USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Medford > History of the town of Medford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement, in 1630, to the present time, 1855 > Part 23
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preached an appropriate sermon. Thus died a clergyman and pastor who had preached in all the mecting-houses which had been built in Medford, from the first settlement of the town to the year 1824 ! He kept no record of deaths. He baptized 1,037 persons ; married 220 couple; and admitted to the church 323 communicants.
Some further light may be shed on the character of Mr. Turell by a few extracts from his wills. One will is dated Oct. 8, 1758; another, in 1762; and a third, in 1764. He shows sound judgment, kind affections, and Christian justice, in his bequests.
His dwelling-house, which is now owned and occupied by Jonathan Porter, Esq., he gave to the church in Medford, " for the use of the ministry for ever." He gave his " largest silver tankard, and a silver spoon,{which has a lion's head engraved on it, to the church in Medford." He gave "to Madam Elizabeth Royal, and Peter Chardon, Esq., each a mourning ring."
" I give to Mrs. Lucy Tufts her aunt Turell's picture.
" I give to Mr. Faneuil, and Mrs. Ilatch, their grandfather's and grandmother's pictures.
" I give to Harvard College the learned Dr. Isaac Barrow's work, in three vols., folio ; my fine loadstone, set in silver; and my bunch or brush of spun glass.
" Item. My good servant Worcester, - I give him his freedom, and discharge him from any demands of my heirs or executors on account of his being a slave ; and order my executor to reserve in his hands £50, sterling, to and for the use of my said servant, if he should be unable to support himself; the same to be given him at the discretion of my said executor." -
When the town determined to set the meeting-house where it was built in 1769, Mr. Turell remonstrated. He wished it placed beside the old one. He accordingly erased from his will the section in which he had given his dwelling-house to the town !
The system of " exchanges," by which neighboring minis- ters preached in each other's pulpits, was in full activity dur- ing Mr. Turell's ministry ; and the Medford church was instructed occasionally by Rev. Messrs. Colman, Cooper, Gardner, and Byles, of Boston ; Prince, Warren, and Clapp, of Cambridge ; Stimson, of Charlestown ; Coolidge, of Water- town ; Flagg, of Woburn ; Lowell and Tufts, of Newbury ; Parkman, of Westbury ; Parsons, of Bradford ; and many
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more. This wide connection in ministerial brotherhood shows Mr. Turell to have enjoyed the respect and esteem of the clergy, as well as the approbation and confidence of the churches. President Allen, in his Biographical Dictionary, speaks of him thus : -
" He was an eminent preacher, of a ready invention, a correct judgment, and fervent devotion, who delivered divine truth with animation, and maintained discipline in his church with boldness tempered by prudence."
An anecdote is told of him, which may mean much or lit- tle. It was reported that Mr. Whitefield was to preach in Medford the next sabbath. A man, from Malden came, and took his seat in the meeting-house. He thought he was listening to the wonderful preacher, and went into corre- sponding raptures. For a week he praised " the unpa- ralleled," and then learned that he had listened to Mr. Turell.
We do not suppose that Mr Turell was one of those men who can make ice perform the offices of fire ; nor was such a man then needed in Medford. In his intercourse with his people, he was kind-hearted, social, and dignified. There was about him a morning freshness which was very agree- able. At home, he was hospitable and generous ; a lover of anecdotes, even when they related to his own personal beauty, which was remarkable. As a preacher, he was clear, direct, and scriptural ; following the habit of that day, which was to amass texts from Scripture in proof of Christian doctrine and useful morals. The unflinching directness of the following is more apparent than its classic taste. He was preaching on selfishness ; and, after designating certain people, he said : -
" They are so selfish, that, if their neighbor's barn was on fire, they would not lift a finger to extinguish the flames, if they could only roast their own apples."
In his theological sentiments, he sometimes revolved round the Assembly's Catechism, and believed that he was thus revolving round the Bible. A parishioner of his, who had moved into the country, where no stated sabbath exercises and worship could be enjoyed, wrote to Mr. Turell (1760), lamenting his absence from public worship and the use of Christian means. Mr. Turell writes a very good letter, in which he says to him : " You have your Bible, which contains
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all things necessary for salvation." His ministry gave content- ment to his people, and passed away like the seasons, show- ing bloom, growth, and fruitage, without noise or record.
His printed compositions are few. We have seen his biographical notice of his first wife, Mrs. Jane Colman Turell; and it gives evidence of his just appreciation of a most interesting woman in the family and a pious member of the church. His sketch of his father-in-law, Dr. Colman, is a labored and successful eulogy of every quality in the deceased which could ornament a man or sanctify a preacher. The manuscript sermons which have escaped destruction are chiefly amplifications of texts which pertained to his theme, ending with the accustomed "improvement," which was a practical application of his doctrine to the hearts and lives of his audience.
REV. DAVID OSGOOD, D.D.
J.A.
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The third minister of Medford was born in the south-west part of Andover, within half a mile of the Tewksbury line. His father, Captain Isaac Osgood, who lived to an advanced age, was born upon and occupied the same farm which had been owned and cultivated by his father before him, Mr. Stephen Osgood, who belonged originally to the north parish in Andover. David, the oldest of Captain Isaac Osgood's four sons, was born October, 1747. His mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Flint ; and she was the daughter of a respecta- ble farmer in the neighboring town of Reading. She was a great invalid ; and no tradition remains of her having exer- cised any leading influence over the characters of her sons, all of whom were men of more than common intellectual endowments. David assiduously labored with his father on the farm until the age of nineteen, when he began to direct his studies with reference to a collegiate education. In these studies he was guided and helped by Rev. Mr. Emerson, of Holliston. Like most young men of that day, he taught a school as a means of support, and entered Harvard College, in 1767, at the age of twenty-one. His age gave him great advantage in mastering the more difficult studies, and he sustained a high rank in his class. His predilections for the ministry had always been dominant ; and, immediately after his graduation, he commenced the study of divinity, residing part of his time in Cambridge, and part in Andover.
March 10, 1774 : On this day, the town of Medford voted to hear Mr. David Osgood as a candidate for settlement. This proposal was accepted ; and the consequence was (April 18, 1774) an invitation from the church and the town to settle as colleague pastor with Rev. Ebenezer Turell. There were sixty yeas, and six nays. The six gentlemen (Simon Tufts, Thomas Brooks, jun., Edward Brooks, Samuel Angier, Joshua Simonds, - the sixth not named) opposed the call because they differed from the candidate in their interpretation of Scripture ; he adopting the Calvinistic doc- trine of total depravity, and they taking the Arminian view of the subject.
The Arminian brethren began to use all lawful means to prevent the acceptance of the call. They addressed a letter to the pastor elect, May 4, 1774, detailing their reasons for opposing him. On the thirteenth of that month, he sends his refusal of the invitation, based, as he says, upon "the quality and rank of my present opposers, and the great
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weight of their objections," &c. This letter of refusal is written with power and feeling ; and it re-asserts the doctrine of " the total corruption of the human heart by nature, pre- vious to renovating grace, as a cardinal point in revealed religion." This doctrine the Arminian brethren believed to be " unscriptural," and contended that it makes " an infinitely holy God the efficient cause of all sin in his creatures."
The town did not resign the hope of settling their favorite candidate. They chose a Committee to consult with the six dissentients ; and the Committee performed their duty kindly and faithfully, but without much success. June 9, 1774, the church and town renew their invitation to Mr. Osgood. Yeas, 67 ; nays, 5. Salary, eighty pounds (lawful money) during Mr. Turell's life, and ninety pounds afterwards. The opponents of this procedure renew their efforts to prevent the settlement ; and, on the 13th July, 1774, respectfully ask the town to call an ecclesiastical council, of their own selec- tion, to examine the theological opinions of the pastor elect before he shall give his answer to their call. This request was refused ; and, July 23, Mr. Osgood sends his letter of acceptance. Aug. 12, the dissatisfied brethren sent a com- munication to the church, through their aged pastor, declaring their reasons for opposing the ordination of Mr. Osgood, and avowing their zeal for justice and peace. They then propose a mutual council, to examine Mr. Osgood's religious opinions. At a church-meeting, held Aug. 16, this proposition was debated, and voted down. At the same meeting, they voted to proceed to the ordination, and agreed to invite nine churches ; those in Cambridge, Charlestown, Stoneham, Woburn, Malden, and Andover. The time was the second Wednesday in September ; and these words are a part of the vote : "The day to be kept as a fast " !
Sept. 5, 1774, the dissatisfied brethren sent a long com- munication to the pastor elect, in which they apprise him that they have resolved to oppose his ordination ; and they send him a copy of statements which they intend to make.
On the morning of the 14th September, 1774, the ordain- ing council assembled and organized in full numbers ; Rev. Dr. Appleton, Moderator ; and Rev. Mr. Searl, Scribe. After the usual preliminary exercises, the four dissentients - Thomas Brooks, jun., Edward Brooks, Samuel Angier, and Joshua Simonds - presented themselves before the council, and asked to be heard. They stated that they had
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grave reasons for opposing the ordination of Mr. David Os- good, and requested permission to state those reasons. They presented a paper to the council; and the consequence was, that the entire day was painfully occupied in debating the vexed questions. It is not worth while to trace the steps of the controversy, but to let the result of the council be a suffi- cient record of the whole matter. The result of council was expressed in these words : ---
" It was then proposed, whether it was not expedient that a paper should be read which was said to contain a narrative of some affairs in Boxford in which Mr. Osgood was concerned, or some remarks upon the result of a council there. The reading of said paper was urged by some members of Medford church who call themselves aggrieved. The council refused to hear it, for reasons offered by Mr. Osgood."
It was desired by the aggrieved that a certain contest be- tween Mr. Osgood and Captain Adams should be considered ; but this was refused, as it appeared to be an article which had been laid before the council at Boxford, and concerning which they had judged and determined.
It was then voted by the council to hear a sermon of Mr. Osgood's on Eph. ii. 2; which was objected against, as con- taining doctrines of pernicious tendency. The council, upon hearing it, judged it to be sound and orthodox.
Mr. Osgood then delivered the following confession of his faith, which was well approved : -
" I believe that there is one only living and true God, whose being and perfections are eternally and necessarily existent, immu- table, and independent ; of whom as their primary efficient cause, and through whom as their sole preserver, governor, and absolute disposer, and to whom as their ultimate scope and issue, are all things and events which ever have or shall take place in the uni- verse ; that this God is the alone proper and fit object of religious worship; and that he is, on account of his own moral beauty and excellence, infinitely worthy of the supreme love and entire obedi- ence of all created intelligences.
" I believe that the books of the Old and New Testament are an exhibition of the mind and will of God to man, in which are com- prised all those doctrines and instructions which are necessary to guide and direct men in the way to happiness and eternal life ; that in these books God has revealed himself as existing (though in a manner above my comprehension) in a triplicity of persons, - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
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" I believe, on the authority of these books, that God at first cre- ated man perfectly holy and upright ; that, whilst in this state, he made a covenant with him, which virtually included his future off- spring ; that, in consequence of the breach of this covenant, man- kind do now come into existence with hearts wholly corrupt ; on account of which corruption, they are liable to suffer all the evils implied in the curse of the law.
" I believe that this corruption of the human heart has not de- stroyed that freedom which is necessary to moral action, but that mankind still remain the subjects of God's moral government.
" I believe that, though God was wholly unobliged in strict justice to provide a Saviour for these apostate creatures, he has yet done it of his own mere good pleasure, and for the display of his unme- rited grace ; that Jesus Christ is this Saviour, in whom the divine and human nature are united in a manner inconceivable by me ; that this Saviour, by voluntarily undertaking the work of redemp- tion, and in a federal capacity becoming obedient to the Father's will, even unto death, has so displayed the deformity of sin, and has done such honor to the divine law and government, as to render it consistent with the perfect rectitude of the supreme Go- vernor to pardon and receive to favor sinners who believe in Christ, though in themselves they are infinitely guilty and undeserving ; that this faith in Christ is not a bare speculative assent of the understanding only, but an hearty approbation of his mediatorial character ; that it is an holy act, proceeding from a sanctified or good heart, which good heart is created by the power of the Holy Ghost in regeneration ; that though regeneration be the immediate and powerful exertion of the Spirit of God in the soul, yet that the usual way in which sinners are thus born again, and brought to the exercise of that faith which, according to the gospel plan, entitles them to the benefits of Christ's purchased redemption, is whilst they are attending upon what are called the means of grace, are reading, hearing, or meditating upon divine truth, and are laboring after the knowledge of God and of themselves, and an acquaintance with spiritual and eternal things.
"In a word, I apprehend that those doctrines specified in the Assembly's Catechism are, in the main, consonant to those revealed in the sacred oracles as fundamentals in the gospel scheme, - which doctrines, as a Christian, I am bound to profess, and, as a preacher, to teach and inculcate. DAVID OSGOOD.
" MEDFORD, Sept. 14, 1774."
The council then were desired to determine whether it was not expedient for them to advise to the calling a mutual council, to hear and judge concerning the objections of the aggrieved. This the council judged to be inexpedient.
The council being satisfied with Mr. Osgood, notwith- standing the objections brought against him, which they fully
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and patiently heard and duly considered, proceeded to the business of ordination.
In the meeting-house the church publicly renewed their call ; and Mr. Osgood publicly accepted.
Introductory prayer, by Rev. Mr. Willis, of Malden ; ser- mon, by Rev. Mr. French, of Andover ; ordaining prayer and charge, by Rev. Dr. Appleton, of Cambridge ; right hand of fellowship, by Rev. Mr. Cook, of Cambridge ; concluding prayer, by Rev. Mr. Searl, of Stoneham.
The result of this council was right. The charges against the character of Mr. Osgood were not sustained so as to dis- qualify him for the office of a Christian minister ; and the charges against his Calvinistic opinions were such objections to them as all Arminians would offer. It was not to be ex- pected that a town would be defeated in its choice of a pas- tor, when sixty-seven votes out of seventy-two were for a favorite candidate. It was certainly a high compliment to the "quality and rank of the opposers " that they induced Mr. Osgood to give a negative answer to the first invitation ; and it appears from all the documents that the aggrieved party were sincere and reluctant opposers of their fellow- communicants. They deemed loyalty to truth and obedience to Christ paramount to all earthly and personal considera- tions ; and however we, at this day, may differ from them, we must accord to them a conscientious desire to promote the glory of God and the good of the church. A proof of their love of peace was found in the fact, that, on the morning after the ordination, three of the opposers of it waited together upon the new pastor; when Thomas Brooks, jun., Esq., addressed him thus : --
" Rev. Sir, - We opposed the giving you a call, and we opposed your ordination ; we did thus from our deepest convictions of duty to Christ and his church ; but, as we have failed in all our efforts, and you are now to begin your ministry among us, we have come here to tell you that our opposition to you ceases, and that you will find us constant attendants on your ministrations, and ready to aid you in your holy work."
Dr. Osgood told the writer of this, that he found these gen- tlemen among his most generous and attentive parishioners.
The ministry of Mr. Osgood commenced just as the revo- lutionary earthquake began to terrify the Colonies ; and politics seemed to devour all other topics. He early took side with the friends of freedom ; and, for many years during
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his unmarried state, did not press the town for his salary. The fugitive value of the old continental money caused some embarrassment a few years later ; but he bore with cheerful- ness his share of the common public burdens. While a part of the continental army was stationed at Charlestown, on Win- ter Hill, the soldiers walked to Medford for the pleasure of attending his public ministrations.
Citizen. - Dr. Osgood, as a citizen, was a lover of peace, and an early advocate of temperance societies. His love of country showed itself prominently during our difficulties with Great Britain in 1812. His sermon at the annual election in 1809, that before the students of Harvard College in 1810, and his "Solemn Protest " against the declaration of war in 1812, prove that the fear of man was not before his eyes. As a federalist of the old school, he felt bound to thunder his anathemas against the new doctrines of the national adminis- tration ; but it was felt by some of his friends that his offer- ings on the altar of patriotism burned too brightly. So keen were his applications, that it could not be said of him, Tam unice vituperat, ut laudare videtur.
Preacher. - As a preacher, his mind was not so much the rapid, inventive, and poetic, as the clear, metaphysic, and prac- tical. It was ardent, but not glowing ; always free, but always reverent ; and particularly excelled in illustrating moral truth. To sterling Anglo-Saxon sense he added a vast mental industry ; and, had he been a poet, his power as a preacher would have been well-nigh doubled. Pithy and sententious apothegms were not common with him. His writings were not clusters of maxims; but consecutive thought, expressed in pure, plain English. During the first part of his ministry, it seemed to be his leading aim to con- vince his people of the truth of his creed ; and this immersed him in the acute metaphysics of Edwards. In a discrimi- nating notice of him, written immediately after his death, there is the following : -
" As a preacher, he was very distinguished. His matter was copious and sensible, and drawn, for the most part, from the moral precepts and the undisputed doctrines of the gospel. His style was animated and forcible, and his manner one of the most striking which we have ever witnessed. His looks, his gesture, and the tones of his voice, were altogether peculiar to himself. Without being at all like those which we are accustomed to find in what is called a finished speaker, they were so energetic, so full of mean-
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ing, so truly eloquent, that they arrested and enchained the most profound and delighted attention. We shall never forget his patri- archal appearance in the pulpit."
Another writer at the same time says, -
" Dr. Osgood's singular excellence was in the energetic, impas- sioned expression of religious sentiment. When urging an impor- tant practical truth, his mind seemed all on fire with his theme. His tones, his gesture, his enthusiasm, - his inspiration, I had almost said, - were peculiarly his own. Hence, if he did not always satisfy by an argument, he seldom failed to overpower by an appeal."
During the latter part of his life, his aim seemed rather to touch their hearts with a warm piety, and to lead them trust- ingly to a divine Saviour. This change, however, in him was gradual. He found the noonday sun shining upon him at a dif- ferent angle from the morning ray. He believed with Augus- tine, Nulla falsa doctrina est, qua non aliquid veri permisceat.
He kept up his studies in Hebrew, and gave frequent ex- positions of the Old Testament ; but he did not touch the harp of the prophet with that unholy violence which snaps its chords. He continued his reading of the Greek and Latin classics, and often enriched his sermons from them ; thus making heathen plants bear fruit on Christian soil.
He was a fearless preacher. Hating hypocrisy with his whole heart, he could drag into light the secret, double-faced pretender with awful power ; and he loved to make the bold, successful demagogue tremble before him. He was not one of those who are always hacking at the branches of evil: his mode was to strike at its root. In mild persuasion he did not excel ; but in righteous rebuke he had no equal.
His appearance in the sacred desk was singularly imposing, especially after age had whitened his locks. He had a well- developed frame, a strongly-marked face, a powerful voice, and sometimes a very animated delivery. Most of the sermons, in the volume published after his death, were deli- vered memoriter ; and, as these added graces cannot be found in the printed page, those sermons will not justify to after-gene- rations the eulogy we have passed upon him as a preacher.
Opinions. - His opinions were not stereotyped. His con- stant study and patient reflection extended his views of God and of Christ, of man and of truth. At the time of his settle- ment, the doctrines of Arminius, Calvin, and Hopkins un- equally divided this community. He inclined, with deepest conviction, to the school of the learned Genevan.
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He was strongly attached to the Protestant, Congregational order of church government, and had little love for -Episco- pacy. His " Plea for Infant Baptism " was considered one of his ablest works. Though early biased in favor of Calvin- ism, he would not allow himself to be a slave to other men's decisions. He would judge of the Bible for himself. Nul- lius addictus jurare in verba magistri. We should like to have seen him in the situation of Rev. Marmaduke Mathews, the first minister of Malden, in 1650, who was accused of free thinking and free talking ; and " the General Court ordered Governor Endicott, in its name, to admonish him." We think the General Court and Governor, before they had got Dr. Osgood under their spiritual duress, would have been glad to say, "Go thy way for this time : when we have a more convenient season, we will call for thee."
He was that " freeman whom the truth makes free," and maintained that right reason is to our understandings what the Spirit of God is to our hearts. El sabio muda consejo, el nescio no. His views of the gospel dispensation gradu- ally expanded, and thus modified, his former faith. On the evening of that day when he had taken a most decisive stand in the stormy debates which arose in the council, before the ordination of the Rev. Mr. Wisner over the Old South Church in Boston (1819), he proposed to me the following easy question : " Why will Mr. Wisner's creed be like a lighted candle ?" Answer. - " The longer it lives, the shorter it will be." Dr. Osgood might have taken as his motto, Liceat concedere veris. His catholicism was proverbial ; and he maintained until his death the friendly interchange of pulpits with both parties, after the Trini- tarian controversy of 1810 had commenced. He ever classed himself among those called " orthodox,"- that is, Cal- vinistic, - and was consistent with his profession. He was tolerant without religious indifference, and candid without forgetting his rebuke of sin. An old and heretofore respect- ed member of the Medford church became " an infidel free- thinker," -rejecting the divine authority of Christ and the New Testament. Before the church proceeded to deal with him, Mr. Osgood wrote him a private letter as a friend. The letter is dated, " Medford, Sept. 10, 1798 ;" and, with his plain style and strong sense, he pleads with his erring brother as with a father, a citizen, a patriot, and a philanthro- pist. Among other ideas are these : -
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