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, hs, 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 eventually prove more beneficial to mankind, than the sudden burst of umeridian 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 Portsinouth, to which place I journied on the 10th of November, 1773. I was received at Portsmouth with most flattering inarks 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 hands; 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 affirmed, 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 Congregational 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, died, Ap 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,

and

the principal support. I at first declined this proposal; but his repeated, and earnest solicitations, induced me to preach in Mr. Croswell's pulpit. In the hall of the Factory also, I again delivered my message; and on Friday, November 26th, I preached at Faneuil Hall: my subject, John viii. 36: If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 'The principal gentlemen of the town were among my audience, who heard me with great seriousness. After lecture, many took me by the hand, and, urging me to return to them speedily, prayed, in the warmest manner, for my success, as a gospel promulgator. This was the last night of my abode in Boston, on my first visit. I passed it at Mr. Peck's, accompanied by some friends, and we devoted it to scriptural investigations. My continuance in Boston was strongly urged; but I was under the necessity of departing, and devotional prayers for my safety, success, and speedy return, were reiterated-sUCH ARE MY CREDENTIALS. I left Boston on Saturday, November 27; reaching Providence upon the evening of that day, where, again and again, I delivered my testimony in the pulpit of the Rev. Mr. Snow. Departing thence, on the Tuesday following, accompanied by my dear young friend, Mr. Binney, for East-Greenwich, I met some very dear friends, and, as iron sharpeneth iron, so was my countenance brightened, and my spirit soothed and cheered.

From this period, November 30th, until the close of January, 1774, when I reached my lodging-place, at the house of my patron, I moved slowly on, preaching glad tidings in various places, friends and enemies still multiplying. At New-London my opportunities of preaching were repeated and the number of my treasures proportionably augmented; Hertell, Whey, Trueman, these were of the true circumcision, who worshipped God in the spirit, rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and having no confidence in the flesh; and my orisons were daily offered up to the God of all consolation, that the number of such genuine believers might be increased. I delight to

since which it has been demolished. - Snow's Hist. of Boston. 1826. pp.
201, 232, 240.
Mr. Croswell was generally genera regarded as a highly bigoted and censo-
rious divine. Hon. Benjamin Russell, for many years the editor of the
Boston Centinel,' has informed me that a poem was once sent him for
publication in that paper, containing a description of every clergyman
then preaching in Boston. One of them heard of it, and sent him a bil-
let, requesting the privilege of perusing it; whereupon it whereupon it was loaned to
him. He read it, and found himself alluded to in favorable terms; but
as there was much severity in regard to certain individuals, and as it
was written by one of his friends, he incurred the anger of Mr. Russell
by burning it. Croswell was described in the following manner:

'Sour, croaking Croswell, armed with fire and fury,
Consigns to hell, without a judge

or jury,
All whom his ignorance is wont t' assail,
For venturing beyond his narrow pale.'

T. W.

dwell upon the days I have passed in New-London. Deshon, Wheat, Saltonstall, Packwood, Law, Huntington, Champlin, Hubbard, &c. &c., very pleasant have ye been unto me. May the blessing of God descend upon your children's children, to the latest generation.

One capital difficulty, which has encompassed me in my progress through this younger world, has been the extreme reluctance of inquirers to receive their answers in scripture language. Standing alone, I have sought to wrap myself or rather to intrench myself in the sacred testimony of my God; and for this I have been accused of prevarication, equivocation, and what not? merely because I have not generally chosen to garb my sentiments in my own words. For example: The interrogator cominences with a great many compliments, and then follows: 'Do you believe all men will finally be saved?" I believe, it is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. But do you yourself believe, that all mankind will finally be saved?" God hath included all in unbelief, that he may have mercy upon all. But will all be finally saved?" God hath spoken of the restitution of all things, by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began. But still you do not answer my question.' Why, sir, for any thing I know, the authors, I have cited, mean, by their words, precisely the same as I do. I adopt their language, because I conceive it expresses my own ideas better than any set of phrases I could press into my service. This mode, however, has rarely given satisfaction. Persons dare not, in an unqualified manner, deny the validity of scripture testimony; they can only assert, it does not mean as it speaks, and they earnestly repeat the question : 'Do you believe, &c. &c. While my responses are drawn from the sacred streams, flowing in the book of God, from Genesis to Revelations, still they importunately, sometimes clamorously demand: 'But do you take those scriptures, as they are spoken?" To which I can only reply: I have no reason to believe that, by saying one thing, and meaning another, men, so upright, have formed a plan to deceive me. An attempt has then been made to prove the texts in question did not, could not, mean as they spake. To which I have answered: Multitudes are on your side; many have labored to prove God a liar; but I have never yet heard any argument, sufficiently potent, to convince me that He is so.

On the ninth of April, in this year, I received from the church and congregation * in Portsmouth, New-Hampshire, worshipping in the separate meeting-house, a solemn, and affectionate call, to

* This society afterwards settled Rev. Joseph Walton, who was ordained over them Sept. 22, 1789, and died in 1822, aged 80. On the removal of Rev. Hosea Ballou to Portsmouth, in 1809, Mr. Walton entered into a controversy with him, in connexion with Rev. Joseph Buckminster, two editions of which have been published. T. W.

take upon me the pastoral charge of that people; but I was not then convinced I ought to accept an establishment in any place. I passed the spring and the early part of the summer of 1774, in Pennsylvania, the Jersies, and New-York, with persons, who had drank into the same spirit with myself; with my revered friend, and father, with the Mounts and Pangburns of those happy days. Blessed be God, I have indeed enjoyed richly the consolations of friendship. In Philadelphia I was present at the heart-rending trial of some malefactors, which resulted in their receiving sentence of death: and I could not forbear exclaiming: OH, ADAM, WHAT HAST THOU DONE? My bosom swelis to rapture, upon the reflection, that I had frequent opportunities of visiting those criminals, and of preaching to them peace, through the fountain opened in the side of the second Adam. The poor creatures seemed much affected. The proclamation of the tender mercies of the Redeemer was more effectual, than all the terrors of Mount Sinai. Departing from New-York, about the 20th of July, I passed, by short stages, through Connecticut and Rhode-Island, visiting my friends in various directions, and deriving inexpressible satisfaction from beholding their order, their zeal, and the magnitude of their faith. On the 16th of August, the governor of Rhode Island sent me a passage of scripture, soliciting me to take it for my subject: It may be found, Mark xiv. 10. The governor attended, and after I had closed, took my hand with much cordiality, and expressed hiniself well satisfied, and truly grateful.

September 14th, 1774, I again reached Boston. My friends had long been expecting me, and I was received with demonstrations of heart-felt joy. Through the greatest part of this autumn, I continued preaching in the hall of the factory, in the mansion of my venerable friend, and at Faneuil Hall. Once I attempted to preach in Mason's Hall; but the throng, and consequent confusion were so great, that I was necessitated to desist even after I had worded my text; and finally, the congregations still augmenting, I yielded to the pressing solicitations of the proprietors of Mr. Croswell's meeting-house, and repeatedly delivered my testimony there. On the 31st of October, a gentleman, by the name of Sargent, called upon me from Gloucester, urging me to accompany him to his place of residence. My engagements would not allow my immediate attendance, but I gave my word for an early compliance with his wishes. November 2d, Wednesday evening, I named as the subject of my public lecture, Luke 13th, from the 24th to the 30th. After I had closed, a clergyman,* of a respectable appearance, whom I had never before seen, ascended the stairs of the pulpit, and addressed the people to the following effect: 'My friends, you have heard a great deal said, (for what purpose I know not,) which is calculated to lead you astray fron

* This I am informed was Rev. J. Bacon, pastor of the Old South T. W.