Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-09-30

four O'Clock dOctrnal sermon was preached
by Rev. Mr.. Jones. Theme, degeneration"
Text, Titus iii. 5. The public evening exercises
were devoted to remarks on educational topics
by Rev. Dr. Bronson and others. Thursday
foreuoon's meeting was mainly devoted to bust
ness. 1t was voted to have Rev. DIR. Bronson
deliver the next annual sermon. Thursday af-
ternoon was devoted to praise meeting, also
prayer and conference meeting. The meetings
were all well attended. There were about $50
present from other towns.
Church Dedication in Auburn.
The Congregational church in Auburn, built
nearly one hundred years ago, having recently
been repaired and fitted up in modern style,
was rededcated with appropriate exercises yes
tcrday. The day was beautiful one, and
many from the adjoining towns added to the
large number of the townspeople in attendance.
About $500 have been expended in the various
improvements made in the building, inside and
out, including the new pews, pulpit, furniture,
colored glass windows, &C., causing it to make
a very fine appearance. The contract for the
work done has been very satisfactorily executed
by Mr.. VIM. Sibley of Worcester. The fresco-
ing was very tastefully done by Y. Cleveland of
this city, the carpets were furnished by Messrs.
Barnard, Sumner & Co and the upholstery by
Mr.. John d. Chollar. This is one of the oldest
churches in the state, having been organized an
terror to the revolution, and in ii the dcclara.
ton of independence, inscribed upon the town
records, was read in 1776.
The first parish committee and assessors of
,,,t,,, H.,
appears by the old town records, were Comfort
Rice, Alexander Nichols, Benjamin Carter, JAS
Hart, Jr., aud John Hart; the first treasurer of
the parish was Isaac Stone, and the first colec-
tor Thomas Baird, Jr.; and the first parish
clerk, who served for many years, was Jacob
Stevens. The first parish meetings, fora long
series of years, were all held at the public house
of Lieut.. Thomas Drury, innhoder, who gave
the land, two and half acres, upon which the
meeting house was erected. Lieut.. Thomas
Drury was grandfather of Major Thomas Drury,
who resides upon the old homestead. Many
other descendants of the second and third gem
Grafton, from those who participated in the or
ganization of the church, will also be recognized
among the present active members of it, among
others Samuel Eddy, whose grandson, now liv-
ing with him, is the seventh of that name, dat.
ing seven generations back, who have lived there.
The first few years the preaching was supplied by
a committee appointed for the purpose, the first
regularly settled minister being Rev. Isaac Bailey,
who began in 1872, and ofilcared for many years,
till the settlement of Rev. Enoch Pond, d. D.,
author of ponds Murray's Grammar" whose
pastorate embraced very long period, till his
translerence to Bangor, Me.
The exercises yesterday began with singing
by the choir of the anthem, 30 how lovely is
Zon,' and after prayer by Rev. John Haven, of
Charlton, hymn, written for the occasion by
Miss Maria Bunce, beginning,
"To thee, o God of purity,
Our grateful hearts adOring bow" &C.,
was sung. Rev. Elnathan Davis, pastor of the
church, then delivered a very interesting and
able discourse, from Isaiah 56;7 "My house
shall be called an house of prayer for all people"
In the course of it, in reference to the early his
tory of the church, he said the spot upon which
they were then assembled was formerly the
limits of Worcester, the township of Auburn
being composed of tracts of land taken from the
towns of Oxford, Leicester Sutton and Worces-
ter. In June, 1918, some fifty persons, male
and female twenty-five from Worcester, twelve
from Sutton, nine from Oxford and seven from
Leicester, with their families, were constituted
precinct by the colonial government, and known
as the South precinct of Worcester. In
July of the same year the precinct
was organized according to law. The
month following, at a meeting legallyrcalled
''in his majesty's name," it was voted to COM
mo oh; l.
mittee of FIVE, consisting of Jonathan Stone,
Alexander Nichols, Benjamin Carter, Andrew
Crowl and David Bancroft, was chosen to pro-
vide ways and means for preaching. At the
same meeting-held ninety eight years ago last
month-a committee of seven, consisting of
Charles Richardson, Oliver Carter, Jonathan
Phillips, Timothy Carter, John Crowl, Samuel
Eddy and Peter Hardy, was appointed to pre-
pare plans for meeting house. At an adjourned
meeting the plans were presented and the rec
ommendation adopted to build a meeting house
$50 x 40 feet, and "a feet posts" A committee
of five was also chosen to get out the timber.
At a meeting held Dec. 10, 1873, David Boyden
being moderator and Jacob Stevens parish
clerk, it was voted to "let out the franz
ing and raising and covering of the house."
to Charles Richardson, John Crowl Jonathan
Stone, Jesse Stone, and Thomas Drruy, and
two persons, Thomas Drruy aud Peter Hardy,
were added to the committee for procuring
preaching. AT an adjourned meeting the same
month, Samuel Eddy and Comfort Rice were
added to the building committee, and they were
empowered to see that the meeting house was
finished on the outside by the first of November,
IVA. 1t was also voted to build porch to the
house, and at the same meeting proposition to
provide for the hanging of bell, &C., was voted
down. In this general manner the old parch-
ment records for the first years of our munich
pal history run.
In April, IT'S, in the midst of the revolution,
this territory, for five years the south precinct
or parish of Worcester, was incorporated by the
great and general court of Massachusetts bay,
and received the name of distinguished officer
of the revolutionary war.
The following hymn, composed for the occasion
by the pastor of the church, was then sung:
Spirit of the Infinite!
Brooding DER world of care
Earnest of the Fathers love,
Sent of Jesus from above
Consecrate this house of prayerl
Vain the work our hands have done,
Worse than vain our human lot,
IT, amid life's troubled night
With redeemmg love and light,
Thy glad presence bless us not
Come with all thy precious rain,
Aud thy gentle falling dew;
Make this house thy dwelling place
And with peace and truth and grace
Fill the humble soul anewi
Here as years shall hasten on,
Be our comfort and friend;
And, in Christ's own living way,
Guide and guard us day by day,
And our children TO the end.
MIR. Davis read letter from Rev DR.. Pond,
dated Bangor, Me-, regretting his inability to
accept of the invitation to be present on this
occasion. He said nothing would give him