Order, in which Congregational ministers have died in Boston, with their ages, and the period of their ministry in Boston. Min. in Bost. Ages. 1 John Cotton, 2 John Norton, 3 John Wilson, 9 Thomas Bridge, 10 Eben'r Pemberton, 11 Increase Mather, D. D. 12 William Waldron, 13 Cotton Mather, D. D. 14 Peter Thacher, 15 William Cooper, 16 Benj. Colman, D. D. 17 Joshua Gee, 23 December 165267 19 5 April 1663 57 7 7 August 1667 78 37 15 March 1670 73 1 28 December 1674 65 5 15 October 1678 53 9 12 September 1707 68 29 22 September 1710 78 42 26 September 1715 58 10 13 February 1717 45 16 23 August 1723 85 54 20 September 1727 31 5 13 February 1728 65 44 1 March 1739 61 16 13 December 1743 50 28 29 August 1747 73 48 22 May 174850 25 18 John Webb, 19 Ellis Gray, 20 William Welsteed, 21 Thomas Prince, 22 Alexander Cuming, 23 Jonathan Mayhew, D. D. 24 Samuel Checkley, jr. 25 Thomas Foxcroft, 26 Joseph Sewall, D. D. 27 Samuel Checkley, 28 Joseph Howe, 29 John Hunt, 30 Eben'r Pemberton, D. D. 31 Andrew Eliot, D. D. 32 Samuel Cooper, D. D. 33 Andrew Croswell, 34 Samuel Mather, D. D. 35 Charles Chauncy, D. D. 36 John Clarke, D. D. 37 Jeremy Belknap, D. D. 38 Peter Thacher, D. D. 39 Simeon Howard, D. D. 40 Samuel West, D. D. 41 Joseph Eckley, D. D. 42 William Emerson, 43 Joseph S. Buckminster, 44 John Eliot, D. D. 45 John L. Abbot, 46 John Lathrop, D. D. 47 Samuel C. Thacher, 48 Joshua Huntington, 16 April 1750 63 35 17 January 1753 37 14 29 September 1753 58 26 22 October 1758 72 40 25 August 1763 37 2 8 July 1766 46 19 19 March 1768 44 21 16 June 1769 73 52 27 June 1769 80 56 1 December 1769 73 50 25 August 1775 28 2 20 December 1775 31 4 9 September 1777 72 23 13 September 1778 59 36 20 December 1783 58 38 12 April 1785 77 37 27 June 1785 79 53 10 February 1787 82 59 2 April 1798 43 20 20 June 1798 54 11 16 December 1802 51 18 13 August 1804 72 37 10 April 1808 70 19 30 April 1811 61 32 12 May 1811 42 12 9 June 1812 28 7 14 February 1813 59 33 17 October 1814 31 1 4 January 1816 77 48 2 January 1818 32 7 11 September 1819 34 11 But what is most material to observe, is, that of the 76 Congregational ministers, who have been settled in Boston, not one has been deposed for even the suspicion of immorality. The five celebrated Johns,* who, in the early settlement of the town, were placed in immediate succession over the First Church, exercised an almost unbounded influence in civil, as well as ecclesiastical concerns. They indeed attained to this pre-eminence, equally by their talents and their virtues. It was to have been expected, that such men would become the earliest victims of the abominations in Church and State, which threatened to desolate the mother country. It was a similar insupportable tyranny, at the beginning of the French Revolution, to which our Capital has been indebted, during a quarter of a century, for two of the brightest ornaments of the Gallican Church. But not to the early history of Boston must our attention be confined for men, eminent in the clerical profession. It has enjoyed a full proportion of such characters in every succeeding generation. Our Capital has not indeed been unmindful of the advantages, which she has, in this respect, possessed; nor of her correspondent obligations. It would be difficult to point to any section of Christendom, where the ministers of the gospel have been uniformly treated with greater attention, respect, and affection. So notorious is the truth of this remark, that Boston has been proverbially characterized as THE PARADISE OF CLERGYMEN. May this continue to be her glory; and may she bring forth in more and more copious harvests, the best fruits of religious institutions, inherited from our fathers, nurtured with pious care, and blessed with the smiles of a benignant Providence! * Wilson, Norton, Cotton, Davenport, and Oxenbridge. |