and their Committee for the occasion were Messrs. Abner Bartlett, Jonathan Brooks, Thatcher Magoun, Turell Tufts, and Dudley Hall. The funeral services were on Saturday, Dec. 14. The prayer was offered by President Kirkland; and the sermon preached by Dr. Abiel Holmes, from 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7. The pall-bearers were the Rev. Drs. Kirkland and Holmes, of Cambridge; Ripley, of Concord; Foster, of Brighton; Fiske, of West Cambridge; and Homer, of Newton.

The wife of Dr. Osgood died Jan. 7, 1818, aged seventy, and left behind the memorial of an amiable, intelligent, and pious woman. "The memory of the just is blessed."

The incidents in the history of Dr. Osgood, not mentioned in the memoir, are few and unimportant. Among those of historic interest are the following:

"March 15, 1782: At a meeting of the brethren of the church this day, the pastor proposed an alteration in the form of the covenant used at the admission of members; to which they gave their unanimous consent. The form adopted is as follows:

"You do, in presence of the great God and this Christian assembly, profess your belief of the Holy Scriptures; that they were given by the inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient rule of faith and practice.

"You believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be the only Mediator between God and man, and Lord and Head of his church. Convinced that you are a guilty, condemned sinner, you desire to receive and submit to him in all those characters and offices with which he is invested for the benefit of the children of men.

"You believe the Holy Spirit of God to be the Author of every spiritual and gracious disposition in the minds of men; the Leader, Sanctifier, and Comforter of his people. Sensible of the depravity of the human heart, your own proneness to sin and inability to that which is good, you promise to seek his divine influence to form you to the temper of the gospel, and to make you meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.

"You desire to give yourself up to God in an everlasting covenant never to be forgotten; to be for him, and none other; to love, serve, and obey him for ever.

"You acknowledge this to be a true church of our Lord Jesus Christ, and promise to walk with us in a due submission to and attendance upon all the ordinances of the gospel; and that, relying upon divine aid, you will, in your whole conversation, make it your serious endeavor to conduct agreeably to the rules of our holy religion and the profession you now make. Do you thus profess and promise?"

"April 2, 1792: Voted to give ten pounds for the encou

ragement of singing for the year ensuing." This is the first vote of the kind found in our records. It was to pay a teacher. No one received money for singing. It was deemed a privilege to aid in this part of public worship; and is it not a privilege?

Nov. 24, 1793: "The church agreed, that, for the future, after the candidates for full communion had stood propounded a fortnight without any objections against them, the pastor might then admit them without calling for a vote."

The salary paid to Mr. Osgood at first was not increased for many years, except by the annual grant of twenty cords. of wood.

Sept. 19, 1796: "Voted not to make him any grant, on account of the high prices of the necessaries of life."

May 5, 1804, the town made the first grant of two hundred dollars, under the head of "wood money;" which sum was afterwards voted annually. The utmost, therefore, which he ever received was $533.33. This strangely contrasts with the sum of $5,500 paid for ministers' salaries in 1855. He made no complaint; although the number of taxable persons in his parish had more than doubled during his ministry, and their means of payment more than quadrupled.

May 9, 1808: Voted "eighty dollars for the encouragement of the singing."

April 7, 1817: "Voted to grant seventy-five dollars to the Medford Amicable Singing Society,' to promote the objects of said society."

Dr. Osgood kept a diary, beginning Jan 1, 1777, and ending Dec. 5, 1822. Through this long period he recorded, with marvellous brevity, the salient events of each day. The manuscript is preserved in his family.

From its first settlement to 1823, Medford had been but one parish; and, for the last hundred years, its two ministers experienced neither popular opposition nor social neglect; and the people experienced neither sectarian strife nor clerical domination. Claiming free thought for himself, and encouraging it in his people, Dr. Osgood brought his parish quite up to his standard of liberality and progress. At his death, a large majority of the native inhabitants had quietly taken side with the Unitarians; while many citizens, not born in the town, had as quietly taken side with the Trinitarians. That any creed could be written, or any minister elected, to suit these opposing parties, was the mis

taken conclusion drawn at the time. Both parties were well instructed, both were equally sincere, and both had corresponding rights. By a law of the Commonwealth, any portion of a parish that seceded from the old society, resigned and sacrificed its legal rights in that parish by that act. we shall have several streams of ecclesiastical history to trace after this date, we will begin with that of the First Parish.

As

CHAPTER VII.

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY (CONTINUED).

FIRST PARISH.

AFTER the death of Dr. Osgood, the eyes of so many were turned upon the Rev. Andrew Bigelow, that the Committee engaged him, March 25, 1823, to preach as a candidate. On the 5th of May in that year, the town voted to invite him to become their minister. Yeas, 95; nays, 70. Salary, eight hundred dollars.

May 7, the church met; his Excellency John Brooks, Chairman. Voted "to concur with the town in giving the Rev. Andrew Bigelow a call to settle over them in the gospel ministry." Yeas, 20; nays, 3. Committee of conference: Nathaniel Hall, Jonathan Brooks, and Nathan Adams, Esqs.

June 14, 1823, Mr. Bigelow accepted this invitation by a long and able letter, properly noticing a condition which, at a subsequent meeting, had been coupled with the first vote of the town. The condition was, that either party may dissolve the connection by giving six months' notice to that effect. Mr. Bigelow, in his letter, says, "After a painful view of the subject, and a strong internal conflict, my conclusion is to accept the invitation."

July 9, 1823, the ecclesiastical council, invited by the town and church to install the pastor elect, was composed of the following clergymen, with delegates: President Kirkland,

Cambridge; Dr. Abiel Holmes, Cambridge; Dr. Thaddeus Fiske, West Cambridge; Dr. John Foster, Brighton; Dr. Charles Lowell, Boston; Rev. Francis Parkman, Boston; Rev. James Walker, Charlestown; Rev. Aaron Greene, Malden; Dr. Aaron Bancroft, Worcester; Dr. Ezra Ripley, Concord; Rev. Convers Francis, Watertown; and Rev. Charles Brooks, Hingham.

The council met on this day. Rev. Dr. Ripley, Moderator; and Rev. Mr. Francis, Scribe. After all the doings of the town and church relating to the call of Mr. Bigelow had been considered, and all other requisite inquiries had been made and answered, the record says,

"It was then moved, that the council, being satisfied with the doings of the church and society, and with the literary, moral, and theological qualifications of the Rev. Andrew Bigelow, do now vote that they are ready to proceed to installation. Before this motion was put, some discussion took place relative to the manner in which a dissolution of the pastoral tie (between the minister elect and people), should that event ever occur, should be conducted; and it was objected to by some members of the council, that nothing was provided in the terms of settlement respecting the calling, in the above event, an ecclesiastical council. After this discussion, the original motion was so far modified as to stand as follows:

"Voted, that though this council deem it expedient, in ordinary cases, that the separation of a minister from a people be the result of an ecclesiastical council, yet they are so far satisfied with the doings of the church and society, and with the qualifications of the candidate, that they are ready to proceed with the installation of the Rev. Andrew Bigelow as pastor of the church and congregation in this town."

The religious exercises were in the following order: Introductory prayer, by Rev. Charles Brooks; sermon, by Rev. Dr. Bancroft; prayer of installation, by Rev. Dr. Holmes; charge, by Rev. Dr. Ripley; right hand of fellowship, by Rev. James Walker; concluding prayer, by Rev. Convers Francis; benediction, by the pastor.

These several services (the prayers excepted) were published together by a vote of the parish.

Mr. Bigelow was born in Groton, Mass., May 7, 1795, and graduated at Harvard College 1814. After studying law for a short time, he turned with his whole soul to the study of divinity, and spent some time at Edinburgh, Scotland. May, 1820, he was ordained as an evangelist, and labored with zeal and success at Eastport, Maine, and at

Gloucester, Mass.; from which last place he married Miss Amelia Sargent Stanwood.

Coming with reputation and experience to the work of the ministry in Medford, he did all that could be done for making the divided waters mingle in peace; but, as irreconcilable differences of opinion were developed in the congregation, it was best that the dissentients should quietly withdraw, and provide for themselves a separate and satisfactory ministration of the word. The first step in such a movement was taken by seventeen members of the church in writing and sending the following letter:

"MEDFORD, Aug. 25, 1823. "Reverend and Beloved, It becomes our painful duty, in the providence of God, differing as we do in our views of the essential doctrines of the gospel from what we believe to be the views and preaching of the Rev. Mr. Bigelow, to separate ourselves from the fellowship and communion of the church with which we now stand connected. Under these impressions, dear brethren, we, conscientiously and in the fear of God, ask letters, or a letter, of dismission, for the purpose of forming ourselves, in a regular manner, into a new and separate church.

"And, while we deeply lament the necessity which we think exists for such a measure, we wish to adopt it from the sole desire of enjoying religious instructions which accord with our views of the system of truth laid down in the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

"Asking your prayers, brethren, that we may be guided into all truth, we subscribe ourselves yours in the gospel,

The church received this short and respectful letter in the spirit in which it was written, and chose a committee of three to prepare a reply. The reply is long, argumentative, and affectionate; and concludes, under deepest regret, to accede to the wishes of the petitioners, if they continue to desire separation. They renew their wish, and are accordingly released from all connection with the primitive church. of Medford. So far as the records speak, we find nothing to condemn in this dismemberment of the ancient parish. Both