Soon we with them shall have passed away. Another century will have rolled by; another congregation will be here gathered, and other lips will be employed in detailing the history of this church through another ONE HUNDRED

YEARS.

What the commencement of that history shall be, is put within your power, my brethren, to determine. Standing as you do at the opening of another century in your history, will you not lift up your hearts to the God of your fathers, and say, in the language of inspiration, 'Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children, and let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish thou the work of our hands upon us, yea the work of our hands, establish thou it?'

APPENDIX.

A.

An anecdote has come down to us, which may throw some light upon the different views, entertained by the pastor and people, on this point. It was the custom of this church, it seems, though opposed to paying a stated salary, to assist their minister, by making him presents of grain and other necessaries of life. On a certain time, one of the brethren, not wholly unmindful of his duty in this respect, laded his beast with wheat, and proceeded to the house of his pastor. But the good pastor, who, in this instance, at least, seems to have been more nice than wise, replied, that he could not receive it as a gift, but would take it if it might be regarded as his due; whereupon the brother, with as little regard to charity as the pastor had to policy, abruptly turned homewards, carrying back with him his wheat. It is not strange, that such austerity of principle and manners, on both sides, should have produced unpleasant collisions.

B.

Mr. Brown, though unbaptized, had for a number of years been a deacon of the open communion

Baptist church in Westerly, R. I., under the pastoral care of Stephen Babcock. They walked together in harmony for some years, till a division arose in the church, about what was then called the divine testimony; the pastor and a certain portion of the church maintaining, that all questions of discipline were to be settled by certain impulses and impressions, and the deacon with the other party, maintaining that such questions were to be decided by the word of God and moral evidence. The spirit of delusion, however, in regard to the divine testimony, prevailed; and deacon Brown, with his adherents, withdrew and formed the Second Baptist Church in this town.

C.

The life and times of Joshua Morse, are intimately connected with the early history of this church. The year following its constitution, we find him preaching in this town, with evident tokens of the divine approbation; yet encountering strong opposition from the clergy of the established order. Though a youth, his ministry seems to have been distinguished by the strength and manliness of riper years. His manner is said to have been unusually commanding and impressive, and warmed with such a glow of feeling, as often to dissolve his congregation in tears. Zealous, ardent, impassioned, bring

ing to his ministry the freshness of religious experience, with a heart burning for the conversion of souls, it is not strange, that the people flocked to hear the gospel from his lips. Nor is it strange, that the jealousy of the dominant ministry was excited, or that the arm of persecution was stretched out, when we remember the character of that ministry, both in its civil and religious relations. On the one hand, it was sentimentally opposed to evangelical piety, and on the other, from its alliance with the state, it felt itself called upon to resist all innovations upon the established forms of worship. It was, perhaps, as pure as a ministry could be, associated as it was with the state; as little inclined to persecution, as any ministry would be, which might, if it would, bring to its support, the power and penalty of law. Still it is historically true, that it was strongly opposed to evangelical doctrine, and experimental religion. Men were then educated for the ministry as a profession, without a previous preparation of heart, and call thereto, by the Holy Ghost. It is not strange, therefore, that spirituality languished. What little was still living, lived in the bosoms of the older members, who had enjoyed the benefits of a purer ministry. The rising generation was coming up, destitute of all experimental and practical piety, and what was worse, was coming into the church in this state.

In this state of things, it is but natural to suppose,

that the lighting up of the flame of a glorious revival, would produce a concussion in the religious atmosphere, and wake into collision, the great antagonist principles of moral truth and falsehood.

Mr. Morse was among the number of those faithful pioneers, who shared most largely, in the trials and sufferings of this great religious conflict. Stonington appears to have been the field of his earliest labors, as it certainly was of his earliest sufferings. At that time, this was the only Baptist church in this town. It is hence more than probable, that he often preached to this people. There was also a small meeting-house, located a few miles north of the village of Pawcatuc, where the Baptists and Separates were accustomed to unite in worship. These were dark and troublous times, when the little flock of Christ, persecuted by the nominal church, were constrained to seek out for themselves a retreat, where they might build their altars, and offer up their spiritual sacrifices of praise to God. Here, we are told, these faithful men of God were accustomed to deliver their messages of grace, with that unction so peculiar to the evangelical ministry of that day.

The preaching of Mr. Morse in Stonington, was attended with success; a revival of religion in the vicinity of this church was in progress, when he was arrested and carried before the magistrate. While the trial was pending, the wife of the magis