SERMON, PREACHED NOVEMBER 26, 1829, BEING THE DAY OF THANKSGIVING; CONTAINING A HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH IN NEWPORT, (R. I.) BY J. O. CHOULES, A. M. Providence: H. H. BROWN, 15 MARKET SQUARE. At a Church Meeting of the Second Baptist Church in Newport, December, 1829: Voted, That Deacon WILLIAM W. VERNON, E. TREVETT, and GEORGE C. SHAW, be a Committee, to wait on our Pastor, the Rev. JOHN O. CHOULES, to thank him for the very appropriate sermon preached by him on the last Thanksgiving Day; and request a copy for the press. ROBERT ROGERS, Church Clerk. Newport, December 30, 1829. REV. SIR-We, the undersigned, in accordance with the above Vote, de present you the unseigned thanks of the Second Baptist Church, in Newport, for the historical sermon, delivered by you, before said Church and Society, on the late day of Thanksgiving; in which the feelings and sentiments, that animated our pious forefathers, to constitute said Church, are clearly depicted, and many important facts stated, which are connected with the rise, progress, and present prosperity of said Church and Congregation; and we do respectfully solicit a copy for the press. With Christian deference, we are, Yours, respectfully: Committee. Newport (R. I.) January 1, 1930. DEAR BRETHREN-I have received your communication, expressing the wish of the Church that I would publish the Discourse delivered on the day of 'Thanksgiving. I have no objection to accede to the request, but would state the circumstances which induced me to undertake the composition of the Sermon. Soon after my ordination, I felt a desire to know the early History of our Society. My enquiries were by no means satisfactory. I found the early records sadly defective, and even a long succession of years wanting a chronicle of their events. It occurred to me, that a diligent and speedy application to various authorities at present existing, might contribute to the enlargement of the Church book on important topics, and I applied myself to the task. The Church records of other Religious Societies in the State, the private journals of good men, whose interest in the welfare of the Church induced them to note down her eventful progress, and the information of aged persons in this vicinity, put me in possession of much important matter of fact, which I thought would prove of general interest to our Church and Congregation, if brought into a Discourse. Many of the young people in the Society know but little of the events which induced their ancestors to leave the endearments of home and native land; and I have therefore endeavoured to shew the connexion existing between the persecutions of bigotry, and the exactions of superstition with the settlement of this Colony and the establishment of our religious Institutions. I would acknowledge my obligations to the labours of Callender, Backus, Benedict and Robinson. Hoping that this attempt to promote our knowledge of the facts connected with our past history, as a Religious Society, may excite our gratitude to that God who has been our glory and defence, and strengthen our faith in his word and faithfulness, I am, dear Brethren, Yours with Christian regard, J. O. CHOULES. GEORGE C. SHAW, SERMON. EZRA IV, 15. "That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers." It is interesting to reflect upon the past, when we can derive from the retrospect lessons of instruction and consolation: especially it is pleasing to review the former pathway of a cause which exhibits the most important relationships, and claims an eternal association with "the blessed God." The Christian Church is the cause of God, and in a high and spiritual sense it may be said to be all that we have belonging to God upon the earth. The world was created by God for the residence of his church, and all the dispensations of his providence, for six thousand years, have taken place in marked subserviency to the economy of grace. Read the page of the world's history, and you will see that every event of matter and of mind has ultimately evinced the steady regard and good will of God to Zion. The people of the Most High have seen his goings forth on their behalf in all ages, and through the tender mercy of our God, we possess an inspired history of the church for several generations, and are thus enabled to reap advantage from the wisdom and experience of those who are now inheriting the promises. But it is proper to acknowledge that there is much in the history of what is commonly called "the church," which we would gladly forget. Her days of darkness have been many, her enemies migh ty, her follies multiplied, her annals written in blood, and we sometimes wish that the falling tears of the historian had rendered her records illegible. The well known partialities of mankind for antiquity, have caused the dark roll of many generations to be drawn out for the purpose of supporting error as well as truth in the Christian church; and now to rely upon the evidence of antiquity to decide the propriety of doctrine or practice in religion, is dangerous, unless indeed, we go back to the antiquity of apostolic days, because the baneful shade of superstition stalked in the track of the earliest heralds of the cross, and her children in some instances became the immediate successors of the Apostles in the church. The middle ages are properly called "dark:" They have thrown a veil upon their transactions, and the only accurate " record" of the church of Christ for about one thousand years, is to be found in the register " on high." Yet when clouds and darkness were round the church, "God over all" was at the helm controlling her affairs, directing her destiny; and when the fulness of time had arrived, and the divine purposes were matured, a wonderful combination of events introduced the Reformation. Germany caught the flame; it spread from nation to nation, darkness disappeared before it, and God once more said, "Let there be light." It is the singular felicity of this country, that she has no doubtful annals, either civil or religious. She is the hope of the world, the expectation of the race of man; God's hiding place for his redeemed ones; he hath elevated her in the sight of all the nations, and inscribed her glorious destiny in characters legible as if written with the lightning's beam on the dark thunder cloud. The kindreds, tribes, and tongues of other lands behold it, and they say, "Arise, let us go hence!" Light is never so sweet as when it rises up in |