USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Sketch of the history of the Parish of the Advent in the city of Boston 1844-1894 > Part 2
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mitre is not excluded." He alluded to the painting of the Transfiguration in St. Paul's Church and in Grace Church to the cross in bold relief on the shaft of the baptismal font, intercepting the eye between the porch and the altar. He expressed extreme regret that he was compelled to a public defence of himself, but no other course seemed open to him. He had been held up by his bishop, through the public press, as a presbyter unfaithful to his vows, one who had not hesitated to sacrifice to an inclination towards idola- atrous usages and superstitious puerilities the character of the Church and the souls of his people; and a sense of justice, as well as his own self-respect, required that his vindication should be equally public.
This reply to the attack upon himself and the parish was written in an admirable spirit. Pointed in style, yet free from all bitterness, it elicited much comment, and, together with the bishop's letter, aroused the deepest interest in every portion of the country. Letters poured in on him from all directions. In a letter to his father he writes, " I could not have anticipated such a burst of enthusiasm." Edition after edition of the correspondence was called for, until thousands had been disposed of ; and many were the testimonials of approbation and expressions of sympathy on every side. The religious and secular press also became involved in the controversy, the latter, as was natural, gen- erally defending the bishop's course,-the Puritan party, both within and without the Church, inveighing as of old against rites and ceremonies. But the rector was con- stantly cheered by letters and messages complimenting him on the spirit and manner of his reply. One of his corre- spondents wrote, "I am delighted with the manner in which you have treated the subject,- calm, dignified, and consist-
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ent with your character as a man and minister of God's Holy Church, and at the same time conclusive in argu- ment and forcible in appeal." Many others expressed the same sentiment, while all cordially approved the course pursued by the rector and the vestry.
That the attitude of hostility assumed by the bishop was not due to any sudden impulse, but rather to a profound dislike, fostered by his early training and association, to the broad Catholic principles that underlay the formation of the new parish soon became more than ever apparent. An in- cident occurred about this time that showed conclusively the bishop's feeling. A young clergyman had been invited to preach at Trinity Church on the afternoon of a certain Sunday by the assistant minister of that parish. Having officiated at the Church of the Advent at the morning ser- vice, he went to Trinity Church to fulfil his engagement there. The bishop asked him in the sacristy where he had officiated in the morning. He replied at the Church of the Advent. The bishop at once said that he could not preach at Trinity Church, and the reverend gentleman immediately withdrew .*
As the time approached for another confirmation, the rector made a formal request that the bishop would appoint a time for the administration of that rite. The bishop promptly declined to visit the parish unless permanent al-
* It was probably with reference to this act that very soon after the vestry of Trin- ity Church passed two resolutions bearing on the conduct of the diocesan towards his clergy. The second of these resolutions contains the following clause : "The proprie- tors of this church do not recognize nor admit, as a just and appropriate means of advanc- ing the cause of true religion, the principle of exclusion from the altar or the pulpit of clergymen of regular standing in the Protestant Episcopal Church, and otherwise well approved for piety, learning, and a blameless life, and conforming to the settled usages and forms of worship in this Church, for the cause of theological views or opinions, not involving a case of ecclesiastical censure on the score of nonconformity to the doctrines of the Church of which they profess to be members."
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terations were made in the arrangement of the chapel and in the mode of conducting divine service. Against this arbitrary act the rector could only protest, at the same time declining to conform to the bishop's suggestions. To abandon privately the observances for which he had been publicly censured would be regarded as an admission of the character imputed to them, as well as of the legality of the act of censure. The bishop having declined to visit the church, the confirmation took place at Trinity Church on the 17th of January, 1847 .*
It was toward the close of the year 1846 that a move- ment was made for procuring a more permanent place of worship. The present hall had become too small to ac- commodate the congregations, and the street had become so noisy as to cause a serious interruption to the daily ser- vices. The subject came up at a meeting of the parish, held in November, 1846, when it was voted that a commit- tee be appointed to consider the whole subject, and take steps to raise a fund for the purpose of obtaining a perma- nent House of Prayer for the parish. Later, in order to se- cure the more safe and convenient management of such fund, it was voted that this fund be vested in the hands of three trustees under covenant with the corporation, by whom they were to be elected. These trustees were to so invest all moneys contributed for this purpose that they might accumulate until they reached the sum of twenty thousand dollars, in addition to the cost of a suitable lot of land. The fund might then be used for building a church under the direction of the corporation, which, when finished, should be conveyed to the parish, " upon such conditions as
* A full account of the controversy is given in the Memoir of William Croswell by his father, published in 1853.
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shall forever secure it to be free, and open to the public service of Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, according to the doctrine, discipline, and wor- ship of that portion of the Holy Catholic Church known as the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the United States of America." The above indenture was signed on the first day of February, 1847.
A favorable opportunity very soon occurred for securing a building far better suited to the needs of the parish than the hall in Causeway Street. A meeting-house situated in Green Street, in which the late Dr. Jenks had for many years officiated, having become vacant, was offered for sale ; and, as the funds already in the hands of the trustees were suffi- cient for the purpose, they were enabled to secure it by pur- chase. It was a substantial structure of brick, far from ec- clesiastical in appearance, but, after undergoing the needed alterations, not ill-adapted to the requirements of the parish, being capable of holding not far from six hundred persons.
Of course, much time was required to make the neces- sary changes in the new chapel to fit it for church worship ; and it was not until late in the autumn that they were com- pleted. In allusion to the slow progress of these alterations Mr. Croswell, in one of his letters, says: " But what they accomplish is very satisfactory ; and I think we shall have as churchlike arrangements of the altar and furniture as are to be found in the city, though this is not saying much. There will be a hundred pews, or, rather, open seats, on the floor ; for we have discarded the doors and cut down the ends to a scroll elbow piece,-a vast im- provement in the appearance of the building, and settling an important principle. How strange the spectacle would be in our eyes, if we were not accustomed to it,-this but-
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toning in of families on the floor of the sacred edifice, each in their separate pens !"
The most noticeable changes were, perhaps, about the chancel. The old mahogany pulpit was transformed into an altar, above which was the cross,* that rock of offence from the first, and over it the words, " Lo ! I come," "particularly significant," in the words of Mr. Croswell, " of that event to the commemoration of which, as past, and the prepara- tion for which, as to come, the church is especially conse- crated." The chancel was spacious, with only the altar within the rail, and a lectern and seats for the clergy with- out ; and the whole interior, as viewed from the main en- trance, was impressive.
The first service was held in the new edifice on the 28th of November, 1847, it being Advent Sunday, just three years after the first service in Merrimac Street. The rector was assisted by the Rev. Dr. Eaton and the Rev. Mr. Pollard, and preached the sermon. The congregation was quite large, and the prospects of the parish seemed more than ever encouraging.
It was, perhaps, natural that on entering upon a new era in its history, some effort should be made to bring about, if possible, a more friendly feeling between the bishop and the parish ; and the following extract from a letter of the rector to his father, under date of November 22, shows that such an effort was then being made. "Last week," he writes, "five of the clergy t called on me in a body, first at our
* This cross retained its place over the altar until 1882, when it was removed by the Cowley Fathers, who had purchased the building on Bowdoin Street. In 1890 it was placed in the rector's room at the Church of the Advent, which it now adorns.
t Dr. Vinton, rector of St. Paul's Church, Dr. Clark, a former rector of Grace Church, Dr. Mason, rector of Grace Church, Mr. Woart, rector of Christ Church, and Dr. Randall, rector of the Church of the Messiah.
EN
CHURCH OF THE ADVENT. GREEN ST.
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house, and then at the church. Not finding me, they called again on the next evening ; and I gave them a cordial recep- tion. They expressed a hearty desire for unity and a res- toration of clerical intercourse. They had seen the bishop, who had reluctantly consented to waive all objection to the service as performed by the rector, provided I would ' pray towards the people.'" The rector promised to give the subject proper consideration, and the deputation withdrew. Meantime Dr. Croswell received a letter from Bishop East- burn, expressive of his satisfaction that the effort had been made by the clergy to promote brotherly unity and friendly intercourse, and of his especial desire that, as the parish was about taking possession of its new place of worship, its rector would now accede to his wishes in the conduct of divine worship, suggesting the wearing of the gown in preaching, the reading of the prayers at the reading-desk, and the use of a pulpit for preaching, also the use of the metrical psalms. The letter was kindly in its tone, but it was clear that no satisfactory arrangement of the parish difficulties was yet to be reached.
The answer to the above letter was equally courteous and equally firm in its tone. The rector alluded to the charge that had been publicly made against him, without a hearing, that he was guilty of acts which tended to degrade the Church and "imperil the souls of men," and called in ques- tion the right of a bishop to regulate his demand by an ap- peal to his own conscience or private opinion. At the same time he expressed his willingness, as it was his duty, to yield canonical obedience to his diocesan in all matters within his jurisdiction. He was unwilling, however, after all that had taken place, to make privily any concession, as it would subject him to an imputation of having deserved
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the severe and open censure, not yet openly revoked, and of having exposed himself to the construction of admitting " a bishop's power virtually to inflict sentence of condemna- tion on his clergy without a trial." He instances the case of the apostle Paul, who, after he had " been beaten openly, uncondemned," at Philippi, was not willing to be "thrust out privily."
Here the controversy seems to have ended for the pres- ent. Each year, as the time for confirmation arrived, the usual courteous request was made to the bishop that he visit the parish to administer that rite, and the usual polite reply followed, declining to do so, this again being followed by a dignified protest on the part of the rector. Meantime the parish continued to prosper. "Everything," wrote Dr. Croswell, "looks very encouraging. The church is well attended, the ordinances honored, Sunday-school flourish- ing, the wants of the poor provided for, the support liberal, the sympathy of the brethren at large lively." He also adds, in allusion to the ritual and arrangements of the church, that " many of the best of the clergy would be glad, if it were in their power, to adopt the same arrangements."*
It might be added that the music at this time had attained a certain degree of excellence. The choir, although a vol- untary one, was a single quartette, with voices above the average in quality ; and the music was of the simple charac- tor which had marked it from the first. The canticles were sung to the Gregorian melodies; and the organ was admirably played, accompanying rather than leading the singers. A writer in the Parish Choir, an English publica- tion of that date, thus writes : " In Boston, at the Church of
* It was at about this time that the portrait of the rector, by Mr. Brackett, now hang- ing in the rector's room at the Church of the Advent, was painted.
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the Advent, where the Rev. William Croswell officiates, the singing is better than any I have ever heard on this side of the Atlantic. The chants are all single ones, most of them Gregorians, arranged as in the Parish Choir." *
The first confirmation after the opening of the church in Green Street took place at Christ Church on the evening of Easter Day, 1848, when twenty persons were confirmed. As the bishop had expressed his determination not to visit the Church of the Advent until permanent changes were made in the arrangements of the church and in the mode of worship, he designated four parishes at which he proposed to administer the rite of confirmation, and to any one of which the rector was at liberty to present his candidates. The rector's long connection with Christ Church led him to select that as least open to exception.
Soon after Easter Rev. Mr. Pollard, who had served the parish faithfully as assistant minister for more than three years, resigned that position ; and until his successor should be appointed the Rev. Dr. Asa Eaton, one of the oldest presbyters in the diocese, who stood ready at all times to render any aid in his power, performed the duties of that office. Dr. Eaton had been from the first a firm friend to the parish, and his presence in the sanctuary seemed always like a benediction. In the autumn of the same year the Rev. Oliver S. Prescott, a young presbyter from North Car-
* See Parish Choir, vol. ii. p. 116. The writer adds: "The organist has managed to induce the members of his choir to lose sight of their individuality to the good of the whole : hence there is a goodly number of voices singing the tune and inviting the con- gregation to join with them, -an invitation they gladly avail themselves of. One of the psalms of David (not a metrical psalm) is always chanted as an introit. In this church, I might observe, there is no reading-pew, that most useless and cumbersome piece of fur- niture ; but the matin service and even song, which are here daily read, are said at the altar rails, the lesson being read from a lectern. The choir always attend, and sing at the daily as well as Sunday services."
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olina, was appointed the assistant; and the rector, who had been for some time in infirm health, was much relieved in his parochial labors.
Among the many gifts that from time to time were made to the parish, one of the most beautiful and appropriate was that offered on Easter Day of this year. It consisted of a service of holy vessels of silver-gilt for the altar. These were made in England, under the direction of the English Ecclesiological Society, and consisted of seven pieces richly wrought ; namely, one offertory basin, one cruet, two chal- ices, two patens, and one spoon, all with appropriate in- scriptions.
It was in October, 1849, that the Saints' Days began to be more appropriately observed than had been the custom in this diocese. In one of his letters Dr. Croswell states that St. Matthew's Day was observed at the Advent with the usual solemnities. "Seven of the clergy were present, and thirty or forty of the laity, at the Holy Communion ; " and, in allusion to the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, he writes that the Holy Communion was celebrated, "as we purpose it shall be on all Saints' Days, there having been fifty or sixty present."
Among the few who had the courage to offer their services to the Church of the Advent at this time the name of the Rev. Henry N. Hudson ought not to be forgotten. He had acquired a high reputation as a lecturer on Shakspere, and had recently been admitted to the sacred order of deacons in the Church, and, being a resident of Boston, was willing to "put his light," as Dr. Croswell expressed it, "in our candlestick." Dr. Croswell adds, "We shall have three services on Sunday with his help, and shall each have one turn."
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After the usual somewhat curt correspondence between the bishop and the rector, the time for the confirmation which was now at hand was fixed for the 24th of February, 1850, at Trinity Church ; and it will not be out of place to quote the letter of the rector complying with the direction of the diocesan : -
BOSTON, Feb. 23, 1850. Right Reverend and dear Sir,-
It is proper to apprise you that, in compliance with your directions, I shall attend at Trinity Church with many of our congregation to-morrow morning. The service at our church will be omitted. I cannot yet inform you of the precise number of candidates for confirmation ; but 1 am sorry to say that I find it year by year seriously diminished in consequence of the course which you have felt at liberty to pursue, in depriving our parish of the benefits of the episcopal visitation contemplated by the canon. And I should be wanting in a sense of what is due to my own rights, as a presbyter under your jurisdiction, "not justly liable to evil report, either for error in doctrine or vicious- ness of life," as well as what is due to those of the laity of our parish, constituted an integral part of the diocese, en- titled to representation in the Convention, and to the enjoy- ment of the same canonical provision and privileges as any other parish in it, if I did not once more enter my solemn protest against these proceedings, as I have done against similar proceedings in former years.
As ever, your faithful presbyter. W. CROSWELL.
On the morning of St. Matthias Day, therefore, the church was closed, and many of its congregation repaired to Trinity Church to witness the confirmation, while the candidates for that sacred rite walked in procession through the streets to the cathedral church.
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The munificent gift of a service of richly wrought com- munion vessels was supplemented in the following year by a sum of money which was expended in the purchase of a font and altar of Caen stone .* These were made after the design of an English artist, Mr. Frank Wills, then residing in this country, and were delicately and beautifully carved. The font was at once accepted ; but objections having been made to the altar, that it was a distinctive altar, and not a table, and hence suggestive of a doctrine not then sup- posed to be generally held in what are termed Protestant churches, consent to its erection was at first withheld by the vestry. In the following year, however, at the special re- quest of the rector, it was put in place.
Although the feeling engendered by the bishop's action had in some degree subsided, the object sought at the outset by the diocesan authorities had by no means been abandoned. The attempt to cast a shadow over the good name of William Croswell had but drawn to him the sym- pathy of all true Churchmen, and done much to promote the growth and strength of the parish over which he presided. If one could be selected of less note and influence who could be made to suffer in his stead, something might yet be accomplished. It was, indeed, the better part of valor to choose an antagonist who, comparatively unknown and without social influence, might be made to feel the smart of the episcopal rod, even at the sacrifice of his priestly standing. Accordingly, in the autumn, a presentment was served on the Rev. Mr. Prescott, the rector's assistant, con-
* The bequest of Miss Elizabeth P. Perkins. This font is now in the baptistry of the Church of the Advent. The altar and an eagle lectern, given to the parish as early as 1848, were loaned for a time to the Society of St. John the Evangelist, when the parish moved from Bowdoin Street. It is to be hoped that they will soon find a place in one of the chapels in the Church of the Advent.
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taining charges of heresy and of violating the usages of the diocese in the mode of conducting divine service, the latter referring to the wearing of the surplice in preaching and the use of the psalter instead of the psalms in metre. The charges of heresy were that he held and had taught the worship of the Blessed Virgin, in a sermon preached by him in Christ Church in Cambridge, and that he had also taught that confession to a priest and absolution were profitable and allowable. These charges, after three trials, were declared to be "not sustained"; but it was decreed by the court that, inasmuch as the respondent had claimed the right to pro- nounce absolution to the penitent, he be suspended from the ministry until he furnish to the bishop a certificate renounc- ing that claim except in the office for the visitation of the sick or in cases of contagious diseases.
Although the result was reached by an utter disregard of law and facts, it being admitted that the respondent was guiltless of heretical teaching, the object of the diocesan authorities had been attained ; and Mr. Prescott went forth shorn of the powers that had been solemnly conferred upon him at his ordination. The diocese of Massachusetts had spoken.
An interesting incident in the history of the parish was the visit of Dr. Medley, the lord bishop of Fredericton. The parish having been deprived for many years of all episcopal supervision, this became an event of no ordinary interest. Bishop Medley's attention had been called to the parish several years before, when, soon after its organ- ization, he had given it the alms chest, now at the south door of the church. On passing through Boston in Septem- ber, 1851, he visited the church, leaving word that he would much like to preach on his return in October. He arrived
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on the eve of St. Luke's Day, and on that day assisted in the communion service, and preached a sermon appropriate to the day. On the following Sunday he also preached, to the great delight of all who listened to him. This action on his part gave great offence to the diocesan, who did not call upon his brother, and even declined an invitation to dine with him. The visit of his lordship was, however, most providential, and may have aided in ultimately open- ing the way towards a settlement of the questions in contro- versy.
It was but a few days later, on the Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, that the lord bishop of Newfoundland, Dr. Field, was present at the services. The visits of the two bishops to the parish were a source of the greatest pleasure to the rector, whose days were now drawing to a close, and will be long remembered in connection with its early history.
Dr. Croswell had now entered upon the last month of his earthly life ; and his close relations to the church with which he had been identified, almost from its beginning, render every detail of that life, especially in its closing days, of peculiar interest. There are those who recall the zeal and ardor with which he looked forward to the services of that last All Saints' Day. The sermon, almost prophetic, on that occasion ; * his preparation for the sermon to the children, which was to be his last; his last entry in his journal, in which he noted his ineffectual search after a poor woman, who had incorrectly given her place of abode, - all these touching incidents are suggestive and full of interest, and mark the character of this devout and saintly man. During
* His sermon was from the text, " Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus." He died November 9.
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the interval between the close of the morning service and evensong on that last Sunday it was remarked by his fam- ily that he never appeared more cheerful ; and he promised himself much enjoyment in the approaching services, at which he was to admit an infant, by holy baptism, into the Church, and to address the little ones of his flock, in whose spiritual welfare he took the deepest interest. His sermon, from 2 Kings v. 2-3, "was written in a style of beau- tiful simplicity, perfectly plain, and well adapted to the capacity of his juvenile hearers, and yet full of the most sublime and elevated thoughts." In the last service in which he was ever to engage, nothing was especially notice- able in his manner until during the delivery of the sermon, when "it was perceived " says his biographer,* " that he occa- sionally betrayed some signs of faltering in his speech ; but this was, very naturally, imputed to his emotions, and would not have attracted particular notice, had he not also, from time to time, placed his hand, in an unusual manner, upon the back of his head, as if suffering from pain or distress. The children were much affected as they saw, or thought they saw, tears stealing from his eyes. His voice, which was ever gentle and soft, and could scarce shape itself to a tone of reproof but that it would falter into music, mean- while assumed, as from some presentimental emotion, those tones of tender pathos which rendered his speech no less fit than if it had been specially meant for a valedictory to the little ones of his flock." The writer well remembers the scene. His manner, as the sermon drew towards its close. was as if he were unable to see his notes distinctly ; and he brought it, at last, abruptly to an end, and gave out, from memory, the hymn, not the one he had appointed for the choir to sing, but one containing the prophetic lines, -
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