- Louisa C. Smith
Heard Mr
Dean of Scituate in the morning from Mark 2:29. “And he
said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the
Sabbath[”]; and in the afternoon from Acts 3.19. “Be converted” both
ingenious and eloquent Sermons. There is a peculiarity in Mr Dean’s mode of delivery, which most of the
auditors here, dislike— It is inconceivable, how many modes there are of
bad speaking, and how exceedingly rare it is to hear a good Speaker in
the pulpit. Mr Dean’s fault is not the cold
inanimate manner so common among the preacher’s of this neighbourhood;
but a form of vivacity which passes for affectation, and which is
thought to partake of levity— In the morning Sermon he gave a historical
account of the Institution of the Sabbath; of the reasons assigned for
it in the old Testament— Of its adaptation to the new Covenant; as a
commemoration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ; and of the change by
the Apostles of the day upon which it is solemnized, from the seventh to
the first day of the week— At the close of the Discourse he animadverted
with severity upon the attempts now making to divide the Parish and set
up a new Religious Society of Universalists— This project has been
several years fermenting, and will now undoubtedly succeed— Great
numbers of the congregational Churches are breaking up by Sectarian
Secessions— Some from and some to Calvinism—Baptistism—Methodism,
Unitarianism, and Universalism— The Church at Quincy had been peculiarly
fortunate in its harmony— As the population of the town increased the
Meeting House became too small for the number of worshippers— It
overflowed partly into the Episcopal Church where a 22respectable and very popular clergyman by the name of Cutler was settled; moderately
Calvinistic and Trinitarian— But Mr Cutler
within the last two years has pulmonary complaints which obliged him to
pass the last Winter in Georgia, and will make a Southern climate
necessary to him for the next— He will probably never return to Quincy,
where his place is now temporarily supplied by a Mr Potter—
Last year a new Meeting House was built at the Railway in Milton but on
the borders of Quincy; and has taken away some of Mr
Whitney’s Parishioners— Meantime the Universalist
Preachers have been making gradual approaches, and for some months past
have held meetings on Sunday Evenings at the Town Hall— This day they
have advanced a step further and had public worship, morning, afternoon
and Evening— The wolf is thus in Mr
Whitney’s fold; and the Spirit of dissension is spreading over his
flock, under the auspices of Universal Salvation— Mr Dean pointed out the consequences, but
reason against Sectarianism, is oil to a flame— His Sermon of the
afternoon upon the text Be converted, was equally sound and rational
Anti-Calvinism— But there is so little of that species of Bigotry in
Quincy that there was no need of preaching against it. Louisa C. Smith dined with us— She is
going to-morrow, for the Winter to Boston— S. Farrar went to Dedham for John Kirke and his
wife; and returned without them; but they came soon after.
Mary and her family arrived
safely at New-York on Friday afternoon at five O’Clock— My Son John was there to meet them—