Dr. Colman he expressed himself in the following terms: "Shall animal nature thirst after suitable refreshments, and shall not rational nature pant after its spiritual perfection? All I have to desire in life, unworthy of any thing at all, is to fill up the remainder in thankfulness to GOD, usefulness to man, and a growing meetness for the Heavenly world." Such was the uniform tenor of his letters; nor was it empty profession; for he had "a heart to use both his estate and his great interest at Court for the doing good in his generation." The multiplicity of his affairs prevented him from accepting the office of agent for Massachusetts, which was offered him by the General Court; but, at the instance of Dr. Colman, he rendered eminent services to the Province, and at different times forwarded to that gentleman, books and bills of exchange, amounting to no less than £4847 NewEngland currency, "to be distributed by him in works of piety and charity." After his death his excellent widow and daughters honored his memory by following his example. Their remittances for the same benevolent purposes amounted to no less than £5585 New-England currency; so that Massachusetts received from that family benefactions to the amount of £10,432. Of this sum a small part, indeed, came to Harvard College; enough, however, to render the name of Holden dear to its friends; and it should not be forgotten that the whole of it is to be referred, directly or indirectly, to the good offices of a man, whom the College has uncom mon reason to hold in grateful remembrance. 1 Colman's Sermon on the Death of S. Holden, Esq. The practice of delivering annual discourses on certain important truths or doctrines had long existed in the English Universities; but had not as yet been adopted in Harvard College. It was at length introduced by the Honorable Paul Dudley. This great man died January 25th, 1751;1 leaving by his will to Harvard College, as a "a poor thank-offering to God from his unworthy servant, for his many and great mercies to him in his education at that College," the sum of £133 6s. 8d., lawful money, equivalent to £100 sterling, the interest to be applied to the supporting of an annual lecture, to be preached at the College once every year, upon four subjects, specified in his will: first, upon Natural Religion; second, upon Revealed Religion; third, upon the Corruptions of the Church of Rome; fourth, upon the Validity of Presbyterian Ordination. "These four lectures are to be held alternately every year in succession." The person who preaches the last lecture, is "to be a sound, grave, experienced divine, and at least forty years of age "; and the preachers are to "have their stipend or pay given them as soon as may be." The Trustees are, the President of the College, the ' Professor of Divinity, the Pastor of the First Church in Cambridge, the Senior Tutor of the College, and the Pastor of the first Church in Roxbury, each of them for the time being. The third and fourth of these subjects possessed at that day an interest, which they have not retained; and while "our emancipation from Britain set us free from all the fears formerly entertained" of the estab 1 Winthrop's MS. Catalogue. lishment of Episcopacy upon the ruins of our Congregational system the progress of light and of improvement has long since left nothing to apprehend on the side of Popery. Agreeably to the will of the founder, as to the person by whom the course should be commenced, President Holyoke delivered the first Dudleian lecture, in the year 1755; but withheld it from the press. The venerable John Barnard of Marblehead, at the age of seventy-five years, delivered the lecture next year, on the subject of Revealed Religion. This sermon was published, and is not unworthy of his high character for talents and learning. A lecture has been preached every year since without interruption; and the list of preachers comprises many of the first divines of Massachusetts. The delivery of the Dudleian Lecture has not been confined to any particular season; though it has most generally taken place in May, which is the time at present fixed upon for that purpose. The founder of this lecture was one of the most distinguished alumni of this College. He was the oldest son of Gov. Joseph Dudley; was born at Roxbury in 1675, and graduated in 1690. He was afterwards a Tutor in the College. Like his father, he spent his life mostly in the public service, for which, like him also, he was eminently qualified. He was thirty-two years a judge of the Superior Court, about six of which he was Chief Justice. On the bench he shone with uncommon lustre, and "gained the general esteem and veneration of the people." "His knowledge was great in most parts of literature; he was well versed in natural philosophy; 1 Winthrop's MS. Catalogue. an honorable proof of which was his being a member of the Royal Society. He had thoroughly studied divinity; and in history, both civil and sacred, he had scarce an equal." To all his other accomplishments he added those which are proper to the gentleman and the Christian.1 Such was the character given of him by that great and good man, the Honorable Stephen Sewall, who was his immediate successor in the office of Chief Justice, "Laudatus a laudato viro. " Judge Sewall was himself one of the brightest ornaments of Harvard College. He belonged to an illustrious family. His father was the excellent Stephen Sewall, Esq. of Salem; his mother was a daughter of the famous Mr. Mitchel, minister of Cambridge, and he was nephew to Chief Justice Samuel Sewall, of whom we have already spoken. After taking his bachelor's degree, in 1721, he engaged in a business which has occupied the early years of many of our greatest men, that of instructer. He had charge of a grammar school in Marblehead for some time, afterwards returned to Cambridge and was Tutor from 1728 to 1739. So high was his reputation for talents, learning, and all good qualities, that he was advanced from that situation to a seat on the bench of the Superior Court, where he remained till his death, which took place in 1760, to the extreme regret of his friends and of the public. Among his eulogists were two of the greatest divines of the age, his classmate Dr. Chauncy, and Dr. Mayhew, both of whom place him in the first rank of New England worthies. 1 The Character of the late Honorable Judge Dudley, first published in the Boston News-Letter, February 7th, 1751; ascribed by Eliot to Judge Sewall. CHAPTER XXII. THE excitement produced in every part of the country, about this period, by Mr. George Whitefield, extended itself to this retreat of the Muses. It was in the year 1740, that this extraordinary itinerant preacher made his first visit to New England. He says in his Journal, "Wednesday, Sept. 24. Went this morning to see and preach at Cambridge, the chief College for training up the sons of the prophets in all New England. It has one President, four Tutors, upwards of one hundred students: It is scarce as big as one of our least Colleges in Oxford; and, as far as I could gather from some who well knew the state of it, not far superior to our Universities in piety and true godliness.- Tutors neglect to pray with and examine the hearts of their pupils. Discipline is at too low an ebb: Bad books are become fashionable amongst them:-Tillotson and Clark are read instead of Sheppard, Stoddard, and such like Evangelical writers, and therefore I chose to preach from those words, We are not as many who corrupt the Word of God: And in the conclusion of my sermon I made a close application to Tutors and Students."1 His idea of "our Universities," that is, of those of England, may be gathered from his account of them I Whitefield's Journal at New England, p. 55. |