File:An account of the celebration by the First parish of Weston, Massachusetts of its two hundredth anniversary on Sunday, the nineteenth of June and Sunday, the twenty-sixth of June, MDCCCXCVIII, also (14583303677).jpg

Identifier: accountofcelebra00west (find matches)
Title: An account of the celebration by the First parish of Weston, Massachusetts of its two hundredth anniversary on Sunday, the nineteenth of June and Sunday, the twenty-sixth of June, MDCCCXCVIII, also sundry addresses and other papers therewith connected, 1698-1898
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Weston (Mass.). First Parish
Subjects: Weston, Mass. First Parish
Publisher: Weston, Mass., Printed for the Parish
Contributing Library: UMass Amherst Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: UMass Amherst Libraries

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on which he preached to this church ather funeral, justified her origin and her education,and as a wife, a mother, as his assistant in his min-istry to this parish, was a blessing, an inspirer and atrue helper. When he lost her, he lost the stay ofhis life; when she was gone life declined for him.We have no means of knowing what caused hisdismissal from this church by mutual consent in1750, for it was the choice of the council, the min-ister, and the congregation, that all record of thiscouncil should be obliterated. These causes how-ever were not such as to prevent him remaining amember of this church or sharing its sacraments.We should respect the wishes of our fathers andnot seek to know what they judged best to with-draw from our knowledge. We know enough of Mr. Williams to say, thathe was of most excellent ancestry and closely con-nected with the best families in this region; thathe had the best education his times afforded; thathe was a good preacher, being asked to preach on 66
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Tombstone of Reverend William Williams The First Parish of Weston those occasions when the highest available talent issought; that he was in sympathy with those strug-gles for liberty which our fathers were continuallymaking in this Commonwealth; and that he wasone of that school of progressive ministers whomade possible the Christian freedom in which thischurch now rejoices. He was the friend and inti-mate of the best men of his day; he had a noblewife who must have been a helpful and refining in-fluence in the community; his children testify of hiscare and worth. He was devout in his temper andever active for the good of his people. He hascome out of the mists of the past to me as an idealcountry minister, and his careful records show thatthis parish was greatly helped by his charge of it.He added in the first thirty years of his ministrythree hundred fourteen persons to the church, andin 1746, when he ceased preaching, there were thenin the church (the others having died or removed

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