, and this man is sent to animate and renew our faith.' Many blessed God, they had seen and heard me; and all this I imputed to a want of knowledge, relative to the extent of the glad tidings I promulgated. The Grace, Union, and Membership, upon which I expatiated, were admitted by every Calvinist, but admitted only for the elect; and when I repeated those glorious texts of scripture, which indisputably proclaim the redemption of the lost world,— -as I did not expressly say, My brethren, I receive these texts in the unlimited sense in which they are given,-they were not apprized, that I did not read them with the same contracted views, to which they had been accustomed. When they became assured of the magnitude and unbounded result, which I ascribed to the birth, life, and death of the Redeemer, their doors were fast closed against me. For myself, I was in unison with Mr. Relly, who supposed the gradual dawn of light would eventu ally prove more beneficial to mankind, than the sudden burst of ineridian day. Thus I was contented with proclaiming the truth as it is in Jesus, in scripture language only,-leaving to my hearers deductions, comments, and applications. While I continued at Newburyport, numerous solicitations poured upon me, from various quarters; but, in haste to return to Philadelphia, I could only comply with the urgent importunities of several gentlemen from Portsmouth, to which place I journied on the 10th of November, 1773. I was received at Portsmouth with most flattering marks of kindness. The pulpit of the separate minister, Mr. Drown, then recently deceased, was thrown open to me; the congregations were large; my adherents were truly respectable, and I was earnestly urged to take up my residence among them. The meeting-house of Mr. Drown being too small, I was invited into the pulpit of Dr. Langdon,* in which I preached, two clergymen occupying seats therein. In Portsmouth I received many marks of friendship; my necessities were sought out, and removed; and the name of Clarkson, Morrison, Hart, and Drown, son of the deceased minister, were, on that first visit, among my most partial friends. I returned to Newburyport, accompanied by Mr. Morrison and Mr. Drown, and again delivered my testimony in the pulpits of the Rev. Mr. Parsons and Mr. Marsh. Mr. Parsons requested I would write to him from Philadelphia; and on Wednesday, November 17th, I returned to Boston, where I learned, that a spirit of inquiry was in operation among my friends; that their bibles were in their bands; and that they were diligently employed in searching the scriptures, to find whether these things *I have supplied Langdon for the initial. It was Rev. Samuel Langdon, D. D., afterwards President of Harvard College. T. W. were indeed so. Upon the evening of the 18th, I preached in the mansion of my venerable friend, Mr. Peck; and I was distinguished by him and his lady with even parental kindness: Mrs. Peck entreating me to inform my mother, that I had found, in the new world, a second maternal friend. It was upon this occasion, that I audibly exclaimed: O God! thou hast still continued my God, and my guide; let me not forget to render praises unto Thee. At the period of which I am speaking, there in Boston were a number of Deists, who attended my labors. Their leader gave me frequent invitations to visit him; he summoned his friends, with whom he united in expressing his abhorrence of the Apostle Paul. To this gentleman I dwelt upon the respectable proofs, by which the authenticity of scripture was supported, and I took leave to observe, that he must have received the character of Paul from his enemies; that Paul was indubitably a learned man, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel; that he was celebrated as an orator; and that his morals were unimpeached. It was true, he was said to have advocated a most comfortless doctrine,-to have affirined, that a few were elected to everlasting life; while, by the same irreversible decree, countless millions were consigned to remediless and never-ending misery. But, I added, sirs, believe it not; for, verily, the doctrine, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, was uniforinly proclaimed by our great Apostle. The doctrine of election is questionless to be found in the pages of this evangelical writer; but reprobation is not a necessary consequence of election, nor does it appear in the writings of the Apostle to the Gentiles. A governor is elected by a commonwealth, a council, senators, representatives are elected; but are the people therefore consigned to perdition? Thus I went on, and my little audience with lifted hands exclaimed: "This plan is worthy of a God; and we felicitate you, dear sir, as the Ambassador of Deity.' The hall of the factory, and the dwelling of my friend being too small for the increasing congregation, Mr. Peck proposed I should publish a lecture in the meeting-house of Mr. Croswell,* of which he was # I have here supplied the name for the initial. This meeting-house, in the pulpit of which Mr. Murray was subsequently stoned, stood in School street, on the lot next east of that on which the meeting-house of the Second Universalist Society' now stands. Rev. Andrew Croswell was formerly the pastor of a church in Groton, Con. He was invited to remove to Boston, and take the charge of the Eleventh Congre gational church. They soon purchased the house in School street, which had been formerly occupied by the French Protestants. Mr. Peck was one of the principal owners of the house, and supporters of Mr. Croswell; and it was at his request and importunity that Mr. Murray preached there. Mr. C.'s society dwindled away: he becaine blind, and died, April 12, 1785, in the 77th year of his age. The society became extinct, and the meeting-house was sold to the Roman Catholics, who gathered a congregation about this time. They occupied it, we presume, until they removed to their new church in Franklin Place, |
