New Haven · Membership and death references
South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865 · scan page 40
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.
Searchable source text
32 MINISTRY OF DR. STILES. rally in tlie South Church. That he was able to adapt his preaching to the humblest capacities, is shown hy his amazing popularity and success among the negroes in the low country of Georgia, where he labored for a considerable period between the date of his own conversion and his going to Andover Theo- logical Seminary, When the negroes learned that he was about to leave them, they begged him not to go, manifesting toward him much the same feeling as the Ephesiau elders did towards Paul, when they "fell on his neck and kissed him ; sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more." As, however, the Ephesian elders ac- companied Paul to the ship which was to take him from them forever, so the negroes collected by hun- dreds at the landing from which their spiritual teacher was about to depart, to hear his last words and re- ceive his benediction. He accordingly addressed them from the boat, telling them that he was a new axe which had never been ground. His edge was thick, and he had to pound away a long time before he could batter down even a small pine. He was going away to get sharpened ; after which he hoped he should be able to cut down more trees in one day than he now could in a week. Carrying out this illustration, so familiar to the negroes, in such a manner as few other men could, they were convinced that it was best for him to go, and shouted " Go, massa, and de Lor be wid you," or to that effect. This is the merest outline of a most thrilling description of the scene, as related
Cite this page
Silent Grounds Collective, Church Burial & Death Records, CH-P004-0040. South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865, printed page not verified, PDF page 40. Hallock, Gerard, 1800-1866; digitized copy contributed by University of California Libraries https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall/page/n42/mode/1up Accessed September 8, 2026.
Historic U.S. publication before 1931; public-domain assessment based on publication date. Internet Archive does not necessarily provide an explicit license. Preserve publication and digitizing credits.