Two Hundred Years Ago: a Sermon Preached to the First Church, on the Close of Their Second Century, 29 August, 1830

Two Hundred Years Ago: A Sermon Preached To The First Church, On The Close Of Their Second Century, 29 August, 1830 — Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham. In this bicentennial sermon, Frothingham reflects on the two centuries since the founding of Boston's First Church and the birth of a New England commonwealth. He argues that the colony grew not from reckless experimentation but from sober, resolute men who framed a society founded on learning and religion. He contrasts early theological and political configurations—where scripture and civil life were tightly interwoven, and toleration was scarce—with later liberal progress toward religious liberty and pluralism. The preacher honors the earliest ministers and church members, recounting humble beginnings, and praising their steadfastness and institutions—universities, coinage, ships—as the foundations of civic prosperity. While acknowledging past faults, he urges the present generation to cultivate grateful reverence for ancestral achievements and to sustain the moral and intellectual vitality that has sustained the community into the present century. The sermon thereby links memory, faith, and public duty in a nation still forming its identity.