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Thirtieth Anniversary of the Foundation of the Harrison Square
Church, Dorchester District, Boston, Mass., Oct IS, 1878:
A
SERMON BY
CALEB D. BRADLEE, PASTOR.

" Ask now of the days that are passed."
Deut. iv., 32.

BOSTON:
Fred. W. Barry, 108 & no Washington St.
1878.
1

Thirtieth Anniversary of the Foundation of the Harrison Square
Church, Dorchester District, Boston, Mass.,' Oct. 13, 1878:

SERMON

BY

CALEB D. BRADLEE, PASTOR.

'Ask now of the days that are passed."
Deut. iv., 32.

BOSTON:
Fred. W. Barry, io8'& no Washington St.
1878.

i. Brooks. 4. Bulfinch. 7. Badger.
2. Williams. 5. Marvin. 8. Seaver.
3. Johnson. 6. Hinckley. 9. Bradlee.

SERMON.

Deut. iv., 32: — "Ask now of the days that are passed."
This month brings us to the thirtieth anniversary
of the foundation of our church, and we are now
. thirty years old amongst the churches in Boston, —
and we possess something of a history, and have
pleasant and touching and sacred memories to
recall, with joys and sorrows in quick succession
marching before the mind, and evoking our smiles
or our tears ; and pictures arise to vision that are
blended irrevocably with our household life; —
infants receiving the baptismal waters from some
hand perhaps not now alive in the flesh ; many
hearts joined together by those no longer pastors
of this flock ; many chambers of sickness and
homes of sorrow hallowed by prayers that never
more can be uttered by official lips in our behalf;
— ah, yes, these pictures come up of a past that
can never be re-enacted, of forms and affections
and relationships, and loving parishioners and
faithful pastors, and various successes or failures
that are simply now a record ; but a record that is
stamped beautifully upon these walls and upon
these pews and upon our hearts, and a record that

4 Thirtieth Anniversary of the Foundation
gives us a communion not only with many who
are living in various parts of the world, but with a
large company who are gathered together at the
throne of Almighty God.
In 1848 it was found that the church on the
hill — then under the loving care of that faithful
and apostolic shepherd, Nathaniel Hall — was
overflowing with numbers, and hardly large enough
to accommodate the residents of all parts of Dor
chester, and having no room for the new-comers
who were perpetually choosing their homes in this
delightful locality; and so, too, many of the mem
bers of the old parish, who lived a great distance
from the sanctuary, felt more and more the diffi
culty of attending service, and the need of a temple
nearer to their own dwellings; and at that time
also political excitement ran high, and holy men
belonged to all of the parties, and were equally
conscientious and earnest, and of strong minds and
of loving souls, and yet diametrically opposite in
opinion, and advocating measures that could never
be reconciled ; and mainly for these three reasons
I have named, — the overflowing of the ancient
meeting-house, the great distance of the homes of
some of the old parish, and the mighty but sincere
political antipathies, — the Harrison Square Church
came into life.
We are informed that the meeting-house in
which we now worship, and which the seceders
from the old church purchased already built, was
erected through the instrumentality of the Rev.

of the Harrison Square Church. 5
Stephen Bailey, being at first designed by him for
the use of a Trinitarian Congregational Society.
The land for its erection was purchased in 1845,
and the building completed at an expense of over
$7,366, and it was dedicated in the summer of 1846,
and for about two years remained under the charge
of Mr. Bailey.
The Unitarian gentlemen who purchased the
building in 1848 paid for the same $5,500, and the
first, organization under the auspices of another
sect thus became forever extinct.
At a meeting of the stockholders of the church,
October, 1848, it was voted to raise a committee
who should wait upon the Rev. Messrs. Hall and
Pike, and assure them that the new movement
was not from any opposition to them or to their
societies. The first preacher in the church in its new
shape was the Rev. Charles Brooks, who was fol
lowed by the Rev. Francis Williams for a year,
and by Rev. Samuel Johnson for a few months.
Mr. Brooks's good name was in all the churches,
and Mr. Williams has since become a useful and
successful preacher in Hyde Park, and Mr. Johnson
is known in our community for his great scholar
ship and his fearless independence. As Brother
Williams almost became the " pastor " of this
church, and stood in this pulpit so long, and is
remembered by so many of you with grateful
respect, it becomes my duty as well as my pleasure
to say, that when he left your service you not only

6 Thirtieth Anniversary of the Foundation
liberally remunerated him for his labors, but also
presented to him, as a mark of your good-will and
friendly wishes, a silver pitcher and salver; and
these valuable gifts are now carefully kept by him
and his family, and stand witness in his house of
the blessed twelve months that he consecrated to
your service.
Our society, however, did not really take shape
till 1854, when all the interest in the property
represented by the old stockholders was purchased
by a new set of men, and when an act of incor
poration was quickly obtained.
The first minister under the new plan — although
for two years he had been preaching in this place
— was the Rev. S. G. Bulfinch, afterward the
Rev. Dr. Bulfinch, who served at this altar nearly
eleven years, from August, 1852, to July, 1863.
Rev. Dr. Bulfinch was born in Boston, June 18,
1809, and, at the age of nine years, was taken by his
father to the city of Washington. He graduated
from Columbia College in 1827, and this college
also conferred the degree of Doctor of Divinity
upon their distinguished graduate in 1864. Mr.
Bulfinch first became a clergyman in Augusta, Ga.,
and afterwards kept school and preached in Pitts
burgh, Pa., and in Washington. Subsequently he
was settled in Nashua, N. H., and in 1852 returned
to Boston, when soon, with all his ripe talents, his
extensive influence, his large heart, his noble soul,
his beautiful spirit, his fine poetic taste, and his
ripe theological attainments, he was called to ser-

of the Harrison Square Church. 7
vice in Harrison Square, — a place he always loved,
a place he never should have left, — where his
noblest powers were exhibited, his most finished
taste displayed, his fine spirit made known, his
true unction published, and the beauty and the
splendor and the holiness of his character declared.
It is because his voice was heard here, and his best
works accomplished here, and his rich spirit hovers
here, that I have been encouraged ever since I
called you my people ; for I have felt his power,
and somewhat held his hand, and almost heard
him speak, and say, "Work on, for success is sure ;
and the Lord Jesus will help you;" or he has
almost said in his own poetic words, —
" Hath not thy heart within thee burned,
At evening's calm and holy hour,
As if its inmost depths discerned
The presence of a loftier power ?
" It was the voice of God that spake .
In silence to thy silent heart ;
And bade each worthier thought awake,
And every dream of earth depart."
If you ask me was Dr. Bulfinch an eloquent
preacher, I shall answer both yes and no. He
had the eloquence of the spirit, — the power of
expression that arises out of an earnest and loving
heart, and is always the result of a clear and posi
tive and consecrated judgment. His delivery may
not have been in full accordance with all the laws
of a finished oratory, and yet it was in accordance

8 Thirtieth Anniversary of the Foundation
with the best rules of speaking, for it was natural
and glowing, and full of sweetness and grace.
He was also an author widely known and appre
ciated, and several are the works that remain with
us as his glorious mausoleum. Do you not remem
ber some of their names, and have you not .read
them with joy and with pride ? " Contemplations
of the Savior," "The Holy Land," "Lays of the
Gospel," "Communion Thoughts," "The Harp and
the Cross," and the "Evidences of Christianity."
Dr. Bulfinch, during his ministry in this church,
officiated at twenty-six weddings and at sixty-nine
funerals ; and it was also through his kind spirit
and catholic heart that you were led at one time
to invite the parish, under the care* of the Rev. Dr-
Means, to occupy your church when the Second
Church was undergoing repairs; — and the cor
respondence between Brothers Means and Bulfinch
was of such a character as proves that the souls
of both these men were sanctified by the grace of
God. Saintly brother ! who, eight years ago yester
day, passed to God ; your memory in this church
shall always be fresh, and stand guard, we beseech
thee, if God in Christ permits, over us in all our
future days !
In January, 1865, the Rev. J. B. Marvin took
charge of the flock, and remained here two years,
till January, 1867, and still lives doing good and
faithful work outside of the ministry in the city
of Washington. Many of you, without doubt,

of the Harrison Square Church. g
remember him with pleasure and parted from him
with regret, and will be glad to know that for so
many years he has stood strong and honored and
beloved at another post of duty.
The Rev. Frederick Hinckley succeeded Mr.
Marvin, becoming pastor March i, 1867, and leav
ing us in July, 1870, for the city of Washington,
after a service of more than three years. Mr.
Hinckley was born in Boston, Nov. 3, 1820. Pre
viously to entering upon this charge he had been
settled in various prominent pulpits all over this
part of the country, and had attracted great notice
and admiration for his eloquence, his earnestness,
his courage, and his great pulpit powers. He
preached very frequently without notes, and would
hold in splendid captivity a large number of atten
tive listeners. During a part of his ministry here
the church was amazingly well filled, and every
where the gifts of the orator, scholar, and preacher
were cordially acknowledged. He went from us
because called to the capital of the nation, to the
Metropolitan Church ; but we are always ready to
give him a cordial greeting.
The Rev. Prof. Henry C. Badger followed Mr.
Hinckley in January, 187 1, and remained with you
till December, 1873, nearly two years. Mr. Badger
was born in Munroe County, New York, fifteen
miles from Rochester, having a father and mother
of unusual intellect and heart. He. began to keep
school in western New York when eighteen years
old, although up to that time he was mainly the

i o Thirtieth Anniversary of the Foundation
educator of himself. He entered Genesee College
at twenty years of age, and from thence he went
to Amherst, and then to Antioch, where he gradu
ated in 1857 ; and a year later, when only twenty-
five, became a professor in that college. He was
ordained in East Cambridge in 1862. He preached
in New Bedford awhile, also in California ; passed
through several severe attacks of sickness, estab
lished a school in Boston, and became your helper
and leader. You all remember him gladly, you
all loved him deeply, you all speak of him kindly,
you all wept when he wept, — and when a severe
domestic trial brought about his departure, your
hearts and your prayers and your sympathies went
with him. He has again taken up ministerial
work, and may Almighty God abundantly bless
his earnest labors.
In May, 1874, the Rev. Nathaniel Seaver, Jr.,
followed Mr. Badger, and he remained with you till
September, 1875, having supplied your pulpit three
months before his settlement. Mr. Seaver was my
warm and personal friend. I united him in mar
riage to the one who has always proved such a
light to his home and such a benediction to the
church; and I would like to speak of his ministry
at length, and with enthusiasm, but by his own
command I am silent, — for he says to me, in a
note, that he dislikes all notice of himself dur
ing life ; and that all he wishes that I should
say is that he served the church for eighteen
months, — and therefore I cannot speak of his

of the Harrison Square Church. 1 1
great zeal, of his unceasing labors, and of his
loving heart.
After the departure of Mr. Seaver, Mr. Hosea
H. Lincoln, of East Boston, took charge of the
services, and, either in person or by supply, kept
up religious instruction in this place ; and it is
needless for me to say that Mr. Lincoln is well
known in this community as a man of finished cul
ture, of commanding eloquence, and a preacher
readily received in all our pulpits.
In March, 1876, the present incumbent began
his work, and in June of the same year was pub
licly announced as the pastor of this church and
society. He came to you promising nothing, and
expecting no great results until after many years
of hard and anxious waiting and working, and
feeling that it was an hour of great depression in
the history of this church ; and yet he had some
hope, because the few whose hearts were not sick
stood so faithfully by the old ark. We have been
abundantly blessed. We are now a large and
strong and earnest society ; and you have worked
hard and well and gloriously, and to you this day
I give publicly the praise due for your unceasing
labors, your cordial sympathy, your kind interest
in my welfare, and your constant and large attend
ance upon my ministrations. Again I say, if any
thing has been done, I call upon all to give the
credit to my people. And this I gladly say to-day,
that the happiest years of my life have been spent
with you, my loved parishioners ; and the deepest

1 2 Thii tieth Anniversary of the Foundation
affections of my heart have clung to this spot, and
you have always seemed to me as one family in
the Lord ; and your homes have been my home,
and my home has been your home ; and we have
had nothing, and we have allowed nothing but
peace and fellowship. And this also I know, if my
future days shall be as blessed as my past ones, I
have nothing before me but joy and success and
comfort and benediction.
Now let us look awhile at the congregations that
have from time to time assembled here ; and at the
Sunday School, that has been kept up for about
thirty years ; and at the various changes in the
church building, and at any other items necessarily
connected with the growth of this society and
church. Enough people have belonged to our society,
since the building was erected, to make four good
societies as large and as prosperous as our present
one. In fact we have sent some choice material
back to Meeting-House Hill as a partial payment
for the numbers that left that church in 1848 ; and
from us have marched, in solid procession, a large
number of earnest and true and noble men and
women, who are now working with zeal and charity,
and love for God and Christ and man, to build up
and sustain and consecrate our sister church, St.
John's, — now so well supplied by that lineal de
scendant of the loving apostle, whose name stands
high in all the churches and colleges for scholar
ship and integrity and devotion, — the one for

of the Harrison Square Church. 1 3
whom the lamented Starr King felt such a deep
and reverent and earnest affection. Then, too, we
have sent to other churches of all names, in many
of the towns and cities of Massachusetts, the sons
or daughters of this Christian household who have
sought other places of residence, or who have
changed their faith, or who have gone with their
new companion to set up another altar. And also
up in the Celestial City, have gone from our ranks
the aged, those in mid-life, and little children ;
fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters,' — rich
in virtues, abundant in charities, of keen intellect
and large heart and great capacity, and earnest
affection for this church. They have passed from
us, one by one, until now there is really a duplicate
church that we can call ours holding services in the
city of the New Jerusalem, and waiting patiently
till we, too, shall join their numbers, and celebrate
with them their holy thanksgivings. All hail !
brothers and sisters on the other side of the river ;
fill this sacred building now with your spiritual
forms, and give us such a blessing that never-fail
ing prosperity may abide within these walls for
ever and ever !
Our Sunday School, under the excellent charge
of Messrs. Carter and Snow and Sawyer and Home
and others, has been doing a good and noble and
holy work ; and has sent out into the world regi
ments of young men and women, filled with good
principles, fortified by noble faith, established as
disciples of the Lord, and beautifully furnished

1 4 Thirtieth Anniversary of the Foundation
for all strong words and deeds. The band of
teachers who have met here from week to week,
with patience and courage and love; will rejoice
with great joy when out of God's mighty " Book
of Record " they shall read how the seed that they
have sown has brought forth some a hundred-fold,
some sixty, some thirty.
This building in which we now worship has
passed through a great many changes, so as hardly
to be the same place that was purchased by our
predecessors so many years. ago. Formerly you
entered by a central door to your pews, and your
organ was high up in the air ; and this place, where
the pulpit stands, was unknown, and the pews that
were formerly on the right and left of the pulpit
have disappeared ; and the skill of the painter has
renewed your walls, and the vestry below, formerly
a cave, is now almost a parlor, being changed from
a dark recess by the magic touch of thousands of
dollars. Outside of the church, too, we notice im
provements and beauties and advantages not before
possessed. " Enough has been spent," said one of
your number, " upon this structure to have formed
a sum large enough for the building of a fine tem
ple unto God." But I am glad, for one, that the
old building was saved, — for precious memories
gather here, and the music of other days makes
sacred these walls and these pews.
I should hardly be true to a discourse of this
kind did I not mention our entertainments and our
sales and our concerts, and all the movements by

of the Harrison Square Church. 15
which we have secured large revenues for expenses
and repairs; — and here, just here, the sisters of
the church deserve unlimited praise, for to them
mainly is the honor due that we live to-day ; that
we have accomplished so much, and that our hope
has never died out. Woman was not only in
ancient times first at the cross and last at the tomb,
but ever since she has been the most ready to take
up the "cross" and to change it into a "crown."
Many have been the dark days in our history at
a time when I was not acquainted with this place,
and, had it not been then for the gentle sex, this
whole society would have vanished out of sight.
But these earnest ones said, when trouble came,
that they would not run away affrighted, but would
stand the fire and fight the fight ; and by faith, and
by work, and by love bring about a grand and a
holy and a glorious resurrection.
Ere I close, I would speak once more of the Rev.
Stephen Bailey, the first minister of this church
when it carried the name of another denomination.
I want to speak of him because he sacrificed so
much in order to build up a flourishing parish in
Harrison Square. He gave away large sums of
money, two years' preaching, and an immense
amount of strength, that he might succeed in his
grand design ; but he failed, and yet such a failure
as that was worthy of all admiration, because it
seems as if all that man could do he did, and I
would like to have the name of " Bailey " placed
somewhere where we all could see it from week to

1 6 Thirtieth Anniversary of the Foundation
week, and then, perhaps, seeing our affection and
admiration and respect, he would come back in
spirit, and secretly but earnestly bless us.
But, friends, I must pause. I do not want to
weary you, but only let me say, God bless you,
one and all ; God bless this dear old church, and
all who have ever belonged to it during the past
thirty years of its strange, eventful, but glorious
Hfe !

of the Harrison Square Church 17

CHURCH AT HARRISON SQUARE.
1848. 1878.
BY C D. BRADLEE. '
In 'forty-eight this church began
Its holy work for God and man ;
And Brooks at first the Word did give,
That needy souls might wake and live !
And Williams next this place did fill.
Longing to do his Father's will.
Twelve months he spoke the Word with power ;
Kindly we speak his name this hour.
And Johnson, too, with mind all bright,
Anxious for truth and wanting light,
Awhile held service in this place,
W.th earnest words and loving face.
Then Bulfinch came, the man of peace, —
Our love for him will never cease ;
. Long will the gentle, holy heart
On all our souls fresh strength impart.
Marvin followed this child of God, —
Took up his staff and held his rod ;
And when he felt the task too great,
Left us all for a distant State.
Hinckley took up the waiting field,
V\ ith tongue of fire a force did wield,
And large crowds came to hear him speak
Of holy truths from week to week.
But soon he went, and Badger came, —
A man of thought and college fame ;
He stood on guard till trial fell,
How great and sharp no words can tell !

Harrison Square Church.
To Seaver then the work was given,
To guide the waiting soul to heaven ;
And filled with zeal and love and power,
Nobly he toiled from hour to hour.
His name we '11 ever speak with love,
And when we look to God above,
We '11 pray, wherever he may go,
Blessings upon his life may flow.
And Bradlee, — coming days must say
Of good or ill, as best they may ;
For he himself must silent be,
And leave his fate to history.

Rev. Charles Brooks. Rev. J. B. Marvin.
Rev. Francis C. Williams. Rev. Frederick Hinckley.
Rev. Samuel Johnson. Rev. Prof. Henry C. Badger.
Rev. Dr. S. G. Bulfinch. Rev. Nathaniel Seavek, Jr.
Rev. Caleb D. Bradlee.

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