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New Haven · Membership and death references

South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865 · scan page 24

Uncorrected OCR. Name spellings, dates, symbols and column order may be wrong. Verify against the original scan. Includes an alphabetical past-member list, death dates and explanations of death and dismissal symbols. Also contains sermons and church history. A dismissal to another church is not a death.

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16  PRELIMINARY  HISTORY.
it  rather  as  au  experiment,  to  see  what  effect  it  would  pro-
duce upon  my  throat,  that  it  uiiglit  shed  light  upon  my
future  path,  and  enable  you  tlie  better  to  judge  whether  it
would  be  prudent  and  wise  for  me  to  enter  upon  that  invi-
ting and  important  field  of  labor  which  you  have,  at  so
much  expense,  opened  before  me.  To  my  own  mind,  the
testimony  furnished  by  this  experiment,  has  been  most
painfully  conclusive.  I  did  not  spend  over  an  hour  in  jot-
ting down  the  few  thoughts  I  offered  on  that  occasion,  and
yet,  w^hen  I  entered  the  church,  my  whole  frame  was  agi-
tated, my  nerves  unstrung,  ray  throat  inflamed  and  almost
closed  up,  and  when  I  returned  home,  I  had  a  high  fever,
and  for  three  days  was  confined  to  the  house.  There  seems
to  be  a  connection,  a  strange  sympathy,  between  my  throat
and  all  mental  efforts.  The  least  excitement  only  enhances
tlie  disease ;  and  as  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  speak  in  pub-
lic, and  much  less  to  preach  the  Gospel,  without  mental
effort,  and  strongly  excited  feelings,  I  can  see  but  little
hope  for  me, — and  I  write  this  with  a  feeling  heart  and
weeping  eyes.
"  I  have  earnestly  prayed,  that  if  it  be  for  the  glory  of
God,  this  cup  of  disappointment  might  pass  from  me.
'Yet,  not  my  will,  but  Thine,  0  Lord,  be  done,'  must,  and
I  trust  ever  will  be,  the  language  of  my  heart.  I  have
often  pictured  to  myself  the  happiness  I  should  experience
in  once  more  returning  to  the  duties  of  a  pastoral  life,  after
the  shifting  scenes  through  which  I  have  passed,  and  of
having  my  family  located  in  such  a  place  as  New  Haven,
and  of  closing  my  ministerial  labors  in  what  would  seem  to
be  as  near  an  earthly  paradise  as  any  thing  I  could  imagine
this  Hide  of  Heaven;  and  it  may  be  that  my  Heavenly
Father  has  seen  some  lurking  sin  in  these  anticipations,
that  needs  to  be  eradicated,  ere  I  can  '  be  made  meet  for
the  inheritance  of  the  children  of  light.'  Or,  it  may  be,
that  He  sees  some  other  one  that  could  better  fill  that
place,  and  that  He  has  other  work  for  me  to  do.  At  any
rate,  we  cannot,  we  nmst  not,  shut  our  eyes  to  the  clear  in-
dications of  His  providence,  however  tiiey  may  thwart  our
])urposes  or  cross  our  inclinations.  I  need  not  say,  that  all
that,  human  skill  can  do  or  devise,  has  been  done  in  my  case

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Silent Grounds Collective, Church Burial & Death Records, CH-P004-0024. South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865, printed page not verified, PDF page 24. Hallock, Gerard, 1800-1866; digitized copy contributed by University of California Libraries https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall/page/n26/mode/1up Accessed September 8, 2026.

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