^iStf 01 
 
 
:? 
 
 A 
 
 HISTORICAL ACCOUNT 
 
 OF 
 
 CHRIST CHURCH, BOSTON. 
 
 ^,n ftirlrrcss, 
 
 DELIVERED ON 
 
 THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY 
 OF THE OPENING OF THE CHURCH, 
 
 December 29th, 1873, 
 
 BY THE RECTOR, 
 
 THE ltKV. HENRY BURROUGHS. 
 
 (Published nv Request.) 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 A . W ILLIA M S & C O 
 
 1874. 
 

 / 
 
HISTORICAL ACCOUNT 
 
 OF 
 
 CHRIST CHURCH, BOSTON. 
 
 DELIVERED ON 
 
 THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY 
 OF THE OPENING OF THE CHURCH, 
 
 December 29th, 1873, 
 
 BY THE RECTOR, 
 
 THE REV. HENRY BURROUGHS. 
 
 (Published by Request.) 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 A. WILLIAMS & CO, 
 1874. 
 
THIS IS NONE OTHER THAN THE HOUSE OF GOD, AND THIS IS 
 THE GATE OF HFAVI N." 
 
 CHRIST CHURCH, BOSTON, 1723. 
 
 "MAY THE GATKS OF HELL NEVER PREVAIL AGAINST IT." 
 
ADDRESS. 
 
 The first settlers of Boston styled themselves " children of 
 the Church of England," and counted it their glory to be 
 called after her name, and before the Arbella left Yarmouth, 
 on the 8th of April, 1630, the Governor, John Winthrop, 
 with the ministers and magistrates of the new Colony, desired 
 the prayers of the Bishop of London, and of the rest of their 
 brethren in and of the Church of England. But, after they 
 arrived here, they not only neglected to make any provision 
 for the English Church, according to their charter, but de- 
 nounced the Book of Common Prayer as a sinful violation of 
 the worship of God. A fine of five shillings was imposed 
 upon any one who observed Christmas Day, or the like festi- 
 vals, and a similar fine upon any one who did not resort to 
 their meetings on the Lord's Day, and on the days of Fasting 
 and Thanksgiving appointed by authority, and no days com- 
 manded to b. j observed bv the Church of Eno-land were re- 
 garded. No attention was paid to the requisition of Charles 
 II., that " such as desire to use the Book of Common Prayer, 
 and perform their devotions after the manner as established in 
 England, be not denied the exercise thereof;" and the Com- 
 missioners, whom he sent over to remonstrate with the General 
 Court, brought back the reply that they refused to be dictated 
 to in religious matters. It was not until 1677 that the severity 
 of the laws was so far relaxed as to permit divine service to be 
 performed after the manner of the English Church. The Rev. 
 Robert Ratcliffe arrived in the Hose, frigate, on the 15th of 
 May 1686, and officiated in the library at the east end of the 
 
Town Hall, and afterwards in the Exchange. In 1689 a 
 wooden chapel was built, and named King's Chapel. This 
 building was enlarged in 1710, but was found in the course of 
 twelve years more to be too small for all who desired to attend, 
 and it was decided to build a new church at the north end. 
 The mill creek, a canal cut through the narrow neck of land 
 that separated the Mill Pond from the harbor, now in part 
 covered by Blackstone street, was generally recognized as 
 the dividing line between the north and the south parts of the 
 town. 
 
 Our earliest record gives an account of the first steps taken 
 towards building Christ Church, in the following words : 
 
 Laus Deo. 
 
 Boston, New England. 
 
 TIip second day of September, 1722. 
 
 At the request of several! Gentlemen who had purchased a piece of 
 
 Ground at the North end of Boston to build a Church on, the Reverend 
 
 Mr. Samuel Myles ordered Ids Clerk to give notice to his Congregation, 
 
 That all those who were willing to contribute towards erecting another 
 
 Church at tin- North end of Boston were desired to meet at King's 
 
 Cbappel the Wednesday following. 
 
 Agreable to which Notification several Persons assembled and chose 
 Mr. John Barnes, Treasurer, Thomas Graves, Esq., Messrs. George Cra- 
 dock, Anthony Blount. John Gibbons, Thomas Selbey and George Monk 
 a Committee to receive Subscriptions and build a Church on said ground 
 at the North end of Bost >n. 
 
 The preamble to the subscription : 
 
 Whereas, the Church of England at the South part of Boston is not 
 large enougb to contain all the people that would come to it. and several! 
 well disposed Persons having already bought a piece of ground at the 
 North part of said Town to build a Church on, 
 
 We, the subscribers, being willing to forward so good a work, do ac- 
 cordingly affix to our Name- what each of US will chearlully contribute." 
 
 At the head of the list stands the name of the Rt. Hon. Earl 
 of Thanet, who gave £90. His Excellency Francis Nicholson^ 
 Governor of South Carolina, gave £69, and also five cedar 
 posts and sixty-five planks, freight free. Among the subscri- 
 bers were the Hon. Lady Blackett, Leonard Vassall, Charles 
 Apthorp, William Price, Peter Faneuil, and several persons liv- 
 ing at Antigua and Barbadoes. The whole amount contributed 
 was .£2184, and £123i0 was received afterwards from the sale 
 
ofpews. The land was conveyed from A. Blount to John 
 Barnes and others, and from them to the Rector, Wardens and 
 Vestry of Christ Church by an Indenture, on parchment, now 
 in our possession, which provides that the right of presentation 
 to the Rectory shall be in the Wardens and Vestry ; and a by- 
 law, made in 1724, directs that no one shall have a vote at any 
 of the church meetings unless he holds a just title to a pew, 
 and that there shall be but one vote for a pew. 
 
 On the 15th of April, 17 2o, the Rev. Samuel Myles, In- 
 cumbent of King's Chapel, accompanied with the gentlemen of 
 his congregation, laid the first stone, concluding the impressive 
 ceremony with the words : 
 
 " May the gates of Hell never prevail against it." 
 
 The Church was opened for divine service on the 29th of 
 December, 172:), the Sunday after Christmas Day. The Rev. 
 Timothy Cutler, D.D., officiated, and preached from Isaiah, 
 fifty-sixth chapter and seventh verse: "For mine house shall 
 be called a house of prayer for all people.'''' 
 
 There are a few parishes and religious societies now in exist- 
 ence that were founded before 1723, but there is no other house 
 of public worship in Boston as old as this, and, with the single 
 exception of the old State House, which has been so much 
 altered as almost to have lost its identity, Christ Church is our 
 most ancient public building. 
 f- It is seventy feet long, fifty-feet wide, and thirty-five feet high. 
 The walls are two and a half feet thick. The tower is twenty- 
 four feet square, and its walls are three and a half feet thick. 
 The spire rises to the height of one hundred and seventy-five 
 feet, and is a well known guide for vessels entering the harbor. 
 The resemblance of the architecture to that of churches built 
 at the same period in England has given rise to the opinion 
 that this church is modelled after one of the designs of Sir 
 Christopher Wren. When the opening services were held the 
 building was not completed. A portion of the plastering was 
 done in 1725 ; the pillars were enclosed and the windows hung 
 
in 1726, and the Bteeple was not finished until 1740. There 
 was formerly an East window, for which the Vestry voted, in 
 1728, thai "a convenient number of iron rods should be pro- 
 vided, and put up with all expedition." There were three 
 . and the pews were square. The pulpit stood on the 
 north side of the middle aisle, near the chancel, with the read- 
 ing desk in front, and below that, a desk for the clerk, a very 
 important functionary in those days who, besides waiting upon 
 the Rector, led in the responses, gave out notices, announced 
 the psalms to be sung, and kept the register of baptisms, mar- 
 riages and funerals, and for ti pices received a salary 
 of <£30 a year. In 1726 the Vestry voted that, " a pew be 
 built at the north side of the altar lor Mr. Edward Mills, he 
 paying as much lor said pew as any other person ;" also, that 
 kk a pew he built, by the pulpit, ranging with Capt. Temple's, for 
 the use of Capt. Wells." In 1730 the new pew under the 
 pulpit was granted to Capt. Sleigh, and a large pew was con- 
 structed, handsomely lined, and provided with six Prayer 
 Books for the use of the gentlemen of Honduras who had sent 
 gifts of logwood to the parish. 
 
 The lot next north of the church, on which the Academy 
 was afterwards huilt, was bought of John Baker, in IT-' 1 )!), and 
 conveyed to the Wardens and their successors for the use of 
 Christ Church forever. Other lots on the north and south of 
 the church were bought or given at various times, and after- 
 wards sold. 
 
 The first Wardens were Thomas (J raves and Anthony 
 Blount, and the firsl Vestrymen were II. Franklin, Edward 
 AYatts, John Gibbs, Gillam Philips, John Corney, G 
 Monk, North Ingham, and Robert Temple. It was an an- 
 cient custom for the Wardens to stand at the great doors of the 
 church on Christmas Day to receive the alms for the poor. It 
 was e\ idently difficult to secure punctuality at vestry meetings, 
 for a fine was imposed upon any member that "doth not ap- 
 pear within two hours alter the time appointed for a meeting." 
 
Reverence for the house of God, and a determination to pre- 
 serve order during divine service manifest themselves in the 
 Note that "no naills nor pinns be put in the pillars nor the 
 front of the gallerys with a design to hang hatts on," in the 
 appointment of an officer with a salary of £3, to keep the boys 
 in order in the galleries, and the direction to the sexton in 
 1730 " for the future, to keep the rails at the Altar clear from 
 boys and negroes setting there." 
 
 While the Episcopalians of Boston were laying the founda- 
 tions of Christ Church God's providence was preparing Timo- 
 thy Cutler in Connecticut to be its first Rector. This eminent 
 man w;is the son of Major John Cutler, and was born in Charles- 
 town, Mass., in 1683. He graduated at Harvard College 
 in 1701, and was admitted to the Congregational ministry at 
 Stratford, Conn., Jan. 11, 1710, having been selected as one 
 of the best preachers that could be found in Massachusetts or 
 Connecticut, and sent to Stratford in order to prevent the 
 growth of the Episcopal Church. In 1719 he was appointed 
 Rector, or President, of Yale College. Here he became inti- 
 mate with Samuel Johnson, a tutor in the college. Johnson 
 had seen and visited the Rev. Mr. Pigot, at Stratford. He 
 had also received a copy of the Book of Common Prayer 
 from Mr. Smithson of Guildford, at a time when both he and 
 Cutler had become convinced of the necessity of employing 
 great care in preparing for a solemn address to the Lord of 
 Heaven, and were already doubtful of the propriety of using 
 extemporaneous prayers in public worship. Johnson availed 
 himself of the language of the Liturgy in his ministrations at 
 West Haven, and people came from a distance to hear one so 
 " gifted in prayer." It is related that they were so moved by the 
 fervent, penitential supplications of the Litany that they found 
 themselves joining in the earnest petition, " Good Lord, de- 
 liver us." In the Library were the works of our great Eng- 
 glish Divines, a recent gift to the college, and Cutler and 
 Johnson eagerly studied Archbishop King's " Treatise on 
 
8 
 
 the inventions of man in the worship of God,*' Pearson on the 
 Creed, Bingham's Antiquities, Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity, 
 and the writings of Bull, Barrow, Patrick, South, Whitby, 
 Sherlock, and many others of the Church of England. New 
 
 lirrht dawned upon their minds, and they found that tl 
 had been from the Apostles' time three orders of ministers 
 in Christ's Church, Bishops, Priests and Deacons. When it 
 iccamc known that Cutler, Johnson, and five others doubted 
 the validity of the ordination of the Congregationalists they 
 were summoned to appear before the Trustees, who were over- 
 whelmed with sorrow aud consternation. To give them time 
 to return to their allegiance they were allowed until the fol- 
 lowing October to reconsider their position. In the meantime 
 a conference was held, at which Gov. Saltonstall presided, but 
 the result was only to bring out from Cutler, Johnson, Brown 
 and Whitmore a formal declaration of their belief that the 
 Church of England is a true branch of the Catholic Church, 
 and of their conviction that it was their consequent duty to be 
 admitted into her communion. On the 27th of October, 1722, 
 it was voted to excuse Cutler from the Rectorship, and from that 
 time all Presidents of the College were required to conform to 
 the Savbrook Platform. 
 
 We have the authority of Dr. Cutler's contemporaries for 
 sayino- that he was " a man of profound and general learning 
 in the various branches of knowledge cultivated in his (hy, 
 particularly in Oriental literature," and that "he presided over 
 the Seminary which he was called to superintend with dignity, 
 usefulness and general approbation." The Rev. Dr. Styles 
 asserted that " he had more knowledge of the Arabic than any 
 other man in New England before him, except President 
 Chauncy, and his disciple the first Mr. Thacher." He was 
 well skilled in logic, metaphysics, moral philosophy, theology 
 and ecclesiastical history. He spoke Latin with fluency. He 
 was a noble orator, and a man of great dignity and commanding 
 presence. His position, reputation and great influence made 
 his renunciation of the views generally held, and his conformity 
 

 
 to the Church of England, events of vast magnitude, involving 
 consequences which n<> man could estimate. " His conver- 
 sion, " says Mr. Quincy, " shook New England like an earth- 
 quake." When the appalling news came to Joseph Weld) of 
 Fairfield, Be wrote plaintively to Cotton Mather, kk I apprehend 
 the axe is hereby laid to the root of our civil and sacred 
 enjoyments." 
 
 Many earnest, faithful men followed Cutler and his friends 
 into the Episcopal Church, bringing with them the conscien- 
 tiousness and self-sacrificing devotion to truth, which irrauced 
 them to renounce the views in which they had been educated, 
 and being natives of the country, and accustomed to New Eng- 
 land ways, they were more useful than clergymen educated in 
 England. When Mr. Beach, who had been one of Cutler's 
 pupils, renounced Congregationalism, a shrewd matron wisely 
 observed, that " she knew Mr. Beach would turn churchman, 
 for she never heard of any one that kept reading church books 
 but what always did." 
 
 Some ill-natured persons, who could not believe that any 
 one was capable of making great sacrifices for the sake of doing 
 right, said that Cutler had long been at heart a churchman 
 and that he waited until there was to be a new church in 
 Boston, to which he might hope to be appointed, before declaring 
 publicly what he had held privately. The Rev. Henry Harris, 
 assistant to the Minister of King's Chapel, accused him of insin- 
 cerity in a communication sent to the Bishop of London, which, 
 if it ever reached him, remained unnoticed. On the 22d of 
 June, 1724, Harris, who was never friendly to Cutler, and who 
 charged him with holding popish and jacobitc principles, wrote to 
 the Bishop's successor that " the motive of this person's conver- 
 sion was the prospect of a new church in this town," and that 
 " his behavior is so imprudent, his notions so wild and extrava- 
 gant, and his principles so uncharitable," that " the church will 
 never flourish under his care." The whole tone of the letter 
 confirms the statement in a letter written by Samuel Johnson 
 to the Bishop of London, Oct. 10, 1724, that Harris was dis- 
 
 2 
 
10 
 
 appointed because he was not himself chosen Rector of Christ 
 Church. There can be no doubt of the sincerity of a man 
 who relinquished the advantages of a highly honorable position, 
 a good salary, a quiet, happy home, the esteem of a whole con> 
 iunity and the friendly intercourse of his ministerial brethren, 
 and who said to those with whose ecclesiastical views he had 
 always agreed, Vk your opinions are unsound, and your ordina- 
 tion is not valid," who suffered liis labors tor' the Divine Head 
 of the Church to be interrupted until he could receive authority 
 from%e laying "" "' :l Bishop's hands, and who exposed him- 
 self to the dangers of two long voyages and of the fatal pesti- 
 lence, that he might share in the reproach and sufferings and 
 privations of the Episcopal Church in this land. Cutler was 
 an honorable, christian gentleman, incapable of any thing mean. 
 Upon his removal to New Haven the college paid .£90 for his 
 house in Stratford, and this sum he repaid when he was de- 
 prived of the Presidency. 
 
 On the 2nd of October 17-2, the committee wrote to him 
 the following letter: — 
 
 " We the Subscribers congratulate you and the gentlemen your friends 
 on account or your late Declaration, and we pray to God It may have 
 that happy Influence on thin country which some men so much dread and 
 deprecate while others expect benefit by it. 
 
 sir, uc being appointed a Committee lor taking in subscriptions to 
 build a new house (or the Worship of God at the North end of Boston, (our 
 present building not being capable to contain tin' people of the Church, J 
 and having the hearty concurrence and prayers of the Rev. Mr. Samuel 
 Myles in our undertaking, we have thought proper to acquaint you that 
 we would have you come to Boston, and by what we have learnt fr.nu 
 the gentlemen of tin' Church, we take upon us to assure you, that a 
 passage shall be provided lor you, and nil thinics proper to support the 
 character of a gentleman during your stay in London, whither with the 
 approbation ol the Rev. Mr. Samuel M\les, we .-hail send our bumble 
 petition to our Right Rev. Diocesan, My Lord Bishop of London, that 
 after the Church that is now designed to he erected, he would he gra- 
 ciously pleaded to grant his License to you to preach in, the people here 
 beinic willing to maintain you. 
 
 We desire that Mr. Brown, and Mr. Johnson, may come down with 
 you in older to accompany yon to London, which gentlemen shall like- 
 wise he our care to procuring them a passage and doing them all the 
 services in our power. We make no question hut that you will all be 
 very kindly received by i he Rt. Rev. the Bishops, both the Universities, 
 and the llon'bie Society, and although your sincerity, Mr. Culler, is called 
 in question by the Rev. Mr. Henry Harris, yet we hope your lutuie be- 
 
11 
 
 havlour will fully demonstrate your integrity. Ami if that worthy gen- 
 tleman should by some wicked men be unhappily persuaded to persisl In 
 liis i pinion yet, notwithstanding, we assure you, Sir, that your coming 
 to Boston, by the month of November, will be very grateful to the 
 Church here, and von all may depend upon an hearty welcome from the 
 Rev. Mr. Samuel Myles, the whole bouy of the Church and in a particular 
 manner from 
 
 Gentlemen, your friends and very humble servants, 
 
 John Barnes, 
 Thomas Graves, 
 Geo. Cradock, 
 a nth. Blount, 
 John Gibbons, 
 Tnos. Selbbt, 
 Geo. Monk. 
 
 P. S. — We assure you that care shall be taken of your spouse and 
 children, either here or where else you please, till your return from 
 Britain. We expect a positive answer by the bearer of this letter." 
 
 Cutler, Johnson and Brown came to Boston, where they 
 ■were cordially welcomed and hospitably entertained. Their 
 passages were paid, and a sum of money subscribed for Mr. 
 Cutler's subsistence while at London. Taking with them the 
 fullest testimonials from Mr. Myles and others, they sailed 
 from Boston on the 5th of November, arrived at Ramsgate on 
 the loth December, 1722, and went the same day to Canter- 
 bury, where they had to wait three days for the stage coach 
 to take them to London. The Cathedral, and the solemn and 
 magnificent services filled them with admiration. They went 
 to the Deanery, and having no letters to any persons of dis- 
 tinction in Canterbury, sent in word that three gentlemen 
 from America, who had come over for Holy Orders, desired to 
 pay their respects to the Dean. It so happened that the Dean, 
 Dr. Stanhope, was presiding at a dinner given to the members 
 of the Cathedral Body, and they were then reading the Decla- 
 ration of Cutler and his friends from a London paper. The 
 Dean himself came to the door to greet them, and as they en- 
 tered, every one rushed forward to grasp their hands, and they 
 were urged to repeat the whole story. 
 
 At London they were most kindly received by the Bishop, 
 and Dr. Grandorge, one of the Prebendaries of Canterbury, 
 who was Chaplain to the Earl of Thanet, gave each of them ten 
 
12 
 
 guineas from the Bar] For the purchase of books and afterwards 
 procured his Lordship's subscription oi r this Church. 
 
 Tin- ordination <>f the three candidates was delayed by the 
 illness of Mr. Cutler, who suffered from a Bevere attack of 
 Bmall-pox, the disease so fatal to Americans visiting England. 
 When be recovered, the Bishop of London, Dr. Robinson, was 
 lying at the point of death, and Cutler, Johnson and Brown, 
 were ordained at St. Martin's Church, l>v the Bishop of Nor- 
 wich, Dr. Green, in March ]~ -'■'>. Mr. Brown took the small- 
 pox and died on Easter Eve. Mr. Cutler received the de- 
 gre< ol Doctor oi Sacred Theology from both the Universities 
 of Oxford and Cambridge and Mr. Johnson that of Master of 
 Arts. On the 26th of June Dr. Cutler, after making the 
 usual declaration of conformity to the Liturgy of the Church of 
 England, was licensed by the Bishop of London to officiate in 
 Massachusetts. He left England in July, andreached Boston, 
 on the 24th of September. 
 
 Dr. Cutler was one of the missionaries of the Society for 
 propagating the Gospel in foreign parts. That venerable 
 Society, to which this parish is indebted for assistance in the sup- 
 port and maintenance of its clergymen from the opening of the 
 Church until our separation from England, was founded in 
 1701, " for the conversion of our own people, Indians and ne- 
 groes." Dr. Cutler's reports to the Secretary of the Society, 
 published in the third volume of " Perry's Historical Collec- 
 tions of the American Colonial Church," furnish a complete 
 history of Christ Church during his incumbency of forty-two 
 years. In Ids first letter to the Secretary, dated .Ian. -I, 17_'l, 
 he writes, "on the last Sunday 1 preached in our new Church, 
 that being the first time of our assembling in it. It is not yet 
 finished, hut workmen are daily employed upon it, and we put 
 it into as good a posture as we could to receive an audience. 
 Our Church was very much crowded with hearers, and the 
 prayers of the Church were performed in a very regular man- 
 ner, and yet there was scarcely any apparent diminution of the 
 
13 
 
 attendants at the other Church in Boston." There were no 
 parochial bounds, and about eighty families belonged to this 
 parish. Divine Service was held on Sundays, and although 
 somewhat interfered with by the workmen, on some particular 
 festivals, besides the days of fast and thanksgiving enjoined by 
 the authorities. The Church was ordinarily full with constant 
 and transient hearers. The Lord's Supper was administered 
 once a month to about ft^rty communicants. On the 23rd of 
 September, 1725, he reports twenty-two baptized since the 
 December previous, and "seventy-five Communicants, seven- 
 teen whereof live out of town," and he adds, " it is with a 
 great deal of pleasure and truth that I let the Hon. Society 
 know that I live in peace and love with a numerous and very 
 increasing congregation, who are xovy constant and very de- 
 vout at our public worship." . In these returns, made generally 
 twice a* year, we find the number of baptisms increasing to 
 thirty-seven, while the number of Communicants reaches 
 nmety-four, as many as seventy attending at one time. Many 
 are drawn into the Church, especially the young; the people 
 constantly and reverently attend public worship ; the Congre- 
 gation numbers full eight hundred persons ; and with evident 
 satisfaction the good Doctor says, "my parish is in peace." 
 On Christmas Day, 1748, he had eighty-one at the Commu- 
 nion, besides a very large congregation of dissenters and others, 
 although it was a Sunday, and on the next day he wrote to the 
 tary " My congregation is rather on the increase, though 
 my church is situated to the least advantage for it of any in 
 this town, and I hope it will keep on the increasing hand since 
 God has blest us with that peace and unity which is a very 
 promising symptom of it." rn 1750, he speaks of his own 
 .Church as the smallest of .the three Episcopal Churches of 
 Boston and the most inconveniently situated for growth. It 
 was surrounded by elegant mansions, the residences of the rich 
 gentlemen of that age, but several of the families who lived here 
 in almost regal splendor, and with whom Dr. Cutler was a 
 
14 
 
 welcome guest, appear to have attended King's Chapel. Christ 
 Church was never, in the Colonial times, a Belf-supporting 
 parish. 
 
 Humphrey's historical account of the Society for propagating 
 the ( rospel Bays, that >k the members of Christ Church have in 
 many respects proved themselvesa worthy people, very devout 
 in the public worship and conscientious in their lives and 
 actions." Sir Harry Frankland, why lived on Garden Court 
 street next to Gov. Hutchinson, and to whose house Benjamin 
 Franklin came as a newsboy, wrote in 1748, "Christ Church 
 has a large tower, a fine ring of eight hells, a beautiful steeple, 
 and having an elevated situation it may be accounted a noble 
 structure tor this part of the world." 
 
 In our parish library are some tine copies of folio editions of 
 standard English theological books, presented by k * the vener- 
 able Society " and bearing their seal, a missionary on the prow 
 of a ship holding out the Gospel to natives on the shore, with 
 the motto : Transiens adjuva wos, and surrounded by the 
 words, Sigillwm Societal is de promovendo Evangelio inpartibus 
 trammarinw. 
 
 In December 1746, Dr. Cutler acknowledges the goodness 
 of the Rev. Mr. Dechair in the books already presented by him 
 and the addition he designs to them for a Parochial Library in 
 this Town and the Society's goodness in allotting that benefit 
 to this parish, adding, "we shall show our gratitude in provid- 
 ing a convenient place for them ; and I promise for myself and 
 hope for my successors the greatest care to preserve the books 
 from hurt and embezzlement and to make the best advantages 
 we can oi such a pious donation." 
 
 April 7, 1728, Dr. Cutler wrote to Dr. Z. Grey that a 
 young man hail given by will <£130, of which <£30 was for the 
 poor, also the residue of his estate to be equally divided be- 
 tween Christ Church and the college for the education of Epis- 
 copal scholars, adding " It is said the college will reject the 
 gift as they once did an organ willed them for the service of 
 Almighty God.'' 
 
15 
 
 In tnc replies to the queries addressed to the ministers em- 
 ployed by the Venerable Society, in 1724, Dr. Cutler stated 
 that this Church had no Communion plate besides a silver cup. 
 That is the smaller of the two Chalices on which are the words 
 " The gift of Captain Thomas Tudor to Christ Church, in 
 Boston, 1724. " The gold and silver received in the collections 
 were set apart for the purpose of procuring additional vessels 
 for the Communion service, and the offerings on the day qt 
 thanksgiving, Nov. 13, 1729, were devoted to the same object. 
 Two of the large flagons were procured with these contribu- 
 tions, and they are marked " Belonging to Christ Church, 
 Boston, New England, A. D. 1729.!' The name and arms of 
 Leonard Vassall are on a Patten given by him in 1730. The 
 massive christening basin bears the inscription, " The gift of 
 Arthur Savage, Esq., to Christ Church in Boston, 1730," and 
 the arms of his family. On two of the flagons, the larger chalice, 
 a patten, and a plate called " a receiver," and used to receive 
 the alms and other devotions of the people, may be seen the 
 royal arms, with the words " The gift of his Majesty King 
 George II., to Christ Church at Boston, in New England, at 
 the request of his excellency go vernour Belcher, 1733." There 
 is also an oval vessel with a cover, which was presented in 
 1815 by Mrs. Hannah Smith. 
 
 Besides the silver, King George II. gave to this Church a 
 folio Bible, two folio Prayer Books, bound in Turkey leather, 
 and twelve others bound in calf, gilt, together with book-marks 
 made of ribbon similar to that worn by the noble order of the 
 Garter, and trimmed with gold fringe, an altar piece, cushions, 
 carpets, damask, and two surplices of fine holland. Two 
 Prayer Books were reserved for the use of the Governor and 
 Lieutenant Governor, and two were placed in the Wardens' 
 pew. The Royal Bible was placed upon the Reading Desk by 
 vote of the Vestry. It was at one time discarded and con- 
 signed to a closet. It has been restored to its position and is 
 regularly used in divine service. It was printed at Oxford in 
 
16 
 
 1717 by John Baskett, and is celebrated for the el an< fthe 
 
 pnntag and the engravings. An error, not in the text It 
 
 ■. , : ,K,S pven ? the ,,: """ ^ the Vinegar Bible bv 
 7 d ;f o hltls -incnown to bibliographers. tJT^& 
 
 ^r\ w ^r^r ve,lum ' onefortheK ^onefor^ 
 
 ^ ke ffforough»s library and one for the Bodleian library 
 f h 7 A 0ftheP 7er Books remain, and having been adaptedTo 
 the Amencan Service, are now in use. 
 
 Gov ;^! che ^ to whose favorable representations of Christ 
 "' th -Pansh is indebted for the King's genero, fe 
 
 Ti "to* ma ,ettert ° the Bish °P° f London, dated 
 ^'/n' ' "This Gentleman" he writes, « is a pro- 
 
 fessed Dissenter, and perhaps in New England he neverwasat 
 Church on any Sunday or other festival in his whole life, and 
 lately refused to marry his daughter tea voung gentleman 
 baptized and brought up in the Church of England before he 
 :i,,S, ' I,, 1 h ' Iv i Pf omis ^ to forsake the Church, which he has 
 accordingly done." In 1731 Gov. Belcher was so unfortunate 
 as to appoint a fast on the 25th of March. Dr. Cutler and Mr 
 Fnce waited upon him, and told him that it was Lady Day" 
 andaFestival of the Church of England. The Governor very 
 courteously said that had he known it he would have taken 
 some other day. Mr. Price was so rude as to tell him he be- 
 l " V " <1 ' f Was done Purposely to affront the Church, and the 
 ^rnor writing an account of the interview to the Bishop of 
 London, says, that he would have « treated Mr. Price very 
 roughly haditnot been "in regard to Dr. Cutler and Mr 
 Har wood, who behaved themselves consistent with their char- 
 ts ^d he adds that they "have acquired so much respect 
 and reputation not only by their preaching but by their virtu 
 ous and regular live, that they have the good will of all who 
 have the pleasure of their acquaintance." Dr. Cutler's good 
 temper, forbearance and suavity of manner seem to have se 
 
17 
 
 cured the kind regard of Gov. Belcher, and without doubt, his 
 interest in the welfare of Christ Church was founded upon his 
 respect for its Rector. 
 
 The bells were procured by subscription. They are eight 
 in number. The lightest wefghs 020 lbs. and the heaviest 
 L5451bs. They cost £560 in England. The freight was 
 given by Mr. John Rowe, and the charges for wheels and 
 putting them in place amounted to £93. The inscriptions on 
 them tell their story so fully that we let them speak for them- 
 selves. The tenor, first, says, " This pea! of eight bells is the 
 gift of a number of generous persons to Christ Church in Bos- 
 ton, New England, Anno 1744, A.R." The second, " This 
 Church was founded in the year 1T2-), Timothy Cutler, Doctor 
 in Divinity, the first rector, A.R., 1744." The third says, 
 " We are the first ring of bells cast for the British Empire, in 
 North America, A. R., 1744." The fourth exclaims, "God 
 preserve the Church of England, 1744." The fifth commem- 
 orates, " "William Shirley, Esq., Governour of the Massachusetts 
 Bay in N. E., Anno 1744." The sixth tells us, " The subscrip- 
 tion for these bells was begun by Iohn Hammock and Robt. 
 Temple, Church Wardens, Anno 1743, compleated by Robert 
 Ienkins and Ino. Gould, Church Wardens, 1744." The 
 seventh adds, " Since generosity has opened our mouths, our 
 tongues shall ring aloud its praise, 1744;" and the eighth con- 
 cludes, " Abel Rudhall of Gloucester cast us all, Anno 1744." 
 
 These bells are provided with wheels for round ringing, but 
 they are now struck by means of cords attached to the tongues 
 instead of being rung as they were formerly. They are remark- 
 able for purity of tone, sweetness and harmony. They may 
 still be heard, as in the olden time, during the week preceding 
 and the week following Christmas, filling the night air with 
 the glad tidings that angels brought in the night to the shep- 
 herds in the field. They mourn with those who bear away 
 their dead, peal merrily at marriages, and help us to compose 
 our thoughts as we ascend the hill to this House of Prayer 
 
18 
 
 When Charlestown bridge was opened, <>n the 17th of June 
 •mmI with the guns at the Castle, on Copp's hill 
 and on Bunker hill in celebrating the union of the two towns, 
 and in afew days they may welcome the city of Charlestown 
 tn a closer union. 
 
 The first organ was brought from Newport in 1736. Mr. 
 "William Price, who was very active in all parish matters, 
 not <»nl_y went to Newport to examine it but also offered 
 to play upon it gratuitously for one year, after which he 
 was to have a salary of ten pounds per quarter. Some 
 years afterwards when Mr. Greaton, Dr. Cutler's assistant, 
 was sent to England for orders, he was requested to bring 
 back with him an organist " who had some trade — if possible 
 a barber — whom the congregation might improve in his occupa- 
 tion." The second organ was made by Thos. Johnston in 
 1759. The interior of this organ was rebuilt by Mr. Goodrich 
 about fifty years ago. The lour figures of cherubim in front of 
 the organ, and the two chandeliers were presented in 174*5 
 l>y the Captain, John Grushea, and the owners of the British 
 Privateer named the Queen of Hungary, and were taken from 
 a French vessel. 
 
 Our ancient, records, and the ponderous account hooks, kept 
 with scrupulous care and wonderful penmanship, give the names 
 of generous friends who contributed towards the cost of the 
 church, organ and hells. They refer to the courtesies extend- 
 ed to the new parish of Trinity Church, to a dinner given to 
 theclergy who held a convention in this Church in 1738, and 
 to the congratulations offered to (Joy. Shirley, on the arrival of 
 his commission in 1741, when the Wardens and Vestry waited 
 upon his Excellency, of course in lull dress, with Dr. Cutler in 
 Ins ( lanonicals. 
 
 A.1 every meeting of the New England clergy our first Rec- 
 to have taken the lead. His long and useful ministry 
 tonus a large portion of the history of the Church in Massachu- 
 setts. While he avoided controversy with those who differed 
 from him in theological views, he waszealousin contending for 
 
19 
 
 the C nir :h, fa'thful in preaching the gospel and industrious in 
 
 extending the borders of the Kingdom of the Lord. His a< s- 
 
 sion to the Episcopal Church made it a formidable body, and 
 Cotton Mather in order to strengthen the [ndependants and 
 secure their exclusive rule, requested, in the name of the assem- 
 bled ministers of his denomination, that a Synod might be 
 called. Cutler and Myles presented a memorial to the Gov- 
 ernor and to the General Court, remonstrating against this 
 measure, and sent a copy of the memorial to the Hi- 1 
 
 M. The energetic measures taken by Dr. Cutler, in 
 which he was assisted by his friend Mr. John Checkley, secured 
 an order from the Lords in Council, forbidding the meeting of 
 the Synod. 
 
 After Dr. Cutler's conversion the policy of excluding Church 
 of England clergymen from the Board of Overseers of Har- 
 vard College was resolved upon. Harris, who held a seat at 
 the Board was no longer summoned, and Cutler and Myles 
 were not notified of the meeting. Cutler, who was always on 
 the alert to vindicate the rights of his order, claimed that they 
 were entitled to seats as teaching elders in one of the six 
 neighboring towns. Arrayed against him was the whole 
 power of the Independants who ruled College and State. It 
 seemed to be a hopeless task to attempt to move them. A man 
 of less courage and zeal and conscientious fidelity to his Church 
 and her Divine Lord, would have desisted from an undertaking 
 that could only render him unpopular. Yet Cutler persevered 
 until it was finally decided, on the 16th of June, 17o0, that it 
 was not " within the intent and meaning of the act of 1642, 
 that Cutler and Myles ought to be deemed members of the 
 Board of Overseers." 
 
 Dr. Cutler was a zealous missionary. He founded the 
 Church at Dedham and officiated there once a month. Besides 
 caring for the Church at Braintree, he preached frequently at 
 Mendon, Stoughton, Sudbury, Billerica and Scituate. His 
 proceedings at Scituate having been misrepresented in an abusive 
 
article in the Letter, of Aug. 19, 1725, a] 
 
 claiming to be published by authority, lie- wrote to Gov. Dum- 
 mer denouncing the statements in the pa] ■ tending i<i the 
 
 ruin of his reputation, the disadvantage of his labours in religion, 
 tin' discouragement < » f " any missionary in the faithful discharge 
 of his duty, and the injury of the Church of England," and 
 demanding "reparation to bis character and protection for his 
 Church." In consequence of this spirited remonstrance, Gov. 
 Dummer ordered that the words, "published by authority," 
 should be removed from the paper. 
 
 Dr. Cutler's sympathy was extended towards the Episcopa- 
 lians in New England, who were taxed to support the Indepen- 
 dant teachers, and to pay Cor building and repairing their meeting 
 
 >, and who, if they failed to pay these taxes, were deprived 
 of their goods and thrown into prison. As many as thirty 
 
 in prison on this account at one time in a single town. 
 These Facts were stated in a petition signed by Cutler and 
 others, addressed to the King. This petition was referred to a 
 Committee of the Council to inquire whether the Acts of the 
 Assembly were contrary to the New England charter, but 
 no action was ever taken upon the subject. In our records 
 are accounts of the proceedings of several joint meetings ol the 
 ries of King's Chapel and of Christ Church, held to take 
 measures for the relief of those who were lined and imprisoned 
 for not supporting a ministry and mode ol' workup oi which 
 their consciences did not approve. The following are among 
 the votes adopted, " That the committee be empowered to de- 
 fend any Churchman that shall be presented for travelling to 
 or coming from any Church of England, throughout this pro- 
 vince for the worship of God,*" and " That the Committee be 
 empowered to defend the Church of England Ministers in case 
 they should be prosecuted in any of the courts of this province 
 for marrying according to the custom of marrying in the 
 Church of England, provided the said ministers do marry ac- 
 cording to the usage in the Common Prayer Book and Canons 
 of the said Church." 
 
21 
 
 The rulers of the land in those days claimed that they and 
 their fathers had left their native soil and comfortable homes, 
 tempted the foaming billows, and rested in the howling wilder- 
 ness amidst untamed Leasts and savage men, to escape from 
 spiritual tyranny which took the Conn of taxation for the sup- 
 port of a ministry whose rites and doctrines their consciences 
 could not approve. It may be said in their defence that they 
 were no worst* than those who tyrannized over them in Eng- 
 land, but their advocates cannot maintain that New England 
 was settled in order to propagate civil and religious liberty. 
 
 From the day of his ordination to the (dose of his ministry 
 Dr. Cutler never ceased, as he had opportunity, to urge the 
 appointment of a Bishop for America. But the King was 
 indifferent, and the ministry were unwilling to incur the 
 enmity of the Dissenters, and for political reasons they refused 
 the petitions of the Clergy at home and in the provinces. 
 Earnest and good men were lost to the ministry of the Church 
 because they could not go " home for orders." Of those who 
 went, one-fifth died. Confirmation was never administered. 
 The scattered clergy were discouraged. Yet, Under all the diffi- 
 culties arising from the want of Episcopal oversight, and from the 
 hostility of the dominant sect in New England, Dr. Cutler la- 
 bored without ceasing until the infirmities of age compelled him 
 to rest. During the last nine years of his life he was unable to 
 perforin public duty. He died on the 17th of August, 1765. 
 In the funeral sermon preached by Dr. Caner, his former 
 pupil, and his friend of many years, he is described as " a wise, 
 a learned, and pious man, a good christian, a faithful steward 
 of the mysteries of God, a tried soldier and champion of Jesus 
 Christ, who, in prospect of the recompense of reward that 
 was set before him, despised the frowns and flatteries of the 
 world, maintained his great Master's cause with undaunted 
 courage and steadfast resolution, and is now, we trust, entered 
 into the possession of the joy of his Lord." 
 
 He was buried under the chancel, and upon a small slab 
 may be read the following inscription : — 
 

 M Here Lves entombed the Body of the ttevd. 
 TIMOTHY CUTLER, D.D., first minister of this 
 ('inn d Angst I7tii. 1765, aged B] years. 
 
 Also the Bodyol Mrs. i:i.l/Ani CUTLER, widow 
 of the above, died Sept the L2Ch, 1771, aged 81 years." 
 
 During the first part of Dr. Cutler's long illness his duties 
 
 performed by the other clergy of Boston. James Greaton, 
 
 who graduated at Yale College in L754, offered to act as lav 
 
 r, and his services were accepted. On the 23rd <>. 
 1759, the Wardens and Vestry gave him a letter of recommen- 
 dation, addressed to the Bishop of London, requesting that he 
 might be ordained, and appointed to serve as Dr. Cutler's 
 assistant. Mr. Greaton went to England, received Deacon's 
 and Priest's orders, and returned to Boston, where lie arrived 
 on the 30th of May, 1760. 
 
 After Dr. Cutler's death an unpleasant controversy arose in 
 the congregation, sadly disturbing the peace and harmony so 
 enjoyed under the first Rector. Long letters were written 
 to the Secretary of the Venerable Society on the subject. The 
 Wardens requested that Mr. Greaton should be appointed suc- 
 ir to Dr. Cutler, but Robert Jenkins and others sent a 
 remonstrance against the appointment. Meetings of the pro- 
 prietors were held. Every one's right to vote was carefully 
 serutinLv'd, and it was found that seventeen of those who signed 
 the remonstrance were not proprietors of pews. The others 
 yielded to the wishes of the majority, and Mr. Greaton was 
 recommended by a unanimous, vote. Finding it however im- 
 possible to unite the congregation in his favor, even after this 
 decisive vote, Mr. Greaton wrote to the Secretary of the 
 Society on the 28th of August, 1707, requesting a removal 
 from this mission. 
 
 At this time, as we learn from the letter of the Wardens, the 
 Church was "commonly well tilled with an orderly and well 
 behaved congregation, tho' poor," and being situated "at the 
 North part of the Town where the inhabitants were not so 
 wealthy as ihose near the other Churches,"' they had "a larger 
 proportion of the poor to support by charity." 
 
23 
 
 The Wardens were very much disappointed when they found 
 that the parties who wore at variance could not be united in 
 iton's favor. They did not presume to determine where 
 the fault lay, but made this general observation, that "every 
 man is not endowed with faculties to make himself serviceable 
 and agreeable in all places,' 1 and then tried to find a person in 
 whom they might form a union. They providentially heard of 
 Mr. Mather Byles, a recent convert from Congregationalism. 
 He was the son of Dr. Mather Byles, Pastor of Mollis street 
 Church, graduated at Harvard College in LTol and was 
 
 7 o © 
 
 ordained to the Congregational ministry, at New London, in 
 1757, when he was twenty-three years old. He relinquished 
 his charge in April, 1768, to enter a communion which he con- 
 scientiously preferred, proving his sincerity by returning to the 
 people among whom he was settled the whole sum of ,£180 
 given to him when he first came to them. The proprietors of 
 this Church on Easter Monday, 1768, empowered and instruct- 
 ed the Wardens and Vestry to invite Mr. Byles to be their 
 minister. They also raised a sum of money to assist in pay- 
 ing his expenses in going to England for orders, and agreed to 
 give him £100 per annum. He accepted the invitation, came 
 to Boston, and sailed for England, taking with him the proper 
 testimonials to he laid before the Bishop of London. After his 
 Ordination he was appointed missionary by the Venerable So- 
 ciety and returned to Boston, where he arrived on the 28th of 
 September, .and was cordially received by his parishioners. 
 He found one hundred families and fifty communicants. He 
 was a faithful and laborious pa-tor. In our Register we find 
 ninety-eight baptisms recorded by him in a single year. He 
 was a gentleman of amiable character and a very acceptable 
 preacher, ami might have continued to be Rector of Christ 
 Church for many years had it not been lor the breaking out of 
 the War that .separated the colonies from the mother country. 
 In a difference that unhappily occurred between him and his 
 congregation he nobly yielded his just claims for the sake of 
 
24 
 
 ty for propagating the Gospel made him an 
 allowance of G ir, in addition to t 1 
 
 Parish, but the people, thinking themselves entitled to one-hall 
 of the Society's bounty, refused to pay him more than £ 
 year. Dr. Byles being encouraged by the Secretary t<> main- 
 tain his rights, manifested his dissent from the view taken by 
 tin* proprietors, by declining to officiate for two Sundays, and 
 en of his friends surrendered their seats. But whin he 
 found that the good of the Church demanded the sacrifice he 
 
 ! with their proposals and returned to his ch 
 Like his father, he was a staunch loyalist, and the revolutionary 
 spirit was already at work in his own congregation. Some 
 remained, like their minister, true to their <»hl allegiance ; but 
 many sympathized with the friends of liberty, and Dr. Byles 
 finding that an implacable spirit prevailed, communicated to his 
 Vestry, on Easter Tuesday, 177."), an invitation which he had 
 
 red to become the minister of St. John's Church, Ports- 
 mouth, X. II. The result was their parting by mutual consent. 
 The last baptism recorded by his hand was on the 11th of 
 April, the last burial on Easter Eve, April the 15th, and the 
 last marriage on the 17th. The L8th of April, Easter Tuesday 
 177"), is a memorable day in our annals, connecting the his- 
 tory of this Church with that of the Nation. It was the last 
 day of the Rectorship of a clergyman owing allegiance to the 
 King of Great Britain. That evening, the Sexton of Christ 
 Church, Robert Newman, sat quietly in his house on Salem 
 street, opposite Bennett str timing an unconcerned look 
 
 and manner to avert the suspicion of the English officers who 
 were quartered upon him, hut impatiently expecting the arrival 
 of a friend, a sea captain, who was watching the movements 
 of the Regulars. On the other side of the river was Paul 
 
 ire, waiting for them to communicate to him the intentions 
 of the English. 
 
 '' If the British march 
 By land or sea from the town i<> uight 
 
25 
 
 Hang a lantern. aloft In the belfry arch 
 
 Of the North Church tower ;is a signal light: 
 
 one If by land and two if by sen: 
 
 And 1 on tin' opposite shore will be 
 
 Ready to ride and spread the alarm 
 Through every Middlesex village and farm 
 For the couutry folk to be up and to arm." 
 
 Mr. Newman succeeded in eluding the vigilance of his un- 
 welcome guests, took down the church keys, and with two 
 lanterns in his hand, went out, met his friend, heard the news 
 he brought, opened the church door and locked it again after 
 him, and went 
 
 "Up the wooden stairs with stealthy tread 
 To the belfry chamber over head 
 And startled the pigeons From their perch 
 On the sombre rafters that round him made 
 Masses and moving shapes of shade, 
 Up the light ladder slender and tall 
 To the highest window iu the wall." 
 
 Paul Revere, from Charlestown, by his horse's side 
 
 " Watched with eager search 
 The belfry tower of the old North Church 
 As it rose above the graves on the hill 
 Lonely and spectral and sombre and still 
 And lo! as he looks on the belfry's height 
 A glimmer, and then a gleam of light; 
 He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns 
 Butlingers and gazes till full on his sight 
 A second lamp in the belfry burus." 
 
 The twin lights from this steeple waked the fires of wa . 
 and symbolized two mighty changes. The colonies becan 
 an independent nation, and the Church of England in this lai. 
 is the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. If 
 Robert Newman's courage or patience, or firmness or self- 
 control had failed him for an instant, Paul Revere would have 
 looked in vain, across the dark waters at the tall steeple rising 
 above Copp's hill. When his task was done Mr. Newman 
 came down, passed through the Church, jumped out of a back 
 window, went round through Unity and Bennett streets to his 
 house, and succeeded in entering it without being observed. 
 The British found him in bed. They arrested him and threw 
 
him int<> jail. But he had taken Buch wise precautions that 
 nothing could be proved, and he \\a< set at liberty. 
 
 Dr. Byles writes, that when his Vestry accepted hie resigna- 
 tion he agreed togo to Portsmouth, but the very uext day the 
 war broke out, and there came no reply to his Letter of accept- 
 ance. New England was in an uproar. Boston was besieged. 
 It was impossible to attempt a removal, and Portsmouth itself 
 was in the most distracted state imaginable. Christ Church 
 closed on that memorable night. < )t' tin- Loyal clergy 
 Sargent of Cambridge and Weeks ofMarblehead fled for their 
 Lives. Byles, Caner and Walter, with one or two who had 
 taken refuge in Boston, met with difficulty and distress in every 
 shape. Those who were on the British side were exposed in 
 town to famine, and in the country to the sword. All who 
 could, left for England or the Provinces. Christ Church, 
 Cambridge, wa 3 used as a barracks by the Americans. Dr. 
 Byles offered io officiate in his old (lunch, l<ut his proposal 
 was treated withneglect. He lost his salary and his property, 
 he says, " in the ruins of his country." Shut out from this 
 church he visited the hospitals, preached as he had opportunity, 
 baptized thirty-eight and attended iifty-six funerals. 
 
 Dr. Byles could not forget that he was a subject of the King 
 of Great Britain and bound to him by his oath of allegiance. 
 lie had promised to conform to the English Liturgy. lie was 
 a minister under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London, and 
 in the employment of the Society for propagating the Gospel. 
 lie could not cease to considei tht.-King the Sovereign of this 
 country, unless he should relinquish the right to govern it. 
 He w<nt into exile, in poverty, because it was right, cheering 
 himself with the promise, " Fear none of those things which 
 thou shall Buffer. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give 
 thee a crown of life." He went to Halifax in 177t», being 
 *' well convinced that if the government should not be re-estab- 
 lished no Episcopal Church would be tolerated in New Eng- 
 land." He is named in the act of L778, which proscribed and 
 banished Guv. Hutchinson, Gov. Bernard and many of the 
 
27 
 
 most respectable men of Boston. By this decree it was enact- 
 ed thai if any of the persona named in it should return, it be- 
 came the duty of. every person to apprehend them and bring 
 them before a justice of the peace, who was required to commit 
 them to jail, there to remain until they could he sent out of the 
 state into the dominions of the King of Great Britain ; and if 
 they returned again they were to suffer the pains of death, 
 without benefit of clergy. 
 
 At Halifax Dr. Byles was appointed Chaplain to the Garri- 
 son, and Assistant to Dr. Breynton, Hector of St. Paul's, by 
 whose kind generosity the refugee clergy were greatly aided. 
 Dr. Brevnton's portrait hangs in our Vestry-room with those 
 of Drs. Cutler, Walter and Caner. In 1788 Dr. Byles was 
 appointed Rector of the Parish of St. John, New Brunswick, 
 on the death of the first rector, the Rev. George Bissett. He 
 died on the 12th of March, 18 L4, in his eightieth year. His 
 first wife was Dr. Walter's sister. t His second wife was Sarah 
 Lvde, to whom he was married in 1777, at Halifax. 
 
 In Trinity Church, St. John, is a mural tablet with the fol- 
 lowing inscription : 
 
 Sacred 
 
 To the memory of the 
 
 Rev. Mather Byles, D.D., 
 
 Rector of this Parish 
 
 and 
 
 Chaplain of the Garrison 
 
 Twenty-live years 
 Died on the 12th of March 
 1814 
 In his soth year. 
 Father into thy hands I commend my spirit 
 St. Luke c. 23, v. 46. 
 
 This monument was erected 
 By his a dec lion ate wife 
 
 S. Byles. 
 
 The Episcopal Church was paralyzed by the rending asunder 
 of the ties which bound its members to the home of their 
 fathers. The support of the Venerable Society was with- 
 drawn. In the minds of the .people the English Church was 
 identified'with the British Government. Bishops were mem- 
 bers of the aristocracy. Our forms of prayer contained pe- 
 
28 
 
 titions for the King. There were a few clergymen who felt 
 themselves absolved from their oaths of allegiance by the D - 
 laration of Independence, and they gathered the feeble, scat- 
 tered fragments <>t' our older churches. In 177 s the French 
 < ition, as it was then called, received from the Ameri- 
 
 can Government leave to ase this church, which had been 
 closed since the breaking out of the war, and it came very near 
 being lost to our communion, but those proprietors who had 
 remained in town when the British left, persuaded the Rev. 
 Mr. Parker, of Trinity Chnrch, afterwards Bishop of Massachu- 
 setts, to preach in it every Sunday afternoon, "by which 
 
 means, *' says Mr. Weeks in his account of the state of the 
 Church in 1778, "it remains untouched." The first minister 
 who officiated regularly was the Rev. Stephen Lewis, who 
 took charge of the parish from August 1778 to September 
 1784. By a vote of the Vestry in 1779, Mr. Lewis was 
 tl desired to prepare a proper form of prayer for the Congress 
 of the United States, for the several States, and for their suc- 
 cess in the present important contest, to be used daily in the 
 church." The prayers for the King and Royal family were 
 omitted, and in other respects the clergy of those days conformed 
 to the English Liturgy. Q ic of our old Prayer B oks lias 
 paper pasted over the " State Prayers," and was probably used 
 by .Mr. Lewis. 
 
 Between 1784 and 1787 the north wall of the church was 
 covered with clapboards to protect it from the weather. This 
 must have been a heavy tax upon the resources of the thirteen 
 proprietors and the small congregation of that time. Many 
 were the expedients to which the Vestry resorted to pay the 
 debts of the church, and to keep the roof and steeple in repair. 
 Even the communion plate jvas pledged to the creditors of the 
 parish. Mr. William Montague, who graduated at Dartmouth 
 College in 1784, was employed as a lay-reader in 1786, and 
 at the request of the congregation he obtained Holy Orders in 
 June 1787. He continued to officiate until 17'J2, but does 
 not appear to have been the stated minister of the parish dur- 
 
20 
 
 ing all that period. On the 2d of August 1700, the Vestry 
 voted to close with the offer of Mr. Joseph Warren as a reader. 
 On the 6th of September the Wardens were appointed to wait 
 on the Rev. Mr. Montague and desire him to preach on the 
 
 following Sunday. At the same meeting it was voted that 
 this church is destitute of a minister, and a committee was ap- 
 pointed to wait on the Rev. Dr. Walter, " to lay before him 
 the true state of this church, and ask him the question whether 
 he will undertake to be the minister of this church in our pres- 
 ent low circumstances." 
 
 The Rev. William Walter was the son of the Rev. Nathan- 
 iel Walter, a Congregational clergyman of Roxbury, and a 
 direct descendant from the Rev. Nehemiah Walter, who was 
 the colleague, and afterwards the successor of the " Apostle 
 Eliot" in the " first church" at Roxbury. 
 
 William Walter, was born October 7, 1737, and graduated 
 at Harvard College in 1756. After leaving college he 
 taught a school in Salem, and subsequently received an 
 appointment in the Custom House. When he became a 
 convert to the Episcopal Church, Mr. Barnard, an emi- 
 nent Congregational minister, recommended him to the Rev. 
 Mr. Hooper, Rector of Trinity Church, in a letter dated 
 October 15, 1763, as one of the best classical scholars in his 
 class, adding, in his quaint language, "he is of* that tender- 
 ness and softness in complexion which would render him 
 agreeable to people in sickness and distress when they have 
 the best relish for the company of a clergyman." 
 
 Mr. Walter went to England, was ordained by the Bishop 
 of London, and was appointed assistant to Mr. Hooper in 
 July 1764. After the death of Mr. Hooper, he became Rector 
 of Trinity Church, where he continued to officiate until the 
 breaking out of the Revolutionary War. Then feelino- it to 
 be his duty to observe his ordination vows and his oath of 
 allegiance, and to continue to pray for the King, whom he 
 was bound to honor and. obey, he sacrificed his home, his 
 property and his rectorship and went into exile. He was con- 
 
30 
 
 Bcientiously loyal to what In' considered his country, and to 
 the lawB both of the Church of England and of the Kingdom 
 of < irc.it Britain. in consequence of bis Losses, which 
 amounted to £7,000, he received a granl of land from the 
 Crown in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where he resided for some 
 . having been appointed Rector of St. George's Church 
 in that town. " His voice," wrote one who heard him preach 
 there, " was clear, distinct, revereatial, and exciting instanta- 
 neous interest ; his manner uncommonly graceful yet dignified, 
 and hi> sermon instructive, elegantly written, and well de- 
 livered." A lady, who is descended from Dr. Walter, visited 
 Shelburne lasl summer and found St. George's Church almost 
 precisely similar to our own church in its interior. The Dean, 
 
 Dr. White, who was holding a service there, showed her 
 
 Dr. Walter's letter of resignation, and introduced her to mi 
 old lady who remembered hearing her father say that the "light 
 of the church went out when Dr. Walter left.*' Having come 
 into the possession of property here through his wife, the. 
 daughter of Chief Justice Lynde, of Salem, Dr. Walter was 
 obliged to make frequent journeys to Boston, and finding these 
 long and tedious he was induced to return to this country. 
 It was during One of his visits to Boston, in 1790, that he was 
 invited to take charge of Christ Church. The acknowledg- 
 mentof the independence of the United States by Great Britain 
 had removed every obstacle to his acceptance of the invitation, 
 and on the 1th of October he informed the Vestry that he expect- 
 ed to sail for Shelburne, and he wished to know whether it was 
 -till their desire that on his return he should take on him the 
 office of their minister. 
 
 Mr. Montague finally declined officiating any longer as the 
 minister of this parish in May, 1 792, and Dr. Walter was chosen 
 Rector on the 2i*th of that month. He remained in ehanrc of 
 this parish for more than eight years, fulfilling the duties of 
 his office until the close of his earthly career. 
 
 He lived in Charter street, in the house built by Sir William 
 Phipps, which had a spacious court-yard, shaded by " solemn 
 
ax 
 
 elms." lie was a tall, handsome, and well proportioned man. 
 He wore the full wig, dressed and powdered, and a three cor- 
 nered hat, black cloth knee-breeches, Mark silk hose, and 
 square quartered shoes, with large silver buckles. In the 
 
 street he hail on over his cassock and gOWD a long blue cloak, 
 and even in republican days he maintained the dignity of the 
 Church. He was happy in the possession of a genial temper- 
 ament. His voice was dear, musical ami well modulated, and 
 he is said to have read the service "likeone inspired." 
 
 He preached for the lasl time on the 23d of November, and 
 died on the 5th of Dccemher, 1800. His funeral was attended 
 by the clergy from neighboring towns, the officers stationed at 
 the Navy "lard, the societies to which he belonged, and by- 
 citizens of all classes. Fifty pairs of Mack gloves, and as 
 many scarfs of white linen, were given to the chief mourners, 
 and the lon^ procession, reaching from his house to Hanover 
 street, after passing through several streets, came to the church, 
 where, at the request of the Vestry, the burial service was 
 read by Dr. Gardiner, and the sermon was preached by Dr. 
 Parker. His remains rest in the family tomb beneath the 
 church. 
 
 An obituarv notice says of him, " In the death of this truly 
 valuable minister religion mourns the loss of one of her most 
 obedient children and brightest ornaments; the church over 
 which he presided a zealous pastor and her great glory hu- 
 manity a firm friend : literature and science a scholar and 
 support; his disconsolate children a fond, instructive and dig- 
 nified parent; his other relations and acquaintances a most 
 faithful counsellor, and the poor an uprighl steward and be- 
 nevolent almoner." 
 
 In 1789 an act of incorporation was procured from the 
 General Court. In the same year this parish declined to send 
 atesto a proposed convention in Salem, as requested by 
 St. Paul's Church, Xewburyport, and appointed Dr. Parker 
 to represent it in the General Convention on the 29th of Sep- 
 tember, at Philadelphia. Delegates were chosen to represent 
 
32 
 
 this parish In a Convention held in Boston in 1791, to prepare 
 :i constitution for the government of the churches in this State, 
 and it appears from the journals of our Diocesan Conventions 
 that, in their annual meetings, there were lay delegates present 
 from Christ Church, together with the minister for the time 
 Our earliest volume <>t' the Records of the Vestry, 
 after alluding t<> many desperate struggles with poverty and 
 debt, ends with Dr. Walter".- funeral. The succeeding 'vol- 
 
 nine i- l08t. 
 
 In .May 1801, the Rev. Samuel Haskell succeeded to the 
 Rectorship, in which position he continued until September, 
 1803, when he resigned to take charge of the Church in 
 ( rardiner, Maine. 
 
 At that time our feeble and depressed parishes were glad 
 to avail themselves of the services of young men who were pre- 
 paririg for the Congregational ministry, and who were willing 
 to act as lay readers. William Jenks, afterwards the highly 
 respected and well-known Dr. Jenks, of Boston, read the ser- 
 vice in Christ Church, Cambridge, and there Asa Baton, a 
 college student, first became acquainted with the Liturgy of 
 our Church, lie was born at Plaistow, N. II., July 25, L778, 
 and is supposed to have had in view, while engaged in classical 
 studies, the ministry of the Congregationalists. Upon his 
 Graduation at Harvard College in 1803, he was invited to 
 officiate as lay-reader in this Church. He accepted the invita- 
 tion and entered upon the duties on the 23rd of October. He 
 continued his studies, became convinced of the truth of the 
 claims of the. Episcopal Church, and prepared himself for the 
 
 sacred ministry. In 1805 he was solicited by the congregation 
 to apply for holy orders. Dr. Parker had been consecrated 
 Bishop of Massachusetts, as successor to Bishop Bass, on the 
 
 1 1th of September, 1804, and died on the 6th of December. 
 There being no Bishop here, Mr. Eaton went to New York 
 
 and was ordained deacon on the 31st of July, and priest on 
 the 2nd of August, by Bishop Benjamin Moore, in Trinity 
 Church in that city. 
 
By the Divine blessing upon his faithful labors this parish 
 rose in the course of twenty years, to a high state of prosperity. 
 In L812 there were sixteen baptisms, sixty communicants and 
 as many families. The number of baptisms gradually increased 
 to ninety-one in L818, and the number of communicants to 
 two hundred and twenty. Between 1805 and L823, when he 
 preached the centennial sermon in this church, Mr. Eaton had 
 presented two hundred and tbirty-Gigbt for confirmation and 
 admitted two hundred and seventy to the holy communion. 
 The congregation numbered five hundred persons. W'lien 
 evening lectures were not common in our churches, and were 
 regarded with suspicion by the more conservative of our clergy 
 and people, Mr. Eaton established a third service on Sun- 
 day evenings and maintained it for many years, although it 
 was known that the labor was wearing upon his health, and so 
 brought the Church to the knowledge of many who were entire 
 strangers to her doctrines and worship. He devoted one eve- 
 ning in the week to a parlor meeting for prayer and pastoral 
 instruction. lie extended his labors beyond his own parish, 
 and took a prominent part in the formation of the Eastern 
 Diocese and the election of Bishop Griswold, and was one of 
 the few clergy, often not more than four, who attended our 
 Diocesan Conventions. lie held at one time the Rectorship 
 of Christ Church, Cambridge, and supplied his own pulpit in 
 order to officiate there from time to time. He extended the 
 same care to the new St. Mary's Church, Newton Lower 
 Falls, aided in the establishment of new Churches at South 
 Boston and Lynn, and helped to keep alive the old parishes of 
 Quincy, Marblehead and Bridgewater. " In standing," says 
 Dr. Edson, " the parish had become at least the second in the 
 State. In point of life and efficiency, as a member of the 
 whole, it was first. It was the point to which poor and feeble 
 parishes instinctively addressed themselves." 
 
 In June, 1815, Dr. Eaton, with the concurrence and help 
 of his Wardens Shubael Bell and Thomas Clark, established 
 the first Sunday School in this region. Young men, full of 
 
zeal, came to help 1 1 1 « - n' 1 " enterprise, and among tin- earlier 
 teachers we find the names of many who became clergymen, 
 including the Rev. Dr. Edson, and Dr. Price of New York, 
 and the late I hr. B. < !. < hitler. It was at first called the Salem 
 
 street, Sunday Scl !• Its sessions of two hours in the morning 
 
 and one hour and a quarter in the afternoon, were held in the 
 A.cademy thai stood next to the Church on the north side. 
 Afterwards the school met in the church galleries, and for a 
 while in the Eliot Bchool house. Mr. Joseph \Y. [ngraham, 
 u hose name is identified with our public primary school system, 
 was the energetic.superintendent for twenty year.-. 
 
 Mr. Shubael Bell, the zealous and liberal coadjutor of his 
 Elector in all church work, presented the Altar piece and the 
 I lecalogue, and also the Busl of Washington. This bust, execut- 
 ed by an Italian artist, is said to have been carried in proces- 
 sion when funeral obsequies were performed in Boston after 
 Washington's death, and is supposed to have been the first 
 monument erected in his honor. The picture of our Saviour 
 instituting the last Supper was [tainted by Mr. Penniman. 
 The descent of the Holy Spirit, represented by a dove, 
 with three cherubs, over the chancel, was executed by Mr. 
 
 Johnson. Below this are tin' words, " This is none other 
 
 than the House of God and this is the Gate of Heaven." Un- 
 der the picture ofourLordis the command, "Do this in 
 remembrance of me," and beneath the tablets containing the 
 Commandments, are the words, "The law was given by 
 Moses. Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ." The two 
 tablets of the law arc separated by two other tablets on which 
 are the Lord's Prayer and the Creed. 
 
 Dr. Baton received the degree of S. T. D., from Columbia 
 College in L828. The next year, finding an infirmity ofvoice 
 increasing, he resigned the Rectorship, lie was a lover of 
 truth ami had a remarkable faculty lor weighing evidence. 
 Cautious and scrupulously careful in making up his mind, he 
 felt perfect confidence in the result of his mature deliberation. 
 His judgment was clear and sound, Hia love for the Church's 
 
35 
 
 ways, and services, and customs was founded upon his firm 
 conviction that the Church is right. After leaving this parish 
 he became City Missionary. Jn 1837 he removed to New 
 Jersey to be chaplain and head of the family at St. Mary's 
 Hall, Burlington. lie returned to Boston and passed (he re- 
 mainder of his days here. We remember him well. Ins vener- 
 able form and his gracious demeanor. His long and useful 
 lite was extended over a period of almost four-score years. 
 He died on the 24th of March, 1858, in his eightieth year. 
 
 On the 18th of October, 1828, before it was known that 
 Dr. Eaton thought 6f relinquishing his Rectorship, a committee 
 was appointed to procure an assistant for him in his duties. 
 They were informed by the Rev. (i. W. Doane, of Trinity 
 Church, afterward- the Bishop of New Jersey, that William 
 Cms well, of Hartford, a [met and a scholar, was soon to be 
 ordained, and on the 11th of January, 1829, they wrote to 
 him expressing a desire to see and become acquainted with 
 him. Mr. Croswell was ordained deacon in Trinity Church, 
 New Haven, of which his father was the Rector, on the 25th 
 of January. Iu April he visited Boston, and preached in 
 Christ Church. At this time, unexpectedly to him, Dr. 
 Eaton resigned, and on the 13th of May, Mr. Croswell was 
 chosen his successor. He accepted, entered upon his new 
 office on the 31st, and was ordained Priest, and instituted in 
 this Church, on the 24th of June, being then in his 25th year. 
 In the memoir, written by his father, may be found a full 
 account of the eleven years of his pastorate. He preached 
 usually three times on Sunday, baptized large numbers of 
 children, attended the Sunday School, and performed a great 
 amount of pastoral duty. In 1835, he declined an invitation to 
 Norwalk, writing to his father that he had " an ancient and 
 respectable parish, one of the most reverend and delightful old 
 Churches "to be found in this country, a people attached to him 
 and sati.-fied with him and a prospect of increasing and perma- 
 nent usefulness." The next year he refused an offer of the 
 
position of Assistant Minister of All Saints' Church, New 
 York. His poetic taste, warm hear! and Bincere devotion to 
 irk, won the admiration and affection of his peo- 
 ple. The number of communicants, which had been reduced 
 after St. Paul's Church was buil! in L820, gradually rose to 
 one hundred and seventy-five, and the Sunday School num- 
 bered over three hundred scholars. Dr. Baton was a friend 
 and father to him. His own hymns were sung by hi.- own 
 people. His home was torn while in the building now used 
 for the Sunday School, whichhe playfully styled " the cloisters 
 of Cripple gate." He likened the steep stairs up which the 
 children clambered into the upper school room to the ladder 
 nf faith, 
 
 " Whereon their souls in iy rise 
 And make through Christ their entrance Bare 
 To mansions in the skies — " 
 
 He often came from his study into the Church at dead of 
 night, and " felt,'' he writes, " oppressed " 
 
 " To know that in the lolly room 
 I was tin- only living go 
 
 The ticking Of yon ancient clock 
 
 That marks 'he solemn tread of Time, 
 Against ray heart-strings *eeme I to knock. 
 
 A 1 1. 1 harkl those Christmas bells sublime ! 
 So hue tiuy rung a hundred years, 
 
 And on the ears licit beard them first 
 The chiming of the starry spheres 
 
 With their enrapturing tones has burst." 
 
 In his Christmas Eve Pastoral there is an allusion to the 
 
 figures upon the organ gallery : 
 
 " Ami now a joyous echo rings 
 
 Viiii seems the whole angelic row, 
 That o'er the rood-lofl poise their wings, 
 Their loud uplifted trumps to blow." 
 
 It was hard for him to Leave the Church which he Loved so 
 
 well, and the correspondence attending his resignation in 1840, 
 
 when he removed to Auburn, honorable alike t<> pastor and 
 
 people, proves that his many friend.- suffered him to go with 
 
 greal reluctance. The proprietors testified to his faithful and 
 
 unremitting exertions to advance not only the interests of the 
 
parish but those of the ( Ihurch :it large in the Diocese, t<> his 
 many sacrifices and to his unbounded liberality. The Bishop, 
 the clergy and many tit' the Laity joined in testimonials of 
 esteem and expressions of regret at his going. Such a loving 
 ministry was well concluded by this beautiful exercise of chris- 
 tian affection. Once more he addressed this venerable 
 
 sanctuary : 
 
 " Not for thy pomp and pride of place, 
 Nut fur thy relics rare 
 Of Kings, and ministers of jjrace 
 
 Whose names thy vessels bear : 
 Is'u! tor thy boast of high degree, 
 Nor charms of gorgeous style, 
 
 Hast thou been ever dear to me, 
 
 O thou, time-honoured pile! 
 
 But for thy constant truth, which still 
 
 Preserves from age to age 
 Unmoved through good report and ill 
 
 The tat hers' heritage, 
 Fot six score years thy lolty vaults 
 
 With those ascriptions ring 
 Which lift the soul, while it. exalts 
 
 TheChrist, of glory Kinu r - 
 And well might wail.-, so taught, cry out, 
 
 11 human lips were dumb, 
 And aisles spontaneous swell the shout 
 
 Until the Bridegroom come." 
 
 Dr. (Yoswell returned to Boston in 1844, and became Rector 
 of the Church of the Advent. He died on the 9th of Novem- 
 ber, 1851, at the age of forty-seven years. On the following 
 day the Vestry of this parish held a special meeting, and voted 
 to attend his funeral, and passed suitable resolutions, commem- 
 orating his unassuming worth, the consistency of his christian 
 character, his fidelity in the discharge of duty and his kindness 
 to the poor, and especially his readiness to visit the sick and 
 dying and perform any pastoral duty for this parish during the 
 vacancy in the rectorship. 
 
 In consequence of the loss of the parish records the rest of 
 our history must be very brief. The Rev. John AVoart was 
 instituted into the rectorship on the Sunday next before Ad- 
 vent, 1840. He resigned in 1851. We find, by the Journals 
 of the Convention that in the year ending in June 1842, fifty 
 
as 
 
 three were confirmed and forty-five were added to the com- 
 munion. In L850, the number of communicants was 125. 
 The Rev. William T. Smithetl was instituted on the Feast of the 
 Epiphany, L852, and resigned in September, L859. He was 
 Bucceeded in 1860 by the Rev. John T. Burrill who entered 
 upon the duties of Elector <>n the 5th of February in thai year. 
 The removal of families from the North End to the other parts 
 of the city, during the last thirty years, has greatly 
 diminished the number of attendants upon public worship. 
 Notwithstanding all discouragements a great deal <>t' good has 
 been accomplished, and the annual parochial reports tell oflarge 
 numbers baptized, confirmed and added to the communion. 
 The parish has enjoyed a Large share of spiritual prosperity 
 under its faithful and earnest rectors, the Rev. Messrs. Woart, 
 Sinithett and Burrill. In a densely populated part of the city 
 like thai which surrounds Chrisl Church, there must be al- 
 ways members of the Church of England, strangers in a 
 strange laud, and needing die ministrations of the ( Ihurch. Our 
 late Diocesan, Bishop Eastburn, said that if there* were no 
 Episcopal Church at the North End this is precisely the spot 
 where we should desire to have one. 
 
 The Rev. J. T. Burrill resigned in 18G8, and the present 
 incumbent was chosen Elector on the 27th of August, and 
 entered upon bis duties on the lsl of October in that year. 
 
 ( me hundred families, some of whom reside in distant parts 
 of the city, may be considered as belonging to this parish. 
 The number of communicants reported to the lasl Convention 
 was one hundred and twenty. J hiring the previous year thirty 
 were confirmed, and forty-one were baptized. There were 
 twenty one marriages, and seven hurials. The Sunday School, 
 with it- one hundred and forty four scholars, is accomplishing 
 ;i -rent amount of good, and every department of the parish 
 
 work is conducted with zeal and energy by the present wor- 
 shipper- in this truly Bacred house of God. 
 
 ( )n this day of historical recollection- we ought to celebrate 
 the m< mory of those w hose wisdom, piety and love, have 1» uilt 
 
39 
 
 preserved and endowed this church, for the glory of God in 
 Jesus Chrisl whose name it bears. Mrs. Jane Keen Richard- 
 son, in her will dated May 24, L824, and admitted to probate 
 "ii the 30th day of January L826, gave her estate on Cham- 
 bers street, (subjecl to certain conditions), to the Wardens of 
 Christ Church, in trust, for the support and maintenance of 
 the public worship of Almighty Grod in said Christ Church; 
 and, the instrument continues, " said Wardens and their suc- 
 cessors are hereby enjoined in all their doings relating to the 
 premises to consult the best good of said Christ ( ihurch, the 
 temporal and spiritual interests whereof I earnestly and de- 
 voutly wish to promote; and further, my will is that prefer- 
 ence be given by said Wardens and successors to the payment 
 of the salary of the Rector for the time being of said Christ, 
 ( Ihurch rather than to the payment of other expenses of pub- 
 lic worship in said church as aforesaid, provided the income 
 of said real estate be needed for that purpose." If the " So- 
 ciety of Christ Church should worship in any other manner, 
 or believe in any other, doctrine, or be subject to any other 
 jurisdiction" than those of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 
 then the estate is given to the Trustees of Donations for the 
 support of the Bishop of the Eastern Diocese. For several 
 years very little was derived from this source. Last year the 
 net income from the estate was £1182.69. 
 
 The sum of $1,000 was left to the parish by Mrs. Katharine 
 Hay, the widow of Captain John Hay, the youngest son ot 
 Lord Hay of Scotland. By her will this sum is to accumulate 
 for the purpose of procuring a parsonage house. It has been 
 invested in the house which stands on " the Academy lot" on 
 Salem street. The income from that house, and from the one in 
 the rear was, for the year ending .March 20, 1873, s7 1 1.7 !, 
 making the whole income of the property belonging to the Church 
 $1,897.43. The Offertory yielded $311.49 and the pews 
 $467.25. Total, $2,676.17. This paid all the ordinary ex- 
 penses including the salaries. But this parish must always he 
 liable to large outlays of money to keep this ancient historic 
 
40 
 
 building in repair. In 1804 the steeple was blown down and 
 it was rebuilt in 1807. In 1846 it was found to be in a de- 
 caying condition and it became necessary to take it down. < ta 
 the 1 7th of August, L847, the spire, or all above the upper 
 windows, was raised from its fastenings andlowered from the 
 height of one hundred and thirtj feet to the pavement without 
 damage or accident — " a fearful and wonderful Bight," says 
 
 one who Baw it. That part ..f the steeple which supported the 
 spire was rebuilt with new sills, posts, braces and finish, 
 the architecture being carefully conformed to that of the 
 original steeple which was considered very elegant* \\ bile the 
 Bpire was on the ground the hall was opened and Pound to 
 contain a statement of the " blowing down" in 1804, 
 and of the restoration of the steeple in 1807, also an 
 account of the repairs and painting of the edifice b L834, 
 written by William Croswell. These were carefully replaced, 
 with an account of the work done in 1*17, a Copy of Dr. 
 Eaton's Centennial Sermon, and other historical documents, 
 
 and the whole spire was restored to its place, where it stood 
 
 safely through the destructive gale of 1869. To the wise 
 forethought and liberality of the Churchmen of L847 we are 
 indebted for the preservation of the steeple to this day. The 
 cost ofthisAvork with repairs and painting was $2, 500 which 
 was raised by subscription. 
 
 ( )ther repairs have keen made from time to time, often at great 
 COSt. In 1830 the pulpit was put in the chancel, one of the two 
 
 doors, still to be seen in the Vestry-room, opening into it, and 
 the other giving access to the reading desk which stood in 
 front of It. In I860 it was taken out again, and the present 
 arrangement was adopted. The interior was cleaned and 
 
 painted and new carpets were put down in 1872. L/088eS of 
 insurance, consequent upon the great lire of that year, have 
 prevented the entire payment of the eost of painting; and to 
 discharge tin; debt then incurred and provide for needed ex- 
 ternal repairs, tin; parish requires now S 1 ,()( H I. There have 
 been periods when the Church would have keen closed, audits 
 
41 
 
 services discontinued, had not two sisters, noble-hearted, christian 
 ladies, brought their money, like her whom Jesus praised, 
 to the treasury of God's holy temple. To one, always serene 
 and cheerful in her total blindness, the "Lord has opened the 
 glories of the mansions of light. The mortal remains of Betsey 
 Loring, after the close of alife of eighty-one years, were com- 
 1 to the tomb in the cemetery upon Copp's hill, on a quiet 
 Lord's Day in July, 1871. Her memory is most affectionately 
 cherished in this parish. 
 
 By the will of .Mr. William Price, an active, zealous and 
 libera] member of this parish, dated A.D., 1770, the Rector 
 of Christ Church preaches two of the eight sermons, known 
 as the Price Lectures ; and the poor of this parish receive one- 
 !n!f of the amount collected after the sermons, together with 
 twenty shillings sterling;. 
 
 Miss Eliza Burroughs, daughter of the late George Bur- 
 roughs, of this city, left to the Rector and Wardens of this 
 Church, in 1872, $800, in trust for the benefit of the poor of the 
 parish. This amount, with other contributions for charitable 
 purposes, has been invested in a bond of the Chicago, Burling- 
 ton and Quincy Kail Road Co., for $1,000 hearing interest at 
 7 per cent, and is designated, " The Burroughs' Fund.'' The 
 interest is given to the poor. 
 
 Almost a century lias passed away since British regiments 
 were stationed here, and it was a pleasant omen of peace and 
 harmony, and almost a pledge of love and friendship, 
 when, by her Majesty's gracious permission, the Band 
 of the Grenadier Guard came to Bostoo in 1872. And when 
 they came to worship the Lord in this Church, and the red 
 coats once more tilled its pews, the event was clothed with 
 historic interest. The men felt themselves at home. And 
 here, on the last New Year's Eve, for the first time since the 
 Revolution, prayers were offered for the Sovereign of Great 
 Britain in a church service in Boston. And to-nioht, under 
 the united flags of the two great nations, never again we trust 
 to be arrayed in hostility against each other, British and 
 
42 
 
 Americans, holding the one pure faith, members of one holy 
 Church, have joined in prayers, praises and thankgivings to the 
 one God and Father of all, through the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 AUTHORITIES. 
 
 The account of Mr. Newman's movements on that memorable night, 
 when he suspended the lanterns in the belfry as a signal for Paul Revere, 
 was given to the writer by Mr. Newman's son. 
 
 The following are among the Authorities consulted in preparing this 
 historical account. 
 
 The Records, Account Books and papers belonging to the Parish. 
 
 Perry's Historical Collections relating to the American Colonial Church. 
 Vol. 3. Massachusetts. 
 
 Documentary History of the Prot. Epis. Church in the U. S. Docu- 
 ments concerning the Church in Connecticut, by Hawks and Perry, Vol. I. 
 
 Chandler's life of Johnson. 
 
 Beardsley's History of the Church in Connecticut. 
 
 Quincy's History of Harvard University. 
 
 Sabine's American Loyalists. 
 
 Updike's History of the Narragansett Church. 
 
 Dr. Eaton's Centennial Sermon. 
 
 Dr. Edson's Sermon commemorative of Dr. Eaton. 
 
 Dr. Croswell's Memoirs. 
 
 Sprague's Am. Pulpit. 
 
 Collections of the Prot. Ep. Hist. Society. 
 
 Anderson's Colonial Church. 
 
 Humphrey's Hist, account of the S. P. G. 
 
 Wilberforce's Hist. Am. Church. 
 
 The Disestablished Church, by the Rev. Walter Farquhar Hook, D.D. 
 
 The Landing of the Loyalists, by the Rev. James J. Hill, St. John, N.B. 
 
 Top. and Hist. Description of Boston, by N. B. Shurtleff, M.D. 
 
43 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE SERVICES. 
 
 The one hundred and fiftieth Anniversary of the opening of Christ 
 Church was celebrated by appropriate services on Sunday the 28th and 
 Monday the 29th of December, 1873. 
 
 The Church was very handsomely decorated with flowers, wreaths and 
 branches of evergreen. Over the chancel was a brilliantly sparkling silver 
 star upon a blue back ground. On the pilasters at the sides of the chancel 
 were medallions with the dates 1723 and 1873. The ample folds of the 
 British and American flags were gracefully hung in front of the organ 
 gallery, and above them was the sentence pronounced at the laying of 
 the Corner Stone. 
 
 " May the gates of hell never prevail against it." 
 
 The massive Plate, used in the Communion Service, was displayed upon 
 the Altar, both on Sunday and Monday evenings, and the soft light of 
 candles in the ancient chandeliers mingled with the brighter glare of the 
 gas-burners. The bells pealed as merrily as they did at Christmas tide 
 in the last century. The singing was by the choir of Sunday School 
 Scholars under the direction of the accomplished organist Mrs. Wm. 
 Kent Stone. 
 
 The Sermon on Sunday morning was preached.by the Rev. William A. 
 Des Brisay (a great-grandson of the Rev. Dr. Mather Byles, jr., who was 
 Rector, one hundred years ago,) from the text: " These all died in faith, 
 not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were 
 persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were 
 strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Heb. xi :13. 
 
 In the afternoon the Rev. Theodore A. Eaton, D.D., Rector of St. 
 Clement's Church, New York, preached from 1 Tim. 3 :13, " Great is the 
 mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the 
 Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the 
 world, received up into glory." His father, the Rev. Asa Eaton, D.D., 
 preached the centennial sermon, on the 28th of Dec. 1823. Both these 
 clergymen took part, with the Rector, in the services of the day, reading 
 from the Bible and Prayer Book used by Dr. Byles and Dr. Asa Eaton. 
 
 In the evening the Rt. Rev. Bishop Paddock, made his first visitation 
 to this Church. As the Bishop and clergy entered, the choir sang the 
 hymn, " Come hither ye faithful." Evening Prayer was said by the Rev. 
 Mr. Des Brisay and by the Rector, after which addresses were made by 
 the Rev. Dr. Eaton, and the Rev. Drs. Wells and Vinton, who had known 
 this parish and its Pastors for many years. The Rector then annouuced 
 the presence of the Bishop, and turning to him, presented the congrega- 
 tion to him as their chief pastor, as king in their behalf, his counsel, his 
 prayers, and his blessing. The Bishop made a very beautiful and 
 
44 • 
 
 impressive address, urging upon the people the duty of quitting them- 
 selves like men, in imitation of those who have gone before them, after 
 which he offered prayer and pronounced the benediction. 
 
 On Monday evening, the 29th, the church was completely filled, and 
 among those present were the miuister of King's Chapel, and other clergy- 
 men, members of the Historical Society, the Church Brotherhood, and 
 two Societies composed of British residents. The hymn, " Onward Chris- 
 tian Soldiers" was sung at the entrance of the Bishop and Clergy. Evening 
 Prayer was begun by the Bev. John T. Burrill, of Chelsea, Rector of this 
 Church from 1860 to 1868. The fifth Selection of Psalms was read by the 
 Rev. C. C. Tiffany, Assistant Minister of Trinity Church upon the Greene 
 Foundation. The first lesson was read by the Rev. Mr. Des Brisay, aud 
 the second by the Rev. Dr. Eaton. The Nicene Creed was said by the 
 Rev. Dr. Hoppin, Rector of Christ Church, Cambridge, one of our 
 Historic Churches, aud the Prayers by the Rev. R. H. Howe, Rector of 
 Christ Church, Quincy, formerly Braintree, the oldest parish of our 
 communion in this Commonwealth. After the Address and the Offertory 
 the whole congregation joined in the Old Huudredth Psalm, and the Bishop 
 said the concluding Prayers and pronounced the Benediction. 
 

 
THIS IS NONE OTHER THAN THE HOUSE OF GOD, AND THIS IS 
 THE GATE OF HEAVEN." 
 
 CHRIST CHURCH, BOSTON, 1723. 
 
 MAY THE GATES OF HEI.E NEVER PREVAIL AGAINST IT. 
 
PHOTOMOUNT 
 PAMPHLET BINDER 
 
 Manu/oclurtJ Ay 
 
 GAYLORD BROS. Inc. 
 
 S»f«cui», N Y. 
 
 Stockton, Ctl,( 
 
BX5920.B7C5B9 
 
 A historical account of Christ church, 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library