Ат a meeting of the proprietors of Christ church, held at their vestry room, on the 4th day of January, A. D. 1824, Voted unanimously, That Messrs. Thomas Clark and John Sowdon, wardens, together with Joseph W. Revere, Esq., be a committee to wait on the Rev. Mr. Eaton, in the name of the proprietors and congregation of this church, to thank him for the sermon delivered by him on the afternoon of the last Sunday, and to request a copy for the press. A true copy from the records. Attest, JOHN RICE, Proprietors' Clerk. LIP, CÔNG DISCOURSE. PSALM XLVIII. 9. WE HAVE THOUGHT OF THY LOVING KINDNESS, O GOD, IN THE MIDST OF THY TEMPLE. THE loving kindness of the Lord is a theme on which the pious Psalmist delighted to dwell. The remembrance of it never failed to warm his heart with gratitude, and fill his mouth with praise. It mingled with the hallowed topicks of his private meditation, and gave animation and fervour to his publick devotions. And who, that duly considers the nature and extent of the Divine beneficence, can suffer himself to forget it, or to think of it with indifference? To what, my brethren, but to the loving kindness of the Almighty, are we indebted for every temporal and spiritual blessing? To what other source are we to trace our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life? To what else are we to 1 66 attribute the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, the means of grace, and the hope of glory? From this living, inexhaustible fountain, emanate all those streams which refresh and fertilize this lower world, and gladden the hosts of heaven. The Lord God is a sun and shield; "a sun to enlighten and direct us in our way, and a shield to protect us against the enemies of our salvation." The Lord will give grace and glory; "grace to carry us on from strength to strength, and glory to crown us when we appear before him in Zion; he will withhold nothing that is good and profitable for us in the course of our journey, and will himself be our reward when we come to the end of it." Surely, then, it becomes us, with the Psalmist, to think of the loving kindness of God in the midst of his temple, to record in our memories and in our hearts the wondrous works which he has wrought for us, to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, and to set forth his most worthy praise. I wish, on the present occasion, my brethren, more particularly to direct your thoughts to the loving kindness of God, as displayed towards this religious society, from its origin to the present time. This day completes a century since religious worship was first celebrated in this sacred temple. It will not, therefore, I trust, be thought an uninteresting or unprofitable employment of our time, if we take a slight survey of our past history, and unite in the devout and grateful acknowledgment, that hitherto the Lord has helped us. Subscriptions for building this church were commenced the latter part of the year 1722. The preamble to the subscription paper was as follows. "Whereas the Church of England, at the south part of Boston, is not large enough to contain all the people that would come to it; and several well disposed persons having already bought a piece of ground at the said town to build a church on north part of We, the subscribers, being willing to forward so good a work, do accordingly affix to our names what each of us will cheerfully contribute." On the 15th day of April, 1723, the corner stone of this edifice was laid by the Rev. Samuel Myles, minister of King's chapel, accompanied by the gentlemen of his congregation. The ceremony was concluded with these words, "May the gates of hell never prevail against it." The building was completed during the succeeding summer and autumn, and first opened for publick worship on the 29th day of December, in the same year, by the Rev. Timothy Cutler, |