USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Cambridge > Sermon on the re-opening of Christ Church, Cambridge, Mass. : preached on the twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity, November 22, 1857 : with a historical notice of the Church > Part 4
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" Whereas the Episcopal Church in Cambridge, (a building not many years since erected, and an elegant piece of Architecture,) has in the course of the late War been much damaged, the Windows being totally de- stroyed, the Pews, Altar and Pulpit exceedingly injured, and the Organ wholly torn to pieces ; and whereas the repairing of the same will render an essential Service, not only to the Episcopal Church in general, but to a number of our Christian Brethren in that town and in its vicinity, who are now destitute of a place and opportunity of worshipping God in a manner most agreeable to them, - Therefore, to aid and assist in so laudable a design, We hereby promise to pay to such person or persons, as shall be duly authorized by the Proprietors of said Church, to
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THE CHURCH AFTER THE WAR.
receive and apply the same for the purpose aforesaid, the sums and articles affixed to our several and respective names."
A considerable interest seems to have been taken in its restoration, and many persons not belonging to the church contributed. Several subscribed as " friends " or " good friends ; " one as " a friend to mankind; " another as "a friend to music, for the organ; " another " for a friend to Cambridge Church, who is in England, for repairing the organ ; " and many mechanics and laborers subscribed amounts to be paid in work.
On the 14th of July 1790 the church was again opened for service, when the Rev. Dr. Parker, Rector of Trinity Church, Boston, preached on Ephesians ii. 19-22. The opening and concluding sentences of the sermon are given from his manuscript.
"It having pleased Almighty God to put it into the hearts of persons well disposed to our holy religion, to undertake and to contribute to the repairs of this build- ing, which near thirty years ago was solemnly set apart for the public worship of God, but for more than fifteen years, by means of the civil commotions which then took place, has been unappropriated for the purposes for which it was erected and suffered to fall into ruin, the design of our present meeting is once more to dedicate and set it apart to the solemn and public worship of Almighty God."
" To conclude, we congratulate you, my friends of this particular church, that after so long a period in which this building has been unoccupied for the purposes to which it was once solemnly dedicated, and suffered to lay in a ruinous state, you now see it, by your labors and the contributions of the pious and well disposed, in such
.
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DEDICATORY PRAYER.
decent repair and restored to its former beauty. May you be built up together in perfect harmony and perfection with the whole Church of God, and being steadfast in the same faith, joyful through the same hope, and rooted in the same charity, always hold the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace and in righteousness of life. And, while you piously dedicate this material temple to the pure worship of that God who is uncircumscribed by space, whose throne is in heaven and earth his footstool, remember to dedicate to His service those more solemn temples of the Holy Ghost, your souls and bodies, both collectively as a Christian Society, and severally as indi- viduals. 'Know ye not that ye are the temple of God ? and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?' And by your constant and devout attendance upon God's house, and not, as the manner of some is, forsaking the assem- bling yourselves together, may you be improved to perfect men in Christ and increased with the increase of God, may you be furnished with all graces and spiritual bless- ings, that so ye may be fit habitations of God through the Spirit."
The following was the dedicatory prayer then used.
PRAYER.
Transcendently great and glorious Lord God, who art the high and lofty One who inhabitest eternity ; before Thee Cherubim and Seraphim veil their faces, and in humble' adoration celebrate thine Almighty power, thine infinite wisdom, thy impartial justice, and thine universal beneficence.
Most humbly would we approach the throne of the immortal God, and in the name, in the propitious name of Jesus, thy well-beloved Son, present our supplica-
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tions at that seat where thy mercy dwells, for the whole estate of thy Church militant here on earth, the whole congregation of Christians of every name and denomination.
We implore Thee, O Thou great Dispenser of heav- enly blessings, to illuminate with the truth of thy doctrine those whom Thou hast appointed to minister in holy things, the Bishops, Priests, and Deacons of thy Church. Pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing, and grant that they may be faithful and skil- ful, diligent and successful stewards of thy mysteries.
To thy propitious regards, O Thou Protector of the virtuous and the good, we commend the President of these United States, beseeching Thee that thy wisdom may be his guide, and that thy arm may strengthen him, that he may be enriched with thy heavenly grace, and prospered in all his endeavors to promote the welfare and happiness of the people over whom he presides.
We pray for the Governor of this Commonwealth, and all in authority legislative, executive, and judicial in the general government, and that of this Common- wealth, besecching Thee so to direct and prosper all their consultations that wisdom and knowledge may be the stability of our times, and the fear of Thee our treasure.
Smile, we beseech Thee, O Thou Father of Lights, upon all seminaries of learning and religious education, particularly the University in this place, upon whose President, Professors, Tutors and Students, we im- plore thy heavenly benediction, beseeching Thee to enlighten them with thy Spirit and grant them thy blessing.
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DEDICATORY PRAYER.
And we humbly pray Thee, O most gracious God, who art the giver of every good and perfect gift, to grant to all thy people thy heavenly grace, and to behold with an eye of favor this congregation here assembled. Conscious of our own unworthiness, we implore thy mercy, pardon, and acceptance through the merits and mediation of thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ ; to whose most sacred Name and to the promoting of whose glory and kingdom we dedicate this Church, beseeching Thee to bless all those whose pious munificence and public spirit have assisted in repairing this edifice, which has been heretofore set apart for the solemn purposes of religion and devotion. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Thou who hearest prayer, a favorable answer to the prayers and supplications which shall be offered to Thee in this place, and do for thy servants here abundantly above all they are able to ask or think. May those who shall be here dedicated to God in baptism be steadfastly true to their sacred vows and obligations, and ever remain in the number of thy faithful and elect children; and may those who shall here devote themselves to God in the participation of the holy Eucharist, in a thankful com- memoration of the death of Christ, have their souls plentifully nourished thereby, and grow up in holiness and comfort through faith unto eternal salvation. And may the blessings of that covenant, which is in all things well ordered and sure, ever descend upon thy servants and their children who shall continually wait upon Thee in this thy holy mountain, and devoutly worship Thee in this house of prayer.
Finally, we pray that Thou wouldest send forth thy light and thy truth throughout the earth, and build
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THE CHURCH AFTER THE WAR.
.
up thy universal Church in truth, peace and holiness, upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone; and, when our probation here is ended, and we shall be no longer members of the Church Militant here below, may we all be partakers of a glorious resurrection, and of that everlasting inheritance purchased for the Church Triumphant in heaven by the most precious blood of Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. Amen.
The following letter of the same year from Bishop Seabury, of Connecticut, to Jonathan Simpson Jr. Esq., Senior Warden, is interesting in this connection : -
New London, November 23d, 1790.
DEAR SIR,-Your favor of the 16th was duly delivered to me by Mr. Warren. I rejoice greatly that you are again likely to get your congregation collected, and feel myself obliged to you for the pains as well as expense, which, as Mr. Warren informs me, you particularly have been at to get your church repaired and supplied with a con- stant minister. I pray God to bless you for it and to give you the satisfaction of seeing your pious endeavors to promote His worship and glory succeed to your satisfaction. Mr. Warren has been this day put into Deacon's orders, and I hope and doubt not he will, by his conduct and abilities, prove himself worthy of a higher degree in the Church. Accept my best wishes and believe me to be, with respect and esteem,
Dear Sir, your affectionate and humble servant, SAMUEL, Bp. Conn.
The Churches in Massachusetts were then under the pastoral charge of Bishop Seabury. The Mr. Warren
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READERS AND RECTORS.
alluded to was the Rev. Joseph Warren, of Plymouth ; he officiated at Christ Church through the winter, and perhaps till Easter following. At the meeting on Easter Monday 1791, the Rev. Dr. Walter was again invited to the Rectorship and accepted; but having been also chosen Rector of Christ Church, Boston, and there being some misunderstanding with regard to his residing in Cambridge, the . arrangement soon terminated. Dr.
Walter served conjointly with the Rev. Wm. Montague as assistant, each supplying the Church one half the time, from April to October of that year. In November the Rev. Dr. Parker was requested to take the Church under his care as Rector; to which he consented, not binding himself to any specified portion of his personal services, but only so much as he could conveniently spare from his Church in Boston. Mr. Montague continued to officiate in part for the three following years, and in 1794 the Rectorship was offered him, but there is no record of his having accepted it. Mr. John Pipon and Mr. Joseph Willard Jr., graduates of the University, were employed during the same interval as Readers.
For the next thirty years the Church was almost wholly supplied with lay Readers. At Easter 1796 Mr. Theodore Dehon, afterwards Bishop of South Carolina, was engaged as Reader, and in December 1797 he was succeeded in that capacity by Mr. Wm. Jenks, now the Rev. Dr. Jenks, for many years the revered pastor of the Green Street Congregational Church, Boston. Mr. Jenks officiated for the space of eight years. In 1808 the Church was placed under the charge of the Rev. Asa Eaton D. D., then Rector of Christ Church, Boston, he agreeing to preach once in two months, and to sup- ply the Church for the remainder of the time by a
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·
Reader. This arrangement continued till October 1809. On Christmas day of that year the Rev. Dr. Holmes, Pastor of the First Congregational Parish, at the request of the Wardens, preached a learned and excellent dis- course in Christ Church, which was also published at their request.
Mr. Samuel Sewall and Mr. Ralph Sanger were em- ployed as Readers between 1807 and 1811. Mr. Evan M. Johnson, Mr. Walter Cranston, Tutor in the University, Mr. Isaac Boyle, Mr. Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, Teacher of Elocution and Rhetoric in the University, and Mr. George Otis, all afterwards in Holy Orders, officiated as Readers between 1811 and 1823.
The long-continued inability of the Church to support an ordained minister led in 1820 to the beginning of a fund, as the only probable means of accomplishing that object. Upwards of $800 were contributed by the ladies of the parish, which amount has since been much in- creased by accumulation of interest and other additions. A society of students, called the Deipnophagoi, gave $265.
In June 1824, a committee was appointed by the Convention of the Diocese of Massachusetts to solicit subscriptions for repairing the building, which had again fallen into decay, and was in an unsuitable condition for public worship. An appeal was made to the friends of the Church, strongly urging upon them, amongst other considerations, the importance of providing pub- lic worship, according to her ritual, for the large num- ber of Episcopal students attending the University. The committee consisted of the Rev. Samuel Farmer Jarvis D. D., Rev. Asa Eaton D. D., Thomas Perkins, Dudley A. Tyng, Samuel D. Parker, Francis Wilby and James
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READERS AND RECTORS.
C. Merrill, Esqrs. Upwards of $3000 were obtained by their exertions, and in the summer and autumn of 1825 the church was thoroughly repaired. The Corporation of Harvard College headed the subscription with a generous donation of $300. The other principal contributors to this timely repair, which probably saved the building from utter decay and ruin, were Abraham Biglow Esq., who gave $500; Hon. William Phillips and Rev. S. F. Jarvis D. D., $200 each; Hon. Wm. Winthrop, Thomas Lee Esq., Hon. S. P. P. Fay, Gardiner Greene Esq., Rev. Asa Eaton D. D., James Perkins Esq., Dr. John C. Warren and Hon. David Sears, $100 each.
The Church was again opened for service July 30th 1826, when the Rev. George Otis, M. A., then tutor in the University, preached a Sermon, afterwards printed, on the text, "We have thought of Thy loving kindness, O Lord, in the midst of Thy temple." Ps. xlix. 9. Mr. Otis had been previously chosen Rector. The following excellent letter explains the reason why he could not formally enter upon that relation.
To the Wardens and Vestry and Members of the Episcopal Society in Cambridge :-
GENTLEMEN, - It is with the deepest gratitude that I acknowledge the favor of your late communication of a - vote of yours, in which you have thought me worthy of standing in a relation to you, more than any other solemn and affecting, that of Rector of your Church and the Minister of God to your Congregation. Let me assure you that, forgetting every obstacle in my way, I had formed my plans so as to meet your wishes, and have indulged the confident expectation that, leaning on your candor and the Divine protection, I might have the
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THE CHURCH AFTER THE WAR.
happiness of contributing something to the revival of this Church, about which so much solicitude has been expressed, and to the diffusion of pure religion as far as my powers might admit.
It is not therefore without extreme pain that I have to announce, that the Corporation of Harvard University declare themselves unwilling to authorize my acceptance of your invitation.
It is my hope and prayer that, notwithstanding this unexpected discouragement, God will remember the house rebuilt to His honor, and that some one of His ministers may be soon appointed to light the fire again on your altar, to lead your devotions, to animate your pious affections, to take a deep interest in your joys and sorrows, to present you the instruction, the warnings and the promises of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, to estab- lish the Church He planted and enlarge the bounds of His Kingdom, so that through this Church many a spirit may be led up to the eternal blessedness, and the place of their worship become the " house of God and the gate of Heaven."
I beg you, Gentlemen, to accept from me assurances of grateful respect.
Your friend and servant, GEO. OTIS.
Mr. Otis however continued to officiate for the Church, and was virtually its minister till his lamented and un- timely death, at the age of thirty-two, February 25th 1828. Distinguished by great purity and refinement of character and a richly cultivated mind, it was his earnest wish to devote his energies to the cause of the blessed Redeemer. Of a delicate frame and organization, he fell a victim to a typhoid fever. In his decease his relatives
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RECTORS.
lamented a true friend and brother, his flock a faithful pastor, the University a lover of generous learning, and the community a zealous defender of virtue and religion.
At Easter 1829, the Rev. Thomas W. Coit D. D., then of St. Peter's Church, Salem, now of St. Paul's, Troy, N. Y., was elected to the Rectorship, and soon entered upon his duties. After six years service, he resigned his connection with the parish at Easter 1835. In the autumn of that year, the Rev. M. A. D'W. Howe D. D., now of St. Luke's, Philadelphia, was chosen Rector, but did not officiate longer than till the following sum- mer. In the spring of 1837 the Rev. Thomas H. Vail, at present Rector of St. Thomas', Taunton, entered upon the parochial charge, which he resigned at Easter 1839. The Church was then temporarily served by the Rev. Horatio Southgate, afterwards Missionary Bishop in Turkey, now the Rector of the Church of the Advent, Boston; the Rev. George Leeds, now the Rector of St. Peter's Church, Salem ; the Rev. John Williams, now the Assistant Bishop of Connecticut, and others. The present Rector began his duties in November 1839.
The number of communicants when Mr. Serjeant com- menced his ministry in 1767 was about forty. Seventy years afterwards in 1837 it was the same. It is now about four times that number.
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WARDENS.
The following gentlemen have held the office of War- dens of Christ Church.
1762. David Phips, John Vassal.
1763.
John Vassal,
Robert Temple.
1764-1765.
Robert Temple,
Richard Lechmere.
1766. David Phips,
Thomas Oliver.
1767-1770. Thomas Oliver, John Vassal.
1771. John Vassal,
Ezekiel Lewis.
1772. Ezekiel Lewis, John Fenton.
1773. Joseph Lee, Jonathan Sewall.
1774. David Phips, John Pigeon.
1791 -1795. Jonathan Simpson, Nathaniel Bethune.
1796-1799. John T. Apthorp, Andrew Craigie.
1800. S. W. Pomeroy, Abraham Biglow.
1801. Abraham Biglow, Richard Richardson.
1802-1803. Richard Richardson, Jonathan Bird
1804-1809. William Winthrop, Ebenezer Stedman.
1810- 1813. William Winthrop, Abraham Biglow.
1814 - 1815. Abraham Biglow, S. P. P. Fay.
1816 - 1819. Abraham Biglow, William D. Peck.
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WARDENS.
1820. Abraham Biglow, J. F. Dana.
1821-1825. Abraham Biglow, Jonathan Hearsey.
1826-1828. Abraham Biglow, S. P. P. Fay.
1829- 1832. Joseph Foster,
Abraham Biglow.
1833 - 1835. Joseph Foster, S. P. P. Fay.
1836- 1840. S. P. P. Fay, Isaac Lum.
1841. Charles C. Foster, James Greenleaf.
1842. James Greenleaf, Isaac Lum.
1843. Isaac Lum, Luther Foote.
1844. C. Gayton Pickman, Charles Chase.
1845 - 1846. C. Gayton Pickman, William E. Carter.
1847-1851. William C. Bond, William E. Carter.
1852. George P. Bond, John M. Batchelder.
1853-1858.
George P. Bond, Charles F. Foster.
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BENEFACTIONS, ETC.
·
VI.
BENEFACTIONS, ETC.
IT has been often stated that the frame and materials of the building were brought from England, an impres- sion which prevails with regard to several of the older Churches in this country, but in this case it is undoubt- edly incorrect. A few large stones of the foundation may have come from Quebec as the ballast of a vessel.
The picture, to which the size of the chancel was to be accommodated, as appears by the Treasurer's accounts, was brought from Rhode Island, but probably was never placed. In 1768 a Committee of the Proprietors was chosen to wait on Mr. John Apthorp to thank him for his offer of an altar piece. No traces of either have been found. Mr. Apthorp and his lady were afterwards lost at sea on the passage from New York to North Carolina ; which afflictive event may have prevented the carrying out of his liberal design. His son Col. John Trecothick Apthorp, then a minor, was left behind, and was Warden in 1796.
When the Church was repaired in 1825 there were four windows in the chancel end; two within the chancel itself and one on either side; all which were removed at that time. In renewing the outside covering of the chancel, the frame of a fifth window (a Venetian, with side lights) was discovered, it is said, in the middle of the apse. Whether this was originally designed as the only
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BENEFACTIONS, ETC.
window of the chancel, and the two nearer the sides of the semicircle were substituted for it, in order to make room for the picture, or whether all three were in the original plan, as they still are in the chancel of the King's Chapel, Boston, must be left to conjecture.
The tablets now in the Church were taken out of the old Trinity Church in Boston, when that building was demolished in 1828.
The Organ, which was a fine one made by Snetzler of London, a German artist, the best organ-maker of the day, was procured for the Church through the liberality and exertions of Mr. Apthorp's brother-in-law, Barlow Trecothick Esq., Alderman and afterwards Lord Mayor of London. Mr. Apthorp preached at the opening of it on Tuesday, Aug. 21st 1764, a learned Sermon, "Of Sacred Poetry and Musick," which he afterwards pub- lished with a dedication " to the Hon. John Temple Esq., His Majesty's Lieut. Governor of the Province of New Hampshire, a benefactor to the Church at Cambridge, and a friend of the author." The prayer offered on the occasion concludes thus :
" To this congregation give thy heavenly grace, that we may obtain acceptance with Thee through Jesus Christ, and may walk worthy of the high vocation where- . with we are called, that, harmonizing our minds to peace and love, we may continue united in one body under Christ our Head, in faith and charity, in worship and government. Be propitious to this and all our sincere endeavors to offer Thee our praise and honor, and grant that in the use of all outward means of devotion for the advancement of thy worship, we may always consider the end, and to our external homage may unite our inmost
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BENEFACTIONS, ETC.
affections and all the powers of our souls to adore and celebrate Thee, that in all our words, works and thoughts we may glorify thy Holy name, and finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
The injuries done to the Organ in the revolutionary war were repaired after the Church was opened in 1790, but only a portion of the stops which had been taken away were replaced. In 1844 it was removed and a new one substituted, for which the Church are indebted to the munificence of C. Gayton Pickman Esq., then Senior Warden.
The Bell was the gift of Captain Edward Cahill, of London. It was recast (perhaps with reduced weight) in 1831, and bears the inscription :
ECCLESIZE PRIMÆ EPISCOPALI CANTABRIGIÆ IN NOV. ANGLIA ME LIBERE DONAVIT EDVARDUS CAHILL MDCCLX.
The belfry was not finished till 1766, if, as is supposed, an entry in the Wardens' accounts of £29. 15s. 5d. paid for "finishing the Tinkett," and £3. paid " for painting the Tinkett," refer to that part of the structure.
In 1855 the following Circular was issued for obtain- ing a Chime of bells.
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, December, A. D. 1855.
The undersigned, graduates of Harvard College, and now residents in Old Cambridge, have, with the appro-
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BENEFACTIONS, ETC.
bation of the Wardens and Vestry of Christ Church, associated themselves as Trustees, for the purpose of pro- curing a CHIME OF BELLS, to be placed in the tower of that Church, as a gift from such students of the College, past or present, as are bound by any ties of memory or of faith, to that ancient place of worship. For this purpose we appeal to all graduates and undergraduates, who wish well to the College, in the sense of her motto, " Christo et Ecclesia."
To those who hold to and love the faith of the " Pro- testant Episcopal Church," this appeal is made with the most confidence, and to them it will be a joy to know that this Parish has prospered greatly, side by side with the College. We desire to add a new attraction to the Church, in sympathy with the College. If a Chime is procured, we shall make such arrangements with the Parish, as will make their glad tones familiar sounds within the College walls, not only at Christmas, Easter and on other Holy-days, but also upon the notable days in the College Calendar.
The moneys received by us, in response to this Circu- lar, will be deposited in Savings Banks, or otherwise as safely kept, until the fund shall amount to about three thousand dollars, when we shall proceed with our work, and cause a Chime to be cast, with proper inscriptions, and hung in the Church tower, which already contains a room well adapted to this use. We hope that there may be so prompt and full 'a response to this Circular, as to enable us to have a Chime hung in place by next Easter.
All persons interested in the object are invited to aid in accomplishing it, though not themselves connected with the College; especially such other persons as would like to make donations in the right or in memory of any
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BENEFACTIONS, ETC.
graduate or student, in whom the donor may be, or have been interested. The appeal is made also to persons connected with the higher schools in the University, and to those who have received honorary degrees, or degrees ad eundem from the University.
Donations for the "Harvard Chime " for Christ Church may be sent either to the Rector, the Rev. Nicholas Hoppin, or to either of the subscribers, whose business address is at Boston.
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